The Destiny of Amalah

by Thandi Ryan

  ‘You are very wise for someone so young,’ Michael said seriously.

  ‘Indeed she is,’ Amara replied.

  ‘Wise enough to take care of herself, were she to venture around the nations,’ Garrick said seriously, but then he winked at Ellora.

  ‘You can go Ellora,’ Amara said smiling at her sister.

  ‘Really!’ Ellora screamed. ‘Really! Really!’

  ‘Yes really,’ Amara said smiling even more broadly.

  ‘Oh my,’ she squealed. ‘I can really go,’ she said beginning to jump up and down.

  ‘Garrick persuaded us to let you go,’ Michael said. ‘He has every faith in you – in all of you and when he heard of what you had said to Rakan, he was convinced that you possess enough maturity and insight to undertake such a venture.’

  ‘Oh my god, I can go, I can go, I can go,’ she said jumping up and down excitedly and laughing.

  She ran over to Amara and hugged her and then went to Michael and hugged him and then finally to Garrick and hugged him even tighter than the other two and then thanked him.

  ‘I can’t wait to tell the others,’ she said exuberantly.

  ‘You can tell them now,’ Amara said cheerfully.

  ‘I will,’ Ellora said still exuberant.

  Ellora turned on her heel and ran out of the study, she ran along the corridors and halls and into the garden and sprinted to the oak tree where the five boys had been waiting patiently for her. The five boys stood up when they saw her approaching; they wondered what the answer would be, but when they all saw the wide smile on Ellora’s face, they all knew that she was allowed to go but each and everyone of them waited for her to speak to confirm it.

  ‘I can go,’ she screamed at them. ‘I can go, I can go.’

  ‘Excellent,’ Waldon said.

  ‘Great,’ said Kenaz.

  ‘Indeed,’ replied Rufus.

  ‘I am so glad,’ Kalon added, as he hugged and kissed Ellora.

  ‘As am I,’ Rakan said, as he patted her on the shoulder. ‘You know what this means?’ Rakan asked, the others looked at him and waited for an answer. ‘It means we’re going to see the nations,’ he said in a raised and jubilant voice.

  ‘An adventure of a lifetime,’ Kenaz said.

  ‘When do we leave?’ Waldon asked.

  ‘Well, if I am right about what we need to do to prepare,’ Rakan began as he looked at his brother and friends in turn; ‘four weeks from now,’ Rakan said, confidently smiling at the others and to himself.

  Chapter 14

  The six friends were highly excited and their spirits soared even higher in the coming weeks and as they planned their journeys, they were incredibly busy over the next four weeks. They spent time with each other or in two’s or three’s, or individually; making the necessary preparations, before their adventures began.

  At first, they gathered maps and pored over them as they decided where they wanted to go and what they wanted to see; they plotted the routes that they would take and worked out how they would get there. Often, they would work studiously for hours, contemplating what they would need and how feasible their journey was, having regard for the elements and terrain.

  During the day they would venture into Amalah and get the supplies that they would need for their journey and place orders with various craftsmen for tools and tentage. Within a fortnight they had all decided on the clothing that they would need; having taken into account the extremes in weather that they would encounter throughout their travels.

  By now, they had an impressive collection of maps and they had collected enough tools for themselves and for each other and they each packed: eating utensils; small pots for cooking and eating out of; their tin cups and a spoon and fork. The friends had decided to split the bigger tools between them, such as: the spade, the pickaxe, the axe and the two containers of water.

  At the near end of the fortnight, the friends were called to the palace one evening and when they arrived, they entered Amara’s study to find Amara, Michael, Garrick and his friends there. They were all curious as to why they had been summoned. Amara had not said anything to Ellora, and Garrick had not said a word to Kalon or Rakan. The friends looked at each other questioningly and then each questioning face became blank, indicating that not one of them knew why they had been called.

  The six turned and bowed their heads to the Empress and greeted her and then they greeted Michael, Garrick and the others, who in turn greeted them back; then there were a few moments silence; before Amara spoke:

  ‘We have noticed how busy you have been over the last two weeks.’

  ‘Yes, and we also noticed how dedicated and committed you have been in that time,’ said Michael.

  ‘We know that you are, and you will be responsible and that you can and will stick together and work together wherever you are,’ Amara continued. ‘But one thing troubles us and we think we have found an answer to our troubles.

  ‘What troubles you sister?’ Ellora asked.

  ‘Follow us and we shall show you the question and the answer,’ Amara said cryptically.

  She stood up and Michael and the others stood at the same time and once again, the friends looked at each other questioningly and once again their faces were all blank. Amara and the five men made their way to the door passing the six friends and when they walked through it, Thaddeus stopped still and turned around.

  ‘Young travellers, you will not find out what troubled us or what answer we sought if you remain in the Empresses’ study,’ he said grinning at them.

  The six of them looked at Thaddeus for a moment and then they too made their way to the door and followed the elders. Amara led everyone to the front of the palace and before she opened the palace doors she stopped still and turned to face her sister and her five friends’ as did the elder men.

  ‘The question that troubled us was, how were you going to undertake your trip around the nations?’

  ‘On horses,’ Rufus answered simply.

  ‘Do you have horses?’ Michael asked, baiting Rufus.

  ‘No…’ Rufus began.

  ‘We thought not,’ Michael said, silencing Rufus.

  ‘You didn’t have horses,’ Amara said, looking at Michael and smiling. ‘But you do know,’ she finished, as she opened the palace doors. She stepped out into the sunlight and the others followed and when they were all in the courtyard Amara spoke again. ‘A going away present – from all of us,’ she said, still smiling at Michael and then at the others and the six young friends.

  The friends looked ahead and saw six magnificent black horses tied to the wooden rail and gasped.

  ‘They’re beautiful,’ Ellora exclaimed.

  ‘Incredible,’ Rakan said.

  ‘Amazing,’ Kenaz said.

  All of them had something to say about the handsome horses that stood at sixteen hans high, they truly were magnificent and in some way almost regal, as they stood side by side and faced the six in the blazing heat.

  ‘Thank you so much,’ Ellora said, her eyes beginning to water. ‘Thank you Amara, Michael and Garrick, Thaddeus, Raynor and Häkan,’ she said hugging each and every one of them.

  The five boys also thanked everyone in turn after Ellora and then they ran to their horses to introduce and familiarise themselves with them. They all instinctively chose a horse and went and stood by it and Amara and the five men looked on.

  ‘Now you can travel the nations,’ Garrick said with a satisfied smile.

  ‘One other thing,’ Michael said, and as he talked, the other six gave him their attention. ‘We are having your saddles made; they shall be ready within the week.’

  The eyes of the six lit up again and they all smiled happily and their hearts were filled with excitement and joy and they looked affectionately at the Empress and the five older men; who had made their day and their journey possible. They thanked them profusely and then turned their attentions back to their horses, which were friendly enough and they welcomed the attention and a
ffection that they were receiving. The children and the horses bonded for a while. The six stroked their black fur coats and their heads and were looking for unique features that would make them easily identifiable. Amara and the five men also made their way to the horses and examined them once again.

  ‘Thank you father,’ Rakan said to Garrick.

  ‘It is my pleasure son,’ Garrick said hugging his son.

  ‘Thank you father,’ Kalon said, as he made his way to where Garrick and Rakan were and Garrick hugged him also.

  ‘As I was telling Rakan, it is my pleasure my son. Promise me that you will take care of each other and promise me that you will make the greatest effort to remain safe,’ he said rather emotionally.

  ‘We promise,’ the two boys replied vehemently.

  They all spent their remaining time around the horses and after a while they untied them and led them to the stables. The friends were happy and proud that they were on their way and now that they had horses, they truly could see the nations.

  The next two weeks went by so quickly for the friends; by day they would collect the remaining supplies that they had ordered, including the saddles and by night, they would spend quality time with their families. The friends each spent a night with the others parents having a farewell dinner and when they dined at the palace, it was only Amara who was present and the evening was a relaxed one, the atmosphere was warm and pleasant and each of them were happily enjoying the company of the others.

  The friends and Amara had brought each other gifts and exchanged them after dinner and then they all gave a small speech. Rakan was the last to speak and before he began he stood up.

  ‘Friends, I am a very happy young man, happy to have been blessed with a great family and great friends. I am truly looking forward to our journeys together and Amara, although duty has kept you away from us, and I think I speak for everyone when I say this; you have always remained close to us in our hearts and thoughts and even though events have meant that you have spent less time with us, you have never been considered as less of a friend among us. We also look forward to our journey and we wish that you could come with us, so let me finish by saying that you are as much a part of us as we are of you. So, I say, to friendship: may it continue to be as joyous and loving and fulfilling as it has always been.’

  Amara looked at Rakan with a warm smile and her eyes began to fill with water as his words touched her.

  ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed quietly and he nodded his head in understanding and acknowledgement.

  ‘To friendship,’ they all said, after Rakan and the others raised their glasses as they said their toast.

  When the dinner was over, the five young men left the palace and went home to their families and Amara and Ellora remained together. They made their way to the balcony room in the palace and opened the full-length doors. A table and two chairs had been left on the balcony for them and they sat down and relaxed and began to talk.

  ‘I will miss you, you know. I know I hardly spend anytime with you lately but I want you to know that I love you and I always will and furthermore – I will miss you terribly when you go,’ Amara said gently and searchingly.

  ‘Oh Amara,’ Ellora said standing up and going over to her sister to hug her. ‘I know you love me, I never doubted that or thought otherwise and I want you to know that I also love you too, very dearly. I know you take your duties seriously and I know that you made promises to our father which I am proud to see that you are keeping and when I go away I shall miss you too.’

  ‘I envy you sometimes and in some ways, especially in the way that you managed to stay close to the boys, but I also worry. I’m worried and I hope that I am doing the right thing by letting you go.’

  ‘But Amara, you went before me,’ Ellora said puzzled.

  ‘Yes, I did, but that was completely different. I had carriage and company and the guard and places to go and people to see. I was safe and secure – you on the other hand – are in a completely different situation. You are all so young; you will have no other company but yourselves: no guards, no healers, and no adults. Furthermore you have to survive yourselves, trek through mountains and forests, endure extreme weather and find your food and water along the way.’

  ‘I know,’ Ellora said softly; ‘but we can do all of that: our father, Garrick and Häkan taught us well. We can all ride, hunt, track and we can all live off the land very well. Kalon and I have been able to do so since we were eight years old and the others since they were ten. I know it will get rough sometimes and life will seem hard but we can do this – the six of us together – can do this.’

  ‘Do you know how hard it will get?’ Amara asked seriously.

  ‘Probably not but I know what we are all capable of and I know that between us – we can survive anywhere. As for you and envying my friendship, you are close to them, you may not spend as much time with them but they are still your good friends and you can speak with them anytime: you know this. Whenever you are around us there are no awkward silences or any other indications that you have been away from them, you grew up with them. It is I who should envy you,’ Ellora said and Amara gave her a puzzled look. ‘Not only do you have friendships with Rakan and Kalon and the others but I see that you have a close friendship with Michael and Garrick and the others.’

  ‘I am glad to have them in my life,’ Amara agreed. ‘But still Ellora, I do worry.’

  ‘Do not, I can live off the land as well as the others and besides I have become quite the archer so I will never go hungry, nor will the others.’ Amara laughed slightly at the thought of the five boys relying on Ellora for food. ‘We will look after each other, we always have and we always will and besides you know how protective Rakan is of me.’

  ‘Yes I do, still I wonder why.’

  ‘I am like a sister to him and a friend and he is like a brother to me, but sometimes I think it is more than that, it is as though we are connected somehow on a spiritual level or our souls have known each other before, it is difficult to explain.’

  ‘A crush?’ Amara asked curiously.’

  ‘No, it is beyond that, it is not a physical feeling in that sense, not like our mother and father, I just feel that perhaps he is some kind of kindred spirit and that somehow our lives and paths will always be linked and he feels it to.’

  ‘I think I see,’ Amara began. ‘Even when you were only five you and Rakan had already become close. You would talk and make jokes that only the two of you would get and he never treated you like a baby or teased you like the others did sometimes.’

  ‘How very true, now you know that he always looked out for me, and he always will, so do not worry about me dear sister. We will send riders as often as we can to tell you of how we are faring, but do not worry if you do not hear from us for a while we will probably be up in the mountains or deep in the forests.’

  Amara nodded her head and looked at her sister: ‘I am surely right to let you go but I will still worry about you.’

  ‘And I about you,’ Ellora said taking hold of her sister’s hand.

  The two women talked for a while longer and at one point in time Michael joined them and they talked until the early hours of the morning before retiring.

  Two more nights followed and then it was only two more days before the six friends would venture off on a trip of a lifetime and on this evening, it was the final farewell dinner. Amara and Ellora held a dinner at the palace, and Garrick, Michael, Häkan, Raynor and Thaddeus were present; as were the five boys and their parents.

  They dined in the Great Hall on a rectangular banqueting table that seated all twenty guests. They all enjoyed fine food, fine wine, great company and jovial conversation. When they had eaten, all of the parents made speeches about their children and their friends and then Amara made a speech on behalf of Ellora.

  The evening was going splendidly well and it truly was a family affair, for many of the parents at the table had known each other since they were children and they had
watched each others children as well as their own come into the world and grow up. When the speeches were over, Garrick and Häkan stood up and the table fell silent as the two men addressed them and Garrick started first.

  ‘Friends, tonight we all gather here to say farewell to our children who are about to embark on a journey of a lifetime. Together they will venture out and explore the nine nations. I commend them all for their bravery and for undertaking such a venture,’ Garrick began. ‘But having known them all of their lives and having seen them prepare for this trip over the last few weeks, I have witnessed their maturity, diligence, commitment and organisation; and I have to say; I am extremely proud of all of them and the way they have behaved. I know in life there can be perils but I trust in all six of them that they will not bring them about unnecessarily.

  As a parent, I understand the anxiety that you all must feel about letting them go on such a venture, but I know that the time has come where we can trust our children completely and let them find their own way in this world.

  As a parent I would also like to say that I am extremely grateful to the gods for giving me two wonderful children and I know that all of you were also given wonderful children – children, who exercise maturity, are well mannered, honest, capable and decent through and through. Rakan, Kalon, Ellora, Kenaz, Waldon and Rufus,’ Garrick continued; ‘we wish you a good journey and as your parents and guardians; we wish to give you something,’ Garrick said, looking at each and every one of them individually.

  Häkan then picked up where Garrick left off and he addressed everyone at the table:

  ‘We know that wonderful times lay ahead for you but we also know that because you have chosen this journey in this way, hard times may lay ahead for you,’ Garrick continued.