Mahon Revenge

By Saja M. Kasbe

Members of the Mahon tribe who survived the massacre committed by the Kings of the Four Kingdoms (Fleischer Kingdom - Kingdom of Genzel - Kingdom of Assyria - Kingdom of Antebian) have vowed to severely take revenge against them and their people. Once an ancient prophecy that they believe in realizes, they will take revenge for their relatives who were burned to death or those whose remains were torn apart by the arrows of the kings' soldiers.

 

 The prophecy states that at some point in time a savior will come to them from outside the tribe. He will do justice to them, award them pride and prestige, and punish those who unlawfully shed their blood. He will get help from a legendary fortuneteller from them to perform his duties. After decades of waiting a young man named Lusito emerges from among them refusing to live in humiliation and injustice and hating his tribe's surrender to myths. He has a new revenge revolutionary thought, stating that the responsibility falls on each of them to change his reality and the reality of his tribe without waiting for the kindness of strangers to change their condition. This is the only way he knows to restore the prestige of his tribe and to revenge on the criminals who shed the blood of their ancestors in the past.

 

That's why he, with a group of young men of his tribe, descends from the mountain in which the people of his country lived in the past to escape from the oppression of kings. He heads towards the court of those kingdoms to invade them secretly. The first of their victories is achieved as one of them ascended the throne of the Kingdom of Antebian.

 

The path of their revenge is not easy and for it, more blood is shed. The founder of their new thought "Lusito" is killed so his daughter, Claire, bears the flame of their revenge. She inherits her father's shrewdness, resourcefulness, intelligence, and acumen. She decides to live in the capital of the Kingdom of Fleischer, to be her home, the home of Intrigue and deception. However, she collides with the crown prince of Fleischer, "Prince William", who is keenly watching her. An undeclared war starts between them in which they compete for proving which of them is capable of overthrowing the other.

 

In the midst of this conflict, their destinies are intertwined and their ways overlap, so they find themselves cooperating in resolving the biggest problem they encounter that threatens the lives of both parties: Mahon and Fleischer.

 

Their feelings get disturbed and the foundations of their revenge shaken, so their souls begin to favor peace over war and peace of mind over the volcano of revenge. They will be in front of a new choice that is shaping before their eyes, which is to turn over a new leaf with the grandson of their ancestors' murderers.

 

Will they shake hands?! Will they leave the path of revenge?! Can love and tolerance erase the envy and hatred that has lived in their hearts for decades?!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saja M. Kasbe
• Release date: May 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201380267

Book preview

SAJA  M. KASBE

Be the change that you wish to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandhi

Acknowledgment

Specially dedicated to my great parents, Muhammad and Sajida

My father is my guardian in the sky

And my mother, my beacon on earth

Thanks ..

Dedication

To all those who have suffered from the rigidity of my thoughts and my obstinacy and

stubbornness regarding my decisions, and have reciprocate it with love and care.

With hearts filled with fear and anticipation, the people of Wheler lined up in the palace courtyard in front of the speech balcony, obeying the palace's orders, which demanded them to gather. Their bodies froze because of the cold. All their senses were paralyzed by their preoccupation with the latest royal terror orders that would soon be issued.

Princess Claire (the king's favorite granddaughter) looked at them from the balcony of the palace. She stood alone at the top, preying on everyone with her harsh gaze that struck terror into their hearts. With a graceful movement of her hand, her grandfather, the king, was dragged along and brought in front of them a few meters away from the first rows standing below. So, everyone seemed surprised.

He was brought out in chains and led by two men in black; they were black shadows moving with faces covered by frightening red masks that gave them a terrifying look. Their king (King Anjin), the king of cruelty, injustice, and tyranny, was being dragged by a group that called itself Shadow Men. Those men are the ones who fought the king and declared rebellion against his authority, monitored and fully supported by his beloved and dear granddaughter, Claire.

The two men looked up, awaiting her orders, and with a nod from her, the king was pulled up and ascended to the top of the palace to be thrown down from there; the screaming of the crowd started to go louder. The same scene was repeated six times. Then, she asked them to stop and to bring the others.

Saffin, Jacker, Williama, and ten others of the most brutal, cruel, and loyal guards of the king were monsters unleashed by the king to savage his people. They were stopped, shackled, in front of shreds of blood and flesh, which was an hour ago their cherished king. Saffin let out a cry of indignation and pain and began directing his words towards her:

Claire, the wicked and traitorous, do not be overjoyed. You will never enjoy your crown as the fate of those like you is known. May you burn by the fire of your revenge and your anger, you are...

But the sword of one of the Shadow Men was faster than his words; the melodies of swords hitting the necks of others followed drawing a painting titled (Loyalty between yesterday's executioner and his men till the last moment in their lives) combining their rotten blood together.

Then, the crowds could now breathe out, as if the ugliness of what had happened had suppressed their breath and stopped it. In a state of mixed feelings between fear, panic, and joy, they could not believe that the tyrant's era and his men ended, forgetting that the new era was staring at them intensely from the top of the palace balcony. At that moment, she made a few"word speech that shook the tranquility of their young souls and ignited terror in their hearts:

I am Claire, Claire, the daughter of Lusito, Claire, the daughter of the mountain fox. I am from the Mahon, and these are my tribe. (pointing towards the Shadow Men who were flocking in large numbers to the yard, and to those who started to appear on the balcony: Their faces were known to the people; they were men of the previous king and were pillars of the kingdom or so they deceived everyone).

She was silent for a while, letting her people swallow the amount of poison reaching their ears. She continued:

I'm your worst nightmare, and you're all now at my mercy.

Mahon- the lowly tribe

Curious to find out who this tribe is? How do they live? How many of its members? " you will be reluctant to believe their truth: If you address your question about them to one of the peoples of the Four Kingdoms (Kingdom of Fleischer, Kingdom of Genzel, Kingdom of Assyria, or Antebian Kingdom), their answer will be the same as follows:

They are a small group of people, charlatans, and their eyes exude sharp cruelty. As soon as their eyes fall on you, they will captivate your soul, and you will be a prisoner of their evil deeds. They are simply bad people. In order to do humanity a favor, whenever you hold one of them, burn him.

But if you ask a member of the Mahon tribe, he will respond to you in one sentence:

We are victims of kings. They do not accept us in their kingdoms because we are special, and they delude their people that we are sinful.

But if you want the truth, then allow me to explain to you who they are. I beg your pardon for the prolongation because I have to mention the moment of their existence hundreds of years ago.

The story of their existence begins with the presence of ten families of Mahon who fled from an ancient kingdom (now extinct without a trace) to escape the plague that befell their kingdom. They settled at the borders of the four kingdoms. They were famous for their huge bodies and strength. They spoke their own language and married among themselves. They did not mix with others. They enjoyed some unique characteristics differentiating them from other human beings: for example, some of them had the power of hearing, and some had sharp sight. The unique few of them could foresee the future; those who possessed this feature got a high position and were selected to be the fortune"teller of the tribe. His word became very powerful. If you want me to describe their men in general, my answer will be as follows:

The men were bulky and brawny. They were about two meters high, with long and thick hair that reached just below the shoulders. They had sharp features and strong and fierce eyes like the eyes of a falcon. Their eyes color was usually between black and brown hues and was rarely blue. However, blue eyes brought shame to its owner all his life due to a prevailing belief among them that those whose eyes were of the color of the sea are destined to drowning. According to their traditions, this way of death was shameful and disgraceful. They had a dark complexion due to permanent sunlight exposure because their men did not like to live under a roof. They spent their day and night in the open air. They rarely slept inside their homes. They were first"class horse riders who loved horses. Taming wild horses was their passion. Perhaps if they had lived in better and more luxurious conditions, they would have been considered one of the most handsome men on earth.

As for their women in general, they had pale white complexion. They were tall and thin, and they shared the same eye descriptions of men. They were not different from the men of their tribe regarding their fondness for horses, and they were skilled at riding them. They were distinguished by their long braids hanging behind their backs. However, it was difficult to describe them as beautiful women, but the strength of their personality and their sophistication gave them an aura of mysterious beauty. It was their responsibility to raise their children away from the father, who was free from the burdens of the responsibility of raising his children. However, despite all of that, their tribal system sanctified and revered men and underestimated women. For the Mahon, the men were the pole of the tribe, and the women were nothing more than a leaf in a bent branch.

Despite their outward appearance that suggested strength and cruelty, they were a group of peaceful people. It was an exclusive society meaning that they did not mix with their neighbors except for commercial exchanges. They lived on raising horses and bartering them for what they need from the necessities of life.

Their introverted and isolated lifestyle had dire consequences for them, as a result of which they had paid their blood, pain, and tragedy for decades.

Their indigenous neighbors became wary and suspicious of the lifestyle of those who intruded near them; their anxiety increased over time, and some became extremely curious to find out who they were! How did they live! And because there was nothing to quench this curiosity and the naivety of the early Mahons of not wanting to change their lifestyle and mix with others " many frightening stories and fabricated rumors spread about them and their unknown lives, but the quality of the horses that they raised was sufficient for the continuation of trade with each other until the fateful day came.

On a cloudy morning, the village of Narus (a frontier village located within the borders of the Kingdom of Fleischer, separated from the Kingdom of Assyria by the mountains extending along the two kingdoms' borders) woke up to a calamity that had never occurred in their village. A young girl was found murdered and assaulted; she was going to the lake to fill her bucket with water. She was found later, with torn clothes and a head smashed by a piece of stone found near her body. Echoes of this crime extended to the nearby villages along the borders of the two kingdoms.

The ruler of that village found himself, overnight, under a barrage of pressures and demands from the people of the village and neighboring villages to find the murderer and hold him accountable for his heinous crime. For his fear of losing his position " as all his attempts to uncover the perpetrator failed, and what further complicated matters was that the news of that crime reached the royal court, who in turn pressured him to seize the criminal and hand him over to the palace to be executed in the capital so that he would be an example for everyone – he could do nothing but unjustly accusing a son of Mahon of the crime and benefiting from what was said about them.

Indeed, the sentence was carried out against the poor young man who could not prove his innocence because of the well"plotted story woven by the ruler and his men. Ever since the suffering of the Mahon with the rulers began. Their isolation from their human neighbors did not help them to stop the flow of charges and crimes attributed to them. Whenever rulers failed to arrest the real perpetrators, the Mahons became human sacrifices that would be dispensed with whenever necessary, thus conveying a frightening false image of them as people fond of murder, witchcraft, and sorcery. This idea became entrenched in everyone's minds, including the kings, throughout the years.

In their turn, the helpless Mahons were strangers in a foreign land to which they resorted in order to escape death. However, they found death had opened its doors to receive them; thus, they surrendered to fate, hoping for a better life in the future.

King Damel Fleischer and the sorcerer Mani

King Damel took the rule after the death of his father, the king. Damel was a young man in his thirties. He was ambitious with a dream of expanding the borders of his kingdom and making it stronger. He was distinguished from his predecessors of kings by shrewdness, cunning, and cruelty. He was merciless towards his enemies and was famous for an expression he always repeated:

If a tree branch disobeyed me, I am willing to uproot the whole tree without any sense of empathy for all other branches.

With this mentality, Fleischer's kingdom expanded by taking over many lands and became one of the strongest kingdoms on earth at that time.

On the same day when King Damel took the rule, Mani was born in the Mahon tribe. The tribe considered his arrival a good omen as before his birth. Some signs appeared and were interpreted as the baby to be born next would be of great significance one day. Indeed, Mani met all the expectations. He was unique and different from all other members of the tribe. He was like a unique star appearing in our wide sky once a century. One of his most significant advantages that no one of the past and present Mahons had ever enjoyed was the power of communicating with dead people. He was like a platform for talking to suffering spirits and could relieve their pain. He was also known for his intelligence and shrewdness. All these advantages qualified him to be the fortuneteller of the tribe at a young age. The Mahon felt that the days of injustice and oppressions were about to end as an ancient prophecy they believed in stated that:

The tiger man will appear and will lead them to light and dominance at a time when a sorcerer of superpowers exists.

The tiger man would be a strange man that did not belong to the Mahon. He enjoyed certain characteristics that helped him earn the affinity of his tribe's members, so they obeyed him and became all ready to sacrifice their blood to protect him. In turn, he would lead them to sovereignty and high status among all human beings. The tribe's fortune"teller was the only one who can distinguish the tiger man by identifying the signs indicating him. In his turn, he would tell the good news to the tribe's members that the time of the tiger man arrived and they would have sovereignty and high status.

It was a tradition that the tribe's fortuneteller named newborn babies after animals based on a vision in which the baby was distinguished by this animal's characteristics. For example, the one distinguished by cunning was named fox. The one distinguished by sharp sight was named eagle, etc. The drawing of the animal would be engraved with some incantations on a small piece of wood to be hung in the child's neck. The same animal's characteristics may be shared by several children except for the tiger as it belonged to the strange man to whom the prophecy would one day be applied no matter how long it might take. Regarding Mani, his pendant had the symbol of lightning, which was one of a kind that was never given to anyone before. The reason was that the tribe's fortuneteller saw the same vision for three days. The vision was about Mani, the baby. It was a bolt of great lightning hitting a big tree, which burned with massive fires that could not be extinguished; thus, it was his incantation.

Mani grew up and became a 19 year old young man. He was tall and thin, which made him different from his people. He had grey eyes, sharp looks, and jetblack hair dropping down his shoulders. He was moving between villages despite the opposition of his people who were afraid for him of the conspiracies and schemes of the men of the kingdom, but he used to object, saying repeatedly:

Whenever spirits call me, I should answer their calls, or else my beloved ones will be harmed. Gifts come with responsibilities and consequences.

That's why he was moving between villages in worn clothes like a beggar telling the villagers about the future events he had felt and seen. He was indifferent about the consequences that might happen later because of the kingdom's stringent rules against sorcery and magic, which was punished by death by burning. He voluntarily worked as a detective taking advantage of his ability to reveal the criminals who could not be discovered by the men of the kingdom. That's how he made use of his gift of communicating with the suffering souls leading him to their murderers. Besides, he used his cunning to provide evidence for the crime. However, some people did not like this, especially the families of the criminals who saw their sons being hanged. Therefore, they tried to escalate their accusations of sorcery and magic against him until the news reached the palace. Then, King Damel asked his men to brought Mani to charge him with practicing sorcery in his kingdom.

Mani was brought to the palace. He had just turned twenty, but his logic and words indicated an older age. He was not afraid of standing before the King that was known for his tyranny and cruelty. He was too thin to be able to resist the guards who humiliated him by dragging him along the vast hall decorated with golden antiques and statues. The young Mahoni was impressed by what his eyes saw. His eyes kept wandering around the place, indifferent about his fate and the king sitting on the huge throne, looking silently to the young man standing before him, and admiring his courage. A brief conversation took place between them:

Do you like the place? Are you dreaming of living here? the king said.

Your majesty, I have to admit that it is a beautiful and magnificent place, but I love the wilderness, Mani answered very calmly.

After exchanging looks for a while, the king looked down at his right palm's fingers. He calmly said:

They told me that you are a sorcerer and can take people's souls to use them for your obnoxious deeds.

Are not the king's men getting bored of repeating these same words?! Since the Narus accident, everything around us has changed except their accusations against us; it is still the same. The kingdom has gained more land and became darker after drinking the blood of those who inhabited it. Indeed, they were removed from their houses by aggression and injustice, but their blood remained to embrace their land, witnessing the ugliness and greed of the kings.

King Fleischer was not used to being opposed by a man from the public, let alone a lowly Mahon. Thus, the king got angry, but he remained calm and replied to him while grinding the words with his teeth:

How dare you to answer me with such disrespectfulness?

The truth is always hurting. My advice to you, king, is that you should not expand your kingdom's land at the cost of innocent people as your grandchildren will pay a high price in the future.

He was so angry that the vein in his forehead was about to burst, so he shouted at him:

Are you threatening me?

Who am I to threaten the king? I'm just a helpless Mahon.

The king stood up, went to him and put his right hand on Mani's left shoulder, and started to press hard on his protruded bones, and pulled him closer violently. Then he asked:

They told me that you solve crimes that my idiot men cannot solve. How do you do so?

The suffering souls direct me to their murderers, and I do my role in proving the crime with irrefutable evidence.

He let go his fest, went a few steps backward, stared at him, and said:

The dead people help you! And you are angry that the people describe you as sorcerers and witches.

I'm not a sorcerer; neither is my tribe. It is a gift that distinguishes me from the others, and I use it to relive the dead. I do not take money for what I do. I do not make a living by it. I do not understand why some people hate me!

Yes, you do good. I admit it, he sarcastically replied and added:

Mani, you are a smart guy! So let me discuss a mathematical problem with you: which decision has a stronger effect on my kingdom and the stability of my throne; to ignore the angry families that you caused the death of their sons, including noble families deeprooted in all parts of my kingdom or to erase a small tribe intruding into my kingdom's lands?"

Mani immediately kneeled at the king's feet, asking mercy for his people and begging the king to punish him alone. The king, Damel, smiled at the vulnerability the Mahoni finally demonstrated and said:

I cannot help it, my friend; I cut only the bent branch but also the whole tree. Yeah, you should have already known as you can foresee the future.

With a gesture of the king's hand, the guards started to pull him out of the hall while he was screaming.

Our tree is strong and has firm roots; you may be able to cut many of its branches, but you will never be able to uproot it, neither you nor all the kings inheriting the throne of your kingdom. I'm warning you against committing a crime that you and the three surrounding kingdoms will pay its price.

Stop him! the king shouted at the guards as Mani’s threat made him angry!

What did you say? Repeat to me what you have just said.

The tree that you will cut its branches will grow branches even stronger.

At this moment, in a fit of anger, the king slapped him so strongly that he fell.

I'm sorry that you underestimate me, but the tiger man will know my value in the future, Mani said it while his face touched the ground, bleeding.

The tiger man? Who is this? How could he know your value while you are dead?!

I will be dead, but my heir will be alive at the time of the tiger man. I'm telling you that he will be way better than me.

The king laughed loudly, looked at him, and said:

"I do not want to disappoint a dead man, but I will make sure that you will not have an heir. Be sure that I will annihilate your entire tribe.

" I have great sympathy for your majesty because of your poor judgment. This is my heir. He is here with us. I can see him. He is glowing in your palace's hall like a moon in the darkness of the night. I beg him to excuse you as the pride of our tribe deserves some bloodshed.

The king shouted at the guards.

Take him away. He has completely lost his mind.

At dawn, Mani was sentenced to be burned to death. The king ordered that he would be tied to a big tree at the top of the hill located on the outskirts of the capital and to set it on fire so that everyone can see the end of the sorcerers and witches. The people surrounded the hill from all sides to watch the young man being eaten by fire and screaming at the top of his voice. He was not asking for mercy. He was saying:

Excuse him. Our glory will be realized by you. Sacrifices are necessary.

The fire did not die, and they could not put it out. It kept burning, and the lightning that kept hitting the tree continuously for three days helped its flames to remain. At the dawn of the fourth day, the fire died on its own.

From now on, the hill and the tree that withstood fire were considered a jinxed place, and no one got closer to it (the tree became charred with leafless and black branches).

The Mountain of Death is our Refuge

While the fire was burning at the top of the hill, more than hundred-armed soldiers surrounded the Mahon dwellings in which there were men, women, and children. The Mahon's number did not exceed sixty in the Kingdom of Fleischer because they were scattered here and there on the other three kingdoms' borders. Before Mani reached the palace, the king had secretly ordered one of his loyal leaders to lead a military campaign to liquidate all members of that tribe. Today, at the crack of dawn, the soldiers stood ready to reap souls that had not yet awakened; the king became tired of the many letters sent by the new ruler of the village of Narus asking the king to authorize him to expel them outside the borders of the kingdom. The last message came as follows:

"My Master and lord, King Damel,

After I had the honor of serving you as a governor of the frontier village of Narus, and after seeing the documents left by the former ruler throughout his reign regarding the issues of managing the village and organizing its affairs and the problems he faced before he was stolen from us by death and left this life behind, it became clear to me that most of the problems and crimes that occur here are due to the existence of a wicked group of people that infiltrated us by coming across borders. They face our good hearts with prejudice and hate. Various hideous crimes were committed against our gentle people; therefore, if you permit me, I would like to expel them outside the boundaries of your great kingdom. They will return to the homelands that had dispersed them at us. This way, our people will be relieved of any harm that might come from them.

Looking forward to your answer to my messages

Your loyal and sincere servant."

King Damel was afraid that if he expelled the Mahons from his lands, they would move to one of the neighboring kingdoms and settle there, which would cause a kind of dispute and political conflict between him and that kingdom that embraced them by force. The relations between him and the Three Kingdoms were marked by hostility after he forcibly seized some of the lands belonging to them and annexed them to his kingdom's borders. That's why he was afraid that he would find himself in a war against them; in fact, they can ally together to fight him, especially that they now had a mutual interest to regain their stolen lands. They may use the incursion of Mahon as an excuse to start that bloody war. Therefore, he decided to send the soldiers to eliminate the Mahons. For him, eliminating those strangers was better than involving his country in wars that would threaten his throne's security and safety.

The Mahons had not yet woken up to find themselves attacked by flaming arrows from all sides, piercing their huts and burning their bodies. The screams of women and children started to rise, combined with the sounds of the cracking of fire. Any person who was lucky enough to get out of the house hell would be met by arrows of archers waiting for them outside. Nevertheless, a few groups managed to flee from the king's army's grip, fleeing to the mountain near their village. Where its rocks and caves were tenderer and kinder on them than humans.

The mountain in which they hid was called "The Mountain of Death." The high-altitude mountain was in a state of constant love with clouds, always embracing it with passion. The mountain was permeated by a huge crack extending from the top down to the bottom of its base dividing it into two parts: the right, the largest part, was distinguished by its tall trees aligned together and casting darkness on the area by preventing sunlight from kissing the earth. As for the left side, it was bare of plants, distinguished by its large, protruding, and sharp rocks as a result of climatic factors that had caressed it over the years, making its edges as sharp as a knife to protect itself from any profanity by any living creature. As for the crack, no one dared to approach its entrance at the foot of the mountain; at a distance of tens of meters, you can hear the hissing sounds of snakes that lived in it. Hundreds of poisonous snakes were distributed there, looking at you with all defiance if you thought of approaching their paradise.

They were left there to suffer from the pains of burning, hunger, and cold. Those who raided them at dawn did not trouble themselves to chase them inside the mountain because they were confident that the Mahons would meet the fate of annihilation more slowly and tragically. The Mahons in the other Three Kingdoms were not more fortunate than their peers in Fleischer. They were also subjected to the pursuit, arrests, and murder after King Damel used them as an excuse to raid his neighbors' lands under the pretext of harboring criminals fleeing his kingdom. Accordingly, the three kings (Genzel, Assyria, and Antebian) gave orders to liquidate them to block his path and stop advancing his army, which approached their borders. They sent messengers to him informing him of the Mahon's liquidation, saying that their lands were freed from criminal foreigners.

For the sake of the rulers and kings' political interests, the peaceful and naive Mahon families were exterminated. They aspired to live their simple lives, maintaining their traditions and customs, far from those around them.

More than a decade has passed since Mani was burned and his clan was exterminated. Fleischer's common people still remembered his tribe and its characteristics, not because they were seen amongst themselves in the streets and markets (they completely disappeared and people were certain of their death) but because of the mysterious events that occurred after their liquidation. These strange events made the name of Mahon indelibly entrenched in their minds. Besides, the rumors and old news about them were believed by the people who knew that the Mahons were already practicing magic and sorcery. Everyone believed in the idea that the hill that was the platform for the execution of that Mahon young man and the tree to which he was tied turned into a cursed place. The issue was confirmed for them and was no longer doubtful after the injury suffered by King Damel; His hand was paralyzed when he tried to uproot the tree by himself to shut up the tongues that spoke of its curse. Also, the attempts of the doctors of the palace to treat him were utterly unsuccessful. Thus, the hill was left deserted. As for the Mountain of Death, passers-by could still hear the constant screams of people moaning in pain at night. Little by little, the Mountain of Death became a place famous for fear and dread. No one dares to approach it so as not to disturb the suffering souls inhabiting it.

One day, the Crown Prince (Prince William I, son of King Damel) was on a hunting trip with the rest of the family's princes and their entourage. He went off away from them after his horses ran away from his procession towards a deer that was passing near him, so he penetrated deep into the forest. As soon as he managed to catch his quarry, he noticed that he was moving away from his company, so he started wandering into the forest trying to get out of it, but to no avail, as if the forest had closed its doors to the prince. He got tired and thirsty, and the evening began to ask for the day's permission to take its place. The prince got off his horses and walked around the place to recheck it. He climbed one of the trees in an attempt to find out the way out from above but to no avail; the density of the branches of the trees prevented reaching anything. Fear crept into his heart. He was not afraid for himself; his greatest fear was of what would happen to his entourage by his father if he failed to return to them or if something terrible happened to him. He was the only son of his father. He was the hope of the kingdom of Fleischer and its survival. All his brothers who preceded him did not complete their third year as the grave was their refuge. Finally, the king was blessed with this son after more than fifteen years of marriage; therefore, his father was overprotecting him out of love for him and out of his concern for Fleischer's continued existence among the kingdoms. At the end of his second decade, the prince was a humble young man, loved by all, and with a heart full of kindness, in contrast to his father, King Damel.

He sat on a tree stump, putting his head into his hands. Black thoughts dominated his mind; Even if he was a knight and a courageous man, he could not escape the attacks of monsters that would come out of their hiding places at night. At this moment, he felt a hand patting his shoulder, so he raised his head to be terrified of what his eyes saw:

A blind woman with a deformed face, the fingers of her left hand (or what was left of it) were stuck together and wholly deformed. She was wearing worn-out clothes: a gray dress reaching her feet and too light to match the current cold weather. She was tall and so thin that her facial bones were protruding. Her red hair or the lucky locks of hair that was still growing in her head were styled in a long thin braid caressing her back; because of her deformity, it was difficult to determine her age.

The prince flinched, jumped up, stepped back, drew his sword, and pointed it to her, and before he uttered a word, she spoke:

My name is Mendy, Prince. Sorry, I scared you. I know that my appearance is frightening, and I know that you lost your way. If you allow me, I will guide you to the place of your entourage. Follow me.

After a while, the prince regained his usual courage and replied to her.

How did you know who I am and you are...? he stopped talking out of shyness.

Blind! She smiled and added:

I'm blind, but I have a strong sense of hearing. I heard your entourage calling you there towards the east from where you stand. They are not far from here. Follow me, please.

And she walked feeling her way along with ease as if she can see.

The prince followed her without sheathing his sword, but he lowered it to his side. He said:

Do you live near here? I did not hear your footsteps approaching me, so I was startled

Yeah, I live somewhere here, and a body as thin as mine is impossible to make a sound while walking. She started laughing.

After a short time, she stopped walking and pointed her hand forward, and said:

They are there. Do you see them? I hear their voices.

Because of the darkness, the prince could not see them from a distance, but then he noticed their presence.

Farewell, Prince.

She turned back to the forest, and the prince stopped her, saying:

You helped me, and I have to thank you. I am curious about where you live. Do you have a family? It is clear that your life is difficult. Your clothes and your thin body indicate so. Come with me to my palace. There, I will reward you for your help, and you can tell me your story.

I'll tell the prince my story, but not now. Now is the time to go home, but if the prince really wants to help and reward me, I will meet you at the lake near which your entourage is standing now three weeks after your coronation as a king.

What?!

At this moment, the men's voice got louder upon seeing the prince, and they rushed to him. They showered him with questions, thus distracting the prince's mind away from Mendy:

My Lord, are you all right?

Forgive us, Lord. Are you okay? We ask you to hold us accountable for our failure to protect you.

Please, my lord, let's hurry back to the castle before it gets too dark.

He answered them quickly to stop the flow of questions directed towards him:

Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I didn't get any scratches. I'm fine.

Then, he turned to complete his words with Mendy, but she disappeared and ceased to exist.

He sent some of his men to search for her and bring her, but they came back disappointed without finding any trace of her.

Attending the Appointment

The prince returned to the castle (Suranki Castle) after his men insisted on returning for fear of any harm befall him. They promised him that they would scan the forest and the area near it inch by inch to bring the old woman to him.

The prince did not sleep that night despite his wife, Princess Anne's attempt, and insistence on him to rest. Something disturbed his comfort. He was shocked by the sight of this blind, deformed, thin woman. He had an unexplainable strange feeling. He talked to himself, saying:

Why do I feel responsible for this woman? It's not just a desire to thank her and show gratefulness for her help. It is something deeper. It is something I can't describe it.

In the morning, while the prince and his wife were sitting in the castle's back garden. One of the servants came, informing him of the guards' return who were sent to search the woods. They were asking for the prince's permission to come before him.

So, did you bring her with you? The prince anxiously asked

We searched the entire forest, my lord, and we could not find her. Also, men were sent to the nearby villages to search for her there, but the rural people denied the existence of a woman with these characteristics living among them. They did not even notice her around.

The prince arched his eyebrows and said:

What does this mean?! Do you think I was fantasizing, or am I just going crazy?

Pardon us, Lord! it is really confusing, but the men spent the whole night looking for her without finding a trace. I do not know; it is said that the forest in the evening produces fumes that may make a person...

The prince interrupted him, nervously, how dare you?

The princess intervened to calm the escalating situation,

Dear, the men spent the whole night looking for that woman to fulfill your orders. Let them rest. You did your best to thank and help her. Do not blame yourself, please. I am sure that she will come to the palace soon.

With a gesture from the princess, the guards were dismissed.

She approached her husband, who was boiling with rage, and hugged him from behind.

I wasn't imagining. She is real; she told me her name, Mendy, yeah.

But my dear, the men found you alone there, and they immediately set off into the woods to get her. You said she was blind, meaning she couldn't have gone too far.

I cannot believe what I hear; my wife, the closest person to me, does not believe me!

Calm down, please! I believe you, but don't you find it strange that she disappeared from the forest? Explain to me why they didn't find a trace of her.

He got up and said in a loud voice:

I don't know. I don't know. I can't explain what is happening, but I saw her and talked to her. I wasn't dreaming. She is real. I don't imagine things.

She calmly answered him to absorb his anger,Yes. Yes, if she does not appear in the coming days, we have nothing left but to wait for the appointment that she made with you.

Days, weeks, and months passed until autumn came with sadness for everyone as King Damel died. The most powerful king the kingdom had ever known throughout the ages left. Despite his extreme cruelty, he was able to make the kingdom of Fleischer one of the largest and wealthiest kingdoms, and he imposes its prestige and power over all thrones.

His son, Prince William, the First, was crowned king and received the reins of power. Despite his intense preoccupation in this sensitive period of the transfer of power to him, he did not forget the appointment concluded between him and that woman. He was certain that she was real and not a figment of his imagination. No trace of Mendy had ever been found since that day in the woods. He was counting the days until he met that blindfold to prove to everyone that they were wrong.

The sun rose, announcing the start of the expected day. King William stood at the lake with three of his best and closest bodyguards. They knew by heart that Mendy was nothing but the new king's illusions. However, they followed him and stood there, waiting for her appearance.

From a distance, somewhere on the Mountain of Death overlooking that lake from afar, Mendy stood there with two men staring at the king and his waiting guards.

Wow! He has already come, One of them said.

If only you'd let me kill him when I had the opportunity in the jungle! Now the chance of killing him is little, and he is accompanied by three of the most potent royal guards, the other said.

Mendy replied,

We would not have benefited from killing him. Also, if you fought him, he would take only a few minutes to kill you because he is one of the strongest and bravest men. Besides, Mahons do not treacherously kill. Again, we will not benefit from killing him.

She continued:

Of course, he will come, and he is ready to stand there, waiting for days, because he wants to prove to himself before everyone else that I am real and not an illusion.

You seem very confident, so what is holding you back?! Come on, go down to him.

Why hurry? Let him wait there for the evening. It is same time I met him before. In fact, it is a rare chance to see a king in a pitiful position like his position now!

They all laughed while gazing at the king, crossing the lake back and forth.

When evening approached, and she got ready to go down the mountain, one of them asked her:

I am suspicious and afraid. Why take the risk? Do not forget that he is the son of Damel. He is following the same path as his father. I am not sure that he will fulfill your request. Did not you think that he will discover the Mountain of Death's trick and will not be deceived by the curse of the dead by which we have been terrifying the villagers over the past ten years? He will know that we were the ones who make those sounds that are heard at night.

Of course, he will realize that truth, but what about the curse of the tree and the hill? He cannot deny it. He will never know that we sent that dwarf Teo over there to poison everyone who comes close to that place.

Teo was a twelveyearold boy when the men of the late king surprised the houses of the Mahon. He managed to escape and fled with those who survived and reached the Mountain of Death. He was short compared to his peers, but he was considered to be of average height among the boys from outside the tribe; therefore, he faced constant mockery and abuse by those who remained of his tribe members.

One day, the tribe's fortune teller, Mendy, asked him to wipe off the shame that he had suffered because of his short stature by making a sacrifice for the sake of the tribe that would owe him for his courage and sacrifice. His mission was to go to the capital and protect the hill tree from any profanity. He pricked anyone approaching it with a small poisoned arrow that disappeared as soon as it penetrated the skin, causing paralysis for the injured person.

He fulfilled her request after cutting his hair the same way the people of the capital do. He looked like an ordinary boy from the capital, so he was no longer suspicious. His short stature, which was a stigma in the past, helped him transform from an outcast to a hero and an idol among the Mahons. He successfully completed his mission, which was to establish an idea and spread it among people that there was a curse afflicting anyone who harmed any of the Mahon, whether he was alive or dead.

However, we have to take a risk. King Damel failed to complete the work, which was to eliminate us all. It will be fulfilled this winter if we do not have the help of the palace. We will have the harshest winter this region has ever witnessed in nearly half a century. We will all die from the cold. Now, do not waste time and help me to go down to him. Do not do anything. Stay in your place even if the king cuts my head off. Understood?

As the king was running out of patience, one of the guards shouted,

My lord, look there. I think she is, right? He pointed with his hand to the west of the lake.

The king gave a great smile of satisfaction when he noticed Mendy as she was walking towards him. He jogged towards her and saluted her.

Mendy, how are you?

She bowed to salute the king, but he hurriedly took her hand and walked with her to sit on a large rock by the lake.

Long live King William, king of the mountains, plains, and valleys, of the great Fleischer kingdom, Mendy repeated her sentence three times. (It is the phrase that the people repeat when the new king takes the rule's reigns).

You are the same, Mendy. You have not changed since the last meeting between us. Maybe your clothes have become more worn out. Where have you been all this time? I sent the men to search for you for days without finding you until they thought you were a figment of my imagination.

She smiled and withdrew her deformed hand from the king's large hand that became rough due to bearing the sword for long years.

I'm happy that the king has not forgotten our date.

I have never forgotten. Also, I could have helped you while I was still a prince.

No, my lord, you could not have been able to help me, but now you can help my family and me. You are now the king, and the last decision is up to you, my lord.

Your family? Where do you and your family live? My men searched for you in the nearby villages but to no avail. No one recognized you.

But my family and I do not live in the villages, my lord. We live there. She raised her hand and pointed towards the Mountain of Death.

The king laughed and said, Where is there? Over the clouds!

Its neighbors, my lord, at the Mountain of Death.

The king kept laughing for a few minutes. Then, he figured out the story. (A disfigured woman with ancient arson traces from the Mountain of Death. I  will help her when I become a king after my father's death, King Damel, who burned and killed all the Mahons. No, some of them escaped by hiding on the Mountain of Death. They didn't die there. They have lived. Mendy is one of them).

The king got up and stared at Mendy for a long time while his brain was in a state of conflict between what had happened in the past and what he could see as its result in the present.

Yes, king, I was a survivor of the hell that took place that morning. I and some other individuals could survive. We took shelter in the mountain. Then, the survivors from the Three Kingdoms joined us.

She sighed, and tears started to flow from her eyes, despite trying to suppress them. She continued:

I was fourteen years old when I woke up to my mother's screaming. My mother and my three brothers were being eaten by flames. Yes, I watched them burn. They were all dancing to the fire's tunes, and it was only moments until I joined them in the fire. The fire took not only my mother and brothers but also my sight. I do not remember what happened afterward. I woke up to find myself on the mountain. Someone carried me with him while fleeing. I could not thank him because he died before I woke up.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and continued:

"The snow of the mountain helped us a little to soothe our pain: there are no words that can describe the burns, hunger, and cold we suffered. We always asked ourselves, Are we lucky to be alive? However, the answer became obvious during the past ten years.  No, those who burned to death or killed by arrows of soldiers were the lucky ones. They were fortunate that they did not live to go through all this suffering.

For ten years, we have been swallowing various kinds of tragedies, pains, and sorrows. We had to bid farewell to at least one of us every single day. As for the children, their share of death was the greatest.

O king, a mother, used to choose from her children, who she thought was the strongest and healthiest to withstand winter. This is to care for him and nourish him more than the rest of his brothers, who were left to their fate due to food and medicine scarcity. Mothers had to make such a cruel decision: to choose just one child and take care of him to help him survive; otherwise, all of them would die before her eyes.

This is only if she was fortunate enough to live to spring. I did not come here to hold the king accountable for the late king's decisions or to demand the blood of those who died from the Mahon. I am not asking you to recognize us as part of your people and allow us to go down from the mountain and live in your kingdom. We managed to settle on the mountain during the past ten years and took it as our home. We cut some of its trees and built our village there in its arms, but life above is tough, my lord.

All I ask is that you allow some of us to go down the mountain with your permission once a month to buy our needs of clothes, medicine, and necessary supplies and to buy from us what we sell. Please prevent the rulers and your flock from harming them. This is all we hope, and we have a strong faith in your heart's kindness and humanity."

The king wiped off the tears that had flowed from his eyeballs, and he took a while to get himself together. Finally, he spoke,

Mendy, I do not know how to respond to what I just heard.

The king became silent, thinking.

Then Mendy fell on her knees, begging, I beseech you, my lord! We need only what I told you. Winter is coming, we will all freeze up at the top of the king does not agree to our request. Our children are above.

The king interrupts her in a trembling voice,

Mendy, listen to me well. I will allow you to pass my land twice a month, but those who do not have permits will be held accountable and arrested. I do not allow them to sneak into my kingdom at times other than these two days. On the birthday of the crown prince, some of you will come to the palace annually to receive an amount of money allocated to your tribe. This is because you did not deprive him of his father when he remained in the woods as you could have killed him despite what the late king did to you, but you did not.

Mendy grabbed the king's hand while crying and repeating:

Thank you, great king. Thank you for the kindness of your heart.

The king immediately withdrew his hand, mounted his horse, and ran away from her, followed by his guards.

On the evening of that day, the king hated himself and hated the throne even more. This position required him to issue decisions that were not out of his heart and desire. For the first time, he felt ashamed and disgraced for his inability to apply part of justice to the Mahon and what happened to them. He saw himself shackled and unable to challenge his father's unfair decisions.

He was a prisoner of an agenda that he must follow to preserve his family's honor and dignity from the accusation of criminality that may adhere to them if he decided to do justice to the Mahon. He found himself facing a difficult decision that he must take and preserve throughout his life, which was to determine how history would remember his father. He had to choose between two options: either to continue on the path of the great achievements that he had achieved during his reign or to increase the list of victims that resulted from those political ambitions. Accordingly, he was forced to choose his father's victories even if they were stained with blood. Therefore, he had to forget the Mahon and their pain. However, he pledged himself to establish a ruling system based on justice and legislated laws that protect everyone's rights and be bequeathed to the kings who will succeed him.

As for Mendy and the Mahon, they were happy that a small change occurred in their difficult lives, promising all kings to take revenge when the prophecy was fulfilled.

Lusito, the Mountain Fox

Mendy carried the baby who had just been born and began to touch his face's features with her deformed fingers. She smiled broadly, turned towards the tired mother who was exhausted by the birth and said:

He is a blessed baby. The first child was received by the tribe after King William's death and the end of his long reign. I feel that our conditions will change for the better because of him. See how he is strongly clutching my hands. He will grow up to become a strong boy under the rule of a weak king. He is a cunning little boy, so his spell will be the mountain fox.

The baby let out a scream before falling silent and starting staring at Mendy's face.

Do you like your spell? Yes, you are a master of deception, little Lusito. Yes, your name is Lusito.

She resumed talking to the mother: Do not worry about him. He will grow up to be a role model for his younger siblings and all the Mahons.

The mother sighed and said, Brothers?

Yes, you will give us more children, Martha. They will be tough men supporting their eldest brother, the Mountain Fox, and they will keep holding on to him.

Lusito grew up and witnessed the decline and weakness of the kingdom of Fleischer during the reign of King Renab who allowed the Mahons to roam freely in his lands. By doing this, He disobeyed the strict laws of his late father, which lasted for a long period of up to fifty-five years. Nevertheless, the Mahons had reservations about this decision, and they did not leave the mountain as permitted to obey the orders of the tribal council (which consisted of five men distinguished by wisdom and intelligence chosen by the Mahons to manage the affairs of the tribe and issue decisions on their behalf. The fortuneteller of the tribe had the last word about selecting the members of the council. The members of the council would only be considered officially appointed upon the approval and endorsement of the fortuneteller). Mendy, the tribe's fortune-teller, supported the council's decision, as she told them about her vision of King Renab and his ruling. She described him as follows:

A severe storm blows the field and disappears quickly, but it leaves devastation that takes years and years to repair.

She explained to them:

His reign will not last for long, and you will witness unrest and divisions in his kingdom. Therefore, we should not make the king who will ascend the throne after him angry. Stick to your places and do not change them, and keep your covenant with the former King William.

Indeed, what Mendy told them happened: the ruler of Wheler turned against the king and appointed himself king of Wheler. Also, the kings of the Three Kingdoms took advantage of the confusion in which the kingdom lived, and they raided the border villages of Fleischer and annexed them to their lands. The reign of king Renab ended after five years of taking the rule. He died disgracefully for relinquishing the lands of his kingdom, for which his grandfather shed rivers of blood and his father spent his long life establishing its laws. King Renab left a weak kingdom that was sacked on every side.

All of this poured into the interest of the Mahons, who began wandering around and selling their resources more freely, but in a limited way as they acted cautiously. Their trade flourished because people (especially the wealthy) became addicted to their high-quality fur products and their fast and authentic horses.

Lusito grew up and became sixteen years old. He was now a boy standing on the threshold of youth full of aspirations and dreams which he was seeking to fulfill.

Lusito Faces the Council

Lusito returned to the mountain with some of the tribesmen who had gone out together three weeks earlier to sell horses and furs abroad (outside the mountain to some Fleischer counties). Lusito started taking part in sales trips at an early stage. Upon turning thirteen, he found himself responsible for raising his younger siblings (Mariano was eleven years old, Andrew was seven years old, and Tia was three years old) after the death of his parents.

His father died when he was ten years, and his mother died three years later. He was greatly affected by the death of his mother, who was a role model for him. She was characterized by mettle and intelligence, which was mixed with women's cunning and tricks. She used her intelligence as a weapon to protect herself and her children especially after the death of their father, the shield that protected them from the harsh decisions of the Council and the penalties they impose on members of the tribe in general due to the harsh living they suffer. Most of their punishments led to death, and no child or woman was excluded from that. She was a constant source of encouragement for him as she always told him when he was young that he would embrace glory. She used to narrate Mendy's vision to him that the prosperous and glorious future of the Mahon would be achieved by him.

Lusito grew up hearing these words, believing them, and having faith in them. Signs of his strong personality and its influence