Sun-baked, tall and stoic, the usually calm Maraga could not contain his rage. By the time he got back to his chambers, he was screaming so loud. "How dare she? How dare she?" He kept repeating.
"Where did she get the nerve?" He wondered out loud, seething with fury. As the emissary of the Great Zithilite King, Maraga felt as though he walked on water. Anywhere he went, he was received with humility, everyone careful not to breath too loud around him.
Even here, in this boorish kingdom, the elders had been very respectful, and he had already began throwing his weight around, as usual. However, the Queen, the desired bride of the King, refused to attend him when he arrived, and basically told him off when they finally met. She even threatened to toss him in a dungeon! Was she deluded?
However, all these insults he could take, but what was unforgivable was how she spoke of the King. To Maraga, the King was like a god. The man respected and venerated him from the bottom of his heart, and his loyalty had paid off.
Now, how could he sit down and take it, listening to the woman rant about his king. It took everything he had to prevent himself from lunging at her, and he had already formed a horrible opinion of her. In his mind, she was a two-bit uppity broad with no grasp on reality. She looked down on the greatest man in the world, what right did she have?
She had threatened to throw him in a dungeon if he tallied, as if he would. He wanted nothing more than to leave this place, but before he did, he made sure to send a raven to the King, letting him know of the feedback he received.
It took three days for the raven to fly across the distance, a journey that takes a messenger two weeks.
During this time, the Kingdom of Asis was in panic mode. By evening of the same day, everyone had known of the Queen's decision. Many people would be found huddled together, discussing the Queen's decision.
Some supported her decision, others criticized them. The supporters were invigorated by her courage and determination and were rallying behind her. They believed the Zithilites were beneath them, as the Queen had stated.
Meanwhile, Shana and Jim continued to exchange video messages. Jim had designed the device to consume minimal charge, and it had a solar panel on the back. When she had time, she would leave it exposed to the sun, allowing it to charge.
For several times a day, she would find time and excuse herself, running to check the communicator to see if Jim had left a message. Her heart would flutter every time she saw the notification of a new message, and would instantly record a video to reply the moment she watched it.
She consulted him on everything, already regarding him her closest confidante. At night, she would even send him long recording of her ranting about her day, and all the people that pissed her off. She loved to hear his input.
She was still a young girl, and finding such a capable and handsome man, her heart was slowly falling deeper into the guy. She would spend days just thinking about him, replaying his expressions and his behavior.
She loved how passionate he was about the kingdom, and his passion was infectious. She too had developed a burning passion for her nation and her people. Where once she only saw obligation, she felt a heavy sense of duty and purpose.
Jim had advised her to start conscripting soldiers into the army. He convinced her that he could handle the threat with a hundred men, but to show the people she was doing something, she had to make the order. People were already panicking; afraid a horde could descend upon them at any moment.
Elsewhere, in the Palace of Zithile, the King had received word of what happened in Asis. The advisers feared the King would jump in anger, but instead, he laughed out loudly. "That Maraga, does he not know, no beauty submits willingly," The King said.
"Ranada, are your people up for a hunt?" He asked a brutish looking man standing over six feet tall and with scars all over his body. Even his face had a nasty scar across his cheek.
Hearing the question, the man let out a terrifying grin as he looked at the King, "Always, Sire."
"Then have them move out, teach this queen some humility," The King commanded.
"Right away sire!" Ranada stood up, heading off to fulfill his King's orders. Days later, a horde broke away from the group, and they started their match towards Asis. They were more than two thousand strong, and they moved with deadly purpose.
...
Later that day, in the evening, Queen Shana made her way to her chambers. Of late, she'd been acting secretive, and even the palace staff were beginning to whisper among themselves. Shana could care less. After an entire day, she longed to look at that handsome face and give her some hope in the face of all the hopelessness abound.
Switching on the communicator, she was delighted to find a notification, another message had come in. This time, it carried bad news. Jim's face was solemn as he gave her the terrible news: The horde had moved out.
Shana did not even know how he learned this information, but she trusted him completely. Therefore, when he told her his plan, she could only nod. Later, she sent a message asking how she could help.
"Have the newly conscripted army move out, we shall meet at the Wareen mountain ranges in fourteen days," Jim replied. He knew that moving an entire army required a lot of logistics, and given that these were fresh recruits, it was bound to be cumbersome.
Jim did not intend to make use of this army, at least, not in the first encounter. Their purpose would come much later, and by then, they will have transformed to a well-oiled machine. Once he was done with his planning, he went ahead and called his platoon together. They would serve as his lynchpin, and his introduction into the world.
By now, they had learned the basics of handling the various weapons he provided, and they moved with precision and collaboration. Even the worst among them could still find the target.
Jim had also trained them on how to move in the forest, avoid detection and ambush the enemy. The effectiveness of all these lessons was to be proven on the battlefield, where the metal meets the meat.
Looking at each of their faces, Jim could tell, they were ready. The new weapons had had a psychological effect on them, giving them a fresh dose of confidence. They now believed that they could win, even come back without suffering any loss. Jim knew this was wishful thinking, but he was still hopeful.
"Listen men," he said, as he stood before them to address them. "The enemy has gathered, and as we speak, more than two thousand barbarians are making their way to our holy land as we speak." Jim paused for effect.
"Today we go! We answer the call by the Goddess to protect the people. Those offending barbarians, LET NONE SURVIVE OUR ONSLAUGHT!"
"Hoo-aah!"
"Hoo-aah!"
"Hoo-aah!"
The soldiers were in agreement. Soon, they had parked their gear, and were making their way through the forest.