The day Margriel arrived Earth, he came with the sunrise. Just as it rose to its brightest in the morning sky, Margriel touched the Earth with its rays. In his full form, full of grace and light. He was glorious. He brightened up the whole scenery and knew he had to change form soon in order to avoid detection.
Since the creation, Margriel was feeling the grass beneath his feet for the first time. The leaves brushing against his hands and face. The sweet, raw smell of the flowers and all nature passing through his nostrils, filling his lungs and head with goodness.
He could hear the birds chirp happily in the trees, singing and tweeting as they flew through the clear morning sky. The Earth was so beautiful. It was demure compared to heaven, but it had a different kind of beauty that he couldn't see and appreciate well enough from far off in heaven.
Beauty everywhere. And now he just wanted to see Janice. If all these things could make him feel this happy, how much more could Janice?
Margriel spent his morning in the wild orchards of Wasis, gathering fruit and beautiful flowers along the way, with which he would meet Janice in human form and gift her as he made her acquaintance.
In the afternoon, he changed his appearance into that of a man of Wasis and began to walk towards the Mighty House of the Chief, hoping to learn as much as he could about human socilaization as he could on his way.
But he was shocked to learn that not ,uch was going on in the way of socialization aside from the soldiers' exploitation and extortion of the people.
The people were suffering much in the hands of Thorne's men. People were being bullied at every corner. Extorted of sheep and goats and food and drink.
Margriel wondered why he hadn't seen all these things so clearly from hnigh up. He was infuriated. Maybe, he thought to himself. Maybe he was meant to come down and see things for himself. Being in a perfect heaven made it difficult to truly guage the suffering of those below on the imperfect Earth.
As he passed by a woman who was being robbed of fifteen of her chickens, he looked at the greedy soldiers who were laughing and ridiculing the woman. He could destroy them in the blink of an eye. But not now. He had a different mission... He walked on.
Then he himslef was stopped. A group of Thorne's men, five in number came out from a corner he was just about to bend into. They had passed him when suddenly the package in his hands looked too enticing to pass up.
"You there! Stop!" Their leader called.
He stopped in his tracks.
"Who are you and where are you going with all that" asked the leader.
"I am Jamis" he answered as he turned to face them.
"I am going to see the lady of Andrew at the house of the chief"
Suddenly the leader's face became more stern. He looked Margriel from top to bottom and paused for a while, taking it all in.
A man dressed like the people of Wasis but with other clothes on that looked foreign. He looked like he had been travelling.
The leader chuckled, looked back at his men and then back to Margriel and tghey all suddenly burst out laughing.
"Chief who?" he asked
"Andrew" Margriel answered and the soldiers again burst out laughing boisterously.
Then suddenly their leader walked up to Margriel and gave him a slap across the cheek.
"There is no chief Andrew anymore"
"Andrew is dead. The chief is Thorne... And tomorrow, the chief takes Janice to wife"
As Margriel's face smarted from the pain of the cheap, unwarranted slap. he took account of the news of Thorne's intended mariage to Janice. The decision must have been made between the night when he saw Janice pray and that morning.
He had to act quick. He looked at the man who slapped him, and knowing he couldn't go the way of violence, he apologized for his error and acknowkedged Thorne as chief.
"So then, who are you to Janice and what is your mission to her?"
Margriel was well prepared for this question. But he didn't expect to be asked so soon.
"I'm her brother."
"Her brother?" The leader asked, surprised.
"If you are her brother, where have you been all this time?"
He hesitated a while.
"Are you hard of hearing?" the leader asked impatiently.
"I ran away just before we were attacked" Margriel answered.
The leader chuckled. "Coward", he said turning to hs men for a second before facing Margriel again. Laughs came from behind.
"I heard the battle horn and I fled into the wilderness", Margriel continued.
"Then I had to come back, because the war is over and it is better to be here than to face certain death there"
"Hmm" the leader mused. "so, what then are those in your hands?"
"On coming back, I heard that Janice is to be married to the chief. I brought these as wedding presents for her.", he lied, knowing that should be enough to protect the gifts.
"Hmm", the leader grunted. "We will see about that", he said as he took one apple from "Sweet!"
"You sure you were in the wilderness, coming back with such delicious fruits?"
"Yes sir", Margriel answered. "I got them this morning as I entered Wasis"
"Hmm", the leader grunted again and rolled his index finger, signalling the men to round up Margriel and his things and follow him as he proceeded to the house of the chief.