A witch doctor of a different tribe was explaining to Aidan: "Just move your body like a bird about to take off. That will attract the Great Lord of Earth and Sky."
Aidan, covered in hay and belted decorations, sweated under the hot sun. "How long will that last?"
The man shrugged. "As long as it takes."
The foreign king sighed, doing as instructed. He flapped his arms under the heavy grass restrains and walked around like a stork. After a while, Kofi, who was next to the doctor, whispered: "It does not seem to be working?"
The witch doctor nodded. "It seems so... You there! The Lord does not seem pleased. Try making bird sounds?"
The already tired Aidan, puffed, disheartened. "Caw! Caw!" he yelled from the top of his voice. The ritual continued deep into the night. "Caw! Caw! Is this even working!" he turned to the men that never left his side.
The witch doctor hummed. "Let us give it one more hour."
Aidan let the air out of his lungs. "I wish my friend was here. He would surely know what to do."
"What friend?" Zora, who was tucked near his chest, asked.
"No one, dear. Caw! Caw!" he continued.
Kofi shook his head, deep in thought. "How sad. And I was hoping it would work."
The next morning, the two visited another tribe. This one believed in the all powerful Trickster King.
"Our deity is very powerful. If you manage to take one of its eggs, he will grant you a wish," the medicine woman explained. Aidan looked at the terror educing cave and the dark entrance. "Kofi, would you perhaps help me? With your speed, the task would be done faster?" Aidan said.
"No can do," he replied, shaking his head fiercely. "The Trickster King told me that if I ever show my face there again, he would tear my limbs off like on a fly."
Not seeing another way, Aidan hoped that his skills would be enough to do the task. He lit the torch and looked around the cob-filled entrance. Carefully finding his way around and hiding behind where he could, the young king finally reached what looked like a nest. The eggs were small, almost see through. Quickly grabbing one, he sprinted back to the exit. A wiping sound was heard from behind, entangling him into a sticky web. As he struggled to get out, a voice addressed him from the dark. "Another human trying to steal my property."
"I was not stealing! I was told that if I got one of the eggs, I would get a wish granted from the Trickster King," Aidan grunted, still struggling.
"Is that so?" the sly voice replied. "And who might you be?"
"I am king Aidan of the Seven Hill Kingdom! And I demand to be let go," he said proudly.
"A blue blood, then?" The voice sounded as if it was coming closer. The creature, it belonged to, approached the fallen torch. Aidan could now see his enormous spider-like face. "Did you know spiders have actual blue blood."
Aidan shouted, petrified from fear.
Back at the entrance, the medicine woman and Kofi waited patiently. They were stunned, when Aidan was thrown out of the cave, shaken up and bounded, but otherwise unharmed.
"You were lucky, my friend. Most who fail get a far worse treatment," Kofi said, untangling him.
"This is hopeless! None of these magical creatures want to help," Aidan said, disheartened.
"Do not get yourself down," Kofi said. "I know one more way."
"What peril will you throw me in now?" the king replied, annoyed.
"Oh, I have a feeling you will like this one?" Kofi said with a grin.
After a while, in the hot grassland. Kofi stood with his hands crossed. He observed as Aidan struggled to keep himself on the wild zebra. "How is the taming going?" he added, almost smug.
Aidan pulled the rope, tied around the zebra's mouth. He grunted, unable to answer as the animal fiercely fought to shake him off. Unable to free itself, the animal ran as fast as it could, managing to get rid of its rider. Aidan fell, with a loud thump. Kofi helped him from the dusty ground.
"Are you alright? You look winded?" he said. Aidan stomped his foot, visibly upset.
"Are you alright, dear?" Zora asked, concerned.
"Do not worry," Kofi stuttered. "I know another tribe chief. His methods are a bit strange but..."
He did not even manage to finish, before Aidan grabbed his magical hoop and disappeared who knows where. Kofi was left alone in the grassland, surprised and confused.
Sadly, Aidan was not allowed to go far. The hoop took him to a plain on the highest peak of the Hot Lands. Stepping outside, he looked around. "Well, at least we will be able to look at the stars tonight," he told his trapped wife.
"Oh, Aidan. Hearing you so disheartened makes my heart bleed as well," Zora said. The king held the harp gently. "Oh, my love. How can I not be sad? None of this would have happened if I wasn't so insistent on sharing this with you."
"Aidan, how could you have known? There are creatures in this world that are much more powerful than we can imagine. And apparently that unpredictable as well. You cannot blame yourself for it."
"Yes. Our sleepy little world is not so sleepy anymore," he tried to sound charming. "If only I had such power to keep you safe from them."
The tiny queen place her hand on the pearl surface. "You, my husband, are the bravest, fiercest man I have met. There is nothing you cannot do."
This made Aidan smile. "And you, my dear, are the most loyal and loving wife. Even this tiny, you manage to uplift my spirits."
"That is not funny," she said, faking a pout. "You'll see once I get out."
Aidan chuckled, prompting himself up a tree. "I do hope so. Still, big or small, I shall take my punishment as a good husband should."
"Good to know. Because, as a good wife, I shall have to educate you properly. And no grunts of dismay, from you. Cause remember, we are in this for better or for worse," she said, lifting her nose.
"I would not dream of it. Until then... Well, at least the sky is clear. Hopefully, we will be able to see the stars tomorrow," he sorrowfully said.
Zora looked up. From her entrapment, she had a fishbowl view of the sky, but the stars still shined brightly. "Yes. That is why we came, did we not?"
Soon, Aidan fell asleep near the tree, holding the harp tightly. In the morning, he woke up. His hands tapped around, but he did not feel the instrument. Looking around, he could not see his bag either. The king gasped, grabbing his head. Was he robbed while sleeping?