A few days passed in Lusimba, quiet but not idle.
Khisa healed steadily. The cane remained, though he leaned on it less each morning. The color had returned to his face. His step was slower, but firm.
Which was precisely why Queen Nanjala did not trust him.
"You are not ready," she said for the third time that morning, arms folded.
Khisa stood beside the carriage being prepared at the courtyard gates, adjusting his cloak. "The roads are perfectly fine. It will be a smooth ride from here to the capital."
"You just want to start working again, don’t you?" she scolded.
Azenet stood beside her, nodding firmly. "He absolutely does."
Behind them, Tadesse tried, and failed, to suppress his laughter.
Khisa sighed. "I have rested enough, Mother. Father is preparing for the transition. Nuri is growing, and so are our enemies... and our allies. I cannot sit quietly while that happens."
His voice steadied, stubbornness sharpening it.
"It is crucial to strengthen ourselves while peace is still within our borders."
Queen Nanjala studied him.
"It is just like you to say something like that," she muttered.
Azenet squeezed his hand but did not defend him this time. She knew arguing further would be useless.
Finally, the Queen exhaled. "Fine. Go. But take care of yourself."
Khisa smiled faintly. "I’m sure Azenet won’t let me forget if I push too hard."
"Correct," Azenet replied immediately.
He walked to the edge of the courtyard where Ayuma waited.
His little sister threw herself at him the moment he knelt, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
"You just came back," she sniffled.
"I will come back again," he promised gently. "And next time, I expect you to show me how much taller you’ve grown."
She did not let go for a while.
When she finally did, her eyes were red.
The carriage doors closed and the journey began.
The road from Lusimba to the capital cut through expanding farmlands and developing villages. Trade routes were cleaner now, better patrolled. Guard posts stood at intervals, subtle but present.
"It will take us a few days," Khisa said as the carriage rolled forward.
Tadesse leaned back thoughtfully. "Are you certain you’re ready to return to work?"
"I am," Khisa replied. "It’s not as though I’ll be fighting or lifting stone. Mostly paperwork."
He smiled faintly.
"Our capital is nearly complete. It is... magnificent. It took over two years."
Azenet blinked. "Two years? Cities take decades to properly form."
Khisa laughed softly. "Hard work. Coordination. And urgency."
He gestured toward the road.
"As long as government offices are present, trade follows. Once trade follows, people settle. Many citizens have already built huts near the site. Traveling back and forth from older settlements became inconvenient."
"So you forced urbanization," Tadesse mused.
"Encouraged," Khisa corrected. "Once the major administrative buildings are complete, we’ll focus on residential planning. I’ve already drawn blueprints."
Azenet tilted her head. "You really thought this through."
"Of course," Khisa said. "Lusimba is where Nuri began. But we are no longer a single village."
His tone shifted, deeper now.
"As we expanded, tribes and cultures merged. Customs blended. The capital will symbolize that. Not dominance of one over another, but unity."
Tadesse studied him.
"You can be very philosophical when you want to be."
Azenet smiled teasingly. "It’s alarming."
Khisa rolled his eyes.
"What will you name it?" Tadesse asked.
Khisa’s expression grew mysteriously calm. "The name will be revealed once it is complete."
Tadesse groaned. "If you choose something terrible, I will never forgive you."
Khisa chuckled. "Trust me, it will definitely be worth it."
They stopped in several villages along the way.
Each reception was warmer than the last.
Word had already spread that Khisa lived.
When he stepped from the carriage, cane visible but posture steady, cheers erupted.
Children ran forward. Elders bowed. Soldiers saluted.
And when he introduced Azenet...
"My future bride."
The villages erupted again.
Women embraced her. Some wept openly, relieved to see him standing. Farmers brought gifts; grain, woven cloth, carved wooden charms meant for protection.
Tadesse observed everything quietly.
This was not fear.
This was loyalty.
Not commanded.
Earned.
He quietly promised himself to work hard to earn the same favor from his people.
The final day of travel brought the capital into view.
It rose from the landscape like a declaration.
Stone walls gleamed pale in the sun. Watchtowers stood tall, not oppressive but vigilant. Construction cranes creaked rhythmically as workers maneuvered massive beams into place.
Scaffolding clung to unfinished sections of outer buildings. Markets had already formed along the lower streets. Smoke curled from chimneys. The hum of coordinated activity filled the air.
It was alive.
Just as Lusimba had felt alive, but on a larger scale.
The Watchers moved efficiently among laborers, directing materials, maintaining order. Merchants negotiated prices openly. Children darted between stalls.
"This..." Tadesse breathed. "You built this in two years?"
Khisa’s eyes softened with pride. "We built this."
The carriage rolled through the gates.
Waiting at the inner courtyard stood a familiar figure.
Ndengu.
Co-leader of the Shadow Guard.
Longtime friend.
He strode forward before the carriage had fully stopped, laughter booming across the courtyard.
"Khisa!"
He pulled the door open himself and stepped back just enough to examine him.
"I’m glad to see you alive and well."
Khisa stepped down carefully.
"Alive, yes," he replied. "Well... is still under debate."
Ndengu grinned widely.
"You look terrible."
Azenet gasped.
Tadesse burst into laughter.
Khisa sighed. "I missed you too."
Ndengu’s grin faded slightly, replaced with something deeper, relief.
"You had us worried," he said more quietly.
Khisa nodded.
"I apologise, but I knew you and Naliaka had everything handled. I am here now, let us keep working for the benefit of Nuri," Khisa said, nodding slightly.
" I know, but your presence here is more than just a figure head. You drive us forward, so for Nuri to thrive, you must live long my friend." Ndengu patted his shoulder.
Behind them, the capital pulsed with movement.
Ahead of them waited King Lusweti.
And beyond that...
A future no longer imagined, but being built stone by stone.