Mother Caar was loved and worshiped by the people of Asis as the creator and the bringer of life. The Goddess was benevolent and nurturing. It was said that when she created, she made two: one to give life, and another to protect it. One to nurture life, and another to provide for it. This is the basis of the family unit.
The culture of the Asis was quite unique in this regard. In the family dynamic, there was a father and mother. The father protected and provided for the family, but it was the woman who was the foundation of a family.
However, despite the woman holding a higher spiritual position, it was still the man who made the decisions and pointed the way forward, as the pathfinder of the family.
This dynamic was so embedded in the community that it even influenced the highest office of the land, the monarch.
The Queen was known as the highest authority, but it was the King that called the shots within the Kingdom. The Queen was seen as the image of the goddess, embodying her wishes and life. As such, the Queen could serve as the High Priestess, receiving instructions directly from the Goddess. Similarly, there had to be a Queen, but in a pinch, the Queen could assume the roles of the King.
This had always been the case, especially when Shana's mother was in charge. Once, Asis had a powerful King, who was capable of bulldozing his way across the various competitors and come out victorious. This was Shana's father.
Unfortunately, when she was not yet born, he went off to war, leaving behind a pregnant Queen. He never returned, and sadness descended over the entire tribe. Only the birth of the Future Queen served to pull people from the mourning. Shana was received as the Goddess's gift to the Queen, as comfort for taking her husband.
Therefore, the young princess grew up without a father, and nary a father figure to take his place. The Queen never remarried, so there was only one legitimate heir to the throne.
Shana grew up to stories of how heroic her father had been. Everyone who knew the previous King would only sing praises. Even her mother admitted, she never remarried because she never met a man who could match Shana's dad, something that brought the daughter immense joy and pride.
Ever since she learned that she would become the next Queen, she had racked her brain on to be a good leader for her people. She even had classes from various scholars of the land. Unfortunately, things never turned out as she expected.
Her mother's health had been failing, and she knew she would be resting soon. On her deathbed, she called her daughter and told her of a secret that she'd never told anyone.
At the time of her birth, an astrologer had been consulted, as was common practice among the people of Asis. The woman had predicted that during Shana's reign, there would be unprecedented prosperity among the people, and the Kingdom of Asis shall grow like a tall tree overlooking the shrubs. People will learn to fly and even talk to those not nearby. All these strange signs would come to pass.
She also predicted that during this time, there would be a lot of bloodshed and death. Children shall turn on their parents, and the society will struggle to hold together. She gave a warning that the Queen is not to divert from the culture, or further losses would ensue.
All these things were hidden in her heart, and Shana did not tell anyone of her concerns. The prophesy had been recorded in the book of Seers, but very few had access to such important information.
When Shana's mother finally passed on, the young Queen was devastated but prepared. She had known of the responsibilities coming her way, and she was ready, or so she thought.
The first years were a blur. She managed to get somethings done, but what baffled her was how much pushback she experienced, especially from those she thought would be on her side. However, all these were things she could handle.
Then it started, first as a rumor, and later as a growing concern that just won't go away. The barbarian hordes of Zithile were on the move. This was not strange, but what was strange was that someone was unifying all the tribes, building a single army, as if the hordes were not frightening enough by themselves.
At first, the Queen could only look on, making steps to ensure her people were protected. However, the hordes, especially their enigmatic king, would not let them pass from notice. Rather, they made a direct demand to unify the Asis and the Zithile, forming one kingdom under both the King and Queen in matrimony.
On paper, such a deal had its merits. With the two united, they could shore up each other's weaknesses. Zithile was mostly built on plains that were hot and very unproductive in agriculture. The Asis occupied the choice highlands that were evergreen and had very productive farmlands.
The Asis, who were mostly farmers, could provide the Zithilites with farm produce. In return, the Zithilites could provide the Asis with animal products, since they were mostly pastoralists, excellent in animal husbandry. Whenever there had been peace between the two, they would engage in trade among each other, but in wartimes, they were each other's greatest enemies.
Given how fierce the hordes were, the elders of the Asis felt that they were too weak to refuse such a proposal. After the fall of the King, the army of the Asis never returned to its strength, which meant that all they could do was passively defend, never taking the initiative to attack. Many of the personnel were released to go back to farming, and the resolute defenders of their territory were reduced to simple farm hands.
With the army gutted, who would arise to stand against the enemy? None of the elders and advisers of the Queen had an answer for that, and as such, neither did the Queen.
This was why, despite how off-putting the idea of marrying off the Queen was, they were not only considering it, but they also regarded it as their only way out. For all intents and purposes, the Queen was as good as married.
Of course, Shana, being benevolent and kindhearted, was also in agreement. While unwilling, she realized she had to sacrifice her happiness for the good of the people. Perhaps, as her advisers had said, she could learn to love him.
However, realistically, which young woman wanted to 'learn to love'? Like many women her age, she wanted a love that would burn with passion, causing her to ache with love. If she couldn't have this, Shana wouldn't want another. Unfortunately, she had not choice on this matter.
This was until a certain someone sneaked into her chambers in the middle of the night, planting dangerous ideas into her head. The stranger spoke of a chance, a way out that did not involve tying herself and her people to the oppressors.
Could it be done? Should she even entertain such thoughts on the matter? Shana was at a loss. On one hand, she could choose peaceful resolution. A path that offered life to the people, but what kind of life would it be? A life of oppression, having others trampling your pride was never a good start to any relationship.
On the other hand, Shana could choose a violent exchange. It was a perilous choice and any wrong move, then her people would plunge into the abyss. However, Shana felt that this was the only way out that would leave her people with peace and prosperity.
Speaking of prosperity, she wondered if the prophecy given at her birth could indicate the right way to follow. Choosing the Zithilite King would mean deviating from culture, and that was a big no! Could the strange, masked man be the solution? If he was, then the goddess must have such a crazy sense of humor, she thought.
After Jim left, Shana did not go back to sleep, how could she? Rather, she went about weighing her options. If the man managed to stop the horde, then her people would be saved. If not, she would accept the marriage proposal. By then, it would not be too late.
With that decision made, she could hardly wait for morning to come, so that she could organize a group of a hundred men. These would be her investment into the future. The lives of these men who served under her diligently would represent the lives of all her people.
Thus, it was decided. The following morning, she would take steps towards controlling her own destiny, rather than having others do that.