Louga knew Ghandaa is using him, what Ghandaa didn't know is that he, louga is the one holding the cards. He is no puppet, but like any young imaginative man that has his whole life laid ahead of him, he looks into the promise life offers, a hope for the adventurous striving youths of every generation.
Louga wanted a lot more than Npunga had to offer, he wants to travel and see the world and know its myriad people, experience life in different forms and places. So he accepted Ghandaa offer for the opportunity it brings and not out of loyalty for him and the old goons.
The thought of infiltrating a totally new terrain with a mission to carry out thrills him immensely. Tremendous even is the fact that he will be putting his sharp brains to good use, oh! Louga can't wait to reach werga.
More than a hundred yards Ahead stood the majestic wall of the grand halls of werga carved out from a solid rock. Soon, he will be meeting with Danty, the puppet king of werga who sold his senior sister to Zanka all in the name of an alliance.
Danty is scared of his own skin…how can a man like that rule over such a huge territory bustling with unimaginable wealth. In truth louga didn't know the plans they have for him here, except the knowledge of his finally destination, which is Zanka the supreme kingdom of Cygon. He will not delude himself into believing the lousy reason Ghandaa and his old goons gave…. No he couldn't wait to meet with Danty, he wants to know what exactly is going on.
Zagabo found himself in a good mood. Werga has that effect on most men who visits for the first time. And since they were in royal favor, they will enjoy the finniest things. Women and good wine; Zagabo will kill for this two things any day, and food off course. This is not his first time in werga though… the last time he was here the king of werga, Dantys father had lost his head and his heart, a gruesome display of savagery.
Zaga had stuffed the heart into gaping mouth of the decapitated head, and placed it on the throne. He did it all alone with his strong bare hands, no wonder the young prince and his sister had to comply with the vector, or suffer the same fate as their father.
.......
Few minutes after they arrived and rested for a while, the king summon them at the grand hall, were variety of dishes were served. Danty fidgets on his seat as door suffering from dysentery. He wouldn't look at Zaga, louga sensed the tension between the two immediately.
Danty eat in silence but glance at louga every now and then. The young man Ghandaa and the allies choose for the mission at Zanka is more handsome and gentlemanly than expected…. At least they have the honor to send someone so noble. Should he be grateful for that?
The whole plan was way over his head; he will have loved to send word to his sister to warn her about what was coming but feared the villains will discover his contact with his sister and that will only make matters worse. And to have that savage who killed his father, the king before him, sit and dine with him in the same hall where the gruesome deed was committed, filled him with so much rage and shame. Yet there is little he could do about that, his own life hangs on the line, the allies in kumta gives him the creeps, many nights he lays on bed and can't sleep, yet he can't weep, Les they let lose an assassin.
Zaga was full of himself and acted nonchalant… enjoying himself immensely. Is not every day a man had a king under his control, he will rather enjoy the privilege whilst it lasts?
When the meal was over Danty cleared his throat and spoke for the first time; "I welcome you, to werga, mother to all five kingdoms in Cygon. For the love of a unified Cygon are we seated here today. I thank you oh yee! great warriors of Npunga for your service and loyalty. I thank you for protecting and guiding this noble young into my keep. There is so much work to be done, so much at stake…. For the coming days ahead, I will be meeting only with louga to prepare him for his mission in Zanka. For the meantime make yourself comfortable her in werga, and trust that the young man is in safe hands and needs no further protection, you may leave werga in the subsequent days to come, sending word back to Npunga to keep your clan lords informed about the proceedings of the plan"
"and may I ask his highness what the proceedings are so I can humbly inform my elders?" Zaga asked raising an eye brow. "well; I think your elders will understand what it is, if you simple tell them the plan is on course" Danty responded with gritted teeth and stood up, "Stazia; show the young man to his quarters, in close proximity to my domain, and the guards to theirs in the in the guest quarters in the guards' yard."
Louga watched as the king left the hall, his two guards following close behind. Zaga sat quietly and watched the king leave the hall, anger clearly on his face…. Danty have grew new set of horns that need uprooting, and he will be ready to perform the task, when the time comes, Zaga thought to himself. Now he needs to be patient; the king of werga is very important to Npunga right now and Ghandaa will kill anyone who stands in the way of that.
Louga stood up and bowed courteously to his clan folks a symbol of goodbye in case they meet not again; as the maid showed up to take him to his quarters in the king domain. Stazia; a very pretty young girl with long lashes, looked at louga and mumbled "please follow me my lord" Kanka and Zaga including their three hooligans couldn't take their eyes of the ebony beauty, Stazia with here round waist and backsides.
If louga took any notice of the girl, he didn't show it, perhaps to compliment the indifferent look she gave him. All his life; louga was used to beautiful women looking at him mouths gawking or blushing at him nonstop.
Perhaps that's a natural trait among only Npunga women since he never met a woman anywhere else to make a comparison. But he is beginning to learn quick in this new environs, and to learn one must observe more than go about doing things in ways one is use to, for what is normal in ones' clan, may be absolutely abnormal in a different place. absurd even if one's actions infringe upon the laws and traditions of the unknown terrain. A man who don't pay attention to these things might as well have his head on a spike unaware.
So to have a woman act nonchalant around him for the first time, is something he had to reconcile and adjust to; although the blow to his ego hurts. For in essence louga can't help but carry within himself a superior man, he can feel it in his blood. Perhaps it's a common trait among all humans. That used to be his mind set anyway; until most humans proved him wrong, himself included. Now he can't help but find himself wiry of the nature of man, an intrigue to his curious mind he is yet to figure.
In the days that followed; louga spend most of his time with Danty in his private court. A meeting he did been looking forward to; if there is anyone who knew the queen Zoreefa very well, then it is his brother Danty, since he grew up with her, and had a strong bond with her.
Even more so when their mother died, and Zoreefa had to play the motherly role. Danty was only seven back then and Zoree played the role so well, taking very good care of her only brother until the tragic death of their father. And Zoreefa married off to the king of Zanka out of her free will. For the conspirators in their kingdom didn't want her smart head around the throne.
Now Danty is all alone and vulnerable, a puppet to Kumta and Npunga, although masquerading to be an ally to Zanka. When Tygon smell treachery and was onto Danty and his hidden allies; the conspirators send of Zoree to him as a token of good faith to throw him off track and it work perfectly.
Now the same conspirators are planning to penetrate the formidable walls of Zanka, through werga, and Danty is tasked to educate the young man on ways to best seduce the queen Zoreefa, for by now Tygon is so attached to the woman. His Achilles heel finally lays exposed for exploitation. This much did they know; a disturbance in a man's heart, especially a king, can destabilize his kingdom and bring it to its ruin from the inside without ever lifting a sword against him.
So far louga was nothing but a very good student… he had learnt a lot about the queen in a month than her own brother in a lifetime. He now understands why he was chosen to undertake this cause, his looks and music, notwithstanding his own cunning is why they need him in Zanka.
Soon he was ready; the next recruitment of servants from werga to Zanka was upcoming and Danty enrolled louga and Starzia. He will soon be meeting with the queen, Zoreefa a lady of class and high taste in culture, music, philosophy and higher learning of sort.
Louga didn't know how he was going to pull this one off. But he loved the challenge, although something so disturbing was tagging at his conscience, something that made him appall himself for the first time. He knew what he was about to do was wrong and could change the history of Cygon forever….
However, he knew his destiny awaits him in Zanka, some sort of invisible force draws him there ever since he was a kid. He then remembered the words of the priestess in the caves of Npunga who was like his guiding angel; the one who thought him how to play the flute in his dreams…. "men can do whatever they want, but there is no escape from that which is ordain. True courage is it to allow oneself to float in the winds of time without fear. Its written my boy, and so it shall be" it had been the last thing she did told him before he left Npunga.