Chapter 17 #3
“A king, in this sense, is not a mortal king. When I looked back on old texts, it occurred to me that when referring to kings, they simply referred to great men, conquerors, whether they ruled kingdoms or not. And when they referred to the King of Kings, they referred to—”
“—Methuselah.”
He nodded, steering the horse through a cluster of trees. “Methuselah died a great many years ago. Yet people are still seeking such Divine Kings.”
Azul scoffed; the cool breeze kissed her cheeks. “Then I am sure there are a great many kings that have spawned over the years. Anyone could be a Divine King, the gods do not actually nominate men.”
“In the past year alone, I have heard word of three Divine Kings across the Main Continent.” Ragnar’s words silenced her. “There is one in the Kuraltai, and one in the Bacchalia, and one—" he looked up at Azul, "in Kemet."
The air around them grew chilly, and Azul involuntarily shivered. “Great Khan, are you saying…”
“There have been rumours of a Divine King candidate in Tarsyn. I clearly do not wish to alarm you, but I’m afraid your Okpalaeze might be the man destined to receive that title.”
Azul found herself struggling to comprehend the warlord’s words. It was bad enough Somadina had been crown prince for this long; now to find out he was chosen to be a 'king', a great man that would one day change the world.
“Surely they will not just allow kings to appear all over Oblivia?” Azul said dryly. “Shouldn’t they be trying to kill each other—”
She paused at her own words, a thought intruding.
She struggled to articulate herself. "I see.” It was just then she noticed the strange sensation of being watched.
She kept her body straight and her shoulders relaxed, unwilling to give away any hints of their conversation.
Their voices were low enough that the spies couldn’t hear them.
“Clever girl,” the warlord murmured.
Azul felt her cheeks heat up at his words. “So they think you are ordained…by Ukhel?” Her heart couldn’t help but skip a beat. Ragnar was a great man, yes, but for people to find his potential threatening enough to try and kill him even all the way here seemed to undo something in her.
“I suppose they do. But it is strange. Most kings are guided by a Shaman sent by the god they represent; I have no such person, so I don’t fully understand why I have been crowned as such a man.”
Because a Shaman is merely a way of communing, you do not need to speak to the gods for you to be an extraordinary person. Azul did not voice her thoughts out loud. She supposed a Shaman was like an advisor for such a king candidate, so the question then was, who was Somadina’s Shaman?
“When you offered me anything I wished,” Ragnar’s voice interrupted. “I nearly mistook you for a messenger of the gods, ordaining me king.”
Azul looked at the man, finding him somewhat apprehensive of her. “I know my offer is vague. And you have no reason to trust I can fulfil your wish. But I'm grateful you were willing to marry me temporarily. I apologise for the mess my life is right now."
He took his time to respond, and for a moment, she considered he might have cold feet.
Her situation wasn’t advantageous, and there was too much unknown for either of them to make such risky gambles. 'Warlord' was a title of brutality, not conquest. Many people wanted Ragnar’s head to pander to his enemies; the Borjigin were apparently no different.
"Khatun." He brought her attention to the back of his head, to his long, black hair tied up behind him. "Such things you need not say. While you stay by my side, you must never apologise, not to me, not to anyone. Such is the weight of my name. Use it till you're full."
"Is that really alright?" She sounded uncharacteristically small. "To use you as a shield?"
"My name is not that weak that you need to worry about such things."
Her heart thumped.
Before she could say anything more, a horse burst from the trees ahead of them—wild-eyed, riderless, clearly spooked. Behind it, a child's scream.
Chinedu.
Azul's heart stopped.
The little prince's horse was bolting straight toward them, Chinedu clinging to its neck, his small face white with terror. The horse was completely out of control, foam flying from its mouth, eyes rolling white.
"Chinedu!" Azul's voice cut through the chaos, but the boy couldn't hear her, couldn't do anything but hold on.
Ragnar swung onto the horse behind her, arms closing around her as he grabbed the reins. The stallion surged forward without needing instruction.
"Hold on," he said in her ear.
Not like she had a choice.
They closed the distance fast—too fast, the wind tearing at her hair, the world blurring. Ragnar guided them alongside the bolting horse, matching its speed, then leaning—
His arm shot out, caught Chinedu around the waist, and lifted the boy clean off his saddle.
The child landed against Azul, small and shaking, and Ragnar pulled them both to a halt.
The boy burst into tears, hugging Azul tightly.
"You're safe," Azul said, her voice rough. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling his heart pound against hers. "It's over."
Ragnar slid off the horse and reached up for the boy. Chinedu went to him without hesitation, clinging to this stranger who had just saved his life.
"Where's your mother?" Ragnar asked.
"I don't know," he sobbed. "She was helping me up, and my horse suddenly lost its composure!"
Ragnar's eyes met Azul's. They both understood: this was not an accident.
"We need to get him back," Azul said. Her stomach was churning from the sudden motion. "His mother will be—"
She stopped and swallowed. The world tilted slightly.
Ragnar was at her side in an instant. "Khatun?"
"I need to get down." She pressed a hand to her mouth.
He helped her dismount, and she staggered to the nearest tree, bracing herself against it while her body remembered how to be still. The nausea passed slowly, leaving her shaky and embarrassed.
"I'm fine," she said before he could ask. "Just—the motion. I'm not used to it."
Chinedu, still in Ragnar's arms, sniffled. "Is the Akwaugo sick?"
"No." She straightened, forcing composure back into her spine. "The Akwaugo is perfectly well." She gagged. "We should return."
They found Nnenna at the edge of the forest, wild-eyed and frantic, surrounded by servants who had clearly been searching. The moment she saw Chinedu, she broke into a run.
"My baby!"
Chinedu tumbled into her arms, and for a long moment there was only the sound of a mother weeping and a child's hiccupping sobs.
When Nnenna finally looked up, her eyes landed on Azul, and her body froze.
"The Great Khan saved him," Azul said evenly.
Nnenna's arms tightened around her son, heart thumping. "I—I don't know how to thank you."
"Keep him close. Don’t let this happen a third time."
A third time.
Nnenna's face twisted, fear washing over her features as she found herself unable to keep looking into her eyes.
Azul turned away; she had a feeling the Third Wife would not visit her courtyard anymore.
Ragnar walked her back to the shrine. He didn't ask why she didn't return to the hunt, why she needed to lie down, or why her hands were still shaking slightly. He just walked beside her, leading his horse, silent and steady.