Chapter 39 - The Failed Coupe

It is a busy morning in Carthage, yet the king and his cabinet are on it again. They are seated for an emergency meeting with a news reaching that the Punt army have made a strong comeback against the Kitara kingdom and things are not looking so good for them. All their able men and women, together with the Mapungubwe people who have been held captive, have been recruited into their army and have multiplied drastically in number. Due to their large number of soldiers, it seems not an easy task for the Kitara soldier to run over them this time around. This news does not seem too pleasing to the king but of course exactly what emissary Boateng have been waiting to hear which seemed like forever to him. He though to himself that it even took them longer to get back at the Kitara army, but yet still, what seems important here is having them surrender to their rule and proceed to Ptolemaic.

The news has reached both far and near in the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the fears of the people is back to hunt them again. This time around, there seem not to be a way for the people and all they can do is prepare to be slaves to their most disliked enemy. The kingdom s beginning to be in a chaotic state as they do not know what to do neither do they know the calamity that is befalling them. Some of the villagers, both men and women, young and old are beginning to gather in the forefront of the king's palace, requesting on him to take a swift action in halting the Punt army from having entry into their land. This has never happened in the whole existence of the kingdom, and it is feared that the king might lose his position as the best to have happened to the loving people of the kingdom. The king is now expected to come forth in addressing the people but with nothing but solutions. The people are not gathered for him to come deliver long speeches as he always does on every festival, but rather to come forth before them with solutions to help ease the rising tension in the kingdom.

The news has already reached Amanirenas and her son in Azurethra, and they are to quickly form a force that will be impenetrable for the enemy. Gaining access to the kingdom seems to have an easy way through Azurethra, since they are thinking it is under the rule of a woman but yet have no knowledge of what might befall them if the attempt is made on her. Amanirenas and her son have been arguing regarding his return to Carthage since it has been stated that he will be the one assuming the throne after his uncle. At this moment, it does not seem right for him to return back to Carthage since he can be a target for the enemy. Because if there is no heir to a throne then there is surely nothing to worry about. Emissary Boateng is aware of the potentials Akinidad is having and he might be a threat to his plans if not arrested and taken as a prisoner by the Punt army. With all these possibly happening, Amanirenas concluded on keeping her son by her side as they fight alongside each other against one common enemy. She believes he will be held captive on his return to his uncle's palace and will be best if he does not stay out of her sight, since she has the resilience and courage to fight for his right. This is one common thing to do for her son if she was able to eliminate the father to her son just to keep his real identity hidden. No one is above the wrath of her sword. More soldiers were sent to her and Hakeemi was no exception. He has refused to leave his newly found friend standing all alone in the battle. They will fight till the last drop of blood drops. That was the promise they made to restore the peaceful life in the kingdom.

Back in Carthage, the king has come out to address the crowd gathered at the forecourt of his palace. He could sense the rage and sense of urgency from the looks and voices of the people in regard to the situation at hand. As they said, they expect no long or sweet speeches from the king but rather permanent solution to the war, because they will not stand by and watch their peace broken into pieces and them taking into slavery. The king could not believe all these are happening under his leadership yet has no permanent solution at hand. He then reassures the people of victory against their enemy, but they seem not to listen to what he had to say to them, some of which are beginning to question his integrity and if he truly has the kingdom at heart.

- [How can I not have the kingdom that my forefathers have passed down to my fathers till it got to me at heart], he replied.

It seems to start taking a toll on him and his cabinet ministers are beginning to take his side, reassuring the people to trust the words of their king for he will not allow anything happen to their sovereignty. At that moment, the villagers have began gaining some sense of humour for the king and are beginning to voluntarily get involved in the fight against the enemy. Some the men who are not part of the army are beginning to come forth stating that they are willing to give their lives off to preserve the sanctity of the throne. More and more people are beginning to join the trail and that is getting some confidence back into the king.

Emissary Boateng stood back and watch in awe why all these is happening. He did not expect the people of the land would want to give off their lives to joining the soldiers fight his allies, and this is bound to make his work more difficult, as it will be difficult to control such a large number of soldiers. He is beginning to convince the king not to allow his people join the army. He reiterated that they might die out of nothing and that will reduce the number of men in the kingdom and will make livelihood a living hell for their wives and children if they are to get killed during the battles. The king seems not to adhere to what is emissary is saying to him now and deciding to go with the request of is people. He then looked back at emissary and said to him-

- [There is no kingdom without its people, and the people make the king]

This is becoming really frustrating to Emissary Boateng, as he is locked up in his own head and conflicting ideas. He is having a conflicting mind because he has no other plan as to what next to do in alerting the Punt army before stepping into their land.

The conflict in Kitara is getting more and more heated, as the Punt soldiers have outnumbered them and have strategized their ways. The king of the Punt kingdom still showcasing his cowardice behaving without showing up in all the battles, waiting to show his presence at the end of it all just to give a speech as the new ruler of the kingdoms. The Kitara army have also made up their minds to fight them with all that they have, and make sure their land is not taken from them

Masinissa Linette Duah II, upon adhering to the request of his people which sounded so convincing to him, deployed some of his ablest soldiers together with the volunteers to the Kitara land, to help them fight off the enemy before they make their final journey to their kingdom. This is going to take a toll on the Punt army since they do not expect any escort for the Kitara army. This will certainly secure the Ptolemaic Kingdom victory.

Boateng is now facing severe fears of his true identity being revealed, and hoping he will be able to flee from the kingdom if the people of Punt are defeated, in other t cover his shame. At this point, he does not try to escape as it will reveal him as the traitor even before the defeat of his allies.

The boarder of the kingdom is being more secured now and more soldiers are being sent to Azurethra to help secure their as well. Akinidad is impatiently waiting to showcase his talent and fighting skills he has learnt during his time in Carthage. He is determined to take down anyone who tries taking away his land, the land of which he will be presiding over in due time. he may look so handsome or beautiful if we should say but has an untamed personality in fighting for his people. Hakeemi stands shoulder to shoulder with his friend and making sure no one ventures anything stupid on the land.