Tribe Rules - S01 E03

Story 2 months ago

Tribe Rules - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

Tribe Rules

The night was very long for Prince Jide. He stayed in his room, but he did not sleep. The moon was high and bright outside his window, casting long and silver shadows across the floor. Jide spent the whole night walking back and forth. His feet moved in a steady rhythm on the soft, thick rug. He looked at his room, which was filled with many beautiful things. He saw his royal robes made of the finest silk. They were colored in deep purple and bright red. He saw his golden crown sitting on a small table. It was covered in tiny jewels that sparkled like stars in the moonlight. For many years, Jide had thought these things were the most important things in the world. He had been taught that his crown was his duty and his robes were his pride.

But tonight, everything looked different. The gold did not look shiny to him anymore. It looked heavy. The robes did not look royal. They looked like a weight that was pulling him down to the ground. To him, Elena was more precious than all the gold in the kingdom. He closed his eyes and could see her face. He could see her eyes that were full of light. He could remember the way she looked when she smiled. She was from the Rain Tribe, and the rules said they could never be together. But Jide did not care about the rules anymore. He felt that love was more important than crowns or kings. He felt that being happy was better than being a prince who lived in a cold prison of secrets.

The stars began to fade as the sun started to come up. The sky turned a soft gray and then a bright orange. Jide stopped walking. He had made his choice. He washed his face with cool water and dressed in simple clothes. He did not put on his purple robes. He did not put on his golden crown. He looked like a regular man, but his heart felt stronger than it ever had before. He marched out of his room and walked down the long, quiet hallways of the palace. The servants were just starting their work. They bowed low as he passed, but Jide did not look at them. He was a man with a plan, and nothing was going to stop him.

He marched into the great hall. This was the place where the King and Queen had their breakfast every morning. The hall was very large. It had high ceilings and big windows that let in the morning light. The sun made the golden decorations on the walls glow, but the room felt very cold. His parents were already sitting at the long table. There was a lot of food on the table. There was fresh bread that smelled like yeast and honey. There were bowls of sweet red fruits and jars of cold milk. But no one was eating. The room was silent. You could only hear the sound of the wind blowing outside the window.

Jide stood at the end of the long table. He did not sit down. He stood tall and looked his father in the eyes. His father, the King, looked very tired. His mother, the Queen, looked like she had been crying. Jide took a deep breath. He spoke with a voice that was as hard as a rock. He did not let his voice shake.

I do not need your crown, he said. The words seemed to echo in the large room.

The King dropped his spoon. The sound of the metal hitting the plate was very loud.

And I do not need your old stories, Jide continued. I am tired of living in fear of things that happened a long time ago. I am tired of being told who I can love and who I can talk to. I am leaving this home to be with Elena. I am going to the Rain Tribe, and I am going to find a way for us to be together.

The Queen let out a small cry. She was holding a beautiful glass filled with fruit juice. When she heard Jide’s words, her hand began to shake. The glass slipped from her fingers. It hit the hard stone floor and shattered. It broke into a thousand tiny pieces that scattered everywhere. The red juice spilled across the floor like a pool of blood. She looked at Jide with eyes that were full of pain.

Jide, please, she whispered. You do not know what you are saying. You are our only son. You are the future of the Sun Tribe.

I am more than just a future, Mother, Jide said. I am a person. And this person chooses love.

The King stood up slowly. He used the table to help him stand. For the first time in his life, the King looked very old. He did not look like a powerful ruler. He looked like a father who was losing his child. His face was full of wrinkles, and his shoulders were hunched over. He looked at Jide for a long time. The silence in the room was heavy. It felt like the air was hard to breathe.

If you walk through those gates, Jide, you can never come back, the King said. His voice was deep and very serious. If you leave us now, you are no longer a prince of the Sun Tribe. You will be a stranger to this land. You will have no home, no money, and no family to protect you. The gates will shut, and they will stay shut. Are you truly ready to give up everything for a girl you barely know?

Jide did not hesitate. He did not even blink. He reached down and touched the royal ring on his finger. The ring was made of heavy gold and had the symbol of the sun carved into it. It was the mark of a prince. He pulled the ring off his finger. He walked to the table and placed it on the wood. The ring made a small thud as it landed next to the broken glass.

I am ready, Jide said.

He turned his back on his family. He did not look back to see his mother’s tears or his father’s sad face. He walked out of the great hall with his head held high. He walked through the palace and out into the city. The people of the Sun Tribe were starting their day. They saw the Prince walking through the streets in simple clothes. They whispered to each other. They wondered where he was going. They wondered why he was not wearing his crown. Jide kept walking. He did not stop to talk to anyone.

He reached the great wooden gates of the city. These gates were very big and very thick. They were made of old oak wood and reinforced with heavy iron bars. They were built to keep enemies out, but today, they were holding Jide in. The guards at the gate looked at Jide. They were confused. They did not know if they should let him through.

Open the gates, Jide commanded.

The guards looked at each other and then at the palace. They saw no one coming to stop the Prince. Slowly, they began to push the heavy gates. The wood made a loud creaking sound. It sounded like the gates were crying. The gap between the doors grew wider and wider. Jide could see the green forest and the hills beyond the city. He could see the path that led to the Great River and the mountains of the Rain Tribe.

Jide stepped through the gates. He felt the wind on his face. It felt fresh and free. He felt like a bird that had just been let out of a cage. He took a few steps onto the dirt path. He was no longer a prince. He was just Jide. He felt a sense of peace, but he also felt a little bit of fear. He was going into the unknown.

Behind him, the guards began to close the gates. The heavy wood began to creak shut again. Jide knew that once those gates closed, his old life was gone forever. He would be an outcast. He would be a man without a tribe. He stopped for a second and listened to the sound of the gates moving.

Suddenly, something very strange happened. The sky was perfectly clear. There was not a single cloud in sight. The sun was shining brightly, and the air was blue and beautiful. But just as the heavy gates began to creak shut, a loud, booming sound came from the sky. It was not thunder. It sounded like a giant drum being hit by a hammer. It was so loud that the ground beneath Jide’s feet began to shake. The birds in the trees flew away in fear.

Jide looked up at the empty blue sky. There was nothing there. No clouds, no lightning, no storm. But the booming sound happened again. It was even louder this time. It sounded like the very air was cracking open. Jide felt a cold wind blow past him, even though the sun was still hot. The sound echoed off the mountains and rolled across the forest. It sounded like a warning. It sounded like the earth itself was shouting at him.

Jide stood still on the path. He looked back at the closing gates and then up at the clear sky. His heart began to beat fast again. He had left his home, but it seemed like the world was not going to let him go so easily. The mystery of the black water and the glowing staff was still there, and now the sky was making noises that should not be possible. Jide gripped his hands into fists. He had made his choice, but he realized that the journey was going to be much harder than he thought. The shadows were moving, and the rules of the tribes were not the only things he had to worry about.

Jide gave up his crown and his family for love. Do you think he made the right choice or the wrong choice?

What do you think the loud, booming sound from the clear sky means? Is it a sign of danger?

Now that Jide is no longer a prince, how do you think he will survive in the wild forest?

Do you think the King will ever let Jide come back home, or is the gate truly closed forever?

The Prince has left the palace! Jide has chosen love over his crown, but the sky is shouting a warning. What lies ahead for Jide and Elena? The adventure is just getting started, and the stakes are higher than ever before!