Lailah: The Milestone

Lailah meets Ja Lia!

     "Where are you taking us?"

    Ja Lia asked. It's been quite a while since they'd been walking through the market square. They had firstly stepped off the ship then they'd started off towards the village. 

   In the first place, Ja had no exception to it since he was very much alive, as well as the lady with him. And by the way, they had nowhere to live. 

   The ride on the sea had been perky experience but he wouldn't want to go again. 

   Poseidon had an eye on him. He could feel the eyes tearing his skin open. 

    Though the lady knew a part of it, but he was sure that she didn't understand the gist of it all. 

    "The King's Palace of course. Or do you think I have some wasted house to spare?"

    The bare-chested fellow picked on him. Twas a time for a payback. He had been picking on Ja since they started the walk, but he had been keeping his calm. Twas matter-of-factly not his town. 

      Ja looked briefly at the guy and looked away. 

    "So, are we going to walk there on foot? No horses, camels or some sort of chariot?"

    Ja argued. The bounty bearded seemed to be sensible. Ja held him in his gaze. 

     "The palace isn't much far from this place, only if you're pregnant."

   He joshed. The bare-chested fellow hopped on the joke and made a mountain of it. 

   Ja could tolerate him. He looked at the lady. She had been quiet. 

     "She is."

     The three men looked at Ja. The lady tucked her arm into his right arm akimboed as they walked on. 

    "Really? How far long is she?"

    The third guy asked. He seemed rather interested in pregnancy since he had been quiet until then. 

      "How am I supposed to know."

    Ja hurled. Twas too late before he realized what he had done. 

   The three men definitely thought he was her husband and was responsible for the pregnancy. 

     "Shame! You don't know your wife's hold? I should hit you right now. "

   The bare-chested fellow said. Ja wouldn't make himself seem as the bad guy. Words were not far from his reach,

     "Do you think I'm --"

     The lady hit his rib with her elbow. He chopped the words. He looked at her, but she wasn't generous to pay back. 

     He tried to make meaning of that. He thought she didn't want him, why the change?

    "Think what, eh? You still have words shameless!"

    The bare-chested fellow went again. Ja felt like punching the guy in his face but the lady was by his side. 

    "Watch it, man. Don't cuss my husband."

    The lady said and looked briefly at Ja. Ja felt stupid. He couldn't take his face off her. He had lots of questions to ask, but not at that point. 

   He did a gaunt smile. 

     "There comes the tigeress."

    The bounty bearded fellow said. Ja gave the bare-chested fellow a fiery gaze and tossed his head up. 

     "What now?"

   The fellow dared. The third guy wasn't having much of an input. He was the one bearing a sack filled with an exchange cloth of the prince they'd taken to the next village. 

    Twas on their return they'd noticed Ja and the Lady lying on the shore. 

    "Let him be. Or is there something on your mind?"

     The bounty bearded challenged the bare-chested. The latter sulked after that. That should keep him mute for the meantime. 

     "As many as we are in this part of the world, we're evenly numbered. So there's no way you could squat or hide anywhere here not even under the soil that you wouldn't be found by the royal guards."

     The bounty bearded said. Ja tried to drag that in. He looked at the lady again. He was beginning to feel more drawn to her. He wished he could explain the urge. 

     A chariot dragged towards them up ahead and halted as they all hurried up to it. 

    "His majesty awaits words from you."

    The man in charge of the chariot said as soon as the five got on. That was actually directed to the third guy. 

    Ja was confused. He had thought the bounty bearded was the leader. Well, that was none of his business.

     "We shall proceed now, Ima."

    The third man said as they all hopped on the chariot. 

    The lady as well as Ja were seated at the back seat with the bare-chested fellow. 

    Ja had wanted to seat by him so that the fellow wouldn't have any course to share body contact with the lady, but the lady had settled the dispute by sitting between the two men. 

   Luckily for Ja, she had decided to rest her head on his shoulder. The bare-chested grunted occasionally and wished the chariot tumbled. 

    Sooner they got to the palace and the lady had dozed off. Twas quite a soothing feeling for Ja that the lady slept off on his arm. 

    How comfortable she felt with him. 

    "Don't even think of it."

    Ja said eating the bare-chested fellow up with an odd ogle. 

    "She'll stay in the chariot. When she wakes up, she could come of her own will."

     Ja added. 

    "Impossible! The chariot isn't at your disposal. The warrior would need it."

    The bare-chested argued. But the captain of the chariot intervened,

    "Let her be. The King awaits."

    "You come with us, young man."

    The captain added. The bare-chested fellow eyed Ja. Ja helped the lady on the chair and was sure that she was lying comfortably before he left. 

    He ignored the crazy guy. Exchanging odd glances with him would deem him nothing but childish. He would fiddle with everything but his pedigree. If he did have any left. 

    They walked towards the castle of the king and entered through. 

    Ja had no patience for scanning the place, he'd seen better constructions than those erected by mortals. 

    They entered through the huge gate and were met by a call from the throne of the king,

    "Approaching the Duve III are Ima, the three warring sailiors and -- a stranger."

    The voice of the attendant ceased and the four approached the throne lavished with beauty. 

   Ima got to the throne and bowed before the king and turned to walk out. 

     "You brought nothing from Ikpala, Mooris?"

    The king teased. Mooris, the bounty bearded fellow nodded and said,

    "Nothing which your highness haven't tasted."

   The King chuckled and added.

     "Fair enough. Hope the prince arrived there safely?"

 

    "Sound and healthily, your majesty. We walked him to the throne."

   Mooris replied. The bare-chested fellow sneezed. But the king didn't catch the gist of it. 

   When they had gotten to the shore of Ikpala, the prince had ordered them to leave him and return to his father that he'd find his way. 

    They had left the prince to walk through the large forest which led to the land of Ikpala. Of course he should had gotten to the King of Ikpala safely. He wasn't a child. 

       "Who's he?"

      The king had looked briefly at the bare-chested fellow and then  turned his attention to Ja Lia. 

     Mooris said amidst stutter,

     "He is an immigrant, he needs a shelter."

      "How do we know if he isn't a spy from Kula, Haojo or Hubrim?"

    Ja stepped forward and bowed in defense,

    "I swear by the life of my unborn child that I ain't such."

     "He has a wife?"

   The king said to Mooris.

    "A pregnant wife."

     Mooris answered. 

    "A pregnant wife he had no idea how far long she is."

    The bare-chested fellow hopped on it. 

    The king looked briefly at the bare-chested fellow again and turned to Mooris. 

     "Give him one of the large houses at the edge of the market to the West. And bring him and his wife back in two days, I'll have a word with them. Royal duties call."

    The king said dispatching them. Ja Lia said a thank you and bowed before the king. 

   The king stood up and and stepped off the huge golden throne. There were two hefty men by the sides of the throne. 

      "And the three of you should return by the call of the cock at Evening. There's a message to be delivered to the Duke of Kula."

      They bowed as the king walked to his chamber. They began to walk out of the palace. 

     "He's a Duke, but he prefer being referred to as a king. How humble. We haven't had such Duke has he ever. "

    The third guy said as he walked Ja out. Mooris had gone to meet Ima to instruct him about the house to be given to Ja.

   At the gate of the castle, the third guy excused himself. The bare-chested fellow wasn't an option. Ja hurried to the chariot to meet his crush. 

   He needed some words with her before they'd decide whether they'd live together or not. 

     "Are you awake?"

   He tossed as soon as he got there. He flipped the cover of the back seat open and dropped it again. 

    "Hell!"

   He cursed. He couldn't believe his eyes.

   He opened the curtain again. Lailah was seated instead of the lady. 

   Ja couldn't process it. He didn't know what say,

     "Where is she?"

   His jaws dropped. He didn't know if that was the right question.