"Archers cover us!" Muchenjeri shouted as he helped the king to stand up. A few more warriors covered the king and they began escaping to his compound.
"Get them!" Mambo Tenda shouted and some of warriors began following Changamire Zama.
They archers began shooting down all those who tried to get closer to the king. Some Bantu men finished those who went down.
Muchenjeri and the king manuevred and escaped to his compound. There, Muchenjeri took out the arrow which hit the king and put a cloth on his shoulder to stop his bleeding. A few more warriors gathered to protect Changamire Zama.
Meanwhile, Princess Ruva had ordered Mhare to be put in a separate cave. There, she demanded to be with Tanaka and Mhare only. She sat next to Mhare and held his hand.
She could hear the cries of men who were in the battlefield and crossed her fingers that they would never find these caves. Mhare then opened his eyes slowly and found himself in a cave.
Ruva's heart raced and she said, "Tanaka bring me some water."
Tanaka rushed to look for water among the others. She returned with a small calabash filled with water and gave it to Mhare who finished all of it.
"Where are we? What happened?" Mhare questioned as he looked around.
"We are hiding. But that's not important. How are you feeling?" Ruva asked.
"I feel better. But why are we hiding?" Mhare asked.
"Because we are at war. The other three kingdoms believe that we work with Mutapa and they attacked us today," Ruva explained.
"I have to go out there," Mhare said as he tried to stand up but Ruva pressed her hand against his chest to stop him.
"You can't go out there. You have to recover fully," Ruva said.
"No, the warriors need me. Your father needs protection," Mhare explained as he tried to get up again but Ruva pressed her hand again on his chest.
"They haven't found us since dawn. That's a good sign. It means they are defending our land very well," Ruva said.
"Fighting for the kingdom is my duty, even if I am not feeling well," Mhare opposed.
"Stay for us. My father has approved our marriage because you brought me back safely. So please stay with me. I am sure the war is almost over," Princess Ruva said.
Mhare sighed and relaxed his head back on the ground. He understood her fears and decided to stay with her and then deal with kingdom issues when the day was over.
Gora climbed on top of the eastern mountains and watched as the three kingdoms fought against one. He smirked as he believed that he had fulfilled one part of Makosi's mission. What was left was to permanently remove the one who held the same name with him.
As the Bantu warriors defended the king's compound, a horn blew continuously and they looked to the western side and saw Mutapa behind some animals as they charged into the battlefield.
The animals penetrated the battlefield and began attacking Manyika, Zezuru and Karanga warriors only. Warriors from these kingdoms began retreating out of the Bantu kingdom.
Those who were trying to storm the king's compound noticed Mutapa and fear gripped their hearts. They abandoned their task and began fleeing from the kingdom.
If Mutapa had attacked at an earlier stage they would have fought but their warriors were now tired and small in numbers. The Bantu warriors also tried to flee from the battle but they noticed that only their attackers were being chased.
All the three kings fled out of the kingdom. Gora was watching all of this from where he stood. The kingdom went silent and everyone hidden in the caves became curious.
Some of them came out the caves and noticed that their attackers were fleeing from the battlefield as Mutapa followed and chased them out of the kingdom.
From where he stood, Gora noticed that there were people watching from the northern caves. He removed his attire which looked like Mutapa's and dressed like a Bantu warrior.
He had killed those who accompanied him on his mission. He walked to northern caves to search for the lover of his life, a girl named Runako-a name which defined her beauty.
When he found her he took her by the hand and fled the caves with her. "Where are we going?" Runako asked as they ran.
They stopped behind a rock in one of the mountains and Gora said, "I have something important to tell you."
Runaka looked at him and said, "Did Mutapa destroy all of our people? You promised that you love me but you went after the Princess. Is she your lover now?"
"No and that's not important. I am sorry that I left you when I should have stayed with you. I did not find the Princess but I found something more precious...," Gora said and stopped talking to breathe.
"It doesn't justify the fact that you chose the Princess over me. If you had found her then she would be your wife right now," Runako asked.
"I know I promised to marry you and then I chose to chase the Princess. I regret that my love. You still have a place in my heart. But things have changed because of this war. I need you to become my wife right now," Gora said.
Runako looked surprised and she said, "What do you mean, Gora?"
"This war...it's too much. I don't know if I will make it out of this war alive. That's why I need you to become my wife right now. I have to fulfill my promise to you," Gora said.
"How are we going to do that in the middle of a war and without witnesses?" Runako asked.
"We have to do this ourselves. Your testimony will be good enough. This happened in the middle of a war," Gora responded.
Runako did not like the idea but she eventually nodded because she loved Gora with all her heart. "I will marry you," she finally said.
Gora torn the hem of his cloth and used the torn cloth to bind their hands together. He sighed and said, "We are now husband and wife. I love you Runako."
Runako still couldn't believe this but she smiled and said, "I love you, Gora. But I still don't understand why this is so important to you."
Gora sighed and tried to find the right words to his new beloved wife. He looked right through her eyes and said, "Because I need us to conceive our first child today. I have to leave my seed behind if I am dying today."
Runako looked at him in disbelief because it was all fast. She shook her head and said, "If you die today, people will call me an immoral woman. There will no proof that this is your child."
"As soon as we leave this place I will escort you back to the others. We will tell them and they will be your witnesses," Mhare said.
"This doesn't feel right, Gora. What are you hiding from me? Why the rush?" Runako asked again.
"I will explain everything after we have conceived our first child. My wish is that our first child will be a boy," Gora responded.
Runako did not love how Gora was handling their relationship at the moment. She refused and wanted him not to rush. Gora kept pushing until she finally gave in and they became one flesh.
After this, Gora said, "If our child is a son, you call him Simba. If it turns out to be a girl, you call her Mutsa."
"Gora you don't have to die. Not after we did this," Runako said as tears filled her eyes.
"I am not saying I am going to die. But in case I die, you have to do as I say. Now I have to take you back to the caves. I will always love you, no matter what happens today," Gora said.
Runako fell on his chest and cried. After she was calm, she said, "I will always love you."
Gora wiped her tears and they held their foreheads against each other for a moment. He then took her back to the caves. He took Runako's friends aside and told them that he was now her husband.
After that he left the cave and fled to the southern mountains where he watched what Mutapa was doing in the Bantu kingdom. People from the other kingdoms had left and only Mutapa and the Bantu warriors were in the battlefield.