The Gainans: Servant Princess

Chapter 24

Paupers Village was livelier now that the princess had returned. They starved, but they did so with such hope in their hearts that it made them light on their feet. Nola spent her first two weeks working with Jumu to find a solution to their food and water issue. Then the next few weeks was spent stealing her way around the kingdom with Jumu offering aid to those that needed it. She kept herself well hidden, concealing her face from the people. The last thing she needed was Kaana discovering that she survived. They only had so much food to give at times, and when that was the case, they offered herbs for treatment courtesy of Hola, or they simply offered a helping hand.

The effect was quick and amazing. Hope returned to the people as they realized that they were not on their own after all; there were those that were still willing to fight for them. This raked in more support to the cause, in both manpower and resources. Pretty soon, Sunset Keep was no longer enough to handle all the supplies smuggled to it.

Now that the operation was well underway, Nola finally had time to slow down and discuss Kaana. She'd placed him at the back of her mind for some time now so that she could focus on meeting the people's needs, but the time had come to hear what Jumu and the others had been working on.

Thus she sat in Taros' house with the elderly man, Bratan, Jumu, and Vuma. The air was tense, because even though the kingdom was slowly waking up, they knew that they were yet to directly handle the root of this mess. The elderly man cleared his throat and looked at the regal royal before him.

"Princess," Taros said. "It's up to you."

Nola nodded, serious and alert.

"I have come to terms with how greatly Gaina has changed since Kaana took power, and over the past weeks we've worked hard to offer a helping hand to those that need it. However, one place has proved difficult for us to reach." She turned to Vuma. "What is the state of things in Flame?"

"More tense than ever, Your Highness," the warrior replied. "The people there suffer more hardship than anywhere else. Kaana's increasingly ruthless with each passing day. They're terrified of him."

Nola frowned.

"Fear is a dangerous thing," she mumbled.

"They loathe him more than they fear him, Highness," Vuma added. "The air there is thick with revolt." He gave her a meaningful look. "They just need someone to stand up to him and they'll follow."

Nola nodded in oblivious agreement.

"My father will stand and fight for his people," she confidently stated.

She saw the looks on their faces and frowned. It was obvious what they were thinking. They were still skeptical about her father coming back to his kingly self. Their lack of faith was absurd. Her father was recovering. It was slow going, but he was recovering. He'd begun eating again, and had found the strength to leave his house and walk around once in a while to breathe in the fresh air, and feel the sun on his skin. Already the colour was returning to his cheeks.

Granted, Lano still kept away from taking charge, but Nola was certain that in due time he would step up to the plate. She'd spent a lot of her free time telling him about King Jesus, and reading to him from her precious Bible. He listened. He made no response, but he listened, and each time she returned to pick up where they left off, he looked eager to hear a little bit more about this strange king who helped his daughter transform into this strong woman. Yes, he would come to himself soon. She had no doubt about it.

She narrowed her eyes at them.

"Why do you look at me so?" she demanded. "He will do what is right. The people will see their king stand up to Kaana, and they will be spurred on by his bravery and strength."