Eiko looked at Kaida who did not feel threatened even though she was in the minority. She had ensured that everyone could rest and eat their stomachs full. He was skeptical, but because she had treated his men with respect, he was willing to listen to her.
Kaida was the first to interrupt the silence
"you are not going to eat? there is enough. Or do you want to negotiate first? I don't mind either way "
He looked at her but nothing about her showed her meaning. She was so calm
"your queen you are different from what the stories say. I am yet to know if that is a good or bad thing. Before I eat or negotiate at all I have a question for you "
Kaida looked at him
"ask your question"
"Why did you only start the attack today and did you not attack us at night? And why have you treated my men so well?"
Kaida laughed
"those are two questions my good lord. To answer the first one I don't know the village I will be at a disadvantage if I had started the attack unthinkingly. Plus I didn't want unnecessary bloodshed. With that I actually answer the second question immediately. There was no need to treat them badly. In addition to that, Daisuke has given me the necessary information. It is clear that you think of the villagers and the village. "
Eiko looked at her and nodded
"you have my thanks and yes I think in the interest of the village and the villagers. Something that the king needs to do!"
he angrily slapped his hand on the table
"Your anger is understandable, let's make a deal. Within a month I ensure that the houses are repaired and refurbished. In the same month I ensure that the fields are healthy again and are ready to be sown and the village can be assured of a harvest "
Eiko looked at her with admiration. How is it that she is so confident about her word?
"With all due respect your queen but as you can see the north has a lack of trees. Where will you find the wood to repair all the buildings in the village and to fix it? In addition to that, the fields are so destroyed that it will certainly take fifty people to rebuild them. It takes allot of effort to provide the fields with water since it is a long walk to go back and forth from the fields to the lake "
Kaida shrugged
"as you know the south has no shortage of trees. We can easily miss a few. "
"And what about the fields then? "
Kaida laughed
"if only fifty people are needed, can you imagine how much work we could do with a hundred people?"
He thought. He was not convinced that she could follow her words. Why should he believe her? They said there will be reinforcement but only the queen and two others had come. So the situation in the village was not that important to the king!
Kaida saw that Eiko was deep in thought and was doubting
"you know what we do. I propose to wait till tomorrow. Do you believe me when I say that tomorrow an hour after the clock struck at noon, hundred and fifty warriors will come to repair the village and one hundred warriors to work on the fields? Let's make a bet. If I am wrong I will give in to your demands and if I am right you will give in to mine demands "
Eiko looked at her and was aware of her and because of her strong attitude, he did not know what to do. With this bet he could see how decisively she stood behind her words. He had nothing to lose
"deal"
Kaida happily clapped in her hands "thats good, now eat! It is all to good to throw away! "
.......
It was very quiet in the inn. So quiet that it was able to hear a needle fall. In the morning the inn had been lively, but as the hours passed the atmosphere became more tense. The afternoon had almost arrived and Eiko had not yet seen any sign of warriors.
The silence was interrupted by the clock ringing. The afternoon had arrived and only an hour remained. The men became restless while Kaida, Kyro and Rei sat quietly and calmly at the table.
Fifteen minutes passed when the doors suddenly opened. Kayra walked into the inn with Koto and Käen. Kayra looked around the inn
"so it's more lively than when i was here last"
Kaida stood up and looked at Eiko
"shall we? "
She walked over to them and gave them a warm smile
" good that you are here, i am happy to see you "
Kaën stepped forward
"niece when I left, I noticed that there are not many trees, so we made preparations. I brought wood in abundance to get started. That is why it took a little longer until we got here. I have already put my men to work. "
Koto also stepped forward
"I inspected the fields before I left. The problem is that the fields lack moisture and are not treated with good manure. I have taken everything I need with me. In addition to that, I also brought different types of seeds with me, which will also grow well in the north. I have instructed my men to first build a road that guides the water from the lake to the fields"
Eiko listened to them in surprise. So it was true what she said. The king had not forgotten the village! When they walked outside, he saw that there were several warriors at work in the village and the fields.
"Thank you your highness for your kindness"
Kaida laughed
"you don't have to thank me it's my job. Do we have a deal?
Eiko laughed and nodded
"we have a deal. I will wait a month for the result of your effort "
"The harvest will only have to wait until it is time to harvest. Koto and Käen will stay here to oversee the work. But to switch to urgent matters now I would like to know more about the wise man you met "
Eiko scratched his head
"it sounds strange but with the day I start to remember less and less about that man… I know that he knew exactly what to say to get me to rebel. When I wanted to ask him for more advice, he suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth "
Hmm Kaida thought of the words of Eiko. there is more to this than is visible to the eye. She first wanted to stay longer in the village, but now it seemed better to inform Okata of what she found out