#speerlies

Thoughts: WARNINGS

GENOCIDE

SUICIDE

MURDER

LOTS OF IT

Ok now that’s out the way I want to say welcome!!

Work Title is a song called Crack Baby by Mistki. I thought it was fitting for this. Also reminds me of Jason Todd.

This Fic is a what if and will not follow all events of the poppy war. I will try my best with this but my writing pales in comparison to R.F. Kuang and so characters may be a little ooc. ONLY A LITTLE THOUGH!!

So this will be multi chapter and will be updated when updated

I hope ye guys enjoy…!

Hanelai was as sure as she was that the sun would rise tomorrow that her time was up. Maybe she should feel something other than this all consuming rage but she couldn’t, couldnt possibly when she was dammed to death.

She can feel trouble brewing on the horizon. The close distance from Speer to Nikan, which seemed a million miles away when she was only a young girl, seemed to almost suffocate her now. It almost seemed to loom over their little island.

Yin Riga was scheming and she would not survive it. She wants to burn all of Nikan down and leave it smouldering. She wants piles of ashes spreading across every acre of land. She wants to finally be at peace instead of constant warfare. She knows the only way to achieve that is to wipe something off the map.

Jiang always told her she was rash and spoke her feelings without thinking of who was listening, but she did not care when it came to this. When it came to this she would shout her feelings to all that would listen. She would even shout it at Yin Riga’s face. Her fate had now been set, it wouldn’t matter what she would shout at him.

Defying him she knew she had dug herself an early grave, but she would not give up Speerly children to be experimented on. She would sell out Riga in a heartbeat if it meant Speer was safe, she’d seek out every Nikan.

But she would hesitate, she would hesitate for a split second as her Jiang would flash through her mind before she made her choice, as he would make his. Riga knew what she would do. So he would see her gone.

Hanelai held her nephews hand in her, as he held her daughter’s hand in his. Hanelai carried the satchel on her back and as they approached the shore it got heavier and heavier.

When her sister had died by Nikara hand, she had promised that she would take care of her Altan. It was no problem, that kid was amazing, he was the pride of the island and more importantly, he adored her Rin.

Her Rin who was only three years old. Three years, that was all Hanelai would get with her. Hanelai would only get six years with Altan. Hanelai was robbed, she was cheated and yet she could do nothing to remedy this.

Rin was born from two parents who would never know peace. Hanelai wanted a better life for her, for both of them. This was the only way. She repeated that firmly over and over again in her head and hoped one day she would be able to believe it.

Rin at three years old was bright as a button and full of love. She saw herself in her as much as she saw Jiang in Rin. She was a blend of both. Features that could both be pinned or pointed to either parent. She was a tapestry of her and Jiang’s broken love, yet she was whole.

Her Rin deserved a fighting chance, she would not pay for her parents doing. So Hanelai had them both pack their things. She had told them what was to happen. Tear tracks streamed down both of their little faces.

Once they reached the shore, waves gently lapped at their feet. Across from them was Nikan in all its glory. Dawn had yet not broke and not even the near constant chirping of birds could be heard.

A cluster of trees held firm against the breeze to her right. When she would go to the mainland in the middle of the night she would take a boat that was burrowed in between the reeds.

She told them both to wait for her as she dug it out. She remembers first sneaking out to visit Jiang. She remembers giggling so much, she thought of herself as a great spy, one on such a daring mission not even the great sea could stop her. She was a fool in love with another fool.

Jiang had met her and they had ran to the nearest inn. When morning struck they wandered the forest so no one would catch them. War was still rampant so Hanelai would always return home while Jiang would go north to further his triumph and dampen his losses.

Then she had gotten pregnant. She may have been a fool in love with a god but she had heard the stories. The story of what happened in the Hinterlands. A girl whose heart was ripped out of her chest by her lover.

She had asked Jiang about it once. Jiang had told her the truth. She wasn’t horrified, it was a necessary death in his crusade to rule the world, she just wished it didn’t have to happen. She knew that even thought he may never say it, he regrets her death.

She held no judgement towards him for that death. Her own sister had killed her husband, a man from Nikan with such white skin you would swear it sparkled.

Her sister was his concubine. He would not claim Altan and so she had slit his throat. She then stole half of his goods before going off to the midst of battle. She was found with a federation sword stuck in her back was her cause her death, or so she was told.

Her dear sister Yulan knew she had condemned herself to death but she chose to go out swinging rather than hung. She took out three federation troops.

She had made her choice. Now Hanelai would make hers.

The boat now seemed like a death sentence than a chance of freedom. She began to drag it towards their destination.

When she breached the beach they were exactly where she left them. They only stared at the land mass in front of them.

Rin looked so much like Jiang in that moment, with his picture perfect pout, Hanelai could’ve fallen to her knees.

Rin was born on the twenty first of June. She came into this world wailing and she was the most beautiful thing Hanelai had ever laid her eyes on.

She did not visit Jiang during those 7 months, Rin was a premature baby, always impatient her little Rin. She would not risk her daughter to the sea or to pale creatures, so she did not visit him.

She had wrapped her up in cloth made of palm leaves. Rin had opened her eyes and for a horrifying split second Hanelai imagined if those eyes were Jiang’s crystal blue. She would never be accepted by the Speerlies. But they weren’t. They were a dark brown that matched her own.

Then Altan was allowed in the room and he awed at her Rin, and watched over her as she slept. For the first few weeks he would not leave her side. All hours of the day you would find both of them together, side by side. Rin wasn’t much fun yet but that didn’t deter him.

Then one day she knew she had to venture across that sea once more. Maybe for the last time ever but she knew that wasn’t true. Jiang was a flame and she would always be his moth. So she sent him a letter and hoped he would revive it.

Jiang was waiting for her a month later, which he did very rarely as of late, preferring to wait in a tavern. The war was reaching new heights and everything was stretched thin so it was a slight surprise.

She had got out of her dingy little boat and Jiang had run down to her and toppled both of them over. She had shoved him off immediately but he had hung on tightly and wouldn’t budge.

“People will see.” She hissed at him. Appalled for his lack of heed.

“I don’t care.” Jiang choked out as he clung on tighter.

They had spent the day doing nothing, a luxury that was hard come by now a days.

The day had passed and he had not yet asked her why she left him for so long. Why her letters had mysteriously gotten lost.

It was dark out and both her and Jiang were lying in a random inn’s bed. He was tracing idle patterns on her back and began to hum.

She was pressed up to his side and her mind was a whirlwind. She imagined it, how easy it would be to tell him. She hoped he would react well. She imagined what life would be like, how caring Jiang would be as a father or maybe he wouldn’t. She would never know as she would never tell him.

“Jiang….”

The humming stopped.

“Yes?”

“I—“

I can’t do this anymore. I can’t love you anymore, It’s killing me.

She leaned down and kissed him.

They kissed and kissed until they ran out of breath.

“Hanelai.” Jiang breathed out. It was questioning.

It struck her all of a sudden how foolish she was being. She was being a lovestruck idiot when she had kids at home who needed her.

“I must leave.” Was all she said as she scrambled up. She fetched her clumsily strewn clothes from the floor and tossed them on her at a fast pace.

Jiang matched her pace and began to frantically question her but Hanelai couldn’t answer. She wretched the door open and ran.

With her head start against him, she made a beeline towards the shore. She could hear him run after her but he didn’t dare shout her name.

How stupid was she. If Riga caught a whiff of them, of Rin, of Altan, her whole life would be over. Instead of at home with the children she was here a whole ocean away. If something went wrong she would be useless, she hated feeling useless.

She could never see Jiang again.

Oh god. What if something bad is happening right now. What if the children need her.

With that though in mind it was like a second wind had been pushed through her. She began to sprint at a pace she never had before. She pushed the boat into the water with such force she was surprised it didn’t splinter.

She paddled like a mad man and never looked back once, only when she heard the splashing did she. That fool had jumped into the water. She began to quicken her pace but it was no use, he was quicker. He heaved himself in the boat and Hanelai could scream in frustration.

“Love…what the fuck.” Jiang panted as he took off his soaked shirt.

“I should not have come.”

“And why is that. You leave for a year, no reply or words from you at all until a month ago and now after a few rounds you run out like a headless chicken and what the fuck are we doing?” Jiang spoke exasperated.

“Do you want to know the truth.”

“Yes!”

“It was a mistake ever saying yes to you, that I do not regret. It was also a mistake coming here again, that I do regret.”

“Hanelai….” Jiang puffed out, sounding winded.

“Love let’s not be rash. Let’s go back and we’ll talk in the morning.”

He grasped both of her hands with his. He had a pleading look in his eyes. Hanelai turned her heads towards the moon.

“Jiang we both see the same sun and yet we do not, as for a Speerlies sun is very different to a Nikara one. Jiang you will never have a Speerly sun set on you, for that I pity you and both envy you. Do not come after me again.”

He reached out towards but she shoved him back into the icy depths. He emerged with a heartbroken look on his face.

“Tell Riga and Daji I send my regards.” She wanted to know did he tell them about her. From the look on his face he had.

She knew she had made the right choice. She began to paddle away. No splashing followed. She looked over her shoulder once, only once.

Jiang was looking straight at her. She wondered if he could see her tears as she could see his. She always had the better eye sight out of the two.

When she arrived back at Speer the sun was beginning to lift. She wanted to burn the boat and everything that it stood for. She didn’t and now in this present moment she’s glad she did not.

She ushered both of them into the boat and she began to paddle once more. She would not be going to her usual spot but further down South, where people would be closer to their complexion.

“Will daddy find me.” Rin whispered fearfully. Altan thew an arm around her.

“If he does I will fight him off Rin.”

“Rin, Jiang will never find you my dear girl. If he does burn, him to pieces.”

Rin nodded dutifully. Altan nodded in all seriousness as well. It was a terrible thing to teach those children but it was necessity.

“Do we really have to speak Nikaran?” Altan asked.

“Yes, you must.” She had them both brought up fluent in both languages as a tribute to their heritage as well as a valuable asset.

She was asked question after question and she answered them all. Her journey was longer than she was used to and her arms began to tire.

They had both nodded off when their boat hit sand. She paused when she saw their sleeping faces. She wished she didn’t have to wake them but she knew it must be done.

They began their trudge through the South until they reached their destined place.

Tikany, a village that was filled with scum even without the war. A place that Riga’s hide would never enter unless duty calls.

Rooster province was filled with hard workers and dark skinned galore, they would not look out of place here.

The strode down gravelly paths with the sun beating so hard down their necks that if they weren’t accustomed to it, they would pass out. Many refugees did but her generosity had run short and she had no time for the weak. They blended in perfectly with the masses, their cloaks not as shoddy but barely anyone noticed, each to preoccupied with not falling over and being trampled to death.

It was fading from summer into winter so at night time they had to huddle close together. Not that any of them minded, Hanelai needed every minute spent together with her family.

A week later and they had reached their destination. Tikany, a town that held nothing special but opium. Her sister had found this town and had planned to send Altan here if Hanelai would not take him in.

The town is the perfect place to lay low, to make an unassuming life for yourself. As they descended further into the town Rin gripped her hand tighter.

Hanelai tried not to let her tears fall.

The house they were going to was at the top of the village. She rapped her knuckles twice on the door before it flung open. A stout woman with cream plastered all over her face answered her knocking.

“Hanelai?”

“Yes.”

“The money.”

Hanelai tossed her the sack of coins. She struggled to catch it and threw an appreciative glare in her direction.

“Wait here.” She instructed before going back inside the house.

When she deemed the woman to be out of earshot she gabbed them both by the shoulders to face her.

“You two are strong and brave and you will survive. Stick together, do what she asks and when you are old enough leave and never go back. Do you understand.”

They didn’t understand, of course they didn’t understand. Their mother was leaving them with a strange woman, never to return again. They were so young. If she had one wish it would be to have more time.

They looked up at her with watery eyes but those tears didn’t fall.

“I love you mommy.”

“I love you.”

Hanelai couldn’t help the tears from streaming past her face then.

“I love you too.”

Then the woman returned and she composed herself.

“They will be both put to work here, this bag of coins will run out soon. They will have to earn their keep. You understand this.”

“Take care of them.”

A flash of pity fell across her face before it vanished.

“As long as they keep themselves in line, now in.”

She opened the door wider and they both looked at Hanelai. She gave them a nod and with one last goodbye they slowly trudged into the house.

Hanelai waits a moment before turning her back on them. She makes brisk pace on her journey back. Her hair falls from her bun and whips around her face. She lets it.

When she makes it back to Speer, people ask her what happened to the children, she tells them they’re staying with their father. That stops the questioning.

She dreams of her time with Jiang, Yulan and the children. She also dreams of what led to this.

Her Chief had asked her to go over to Nikan as Yin Riga needed to discuss something. Hanelai did not want to do this but her Chief has been understanding and Hanelai could only be as dutiful back to him.

She would be gone for two days as he would meet her at the harbour. She kissed goodbye both Rin and Allan before she took one of their ships to Nikan.

He was waiting for her wearing dark blue clothing fit for a royal, you would swear he was a man in charge on a prosperous empire rather than a crumbling one. And even then he was not even in charge.

“Dear Hanelai, my, my, how you’ve changed.” He said to her with a smile that promised trouble.

“Riga let’s not dally. You’ve called me here under dire circumstances, that is what you said in your letter. Tell me what troubles you so?”

“Troubles will approach your little island, and when it does you will need help. As Hesperian fleets counter ones of Speerlies.”

“We will handle the crickets just fine. If you are here to insult us I’m afraid my patience will cut short.”

“Like it did with Jiang?”

Hanelai’s eyes widened and she slammed her hand down on her table.

“He has nothing to do with this. Let that dammed man be left on your lap, as that is where he chooses to be. Riga speak carefully.”

Riga had charm, or so she was told. There was a myth around the island that no man or woman could charm Hanelai. That is the story Chief told when he was jolly and full of food.

He recounted how many suitors would ask for Hanelai but she accepted none. Said she was immune to charm and curses form the higher powers.

She never believed it until she came into contact with Riga. Not only did he not charm her, but she believed he lacked skills when it came to tactic, and relied to heavily on himself.

In other words she was not impressed. The gatekeeper however, now he had caught her attention.

She knew the wicked things that Riga could do, how he could instil fear into the mightiest of opponents. Yet she only felt disdain when she looked at Riga.

Looking across from him now that sentiment was repeated ten fold.

“Very well.” He looked amused, like a cat playing with its mouse.

“We will of course come to your aid but a price will have to be paid.”

Hanelai was a general and the people’s people, she could not let emotion ruin her decision making.

“Pray tell of your generosity.”

“Ten Speerly children. That is what the enemy wants.”

She got up suddenly from her chair. She was looking down on him now, as all things should be.

“Yin Riga, we will be alright from the enemy across the sea. However, it is not that enemy that I am worried about. Try and take the children and you will not like what will happen. That is my only warning for you.”

With that she stormed out of his office with her heart beating loudly in her chest. She knew one thing for certain about that meeting. Yin Riga would one day come to Speer in search of a war.

Hanelai had trusted the Trifecta, she had hoped that they would bring peace across the empire, yet, as years passed, heartbreak was all that they had in store for Hanelai.

When Hanelai returned to Speer she went straight to the council and demanded a meeting. They would prepare come next week for the imminent arrival of what was to come.

Then she returned home and a sick feeling struck her chest. Yin Riga would make Rin and Altan his toys. She watched as they slept and when morning came she had made up her mind.

They can no longer live on Speer.

Her dreams usually ended with her being forced to watch Speer burn as Riga toys with her children, all while Jiang does nothing but laugh.

She tries not to dwell on those dreams for too long.

A week later a horn is sounded throughout the island. Hanelai reaches immediately for the children only to realise they no longer sleep with her. Her mood immediately sours like it has all of this week.

She makes her way outside and that’s when the shouting starts. Ships upon ships are coming towards them at such a fast paste it should not be possible.

Swords, tridents, shields and fire are quickly gathered but everyone can see clear as day that this will not be enough. For every person on Speer, there seems to be a ship personally for them.

However, all but one ship stopped in place half way between both land masses. Every one’s breath froze as that one ship glided across the water. A white flag flew proudly from its mast.

Once it reached their shore a group of men scaled down to the beach. They wore clothes of messengers, not soldiers.

The smallest man of the group raised his hand that was free of callouses in the air, this was a noble man’s messenger. Everyone was on edge.

“Hanelai.”

Her breath caught in her throat. The crowd did not disperse to expose her, if anything they grew even more tightly packed. But Hanelai was a Speerly general and she would not cower before a man of all things.

She made her way to the front of the group and stood proudly beside the chief. He looked stricken, they were close, she never knew her own father but the Chief was the next best thing. He taught her everything she knew and doted on her whether or not he would admit to it.

He was the one who sent her to the mainland, made her general, called her the Honorable Hanelai. Now as she stood here seeing what her actions had brought to her island, she did not see herself as honourable.

“What is the meaning of this.” Chief huffed out looking unimpressed.

“We are here for Hanelai.”

“Why?” She demanded.

“You have been accused of scheming against the empire.”

She snorted and the crowd seemed pleased with her reaction. The man did not.

“There is no empire, your people made sure of it. I told your general once before that I, we, will not give up our own.”

His precious smile was replaced with a downturned grimace.

“Very well princess but do you see those ships. Each and everyone is loaded with enough gunpowder to destroy you and your tiny island. Come with us and that will not happen.”

“You give me your word.”

He held out his hand and gripped hers to the point of hurting.

“You have my word.”

She knew as well as everyone on that island that you never trusted a foreigners word.

Hanelai nodded. She wrapped her arms around the Chief and held on tight as he swung her side to side.

“My Hanelai. May you return safely.”

She would not return at all. She knew that and all of the islanders did too. All she could hope that her death would be painless.

They went up onto the boat and she slowly watched as her people grew smaller and smaller.

Once they had passed the reef, binds were tied tightly around her wrists and ankles. She was tied to the mast of the ship where she could still see her island.

That made her panicky. Why would they be so kind if not to be just as cruel. Then she realised why, as their boat slotted nicely into the lines before the rest of the ships began to set sail.

They were gaining speed and she could already see their fire being loaded up.

“NO! NO. Please, please do not do this.”

The man slowly turned towards her. He shoved a wad of opium into her mouth and made her swallow it whole.

That is when the first shots fired. Then as if they came out of nowhere, ships flew in from all directions. Her island was surrounded by thousand of ships. But not just Hesperians, no, Nikan ships sailed proudly towards the mass genocide.

She was in a trance. A cloud of smoke so thick that even from their distance they struggled to breathe.

A mass genocide, but this was not a genocide to them. This was a natural thing. An order than must be complied to for things to run more smoothly in the future.

She had thought that Speer would be included for peace in the empire. How foolish she was to think Speerlies were anymore than bugs to the crickets and the porcelain.

When she thought no one was left on the island another rake of shots were fired just to be sure. Not every ship made it out alive. The Speerlies fought back with scorn and flamed half of their fleet.

One lone ship, unlike any other sailed towards them. It took awhile for Hanelai to see what was so improtant about this one.

Then she saw them.

Ten children.

She could name them all and all of their parents too.

She snapped.

Her bounds lit a blaze and so did her ship. Men swarmed her but they were like pebbles upon her path.

They burnt like sticks and she moved through them at rapid fire. Then she moved onto the next ship.

The children were knocked out so they would not know what was to come of them.

Hanelai set them on fire first before she went to work on the rest of the ship.

Burning flesh sizzled up in the air, it was pungent and she could almost get sick on it.

A solider left a gash at her side but other than that she was untouchable. Her goddess cheered her on from somewhere she could not reach and when she was done wrecking this ship, she moved onto the next, again and again until finally someone got a good hit and her fire flummoxed.

She jumped overboard.

Unlike those men, she had grew up swimming this sea, competitions and training sessions to see who could swim farthest.

Like that night with Jiang, a second wind hit her and kept with her until she managed to hit the shore.

Hanelai was still fuzzy on how she did it but all she knew was that she had survived.

She made the journey back to Tikany, blending into the masses seemingly. News of the tragedy spread rapidly. People were in two mind about the situation. Others completely agreed that it was necessary, some had more compassion.

Hanelai was too tired to smack some sense into them.

When she arrived at the Fangs, Rin had opened the door.

“Mommy?”

Hanelai collapsed.

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Hanelai awoke to Rin peering over her and Altan sleeping soundly beside her. A babe seemed to be crying from far away in the house.

“Rin.” She gasped and held onto her tightly. Then Altan awoke and he clung to her for dear life.

“Is it true?” Altan asked. “I heard some of the village boys talk about it.”

She could only nod her head. Her voice too weak at the moment.

Then they all cried. For how long, she did not keep track.

Then she had asked where the Fang woman was?

The old bat had died during childbirth.

Rin had brought her the baby. Said the father was under the soil, told the village to look after his family before he hung himself.

Coward.

“We haven’t named him yet.” Rin told her quietly as the baby finally quietened.

She thought for a moment and then she had it.

“Kesegi. Welcome to the world Fang Kesegi. For now you are one of us and we are one of you.”

With her makeshift family around her, Hanelai believed that not all hope was lost just yet.

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Far away in the distant North a cry could be heard by even the deaf. The world shook for only a moment before it began to silence.

Yin Riga lay asleep on the floor. The rest of the Trifecta stood and stared, a weight had been lifted off of them. A crime so unjust that the gods themselves had to intervene.

Yin Riga would sleep for eternity, go mad with restlessness and rule over the tombs of the lost on a mountain sunken under the sea.

The prophecy had been fulfilled.

“Did you know?” The Gatekeeper breathed out.

“I found out last week.”

A smack reverberated throughout the entire room.

“I’m sorry but you deserved that.”

The Empresses cradled her cheek but didn’t contradict the statement.

“There was nothing to be done. Jiang, what do we do now?”

“Well for starters, we have an Empire to rebuild.”

Extra thoughts: So…what do we think?

I think I did a good job with what I wrote but I’m always open to constructive criticism.

Hanelai my love, you poor thing. I had so much fun writing her than I couldn’t cut her off. So I said fuck it and included her.

Kesegi will also be a part of this story cause I felt so bad for him in the series and he deserved better.

Guys don’t worry, we will meet the Sinegard four along with the Cike. So happy days.

I think I got the lore right for the massacre of Speer but it’s so complex to wrap your mind around that I’m still not sure if I did I right but live laugh love.

WAIT THESE PEOPLE DESERVE A MENTION.

I accidentally posted this fic early and these people left kudos so like they saw the vision and invested so…! Pearl_00, AllyLover2014, Lanoxy and tlienson <333 THANK YOU GUYS

Guys just assume from now on that’s there’s always going to be warnings with every chapter, I will label them specifically each chapter but just bear in mind that fat please.

I’m gonna try and do like enemy’s to lovers with Hanelai and Jiang except Hanelai hates that guys guts and Jiang just wants to be a happy family. Hanelai is totally right.

Anyways, that’s it for now, I’m always open to ideas and kudos and comments are always welcomed.

I hope ye guys have a lovely week and until next time :)