"I don't believe them all. They are onto something. They are trying to lure us back into their kingdom so that they can kill us," Mambo Gwati argued.
The man who had been captured by Mhare and his warriors had told them everything he heard. Now they were sitting together with some of their warriors discussing a way forward.
"I agree. They might be working with Mutapa and trick us into thinking that they are fighting with him when they are not. We have to leave this camp and go to our homes," Mambo Tenda said.
"What if they are right? What if they are not working with Mutapa and he is going to destroy them? How are we all going to live knowing that we left one of us to be destroyed?" Mambo Wasu asked.
"Why did they fail to tell us about his plans in the first place? They killed our own men. If Mutapa is going after them then they deserve it even if they are innocent. They let us attack them and they killed our men," Mambo Tenda opposed.
"If they wanted to attack us again they could have done so in the evening when they came to this camp. We were all sleeping and vulnerable but they never touched us. We all know we protected ourselves but an army can penetrate this camp especially at night," Mambo Wasu argued.
"Even if what they are saying is true, our warriors have been reduced in numbers. Some of them are injured and they can't fight a powerful man like Mutapa. They all fled before him and they won't agree to fight," Mambo Gwati said.
"One way or the other we are going to fight this man. If he is working with the Bantu, we will have to fight him. If he is working against the Bantu, we will still fight him. We have to go and check if these things are so," Mambo Wasu said.
"We have to come to a point where we draw a line in this war. This war has gone beyond our fighting limits. It's high time we prioritize surviving than exposing ourselves to a man like Mutapa," Mambo Tenda said.
"Yes we are fighting a losing battle. We can't fight to win at the expense of our people. Who will look after our people if we all die in this war?" Mambo Gwati said.
"A man like Mutapa might be powerful but not against four kingdoms. We lost half of our men but our army is still bigger than that of the Bantu people. If we join forces with them he will definitely perish in our hands," Mambo Wasu said.
"I am taking my warriors with me. If you want to help the Bantu then do so. Just make sure you won't fall into their trap because I don't trust any of their words," Mambo Tenda said.
"We are all not sure about this and we have to confirm it. How are you going to live with the guilt when you finally realize that the Bantu people were actually telling the truth? By that time Mutapa will be coming after you as well," Mambo Wasu argued.
"Why are you so sure that the Bantu are telling the truth?" Mambo Gwati said.
"Then man you call Mhare...I never saw him in the battle. I know him as a good fighter. I have a feeling he is telling the truth. And Mutapa came very late to the battle. We expected to have an encounter with him when the battle started. What took him so long to join the battle?" Mambo Wasu said.
"Mambo Wasu you might be right. Mutapa was not in the kingdom when we arrived. In fact, he entered through the mountains and we all saw it. The Bantu people knew we were coming and there's no way Mutapa could have left them alone if he's one of them," Negomo, leader of the Manyika warriors, joined in the conversation.
"They could have saved him for the perfect moment to attack us," Mambo Tenda said.
"Look, Mutapa is very powerful. He destroyed our kingdoms on his own. The Bantu have a large army which can fight. Combined together they could be unstoppable. But this whole story had loop holes because the Bantu set traps for us. They wouldn't have set such traps if Mutapa was on their side. If he was there when we arrived the battle could have ended quickly," Mambo Wasu said.
"Have you forgotten what happened? His animals never attacked the Bantu warriors. They came for us and we fled. If Mutapa was not on their side then the Bantu warriors could have been attacked too," Mambo Wasu said.
A few man began to gather around the discussion. "Mutapa is a man who controls animals. He could have controlled them not to attack the Bantu people to make his plan look solid. Remember, Mhare told our warrior that Mutapa caused us to fight because he wanted to weaken us. It all makes sense if you put it together," Negomo said.
The three kings never agreed on a common solution. Mambo Tenda never wanted anything to do with helping the Bantu people, Mambo Wasu felt that they had been played by Mutapa whilst Mambo Gwati was undecided. At the end of the day, they never came up with a solution.
Mambo Tenda wanted to leave for his kingdom in the morning whilst Mambo Gwati feared for his warriors, hence, he also wanted to leave. Mambo Wasu felt it necessary to go back to the Bantu kingdom and verify if everything Mhare said was true.
On the other hand, the Bantu people were still preparing for the coming of Mutapa. Everything needed for the war had been set and now they were preparing their hearts for the battle. Mhare told his warriors to get enough rest and spent the few hours left with their families.
But he barred all married warriors not to sleep with their wives before the battle. He believed that it could reduce their performance in the battle. It was their final day before the tenth day arrived.
When the sun was about to go down, Ruva approached Mhare and took him to a secluded place. Tanaka accompanied her and stood away from them until Muchenjeri came and kept her company.
"I don't know what to expect from this. I don't know if we are going to win or not. And I am not sure who is going to survive the war. But I hope that you will fight and return to me," Ruva said.
"I understand. And I wish to spend this little time with you. We are in a war but we can't be talking about the war especially at this moment. If this is our last moment together then we have to make it memorable," Mhare said.
Mhare opened his arms. The princess blushed as she slowly fell into his arms. Mhare put his arms around her and sighed. "I know you said we should not talk about the war but I believe you will be alive after this. You can't die, not until we get married and have a family of our own," Ruva said.
"And how many children do you think we are going to have?" Mhare asked.
Ruva blushed and said, "I never thought about that. But I wish to give you a son. He will be brave just like his father."
"I also want a daughter. She will be beautiful just like her mother," Mhare said.
"I can imagine you telling our children how you bravely found their mother and later defeated the man who took their mother. It will be a tale of a lifetime to them. It will keep them stronger...us," Ruva said.
Mhare chuckled and said, "If your father finds us like this he will kill me. You know we are not allowed to make contact before we are married."
"My father has a soft spot for you because he believes in you. Besides, our traditional law says that if a boy and girl make such a contact then they should get married," Ruva said.
Mhare laughed and said, "You can't wait for us to get married, right?"
"We have loved each other since we were little. I remember when you first came to our compound. Someone beat your friend whilst playing and you demanded the king to kill that child," Ruva said.
"You should have seen the look in the king's eyes. He could tell that I was serious. That's how he chose me to become a warrior. And then I began training with the other warriors in the king's compound until my eyes landed on you," Mhare said.
"I remember all of it and I wish to share more memories with you," Princess Ruva said as she relaxed in his hands. The sun went down as they talked about everything and how they loved each. They even forgot that they were at the brink of war.