"I am Adazee, a keeper of tales, a witness to the rise and fall of kingdoms. I have seen warriors rise from the ashes of despair and rulers crumble under the weight of their greed. The stories I tell are not just of heroes, for every hero has a shadow, and every villain has a light. This tale begins with Yoname—a name both feared and revered. Her journey was forged in fire and betrayal, a path that would carve her place in history."
"History rarely spares its heroes and villains, for they are two sides of the same coin. Yoname—once a lost girl, now a name whispered in fear—was both. Her story began in fire, her hatred forged by the betrayal of her homeland. When she fled Benin, she carried with her more than grief; she carried vengeance."
At the age of fourteen, Yoname crossed into Aksum with nothing but her anger and a promise to herself—she would never be powerless again. Recruited as a low-ranking soldier, she entered the battlefield with no expectations but to fight. And fight she did. She was relentless, her blade swift and her eyes cold. Each victory solidified her presence, earning her the respect of her comrades and the cautious gaze of her superiors.
Over time, the King of Aksum himself took notice. Yoname proved herself time and again, outshining warriors who had fought for decades. But no matter how skilled or loyal she appeared, the king saw her as nothing more than a tool—a foreigner who could be wielded for his benefit but never trusted.
When the time came to honor her achievements, the king invited Yoname to kneel before him for a promotion. She had waited for this moment. As she approached, her steps steady and deliberate, she concealed her blade beneath her cloak. The court watched in silence as she knelt before the throne.
The king leaned forward to bless her. Yoname rose slightly, her hand gripping the hilt of her blade. In a heartbeat, she struck, the blade slicing through his throat with precision. The king gasped, clutching at his neck as blood spilled onto the polished floor. Yoname stepped back, letting him see the chaos erupting as her army stormed the palace, slaughtering his loyal men.
"Watch as your reign crumbles," she whispered to him as his life ebbed away. With one final push, she threw his body from the throne and turned to face the crowd.
And then she sat—on the very throne that had refused her, a symbol of her triumph. The people of Aksum, whether in fear or admiration, knelt and hailed her as their queen.
And so began the rise of a conqueror—a queen who would carve her name into history with steel and blood.
The conqueror's vow
Yoname ruled Aksum with an iron will, spreading her conquest throughout the north and deep into the great desert. Her armies marched across sands and through fortified cities, leaving a trail of dominance in their wake. Under her leadership, Aksum became a force feared by many and rivaled by few.
One fateful day, word reached Yoname of a ruler whose name echoed even in the great desert: Nehikhare, now known as Nehizena, son of the Benin king she despised. Despite her hatred for Akenzua, Yoname had always been intrigued by Nehizena. His reputation as a fierce conqueror and his defiance of his grand father's rule fascinated her.
Deciding to seek him out, Yoname journeyed to Nehizena's domain. When they met, Nehizena was captivated by her beauty and strength. Their shared ambition and mutual respect quickly grew into something deeper. Nehizena proposed, and Yoname, seeing both love and opportunity, accepted. Their union merged their kingdoms, creating an empire that stretched across vast lands. Together, they ruled as equals, fighting battles side by side, their alliance solidified through blood and conquest.
In time, Yoname bore Nehizena twin sons, and for a brief moment, peace touched her life. But not all welcomed their rule. One fateful night, enemies disguised as caretakers infiltrated their household and murdered one of the twins in his sleep. The loss devastated Yoname. She mourned deeply, but she held her grief in silence, trusting Nehizena to take vengeance.
Nehizena, ruthless and unrelenting, unleashed his fury upon their enemies, making entire villages pay for the loss of his son. To protect their surviving child, he sent him to Meroe, ensuring the boy's safety far from the reach of their adversaries. In the midst of her mourning, Yoname found a glimmer of solace when she gave birth to a daughter. She named the child Irene, declaring to all that her arrival marked the beginning of a new strength.
Though life continued, the relentless tide of conquest eventually claimed Nehizena. He fell in battle, leaving Yoname to grapple with the weight of their empire and her growing isolation. His death shattered her, for he had been her anchor and the only one who truly comforted her.
In the silence of her grief, Yoname recalled the promise she had made to Nehizena long ago: to carry on his conquest no matter the cost. But Yoname was not Nehizena. Her methods were far more calculated and ruthless. Where he wielded raw strength, she used cunning. Where he demanded loyalty, she commanded fear.
And so, Yoname rose once more, vowing to fulfill the promise she had made—not out of love alone, but out of a relentless desire to see the world bow to her will.