Shackled

Mercy

A tall, muscular man stands at the perimeter of his young settlement. Tikal approaches him with Akef and Rashad following closely behind. She adjust her dress in an attempt to look presentable.

"Thank you, sir, for allowing-"

"Step aside, child. It is rude to speak before your leader has introduced himself," he says. His eyes are peering over her head towards Akef.

"I understand your mistake but I am the leader," she says with a smile.

"A young girl... leader of a tribe?"

"Elder tribe to be exact, sir. I'm Tikal Sabali, the chosen of Bazra. Like I was saying, thank you for allowing us to-"

Akef and Rashad reach them in time for his next interruption. "I have no time for your games girl." He attempts to shove her out of his way but Tikal blocks his hand. Politely...

"Hey!" Rashad yells. "Don't touch her!"

Akef puts a hand on Rashad's shoulder and steps ahead of him. "May I ask what the issue is, friend?" he asks the settler. "Has our chieftess said something to offend you?" The leader's lock eyes but the male frowns.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay with you, sir..." she says through her teeth. Trying her best to stay regal. He lowers his arm back to his side and puts his thumbs in the belt of his loincloth.

"I'm... sorry," he says. "Gabriel Ro... It's just not every day that a child leads a tribe off this scale."

"It's behind us," Tikal says to move the conversation past their awkward introductions. "My messenger told me you needed supplies."

"Indeed, ch- Tikal. I am also in need of willing men to assist with the construction here. We are a small group of about fifty, twenty of which are women." Tikal looks past him and sees a few men working on a nearby house. She then looks behind her at her own tribesmen walking in their direction with sleeping sets and supplies for trade.

"I can offer supplies but my people are here to rest. Maybe some may volunteer out of kindness but I can't make that trade."

"What if we allow you all to stay longer?" he offers.

Tikal shakes her head. "It's not meant for us to settle for too long. Should we become complacent, our goddess would not bless us with her gifts and mercy. I see you have a few buildings mostly completed... will we be allowed to choose one of them or are you assigning our resting places."

"Have them choose... You can stay in my loft," he points to a room above a completed building then continues, "your people can either pull up their carts or partner with one of mine for shelter, and we have cages if you have any prisoners to put away."

"Rashad, inform the others of their options," she says before turning back to Gabriel. "We don't keep prisoners. It's not healthy for people to see others struggle."

Gabriel chuckles at her soft approach to discipline. "Sure," he says. "We have a couple that refused to follow instructions. Imprisonment is the best way to lower their will to have them fall in line."

Tikal tries her best to hide her disgust from his statement. "Can I see these prisoners you're speaking of?"

Akef raises and eyebrow at her. He steps forward and places a hand on her shoulder. "I going to assist Rashad in guiding the people here. You seem to have things going well here." Tikal smiles at him and he departs to join Rashad.

"Do you plan to execute them?" he says while turning around. His hand motions for her to follow. "That was a joke, by the way. I'll be executing them myself."

Tikal follows behind him frowning the entire way. "Why would you? All they've done was refuse orders. That doesn't sound like something to be killed for."

"You're a young leader... You don't understand the meaning of this type of thing. You may value your people and their lives so much that you are blind to the lessons learned through punishment. If I allow these defiant idiots to get away with their actions, then that behavior will spread. Others will think they can defy me in the same way."

They reach the section of the land appointed to their guards. A large open area with stocks and cells. The guards and prisoners watch the two leaders as they approach. The men stand from their benches then kneel before their king. "Sir!" they shout in unison. Their attire is simple tunics with brass accents to hold the pieces together. Five helmets are scattered about the table they were seated at. Opposite of them is a large cage that holds two of their own.

One of them is at the door, clutching it while his face is buried in his arms. The bald man sobs heavily. The other is a female that sits in the hay and leans against the rear bars of the cage. Her arms are folded on her knees and her eyes are locked on Tikal. Beaded hair ends in puffs of that keep them from falling out.

"This is the leader of the visiting tribe. She has requested to see the rebels," Gabriel says.

"Why?" one of them asks.

"I was wondering the same thing," Gabriel says.

The male prisoner gains enough composure to speak out to his leader. "My king! Forgive me for my transgressions! I will never disobey your commands again, I swear!" He pleads while reaching through the bars.

"Then why aren't you kneeling, boy?" Gabriel says. The prisoner's eyes open widely. He drops to his knees and begins to praise his leader. "What about your friend?"

"I will have nothing to do with her," the weak one says. "She is evil and convinced me to be defiant! Please remove me from this tainted being."

She scoffs at his groveling and spits. "I see..." Gabriel says softly. He turns back to Tikal. "Do you see the effects?"

Tikal shakes her head. "Nope... I just see a man with regrets."

"You'll learn, kid."

"Right," she says to entertain his ego.

"Take him out! Shown him back to his family but he will work with reduced rations for the next month." The guards walk to a nearby post that holds a set of keys. They open the cell and yank the beggar out of his crumpled position on the floor. They drop him just outside of the metal bars and kick at him until he gets to his feet. "Let the people know of my mercy."

Three of the five guards escort the man out as he continuously thanks Gabriel. "What should we do with the girl, sir?" A guard asks while holding the gate open. She's still staring at Tikal. It's not a look that shows bad intent but it is an interesting glare.

"She hasn't acknowledged my presence... Close the door. She's still scheduled for execution." The girl doesn't flinch even after hearing her fate. The lock clanks loudly and the guard steps away.

"This may be an awkward request, but may I have a moment alone with her?" Tikal says while locking eyes with the girl. The guards look at each other then to their leader. They shrug.

"Do you plan on trying to convince her to come around?" Gabriel asks with a grin.

"Perhaps," Tikal says.

"Fine. We'll be in the center of town. Don't do anything stupid," he says. Gabriel gestures for his men to leave with him. They give her a nod as they pass. Tikal waits until they are a good distance from them, then approaches the cage.