CONQUERORS

Hana

    The trainings began , Yerima and Jikau were in terrible states, they easily got tired and they were left with no hopes.

    On a night to the main day, Jikau knocked on Yerima's door , the guards allowed him in with ease, he woke Yerima whom was already deep in his dream.

" What?" Yerima yawned as he spoke

" You shouldn't not be sleeping," Jikau whispered.

" I have been training all day,"

" You think that is enough for you to pass the test?"

" If I don't pass the fighting test, I will pass the third test,"

" Oh Yerimaaaa, what if you fail and how certain are you that you have passed the first test?. We can't sit and watch that little thing claim the throne, Never,"

" What do we do? I can't even handle a sword perfectly,"

" See " Jikau brought out a liquid which was inside a tiny bottle from the inner pocket of his robe " this is very potent, gamsheka gave it to me, we just have to apply some on Hana's palm and he would not even have the strength to draw a sword,"

Yerima was finally awake, his eyes were wide opened, he was not as bold as Jikau

" I am scared, this might not be good, "

" Then you will loose your chance of making kadada the queen she dreams to become, you know you already promised her that,"

Yerima was in an hysteria state but however, He had to concur " how do we get to rob it on his palm?"

" That is why I am here,we shall have to mix it with his body ointment, it will make it easier and you have to do it"

" Jikau just complete what you started"

" Really , you are the one who wants to sit on the throne, not me, yerima, you have only tonight"

Yerima agreed , he got dressed and walked towards Hana chambers, Hana was still changing his robes when yerima knocked and walked in.

" I can't remember the last time you visited" Hana started the dialogue.

" Yes , your room is not princely, your taste is unbelievable"

" Hmm, I have been training, I need to have my bath, I will be fast" Hana said , he proceeded to his bathroom,his water had been prepared as usual by the maids.

Yerima was quite fast, he did his evil business then took his leave , Hana came out of the bathroom and was perplexed "why did he come?" Hana thought out loud. He went straight to his ointment but felt too tired apply it " mama said it is old anyways"  He knelt down and pray to the Maker as he was taught, then retired to his bed, he held his sword while he slept.

             The combat field was prepared it,there was a large audience who have been anticipating the event, the three princes were getting ready, they were going to combat individually with very competent swordfighting teachers, Hana was the first to get fully prepared, he asked the Maker to guide him.  while he wore his combat attire, the Queen walked in to give him the new ointment, she took the old ointment along as she left, she got to her personally room to also get dressed, unfortunately she had preferred Hana body ointment to her own, she loved the scent, she decided to apply a little of it .

         The Emir shibkau asked the drummers to beat the drum and the event commenced, Yerima  was the first to be called upon, he and his contender bowed respectfully and the swords were drawn, Yerima attacked first but he fell to the ground as the contender stroke to deflect his sword, Yerima struggled to stand and wanted to strike again but they were halted by the sound of the horn being blown , the Emir asked them to stop, his Queen who sat beside him couldn't move her limbs, she had fainted after complaining about how she felt briefly to the Emir. lumana audience were left in shock, the Emir suspended the test to find out what could have lead to his wife sudden illness .

        Her whole body was swollen , she managed to explain that she had been developing some painful itches on her skin after she applied Hana old ointment, the palace physician demanded for the ointment ,he studied it and found out the ointment was contaminated with a poison.  Prince Hana reported that he had been using the ointment only if it was recently poisoned.

" I was about to use it last night but mother came for it " Hana explained, there were all in the Emir chambers, Yerima was trembling in his own chambers while Jikau consoled him and told him to be brave.

" Did any body visit you apart from her royal highness?" the physician asked as he applied some medications on her skin.

Hana stood still for a while,  the Emir was enraged

" Answer!" Emir shibkau yelled.

" The Prince Yerima, yes, he came in last night, and left in a very suspicious manner"

" Bring him here at once!, I wonder why he is not here, bring him along with Jikau! drag them here!" Emir Shibkau was furious

Yerima was scared. He was a chicken, he went on his knees and confessed immediately " I never knew it would turn out this way, Jikau gave it to me, he asked me to use it on Hana"

The emir drew his swords and aimed it towards Yerima neck, his personal guards showed concern by calling out on him to control his anger.

" Who gave you such ointment?" The Emir asked Jikau as he glared at him. Jikau was mute, he didn't reply.

" It was Gamsheka, baba, it was gamsheka, i didn't want to do it. I am really sorry baba" Yerima  cried like a child

" You went to Gamsheka for charms to harm your brother!, I knew there was nothing good about that boy!  he chose to do this to me for what reason? "

The physician called out to the Emir " she is gone"

The queen had kicked the bucket, Emir shibkau slowly sat on the wife deathbed. he closed his eyes for some moments and shed a tear, he raised his swords and aimed at Jikau neck but his personal guards call on him again.

" Your highness!" The two able guards said simultaneously " please your highness, no more deaths"

The Emir slowly brought his swords down, he gazed at his lifeless queen on her bed and  ordered the physical draw a fabric over her face .

" Get me Gamsheka " He said " drag him here like common prisoner. He cannot do anything to you,since the order is from me, I will be in the small conference, arrange for another guards , they should arrest these two and bring them to the small conference also" the Emir stated and the guards obeyed, Hana was sad, he sat on his mother bed and wept bitterly.

" Cry no more, she is gone, the Maker messenger had made me believe that the Maker is aware of of every good and bad aspects of life, everything cannot be the way we always wanted it, let her rest, come with me the smaller conference".

Gamsheka was dragged to the palace just as the Emir wanted it, Gamsheka sighted Yerima and Shibkau on their knees and he smelled trouble.

" How dare you!" The Emir exploded " your mission has been accomplished, the queen is dead"

Gamsheka was slack-jawed

" You are acting surprised, you just inherited your father position few sunsets ago and this is your first show off, you gave my son a poison to kill his brother"

" No, your highness, I had no idea, he told me he needed it but he didn't tell me why"

" Iif you lie again, I will behead you and there is nothing your gods would do!"

" Your highness I am not lying, I didn't know about...

" Shut up! " the emir breathed with all his strength " from now on, anybody caught harboring charms , carrying sacrifice or doing anything related to the old beliefs would choose between execution or banishment!, I hereby lay a ban on that practice!"

" Your highness, you can't do that, I was telling you that the gods are not pleased" Gamsheka muttered.

" Say one more word and you will feel the smoothness of my sword," he faced his guards " destroy and burn everything in the shrine"

" Your highness, this is not fair"

" I banish you! Gamsheka, leave and never return , and take your partners with you, they have ceased to be my sons"

Yerima cried out but Jikau was with as straight face while Hana cried silently, it was his worst day. He was loosing his family, the guards drag the culprits as ordered but Gamsheka threatened as he was dragged by the guard 

" You are a bad Emir! After all my father have done, this is how you repay? I will seek for more power and I shall return to torment you and your people, I promise you!" He continued," my return would be your end"

" Make sure he leaves lumana " the Emir added . He turned to Hana " you need to be strong. An emir shouldn't be too emotional, your life has taken a new turn".

The Emir concluded, he walked back to his chambers , he was embattled and distressed, he was already missing his Queen , although he was strong , he didn't regret his decision, he was glad that he got to discover that he had foes as sons. He was  consoled by the maker messenger, the situation had increased his faith, he mourned his queen for some moons but he never forgot to check on the blacksmith he appointed for the preparation of the triple edged dagger. 

Emir Hana Dan shibkau ( 15 years later)

         Emir Hana wore a long face as he described gamsheka attack to his childhood friend,  Maikudi, who hailed from the Neighboring emirate, he was a very rich merchant, and had come to show support to the emir 

" It was too sudden, I had always expected his return , I knew he meant what he said 15 years ago, we were not prepared but my soldiers tried their best to prevent him from coming to the palace, I had to blow the horn when I discovered that his army do not die , we talked to him and we reached and agreement, he promised to return every six moons to loot my farm house and would eventually stop on the day I defeat him on the battlefield"

" So your soldiers will always face a battle every six moon"

" Yes , at the battlefield , at least my citizens will be safe. When ever I feel I am loosing , I will have no choice than to blow the horn from the hilltop"

" For how long will he keep intimidating you? you have to do something, lumana is the largest emirate with most skillful soldiers, it is shameful"

" I know, but I am not being a coward , he is the coward, I mean, how can we successfully conquer an army of immortals? I have always known that there was nothing good with the old beliefs , but the Maker has been wonderful, I thought Lumana would suffer a backlash after he looted my farm house but to my greatest surprise, our crops doubled their yields and the land have become greener"

" You have a point, it is a miracle, the old beliefs is of no good, I am glad that my emirate is gradually embracing the new religion and other Emirates are following terms apart from Nasara,the news i heard about Arzika's reign is unpleasant, he unleashes terror on his citizens"

" I also heard that he has become a monster over the years, what happened to him? He was never like that?"

" Power, power got into his head and he sought more"

" He is a becoming a demon, he can you treat your own people with such grievance?"

" Some concerned Emirs are planning to see what they can do"

" Really? well I have my own problem , I would advice we tackle our own issues for now, he has no power over other Emirates"

" Your highness, he is something else, I cannot tell you everything. His brutality increases everyday and it might start affecting the other Emirates sooner or later"

" Well , Maikudi let's keep praying to the Maker,I hope the Maker's messenger comes up with a revelation that would aid"

The merchant sighed , he digressed "you are gloomy , you need a wife, Amir is 15 years of age"

" I know but I am scared" he became more emotional " I have lost the most wonderful women in my life. I can never forget the day my wife left, her situation got worse when she got to know about her other baby demise. She loved him so much, she said he was handsome and had a very bright eyes and also that he had a beautiful birth mark on his forehead. I know she was gone because the boy never had such qualities"

" You have grieved for so long, Amir is all grown up, you should let him know how it feels to have a sibling"

" I understand, but I want to focus more on the task ahead and  groom Amir"

" It's good, I also sent Kande to the foreign land to learn more about the Maker , when she returns, I would make sure she becomes your daughter in law" the merchant said and they both laughed " they are fond of each other "

" You are right"

" Your highness , everything will be fine, call on me when you need anything" The merchant concluded and left in his beautiful cart.

Emir Hana sighted his brother Jikau and they walked into the small conference together, another conversation began.

" Your highness, don't you think it is high time we found a lasting solution to this attack? Gamsheka has humiliated us enough"

" Brother, you can see I am not playing about it, I am also doing my best and waiting for the Maker to do something about it"

" For how long are we going to wait for the maker? We have lost some potential soldiers already"

" I know and I am not happy about it"

"That why I am saying this, if Gamsheka  keeps going away with this, it would change the citizen perception about you. They will feel that you are weak" Jikau reduced his pitch " maybe you should seek the help of other Emirs like Arzika"

" No no no. Arzika is out of it, I have to face my challenges alone, seeking for help from other Emirs  would prove more of how weak I am"

" But...

" Brother Jikau , I began to feel lonely and less of an emir, I couldn't imagine that my brothers are wondering in another man's land anymore. These were the main reasons I lifted your banishment, I didn't lift it because I needed a personal advisor" Hana slammed and the words stroke Jikau, he became dumbfounded , Hana noticed this so he decided to be less aggressive.

" How is brother yerima"s health?"

" Some days are worse while some other days are better, today is better"

" Tell Barau to move his things to the chambers that has been prepared for him, his attention is needed often in the palace, I will check on brother Yerima before the sunset and please don't take the statements I made to heart, I am a little upset"

" It is okay, I deserve it, and I will prove to you that I could be useful"

" Brother Jikau" Hana walked slowly to his seat and jikau followed him. "i am planning to remarry, but not too soon , what about you? You need a woman"

" A woman is the least of my worries, my brother is gravely ill, lumana has become a prey to Gamsheka, I owe you and lumana a lot, you can remarry but I am certainly not ready" Jikau paid his respect and took his leave.

Emir Hana watched him leave and silioloquized "i don't think I said too much, but why has the the Maker not revealed anything yet, I need to have some words with the messenger".

He left for the messenger's place but the messenger gave him the same news , Emir was told to pray and have more patience.

Prince Amir Dan Hana 

             Twenty year old Amir had grown so well as well as his swordfighting skills, the Maker's messenger had been in his prayers posture for many moons, he had prayed to the maker to give the solution to Gamsheka's heartless attacks, Amir who was a complete replica of his father developed confidence in himself, he was certain that he would end Gamsheka , Amir had his first battle with Gamsheka when was 17 which bothered Emir Hana, he wished Amir's  first battle would have been a less tedious, Emir Hana also didn't give up, he kept praying to the maker to help him defeat Gamsheka , Gamsheka attack was becoming more heartbreaking, Lumana had lost many soldiers to Gamsheka over the moons. Eventually , the maker's messenger unveiled the new revelation and it warmed emir Hana heart.

" I see the Prince with a dagger, it was triple edged, the prince successfully passed the dagger through Gamsheka's heart and he laid dead, but there is something unusual, the prince was not dressed like as soldier"

" What do you mean he wasn't dressed like a soldier? " Hana was curious ,they were alone in the small conference.

" He was wearing his normal two pieced robe, no armours or masks"

Hana smile was sardonic " well, that can never be possible, there is no way my son would go for a battle without armours " He clicked his tongue as he spoke calmly " so if Amir gets hold of a triple edged dagger, Gamsheka would become history"

" That is what I saw while I prayed"

"That is very easy, we will make one"

" No , your highness, the dagger had been made already"

" By whom?"

" Your father, he made the sacred dagger"

" But he was stingy with it, he never let anyone come closer it, we had to bury him with the dagger since he held in his death and all efforts to get it off his grip was in vain"

" It wasn't his fault" said the messenger, he had also aged " the Maker told him to be the keeper of it"

" I was so scared then, but why did the maker reveal it at this time? My father had been long buried for 20 years, don't you think the dagger must have lost it potency?

" Your highness, only if the your son gets hold of the dagger, Gamsheka would be gone forever, we cannot question the Maker, more ever, it was a grown prince I saw so this is the perfect timing, I must leave now"

Emir Hana was glad there was a solution, he called on the attention of his brother, Jikau who strongly disputed the idea.

" We have to respect the late emir. It won't take us anything to make another dagger, I will never allow anyone to temper with my father's grave, it is a taboo"

" I am not seeking your permission , I am just telling you what I intend to do, I am the dictator of Lumana, the Maker is the realest God, he is not asking for a human head , all we need is the man power required to exhume my father remains and get the dagger"

" You told me that father refused to release the dagger when he died, why are you being so sure that he would release now?"Jikau pressed on.

" Father was the keeper, he knew it was only safe with him, and it wasn't the right time to release it but since the time has arrived, he would release it"

" I don't support it Hana!" Jikau was vexed

" Jikau. You may be surprised I remove the brother title from your name, I am the Emir of Lumana , you should respect me, I will dig his grave and nothing will happen and if his remains are present , I shall seek for his forgiveness, because I already have some regrets for lifting his ban on you!"

Jikau sighed heavily as he stood on his feet " you are the Emir, do as you wish"jikau left in anger.

" It seems I am making him feel important" Emir hana thought, he rang the bell and the guards came in, he told them to begin the digging ,the grave yard was a mile away from the palace.

The late emir were buried in the order they died and they had their special row., the digging was done at the darkest hours , they dug for hours , the soil was very thick and they eventually hit the remains , the Emir Shibkau still had the dagger between his decomposed wrists, the guards couldn't get the dagger no matter how they tried. The general returned to the castle to report to the Emir.

" Your highness, the guards found the dagger but nobody could get it off him" the general announced.

It was raining lightly, Emir hana took a deep breath. He walked with his guards to the dug grave  "we need to do this before the rain gets heavier"  the grave was deep, but the ever determined Emir jumped into the grave , his robes were wet, he prayed silently and sought for his father forgiveness, he asked his father to release it " it will be safe, I promise"he said , he collected the dagger in ease and these broke some of the late emir bones, he raised the dagger in the air and the guards Cheered him, the rain began to get heavier accompanied with lightening and deafening sounds of thunder strikes. He ordered them the cover up the grave and they obeyed, Emir Hana returned to the palace , had a change of robe, before he proceeded to hand over the dagger to Amir, Amir was overwhelmed.

" Use it well son"

" Gamsheka's end is near" Amir beat his chest

Emir Hana nodded and said " I am proud of you, you fought so well but you have to be more careful next time, you are the future Emir, I saw Barau covering up for you most times during the battle"

" I will be careful baba, I really want to end him, I feel too bad whenever he goes away with everything he does to us"

" It would be over very soon"

They praised each other and hugged for a while

" Baba, lessen your worries"

" You are the only strength I have"

" You need a wife, take another Queen and have more children, if baba Yerima had no children, I wouldn't have had a memorable childhood"

" My best friend also told me to take another Queen, I fear I don't have a good luck with women, my first queen died in her sleep, the second one, your mother gave birth to you and also died mysteriously after your birth"

" You always tell me that, she couldn't cope with the fact that my twin died"

" I hate to remember to it" Emir Hana drop a tear

" Baba, you are the strongest man I know, we should have faith in the maker, he has reasons for everything"

Hana gave a satisfactory smile

" You should take some rest" amir added as he his his dagger in his closet.

Emir Hana nodded and was about to use the door"I almost forgot, my friend told me that Kande had finished her study and would return soon "

"Woahhhhh" Amir was excited" this is the best news I have heard today apart from the retrieval of the triple edged dagger"

" Hmmmmm, we might talk about your future when she returns" Emir Hana said , the rain has become light again.

It was four moons to Gamsheka next attack, Prince Amir and his cousin, Barau never missed trainings, they became so fit and fully prepared for the next battle . Emir Hana finally accepted to give marriage a chance, the Chief of commerce offered his daughter.

" I trained Kyawo in the most decent ways" the Commercial Chief added. Emir hana accepted the offer, he saw her and his heart melted, she was extremely beautiful. he made his announcements and married her in a semi grand ceremony which was blessed by the Maker's messenger. When the ceremony was over,Amir and Barau continued with their trainings, the general also practiced with the soldiers, their hopes were relatively high.

" Be careful while you fight him"Barau tapped Amir's shoulder.

" Of course , I will, the general also said you shouldn't waste time with his army, just block them and go for Gamsheka'"

" Of course, I want this to be the last, I can't continue to bear the fact that we cannot  beat Gamsheka and his army of Hundred men"

" 100 immortals, if they were mortals, they would have become history. Lumana has the best of soldiers" Barau sighed" the general said 200 soldiers are ready for the battle , I feel we shall be victorious"

" I can't wait to dig his chest with the sacred dagger" Amir charged , Barau patted him more , he was exhausted and wanted to visit his father.

" My prince , I need to see how my father is doing, the physician had earlier mixed some herbs for him, I hope he gets well"

" I believe he will, have faith" Amir said ,then he continued with his swordfighting trainings.