Chapter 4 The king pala

CHAPTER 4

Standing before the king and the counsel, Boka Goma and some other physicians, all wearing white, were standing to answer some questions from the king, King Salama Bako. "Long live the king!" everybody in the king's court responded.

"We noticed a strange sickness on one of the Kanana Dogari, by name Cosmos," Boka Goma began. "The sickness is so strange; his face is covered with stripes of black and white. We are trying to run some tests on him to see what kind of disease it is and bring up a solution to the sickness before it spreads among the people."

"We want to inform the king for his decision in this matter," Boka Tara continued. "He is one of the Dogari of Prince Cheto, and we don't have the right to detain him for more than one day. We want to get your approval to detain the royal guard for some days and run some tests on him to see what kind of disease this is. If it pleases my king, allow me to put the royal guard in the isolation unit until the process of the treatment is done."

Boka Tara bowed to the king in a respectful manner. King Salama waved his hand in acceptance of the royal physician's appeal.

Barde, the senior Dogari and commander of all the army, was seated forth to the king. He had been listening attentively to the matter concerning the Dogari. He was a major decision-maker in the palace and had the right to advise the king on some of his decisions.

He felt some relief the moment my name was mentioned. He hated me for no reason and had always hoped something bad might just happen to me so I would die. This was the kind of information he always wanted. He also felt the physicians were not taking the matter too seriously, which would help him achieve his goal.

"My king, may I be permitted to talk freely?" Barde asked. The king waved for him to speak up, as the rules of the Kunju Clant dictated that the king didn't have to speak much unless he had to.

The king respected him and his counsel, and he was respected by many others in the community too. The whole council turned to look at him to hear his suggestion on the matter of the strange sickness. His suggestion would be very influential because it would likely be used by the king, since the king respected him.

"May the king live long, and his name be heard in the whole world. May his leadership bring more prosperity to the Wase Kingdom," Duke Guga said, and the whole council responded in agreement. "Long live the king!"

"After hearing what all the Dukes said, I agree with them in all aspects. It will be a great disaster in all the Kunju Kingdom of Wase for a strange sickness to attack us now. We will be feeble and can't defend ourselves from the enemy. We all know that we are facing some attacks from the Bunju Clant. We should not face another problem that might wipe us from the earth before the Bunju do. So, I should say if this strange sickness is found to be transmitted and has a major effect on the victim, the victim must be eliminated before it goes far. Meanwhile, we should not act carelessly without knowing how fast the sickness stays in the body before it kills its victim. Instead, let's confine the first victim, putting him in isolation for tomorrow. That is the only opportunity for us to know what we are facing and get rid of the victim quickly before he spreads it to more victims."

The whole palace was silent as Duke Guga spoke. His ideas were meaningful to those who heard him, and some Dukes were also happy to hear that he was supporting their motion for once. The king was more impressed, knowing him to be very intelligent. His advice had been very fruitful, and he had his trust for him.

"I won't drag on the matter of the strange sickness. We have a lot of things to discuss today. So, I support what Duke Guga said. We can't just act rashly. Let's wait for tomorrow to decide. Meanwhile, Boka Tara, you and your colleagues should try and run more tests to understand the strange sickness," the king said.

"Thank you, your majesty, may you live long," Barde continued. "I want to say that the sickness that struck one of our Kanana Dogari is so sad. We all want to be sure of what is disturbing the Dogari, but according to the tradition of the Clant, we take matters that concern strange sicknesses with much concern. There is a rule that says any sickness that will bring doom to the people should be confined and eliminated in order to save the rest of the Clant. So, I suggest that since the sickness is strange, it should be handled with more seriousness. We should condemn the kid to death; it will stop the sickness from spreading."

Duke Kare responded after Barde, "Yes, my majesty, we need to treat this sickness with seriousness. He's a threat to the Clant; he should be condemned in order to save the Clant. After all, his duty is to serve the prince until he dies; he will die with dignity if he's now a threat to the king."

Duke Doma, another counsel man in charge of Bunga, a village in Wase Kingdom under the Kunju Clant, supported the motion. "My king, if you will allow me to talk," he said, and the king waved his hand in response.

"I know that the royal physician is capable of handling the matter concerning the strange sickness, but I will say nobody is above mistake. What if, due to the research, the strange sickness got out of control and spread out from the lab and infected the people? On behalf of the Bunga people of the Kunju Clant, I want to suggest we take action on the sickness in order to arrest it."

Duke Guga, who was in charge of Mamba, a village of Kunju Clant of Wase Kingdom, had been listening carefully without making any response. He was an old man in his 70s, and he always loved to see his people happy and safe. Unlike the other 15 Dukes of Kunju Clant of Wase Kingdom, he was the only Duke who looked poor, wearing a normal dress that wasn't very expensive. He drove a camel together with his security instead of riding a chariot like some Dukes did. He was related to the queen; the queen's father was his biological brother, making him the queen's uncle.