Sinbad: High King of the Seas

Chapter 39: "Torran Village!"

"Can you understand them, Sharrkan?" Sinbad asks.

"A little... but they're so agitated that it's difficult to catch everything they're saying—" Sharrkan says.

"Try to calm them down for now!" Sinbad asks before gasping. Annalise grabs onto Sinbad and Sharrkan. Her hood comes down as the wind from Masrur's movements makes it fall.

"Sin, if words won't get through to them, I can silence them with force." Masrur says.

"No, Masrur! You'll just provoke them!" Annalise says as she grabs his shoulders. Someone says something before Annalise and the others look up at an old man.

"Put down your weapons. Travelers, you as well, please." An old guy says, "I am the chief of this village. I can speak your language. Those red hair and those eyes. You two are fanalis, aren't you?"

"Yes." Annalise and Masrur say in unison.

"You know about the Fanalis?" Jafar asks, "Then the dark continent really is the Fanalis' Homeland!"

"It's true. There used to be many fanalis here. But that was all in the past. You look like you're all just children... so I doubt you're a group of thieves. If you brought these Fanalis children here, you must intend to reunite them with their people, correct? Sadly, that's impossible because... There are no longer any Fanalis left here." The old man says.

"W-What?" Annalise asks as Masrur stares shocked.

"There were once many fanalis here on the dark continent. They lived in villages just like my people, and this place was once home to many of those settlements. But you saw for yourself, didn't you? Did you pass a single village on your way here? Any people? There's nothing around us but desert. What went through your head as you observed such an extreme environment with so little life left? There were once Fanalis villages here... but they were targeted by slave traders and annihilated." The old man says.

"It can't be..." Sinbad says.

"But why..." Jafar says, "How could a people as strong as the fanalis be annihilated?"

"Fanalis are still just humans. Slave traders took advantage of that fact. They pretended to be amicable, befriended the fanalis, deceived them, and used medicine to drug them. They took the children as hostages to subdue the adults. Anyone who resisted was shown no mercy." The old man explains and Annalise's eyes widen. He looks down at Sharrkan and Annalise steps in front of Sharrkan.

"You're from Heliohapt, aren't you? The medicines made in Heliohapt are effective even on Fanalis, and the slave traders were well aware of that characteristic. Did you realize that?" The old man says and a look of sheer terror comes across Sharrkan's face. The one person that had showed him kindness was Annalise and she was a Fanalis.

"Do matter how strong you are, once they set their sights on you, it's over. The Torran people have been persecuted as a savage tribe and we were driven out of our homes to this far land. Our brethren, too, were also targeted by slave traders, many people were lost. That's why we distrust outsiders. We will not allow them into our village. If you understand that, then please leave. We'll let you go out of respect for those two Fanalis children." The old man says.

"Wh..." Masrur says.

"What?" The old man says.

"Where was the Fanalis village?!" Annalise asks finishing for Masrur.

"There was once a village in the southwest of this area, but—" The old man says, "What will do with that knowledge? There's nothing left there but tragedy."

"We don't know that. If we don't see it for ourselves then we don't know that!" Annalise says.

"Annalise?" Jafar asks.

"I've never seen her like this." Sinbad says and Masrur takes off running beside Annalise.

"Annalise! Masrur!" Jafar yells.

'There aren't any more Fanalis. They were annihilated by slave traders.' The old man's voice says. The faces of Masrur's parents come to his mind. Annalise pictures what she knew of her mother and father.

"I'll go get them. If we just let them—" Jafar says.

"No, wait." Sinbad says, "Annalise has never even seen her parent's faces. There are some thing that you just can't accept until you see them for yourself. We let them go. Annalise can handle herself and the two of them together... They're a force of a herd of elephants."

"But aren't you worried?" Jafar asks.

"Deadly worried, but Annalise told me to not protect her so much. If I'm going to be her husband, I have to trust her." Sinbad says.

"Um... Sin... I'll check on them. I can't just let them be that stare of mind." Sharrkan says, "Annalise has been so kind to me."

"Sharrkan!" Sinbad yells when Sharrkan takes off after Annalise and Masrur, "Let's leave those two to him. Besides, we should..."

"What was there something else?" The old man asks, "I thought I'd told you we do no trust outsiders. You cannot enter our village."

"Yes, I understand how you feel." Sinbad says.

"Then make it quick." The old man says.

"Slave hunting, persecution... now that I know the truth ofhow the Torran people have been treated, I can't just overlook it. I want tochange this. I'll change the world's injustices." Sinbad says shockingeveryone.