Loren
The room was in complete disarray, and all the servants were busy running around and stumbling into each other in the futile bid to please their insatiable female tyrant. Princess Amina’s voice echoed beyond the walls of her room communicating her displeasure and disdain towards those her father placed in her charge.
“I wish you all to bring me my silver slippers, my tiara and the silver silk gown. Not that one, the translucent one. I intend to dazzle them with my ultimate beauty, bring me the silver sparkles! Bring to me the perfumes of valley flowers and special ointment, my toe rings and part necklace” she had been shouting so much that her words seemed to be running into each other.
Victor walked into her room at that same moment without even caring to knock; his eyes lit up as he saw the princess being dressed, and a greedy smile spread across his gawking face. The centurion placed in charge of protecting the princess stood up to defend Amina, he stood in Victor’s path and intentionally blocked his vision of Amina’s nudity. Victor chuckled soon the girl will become his legitimate wife; someone should tell this fool to live with the times.
“You dare to walk into the princess’s chambers without permission” the centurion demanded, “What is your business?”
Victor smiled, ‘this foolish old soldier’ he thought. He wondered, from the day Amina was born, Loren was the one placed in charge of her protection. The man might have been a hero, but that was a long time ago. He might still be able to stand upon his two feet but like all old men, he was far from his prime and weak beyond measure.
“Loren”, Victor said officially, “I have come to speak with the princess, royal business”
Loren looked at Victor very carefully, scanning for a hidden motive; this action impressed Victor, who happened to be the object of Loren’s scrutiny. No one in the palace had ever mistrusted him more than this annoying centurion, Loren had deliberately prevented him from coming close to the princess; it seemed like the old soldier knew about his ambitions and was determined to prevent him from having his way. Then the centurion snapped his finger, prompting three of the attendants to set up a temporary wall of white silk, thereby covering the princess, who seemed too busy to even see what was going on behind her. Then Loren walked towards the transparent wall separating her nakedness from Victor's view, a few words were exchanged with the centurion's back facing Amina, and his gaze focused on Victor.
“Come closer, Victor”, Amina shouted. Victor smiled as he greedily feasted his eyes on the silhouette of the princess.
“Princess Amina, I was told to inform you that Lord Joel had left the palace”, Victor reported, “he says by noon the journey to the neighbouring kingdom will begin, For some reason, he has a domestic problem that needs his immediate attention”.
“Not acceptable”, Amina screeched, “Victor we leave in two hours, for I wish to see the prince of Ronknole by evening”,
“But princess, the journey to Ronknole would last five days”, Victor replied, to the princess’s astonishment, “and Joel would return by…”, Now she was not as attractive as she looked a while ago.
“Silence”, she snapped, “be gone and get it done”,
“But princess”, Victor protested
“This is the voice of the princess, be gone!”
It took every inch of willpower for Victor to keep a lid on his anger, and here he was thinking that she would make a good queen. He must remember to work on her attitude once he has her under his thumb. With that thought, he hurriedly left the princess's chambers.
She Deserved it
Lord Joel was beside himself with rage, of all the terrible things that his firstborn could have done, the boy had to have a run-in with the wretched Eliza. Why was it so difficult for Julian to control his temper? The moment he heard about his son’s irresponsible act, he stormed out of the palace without even giving a word to the king or explaining to the princess the reason for his sudden exit. Victor would need to cover for him while he settles the minor problem. He ran to the town hall, where Julian and the rest of his friends held their regular meetings and found them hard at work against the upcoming event. He calmed himself down with a couple of deep breaths, then stormed into the hall, filling the place with his resounding voice.
“Tell me the kind of son I have, tell me what kind of blood runs through his veins; tell me what future there is for him; If he cannot keep his anger at bay.” The noble shouted. “The Bull always charges towards its death because it cannot control its wrath, is that how you wish to die?”
Julian, Steffen and Norman had their heads bowed in shame as the noble continued to lash out at them verbally. Lord Joel was now in deep concern; the princess was very shrewish and his son had a temper. What would happen if he were to marry the princess with that temper of his? The noble trembled at the thought
“Tell me, my son, where have I gone wrong? Tell me! Tell me!” Lord Joel continued in a calmer tone.
“Father, she spoke…” Julian said, trying to defend himself.
“I care not of what she spoke, I only care of your actions, it was wrong”. The noble roared.
“Father, that witch…” Norman attempted.
“I will have you say nothing concerning her in this family” Joel continued, “We have our dignity to protect”,
“Father,” Julian voiced, “I was protecting our dignity”
“Our dignity?” Joel said with a mocking tone, “There is no dignity in vengeance, I taught you that”
“She called us demon worshippers”, Norman voiced.
“Everyone knows what she is”, Joel exclaimed, “Her cursed mother put her up to this, and you losing your cool proves that you are no different than her. Wild animals cannot tell the difference between friend and foe”.
Now they hung their heads limply in genuine regret, Joel finally looked at them in his disappointment and shook his head in shame. This boy, in his foolishness, will not bring his old limbs to the grave, he sighed.
“With all honour and due respect”, Steffen cut in suddenly, completely changing the mood of the atmosphere. “Yes, what Julian did was bad” Julian looked at Steffen as if he were a traitor, “Julian was irresponsible, selfish and inconsiderate. It is not expected of a noble to behave in such a manner; he has shamed you, me, the crown and the family, and for that, he must be punished. BUT, sir let us agree on one thing”,
“And what is that, Steffen?” the Lord inquired, bracing himself to deliver another verbal assault.
“She deserved it”, Steffen said with a half-smile, “I mean, she had it coming”.
Lord Joel looked at Steffen as though he was seeing him for the first time. As far back as he could remember, the woman and her stupid daughter had always said nasty things about his family. Repeatedly, he wished to put an end to her bickering for good, but now his son has seen to that. He suddenly chuckled at Steffen’s last statement; the girl did get what she deserved.
“Yes, Steffen, she deserved it”, the noble admitted. For a short moment, Julian and Norman stared at their father with disbelief in their eyes, and in an instant, they all started laughing.
“Steffen, you and Norman leave. I wish to speak with Julian alone”, the noble said, the moment he was able to catch his breath.
“Sir!”, Steffen acknowledged, “please daddy don’t kill your son, it’s not his fault that there is a mad lady out there with a mouth the size of a horse, out to kill him”,
Julian watched as Steffen and Norman walked out of the town hall, wishing he were the one walking out and they the ones staying behind. Joel closed the door behind them and Julian smiled uncomfortably, unconsciously searching for an alternate escape route should the need arise.
“That friend of yours, Steffen, he’s the one who convinced you not to harm that girl?” Joel inquired,
“Father”, Julian voiced, then he spoke with a sigh of surrender in his voice, “He told me that if I killed her it would bring shame to my reputation as a warrior”.
“Hmm!”, the noble acknowledged, then he sat down to make himself comfortable with a hint of seriousness in his gesture.
“I wish to tell you all about Eliza and why she speaks so harshly of our family”, Joel said, “It’s best you know, that way your actions will be more on the side of compassion”,
“I'm listening, Father,” Julian said with relief.
“It started with your great-grandfather, when he first came to El-von, he was a widower and next to his house was a widow. Her grandmother, she was such a bitch”. Joel said, “Being a widow, she thought that she was more than worthy to be his bride, and tried so hard to win his affection using insults and foul words, but she failed. So she passed it on to her daughter, who passed it to her daughter, and finally reached Eliza”,
“That was the stupidest story I've ever heard” Julian said, “That still doesn’t explain the gossip against this family”
“Same thing I said to my father”, Joel chuckled, “I know Julian, but you should know it is their family legacy, but they lack the manners and the self-respect to be worthy of this family, so they do nothing but talk”
“To speak of goats as soul mates shames me” Julian spat, “you know father, if not for Steffen, I would have spilt her blood”
“I know Steffen is a big mouth in his own fashion, but in a good way”, Joel observed, “I’m glad that he was there to give you counsel, Steffen is like the light of the moon in the night sky, that the insects use to show them the way home”,
“All I can say is, he is my friend”, Julian said with a smile, “But please don’t tell him that, it will give him a big head”.
Joel smiled and patted his son on the back. Then, he told his son of the journey he was about to embark on with the princess. Julian, remembering Daniel, his youthful friend, asked his father to extend his greetings.
“He’ll come home soon, Julian, stop crying like a young child,” Steffen mocked. Julian looked at his friend and smiled. He really does know how to ruin a solemn moment.
“Come Steffen, the festival is tonight, we need to prepare”, Julian said, changing the mood, “which reminds me, the blind queen, how is she?”
“Ruth? She is as beautiful as ever”, Steffen replied with a smile, “and she will be dancing tonight, bless her strong spirit”,
“Then let us prepare for a festival like no other,” Norman cried, and none of the grown-ups could argue with that.
“Tell me my blind beauty”, Steffen said as he walked towards the blind woman, “how long has it been since we last laid eyes on each other”
“We have never laid eyes on each other”, Ruth replied, “I don’t have any eyes?”
“Why Steffen”, Julian scolded, “that is not the way to greet a fair damsel” Julian walked towards Ruth, bowed and tenderly kissed her hand, giving her the royal treatment. “It is an honour to meet you my fair lady”
“The honour is mine, my noble lord”, Ruth replied with a blush,
“Ruth tell me, have you prepared for tonight?” Julian inquired
“Don’t worry, Julian, tonight I will dance in the public square, " she replied with a smile that can melt a man’s heart. Ruth, being handicapped, has always been treated with the utmost respect, treasured by her parents and handled delicately by any stranger who was fortunate enough to encounter her. The result is an innocent woman void of any form of corruption whatsoever.
“A world of happiness to the hearts of many,
A world of praise to the hearts of the strong,
With the drumming of a theme from dust till dawn,” Steffen recited with a grin
“I will not forget a night of fun and games,” Julian said, “Especially a night when Ruth dances for all to see”,
“It will be a night to remember”, Steffen commented, “Pity Eliza will be there, that will definitely foil the flavour within the food and drinks”
In an instant, Ruth laughed at Steffen's joke, and so did Julian; thus, they continued planning towards the night’s festivities.
The Archer
It wasn’t long since the sun had gone below the western horizon, there were still traces of daylight left in the sky, and the stars could be seen slightly twinkling within the darkening night. One can already hear the drumming of people who were excited about the upcoming festival, the early drummers. Those who start the free moon night with the opening performance, it was believed that the festival was part of a ritual that had been carried out for over two hundred years. How true this is; none would ever know, many people were already walking to the public square; women with their children and men carrying drums all in a hurry to meet up with the opening ceremony. All except one, a noble of the palace. Victor! He had something else in mind; to him, it’s a waste of time dancing all night, celebrating for no reason. The only thing that meant a lot to the ambitious noble was enriching his personal estate, everything else was pointless. He walked towards the lion’s den inn. A place of non-stop pleasure, a place he could call home to relax while watching the filthy harlot’s undress.
“How unfortunate, I’m here on business”. He stressed in a regretful tone, on reaching the inn, he found lots of women calling out to him, some purring and others cooing. Overcoming all his fleshy temptations, he walked over to a table where a man sat waiting patiently. As Victor sat down, the man spoke.
“You are not welcome”, the man growled, “I smell evil in your presence, and Vengeance in your voice”.
“Still in your vigilant state”, Victor praised, “I was the one who called for this meet, tell me how to win your favour”
“I work for gold and nothing else” the other replied, without looking at Victor.
“William, my friend, I will ask a parable of you, give me a definite answer”, Victor said, in a calm, controlled tone. “Will the snail survive without its shell?” Victor looked at himself, surprised. Lord Joel was rubbing off on him.
To Victor’s shock, William actually laughed. William might not look it, but he is one of the best marksmen in the entire kingdom; his arrow has never missed its mark, and he has never missed his kill. Victor met him by chance on one of his missions with lord Joel, after seeing his skills first-hand, Victor marvelled with jealous envy. The noble later discovered that the marksman also frequented the same whorehouse as he did, and so they had become close friends, and later he became Victor’s personal hit man. Some time back, one of their business ventures went bad, and this soured their relationship. Since then, Victor and William had been a little distant. Now, on the other hand, Victor realized that if he is ever to succeed in winning the throne of El-von for himself. He needs all the help he can afford including the help of an old ally.
“No! The snail would die the instant its shell is taken”, William replied with a rash in his tone, “unless it changes into a slug, Is there a pinpoint to the words in your mouth?” He had a sharp glint in his eyes.
“Then tell me”, Victor continued, measuring his words carefully taking note of William’s face and measuring his emotion to see if sharing this information would be for his benefit or not. “How do I kill the king of a country if not by taking his crown, and breaking his shell”
William smiled maliciously, now giving his long-time friend, and business partner a confusing gaze. “So, tell me victor, Victor, hit the bull’s eye with the tip of the arrow. What do you wish of me?”
“The princess leaves for Ronknole.” Victor continued, “I wish for you to slay someone, to spill the blood of the one who shells the king”
“Who, the princess?” William inquired
“No, the noble Joel, spill his blood. Remember do not cross blades with him, for you will surely fall, kill him using your archery”, Victor commanded.
“Kill the noble?” William said incredulously, “The quality of the arrow shot during battle depends on the strength of the bow, the quality of the shaft, the flexibility of the string and strong arms; Victor, slaying Joel would cause chaos throughout the kingdom. That is a bow I have no intention of drawing”.
“With Joel dead, what stops me from slaying the king?” Victor whispered, looking from side to side to see if someone was spying on them. “What stops my forcing wedlock with his daughter, what stops me from being king”,
“Julian!” William replied offhandedly, “The archer must remember that once an arrow is released, the wind can shift it off the mark”,
“Julian! That fool understands nothing of politics, and does not follow in his father’s footsteps”, Victor sneered.
“Well, Victor, foolish as it may be, I will do as you wish, but the price is high” Then William sat up facing Victor seriously, “What’s in it for me? The flying arrow always has a purpose”.
“Name it, I will pay it”, Victor scowled,
The man smiled and moved his hands to his belt, drawing his knife. He placed the Sharp blade on the table and raised his hand as a signal to the attendants. A hip swinging female loosely dressed walked over to the table and dropped two cups of Rum on the table; William smacked the attendant on the rump, she smiled in response to his gestural assault.
“After everything that has happened between us, do you think I would trust you so easily?” William voiced, “No one will trust a treacherous bow”.
“I expect not”, Victor replied, then he grabbed the knife and placed a cut in the palm of his hand, “So, I'm prepared to seal our agreement based on blood; this way, we are bound not by a contract, but by an oath”.
William smiled wickedly, extended his hand towards Victor, and gestured for the knife. “Victor, be expecting good news soon”, Victor handed the knife to the man he was talking to with a pleasurable grin, “I will do your bidding till death” Then, he cut his hand with the blade as well
“A week”, The Noble commanded,
“Two weeks or more”, William said, “depending on how much time they remain in Ronknole, but rest assured; It will be done”. Then they both shake their wounded hands, mixing their blood and sealing the blood bond. Victor smiled maliciously, this blood pact was going to be the foundation of his new kingdom.
The Proposal
The free moon night was finally here, an endless party filled with dancing, laughter and drums. It was going to start the moment the sun went down on the horizon, and end by the breaking of dawn. Julian had been looking forward to this night since Steffen had told him about Ruth's special performance. Ruth, being a blind girl, found it difficult to move about without a walking stick, yet from what he’s been told, the girl had a razor-sharp memory, one that defies imagination; for her to be able to dance within the square without bumping into anyone was going to be a tremendous feat. If Ruth was going to dance before the entire kingdom, or just a small portion of it, then he, Julian, would be there to see it. The young lord reached for the leather rope that tied his two heavy drums(konga) together and placed it across his neck, then he shoved the two heavy drums into the loop within the two ends of the ropes, making sure that they were comfortably placed. He donned a sleeveless brown coat on his dirty shirt and trousers and ignored his boots. Tonight was a night for the poor of the kingdom; the best way to enjoy it was to allow the earth to breathe upon the soles of your feet. Now he was ready, and not a moment too soon, because he heard a knock on the door of his private chambers.
“Steffen!” Julian inquired
“Steffen!” replied as he opened the door and walked into the room. Steffen wore a dirty brown shirt over a black baggy pair of trousers; his smile was as bright as a star and his mood even brighter than ever.
“I see you are as happy as the dawn my friend,” Julian observed.
“I‘d be happier if I were a monkey with a bunch of bananas in the palm of my hand, screaming like a baboon prepared to mate”, Steffen replied brightly. Julian nodded in a confused tone, not understanding the reason for Steffen’s joke. Most of the time, the words that came out of his mouth were pure nonsense.
“Come, my friend, we’re almost late”, Julian said to change the subject, and Steffen smiled in reply. The man was truly excited about something, and Julian wondered what it was. The two friends walked together, leaving the house in the charge of the attendants, giving permission to whoever would like to attend the festival, and then they followed the sounds of the drums all the way to their source.
Three centre fires were illuminating the middle square. There was lots of dancing and cheering. The heavy sounds from heavy drums could be heard from more than ten meters away. Norman and a host of others blew their flutes in the festival. Steffen danced as a madman, while Julian pounded his drums like one who was possessed, sweat rushing down his flesh and a big smile upon his face. After 2 hours of dancing, Steffen, who was also the official master of ceremonies, called for silence.
“My friends, my brothers, my sisters, my wives and my husbands”, (there was loud laughter), he said this in a jovial tone. “It’s night, and it has just begun, men drink your beer; women hold your men, and let it be that we will all have fun tonight”, (All gave a loud cry in encouragement) “it is now time for me to introduce the grand performance of tonight’s festivities. Presenting! the ‘morning rooooose!” and with that the audience cheered, both to introduce and encourage the next performer.
The audience moved aside to allow the blind beauty to dance her way onto the centre square. She wore a red ribbon in her hair over a red silk dress. She was barefooted and danced gracefully, emulating the movement of the winds. She moved with utter precision, without bumping into anyone or colliding with any of the pillars that surrounded the square. She danced across the centre of the dance floor moving with such accuracy that no one would ever believe that she was blind. The drums sounded gracefully, bright touches carried by chosen men were waved in a specific order, creating a divine illusion; coupled with the red dress, and the ribbon that flowed behind her, the performance displayed the image of a candle flame dancing to the call of a gentle breeze.
“The goddess of fire”. One of the onlookers whispered, though she could not see, she could feel and hear the sounds of the drums, follow the beat, and feel the music. All who watched could only admire and wonder, spellbound by the mystical dancing of the blind queen. Julian was speechless with amazement. She danced for 30 minutes before Steffen walked in to join her. The moment she sensed his presence, she threw her arms around his neck and laughed. A loud cheer arose from the crowd, and the drumming got louder.
“Brothers! Brothers! Brothers!!!” Steffen cried out in a loud voice. “How long has it been that the rose of beauty danced before our eyes? The grace of the morning and the pride of pleasure, well, my friends, this Rose has not been taken from the garden, and it is known to me there are men after this wild and rare Rose. It bothers me that I stand not in line among those after the rose, so here and now I ask ”, Ruth smiled, and the crowd laughed. “Ruth” Steffen spoke, “would it interest you to fall into the arms of a strong man as I and become my bride?” On saying this, he fell to his knees and placed a golden bangle on her wrist.
Ruth didn’t answer immediately because there was a wild roar of approval coming from the background; obviously, everyone was waiting for this to happen. The people were in favour because of the sacrifices that Steffen had made on behalf of the blind beauty. When Ruth was younger, she had always wanted to dance; it was her dream, but nobody supported her. Then Steffen heard about her dream and, like the overgrown joker he was, laughed about it, breaking the girl's tender heart. A day later, Steffen shows up and offers to teach her how to dance, giving the excuse that sometimes an impossible feat can be made possible. The first time she danced in public was a complete failure. Steffen was shamed, and Ruth wanted to give up completely, but Steffen encouraged her and pointed out that all first times were rough, but once one conquers the fear, they can move on to greater heights. Now here she was, one of the best dancers in El-von, and the goal of every single unmarried male. Steffen has his weak points but she can’t think of a better man. He had dedicated so much to her and marrying him was definitely going to make her happy
“Yes! Steffen, I will be your bride”, Ruth replied with a smile, as soon as the cheering ended and this gave rise to a new wave of praises and congratulatory greetings.
A wild cheer, heavy drumming, and everyone was happy, Steffen carried Ruth as high as he could, with a bright smile on his face and all those present came in to congratulate him. Suddenly, he noticed one missing face
Julian sat quietly as though he had been stabbed behind with a blade; he had lost the strength to beat his drums and no will to chant a praise. All he could do was sit and watch as Steffen, his best friend, had taken his beloved rose away.
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