” The lady from last time. Luitsi.” She whispered with a smile on her face. She watched how the beautiful Maiden sashayed towards the throne.
” Yes it’s her. You recall just.”
” She’s very beautiful. I feel so bad about her Condition. Maybe she needs a doctor In City.” She whispered as the young lady surprisingly stood by the pavement of the throne but wouldn’t climb up to it.
” Luitsi Good morning. How was your night.” The humble king greeted first causing her to smile even harder.
” I’m fine Catori. How are you she said still gazing at the floor as she subconsciously broke off her excess finger nails using the nails from the other hand.
” I’m fine my dear. Do you want to see me.” Catori asked, with his hands still on his knees while Amelia’s palm was placed on it.
” Yes I came to greet you. Since war has been coming, you haven’t been so around.” She said, still feeling contented to gaze at floor. While Catori peered at her body from head to toe as if was searching for a clue. To reply her. Amelia noticed and slowly took her hands of arm.
” Are you okay Luitsi. Where do you go at night?” He asked after finding no scars on her body. She raised her face to reply with so hope in her tone.
” To the streams most nights.” She replied with a smile. She deliberately ignored the presence of her smiling rival.
” That’s not a good thing to do at times like this. It’s to dangerous. There have been sightings of caimans in the water. They are dangerous. Don’t be found there outskirt of human gatherings at night. Is that clear.” He asked her in polite tenor.” She was silent and her smile was gone, she gazed back at the floor and held her wrist behind her. She wasn’t saddened by what he was telling her, she trying to liken the dimness of his eyes to a thing she had seen some days back, or some nights back or some hours back, she kept on thinking till she heard his voice again.
” Luitsi. This orders I have given is born from care and concern. It’s not to limit your freedom. Is that okay.” He asked again. She nodded but couldn’t get her eyes of his gaze.
” I know those eyes. I saw them before.”
” Yes my dear Friend. We met day before yesterday.” Said Amelia and waved cheerfully at her. It was as if though her mother had never birthed her into existence as not even as much as gaze of Luitsi came to her. It became clear to her that the Maiden had been referring to Catori. Who sprang on his feet as if called upon by an entity of higher power.
” Okay Luitsi. It’s time to go. We will ..”
” Were you the one I …”
” Luitsi Leave!” He exclaimed in rage, causing the two ladies around him to cringe in fear. Luitsi gazed at his physique and then his finger nails and then his height again and finally turned away walking slowly in her pitiful escapades.
” Does it always end like this when she comes to see you? She’s obsessed with you, do you know? Stop doing doing this to her please.” Amelia said in a controlled tone of rage and stood up. She quickly descended from the pavement and made to go after Luitsi in a bid to Comfort her but was subtly shocked to find Catori holding firm to her wrist. She turned at his seat in Marvel, to how quickly he had really caught up with her. It made her feel faint headed from just trying to process such an occurrence.
” Hey, are you alright?” Catori said and held her from falling to the floor.
” I’m fine. How did you? Forget it I’m just tired. Let me have a talk with Luitsi. She’s sad.” She said but still found herself in arms of the studded king.
” Let her be. I’m headed to apologize to her myself.” He said left her to stand firmly on the floor.
” Hey Luitsi! Luitsi get back here.” Said Bonis as abandoned cleaning the bowls to stop her furious friend from walking past her.
” Your cleaning didn’t work. Leave me alone.” She said as she kept on thwarting her cheeks away till eventually, Bonis caught up with her and held her arm.
” My love. Why so sad?” She asked trying hard not to smile at her victory over Catori.
” Catori chased me away! In front of the fine lady. He was mean to me.” She said and could no more hold her sobs. ” Don’t cry my dear, he will come for you. I have assurance in my cleaning.” Said Bonis and hugged the emotional girl.
” He chased me away.” She cried.
” I didn’t chase you. I’m sorry Luitsi.”
” Why do does everything sound like him.” She cried out.
” Oh My god luitsi, because it’s him.” ” I told you he would come for you.” She said in a whisper as she quickly took her hands off her friend. Luitsi was quick to turn and was shocked to find Catori standing in the near distance. She was overwhelmed by his rotund physique and it only reminded her of the figure she had seen last night in the woods.
” You Said. Leave! You said that to me Catori.” She protested in humility.
” I am serious. I have had enough to think about these days and it’s breaking my mind.” He said while Gazing at her. She smiled and walked to him, held his arm and bent her face towards his ears.
” Where you the one I saw last night in the woods? It’s your eyes isn’t it.” She said to him in a whisper. Even though he could argue that was making up stuffs, he appreciated the fact that was sane enough to know what discrecy entailed. All men were too tired to take night strolls. It’s dangerous to. Did you see any man there?” He said to her in soft tenor that didn’t go past her hearing.
” No. Not a man. What I saw was not a man. A big giant Grizzly with scary claws.” She whispered and quickly lowered her gaze at his finger nails.
” So I’m I a man or a Grizzly.” He asked in the same tenor of calm, his gaze faced to the meadow in majesty and might. She gazed at him from the sideview and sized him properly.
” Oh My God I’m sorry. You know I am mad. I now know why you asked me to leave.” She said and chuckled softly while placing her palm on her forehead in shame.
” You aren’t mad Luitsi. You are different.” He said and stood still so as not to break her heart for the thousandth time in just a year. Bonis quickly left to continue her chores. She wasn’t aging well with was happening. Catori seemed to have been winning the race. She gazed at the duo with one sullen frown and immediately continued to rake up the fallen leaves.
” Did you see a war in your dream?” He asked her and turned to see her reaction.
” Yes I did. A big war Catori. A lot of people died.” She said in a falling intonation.
” So the gods would let us become stronger by war eh.” He sighed softly in his confusion.
” You are strong. You will kill them all. Don’t be scared.” She said and didn’t just want to let go his hands.
” Did you see who our enemies were?” He asked her.
” I saw them. Giant men with giant spears. Brothers. And they killed a lot of people.” She said in an intonation that rose and fell to depth of crying.
” Don’t cry.” ” Brothers huh? We will have to fight this war. This last time.” ” Tell me Luitsi, did you see what sort of weapon they used?” He asked her fearing the worse for his kinsmen.
” Guns and Spears. Didn’t the gods show such horrible things to you to?” She asked and raised her head to see his reaction.
” Yes. I just had to be sure.” He said as his breathing got even more tensed. Only a few people had guns in land, if he didn’t seek for help. It was going to be a bloodbathe.
” Catori.” She silvered softly.” Don’t be scared. So much of peace has left us weak. We would be strong soon.” She said. He kept short and didn’t know how to reply her deep word’s. Indeed the Years of peace had left his people in the annals of modernity, compared to other tribes of the jungle, they were left behind and fate had came to make a mockry of them. It hurt him so much that a strong fellow like Maximin would leave him at this point when he needed all the strong men he could get. It hurt him so much that Agiyon a clan chief who he had sent on days errand was not yet back on the third day of the journey. Above all, it was the notion that his people had to suffer a war in his own reign that broke him the most. He stood gazing at the meadow, hoping perhaps for a brother in arms to stand by him.
” I will fight for you. No one will hurt you.” She honeyed and further suited her head on the contours of his ripped hands.
” Luitsi. Thank you. I will be on my way now. I do not want to see you at shores tonight or any other night.” He said in abstract, with his mind still on the war to come.
” Last night, only grizzlies where in the woods. All the men where here with you. You are a man and not a Grizzly.” She whispered again and smiled. He smiled and waved his head.
” The gods would heal you for us soon.” Catori said as he gently broke loose from her grip, nodded at her in respect and left in Marvel while she stood gazing at him with nothing but Euphoria. He was barely out of sight when she hurried straight to her friend who squat, wiping the bowls in the far distance. She rushed down and eloped her in a hug from behind. ” My love you are back and so happy.” Bonis said in toned tenor. She was glad to have her crush being happy with her but it was the reason behind her happiness that caused her to be said.
” Your cleaning is working. He smiled at me and it’s been months.” She and got up from her friend.
” I told you it’s going to work. We should do it again tonight but don’t freak out at the end.” Said Bonis as her she beamed in excitement from being able to get her desires fulfilled again.
” we may have to go somewhere else. Catoris has warned me against going to the shores at night again.” She said.
” What! You told him? Why do you talk so much.” She palpitated In fright.
” No.. Bonis I did not. He saw me.” She said with a smile.
” Damn it you liar. The king was here the whole time. When I came to get the Napkin, he was still here. You told him about us. Do you want me dead?” She stuttered in fear.
” No …. Bonis I did not. He asked and I said. I always go the stream at night. That’s all I said to him.” She said and scowled her face.
” Oh then just say he asked you and you didn’t tell him about me.”
” I didn’t tell him about you.” Said luitsi who was beginning to loose her calm.
” Yes but he saw me. He was different.” She said and smiled while Bonis had get up to make a thorough diagnostic to what she had just heard.