Chapter 218: Chapter 218 - Matters of the Crown
King Lusweti sat behind a wide desk carved from dark wood, scrolls and sealed reports spread carefully before him. The room was quiet save for the faint scratch of quill against parchment and the muted hum of the capital beyond the palace walls.
A knock came.
Ndengu stepped inside first.
"Your Majesty," he said with a slight bow. "They’ve arrived."
Lusweti’s stern expression softened immediately.
Khisa entered first, walking steadily though the cane remained in his hand. Behind him came Azenet and Prince Tadesse.
Lusweti rose at once.
"My son."
There was pride in his voice. And relief.
He embraced Khisa carefully, mindful of his injuries, before stepping back to study him.
"You look better."
"I feel better," Khisa replied lightly.
Lusweti turned to Azenet with a warm smile
.
"Princess Azenet. It is always a pleasure to see you. Lusimba suits you."
Azenet bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, thank you for your hospitality."
His gaze lingered just long enough to note the ease between her and Khisa.
Good, they seem to be doing well, he thought.
Then he turned toward Tadesse.
His posture shifted subtly, no longer a father, but a king.
"Crown Prince Tadesse of Abyssinia,"
Lusweti greeted, inclining his head with full sovereign respect.
Tadesse returned the gesture. "Your Majesty."
The exchange was measured. Equal.
Ndengu quietly closed the doors.
That evening they dined in the newly completed guest wing of the palace, polished stone floors, carved pillars, fresh tapestries not yet faded by time. It was a statement: Nuri was no longer improvising its future. It was building it, brick by brick.
Conversation was light.
Laughter returned easily.
But beneath it all, responsibility waited.
Later that night, Khisa stood beside Azenet on a balcony overlooking the capital. Torches flickered below, illuminating streets still busy even after dusk.
"Tomorrow morning," he said quietly, "I want to show you something."
She turned toward him. "Another irrigation project?"
He chuckled.
"No. Our future."
Her brow lifted.
"I designed it myself," he continued. "Down to the furniture. I sketched every structure. I carved sample patterns for the woodworkers so they would understand the detail I wanted."
"You... designed furniture?" she asked, amused.
"I made sure to craft designs I hoped you would like."
Azenet stared at him for a long moment.
"You built a palace wing for us?"
"Not a wing," he corrected softly. "A home."
Her eyes brightened, excitement and disbelief mingling together.
"You are impossible," she whispered.
"I prefer prepared. It will be difficult for you to adapt to a new kingdom, so I wanted to give you a place that was truly yours."
She smiled.
And for the first time since arriving, she allowed herself to imagine permanence.
The next morning, Khisa led her through a separate section of the capital, slightly elevated, overlooking both the city and distant farmlands.
Workers carried beams and bricks. The sound of chisels striking stone echoed through open air.
When they saw him, several paused.
"My Prince!"
Relief showed plainly on their faces.
"You should still be resting," one of the masons called.
"I will be back to the shovel soon enough,"
Khisa replied.
Azenet immediately smacked his shoulder.
"You will do no such thing."
The workers laughed.
He had worked alongside them for months, hauling stone, adjusting measurements, redrawing plans when necessary. He was not distant here.
He was known.
He spent the morning guiding Azenet through the structure, open courtyards designed for airflow, carved columns inspired by multiple tribal motifs, balconies positioned to catch the first light of dawn.
"And here," he said, stopping in a half-finished chamber, "will be our private study."
"You included one for me?" she asked.
"Of course. I know you will not sit idly. Your mind is beautiful and I know your ideas will only help build this kingdom, you deserve a place to fully utilise your talents."
She ran her fingers across an unfinished window frame.
"This is beautiful."
"It will be," he corrected gently, "The next time we come here will be as husband and wife, I am looking forward to it." He smiled.
Azenet gently smacked his arm, blushing slightly, "You have a way with words, don’t you?"
Khisa chuckled, embracing her.
That afternoon, Azenet chose to explore the capital on her own, escorted by guards but free to wander.
Khisa, meanwhile, sat in the council chamber with King Lusweti and Prince Tadesse.
A scribe waited quietly in the corner.
"Thank you for making the journey, Prince Tadesse," Lusweti began. "I am certain it was exhausting."
"It was," Tadesse admitted, posture formal now. "But the road made it far easier. I met many of the workers along the way. Nuri knows how to move efficiently."
Lusweti smiled faintly. "Efficiency is key to survival. It only means we can get more things done."
"We could not have completed the road without Abyssinia’s cooperation," Khisa added. "Building from both ends was wise."
"It will be operational within months," Lusweti confirmed.
Tadesse nodded once.
"I would like to make an official report regarding developments since Prince Khisa departed."
The scribe dipped his quill.
"Assab has been designated as our primary naval station. Additional ships have been constructed. We liberated the ports of Massawa and Zeila. Both were heavily infested with pirates and Adal forces."
His tone was precise now, crown prince, not the easy going companion.
"Constant conflict initially drove merchants away. However, this disruption significantly damaged slave operations in the region."
Lusweti leaned forward slightly.
"Your troops arrived at a crucial moment," Tadesse continued. "Their presence stabilized the ports. Patrol routes have expanded. Only verified merchant vessels may pass. Pirate activity has decreased, though not vanished. Also the emergency rations, they brought with them, gave us much needed relief"
"That is acceptable," Lusweti replied.
"Deterrence is our objective. If foreign nations understand that hostility invites death, that is sufficient. Since we already have an alliance, your people are just like my own, we will send whatever we can to help during this crucial period."
He folded his hands.
"Disrupting slave trade routes is victory in itself. Although we cannot save those already captured, it is not a burden we can bear, we will settle with preventing future slave hubs from developing."
Tadesse inclined his head.
Internally, Adal established slave camps and battalions within our territory. Those have been dismantled. Our military is undergoing reorganization. While we aim to prolong certain engagements strategically, internal development has not been neglected. We will draw out the war as long as possible, we know decisive victory is impossible right now, it is just a matter of who has more resources to hold out."
Khisa nodded slightly.
"Education reforms have been prioritized," Tadesse continued. "Children first. Merchant adoption of the Solari is increasing, though trust will require time."
"The bank here is already operational," Khisa added. "Stabilization is progressing as projected. Once the road opens fully, integration will accelerate."
They spoke further of economic alignment, freed slave resettlement, agricultural exchange, and currency absorption rates.
Then Tadesse’s expression shifted.
"There is another matter."
The room grew quieter.
"Prince Khisa’s marriage to my sister, Princess Azenet."
Lusweti’s gaze sharpened, not hostile, but deliberate.
"This union," Tadesse continued, voice steady, "will not merely bind two individuals. It will bind our kingdoms. Abyssinia wishes to discuss formal terms."
Silence settled.
Not tension.
Weight.
Khisa did not look surprised.
He had known this conversation was coming.
Outside, the capital continued its relentless construction.
Inside, a new foundation was about to be negotiated.
