Elsaa struggled to climb the Guampe tree. This was the tallest and most slippery tree in Lockwood and it produced every Five years. Its fruits were known to blossom and wither within two days. It was one of the best fruits with the most unique taste in Lockwood and it was incidentally Elsa's mother's favorite fruit.When Eric Jett was courting Elsa's mother Becky so many years ago, he had bravely climbed this tree which was slimy and so high up in the sky, and had plucked a sizeable amount of the Guampe fruit for Becky. She had been so happy and immediately gave her consent for them to get married.Five years ago, when Elsa was only fourteen years old, Becky had told her about her love for the Guampe fruit and how her father had risked his life to offer them to her. It wasn't sold in the market because it was extremely difficult to get and it was it's season.Without her mother's knowledge, Elsa had climbed the Guampe tree because she wanted her mother to once more get to eat her favo
Gavin Blake saw Elsa put Jesse in his place through his window and felt proud of her. He wished she was his daughter. Since that wasn't possible, he had wanted her to become his daughter-in-law but alas, his wife and son were too greedy to see how special and beautiful Elsa was.As Elsa entered the house, she met Jesse's mother. The woman hissed and rolled her eyes. Ignoring Elsa's greetings, she instead asked her; "I hope you are not coming here because you still expect my son to marry you?" "I am just here to see Gavin," Elsa replied. "That's better," Jesse's mother said. " I wonder what my husband even sees in you."" You're welcome, Elsa dear," Gavin said as he came out of his room. Elsa greeted him respectfully while he held her hand and said; "my child, let's go for a walk." As they strolled, Gavin looked at Elsa guiltily and apologized, "I wish my son wasn't so stupid. If I were to be in my prime, I would have definitely married you."Elsa laughed and said, "Don't worry abo
Elsa woke up while it was still dark and got ready. She carried a few of her clothes and put them in a bag, filled a small bottle with water, ate a light meal, and bid her mother goodbye. She needed to get to the capital before the Ulundi council welcomed the competitors and she had about six hours to do so. She began jogging slowly while hoping to shorten her journey to four hours.As Elsa jogged, she tried to imagine what the contest would be like, from what her mother told her. She knew that the games would not be the same as the ones that were prepared twenty years ago. The Ulundi council members were not stupid, they knew that since everyone had watched the last competition, they would expose the games to the new competitors so the games would surely be different.Elsa occasionally stopped, to catch her breath and drink water from her bottle. The roads were deserted and she knew that all those who wanted to watch or partake in the contest must have already gone to the capital
All the contestants came one after the other and introduced themselves while mentioning the names of their Clans and pointing out their parents in the crowd, who in turn waved to signify their approval. During this time, the minds of the three Chakras were occupied with various thoughts.The supreme Chaka, Bentley Buthelezi was really impressed with Elsa. He couldn't help but think about his own daughter Juan. If she had even half of the courage that Elsa possessed, he would have been the proudest father alive. She never showed interest in anything related to the kingdom of Lockwood but was obsessed with a worthless peasant and spent all her time with him. It was a pity that Elsa didn't know who her father was. He was a lucky man.The number two Chaka, Kaiden Arlo was also immersed in his own thoughts as his eyes seemed fixated on Caden. He had run out of ideas on how to stop Caden from competing for the position of Chaka. His arrogant and self-centered daughter, Kyrie was head over h
In the end, Hayes started shouting for water. He lay on the floor with his back to the ground and kept begging for water as he held onto his chest with his right hand.The elderly council member once again reminded the contestants; "The only way you will get water is if you make it to the finish line or concede defeat." Hayes heard him clearly even as he struggled to breathe. He didn't know why he was feeling so much pain inside but he felt he was going to die if he did not get water.He didn't want to die. He had a good life back in his Clan. A wealthy family and a beautiful girlfriend. In the end, he decided that nothing was more important than being alive and pressed his red button five times. Almost immediately, two men came out of the forest and carried him off the race track. They placed him in their chariot, gave him water to drink, and drove him out of the Ulundi forest through another route. As his family watched Hayes give up so easily, his father felt ashamed and disappo
The other contestants also picked their partners and in no time, they formed a group of five. The council member continued, "Remember that you cannot change your partner until the end of the game for today. Today's game will test the level of your strength. It is called tug of war. Each of you will play this game with the partner you have chosen and whoever wins, will be the winner for today. We will have five winners and five losers by the end of the game. Get ready to take your positions and may the best man win." Elsa looked at Caden as she felt the hairs on her body stand on end. She closed her eyes and silently asked, "What have I done to myself?" Miguel had a strong urge to laugh at her because he knew she didn't stand a chance against Caden. However, he restrained himself as he wasn't sure if he could beat his own partner. He had picked Dawson because like Elsa he also thought they would work together. He believed Dawson was capable since he had won third place during the ha
Across the viewing centers in Lockwood, some felt pity for Elsa, and others blamed her for taking part in the Ulundi which they believed was meant for men. There was also the third group of people who rejoiced as Elsa struggled for her life and wished she would die. People like Riley and Jesse's mother.After struggling for about five minutes, Elsa began feeling a burning pain in her lungs. Almost immediately, the river current became very quick and strong and it tossed Elsa about the river. She stretched out her hands, struggling to hold on to whatever she could find. As the water tossed Elsa to one side of the river, she hit her head on a tree and immediately circled her arms around the tree. Blood trickled down her face, all the way from her head. Elsa screamed as the impact of the water current on her body caused her excruciating pain. She felt a deep cut on her skin from a sharp object but still held on to the tree as that was seemingly her only lifeline.She could faintly hear
Caden quickly ran to Elsa's side and the other contestants followed behind him. He stretched his hand out to help her but halfway turned to look at his back. All the contestants stood, watching him and as he looked at them, he retrieved his hand and said to her;"This is what you deserve and it's a lesson to teach you never to take part in a game that is meant for men." All the the other contestants, except for Dawson, laughed with Miguel's voice being the loudest. Dawson didn't think it was funny but he didn't try to help Elsa either. Elsa watched in shock as Caden stood up and walked away with the other contestants, without sparing her another glance. Just at that moment, her hands slipped and she fell on her back, directly into the pit.As she fell, Elsa thought that she was going to die, however, the floor of the pit had been padded with a lot of grass. This minimized the impact of the fall on her body. Elsa didn't know that there were cameras in the pit and wept bitterly.Many
Gavin wiped Elsa's tears and said, "Silly girl, why would you think I would be happy when you are miserable? Does Caden know that you are carrying his child?"Elsa shook her head and said, "I just found out about it today. I haven't had the opportunity to tell him and he is in his clan which is far from here."Gavin thought for a while and said, "Take my horse and go to Caden. Tell him about this pregnancy and don't worry about things here.You don't need to marry Jesse if you are miserable about it. I will still be happy because your happiness matters a lot to me.""But if I take your horse, how will you get back home?" Elsa asked.Gavin smiled, "I will find my way my dear so don't worry about me."Elsa thanked Gavin Blake and hugged him. She ran into the house and told Becky that she was going to meet Caden before running out again. Gavin helped her get on his horse and watched as she quickly disappeared from his sight.He went to a friend's house and asked him for his help to get t
Eric Jett tried to plead with Elsa to give him an opportunity to make up for lost time but Elsa said that she didn't want to have a relationship with any of them. She pleaded with them to leave because she wanted to go back inside.They all thanked her for her forgiveness and left but Eric Jett told himself that this was progress. He wasn't going to give up because he knew that even though Elsa had acknowledged him as her father, she still had grudges against him.He decided that he was going to keep on trying until Elsa got rid of the anger in her heart.Jesse's mother came back from the market with so many bags containing foodstuffs. Gavin Blake was surprised and asked her where she got all the items from.She told him that the women in the market were all trying to curry favor with her because she was about to become the supreme Ruler's mother in-law.Gavin warned her to be careful and not accept things from such people because their motives were selfish but she told him that he wa
Eric Jett arrived at Khumalo and went into the palace. He saw Riley and Miguel leaving with their luggage. They both looked at him sadly and turned their faces away from him. Eric Jett stared at the both of them quietly but just as Riley was about to leave he stopped her. He told her that he still regarded her as his wife and Miguel was still his son but they had all treated Elsa very badly and needed to seek her forgiveness.Riley began to cry and promise that she would do whatever Eric Jett wanted as long as he allowed her to keep her position beside him and take back their son Miguel.Elsa ran outside the viewing centre but Caden was already gone. She searched around for him and couldn't find him but finally recalled that he said he was going back to his clan.She realized that she didn't know which clan Caden belonged to but she recalled that he had once told her that he was from the same clan as Ruler Kaiden Arlo.She stopped a passer-by and asked him the name of Ruler Kaiden's
Elsa stared at Gavin Blake in surprise. "Do you have another son that I am not aware of or are you talking about Jesse? Because I am very much aware that Jesse has a girlfriend."Gavin bent his head. "Jesse is single now Elsa but it's fine. I have always wanted you to be a member of my family from when you were just a little girl but I also want you to be happy.Forget about what I have just said. When you have found the man you wish to get married to, please do not hesitate to tell me. I should get going now. Take care of yourself my child and look after your mother as always."Gavin turned and walked toward his horse but Elsa felt really troubled seeing him walk away. "Hold on Gavin." She ran after him and held his hands. "I will do it, Gavin. I've known for a very long time about this desire of yours and I cannot bear to see it make you so unhappy. I will get married to Jesse and I will become your daughter-in-law. Gavin, if you ever feel troubled about anything or need my help i
Becky thought for a while and asked Elsa, "Forget about who you love for a moment, can you see yourself getting married to Dawson?" Elsa shook her head and said, "I feel really disturbed just thinking about it." "Then, that's your answer, my child. If it makes you so uncomfortable, then I wouldn't advise you to marry him. Remember what I said to you earlier? What matters is what you really want. As long as you feel happy in your heart, I will support whatever decision you take." Elsa thanked her mother with a hug before finally retiring for the night.The following morning, Elsa got ready to meet with Bentley as was customary. When she came out of the winners' palace, she was surprised to see Zayden, the young man who was formerly her fan and now her friend. She smiled warmly at him and Zayden felt as if his heart was going to explode."Are you here to see me or someone else? I am going to the Ruler's palace for something important so I don't really have much time," Elsa said.Zayd
Dawson breathed a sigh of relief. Elsa waited for him to go on but he kept staring at her instead so she said, "I am quite busy Dawson so you might want to hurry up. He nodded his head and said, "Elsa, I like you. The truth is that I have loved you ever since we were at the Ulundi forest but I didn't want to tell you until we got out. I wanted you to be focused and not get distracted by anything. Elsa, will you be my queen?"Elsa looked at Dawson in surprise. She could not believe that he held such feelings for her. She tried to recall if there was any time he did anything for her in the forest that may have revealed how he felt about her. She suddenly remembered how he had resuscitated her when she lost consciousness after the crabbing game.But he had done the same for Miguel too, so did that mean he loved Miguel? She smiled at him and said, "I sincerely appreciate your feelings for me Miguel. I promise that I really do but I can't marry you. To be very honest, right now my mind i
Elsa said goodbye to the young man and his friends before walking over to where her mother and Gavin Blake stood. She noticed Jesse's mother standing beside Gavin Blake but acted like she was invisible. Jesse's mother greeted her with an enthusiastic smile and Elsa replied to her without bothering to spare her a glance.Elsa led her mother to the palace where she was encouraged to stay until the day of her coronation. Gavin Blake followed behind them with Jesse and his wife beside him. Jesse's mother felt really happy about her husband's relationship with Elsa. Now that it had gotten to this point, she needed to do a very convincing drama before Gavin in order to get her wishes fulfilled. When they got to the palace, Elsa escorted her mother into the house to rest. She washed the Guampe fruits and gave them to her before coming out to bid Gavin Blake goodbye.She took him to the side and asked, "Gavin Blake, do you remember what I had said before joining the Ulundi contest?"Please d
Elsa stared at Eric Jett for a while. He seemed to plead with his eyes for her to accept him as her father. She turned her face back to Ruler Bentley Buthelezi and smiled before saying, "But how can that be? Is it possible for me to have a father and not be aware? As I said before, I have known only one parent all my life and that's my beloved mother, Becky. I have no idea what Eric Jett is talking about but you can ask my mother, perhaps she would know better."Caden and Dawson stood by the side watching the drama unfold. The crowd below the stage was wondering what was going on while Miguel searched around for his mother. He knew exactly what was going on atop the stage even without being there. He also knew that his mother must be going through a hard time right now, all thanks to his incompetence and his father's shameless greed. He finally found his mother sitting by a corner sulking with a tear-streaked face. He ran to her side and immediately hugged her. She cried some more a
Eric Jett kept staring at Elsa on the screen as it was apparent that she was going to return as a second Ruler even if she failed. Across the various viewing centers in Lockwood, the viewers who were in support of Elsa began jubilating loudly because Elsa had become a second Ruler.The gong sounded again at the forest and Caden quickly began climbing the hill. Like the other two contestants, he had never climbed the Guampe tree before. Although he had been involved in so many activities while growing up, he had never bothered with the Guampe tree because he never thought that one day it would matter.When he finally stood in front of the tree, he used his fingers to touch the viscous liquid on the body of the tree. He now understood why they were all falling. He wished he could be allowed to use a weapon, he would have climbed it effortlessly but the eldest council member had clearly said that they were to use only their hands.Left with no other choice, he circled his arms around the