Blue Crystal - The Heavy Price

Day 15

Tẽra Trazzie was playing with her cub Otchulissa. The cub insisted on staying near her and wanted to try everything she ate. It was playful and enjoyed chasing bugs and moving beams of light.

Tẽra waved the feather around above the cub, she jumped for it. Tẽra wanted to see how high the cub could jump. Over the days that had pasted her baby had shown some interesting characteristics. Not only could she climb upside down and change color when she was scared, but she could do it by choice.

Tẽra wanted to share all of this with her friends but lately she felt like she didn’t have friends. Her life was lonely just like it was on earth. She had people all around her all day but no one to really talk to. After all, all the responsibility sat on her. No one else would be blamed if things went wrong. No one else had three attacks on their home in less than a week with people calling for their head. She stood alone. Just her and her pets once again.

She appreciated Nikki and how Nikki tried to be a friend to her sometimes. She would never forget how Nikki saved her from the jungle. But it seemed like their paths now forked in different directions. She was going to marry, while Nikki got to play extreme sports with her new friends.

She carried the fate of the kingdom alone. She now understood why her granny slept so little. It was hard to sleep with the weight of the world on your shoulders. Tẽra had accepted that she was not going back to earth. She was to marry a prince and save a world that wasn’t hers.

Her granny Joash once told her ‘that a royal’s responsibility is not chosen, you step up because it is your duty.’ She had tried to run from her earth duties but this time, she hadn’t run from the duties now required of her.

There was a knock on the door.

Tẽra went and opened it.

Nikki and Kerri both stood there with big grins on their faces.

“Yes?” Tẽra asked.

“We have an idea to get us home.” Nikki excitedly said.

Kerri and Nikki proceeded to explain their plan. How they were going to send three groups to retrieve the crystals and bring them to mount Jeku. Viola, Nikki and Keimoni would go to the city Nikki and Fiona found. Kerri, and Joe would go to mount Jeku and Lakisha, Glisson and Autumn would go to the swamp city.

“It’s a nice idea. But I have already freed Joe to find and kill Chris for killing Natrica. I will not ask her to go on a mission elsewhere. As for Keimoni, I want him here for the peace talks. He knows my secret and I wish to use his knowledge to help guide me through the peace talks. Why not call everyone together and ask them. You might be surprised who is willing to go?”

“Why wouldn’t they be willing?” Kerri asked.

“Because some have started new lives here. Not everyone will want to go where you have assigned them. I will send for all the earthlings. We will have a meeting before the peace talks begin.”

Allll the earthlings were woken up and summoned to have breakfast with Tẽra.

Viola looked around. There were faces she didn’t recognize. She realized there were more people from earth here than she had realized.

“Good morning.” Tẽra began,

“I have sent for you all because Kerri-liana and Nikki have a way for us to go home. In short, we need to reopen the sugs on this world. This requires crystals like what we were wearing when we arrived. However, these are unbroken crystals that need to be collected and brought to mount Jeku. Kerri will give you further information about that. I am wanting to know, who wants to help find these crystals? There are three places that they have mentioned. The first is to return to the hostile city that Fiona and Nikki found. The second is the swamp city that Lakisha was hosted by. The third is the village Fish. Then all these crystals need to be brought to Mount Jeku where preparation will be made for the arrival of the crystals.”

Lakisha put up her hand.

“Yes?” Tẽra answered.

“Do you want me to go back to the swamp city?” she asked.

“If you are willing to.”

Lakisha thought about it. She really wanted to go home.

“I will go. They were nice to me.” Lakisha decided.

Nikki spoke up

“I will lead a group to the city of gold. Where Fiona and I found a city made of gold. The people are strange and hostile.”

“I don’t mind going with to mount Jeku. Ranger will come with me.” Fiona volunteered.

Viola asked Fiona

“Is this the city where they tried to drown you? This city of gold?”

“Yes, that’s why I am not going back.”

“I will go.” Viola said, “To this city of gold.”

“Once the peace talks are done. I am killing Chris.” Joe said.

Shane entered the room late.

“Sorry.” he apologized.

Everyone looked at him.

“Is he from earth too?” Fiona asked.

“Yip.” Rachael replied.

“I am willing to go. I want off this rock. Send me wherever you need me.” Rachael said.

Shane sat down clueless to what was happening.

“We need someone who can speak the language with us.” Nikki said.

Tẽra looked at Shane.

“Are you willing to go?” she asked him.

“Yes.” He said having no idea what he was agreeing to.

“I cannot spare men to protect you. I have sent for all my men from the far regions and from the boarder. But I cannot even secure my castle with the men I have. You will be alone. All I can give you is supplies.” Tẽra said.

“I will go and protect our people.” Sugar volunteered.

“Thank you. Go with Nikki and Viola and Shane.”

The logistics took some sorting out.

Rachael wanted to go to the swamp city and Keimoni was asked if he wanted to join them. He wanted to go with Rachael.

James volunteered to go as well. He wanted to go with Lakisha, but he was needed elsewhere.

Nikki had the tools she needed made. Kerri had food organized and Fiona with Ranger took medical supplies. They divided their supplies and the horses. Each team would be leaving that day.

Meanwhile Tẽra went to the hall of the round table. The place where they would discuss peace.

Barron Hill spoke up.

“What of the lands that Victoria controlled?” he asked.

“Are you wanting her land?” Tẽra asked directly.

“Did you have your animal kill her for the land?” Hill asked her directly.

Tẽra stood up.

“Griffith killed Victoria and Joe killed Griffith. They attacked me and anyone else who has the nerve to attack me will see how even in my weakness I am strong.” Tẽra said annoyed by the accusation and the idea that after everything that had happened to her, she was the guilty one in their eyes.

“I mean no disrespect. My queen” he grovelled “We just wanted to know what would be happening with the land.”

Tẽra looked at them. She remembered how the men all bowed to Joe serving her now.

“The land belongs to Joe and the army she gained. Her kill was not that of an animal but rather of someone skilled and brave, loyal too.”

Tẽra looked them all in the eyes

“How many of you have people that follow you from true loyalty?” she asked.

They looked at each other.

“Now then, let get to the real matters.” Drake said.

He didn’t want the situation getting out of hand. Having two dead representatives looked bad and old feelings of hatred didn’t die just because the queen was playing nice. Her niceness had been seen as weakness. But since so far not one of the three attempts on her life where successful her weakness looked more like a trap. She was strong but playing weak so they would be lured into a false sense of strength.

Chase spoke up.

“Since Autumn is off doing some secret thing for you again. I am in her place. Where is the land we were promised?”

Tẽra knew it was going to be a long day. Everyone just wanted things from her. Real solutions to build and better their world were not even ideas on the table.

Tẽra decided to take a brave a crazy step.

“If this is how you all want things, please go ahead, have your say. Blame me for your lives, the mess we are in and the state of the world. Tell me how bad I have made your life. Who in your family I killed? And why the people invited sent their children instead. Throw mud.”

The table went quiet. Then Nix of the Tskhali from the village Fish spoke up.

“You killed my grandfather. Under a banner of peace. Wanting to talk as the true heir. My people are not even classified as people. We are fishermen for the Terra tribe and nothing more.”

General Pan spoke up

“The people are angry at the injustice done to them for so long. Some of your men feel forgotten and abandoned. But at least they get paid.”

Drake was getting upset. He felt that this was getting out of hand. Listening to people complain with no plan to move forward seemed counterproductive to him. He wanted to end it and demand that his queen gets respected as his queen.

Zazo listened with a tight jaw. He had served General Pan and believed and trusted him. But his mentor was now disappointing him. Attacking the queen for no reason other than he can. Zazo’s jaw clenched.

Namir of the Lovac tribe spoke up next.

“My people have been enslaved and worked until death with no mercy. Our dead were used as fuel for the fires that burn that kept the queen’s men warm. We were not fed for days at a time and whipped every day for not working fast enough. We were kept in the dark, deprived of hope and basic decency. Now I am here at the queen’s table discussing peace. One might think it’s a bad joke. But this is a new start for my tribe, and I am not going to waste it getting even for passed transgressions she doesn’t even remember. Thank your gods and except the gift.”

Tẽra was surprised and grateful. She had expected the first part of his speech to be the whole content. But it was good to hear someone stand up for her. Call things as they were. It was what she liked about Zazo the day they met. Brave enough to stand up and be honest.

Everyone at the table looked at him in surprise.

Chase who had started it looked at his companion who had stood up against him.

“Why?” he asked him.

“Why do you attack when there is no fight to be had?” Namir asked.

“We deserve compensation!” Chase argued.

“Have we earned it? What have we done? A gift to earn it has been given yet you want more. We have our lives and land. Now being great rests on our character not our wealth or lack thereof. I am not the queen’s friend, but I will not behave like I deserve the pit.”

Everyone was silent as they spoke to one another.

Tẽra looked at her accusers. A table full of them. She waited for someone else to speak. She wanted everyone to get it off their chest so they could proceed. But no one said anything.

Then General Pan spoke up after a long awkward silence.

“May I address Zazo my man who has been with you for some days and has seen for himself everything that has happened?”

“Ask what you will.” Tẽra replied.

“You are a man I trust with my life. You have served me and learnt everything I wanted to teach you. Tell me now, who the queen is that we should believe peace is possible?”

Zazo was glad for an opportunity to speak.

“We have all lost loved ones and seen the cruel heart of our ruler. But my queen sitting here is not that person. Instead, she changed tradition as she has changed. A dance to open our talks where slave and free were equals. She buried a stranger who valued life and cared for everyone in her tomb. You were all there. She has led with grace and shown kindness when it was not deserved. Not because she is weak, but because she is strong enough to forgive and it is in her power to overlook a transgression. This queen takes no joy in the death of others. Has she not freed all the slaves in her mines? Has she not given land and restored that which she didn’t have to restore? She even sent a man to save the crops of the farmers. This queen cares about her people. All of them and if you don’t remember your pain, is it still your pain? If you cannot remember the wrongs or rights done, can you really be motivated by them? I have listened to men quarreling about the injustice but not one has offered a solution or said what they need to rebuild their areas. My father was killed by the queen, and I was raised and cared for by general Pan. But this is not an evil woman. This is not the queen that condemned her world.”

“Do you really mean everything you have said?” Drake asked.

“Yes.” Zazo replied, “This queen will lead us to greatness if we allow it.”

Tẽra kept her composure. A straight face. Not revealing her feelings. Not even a twitch to give her away. She was feeling a little embarrassed about her melt down and all her crying. But somehow Zazo had made her breakdown sound better than it was. Saying she takes not joy in killing. She was grateful for Zazo. She had chosen well when she chose him to stay with her. But with all the attacks on the castle she was afraid another man wouldn’t return home.

“Thank you, Zazo.” General Pan said.

“My queen, I apologize my feeling blinded me and caused me to act foolishly. Forgive this old fool.”

Tẽra was surprised.

“My apologizes for the grief my past has caused you.” Tẽra said to everyone. But in her heart, it was most of all for Zazo.

Now that table seemed ready to talk Tẽra wasn’t, her nerves were shot. Even though her composure was kept she wanted to cry.

“Let us have refreshments and eat. Then we will move forward.” Tẽra declared.

As each left the room, they apologized for their behavior. Drake however was the last to leave.

“May I speak with my betrothed alone?” he said to Zazo and Hodge.

They left the room.

“You surprise me. You are not what I expected. This evening, walk with me that we may talk.” he asked.

“That would be delightful.” Tẽra replied.

Drake left the room. Tẽra shut the door behind him and cried. Her crying was interrupted by General Nathan he was there to let her know another tribal leader had arrived.

He saw her tears.

“My queen, can I assist you?” he asked trying not to make a seen.

Tẽra looked away.

“What do you need?” she asked.

“I will come back later.”

General Nathan left the room.

Tẽra watched through the window as Nikki left. She knew it was silly to feel the way she did. It was not rational, but she felt abandoned anyways. She had given them permission to go but she had wanted them to stay. Almost all the earthlings were gone. They were finding a way home and she couldn’t be sad or angry about it. But she felt abandoned. Left to deal with everything alone. Left in the castle with people who wanted her dead, alone.

Even though they were not always with her, knowing they were there, helped. Now she was left to deal with everything alone. No one to even talk to if she felt confused. Joe was still there but Joe was not much of a talker. Nor did Tẽra feel that her advice would be good.

Zazo knocked on the door. Tẽra wiped her eyes.

“Come in” she called.

Zazo walked in. He was carrying a tray with food and tea.

“Bringing me food?” she smiled.

“The queen must eat too.”

“Thank you.” Tẽra said.

Zazo was going to leave.

“Stay eat with me.” She requested.

“I have only brought food for my queen.” He replied.

“I’ll share.” She insisted.

So, Zazo sat with her.

“How old are you?” Tẽra asked.

Zazo looked a little confused.

“How many cycles are you?” she asked.

“Thirty-two this cycle” he answered.

“And you are only getting bonded now?”

“I have lived and served in the army. There are not a lot of women in the army. Well until recently there was none.”

Tẽra smiled.

“You should return to your betrothed. Get bonded, have children.” She said to him.

“Sprouts?” he asked.

“Make little yous.” she replied.

Without Hannah the handmaid to guide and correct her, she was making a lot of earth talk mistakes.

*Even though the word children was understood is was not a common word for offspring. Sprouts was the common word. Each tribe had their own proper word for them.

“I fear my betrothed will not be happy with me anymore.” He told her.

“Why?” Tẽra asked surprised “You are genuine and capable, kind and…” she stopped talking.

Zazo was looking at her like he was really seeing her, and she was wonderful.

She half smiled.

“You should go to her.”

“I will not leave in a time like this. If something were to happen to you while I was away getting bonded. How would I forgive myself?”

She nudged his shoulder with hers and grinned. Someone wanted to stay. She would have been fine with him leaving. But him wanting to stay made her very happy.

It was time to continue the talks. Tẽra was feeling a lot better, and she was ready to continue.