Chapter Forty-Eight

Now that Atohmma had her first experience of being served and assisted by her designated assistants, she was on time and appropriately dressed for the meeting. She was given all the necessary accessories to wear, and her hair was done suitably, for the crown to fit. Her assistant, Trudy, accompanied her to the meeting.

When the Diamond-Back oracle Cobra arrived, the meeting commenced. Greetings were exchanged, and all the guests were seated. There was a table up front, which was decorated to display the Sword of Compassion. There were chairs on one side of the table for the elders to be seated and it was decorated with the finest palm plants from the village.

The Chief sage was the host of the proceedings. Atohmma was seated next to him and the Shaman. There were two other elder elves and elder heads representing the other villages. Frisky, Lady Petal and some of the guards were also there. The Sword of Compassion was the highlight of the meeting. There was no need for any additional guests. Atohmma had to receive the Sword at this gathering, because of the ritual that was involved, and a few other preparations had to be made. She received instructions about how to use the sword and connect herself, to its' power. A special holster was made, which enabled her to strap it onto her waist. She had to understand the importance of always keeping the sword, in a standing position, especially, when not in use. Frisky constructed a personal space within her tent, where she could place the sword, out of sight and out of reach. He made a sturdy standing case, out of hardened clay and wood. This made things a lot easier for her, to secure it, in an upright position. After the Chief sage spoke and re-introduced Atohmma, the official handing over of the Sword began. The Shaman, lifted the Sword from the table using both his hands and gave it to Atohmma for all the attendees to witness. This solidified her role as the leader and protector of their world.

The elders advised her on her new role, gave her advice and motivation. She came to understand how often she had to receive reports about the needs of the village, emergency signals and protocols. Whenever there were threats or disturbances to their environment, special codes and signs were used, among the elven guards and her new subordinates. She was given authority over all the guards and warrior elves. She had authority over all the seniors and elders, but she chose to maintain her respect and regard for them, as they were elders. She agreed to work alongside them, instead of having them be subjected to her. She was introduced to the secrets of the elven village and the secret places, that only the elders knew about. This meeting was rather informative for Atohmma. She knew she had to delegate tasks, give orders and instructions as she saw fit, for the improvement and wellbeing of all the villages. When it was her time to speak, she used the opportunity, to hear from the heads of each village. By doing this, Atohmma got acquainted with the elders who were responsible for the natives in their respective villages. They would have to be the ones she would contact regarding matters of importance and interests. She learnt a bit more about some of the villages she hadn't seen or visited. She learnt about their most urgent needs. She had her assistant take note of those needs, so that she would begin working on them right away. The meeting ended with some elven chanting. Food and drink was shared with all the guests, and extra was prepared by the elven village ladies, for all the natives of each village. Those packages were given to the representing elders, for distribution, in their villages. The elves distributed food and drink to their village after all the attendees had left the meeting.

Atohmma didn't leave right away. She mingled a bit with the elder elves and Frisky. Frisky finally had a good look at the sword. He complimented the intricate details of this ancient work of art. The weight of it, the sparkles, the sharp edges, and the handle caught his interest. Atohmma saw how amazed he was and left him to admire the masterpiece, while she had herself some eats and drinks. Trudy also had something to eat and drink as well. They discussed minor plans for going forward in the days ahead. Atohmma mentioned some of the tasks she would like to complete, one being, a visit to her village. She wanted that to be first on her agenda. There was a need, in her mind, for the well to be constructed. It was a good reason and opportunity for her to see her friends. She would visit Nucamma and also let him know he can see her anytime he wanted to. Windsong and her pony must have been wondering about her. She had them included on the list of things to get done as soon as possible. She wanted to make arrangements for her pony to be brought over to the elven village to stay with her. Ponies were allowed and it would have been better to have her very own pet pony, live there with her. The relationship with the ponies, were important to the natives, and depriving them of it, wouldn't be fair, at least in Atohmma's mind. She thought to herself, that she should also chat with Venomma. She felt the need to admit the truth to Venomma about what happened to her blanket years ago. She had no reason to believe that, confessing this, would create any problems in their friendship, as long as she explained herself.

Atohmma requested that Frisky gather some fruits. She wanted the strange fruits. The fruits that they know nothing about, over at her village. The ones they never tasted. She had her assistant list the fruits that Atohmma learned about in the elven village, the delicious fruits that she couldn't resist. The food that she never ate but grew to love and the drinks, were also listed. She wanted to take along some of the teas that Lady Petal prepared as leaves for brewing. She knew her friends and the natives would appreciate the surprise.