Rukari is a man of honour and loyalty, deeply committed to his people and their traditions.
He holds steadfast to the beliefs and values instilled in him by his Marynku heritage
But what Aeryon has done is none of that. If it was him that attacked the Xewa tribe and the Ghar tribe and he had won such a beautiful victory like Aeryon did, he would slaughter every one of them, man or child and none shall be spared.
Rukari thought is no different from any other Marynku chieftains. Because to them it is normal for the defeated to die.
What Aeryon had done is very unusual. Of course, it happens sometimes but rarely an entire tribe was spared.
In most cases, the most outstanding of the hors riders or the warriors, the heroics ones would stand out and generous chief would spare the lives of these warriors and kill the others.
This is the limitation of Rukari.
He is limited by the time he lived in and the culture he lives in. This is the way that his people lives and this is the way he is living his life
Aeryon might have some definition of right and wrong but his definition of right and wrong itself is influenced by his time, his era, his culture.
In some culture touching the head is an act of affection. In another, it is a sign of disrespect.
To the people of the Great Steppe, and to the people of this current time, killing an entire tribe is not wrong.
It is the order of the world.
In Aeryon time such a thing is barbaric. And yes, in some parts of the world even in the current time, such act is also considered barbaric. But to the people of the Great Steppe, this is their way.
If you lose, prepare to die. Probably that is why they lived so fiercely
And Rukari could not comprehend the power of the people when it is harnessed properly. He saw only the power of the horse riders, the warriors but he forgotten that even these warriors come from a womb.
Without people, how could there be more people.
The tent continue to be silent. Rukari is deep in his thought. Aeryon could see that his uncle need some time to think.
He brought out a few glasses that he had taken from the conquered tribes and then bring the pot of hot water inside the tent.
He poured it and he cautiously touch it with his finger. Feeling the water slightly warm but not too hot he slowly take a sip and offer the others the water.
Rukari is still deep in thought
He struggles to understand Aeryon thought. Aeryon is his niece. And while they have many interactions when he is a child, when Aeryon could pull his bow, ride his horse and hunt in the Steppe, Rukari step to the back.
His brother Rakarys is petty sometimes and Rukari does not want to be accused of influencing the heir of the chief.
From childhood he could tell that Aeryon is a very smart child. He observes a lot of things and he uses his observation to aid him. That is the way he hunted.
Aeryon had surprises him countless of times. Rukari was first surprised when Aeryon chooses to retreat to Nurshira.
He did not say anything during the Elder meeting but his silence is an assent. At that time, he could tell that Aeryon would be someone great.
He is smart enough to avoid the sharp edge of the Xewa tribe. But then he continues to surprise him.
Aeryon suddenly returns back home.
In Rukari eyes, it seems like Aeryon had retreated and lower down the guards of the Xewa tribe.
And then after their guard is down, Aeryon once again return, take back the settlement and then launched a sneak attack
Of course, that is not how things went down at all.
But since no one could think that Aeryon has bene swapped by another soul, and since they won, they could not help but think that all of that talk about retreating to Nurshira is merely a strategy
Most of the Elders thought this and so does many others. And when Aeryon knows about the rumours, he did not squash it down because there is no good reason to squash it.
Instead, it is even more beneficial for him if they believed that
Rukari opens his eyes and spoke
"you have surprised me many times, Chief’ the way he addresses Aeryon shows that he knows how to sperate personal and public matter
Or maybe he is just distant from Aeryon.
After all, it has been years since those days where he teaches Aeryon to hunt and to ride horses.
Now, they stand at different position.
Rukari knows that the Elders doesn’t have much power.
But he also knows that as the tribe expanded and as Aeryon wanted to use the power of the Elders, it means that the power of Elders would also increase
So, things would be complicated. And that is what he worries about. The tribe had never had a problem with its elders. Because the tribe was small.
But he knows that in some tribes, the Elders Council could hinder a lot of things when they are given power.
Rukari is not as smart as Mayeux nor was he as ambitious as Aeryon. To him, all the children of the Brolgadhr is like his own children to him
And sometimes the ambition of the chief might clash with the Elders. Of course, even though he cares about the children of the tribe, he is also very practical.
It is just that he still did not know the true intention of the chief. Even before, no one know what Aeryon was planning.
At first, he convinced everyone to go to Nurshira. And then just right when they are about to approach Nurshira, suddenly he ordered them to go back to the Great Steppe.
From beginning to end, the Elders and the tribespeople didn’t know what the plan was. It is good that the plan worked. But the uncertainty was not pleasant.
Even though Rukari said this, he still did not show his stance on the matter.
Aeryon waited for him to finish his words and then Rukari ask
"Where do you see our tribe is going? You have conquered six tribes. Our tribe has swelled. I wanted to know the direction of this tribe" he paused for a second and then said "The Elders wanted to know"
Aeryon hearing this question smiles.
"This is why I brought all three of you" Aeryon then turns to Belarion
"I know that I have not been quite honest with you" And then he turns to Mayeux
"You know my ambition but you do not know my goal and I know that limited your advice." And then he turns to his uncle
"The Elders probably also wanted to know where and what should the tribe be doing"
All three of them nodded each time Aeryon addressed them
"Tonight, I would tell you. But, whatever I said to you tonight should not leave this tent. Not until I am ready. Not until the tribe is ready"
The atmosphere suddenly turns tense. Aeryon looked at the three men he summoned. He nodded to himself. He has a grand plan. However, he understood that for this plan to work, he needs people
And for now, these three people would help him smooth out the creases so that his grand plan could be enacted.
He had to bring Belarion in because he remembered about all the memories he had with Belarion. And these two brothers shares everything with each other.
So, he wanted to share his own thoughts and his own ambition to his brother. As for Mayeux, he is a great strategist and knows a lot of knowledge from Roma and even some from Yan
But Aeryon could tell that some of his advice could not be fully utilized because he did not know the extent of his ambition.
Sometimes Aeryon could feel that Mayeux limited his stratagem for him. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel·fiɾe·net
Belarion is loyal to him so he knows that Belarion would support him. Mayeux would like it even more if his ambition is grand because that way he could use his talent.
It is only his uncle that he is worried about. Because his ambition involves a lot of battles.
He knows his uncle love the children of the tribe. But he also knows that his uncle could be practical.
This time , he hoped that his uncle practical side will win.
That is why it is very important for him today to convince his uncle.
If he could convince his uncle, it means he has convinced all of the Elders of the Brolgadhr.
As for the other four Elders, they are elders of the conquered tribe.
Even though they are given Elders privilege they should know that they should not interfere in things they should not
As long as they know their place, their position as elders are save. Even though Aeryon honoured them with Elder title, that elder title is more like a chain and burden
But they had to accept it.
Aeryon close his eyes and everyone was silent in the tent and then he began speaking