There is no use in politely asking if the person being questioned wouldn't answer. His patience got thinner with every second that passed. He counted backward from five to one and the moment he reached the last number, he unleashed the chains of heaven without hesitation. The chains shoot forward, directly towards the queen with unmatched speed. Enkidu didn't want things to reach this point but judging from the situation, he doesn't have any choice but to put a little violence.
Just when the tip of his chains were a few meters away from the queen, a woman jumped into the scene. She skillfully deflected Enkidu's chains. She was fast. Enkidu couldn't even see a glimpse of her face while she was dancing against his attacks. He kept shooting. He opened more portals and released more chains in an attempt to hold her back.
Unfortunately, his efforts were futile yet he continued to fight, sending more chains flying her way. She's putting up quite an entertainment for him and deep inside, he wished that this woman is the person he was looking for.
For a split second, he closed all portals and above him, he opened a bigger one. Just as he was about to release a larger chain, she swiftly threw her scythe forward. It spun towards him faster than he expected. Before he could dodge, it immediately hit the portal above him, breaking it to pieces.
He looked towards the woman in front of him. Her body bent forward as she placed her hands on her knee, catching her breathe. Her hair fell on either side of her face and that's when Enkidu knew he found what he is looking for. The queen behind her stood up, gripping the armrests of her throne, a worried look plastered upon her face.
Enkidu smirked, "Not bad." He earned a glare from the princess in return. She slowly straightened her back and regained her posture. "What's your business with me?" She asked. Their eyes met and hers burned of fiery intensity enough to make you look away.
"Shouldn't you offer me a bit of hospitality before we proceed?" Enkidu taunted.
The princess scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. "You barged into our kingdom without any hint of respect and now you're going to ask us for hospitality?!" She asked, her words lacked fear. "If you were just a hungry traveller passing by, you could've just asked politely and we'll probably even take you in!"
"Princess!" A voice interrupted the princess's anger. A man ran from behind Enkidu and towards the princess. He was about to wrap an arm around her figure when she raised her hand to stop him. Such gesture brought a smirk upon Enkidu's lips.
The man turned his head and their eyes met. His eyes widened at the sight of Enkidu. "You?" He asked. The princess glanced at Enkidu before looking back at the man. "You know him?" She asked.
"Yes—" he said, immediately receiving a glare in return. "I mean no!"
"Who is this person, Ajamu?!" She asked. Enkidu noticed the queen pressing a few fingers to her temples before sitting back down on her throne.
"Allow me to introduce myself," Enkidu spoke, breaking the small quarrel that's starting to arise between the two. He took a few steps forward before he continued. "My name is Enkidu, I came from the great nation of Uruk and I carry a message from the king."
The princess rolled her eyes. "Great! You could act politely," she said sarcastically. "Congratulations, although I wish you've done that sooner."
"What a rude princess you are."
"Coming from you?"
"Enough!" The queen said. Her words were calm yet it was filled with command as it reached every corner of the room. "(Y/n), are you okay?" She asked.
"I was supposed to be if this man didn't show up out of nowhere and barged in, almost killing you!" The princess answered back. Enkidu kept an unfazed expression but deep inside, amusement was stirring in his system.
"Why don't you take him to the dining hall, (y/n)?" The queen said.
The princess looked at the queen with furrowed brow. "He was able to enter here by himself," she said. "That should give him all the more reason to take his own ass towards the hall." She strode past Enkidu to pick her scythe up.
Enkidu turned around to watch her leave. Her weapon dissipated into thin air as she ran out and down the flight of stairs. Her presence has left the place but the delight that blossomed within Enkidu showed no signs of leaving.
A smile found its way to Enkidu's lips before he turned again to face the queen. She gracefully stood and stepped down from her throne to approach him. "The dining hall is this way," she said. "Follow me."
"My queen!" The man named Ajamu protested. The queen glanced back at him. "We people of the desert never refuse hospitality to travelers. We understand the hardships of long journeys," she said. "Guests are to be given hospitality. Obviously."
Ajamu clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth. Enkidu smiled at him before he followed the queen. It was a smile Ajamu couldn't fathom yet he knew it meant nothing but trouble.
***
Meanwhile, you carefully ran down the set of stairs. Down ahead, you saw your people wait for you at the base of the stairs. "It's the princess!" You heard one of them say. "Thank goodness!"
As you were nearing the ground, you slowed down a bit, returning to your normal pace. Your people gathered closer the moment you've stepped down. "Your highness!" They exclaimed. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
You were flattered by their concern. The scene from earlier when they were running around in panic crept to your mind. It hurt you to see them like that. That's why deep inside, you made a vow to do everything you can to protect them.
"I'm fine," you said with a reassuring smile. "More importantly, how are all of you?" You began to walk forward as the people around moved aside to create a path for you. Their responses were favourable and you were more than glad none of them got hurt.
They walked with you as you examined the damages done to your kingdom. Some stalls were trampled and a small number of people helped each other put them back up. It tore your heart to pieces, you could almost feel the pain physically. If only you can take their pain away and impose it upon yourself; if you could transfer the damages done to their houses to your edifice, you wouldn't hesitate to do so.
Taking a deep breathe in an effort to hold your tears back, you made your way towards one family helping each other put up their home. A part of their wall crumbled down and they were quietly picking the debris away. As you were nearing their house, you suddenly remembered the way the chains clashed with your scythe earlier.
You felt the strong force that reverberated through your bones as you blocked the attacks with your weapon. Fear embraced every cell of your body yet the desire to protect overpowered the panic that rose within you. That is why, your body moved on its own, at the last few seconds before the chains hit your sister.
"Your highness!" A voice exclaimed taking you back to reality. You now stood in front of the broken house. The light of the house looked at you with eyes that showed nothing but sadness. Her gaze was extinguish the flame of anger in your heart.
You blinked your tears away as you bent down to help them pick the pieces of stone on the ground. Several gasps were heard despite the fact that your people knew that it has always been your nature to personally help those in need. "O-oh no, my princess!" She exclaimed once more as she gently held your arms to stop you. You felt her calloused hands touch your skin.
"I-I'm sorry!" Her eyes widened before she looked down.
"Lift your head," you said with a tone so gentle opposite of the way you talked to the kingdom's intruder earlier. "You did nothing wrong." It was no secret to you that your people were very careful to not touch you for they deem themselves unworthy of such blessing. The myth of the divine child wasn't a simple one. Stemming from it is a hundred beliefs the people of your nation live up to.
They believe that whoever touches the divine child will be blessed with countless benefits as many as the golden strands of your hair. Instead of using this to their own advantage, your people looked at it as a divine gift coming directly from Chira. It gave them all the more reason to respect you and not be careless when around you.
The woman knelt in front of you, her eyes apologetic. You simply gave a small smile. "I will have the soldiers help us in fixing the damages," you said. you slowly stood up, taking her with you. She couldn't help herself but cry as your arms wrapped around her in an embrace.