Chapter 113: Day two: bring on the childish games.
When the night activities came to a close, Sienna hurried back home. After taking a bath, she collapsed in a sofa in the living room. The television was showing highlights of the first day of the conference. She listened to the host of the show praising the fox fire dance, and exaggeratedly describing Elias’s performance.
She was still in the sofa thirty minutes later, when her mother found her, after putting the children to bed.
"You should go to bed too." Mrs. Miller said, helping Sienna up. "I didn’t expect you to come downstairs again. Is there something you need?"
Sienna, tired breath was all the answer that came. It was followed by a yawn and what sounded like a whimper. "Feet hurt."
Mrs. Miller winced. "You were on your feet for most of the day. Next time, leave the greeting to others."
Through a yawn that could rival the open mouth of a lion mid roar, she replied, "If the queen can do it, so can I."
When they reached upstairs, Sienna fell flat on the bed. With some simple maneuvering, Mrs. Miller managed to cover her before moving to the foot of the bed to check Sienna’s feet. "They are swollen," she declared.
Sienna didn’t even hear her mother, because sleep was already claiming her. And a moment later, when her feet were being massaged, she slept through it.
****
Day two of the summit arrived. The beach had been transformed into a council chamber during the night. Wooden tables stretched across the sand, banners of every tribe fluttered in the warm breeze behind their seats. Guards stood vigilant everywhere, especially the vital areas. Elias had doubled the security after the attempted poisoning incident.
The real business had not even started but the air smelled of tension. Sienna was in the kitchen, just like the day before. Only the tribal leaders were allowed inside the meeting. Not even the press was allowed to record the proceedings. Only the conclusions would be shared with them.
But, because Sienna was in the company of the queen, she got voice access to what was being discussed.
King Leon’s voice roared through the radio, "Every year, we have boarder issues. Why is it that you all forget how sacred these are? There is a reason why every tribe has its own major city. Only the smaller tribes have to share leadership of cities and yet they are content, unlike you big tribes. We can begin with the eagle and fox tribe. What are you eagles doing in the fishing grounds of the foxes?"
The eagle lord rushed to answer, "These fishing ground are in the sea. No tribe has sovereignty there, it is first come, first served. We had a trade route agreement for that area with the mers. The foxes came later and offered a higher price. They want to starve us, just to fatten their pride."
Then came Elias’s voice, measured and precise as he cut through the eagle’s grievances with logic. "Territories are not won by shouting," he said, tone like frost. "They are maintained by alliances. Those fishing grounds belonged to us two years ago. When our alliance with the mers was stretched, they chased us from the sea. Now that the alliance has been rebuilt, we are simply reclaiming what was once ours. All the equipment there belonged to us. The eagles want to reap where they did not sow."
Eli clapped his hands, very proud of his father, "Papa said they must be killed with reason, not emotion."
Sienna wondered why the boy was in the kitchen again. She could understand why Ali was sitting on a high stool near the large kitchen window. The girl had claimed that spot so that she could get access to food after playing. Eli on the other hand was a puzzle.
The kitchen door opened. Mrs. Miller strode in with a pair of comfortable shoes for Sienna. The smell of steamed buns wafted through the air.
The morning dragged into noon, grievances piled like waves against the shore. Sienna gave her own opinions on the matters the lords raised while the queen agreed or disagreed. On what she agreed, she passed on the advice to the king through messages. The proud lords didn’t even know that there was a third party steering the talks towards solutions, from the kitchen.
After lunch, Sienna took a nap in the small private dining room next to the kitchen. Ali and Eli joined her on the mattress which Liman brought over. They covered their bodies with a brown fleece.
By evening, the biggest issues had been tackled, lunch had been served without an incident, and it was time for relaxation. It involved contests that Sienna had prepared: children’s games that were twisted into challenged for the beast lords.
The sand was smoothed, and laughter replaced the morning’s tension. Residents of the area were allowed to spectate and support. Sienna took to the stage, explaining the games and rules to the lords.
"First up, the two legged race." She shouted. "You tie your legs together and run!"
The lords looked baffled, but they almost revolted when the pairs were announced. King Leon and the Black snake lord glared at each other. They were just like others who shared dislike for each other.
Elias was clever enough to sit out the games, which only the host and king could do.
The race began with chaos. Lords stumbled, cursed and fell into the sand. The eagle lord flapped his wings in frustration, dragging the panther lord forward.
The wolf lord howled in anger when the bear chieftain toppled into a heap, taking him and three other teams down in the process.
The crowd roared with amusement, the tension of politics dissolving into absurdity. Even Elias’s lips twitched...thought whether it was amusement or disdain, none could tell.
Grandma Byra cheered loudly when the falcon lord and cheetah lord won.
"We are supposed to hate them." Grandpa Corven reminded her.
Loudly, the old woman let out a boo, starting the first ever ’boo’ in the history of the inter-tribal summit!
The falcons and cheetah tribes had not got along for over a decade. And yet, for a silly games, their lords hugged and screamed in victory, jumping around in circles! Within minutes, the moment was trending on BeastNet.
Sienna had been worried that the lords would protest her choice of games but unexpectedly, the losers all looked at her with piercing eyes.
"Give us the next challenge," King Leon roared.
"Arm...wrestling." Sienna said hesitantly, and nearly fainted when dozens of claws were unleashed. "I said arm, not claws!" she shouted frantically into a microphone.