SULTANA'S AFFAIR

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

In a broad daylight, Lara felt her face was so hot and red whenever she walked around on her tribe.

She is their Sultana and the leader of the tribe after all, so she must abide by her job and help her tribe occasionally. Lara was a young Sultana and was crowned at the age of 16 when the previous Sultan suddenly passed away. Lara is kind, beautiful and intelligent. Lara knew that they are currently living in a small island far away. She guess that they aren't the only living human in this world. However, she's not scared of them. Ever since she was born, no other human other than them was found on the island, so she was confident that their island is safe. In fact, she also knew that their ancestors are sea voyagers. When their ancestors found this island suitable for a living, they immediately settled down here and live without worries.

Lara sat on her little throne and faced her constituents under the stage. Their faces are either look tired and anticipation.

“Sultana, you're already eighteen years old, it's time for you to select three men in our tribe to became your husbands in order to have an early heir. ”

An old man said behind her. Her eyes moved slightly and stared at every younger men in her tribe.

She immediately felt strange after seeing their faces. She didn't find any of them pleasing to her eyes, they are either black with a yellow teeth or white with a thin body having a greasy features. Without further ado, she awkwardly leaned her back towards the Elder and whispered.

“Can you let me think about it for the time being? Winter will arrive soon and I don't think we have time to mind my wed for now. Let's just discuss it after winter.”

She said firmly while tapping her finger on her chair.

“Let's cut those timbers in west island and stock it to our storage for in case of emergency. We should prepare more food and meat. Water will freeze in winter so create more barrel this time. Food is more important especially now that we have so many children and Elders in the tribe who are extremely weak and prone to illnesses. I would like to remind the healers to collect more herbs and ginseng in the forest. Hunters should hunt more animals for meat and more furs to collect in order to reduce the colds. Prepare many net so that every fishermen in the tribe can catch more fish this time and for those women and children, try to dry more fish and meat as long you can so that you will not get hungry in winter. No one knows when the winter will stop this time.”

She commanded in one breath. Lara felt satisfied on her words while exuding a proud and majestic aura on her surrounding.

The Elder behind her nodded approvingly while the children and women in the tribe are staring at her with admiration and awe in their eyes.

Lara was about to say something when a man from her tribe suddenly ran towards her direction and after stopping in front of her, the man was panting slightly and immediately knelt his one knee and bow down his head lightly before saying a word.

“Reporting to Sultana, a very big bird was spotted suddenly in the East Island. My father immediately head towards its direction with the other hunters, however a sudden explosion and a huge fog surrounded the east that it made even more difficult to explore. My father is still there finding the big bird and the cause of explosion, hoping for Sultana's response.”

Big bird?

Lara's mind immediately field with bird barbeque and bird soup. Hearing the bird is big, she dream about having a great dinner this evening.

So what are you waiting for?

“Good. Gather the hunters in the tribe and find that big bird immediately! We can't let that big meat away!”

She greedily commanded everyone and stands up from her seat.

The man nodded immediately and ran outside with the other hunters.

“Sultana, what should we do now?”

What should we do?

“Of course we should prepare the ginseng for soup and grilled! Elder what are you waiting for? ”

The Elder reluctantly bow his head and immediately leave the throne room.

Lara couldn't sit still anymore and directly walk towards her room with anticipation in her face. She was tired enough to eat fish everyday. She can eat meat whenever the Elder was not around or their is such occasions.

She held her flowery tiara carefully and place it on her head, symbolizing her higher status in the tribe. She wore a tube delicate brown fur on top while a fur made of wild tiger below to keep her body warm.

“Wiya, come here. ”

She called the young woman behind the door and mentioned her to paint a black charcoal to her face.

Painting an animal form to their body symbolizes their own preference of animals they like. She prefer butterfly the most. For them, butterfly symbolizing beauty, wisdom and freedom. They have different colors that shows butterfly have different attributes.

Wiya immediately bow her head lightly as a respect while painting carefully on her white skin.

“Sultana, your skin is so soft just like a cotton and white as fog from the sky. Even your hair is so amazingly long and smooth. Sultana is really beautiful. I am wondering why are you so reluctant to choose a husbands?”

Wiya asked her slowly while combing her hair gently.

In their tribe after turning fifteen, a girl must choose a husband immediately to conceive a new generation for their tribe, the more a woman conceive so many children, the more their tribe prosper. However, a leader is different. A Sultan or Sultana should choose their partners in the age of eighteen. They can have two or three husbands nor wives at the same time.

“Well, I don't like any of them.” she hesitantly answered.

“How about talvo? My brother is honest and strong. He can even single handedly kill a tiger in the forest. He even cared about us all the time. I heard one time that he would like to be one of your husband Sultana.”

Lara immediately think about a certain boy from her tribe whom Wiya's eldest brother. Talvo was known as a youngest strong hunter from their tribe. He can already hunt on his own in a young age while famous for being handsome from the women as age as Lara. However, Lara didn't have any feelings for Talvo at all. If Wiya didn't mention her eldest brother's name, she wouldn't know that Talvo existed.

“Wiya, I'm a Sultana. I have to choose a husbands who are capable and responsible at any time. Being handsome isn't just what I want. My husbands in the future will be the leaders of the tribe too. If I didn't choose wisely, this may endanger the tribe and will risk everyone's life.”

Wiya understand what Sultana's mean. Although her eldest brother is indeed a good and handsome man. Her brother is cowardly when it comes to woman. He would always tell her that he really like Lara, however, he never expresses his feelings in person to the Sultana that made Wiya disappointed.

“Well, I understand Sultana. ”

She said patiently and focused on Lara's hair instead.

“SULTANA! SULTANA! SOMETHING HAPPENED! ”

An urgent and loud voice suddenly interrupted the atmosphere in Lara's room.

Lara immediately run out towards the door and worriedly ask the man kneeling in front of her.

“What's wrong? What happened?! ”

“Sultana, the hunters found out something to the forest. It seems that the big bird who fall out in the East Island can't be eaten, we tried several times to bite it but it won't work. Moreover, we spotted some suspicious objects that the big bird vomited. We just have to pick those objects when a sudden explosion occur that made several of our hunters to be injured including Elder Vabo.”

He explained in one breath.

“Where are they now?”

She tried to calm herself down and sat on her throne slowly.

“Everyone is now retreating back here in our territory but some hunters are still checking the surroundings because they have seen something suspicious earlier that we don't recognize. It's like the shape of those matter are just like us. ”

The man hesitantly said while bowing his head.

Lara was stunned while staring intently at the man.

Just like us?