Really? A story time?" Ryju said, clearly disappointed.
"How is the origin of this kingdom supposed to help you—if you don't mind me asking?" the woman asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"C'mon," Kaji replied calmly, "I just want to know about the kingdom, that's all."
"You think now is the time for that? This lady just lost everything," Rei said sharply.
"But—" Kaji began, before Kenshiro cut in.
"Yeah, even I wouldn't bring that up right now," Kenshiro said with a half-smile.
"It's alright, really," the woman said, defending Kaji's request.
"She said it's okay," Kaji added quickly.
"Before you start," Goro asked, "what's your name?"
"Oh, my name is Mara," she said politely.
"Cool," Goro said, smiling.
Mara leaned back slightly. "So… the origin of the Laybirth Kingdom. It all started with a man named Peter Toris—a man who dreamed of creating his own kingdom. He was kind, strong, and all he ever wanted was peace… a place where people could live happily without fear.
Peter was born in Riga Village, which belonged to one of the Twenty Great Villages—the Taka Village. When he turned twenty, he gathered a small group from his clan to help him build that dream. At first, it was nothing more than houses—no walls, no guards, just the start of something new.
When they finished the first few homes, Peter invited people from Riga Village to come live in his new settlement. I was one of the very first to join. Soon, the new residents began helping him and his crew build more houses so more families could move in. Day after day, before the sun even rose, we worked. Sometimes we only slept three hours a night, but we kept going—driven by Peter's vision.
More and more people from Riga came until one day, an outsider wandered in. She was beautiful, and I remember exactly what she said when she saw us working.
'Excuse me… is this a new village?' she asked.
Peter, wiping sweat from his brow, smiled. 'No, not at all. This isn't a village. This… is a kingdom.'
The woman tilted her head, surprised. 'A kingdom? What's it called?'
Peter froze, thinking. 'Huh… I never thought of that. Dang it, what should it be called?'
The woman laughed, and Peter couldn't take his eyes off her.
'Umm… this might sound strange, but… can I marry you?' Peter asked suddenly.
The workers gasped in unison. 'WHAT?!'
The woman pointed at herself. 'Me?'
'Yeah. We don't have to get married right away, but… maybe you could be my girlfriend?' he said with an awkward smile.
She blinked, then grinned. 'Yes… oh, and my name is Zeya.'
'Perfect. You can live here,' Peter said, his grin widening.
One man from Riga shook his head. 'You just met her…'
But soon enough, Zeya was living among us and helping build the kingdom. Everyone loved her—she was kindhearted, joyful, and never stopped smiling, even when she was exhausted.
Before long, every last person from Riga Village had moved into Peter's growing kingdom. The sun seemed brighter back then, hundreds of houses standing proudly in the open air.
One day, inside Peter's home, Zeya said, 'That's everyone from the village.'
'Already?' Peter asked.
'Yep. Right now, we have two hundred people living here.'
'Too few,' Peter replied, his eyes determined. 'I want more people to live here.'
Zeya's face lit up. 'Then let's invite outsiders.'
Peter beamed. 'Perfect, Zeya. This is why I love you.'
'No big deal,' she replied.
They told us their plan, and we were thrilled. Soon, Peter and Zeya set off in a horse carriage, traveling across the land to invite new people. While they were away, I had an idea.
'You know what? We should build him a palace,' I said to the others. 'Something that really shows he's our king.'
One man nodded. 'Yeah, he took us out of that dump of a village and gave us peace.'
Another man agreed. 'It's better working for ourselves than giving all our money to that old village.'
We shouted together, 'Let's make the king a palace!'
So we worked harder than ever, racing against time to finish before Peter returned. One year passed before we knew it—and when Peter and Zeya came back, the golden palace stood tall in the heart of the kingdom.
'It's so beautiful,' I said, my voice shaking.
'No kidding,' one man muttered.
'How long has it been?' someone asked—just as a voice spoke behind us.
'It's been a year,' Peter said, smiling.
'Sorry we took so long,' Zeya added.
We ran to them, laughing and crying at the same time.
'We missed you, King!' someone shouted.
'Yeah, and look! We built this for you and Zeya!'
Peter stared at the palace, tears welling in his eyes. 'It's… so beautiful.'
One worker whispered nervously, 'Is something wrong?'
'No, you dummy,' Peter laughed through tears. 'I love it so much it makes me cry.'
'Whose idea was this?' he asked.
'It was your sister's,' a man said, pointing at me.
Peter turned to me, grinning. 'You bet I'm giving you a hug!'
He ran and wrapped me in his arms. 'Thank you, big sis.'
'No problem,' I said warmly.
'Wait… you're Peter's sister?' Rei asked.
'Yep,' I replied.
'But… you look fifty!' Rei blurted out.
I chuckled. 'Thanks for the compliment, but I'm seventy-two.'
Team One shouted in unison, 'WHAT?!'
'Now, back to the story,' I said.
Peter soon welcomed three thousand more people into the kingdom. That night, he stood on the palace balcony with Zeya at his side, addressing the crowd.
'I would like to welcome our newcomers, and I hope you find happiness here,' he said.
From the crowd, a man called out, 'What's the name of the kingdom?'
Peter paused, then smiled. 'The Laybirth Kingdom!'
The people roared the name again and again.
Later, inside, Zeya asked, 'Where did that name come from?'
Peter replied, 'Lay means rest and peace—that's what I want this kingdom to be. Birth means creation—I created this place. So it means… I created the Kingdom of Peace.'
'Not bad,' Zeya admitted with a smile.
'And now,' Peter grinned, 'it's time to get married.'
Two weeks later, under the warm sun, Peter and Zeya stood on a wooden platform—he in a black suit, she in a white dress.
'You may kiss the bride,' the priest said.
They kissed, and the people cheered.
Two years passed. The kingdom's walls neared completion, its population grew, and life flourished.
One morning, Peter called for the attention of the Laybirth Kingdom.
'I will attend the Twenty Great Villages meeting,' he declared. 'I want to speak about our kingdom, to make it known, and to ensure peace with all. Who's with me?'
'We're with you!' the people shouted back.
Inside, Zeya grabbed his hand. 'Do you have to go alone? I can come.'
'No,' Peter said firmly. 'If anything happened to you, I could never forgive myself.'
She sighed. 'Alright… just please stay safe.'
'I promise,' Peter said, kissing her.
Soon, he stepped into a horse carriage as the people gathered to see him off.
Mara walked to the window. 'Stay safe, brother.'
'I will, big sis,' Peter said with determination.
The driver looked back. 'Where to, King?'
Peter's eyes hardened. 'Next stop—Jinkawa Village.'
To be continued…