The people had not heard from Gankambwe in a fortnight when they were summoned to the palace grounds. Once they arrived there, they immediately noticed that reconstruction of the royal court had begun. Where heaps of ash had been collected from all the things that had been burned, they had long been scattered by the wind and the remnants washed away by the rain. It had rained continually and heavily over the fourteen days. Perhaps to cleanse the land of its misfortune and give it a new fresh start. As a result of the rain, the grass had regrown where it had been burned signalling a return to some sort of normalcy. It was not difficult to realise that things would never be completely as they used to be seeing as the style of construction of the court was not as it had been before.
A raised platform had been built in front of what seemed to be the semi-finished palace of the new king. The king emerged from the palace and ascended the platform accompanied by a number of familiar faces. He was dressed in full royal regalia complimented by a new metallic crown which was peculiar to the people. The fear had somewhat subsided but it was still there. Gankambwe was a very tall man, if any of the men next to him in their own right, you would not know by comparing them to him. The next tallest man, a priest's apprentice had his longest hair barely reaching Gankambwe's shoulder. The other men rose a little or so past his elbow. The invading army was still heavily present in the court but seemed less intent on harming the citizens.
'Citizens,' Gankambwe addressed them, 'in the recent days, we have had difficult interactions. Some…unpleasant deeds had to be done which, honestly, were more taxing on me than they were on you.'
He placed his right hand on his chest to express emotion that was completely absent from his face. He also paused as if to allow any disagreements to be aired out. No one disagreed verbally.
'I am however glad to tell you that those days are behind us as the three pronouncements I am about to make shall indicate. As you get to know me better, you will see that I am a man of peace who is very talented at war. What that means is that I will always seek peace before and above anything else but I will fight any war as if it was what I wanted in the first place.' He added. At first he had spoken as if he sought or at least desired reconciliation and yet he seemed to have reverted to making threats-perhaps a natural refrain for him.
'Still, I hope that my reign shall be long and peaceful,' he said shifting back to his earlier theme, 'I hope that the kingdom will experience greater prosperity than at any time before.'
'Regarding the three thousand to be killed if three were not brought to me,' the tall man spoke and then paused to capture their imagination, 'Fear not. I did find the three and that matter was settled at that.'
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief without giving a thought to the fate of the three. The tall man also neglected to reveal that three thousand volunteers had already been burned before the three were brought. Those that had a family member that had not returned kept it to themselves as had been the wish of those that offered themselves.
'The war is well and truly over and the retribution is complete.' Gankambwe declared, 'Having put that away, what were left were administrative issues. I have never liked the idea of the kingdom having more than one ruler. Fortunately, when I shared my concerns with the five vassals, four of them were able to come around to my way of thinking. We have since agreed that they will leave their posts as vassals and join in here in the capital, as advisors.'
What had actually happened was that he had offered them a choice of becoming advisors or death. Four had chosen to serve while one had fled to an unknown place.
'Lastly but more importantly,' announced the tall man, 'it has been brought to my attention that the chief priest was caught up in the retribution. I would like to apologize for the mix up and nominate this young man for the position of chief priest.'
Everyone recognised the man instantly as the apprentice who was fidgeting with the flames. How fast some people rise. How lucky.
Finally, as the sun was about to set, they arrived at the edge of the eastern kingdom. They were all extremely hungry having run out of provisions the day before. And very tired having been walking for about half a day. Their guide cum driver had dropped them some distance away from the kingdom.
'Walk on from here, follow that road.' He had said pointing them in the direction they ultimately took, 'I can't take you any farther. I will be in trouble if I enter the kingdom.'
He had been pretty guarded for the fifteen days they had spent together on the road but there was no reason to believe he was not telling the truth. The woman thanked him extravagantly for his troubles and told him to deliver her thanks to his mother. He reacted rather strangely at the mention of his mother but he was otherwise fine. In any case, his directions were very accurate and there they were, very tired, very hungry but at least at the very edge of the kingdom where they hoped to find refuge.
The grand city looked very small from where they stood but it was within sight and seemingly within reach. For a long time, the woman had known only what she was running from not what she was running to. Dragging two young boys along, she run forward so that she could finally reach it. There, she hoped, they would be safe. Strangely, the boys did not complain as she pulled them forward almost violently. Perhaps they recognised that she was leading them to the cure. Or maybe, they were simply too tired and hungry to utter a word. The distance they covered was considerable but none of them noticed because all their eyes remained set on the city ahead as it became bigger and bigger on their approach.
It was nothing like they had ever seen, expected or imagined. Everything was a lot more and quite overwhelming. Like a bolt of lightning, it all struck them in a single moment. They were right in the middle of a busy street with a roadside market. The level of noise and the instant memory of their other predicaments made it the most uncomfortable place they had ever been in. the younger boy started crying demanding to be taken to his mother. It was the first time he had made the demand in a fortnight. Soon passers-by were staring and pointing at them. This was likely because their bark gowns stood out from the crowd of mostly cotton robes. The older boy refrained from complaining to spare his mother any more worries. They were strangers in a strange place.
She had not questioned her capacity to take care of two young boys from the moment the younger one had been handed to her till then. There in the middle of the street, she was wondering if she could take care of herself. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
'Come this way,' said the stranger, 'you'll be trampled in the middle of the street.'
He led them to a stall by the side of the road and offered them some strange food which they all ate gratefully. The younger boy briefly stopped crying as he ate the food. The woman could not completely forget her worry even as her hunger was cured. The stranger must have noticed the wondering on her face.
'I was just like you when I arrived from the north.' He explained, 'Everything was so strange. It overwhelmed me.'
'You'll get used to it, eventually.' He encouraged her, 'if you stay long enough.'
Still, she had not said a word to the person who had saved and fed them. What example was she setting for the children?-she wondered.
'Thank you for your kindness…for the food.' She spoke.
'You're welcome.' The man answered, 'where are you from anyway? What are you running from?'
'A violent husband?' the man guessed when the woman remained silent. 'That's common enough. He'll never find you here, you can be sure.'
'You can find work in the quarry or the landing site. If you have the skills, you can work in the pottery yard by the swamp. Or maybe, you can get a stall in the market if you have some to start out. There is a wide range of…'
The man went on speaking but she had stopped listening as she drifted off into her thoughts. None of the options mentioned had been in her thoughts as she ran. She was hardworking in her own right, compared to Sola and Nafesi, but it did not seem like it would be enough. Everything she knew. Everything she thought she knew, it all had to be erased. She would have to learn like she knew nothing.