Scene 02
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A Tale of African Lore
FHORDEWEI: KINGDOM COME
Prologue……
DThy City, the Capital of Fhordewei. It belongs to everyone. The seven souls of great heart gave birth to it with their very lives. Legend be told that the ‘First Father’ himself gave specific instructions that if they were not followed to the letter there would never be a ‘Fhordewei’. The capital city was born and is named in honor of the ‘First Father’ who made it possible. Alas, that story is too strong a testament to meditate upon now. The Queen turns her thoughts back to the borders of the kingdom. The ‘Vine’ of Fhordewei extends to every corner of the kingdom. O how it came to be is a tale that is the cherished story if not the song that is sung in the heart of every citizen of this land.
The ‘Vine’ stands as the connection to the ‘First Father’. It gives of itself eternally. The roots of the ‘Vine’ extends so far beneath the kingdom that the ‘Guard’ of Black Company swear they see its’ roots poking through the rocks at the bottom of Nosund Valley. The ‘Vine’ feeds the soil and provides passages for water to reach our planting fields. The ‘Vine’ holds what we don’t see beneath the ground together as it works with the trees which give us the shade and secures our land in place.
The Queen thinks that she can never tire of beholding such beauty or its vital and secure nature to the kingdom. Such a view is being forced aside for what she must witness soon. Her thoughts assault her again with another first which she seems to not be able to regulate. The sadness is beginning to win over her hardened exterior. No matter how much she calls upon her training to suppress her emotions she is faltering in that fight and she fears she may lose it. The last thing she wants is to present an emotional face to her husband the King, but she succumbs to the possibility there is no stopping it now.
Scene 02: Four Daughters
Elethia Blackword: Where is my daughter? (The Queen asks the guards and the members of the staff where the body of her daughter is now. She is quickly escorted to the chamber where the King is standing over her body receiving a preliminary briefing on what’s happened and the steps that will be taken next to know exactly what happened and why).
Sho’Im Blackword: Thia. I’m sorry, Storia. (The King looks at the expression on his wife’s face as a first look he hoped he would never behold).
Elethia Blackword: Storia. (That is all the Queen said that day as the history books recorded. The Queen then turned around without touching her child’s body and vigorously strode from the room).
Sho’Im Blackword: Braecihm, I want all the daughters here in this room immediately.
Braecihm, First Voice: Yes my King. (First Voice turns and orders the guard to escort the U’taker to bring the other daughters into the same room with Storia).
U’taker: I will do it at once.
————-1st Interlude————-
(All four daughters are now in the same room. The King hasn’t left the room since his daughter was brought back to DThy City, the capital of Fhordewei. He has learned to suppress his emotions with the training he received during his preparatory years in the Corp of Princes. Now that he is King there are more matters at stake than cueing up a few training guidance’s to apply to this moment in his reign.
During his contemplation he experiences a consultation from one of the Seven Realms. A ‘lawgiver’ from the Realm of Law tells him to record the stories of each one of the daughters for all time).
Sho’Im Blackword: Braecihm, bring the mothers and fathers of the other three daughters here. I am ordered to record their story and what their lives meant to the Kingdom. Their loss to the Kingdom now and what they won’t be able to contribute again which is a loss to us all.
Braecihm, First Voice: Yino Peni (Ye’No Pen). I have chosen you to be the recorder for these daughters. Gather your materials and return here to begin your work.
Sho’Im Blackword: Who will we record first Braecihm?
Braecihm, First Voice: (His most creative story writer, Yino Peni, has returned with his materials and an artist to illustrate the part which the artist feels must be included in the record. The artist is the most joyful of the class. She is Neaka and she is not much older than all the daughters who were all at the age of fourteen at their death). Yino, are you ready to record?
Yino Peni: Yes, my leader. We are ready to proceed. (Yino looks at Neaka as she has her canvas ready to record the vision that presents in her mind).
Braecihm, First Voice: Alright, we will talk about Plemensia first. Daughter of Plou and Giswai Maeson.
Plou Maeson: Plemensia. She was a driven child. She was hard to feed and thus a difficult child to please at the table. She always commented on the smell of her food how it didn’t entice her to consume it. We thought it was unusual until we remembered what we’ve been taught as citizens of Fhordewei. ‘Never discourage the path of a child even though you may think it is not in the best interest of the child.’
We reconsidered our conclusions and my wife, Giswai, invited her in the kitchen to help her cook our meals. (At that moment, Giswai begins to cry and asks if she could stay and listen to the retelling of the events that happened in her home).
Sho’Im Blackword: Mother Giswai, you don’t have anything to be ashamed of here. We would feel cheated if you held back your love for your daughter.
Mother Giswai: Thank you my King.
Braecihm, First Voice: Plou Maeson, you may continue telling us of Plemensia.
Plou Maeson: My wife was happy. One day I decided to just observe them from a place where they couldn’t see me. The connection I saw even made me jealous. She and her daughter were together. She did everything her mother asked her to do. She not only was a natural cook, but she wanted to please her mother. That made Giswai so happy. I never seen my wife so happy.
I began to feel fortunate. Of all the things I did or contemplated doing to bring life and joy to my household; I didn’t think of something so simple as being together and doing things together could fulfill that wish of mine. Plemensia didn’t stop at the normal dishes we usually had for our daily meals; she started to use the full choice of herbs and spices that would best bring out the flavor of all her dishes.
She began to get so good at it that our neighbors started to invite themselves over for dinner because her cooking started filling the air in our neighborhood. Plemensia even got an invite to be an intern under the ‘First Cook’ of Black Company.
(The Maeson’s continued on for another hour and Yino and the artist Neaka did their best to record it as it was said. At the end, the next family began to speak of their daughter).
Sho’Im Blackword: Thank you Plou. The record will reflect the impact that Plemensia had within and outside the walls of your home. Her life will be as reflected by the record one of extraordinary achievement.
Braecihm, who’s story is next?
Braecihm, First Voice: Ealer, please tell us of your daughter.
Ealer Wanaver: Her mother, Tayla would give an account more richer than I could ever hope to achieve. I yield to her mother if you would allow me to do so.
Braecihm, First Voice: It is permitted. Please Tayla Wanaver, tell us of Vyi’sea.
Tayla Wanaver: Vyi’sea, she quite remarkably is a dancer. I use present tense because I do not wish to forget her. I see her dancing in my head and I never want to see her any other way.
Braecihm, First Voice: It is official. Your daughter will be referred to in the present tense at all times.
Tayla Wanaver: I don’t know how she could dance like she could. She barely walked before she turned two. She held herself up by anything in her path. My husband thought she had something wrong with her spine because she could never stand up straight. Oh, but what happened when she turned 8 years old. She danced to the breakfast, lunch and dinner table. She danced to the bath. She danced to school. She danced when she was summoned to do her chores. There seemed to be music playing in her head at all times that fit every part of her life.
Sho’Im Blackword: She really danced while she did her chores?
Tayla Wanaver: My King, she danced while she was getting dressed. I followed her to school one day and saw her performing some new moves for friends and thought how could she ever learn her schoolwork if all she thought about was dancing. Well, I embraced her calling just like the other parents did their daughter. I had her dance for me and gave her pointers and polished up her movements to be more fluid and with vibrant expression.
Sho’Im Blackword: Did she take your advice?
Tayla Wanaver: My King, she expanded on the advice I gave her. I never thought I could witness a gift of the First Father, but she convinced me that his gifts are special. My daughter could lift your spirit. Not just for a moment, but for a lifetime because seeing her dance would create a lasting memory in your head you wouldn’t soon forget.
Sho’Im Blackword: I must confess. I experienced her talent three months ago at the festival week of DThy City in Juary. She was unforgettable to say the least. A true treasure of Fhordewei has been taken from us.
(The Wanavers’ have concluded the record for their daughter and it is time for the third daughter to be put into the history of Fhordewei.)
Braecihm, First Voice: Weaven Klothmaker it is time to recount for us the life of your daughter Air’rais.
Weaven Klothmaker: My wife, Hipai and I always wanted someone to follow in our footsteps. She took to sewing garments the moment she saw us working in our shop. Air’rais was crawling around and pulling on everything in the shop. She clutched the garments like they gave notice to the rest of the world that the wearer of this item was important. That gave me the notion to see if see was really meant to be a garment maker.
Hipai (Hip’Pie as in Pie) thought she was just doing what a child does at that age, but as she grew she really started to embrace the garments as if it was a calling. I knew there was something there, but I didn’t push it initially.
Sho’Im Blackword: You must’ve exercised caution in the beginning even thought you thought you saw what you saw?
Weaven Klothmaker: Yes of course my King, but I felt it was genuine. Air’rais was really taking to garments and how people felt about their clothes. She wanted them to feel good about themselves and how they looked. She even started designing clothes. I knew then we had a ‘cloth designer’.
We started her in the trade slowly because we didn’t want to overwhelm her. She could design when she turned eight and she could cut and sew when she turned ten, but only with supervision so as not to hurt herself with the equipment. Our daughter was taking after her parents. Do you know what that feels like? We were amazed and fortunate that the ‘First Father’ thought enough of us to give us a child to carry on her family trade.
(The Klothmakers concluded their daughters’ story with samples of her designs and examples of the clothing in real life).
————–2nd Interlude—————
(Now it was time for the King to recount the life of his daughter. Storia Mistel Blackword was an imaginative child and he wouldn’t have any trouble telling her story).
Braecihm, First Voice: My King, tell us about Storia.
Sho’Im Blackword: I must say her stories kept me going on many difficult days. When I needed an outlet to reenergize my soul and mind to the problems needing attention in DThy City and the greater kingdom. I turned to my daughters’ stories to get away from it all at least for a short time.
Seeing that the Queen isn’t here now I will put in the record that most of her stories were about her mother. She thought Elethia could walk on water. Her mother commanded the best of the entire kingdom. Her mother the Queen commanded Black Company. The greatest warriors of her time. Men and women all obeyed her commands.
(The King laughs as his voice coming through the smile he has on his face). There is this one story of hers’ that she wrote concerning the conflict with our neighbor to the south, the Molians. She just knew her mother vanquished them in less than 3 hours. It was 3 days, but don’t tell Storia that. Her mother could outsmart and out maneuver anybody on or off the battlefield.
Braecihm, First Voice: Storia was a creative soul to put it factually.
Sho’Im Blackword: Yes she was Braecihm. She wrote hundreds of stories and I made sure that they were kept securely for all of Fhordewei to enjoy for all time. Our history is our people. Our culture is formed every day we rise from our beds. We can’t lose it. How will future generations ever know what happened here if it isn’t written in the annals of our history books. Storia represented the life of all citizens. Many nights I sat with her as she wanted to show her mother her writings. She wanted to show her mother that she was honored to be her daughter but didn’t know how to tell her. I always told her to wait for the right time. I guess the right time never came to be.
Epilogue………
(The King has presided over the conclusion of the record of the four daughters murdered at the hands of as of now an unknown suspect. He will not stop until his daughter, all daughters taken unjustly from life have their day of justice.).
to be continued in Scene 03: A Petition for Justice