A Tale Of Queens

The Blacksmith

Dimtu closed the forge for the night, ensuring that all the doors were properly locked. He waved good night to the last of his men and began to make his way back home.

It had been a depressing day.

Recently, business had become slow and today was no different. Because it was close to the rainy season, the demand for farm tools were getting lower and lower with each passing day. To keep the business afloat, he had to cut the wages of his workers and this did not go down well with some of them. By the end of the previous week, five men had quit, leaving him short staffed.

All in all, things were not going well.

He sighed as he walked down the lonely path to his house. Hopefully, his wife was lucky at the market today. If not, that would mean no dinner for the third time this week. He could just imagine the disappointed look on her face when he returned empty handed. She would try to hide it with encouraging words of course, but that would not change the fact that her husband was not capable of providing for their home.

I should go and try farming...But how can I abandon my father's legacy...Then again, when has legacy ever fed me?

He was so deep in thought that he nearly collided with someone coming from the opposite direction.

"Careful," the man warned although he did not sound angry.

Dimtu looked up to apologize but was shocked into silence by the appearance of the man. Nobody wore their hair like that in Khelet. He looked like a foreigner.

"I am sorry," he said.

The man chuckled. "It's nothing." He gave him a friendly smile. "You seem distracted. Is there a problem?"

"Well..." he hesitated at first. Then he thought that there was no harm in talking to this stranger. His friends were starting to get tired of his never ending complaints about his business. It was all bottled up and it would be nice to have someone new listen to him.

"You know what?" The man asked before he could even reply. "You look like you are in need of a drink. Lucky for you, I am feeling generous. I know a place close-by. Exclusive. Quiet. You can tell me all about whatever it is."

Dimtu raised a brow. The invitation sounded very suspicious. Who offered strangers drinks just for the sake of it. He could not tell by his looks but maybe this man was attracted to men. Before he could reject the offer, the man burst into laughter.

"You seem scared of me. Have you assumed the worst already?"

Dimtu got defensive, annoyed that this stranger was laughing at him.

“You cannot blame me. I don't know where you are from but people don't go around offering drinks to strangers at night.”

“Oh no –” the man began to say.

Embarrassingly, his stomach growled, causing the his smile to grow even wider.

"Let us forget the drinks then. Does food sound good?"

Yes. Food sounds very good.

Dimtu was tempted. He could not believe he was actually mulling over this one. He had not eaten in two days and the hunger was doing strange things to his head. He finally decided to take the risk. If it came down to it, he could shout for help. His voice was loud. After all, his livelihood involved shouting orders at the forge.

"Look, if I was going to do something to you, I could have done it already. And contrary to what you may think, I like women. I am new to this place and I am in need of company but if you still don't feel comfortable –"

"No, no! The food sounds wonderful. Although I hope it is not too much to ask if I can bring some back home to my wife?" He was not fully convinced so he made sure to emphasize the last word.

Jyaret noticed it and chuckled. "Not at all. I am very confident that we will become good friends."

"So? Can we go?"

"Of course."

How gullible, Jyaret thought as he led Dimtu to Vileytna's house.

Sa-Alti would be waiting for them there.

Rest in peace, Chadwick Boseman.