Chapter thirty nine: to the hunt
Even though at first, it was chaos.
The public whispers turned into waves, even the people of the blessed bloodline found themselves tangled in doubt and uproar. Through the streets, across homes, behind closed doors. no one had prepared for a girl to be born first.
But uproar did not last forever. As confusing and odd it was at first, the situation quickly established.
The storm that had shaken the plaza did not last more even a few days. When the chief ruler and the lady chief stepped forward together, and held the child in full view of the people, the noise began to dull.
They accepted her as their child, the golden-eyed bloodline accepted her as their newborn child, and the public accepted her to be as blessed as a first-born son.
The myth about sons, being more blessed to be the first-borns of the blessed bloodline scattered.
Thousands gathered in the stone-wooden plaza, under the high banners of the golden-eyed line, the ruler stood holding his newborn. His words cut through old beliefs like a blade through fabric, into the ears of every curious citizens:
"There will be no changes to the rules passed down to us from our ancestors, my firstborn child shall lead after me, as it has always been. She will take my seat as the next chief ruler after my passing."
He truned to look at the other members of the his blessed bloodline, standing behind him in support. Then rising the child up for the people below see, he declared:
"I name this child of mine, Estelle."
The name echoed out loud, a single name was carried across into the streets, through the veins of every man, woman, and child present that day.
Estelle. A name that would be remembered by all inhabitants of dharti,
The first daughter born as the first child of the golden-eyed throne. The first with rights to inherit the seat by birthright.
Everything that happened that day, was just as Rev'dalto had seen it coming. He knew a new change would sweep across the human civilization.
The birth of Estelle rooted itself in the minds of the people.
The belief that had lingered for centuries, that a son alone bore the Creator's blessings to rule began to break apart.
What they thought was truth turned out to be tradition. And tradition, when held too tightly, can blur into myth.
That day, the people of Dharti learned to see the difference.
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Time flew and another ten years passed by just like that.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Slow footsteps moved through the long corridor of the main wooden residence.
The mesmerizing wooden-corridor was filled with a mix fragrance of aromatic and elegant flowers. Light-green vines crept across the outer pillars, though no one dared remove them. The building, shaped by nature and maintained with care, gave of the natural aura of freshness.
At the end of the corridor was a chamber. Inside the wide and circular chamber, there was a raised throne of smoothed timber where the chief ruler sat on.
The seat lined with stretched lion skin. Sunlight filtered in through carved openings above, painting shapes across the floor.
Clack.
The doors to the chamber made a slight sound before being pushed open. A man with squared shoulders entered right after.
"You've come, Rev'dalto," the chief ruler said, looking at the man as if expecting him.
Rev'dalto gave a short nod. "I came to report about the hunt."
The chief leaned forward slightly. "So it's time, then?"
"We're ready. The lion hunt can begin as planned."
A deep laugh came from the man sitting on the throne "Good. I've been waiting for quite a while now, the plains are too quiet without a challenge."
Rev'dalto said nothing more. He stood tall, his stone-posture was unchanged from a decade ago. He was still solid, even having aged slightly over the years, the sharpness in his eyes remained untouched.
The chief, though older now, still held the presence of a ruler. He was nearing sixty, his beard had grayed, but his frame stayed strong.
Rev'dalto was the man closest to the chief ruler, therefore didn't need any formalities. So the two stood in the chamber, having a calm conversation. There was no rush between them.
But then, between their voices, another sound entered the hall.
"Father~"
The soft voice carried through the chamber, stopping both men from talking any further. Their eyes turned toward the entrance of the chamber.
Tap… tap…
There, a girl stood barefoot, light on her feet, with a bright smile stretching across her face. The girl looked to be just touching her tenth year, moving with energy that filled the entire hall.
It was Estelle. The first daughter of the current chief ruler.
She didn't walk like a normal person should. She bounced forward in small hops, even the ground couldn't hold her pace. Her steps echoed faintly on the polished floor, each one followed by a flick of her hair or the rustle of her loose robe.
Rev'dalto, watching her approach, changed his stance and greeted her with a smile not often seen on his face. "Young lady, are you already awake?"
"Ah~ Uncle Rev!"
Estelle stopped right in front of him, her heels lifted as she nodded really fast.
"Yes, yes! I woke up early. I'm grown now, remember?"
She placed her fists on her hips, with eyes that looked proud. Her lips curled upward, thinking she had accomplished something that needed announcing.
Rev'dalto let out a heartily laugh, fully enjoying the young lady's childhood.
"Hahaha! That you are, young lady. That you are."
The chief ruler, seated on his throne, watched the exchange. His expression softened without words. He said nothing yet but his eyes stayed on his daughter.
'Indeed, she has grown.' the chief ruler thought as he looked at his toddler.
Rev'dalto tilted his head looking at her,"But, young lady… shouldn't you be with the chief lady? What brings you into the chamber this early?"
Before she could reply, a thought struck him. His eyes flicked toward the seated chief. "Ah… maybe you came to see your father?"
It made sense. 'Of course,' Rev'dalto thought, glancing at her soft features. 'she is still a child, naturally drawn to her father.'
He opened his mouth to say something comforting, but Estelle interrupted him before he could.
"No~ no, Uncle Rev." She wagged a finger at him, indicating he guessed wrong. "I didn't come just to see father."
"I heard from mother," she added, placing both hands behind her back, rocking on her heels, "that father is going lion hunting today."
Then, Estelle's eyes lit up, "So I want to come along! I want to see the lion hunt!"
"…You want to what?" His smile froze in confusion. "You want to go… watch lion hunting?"
Estelle nodded, proud as ever. "Yes! You hunt lions, right? I want to see one! Just from a little far. I promise."
Rev'dalto's mouth opened up, lost in his thoughts.
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Rev'dalto looked at the throne, and the chief ruler that sat on it.
"Uh, what should we do?" Rev'dalto asked, not sure how to respond to Estelle's request on his own.
"Hah…" The chief let out a long sigh, He raised his chin and looked at Estelle, then turned toward rev'dalto.
"We, born of the golden-eyed bloodline, are the descendants of the first blessed. We carry the responsibility of keeping mankind at the top of this world," he said without rising his voice, "It is not something to take lightly."
His voice sharpened slightly as he continued. "And lions are the only predators in Dharti that we, as humans cannot face easily. Facing them is proof. Proof that we are fit to carry the creator's intent."
Neither Rev'dalto nor Estelle spoke, listening to the chief ruler's words.
The hall was quiet except for the chief's voice and creaking of the trees beyond the structure.
The chief ruler took a step forward from the throne. "So if my daughter, the one who will one day take this seat, wishes to witness the hunt, her request holds weight."
He stood tall now and looked at Estelle, not as a father, but as the chief ruler of the human's and a descendant of the golden-eye bloodline.
"Prepare the hunters," he said. "We will go hunting!"
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'He is not wrong. The young lady will inherit the seat of chief ruler one day, so letting her see the lion hunt should be a part of her preparation to inherit the seat.'
With that thought in mind, Rev'dalto lowered his head slightly and said, "The hunters are already ready. We can proceed as you command."
Without further delay, a group of ten departed from the wooden halls of the chief's estate. Among them were seven royal warriors, each chosen from the golden-eyed bloodline. Alongside them walked Rev'dalto, the chief ruler, and Estelle. They all walked with flags of the golden-eye bloodline in hands, as horses didn't exist in dharti yet, they could only walk.
The direction was north, toward the great forest that had stood untouched for decades.
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As the expedition passed through the bronze-era city, which resembled a modern village in structure and scale, the citizens paused to watch the procession and gossiped among themselves.
"Wow, look! Look! The chief! The chief and the royal warriors are heading for the lion hunt!" a middle-aged man called out, pointing with excitement.
Others followed soon, they all gathered to look at the expedition. "Wow is that the young lady? She is also taking part in the hunt?" A boy looking to be in his twenties said.
"You fool. She is still a child, how can she take part in the hunt? The young lady is probably just going along to watch the hunt." An old woman corrected the young boy.
"Mom, look! Are they really going to hunt lions?" a small child, gripping his mother's hand, asked with wide eyes.
The mother smiled gently and said, "Yes. It's said that centuries ago, humans were once hunted by lions. But one day, the creator descended and blessed worthy people with golden eyes, to protect humanity from those beasts."
The child, unsure of something questioned in return"But... but Mom. Aren't lions big and scary? How will they hunt them?"
The mother patted the child's head and answered, "Lions are terrifying, yes. But the family of the chief ruler, blessed with golden eyes, can defeat those creatures and keep us safe."