The Value Of Women

It was hot when Karl set out to meet the Chief of the North Hill Tribe. Karl was with five of his men, and he met the Chief at the center of the Night Witch camp with ten of the tribe's men. Karl raised a hand, his men paused their footsteps. Their hands rested on the hilt of their swords which was fastened around their waist in its scabbard.

Karl made his way to stand before the Chief, and the chief smiled at him.

"Welcome, Commander," the Chief said.

"Thank you, Chief," Karl said with his face down. He was annoyed that the Chief had chosen to meet at a time like this with no consideration for the blazing sun. He hoped the Chief and the men with him didn't see it as an insult that his face was down. He was only trying to conceal his irritation. He raised his head when he thought he had concealed his expression, and he leveled his squinted gaze with that of the Chief. "I didn't think you would want to meet in a place like this."

"I did. Custom demands it."

Their stupid custom, Karl thought. No wonder their women were ridden roughly outside their tents with them not considering whether it was hot, raining, or cold. Even worse, they did it in the sight of everyone watching, including their children. Privacy to the North Hill Tribe was a sin. And even though their children knew this, Karl and his men usually saw some of their sons close to the boundaries of this tribe committing what the tribe would call a sin with their sisters, cousins, and other girls. And Karl couldn't tell the Chief this. It would mean their deaths.

"Some of the men of the tribe are scared that your men will mislead their daughters," the Chief said. "We all consider you men of our tribe now, so stop hiding in your tents. We hear our daughters moan. Those moans are sinful. They shouldn't feel any form of pleasure at all. Empower a woman, and she would become lord over you. They feel the pain of menstruation, the pain of childbirth, they feel pain when they try to do heavy tasks, so surely, you must see they were built for pain. They can handle it."

Karl wanted to slap the Chief, but he held himself and laughed instead and kept his face to the ground. "Sorry, Chief," he said, raising his head, the hint of a smile on his face. "I am not from this tribe, and neither are my men. You may consider us so, but that won't make us acknowledge it. We come from different places, and backgrounds, and where I'm from, women are treated with respect. They are fragile creatures, and since they feel pain during menstruation and childbirth, it's only proper they enjoy exquisite pleasure through sex. Their bodies were built for it after all. Their bodies have those pleasure spots because they were meant to be pleased..."

"But they are like horses," the Chief said. "They are meant to obey you and not speak. They—"

"Horses do protest. I am not saying a woman is a horse, but horses do protest. Kick the belly of a horse hard you'll find yourself on the ground with his hoof coming in contact with your head. I don't see women as horses, Chief. I never have, and I never will. My father taught me to treat them like jewels. Sure, they can be annoying sometimes like men are always annoying," he eyed the Chief, "but women have a grace in them that should be appreciated."

"These are our daughters, Commander. And these are customs that we have lived with for ages. Women shouldn't smile. They are nothing because they were reduced so. Everything not up to a man is nothing."

Karl wanted the Chief to shut up. He wanted the Chief and the men of his tribe standing with him to feel the sting of humiliation, and this he wanted to do in the presence of his men who had come out of their tents to watch. But remembering Gina's words, he stilled himself and said, "I'm sorry, Chief. I and my men can never be part of you. We would conduct our business within our tents, and the women you have given to us are no longer part of your tribe."

"But they have our blood," the Chief said. 

"I don't care. They are ours now, and they should be treated with care."

"What gives you the right to make such a demand? You are not part of our council. You are just a common man."

Karl smiled. He liked it when people underestimated him. "I am a mercenary. My only interest is in gold. Recall the past, and how you lived with your neighbours. You may say you never sent for me. But here I am, and I put down your enemies and became a deterrent to discourage future attacks. The air of safety created by the presence of the Night Witch, since you have not the gold to pay for it, you'll compensate with your women."

"The law stands, Commander," the Chief said. "Any lady from the North Hill Tribe allowing what shouldn't be done to her to be done to her, she must die."

Karl gave a head gesture. "I'd like to see you try." He had nothing more to say to the Chief. "Greetings."

Karl turned and walked away with the five men who had escorted him.

Close to his tent, Karl spotted Henry, one of his guards approaching with a letter in hand.

"What is it?" Karl asked, halting his footsteps.

"A letter for you, Commander," Henry said and handed the letter to him.

Karl unrolled the letter and read it. He took his time to look at each word, and when he was done, he rolled it back up.

"What is it, Commander?" Henry asked.

Still a bit lost in the fury of the conversation he had just had with the Chief, Karl said, "Queen Iris has sent for me."

"Orders, Commander."

Karl curtly nodded. "Prepare the men. We march south at dawn."