The First Kingdom

by T. S. Valmond

  Poge didn't look happy, and Adera worried over it. She sat down with her friend, who seemed intent on cleaning every piece of equipment she owned with a small brush and soft rag.

  "Are you vexed, my friend, we are coming to the end?" Adera put the question to her and watched her expression change.

  "No, I'm fine. I just want the one who isn’t mine." Poge's eyes landed on her sister and Dag, as they'd done before.

  Adera put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "A man that doesn't recognize the value of what is in front of him is a fool and not worthy of you."

  Poge's eyes turned to Adera. There was a sadness in them she'd never seen before.

  Adera nodded and smiled. "A heart in love beats to the same rhythm as another heart in love. You'll do much better."

  "Hey, here's some more meat my brother and I caught today," Jiden said. "Can you put the spices and flavor on it like you did on the meat we ate before?"

  "Yes, of course,” Poge said with half a glance at him.

  Adera noted Jiden's expression. He liked her. It was obvious, but Poge didn't see it yet.

  Adera looked at Neke and wondered how he'd take the news as he seemed as oblivious as Poge.

  They were both in for a surprise.

  The next morning, they left Ujira’s home and continued on their journey into Sanee's land of Karmir. Here, things remained hostile. More than once, Sanee had to use his position and his words to convince his men to back down and let them pass. They needed to see the chieftain. Bringing news from the other lands they'd been to helped calm most of the battles. They would reach Sanee's village in just a couple of days.

  Sanee must have noticed her wringing her hands because he reached out and held them still in his own

  "Is there something you need to say? I'm here for you either way."

  He sounded so lovely when he spoke in the rhyming way of her people.

  "I'm a little concerned about how your father will treat me,” she said, adapting to his way of speaking.

  Sanee straightened behind her, pulling his shoulder back. It forced her to sit straighter as well.

  "My father was wrong about you and I look forward to telling him so. No harm will come to you by my father's hand again. I am not the boy I once was." Sanee's eyes were looking far off in the distance, but she believed him.

  Neither of them were the children they once were. They'd united four kingdoms so far, and Karmir only needed to maintain their peace to be a part of it. They just needed to hear it from their future chieftain.

  Adera settled herself and tried to imagine that things would not be as horrible as her insides were trying to make her believe they would be. At night, she slept at Sanee's side. It filled her with a sense of safety and security. Tonight, however, anxiety wouldn't let her rest. Adera stared at Sanee's sleeping face. She saw clearly the worry he tried to hide from her. She ran a fingertip over his eyebrows, and, to her delight, they relaxed. She rose from their small camp and stirred the fire as it was going down.

  Neke, fast asleep at his post, didn't stir as she moved about. Adera decided not to wake him. Instead, she would wake Poge, but only after she relieved herself.

  In the woods, a twig cracked the silence of the night not far behind her, but when she turned to see what it was, there was nothing there. She started back to the camp, catching the whiff of something acrid and pungent. She started to turn and the smell overwhelmed her as it had saturated the cloth that was now held up to her nose and mouth. Adera's eyes closed a second later.

  22

  IN THE MORNING, THE FIRST thing Sanee noticed were his empty arms. He opened his eyes, grateful to Thelion for the sun and warmer air. The air had a distinct chill. They'd traveled beyond the snow. Sanee stretched and listened. The sound of Adera's singing was missing. She did it without even realizing she did it. His one constant. "Adera," Sanee called out. A sickening feeling rose from within his belly to his constricted throat. He'd sworn to protect her and now she had disappeared. "Adera, my love, where are you?" When he got no answer from his calling, he searched a wider area around them, frantically, as if she hid from him.

  The others stirred awake. Half asleep but on his feet, Jiden shook his head. "I'm pretty sure she's not behind that rock,” he said to Sanee.

  "I'm looking for something,” he said as he scanned the grasses.

  "I'll climb a tree and see what I can see," Neke said. Then he hit himself in the head, "I'm still rhyming my words, why?" He pulled himself up a tree and looked out. He used an animal call to get her attention. Adera didn't answer him or anyone else.

  "She fought,” Dag said. He had returned from the edge of camp. He stared down at something his hands.

  "What?" Sanee asked turning around.

  The others circled him. Neke and Jiden stood on each side of Sanee.

  "She struggled against them," Dag said. "This was on the ground not far from here."

  Poge snatched the leather bracelet from him.

  "She'd never take this off." Poge held it up to Sanee. He took the childhood gift and placed it in his own pocket

  Poge kicked dirt on the fire, putting out the last embers.

  "Pack your things. We're going after her." She moved fast and had her tuskin ready within minutes.

  Sanee's shoulders dropped and his hands hung limp at their sides. "We won't find her."

  "What do you mean?" Poge asked.

  "If she was captured, it was my people who took her. We should continue to Karmir to meet with the chieftain."

  Poge thought for a moment before agreeing. "I'll send out a distress call to my people. If it's anyone else, they'll let me know immediately." Poge used her device before climbing back onto her beast.

  It pleased Sanee to know Adera had a friend that would move so fast to help.

  The twins were also attached to Adera, and it showed in the way they managed the rest of their things in a hurry.

  Neke blamed himself for not being awake during Adera's struggles. His brother murmured something in his ear. Whatever he said made him square his shoulders and ride out without another word.

  Adera's absence was more pronounced as Sanee rode out alone.

  They didn't go slow anymore. Sanee took the lead, and the rest followed behind him as he charged into the Karmir lands and toward the center, where his family lived.

  "Where is she?" He called out.

  "For whom do you shout?" The guard called.

  "Adera, where is she?" Sanee realized they didn't know her by name. "The mermaid who was with me before. You took her."

  The guard stood at attention. Sanee turned. His father was approaching.

  "Do not question my guard. What say you, oh lost son?"

  "Adera, is she here?"

  Sanee watched his mother take a step toward him, along with his brother. When his father held out an arm preventing her, she looked over at him and then down at the ground in defeat.

  "You've been gone from my sight, boy, for more than a month. Then you come here and demand a mermaid from me."

  "She is my future bride, the truest love of my life, and I'll search." The girl he was promised to in marriage stood near, but he didn't make eye contact with her. It was best if everyone knew who held his heart. His hands clenched as he waited for his father to answer.

  Poge put a hand on her bow and the twins also held fast to their weapons. Only Dag refused to put a weapon in his hand as he carried none. Poge was an exception. She was ready to go down fighting for Adera and that was enough to prove her worth a thousand times over.

  Strands of white streaked his father's hair. Sanee tried to imagine himself with a full head of white hair. He would blend in with the Chilalians. Sanee didn't imagine his father would appreciate the irony, so he didn't mention it. Instead, he squared his shoulders, remembering the reason for his visit. If he kept calm, he might get Adera back and unite this kingdom with their own.

  "I come with news from the north."

  His father waved his ha
nd at him. "I received your news. What is this about a mermaid?"

  "What is your answer?" Sanee asked.

  "You accuse me of taking your mermaid girl, draw weapons against me, and then in the same breath bid me join you. What kind of leader did I raise?"

  His father was right. How could he believe his father had taken Adera and then ask him to join as the second kingdom? "The kind that admits his mistakes." He lifted a hand, and the others released their hold on their weapons. "I apologize, father." The guard seemed to sigh in relief as well. They'd been prepared to fight.

  "What changed your mind?"

  "It is beneath you to kidnap someone in order to bend me to your will."

  His father's smile and pride was genuine. He'd seen it so rarely that it was immediately recognizable.

  "Come, we will not discuss this business in the road. As the representative for the first kingdom, I will hear you in my chambers." He turned and held out his hand for his wife and she followed. His brother, forced to go as well, followed behind them, his shoulders slumped.

  The negotiations with the Karmirians took hours. Even Sanee didn't anticipate how difficult the discussion would be with his father questioning everything. The things he brought up, they hadn't even considered yet. Things like how would the next prince and princess be chosen and what lands under the First Kingdom were available for Karmirian settlers. Without the full representation of the council, Sanee didn't feel comfortable making a lot of the decisions. He relied on Poge and the others. Dag had the most knowledge of what would be acceptable to the other council members. The other three had amazing skills of negotiation, perhaps better than his father. They created a written declaration of peace between them before finding Adera was addressed again.

  "All of our resources are at your disposal, my prince, and you are welcome to take whatever supplies you need. I don't doubt the Majiwan are the ones who took your bride. The same who attacked our people at the borders for the last few weeks."

  Sanee frowned and tilted his head.

  "Listen,” His father said.

  "I don't hear anything."

  "Exactly, they fighting has been constant for almost a month in one part of the land or another. Now they're gone, and all is quiet. Perhaps she returned with them willingly."

  "No, she wouldn't leave me without a word. That would be a first for her. No, she didn't go willingly, and they took her to the one place I can't follow. I still want to cover our nation to make sure she wasn't captured by some overzealous guard out to please you."

  "Agreed. Our guard is loyal."

  Sanee turned to Poge. "Go with Jiden and Neke and make sure we search the entire area before I go to the sea."

  "Prince,” They said, putting a fist to their chests as they'd seen Dag and the others do before turning to leave.

  "Dag, I want you to put something together that will amplify my voice on the water. I want to get the mermen's attention."

  23

  SANEE WASN'T AT ALL SURPRISED when Poge returned with the others with the news they hadn't found Adera nor any sign of mermen in the area. Jiden and Neke seemed just as disappointed as Poge. He put a hand on Poge's shoulder.

  "We'll get her back, don't worry."

  "It's my fault. If I had stayed awake, this wouldn't have happened,” Neke said as he stared at the ground.

  "No, I suspect her people were following us the minute we touched Karmir. They were just waiting for the right moment to take her." That was the truth of it and he had no blame for anyone other than himself.

  Sanee went to the water as soon as Dag was ready.

  The device seemed simple enough. In one hand, he held a piece he would speak into. Tubes attached the device to shells. Dag promised this would amplify his voice as he spoke into the water.

  Sanee started with every greeting he could think of, and the water remained as undisturbed in the night as it was in the day. He spoke about their offer of peace and the treaty they proposed. At one point, he demanded to see the chief of the mermen. He even begged to see Adera. Nothing worked.

  His mother brought him food, but he soon stopped eating. Despite his father's support, he didn't come to the water to check on his progress. Sanee supposed that was a good thing, since he hadn’t made progress anyway.

  Sanee couldn't figure out what to do. How was he supposed to get Adera back if they wouldn't listen to him? There was only one thing left to try. He placed a hand on Adera's gift, the shell necklace, and spoke to their hearts.

  Sanee lifted the device to his mouth and his voice cracked on the first note. He shook it off and sang from the heart. It was the song that Adera had taught him long ago. A song without words. Only a tune, but it had spoken to him and he hoped that it spoke to them.

  He sang for over an hour before he needed to rest. When his mother brought him warm broth for his throat and a juice with an acidic quality, it seemed to revive his tone. He lifted his chin and began again. Every time he grew tired, there was someone there with something hot to help him continue. After a full day of singing, he lost his voice. He whistled for a while. But then his lips grew dry, and he had nothing but cracked lips to show for it. Then he switched to humming the tune. Dag had been with him so long, he knew the pattern of the tune and hummed along without thinking about it.

  He stopped when Sanee stopped.

  Sanee's legs buckled under him and he knelt at the shore, his eyes burned from staring out into the sun reflected waters.

  He blamed Thelion for the tears that streamed down his face. He started humming again.

  When Poge joined him, he thought he heard something of the original tone. It turned out she had a beautiful voice. Neke and Jiden hummed along when Dag began again. Soon, they were all taking warm soup to heal their sore throats.

  Occasionally, his brother would come out and try to get him to leave the water's edge, but he refused. No one could move him from the water for anything. He hummed and hummed, and when he thought he couldn't continue with another note, his mother brought him something to drink so he could hum along with the others. Now with all of them humming, the tune never stopped. When his mother grew tired, she left them. He was glad of her effort and it warmed him she cared. His arms still ached for the missing Adera, and he wondered what would happen if he dove into the water and tried to get her.

  Less than half an hour later, the guard joined them. Their humming was discordant at first, since they hadn't heard the entire tune, but soon their voices lent themselves to the sound. His brother came down, as did the entire community. The nation of Karmir stood at the shores of the water, singing to the waves, and for the first time Sanee realized what this meant. He and Adera's dream was happening, but she wasn't there to see it. A tear fell from his eye, but he continued, not afraid of what the others would think of him.

  When at last his father the chieftain stood with them, the crowd grew louder. Sanee didn't need the hum of the shells anymore—their combined sound rippled the water.

  When the water whirled in front of him, he thought he'd imagined it. Only when those around him started to fidget anxiously did he realize it was real.

  This must be the mermen's response at last. They would return her to him or he'd die trying to get to her. The crowd continued singing despite the sight of a dozen mermen rising up out of the water with weapons at their sides. The Karmirian guards grew restless, but Sanee raised a hand and they continued singing with their weapons sheathed.

  Then, as in his dreams, Adera came up out of the water and she ran to him, throwing herself into his arms. Her tears mixed with his as he kissed her face.

  The crowd didn't cease singing until the mermen had lowered themselves back under the surface of the water. Then a cheer erupted that swept the entire beach and Sanee along with it. He couldn't be happier to have her back.

  “Will the Majiwa join us?”

  She shook her head.

  A cease fire was better than nothing.

  Adera looked up at his face
, as incapable of looking away as he was. “You hummed a song, do you know to whom it might belong?”

  Sanee looked at her in surprise. “No, I remembered the tune from when I was a boy. I had no idea it originated from your people.”

  With a smile, she said, “I sang that song to you, even before I knew. The meaning of the words, were like nothing you’ve ever heard.”

  “What do the words mean?”

  “The song of my heart fills me with joy that we will never part. Forevermore we are one, until the setting sun is done.”

  24

  THE CHILDREN SAT ATTENTIVE, WAITING for their story to begin. It was a favorite of the children born in the First Kingdom of Bolaji. It was a point of pride for all of them. People of every tribe, nation, and tongue: red, yellow, brown, white, pink, purple, blue and green. They continued to thrive here and learn about each other together. Poge never imagined she'd grow old enough to see such a world and such a life.

  With Jiden and Neke by her side, she became a wife, a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

  Poge watched Sanee and Adera become beloved by all the kingdoms and witness their love for each other unite peoples long at odds. They settled on the name Adalu for their kingdom and their first-born son. Their children's children sat in front of her and twitched with anticipation for what story was to come.

  Poge couldn't climb trees the way she used to, but she insisted on telling her stories sitting at the foot of one. One child had put her stool up for her to sit down on and, using her cane, she lowered herself down to it. The children moved closer, filling in any gaps between them. After she'd made eye contact with every one of them, she began her story.

  * * *

  “The gods made this world the horrible place it was. A place overflowing with hate. Hearts hardened like stone with prejudice. A world where you learned to war with anyone who didn’t look like you. In the middle of it all, a younger generation snatched the leadership from their forefather’s stubborn and deficient hands. They carved out a new life, culture, and future of their own choosing. They created a whole new kingdom. Their story isn’t written in books or on paper. We pass it from soul to soul as any good story should be passed on.