Chapter 18: Demands

Changamire Zama woke up when he heard a man shouting outside. He rushed outside and saw a group of elders and some of his elders gathered around a nearby tree.

He walked towards the group of people and as he approached them, he saw five men hanging from the tree. When he arrived, he noticed that they had been killed by animals. Bite marks were around their necks and other parts of the bodies.

When looked closely, he noticed that these were the messengers who were supposed to go and warn the other kingdoms about Mutapa's plans to make them fight amongst themselves.

For a moment fear gripped his heart but he quickly decided to be courageous in such a situation. "Take these men down, notify their relatives about this and bury them soon," the king ordered.

He turned back to his heart as rage and the urge to find Mutapa and kill him at once filled his heart. When he sat in his hut Danda, one of his advisors, came and sat down with him.

"The man is ahead of us. He knew what we planned and he killed those messengers. It's a message-he is telling us that we are already behind," Danda said.

"I can see that. But that cannot stop us from making sure that we stay alive," the king said.

"The man has penetrated our kingdom several times now. How can we protect ourselves from a man like him?" Danda asked.

"What do think we should do, Danda," the king asked back.

"We have to find his layer and destroy him once and for all," Danda answered.

"What makes you so sure that we will find him there? My daughter managed to escape his haven and he knows that he's exposed. There's no way he will continue to dwell in the same place," the king said.

Changamire, we are waiting for your command," Danda said.

"We do nothing. Something tells me that he wants to have all the kingdoms' armies in one place so that he can attack them all at once," the king said.

"So what do we do?" Danda asked.

"We wait and protect our kingdom as we have been doing all along. We have stayed alive up to this moment we have to keep that as our main objective," the king answered.

Danda left the king but his heart did not agree with the king's decision. He wanted Mutapa to be captured and killed. He meditated on the king's words and saw that the king might be right.

Ruva woke up when she heard people talking outside. When she opened the door, two men armed with spears were standing on either side of the door. She yawned a little and felt that her legs were sore because of running.

A young woman approached her and said, "Good morning Princess Ruva. My name is Tanaka. It will be an honour to serve you as your new maiden. Your mother chose me out of ten girls." The girl said with a smile plastered on her face as the pride of being the Princess's maiden filled her heart.

"Good morning Tanaka. What's going on?" Ruva questioned as she looked at the group of men who were bringing the dead bodies down from the tree.

"I hear that the king's messengers were killed by Mutapa last night. They were supposed to visit the Karanga kingdom today," Tanaka responded.

"What about Mhare? Has he woken up?" Princess Ruva asked as she stepped out of the hut and began walking towards the hut where Mhare lay.

Tanaka made longer strides to keep up with Ruva and said, "I haven't seen him. But your husband will recover. He is a brave man. He will fight through this."

Ruva abruptly stopped and looked at Tanaka in shock. "My husband?" She asked.

Tanaka's right hand flew to her mouth and then she said, "I am sorry my Princess I thought you knew about it. I wasn't supposed to say anything I am sorry. I will accept whatever punishment you give me." She then bowed before Ruva.

"You have done nothing wrong. What do you mean by husband?" Ruva questioned.

Tanaka looked around and saw the king watching them. She quickly looked down and said, "I can't tell you."

"If you want to continue as my maiden you tell me everything that concerns me. Are you going to tell me or do I have to choose another maiden?" Ruva said.

Tanaka shook her head before saying, "When Mutapa captured you, the king decreed that whoever finds you and brings you back alive will have you as their wife. Mhare brought you back...you are going to be his wife."

Ruva raised her head and looked at her father who seemed to understand what they were talking about. She looked at Tanaka and said, "Let's go."

They walked towards the hut where Mhare was sleeping and found him lying down with his eyes closed.

Chiremba was inside and Ruva said, "How is he?"

"His body is hot and he is in pain. He woke up at night but I had to give him muti for him to sleep and forget about the pain. It will take some days before he wakes up again," Chiremba explained.

"Can I have some time alone," Ruva said as she sat next to Mhare's body. Chiremba nodded and got out. Tanaka also stood up to leave.

"Not you, didn't my mother tell to be always by my side? You leave when I tell you to do so," Princess Ruva said.

Tanaka stood by the door as she watched the Princess tracing her finger along Mhare's wounds. She could tell that the Princess loved Mhare before the king had made decree that whoever finds her was going to be her husband.

"Take your time to recover. I promise I will be here when you open your eyes," Ruva said and kissed Mhare's forehead. She stood up and left with Tanaka.

When she got out, the Queen was waiting for her outside the hut.

"Mwanangu, did you get enough rest? Why did you wake up so early?" The Queen asked.

"I rested, amai. How are you this morning?" Ruva said.

The Queen smiled and said, "I am good. Your father and the elders would like to see you."

Since Tanaka had spilled the beans already, she knew why they all wanted to see her.

Ruva looked at the elders and her father who were gathered in the court. She nodded and they all walked towards the men. When they arrived, they all sat down and waited for her father to speak.

Danda cleared his throat and said, "Princess Ruva, when you were captured by Mutapa the king gave a command that whoever finds you was going to have you as their wife. The king would like to know if Mhare was the man who found you."

Ruva nodded whilst looking at the ground. "My daughter, as the king I made a promise to my people and you have to fulfill it. Mhare will become your husband when he recovers. Do you have anything to say?" Changamire Zama said.

Ruva shook her head and the king asked, "Do you agree to be his wife?"

Ruva kept looking down for a moment. They had loved each for a while and all she wanted was for Mhare to get permission from her father. Yet, here she was and she had the keys to their love. She couldn't believe her father was asking her to marry Mhare, the man she loved.

The Queen tapped her a little to get her attention because she had not answered the king. "Yes, I agree." Ruva said as a smile appeared on her face but she kept her face down.

"It is official, Mhare will marry the princess when he wakes up," Danda said and there was cheering around the court whilst Tanaka and the Queen ululated.

Ruva couldn't stop blushing until they left the court. A few elderly women gathered around her as they began teaching her about the ways of a wife. She spent the whole day listening to the women who telling her about the principles of a marriage.

***

Mwanangu-my child

Amai-mother

Chiremba is a Shona for 'doctor'