-HIM-
The next day, we woke up earlier than our usual routine for travel. We were so close to the tribes that I didn't feel like delaying our journey anymore. Everyone else was starting to get sick of the desert, and the journey had tired us immensely.
Therefore, we didn't waste any time to travel to the tribe the next day. I was aware that they had been expecting us. I had sent a messenger to them beforehand to inform them of our arrival and that we were merely visiting them.
There was already too much tension between the tribes, and I didn't wish to feed the tension more by arriving at a warrior tribe unannounced.
When we reached there, the tribe was waiting for our arrival. I had my doubts regarding how they'd perceive this since it was the first time a King had ever visited a tribe so far. I had been anticipating some tension in the tribe. Instead, they were happy to see us and welcomed us with some grand gestures.
The chief of the tribe met me immediately. He was an old warrior who had fought alongside me in several battles in the past. Both of us knew each other well to a great extent.
"It's a pleasure to have you in my tribe, your majesty," the old chief, Hraku, greeted me with a bow.
"The pleasure is mine. You're going strong even at this age," I couldn't help but comment. He was more than a hundred years old, but despite his age, he still looked ready to go to a battle if I were to order him.
He chuckled gently, "It's the blood of the desert worms," He replied. I almost forgot that his tribe hunted the desert worms. This made me even more glad that it wasn't his tribe I was here to deal with.
"Please," He nodded, gesturing towards the largest hut in the tribe. I looked around the tribe as he led me there, talking about his newest warriors. The tribe was of a decent size, and it was very safely nested between two mountain ranges. One of the mountains had deep caves that led to an underground river.
I always found the desert tribes fascinating but hadn't had any opportunity to visit them earlier. It made me furthermore glad that I was here this time. I glanced at Theresa to see what she was up to. I noticed a couple of tribal females were showing her around before taking her somewhere else.
I wanted to ask her what she thought of this place, but Hraku was too enthusiastic to see and talk to me, so I decided to speak to her later.
The largest hut in the tribe was their community tribe, where Hraku and his council often discussed tribe matters.
"Your majesty," Hraku bowed to me and let me inside, where he had made a makeshift throne for me. He had arranged everything well. His fellow tribe members, especially the elders, had followed us to the hut, and as soon as I took my seat, everyone settled down as well. For a moment, it felt like I was back at my court. I decided to get to the matter right away. There was no use beating around the bush.
"I'm here to deal with the Zanoba," I declared.
"We know, your majesty," Hraku nodded. "We were looking forward to your intervention in this matter. The Zanoba have been troubling us for a while now,"
"How?" I asked. Even though Flavious had briefed me enough about the issue, specific details were missing.
"They started with stealing our cattle, and then they progressed to scouting nearer and nearer to our territory," He answered, his body tenser as he spoke. "Now they crossed the final line by kidnapping one of our women. They left her dead body in the caves," I could see the bloodlust in his eyes as he said that.
"When did that happen?" I asked, raged by the audacity of the Zanoba. It was one thing to create trouble to cause mere annoyance. That could have been tolerated, but they decided to attack an innocent woman and left her body in the caves to send a message. This matter was much more severe than I had thought.
"A week ago. They are trying to incite us into a battle. My warriors are ready to avenge the death of the innocent woman, but I knew you were on your way here. I want you to pass judgment," He spoke fiercely. The air in the room buzzing with tension.
I could see how the other warriors looked on the edge. Bloodlust simmering in everyone's eyes. They had been waiting. They waited for me to give them justice, and I wouldn't disappoint them.
"I'm giving you the permission to hunt down whoever did that and give them a slow, torturous death," I declared, and immediately, everyone roared with their war cry before bowing to me. "I'll take down the Zanoba chief and appoint a new one,"
"We'd be honoured to aid you, your majesty. My warriors are here to serve you till their last breaths," Hraku pledged fiercely.
"I shall forever remember the Vuruk tribe's fierce loyalty to the throne," I told him.
"Your majesty," Hraku bowed again before exchanging looks with one of his warriors before speaking cautiously, "We might live far away from the court, but some news has travelled the desert and reached our ears. I ask for your forgiveness beforehand if this offends you. Still, I had to ask this to avoid any future confusion," Hraku began reluctantly, "Is there a Somirean princess in your court?" He asked, his head lowered, and his shoulders dropped to show submission.
"Yes," I answered. "She's here to form an alliance with me against her scheming brother," I informed them. They exchanged some looks before Hraku dared to ask, "Can she be trusted?"
"She's my mate, Hraku. This is more than just a political alliance for us," I told him. One of the reasons why I respected Hraku so profoundly was he spoke his mind with me, unlike the other tribe chiefs. He never shied away from telling me the truth or confronting me on matters even though I was the king.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty," Hraku wished me after looking around at his warriors. "We cannot wait to meet our future queen,"
"You don't have to wait. She's here with me," I chuckled, shocking everyone immediately.
"That's wonderful! We'll have a feast tonight for our future queen," Hraku declared.
~
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