The Fox Princess And Her White Dog

21: Rain of Arrows, River of Blood

"Alright, that's enough storytelling for today," Oktai said as he got up from his chair.

"No! You have to continue! We have to know what happened to Munkhtsetseg! How did she become queen? What happened to the Garid?" Snow and Erhi protested in tandem from the carpeted floor.

"I'll make lunch if you stay and finish the story," Snow offered.

The teen and his sister glanced at each other. "Thank you, Snow, that's very kind of you. But we can find our own lunch," he said.

"No, no! I insist. You're in my yurt, so you should listen to me," Snow said, pointing her thumb at her chest. "You liked my mutton stew the last time, right?"

The two youngsters looked at each other again, relaying a secret message back and forth with their eyes. "I'll help you cook!" Erhi piped up.

With a vegetable and mutton stew simmering away on the stove, the trio sat in their places to resume the legend of the Eternal Queen.

"After Munkhtsetseg's close call on the plains, she sought refuge with her mother's clan in the desert, and tried to lead a quiet life whilst raising her son, Narmandakh. It was said that the Garid stayed with her, in human form. At that time, nobody knew what it was; they assumed it was someone who escaped the massacre with her."

"Wait. Before you continue, what's a Garid?" Snow asked.

"A Garid is a mythical bird-like creature, often seen in the form of a golden eagle. It is said to be a protector of all innocent beings, a fighter of injustice, and a destroyer of evil. To us, it symbolizes courage and strength," Oktai explained.

"Got it. Please continue."

"Life in the desert must have been hard for her. For a girl brought up on the lush grasslands, the merciless sun and the freezing nights in an ever-shifting land of scant moisture, must have been a huge change.

"Her life was never peaceful. Chono was always sending men to the desert to either kidnap or assassinate his nephew. By then, he had elected himself khan. No leader dared to oppose or show lack of support for him at the khuriltai, lest his horde of bloodthirsty men decimate their entire clan.

"Munkhtsetseg and her son were always on the move on their camels; always on the lookout for sand clouds that warned of impending riders. For the first eight years of the boy's life, they managed to evade Chono and his men, sometimes by the skin of their teeth.

"Narmandakh grew up lanky and handsome, reminding Munkhtsetseg more and more of her dead husband with each passing day. Despite numerous suitors seeking her hand in marriage – no doubt because of her youth and beauty – she never remarried. It was apparent to all who saw her husband's sword hanging by her bedside that there was only one person in her heart."

Oktai paused when he saw Erhi looking at him with shimmering eyes, and Snow putting a hand over her own heart. "Though, there were salacious rumors that she and the Garid were secretly lovers," he added in a conspiratorial tone.

"Lovers?" Erhi and Snow exclaimed in unison.

"Yes. Probably the first, but definitely one of many in a string of lovers," Oktai said with a straight face.

"That's so unthinkable, a string of lovers!" Snow cried, grappling with what she had just heard.

"Why? Why is that so unthinkable?" Oktai asked with a tilt of his head.

"Because she's a widow! Isn't she supposed to remain chaste and loyal to her husband her whole life?" Snow said.

"Maybe you southerners think that way, but we don't," Oktai said, with raised brows. "If a woman's husband died fighting or hunting on the plains, she can always remarry. Or else, who will protect, hunt or herd for her? That's why we have this custom where the deceased husband's family takes responsibility for the widow, and" – the teenage boy had the decency to blush – "she can remarry the husband's younger brother or relative."