The villagers were boiling in anger, furious and exhausted, their days toiling like slaves under the rule of Daha kingdom, a feared and mighty realm infamous for its cruelty - a kingdom no one dared challenge.
__ IN WAYARE VILLAGE
On a cool evening, the elders gathered.
Dan, one of the elders, couldn't contain his frustration any longer. “We can't endure this any further,” he exclaimed, his voice filled with pain.
“You need to calm down, elder Dan. The Daha kingdom that we are taking about, we are no match for it, are we to take our people’s life to risk?” Fader, the high leader, tried to calm him down.
Frins, another elder, clenched his fists, struggling to contain his anger. “How long must we live in fear? How long must we suffer like this? How long can we stay calm?”
“The king of Daha has taken everything from us, they took us from our serene land and took our land leaving us alone with no choice but to work for him, forced us into endless labor. We endure heavy taxes, and even our women are taken from us daily." Dan voice breaks at his last statement.
“Let us be grateful, there are a lot of villages that have been wiped out but we have been shown mercy,” Said Fader,
The word sent a feeling of irritation to Frins who immediately yelled, “you call this grace!”
“Yes I call it grace! What would you have me do? I should take all my hungry men to a battle field to kill the king of Daha? It is that what you want!” Fader retorted as he widened his eyes at Frins
Dan scratched his head, sensing the tense atmosphere, and said, "Do you think we came to you without a plan?
“Not a very good one,” Frins chipped in.
Dan explained how they have heard about the stones of Zader, that has been abandoned in Cavrine forest. It was said to be a stone of immense power, the stone gives power to people who drink out of the water in which the stone has been placed. If they could obtain it, they would get power needed to defeat king Daha.
The elders suggested that they work together with neighbouring village, Festi village, which also suffered under the same oppressive rule. Wayere village and Festi village were tightly knit and also did things in cooperation.
They reached a consensus: Festi village would provide skilled men, known for their expertise, while Wayere village would offer individuals capable of tracking the stones. To avoid suspicion, they selected just two skilled men, Sadin and Gali, alongside Kate who would track the stones.
“Make sure you are careful, don’t let it in any form break, even a tiny bit of it. If it does it will render it useless.“ Dan warned.
“There are a lot of stones there and danger, be safe” Rayu, the leader of Festi village, added.
The three prepared themselves for the journey.
The road proved challenging, with obstacles such as wild animals. They grew tired after facing countless challenges, including scaling a difficult mountain, even carrying Kate at one point.
“How much farther do we have to go?” Sadin inquired breathing heavily.
“Not so far,” Kate replied, wearing a pitiful expression.
“Let’s take our time and rest here, we don’t know what we might meet at the Cavrine forest. “ Gali suggested, and they all agreed.
They sat by a brook, quenched their thirst, and decided to take a break. Amidst the light-hearted jest, Sadin playfully joked about marrying Kate. They were genuinely enjoying the conversation when they all drifted off to sleep.
Upon awakening, they shouldered their bags and continued their journey as the forest's image gradually appeared.
“The forest awaits,” Sadin said with a chuckle.
They entered the forest well-prepared, but to everyone's surprise, nothing happened. The forest remained peaceful. They decided to split up to search for the stones. After hours of hunting through, they regrouped, exhausted.
“Can’t find a stone,” Gali groaned as he slipped on the forest floor.
“I’m sure, that we are in the right forest.” Kate said, looking so confused.
“We can still search around; I mean it is a precious stone I can’t be so easy to find,” Sadin said optimistically.
This time, they searched together but to their disappointment, they found only one stone. It was as if someone had already taken the others and unknowingly left this one stone.
The villagers soon arrived to greet the travelers. After waving at the children, they entered into the king’s place. Kate narrated what had transpired in the forest, and disappointment filled the faces of everyone.
Fader moved to pick up the stone, but Rayu stopped him. “You promised me a stone too, remember?” Rayu reminded him.
“Now that we have only one stone, I think it's best we keep it. After all, we were the ones who proposed the idea,” Fader calmly explained.
“Never! Can’t you see how injured my men are? She couldn’t have survived without them, I have strong men who can protect the stone, do you?” Rayu asked as his voice grew louder.
“I’m sorry, but there is nothing I can do as the stone can’t be divided,” Fader replied Rayu, then immediately turned to his servant and commanded, “Take it.”
Rayu's man immediately rushed at him, preventing any further action. The servant struggled, trying to break free, when suddenly they heard a sound - the stone had fallen from their hands, ruined into pieces.
Not only is the stone ruined, but it also ruins the relationship between the two villages. The rift between them widened, as neither village chose to take the first step to apologize. They continued to suffer because while they had the stone no one was willing to let one village hold the stone while others drank from it.
Thirty years later, the king of Daha died, and a new king emerged, benevolent and kind, treating the villagers with love and respect. The villages was quite restored, and everyone lived happily. Wayare village and Festi village started to build connections together as they do business together.
Images are sourced.
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𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈..