Era's of Oni

Chapter 14: The Kingdom of Aayla

The kingdom of Aayla was the first kingdom to receive word of the war against Okemia. The kingdom of Aayla is directly below the kingdom of Akshara which made it one of the closest kingdoms. That is why they received word first.

The first guard had made it to the kingdom known for living on a mountain. It was a big mountain. The guard had taken two extra days to climb the mountain alone. That's besides the long journey getting to the mountain. It was cold. The climb up the mountain that is. The breeze that swept through the sides of the mountain caused the guard to shiver. It was a miracle that the guard had even made it halfway up.

When the guard entered the kingdom, there were lots of subjects in the kingdom who nervously watched the guard enter. It was not often that they had visitors. Though the guard was tired from this long journey, he was loyal to his king and went through this journey.

Finally, he'd gotten to the king's throne. The king of Aayla. This king was older than the king of Akshara. He had more gray hair, and more wrinkles, but most of all, he had a more fierce look. This made the guard nervous. Though, still, this guard was loyal to his king. He would do anything for his kingdom.

"Your Highness." The guard said.

"What is your business here?" The king of Aayla said.

The king was very straightforward. Though he was a king with high expectations for formality, he hated his time being wasted. He demanded the guard to get straight to the point. So the guard did.

"I have been sent by the king of Akshara, he asks for your help." The guard said.

"What do I get out of this?"

"You can discuss that with him."

"What is it he needs help with?"

"Defeating the kingdom of Okemia."

The king seemed unamused by this kingdom's name. The king of Aayla was too affected by the kingdom of Okemia. Although he did want his revenge, deep down he was scared. If he went to war with the already beaten down Akshara, against the all-powerful kingdom of Okemia, he could lose his men and possibly his kingdom. This was a risk for the king. He'd have to decline.

Though he decided on an answer, he had second thoughts.

"Who will be attending this war?" The king asked.

"We have other guards asking the other kingdoms for help."

That alone made the king more confident. If he fought with the other kingdoms against the kingdom of Okemia, they would have a great chance of defeating them.

Therefore, the king requested that the guard stay the night for he would write the king of Akshara a letter of approval along with some requested rewards for helping. He made sure that these things were possible to achieve, knowing of Akshara's smaze that traveled to their sky.

The guard was curious about the kingdom. Their religion, their stories, their history. He wondered why they built a kingdom on a mountain. He had a whole day to find out.

After a while, the guard learned about their religion. They believed there was once a mountain god that lived on this mountain. They build the kingdom on the mountain for protection from the god and to praise the god. Being so close to the god made them feel safe. Their belief gave them strength.

The kingdom had stories too. They had stories of how they thought they had seen the mountain god before. A commoner from the kingdom had told the guard how the mountain god sent them a sign at their lowest point. When they felt like giving up, the mountain god threw a little peck of rock on their head, telling them to keep their head up and continue to try. It made them stronger. It helped them believe in themself. Another thought to see it. Though the guard had found out that this was the kingdom's crazy lady. So the guard did not believe the woman.

The guard found out that the kingdom of Okemia had attacked them because once the king of Okemia found out they had diamonds and gold, he wanted them. All of it. So he attacked the kingdom and took their diamond and gold. Though they mined more and made up for their loss. Compared to the attack on Akshara, this was minor.

When the guard had learned enough about the kingdom, he slept the night in the castle. The next morning, the guard took the letter and began his journey back to Akshara. 

Word count: 775