Your End is Near

It was nightfall when Asha and Elim arrived at the riverbanks at Mariabah. They had rode all day without stopping just to make sure they were there on time. As Asha observed the familiar yet strange environment of her home, memories of how she had run for her dear life after the king had almost killed her flooded back to her. 

Grateful for Elim's presence, she glanced up at him, watching as he scanned their surroundings for safety.

"Why do you stare at me like that? Have you just realized you're in love with me?" Elim teased, his expression resembling that of a hopeful child seeking affection.

Asha chuckled softly at his handsome face, like that of a boy yearning for love. "No, I haven't properly thanked you for saving me! Thank you, Elim. Despite everything, you've kept your promise to protect me," she said as he drew near and took her slender hands in his.

"I haven't protected you enough if the king still lives," he replied, holding her warm hands. The mention of the king jolted Asha back to their mission in Mariabah.

""We need to ensure everything goes smoothly this time. My sisters will arrive by morning, and we must be discreet about what we're doing," she urgently whispered as Elim led her into the abandoned house where they would sleep. Stepping inside first, Asha was startled to discover a girl tied up inside.

She was on the verge of screaming when he quickly covered her mouth.

"I'll release you if you promise not to scream," Elim said softly as the girl continued to gaze at Asha.

She nodded, and Elim removed his hand from her lips. She explained how Zeep and Nena had tied her up, but she didn't reveal that Odumudo knew of their arrival.

Elim couldn't shake off his suspicions. He had always anticipated that things wouldn't go exactly as planned. That night in Mariabah, they slept with one eye open, keeping watch over the maid still bound on the floor. Sleeping close to Asha for the first time stirred desires to be with her forever, giving Elim the determination to focus on killing the king and saving her.

——-

Early the following morning, Elim was already awake, awaiting Nemere or Nena to arrive with the crucial information needed to enter Maribah. Unbeknownst to them, Odumudo was preparing to scout the riverbank once more in search of them. Nena had just stepped out of the servant's quarters, intending to meet Nemere so they could head to the river together, when she noticed Odumudo making his way toward the riverbank with heavy footsteps.

"He must be stopped!" she whispered to herself, frantically searching for something to obstruct the giant without directly confronting him. Perhaps she should alert Elim and Asha if they had arrived, but she couldn't find a way to do so. Odumudo was already en route to the river, and she couldn't risk waking the queen.

Suddenly, Nemere emerged from her room.

"We have to do something! Do we have a bucket of water?" she asked Nemere, both of them watching as Odumudo surveyed the palace before departing.

Odmudo was still on his way out when a bucket of scratchy yam water was splashed on him by unknown faces. He scratched all over his body as he hurried towards the direction to find whoever had dared pour him water but he saw nobody. 

He suspected it was the queen. She and her cohorts were trying so hard to stop him but they wouldn't succeed. Stripping off his clothes, he discarded his shirt and used a leaf to soothe his irritated skin before resuming his journey.

"It wasn't enough to stop him! Asha is in danger! She must be at the riverbank by now. We've led her into a trap!" Nena cried, trembling as she tried to figure out what to do.

Though dawn had not yet arrived, Elim was already awake and alert. He observed Asha sleeping peacefully and felt the urge to gently stroke her beautiful face, but he hesitated as he detected a faint noise—a soft footfall or the rustling of leaves. Years of training had taught him how to discern even the slightest sounds.

"Someone is coming!" He shook Asha awake. 

"It could be Nena", Asha thought hopefully but the look on Elim's face said something different. 

He peered from the window and saw the towering height of Odmudo heading towards them .

"You must hide now! I will handle him" He said as he drew Asha outside. 

"No, I have a plan!" She said

He tried to protest but she insisted. 

Odumudo barged into the abandoned house but found it empty, not even the servant he intended to interrogate. They were here! He brandished his sword, poised to attack. The only mistake he made was not bringing his men with him that morning.

One step after another, he strolled through the forest. And was shocked when he saw a young girl standing in his way. 

"I am Asha, the one you seek. Tell me great Warrior, are you as tough as they say you are if you couldn't even catch me all this time?" Asha asked with a smirk on her face. 

Odumudo grunted as he rushed towards her but he didn't see Elim jump down on his neck from a tree. Elim held his thick neck tight as he tried to strangle him while Asha moved away, thinking of a way to help. 

The men struggled to overpower each other and Asha could see Odmudo was indeed a formidable man. Even as he choked from Elim's strangling he managed to throw Elim on the floor and reached for his knife, which he used to stab his leg. 

Elim screamed and Asha held her heart in pain. If Odmudo wins the fight everything will be lost. The thought made it hard for her to breathe or think. She must help Elim! 

After breaking free from Elim's chokehold, Odumudo mercilessly pounded Elim's face.

"You thought you could subdue me! You know nothing about me! You have underestimated me for too long!" Odumudo declared, grabbing Elim by the collar and delivering more blows.

"You!" Odumudo was taken aback to see it was Elim, the same man he had fought with in the inn. "I will end you today, and then I'll hand over your little friend to the king to be executed, and the other one with me will meet a sorrowful fate!"

The threat against Asha's life was enough to bring out the beast within Elim. He halted Odumudo's next blow and seized a sharp crystal object from the ground, driving it into Odumudo's face.

The intense pain drove Odumudo into madness, and he hurled Elim to another part of the forest. 

Asha winced as she witnessed the brutal exchange, and that was when Odumudo caught sight of her. His mistake was pursuing her. 

Despite his injuries, Elim disregarded his own well-being, charging at the giant and stabbing him in the neck with the object, though it didn't do much harm.

 Blood was seeping through Odmudo's body when he turned back angrily at Elim to finish him off. There was blind rage for death that Elim could see in his eyes. It was the same in his eyes when he was about to kill a man. But Elim vowed not to go down without a fight. He fought Odmudo hard but somehow found himself pinned to the ground while their swords lay on the floor, far from them. 

Seeing this, Asha summoned her courage, crawled towards the swords and stabbed Odmudo right in the back. Their mission was everything! She couldn't let him win because she was afraid to kill! 

But Odumudo was hard to kill. He reached for the Sword to draw it out. 

"Hand me that Sword, Asha!" Elim called out as he punched Odmudo silly while he tried to remove the Sword from his back. 

As Asha reached for the sword, Odumudo blindly pursued her, ignoring Elim. Seizing the opportunity, Elim leaped onto Odumudo's back and drove the sword even deeper until the giant collapsed to the ground.

"Your end is here, and so is that of your king!" Elim declared as he stood before Odumudo, sword in hand.

"You can't succeed! The king will know once I'm dead that..." Odumudo's words were cut short by a wave of pain.

"It's over, Odumudo," Elim said firmly, locking eyes with the dying giant.

"I said the same to your father when I murdered him! Yes, I know who you are!" Odumudo laughed, and in a fit of rage, Elim thrust the sword into his heart.

"Are you hurt?" He rushed to Asha as she stood there, weak in her stomach. 

"No! Odmudo is dead! I am fine. We will succeed!"

Elim held her tight and kissed her at that moment when she least expected. 

"Forgive me but I thought I would die. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving without showing you how much I care!" Elim proclaimed, stroking her face. 

At that precise moment, Nemere and Nena entered and were shocked to find Odomudo dead on the floor. 

"Nena!" Asha squealed in delight and both sisters ran into each other's arms, holding tight and never letting go.