"You do not have to thank me Wura, I am only doing my duty" said Mero as Wura agreed with that, he was right, she did not even know why she was thanking him... maybe for the fact that he did not tell her bad news, but regardless that did not matter at all, she was supposed to have been informed about this a long time.
"My goodness Mero, I beg you, stop keeping important things from me like this, I know you mean well, but finding out like this how dire the situation is does nothing than make me feel more worried" said Wura as she was tired of repeating this fact over and over again.
She needed Mero to understand once and for all, she did not want him hiding things from her anymore, she did not want that at all, so she was going to deal with this issue now and forever.
"Mero I am being very serious, I know that you are trying to help, and you do help and handle everything exceptionally well, and you are a great source of support for me, but please, I am asking you right now to stop hiding things from me" said Wura as Mero looked at her, he could see the seriousness in her eyes and the tiredness in her tone.
She had said this countless times, but he had continued on doing the same thing, she only found out things that she needed to know either by asking of by him finally telling her and it was not supposed to be like that at all.
"I am the Queen, I should be the one to know about the problems going on in the kingdom first and foremost" said Wura.
"I am not saying this in a rude tone to annoy you, or make you angry, but please, I would like it if you treated me more like an equal than someone you had to protect Mero, so please try to understand me and I would appreciate it if from now on I am not the last to hear about anything that concerns the kingdom" said Wura as she sighed, she had said a lot, and judging from the way Mero was looking at her, she wondered if he was actually listening to what she was saying.
"I understand you Wura, and I agree with you... and you are wrong, you are not just someone I have to protect, you are my equal... you have always been" said Mero as Wura just looked at him.
"And I apologize, I promise not to hide anything you need to know from now on" said Mero.
"Thank you Mero, I appreciate that a lot" said Wura as she looked around, noticing that they had come to a stop for a long time now.
"You do not have to thank me Wura" said Mero as in truth he felt bad that she had to repeat her concerns and wishes several times before he listened to her.
He honestly thought that he was doing her good by keeping things like this from her, but in truth he was only causing her hurt and pain, and he did not want to do that at all, he was being honest when he said that from now on he would not hide anything that she needed to know from her.
"Mero why did we stop?" asked Wura as she looked at Mero in confusion.
"We were speaking so I decided it would be best to focus on one thing" said Mero as Wura thought that was sensible, but judging from his posture and movement they had not yet arrived at their destination.
Mero did not look as if he would be getting off his horse any time soon.
"Is this not where we are stopping?" asked Wura as Mero shook his head.
"No Wura, we are just passing through here, we will stop in a camp site settled not to far from here" said Mero as Wura knew that already, this place looked deserted.
Not like it was inhabitable in the first place, but there was no sign of people at all, no noise, no feeling that a town should have, but it was not a town at the moment, it was more like the remains of what used to be a town.
"The camp was set a minor distance away from here due to the fact that living anywhere close to the rubble would be detrimental to the health of delicate people like young children and the elderly, so the camp was set in a valley nearby" said Mero as they started to ride once more through the town.
"Of course, that is only reasonable, because I cannot imagine staying here while the town is in such a sorry state" said Wura as she shook her head.
"Besides that, I am sure that being so close to the reminding fact of your town's destruction would cause nothing but repeated despair" said Wura as she shook her head and Mero nodded, that was exactly what he thought.
No one would want to see such destruction while they were encouraged to look towards a hopeful future.
"Seeing so much destruction of your valuables and your homes that you have probably lived in for several years is enough to make anyone go mad" said Mero as he nodded and Wura sighed.
"I tell you Mero, just seeing this makes me feel so much hate and anger at someone and the people who would dare be a supporter to such destruction" said Wura as she shook her head.
"I know... but things like this are bound to happen..." said Mero because as much as he did not want to keep on repeating that, he did not want to lie to Wura, he would be lying if he told her that things would be better and the East would not try something like this again.
That was nothing short of a lie, but what he needed her to understand was that things like this were bound to happen, and it was very devastating yes, but it was not to be dwelt on.
As in a battle, if you took a hit you would not just immediately stop fighting, you would instead take the hit and continue fighting, that was what he needed Wura to understand in this moment.
"You keep on saying that Mero, and I know that it is true, but that still does not excuse the fact that the people who are not supposed to be harmed are getting harmed and that is making me feel even worse about this whole thing" said Wura.
"It is not like I can just snap my fingers and declare the war ended... I have tried to go that route, but Olamide and his demands are impossible, he wants something that does not belong to him, and no matter how much I want peace, I am not going to allow the Kingdom be cheated by a greedy man" said Wura.
"Honestly Mero, that is the only reason that I have not surrendered yet because I am already tired with this stupid war, I wish that it would just end, but never at the expense of what is best for the Kingdom" said Wura.
"I understand what you mean Wura... the thing is with matters like these... there are always two sides to consider, and in the end, you have to consider and prioritize the best option, even though it seems like you are being lenient with the problem that currently needs to be solved" said Mero as Wura nodded, agreeing with him completely.
That was the dilemma that she was facing right now, she wanted to end the way very badly, and sometimes she found herself thinking at night on whether she should just agree and comply with Olamide's terms and just end the war so that the people could rest and she could rest.
But on the other hand, knowing Olamide, he would ask from more than he had originally asked for, and when she thought about it deeper, the land he was asking for did not belong to the East at all, and even if she really did agree to his demands that would mean the people that lived on that land would have to go and look for somewhere else to live.
They would be forced to leave their land that rightfully belonged to them, and that would end up causing more problems than just solving one annoying problem.
"I know that I keep on saying this, but I am fed up and tired of everything... I honestly do not know what to do, I am not sure of what I should to, and it is all just so overwhelming" said Wura as she sighed, she was sure that Mero was tired of hearing her say this countless times.
"I understand why... to be honest, we are all feeling the effects of tiredness...even I" said Mero as Wura looked at him.
"You are?" asked Wura as Mero nodded.