Kalahari Herald Chronicles: Kalahari Herald Chronicles 2 March 2017 3#36

DAILY NEWS FROM MAMLAKAT KALAHARI 2 March 2017 3#36

(http://mykalahariblogaddress.blogspot.com)

((see dara's video of Queen Vi's party https://youtu.be/EtOflO7KktA))

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KALAHARI STORY TELLING II

Two More Stories from

Wednesday, 1 March 2017

Nada, Adorable Storyteller Hostess

The Syuhada Skybox Among the Stars was again the social center of the medieval universe as an enthusiastic crowd gathered to listen to the second event in the Kalahari Storytelling Series.

Pirate Slave Nada, Palace Slave dara, some unknown man in maroon, and a group of invited dignitaries eagerly looked forward to the stories of Sir Bill LeBrave, Lady Roxelana Chronander, Elyssa Kalaratri, Lady Josie North and Palace Slave Abla.

In another story of sorrow to happiness, Lady Josie North has us on the edge of our seat, as we read about her adventurous life, and contented present.

Josie North's Journey of a Lifetime

My dear listeners, to begin my story, I ask you to imagine a river. See how it slowly flows from inland to the sea, following its own winding path between the forests, sometimes joining into lakes and flowing out of those again as a slightly bigger stream.

Follow the river with your eyes until you meet a small village, it has about 20 houses, all made of wood that has with time turned gray. Smoke is rising from the chimneys as the morning sun rises to the sky, there is a bark of a dog and voices of children, women and men. A wife is giving her husband a lecturing over drinking too much beer last night.

On the riverbank you see a girl. She is perhaps 16-17, a slim young girl with long blond hair and green eyes. She is clearly buried in her own thoughts and is lazily watching the river stream by her. Suddenly she is awoken from her thoughts as she thinks she hears something. She raises her eyes from the water, looks around and yes, can see the masts of two ships approaching behind the riverbank.

"This cannot be good" the girl thinks, there are no merchants that are expected to arrive, and two ships can mean problems. She springs to her feet and runs back to the village to alert everyone "Ships! Two ships coming upstream!" she shouts and her words create a panic as the women collect children and start guiding them to the forest, while men rush to find shields, swords and spears.

While this is happening in the village, the ships have landed at the riverbank and men flood out of the ships, men in armor, carrying weapons of all kinds. Before the village can arrange for battle the men swarm the village, burning the houses and collecting cattle and people captives, and killing those who try to fight back.

It is all over in just few minutes. Those who tried to fight lay dead on the ground and the rest are collected as a herd and chains placed on their ankles and wrists. Slaver ships!

And our girl? Where is she? What happened to her?

Oh, there she is, one of the slavers is dragging her out from the barn where she was hiding.

The slaver pulls her in his arms and attempts to kiss, but the girl is screaming, kicking, scratching and biting, she buries her fingernails into the eye of the slaver which forces him to let go. In fury, the slaver he hits her so hard that the girl drops on her knees and the slaver pulls out his sword, with a clear intention to kill this rebellious girl.

That could have been the end of her, and this story.

However, the Head slaver, who had followed the whole scene with a grin on his face shouts a sharp order, and the man stops his hand that was already raised into a deadly blow. Head slaver slowly walks to them, glances at the girl and then looks at the man "This wildcat is mine, go find someone else for your fun"

Our girl has no strength left to fight, she follows as she is taken into the ship and tears fill her eyes as the ship she is in, starts back downstream. The other one continues upstream with the captives. She is the only one taken to this ship with the Head Slaver and his most loyal men and women. The ship turns a corner in the river and vanishes from our view.

Now allow me to take you ahead in time my listeners, to a market square in Kalahari.

When you watch the crowd that swirls like a bees nest, your eye may catch a somewhat unusual sight - a woman with long blond hair and pale skin - walking among the mostly dark haired and darker skinned people. Perhaps she looks somewhat familiar to you?

If you recognize her, you are right, it is the same girl than at the start of our story, only now grown up and with a tighter expression on her face, set there by experience and self-confidence she has gained over the hard years following her capture. The head slaver - who she later partnered - died several years before and she has traveled on her own ever since using the name he gave her.

She never told him her real last name, so she was re-named according to the area she was captured from and for years now she has been known with the last name "North".

Life took her on a wild adventure that she never could imagine growing up in that small village in the middle of the forest, but now she has found a place to stay.

Sometimes she thinks back of that village and wonders if she should travel back to see it. But she knows all her family members were captured or killed, her home was burned. And thinking of those you can hear her mutter "What would there be for me?"

Then she looks around in her home, she sees the familiar furniture and paintings, she sees her beloved Aisha happily making tea in the kitchen. She sees the life she has created for herself in the land of Kalahari and she whispers: "This is home."

THE END

Slave Abla shows us that even the happiest of families can suffer the loss of a daughter to slavery. But her heroic tale also teaches us that from pain and sadness, happy endings can occur.

Abla's Story: From Sadness to Happiness

I am Eluned ap Meurig, the eldest child of my father Meurig. He was and probably still is a merchant in Cymru (Wales.) I helped my mother with the children, cooking and cleaning. Father traded in cloth, so I was put to work carding the wool, spinning the thread, dying it, weaving it all into cloth. All of us had a part to play in the family trade, as is normal. My favorite sister's name is Mairwen, named after the Blessed Mother.

Father had high hopes for me, making sure I got some education. I can read in English! He thought perhaps I could be the wife of a lord one day, if he could supply a large enough dowry. But that was not to be.

Men came late at night to speak with Father. It seems that for months they had been bleeding him dry, holding something scandalous over his head. He had been paying them off, but the money was gone. They demanded something other than money, and in no time at all I was carted off to their ship.

Young and afraid, the sailors did no more than grope and ogle me. I was later told they likely planned to auction me off at market as a virgin slave, and did not want to spoil my market value. A storm blew in, and the only survivor was me, clinging to a bit of the wreckage.

I washed up on the shores of Kalahari. The first person I met was Ibtisam, followed shortly by her Mistress, then known as Louise Kingbe. Louise kindly offered me shelter, and promised to send word to my father in Cymru. That was either a lie or she just changed her mind later. She collared me and made me a slave.

A while later, I met her husband Halim, a strict man. It wasn't very long until he dragged me to his bed and deflowered me. I was then ruined. Even if I could return to Cymru, it would be the life of an old maid or the nunnery now. I became pregnant with his bastard, and he was delighted. I was forbidden to do any heavy work, and the boredom that followed was dreadful.

It was Halim who gave me the name Abla, which I have been told later means full-figured. I can only assume it was meant as a compliment.

While I was pregnant, Mistress found I was still of the Catholic faith, saying my prayers quietly at night. She had long hinted I should convert or she would cut something off my body, but when she found the little cross I had made, that was it. She took me to the punishment tree and tortured me until I converted to Islam. It was not a willing conversion and less than heartfelt.

My first child was a girl, and in my heart I named her after my favorite sister Mairwen. Mistress suggested the name Maryam instead. Both she and Ibtisam were there to assist during labor. Circumcision for her was only narrowly avoided after passionate debate by Ibtisam.

Less than two months later, and I was once again pregnant. Louise adopted the name Malika at this time. It was also during this pregnancy that the civil war occurred. I needn’t tell the readers of this Chronicle about that, for many of them were here and witnessed for themselves. I kept to the home, ready to defend my baby girl and the infant in my womb with my bow and arrow. The battlefield was no place for a pregnant woman.

After the war, I provided food to the captive Lady Elyssa, certain she would be released soon and not knowing food had been forbidden to her by Halim. Already I knew her from my work at the farm.

I bore my son Fares alone, without any around to assist me. His name means 'knight' and was chosen by his father Halim. Ever since my milk came in for Maryam, I had been placed in the nursery, to feed the many children and tend to them. I was more wet nurse than handmaiden.

Then came the demolishing of the Kingbe House, and I sought refuge at the tavern, assisting Roberta Honey for her kindness in letting me use a room free of charge. Only a week or two passed before I was presented as a gift to Her Highness Queen Vi. The Palace has welcomed me and my babies with open arms, even building a small cottage for us.

You may wonder why a slave wears such a modest white dress, and the answer is that the Queen is a kind Mistress. She allows me to dress as I like, and I wanted to wear something pretty today to tell my story.

I am as happy as can be with my life here in Kalahari. It is home now.

THE END

When Kalahari events are attended by King Hassan, two things are sure: one, the King picks up the tab for the Tavern refreshments, and second, no attractive slave is safe. ahahaha.

Slave ibtisam knew enough to hide behind a Tavern pillar.

though the new Mine Slave Stephanie Brown didn't know any better, and made the mistake of looking so attractive in the sight of the King

The King himself moved in on newcomer Mimi, but he made the mistake actually of listening to his own line of "Trrrol Talk" and fell asleep at the table