"for the beauty of the rose, we also water the thorns."
Descendant of Loa lineage, Karliah Shango stems from masters of Haitian and the old Oyo Empire Vodou. After the nuclear wipe out, she finds herself thrown into leadership with little comprehe...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Is she going to be okay?" Ali's voice registered within Karliah's ears. She squinted, peering past the bright lights surrounding her as she recognized her parents' worried faces hovering above her.
"Although there seems to be no signs of brain trauma," the doctor spoke, shining a light into the girl's eyes, a wince sounding from her throat in response. "I do believe it's best that she rests for several days at least."
Karliah sat up, her father's hands quickly finding their way to rest upon her back for support. A sudden scoff sounded from Eshe. "She's been unconscious for a week now, we don't have anymore time to waste,"
Ali looked over to her with a frown, "Eshe-"
"No. We need someone to fill Kweku's place, and it's up to her to choose who." she pressed.
Inconsiderate was anything if not an understatement when it came to describing Eshe's relationship with her daughter. It was difficult for the young queen to convince herself otherwise on most days, to be able to see an actual mother in Eshe. It'd be easier for her to simply disregard her mother's struggles and sacrifices and see her as she presented herself. Heartless. Merciless. Cold. Any and every word to describe a failed attempt at a mother.
Regardless, her conscience led her to feel nothing but pity, now more than ever after speaking with Kweku and Papa Legba.
Karliah's bag-ridden eyes bored into Eshe's, a deep breath rattling through her nostrils as Ali's protests began to meddle in the space between them. "I'm fine. It's fine." she muttered, looking up to meet her father's worried gaze.
She threw her legs over the gurney, pulling the IV from her arm without a flinch. "I'm sure mom would rather see me fall apart before this kingdom does, anyways." she sighed as she stood.
"Excuse me?" Eshe's voice filled the air, pulling Karliah back before she could make her way out of the room. "Maybe you should watch your tone, Karliah. You're a queen, act like it."
The girl's eyes lingered within her mother's, looking at her with a blank stare before meekly nodding.
"Maybe I will. And maybe it still won't be enough for you." she muttered, turning on her heel to leave the room.
»»————- ————-««
Karliah sat among the division leaders, the four of them seated in the dining quarters as they ate. If there was anything to thank the Loas for, it was the food they'd blessed the kingdom with, even more so, the kingdom itself. The dwarven-like kingdom Karliah as well as 5,700 people had now called home was far more advanced than any remnants of any civilization the bombs hadn't gotten the chance to destroy.
