MUKUNDA Chapter 12 – The Night I Knew the Strength of the Daughter Must Be Taught and Protected

Magodo had settled completely into the silence of the night, the kind of silence that comes when the land is resting, when the work that needed to be done has been done, when the battles that needed to be fought have been fought, when the darkness that had risen has been shown that it is not the enemy, when the light that had been joined has become the thing that shines brightest because it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. But the wind was still moving softly, carrying the smell of the earth, the smell that comes when the land is preparing for the morning, when the things that have been planted are waiting to grow, when the new day is waiting to begin, when the work that will be done tomorrow is waiting to be done. I stood at the top of the mountains, the place where I had stood so many times before, the place where I had looked out at the land that had been given to me to protect, the place where I had felt the weight of the prophecy pressing down on me, the place where I had wondered whether I was strong enough, whether I was brave enough, whether I was the daughter that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I looked at the land that I had protected with all my heart, the land that I had fought for, the land that I had been willing to give everything to save, and in the middle of the camps, the people were resting, were sleeping, were dreaming of the new life that was beginning, the life that was not the life of fear, not the life of waiting, not the life of wondering whether the prophecy would be fulfilled or broken, but the life of peace, the life of building, the life of being the people that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after.

But I knew, in the way that a person knows things when they have been joined with the spirits, when they have carried the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, when they have met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, that the strength of the daughter, the strength that had been given to me, the strength that had been carried, the strength that had been used to save the land, needed to be taught, needed to be protected, needed to pass through different trials, needed to be the thing that was not just for me, not just for the time when I was here, not just for the days when the fire that I carried was burning, when the water that I joined was rising, when the stone that was placed was holding, when the wind that was released was moving. It needed to be the thing that was taught to the children, that was passed to the young people, that was given to the ones who would come after, that would be there when I was gone, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go, that would be the thing that would be the strength that protected the land that had been given to them to protect, that would be the thing that would be the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to them to protect.

That morning, the people of the villages came to the palace, the place where the decisions that shaped the land were made, the place where the king had sat on the stone chair that had been carved from the rock that was at the center of the land, the place where the counselors and the elders and the leaders of the warriors had gathered to hear the things that needed to be heard, to speak the words that needed to be spoken, to make the choices that would determine what would happen to the land that had been passed down from generation to generation. They came showing their respect, the respect that comes when the people who have been saved, who have been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, who have learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, come to the one who carried the fire, who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, who saved the land that had been given to them to protect. I received all of them with joy, the joy that comes when you see the people who you have fought for, who you have carried, who you have saved, who you have taught, who are becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after. But my thoughts were looking forward, were not resting in the peace that had come, were not settled in the joy that was filling the land. I felt that the time had come to strengthen my seat and my strength, to make sure that the thing that had been built, the thing that had been saved, the thing that had been protected, would not be lost when the trials came again, would not fall when the darkness rose again, would not be the thing that was the light that shone for a moment and then went out, but the thing that was the light that would keep shining, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, until the land that had been given to the people to protect was the land that was the thing that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after.

Taru came to stand beside me, the way that she had been standing beside me since we were children, the way that she had been standing beside me since the fire spoke and the prophecy was told and she knelt in the court and told my father that she would be my keeper, that she would stand beside me, that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that she was the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. She showed her support, the support that had been the thing that made her stand beside me, that made her promise to protect me, that made her say that her blood would be the offering if the prophecy failed, that made her the keeper who kept the promise, the one who stood beside the fire and did not let it burn the things that should not be burned. And together, we began to plan the ways of improving and strengthening Magodo, the ways that the fire and the water and the stone and the wind could be used to build the thing that would last, to make the thing that would be there when the darkness came again, to be the thing that would be the foundation of the new life that was beginning, the life that was not the life of fear, not the life of waiting, not the life of wondering whether the prophecy would be fulfilled or broken, but the life of peace, the life of building, the life of being the people that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after.

"Strength is not for one person alone, is not for the one who carries the fire, is not for the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who became the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed. Love, spirit, and unity are the things that give our land the strength that will last, the strength that will be there when the darkness comes again, the strength that will be the thing that shows the darkness that it is not the enemy, that will be the thing that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. If we hold these things with all our hearts, if we build the thing that the ancestors have been waiting for, if we are the people that the land needs us to be, we will not just build Magodo, we will give an inheritance that lasts, an inheritance that will be there when we are gone, that will be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that will be the thing that the children learn, that the young people carry, that the ones who come after us will hold, that will be the thing that shines when the darkness comes and they are not sure which way to go."

The people listened, the way that people listen when the one who is speaking has been chosen, has been tested, has been tried, has been pushed to the edge and has not fallen, has been the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. They felt the strength that had the spirit and the love, the strength that was not the strength that oppresses, not the strength that makes people afraid, but the strength that protects, that builds, that teaches, that is the thing that makes the land the thing that it was meant to be, that makes the people the thing that they were meant to be, that makes the love that is in all of them the thing that is the foundation of everything that they build, everything that they protect, everything that they pass to the ones who come after. And they began to respond with the actions that show the knowing, the actions that come when the people who have been taught, who have learned, who have become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after, begin to do the things that need to be done, to build the things that need to be built, to protect the things that need to be protected, to be the ones who will carry the light when the ones who are carrying it now are gone.

The warriors began to teach the others the ways of controlling their strength, the ways that the strength that is used to protect is not the strength that is used to dominate, that the strength that is given by the spirits is not the strength that is used to make the people afraid, but the strength that is used to make them safe, to make them know that they are protected, to make them know that the land that has been given to them is the land that will be there for their children and their children's children. They taught the ways that the fire that was in them was not the fire that burns, was not the fire that destroys, but the fire that is the light that shows them where to go, the fire that is the thing that will be the warmth when the night is cold, the fire that is the thing that will be the cooking when the food is being prepared, the fire that is the thing that will be the light when the darkness is coming and they are not sure which way to go. They taught the ways that the water that was in them was not the water that drowns, was not the water that rises and takes the things that should not be taken, but the water that is the life, that is the thing that makes the crops grow, that makes the rivers flow, that is the thing that is the drink when they are thirsty, that is the thing that is the cleansing when they are dirty, that is the thing that is the spirit that is in all of them, that is in the land, that is in the animals, that is in the people, that is the thing that makes them alive. And they taught the ways that the stone that was in them was not the stone that crushes, was not the stone that falls and destroys the things that have been built, but the stone that is the foundation, that is the thing that holds the mountains, that is the thing that is the ground beneath their feet, that is the thing that they walk on, that they build on, that they plant in, that is the thing that is the strength that holds them, that is the thing that will hold the ones who come after.

The people learned to use their spirit with their hearts to promote and protect the land, to be the thing that the land needed them to be, to be the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. They learned that the spirit that was in them was not the spirit that was given to them alone, was not the spirit that they kept for themselves, but the spirit that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the spirit that was the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the spirit that was the light that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the spirit that was the inheritance that had been saved, that had been protected, that would be the thing that was there for the children and the children's children, that would be the thing that was the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after. I began to form a team of the teachers of the spirit, the elders of the village, and the young children, the ones who would carry the teaching when we were gone, the ones who would be the ones who taught the ways of protecting the strength, of joining the spirit, and of the true love, the love that had been given to them, that had been waiting for them, that would be there for them when the darkness came and they were not sure which way to go.

But immediately, new troubles began to come out, the troubles that always come when the peace is settling, when the land is resting, when the people are beginning to build the new life, when the thing that has been saved is being strengthened, when the darkness that has been shown that it is not the enemy is waiting for the moment when the light is weak, when the people are peaceful, when the guards are down, when the thing that has been waiting can rise and take what it has been waiting to take. People from other lands, from the places beyond the mountains, from the places where the spirits that had not been joined were still waiting, still watching, still hoping that the light that had been joined would fall, would break, would be the thing that was the fire that burned the things that should not be burned, began to try to use their own disagreements to oppress Magodo, to take the land that had been protected, to be the thing that would be the end of the kingdom that had been standing since the first king sat on the throne and promised to protect the land that had been passed down from his father and his father's father and the fathers who had come before. They came wearing the clothes of the shadow, the clothes that carried the darkness that had not been taught to cry, that had not been shown that it was not the enemy, that had not been the thing that was the other half of the light, that was the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. They carried the weapons that had no mercy, the weapons that had been made to destroy, the weapons that were the thing that the darkness had been waiting to use, the thing that the darkness had been waiting to be, the thing that the darkness had been waiting to show that it was not the thing that could be taught, that could be shown, that could be the thing that was not the enemy, that was not the thing that had to be destroyed, that was not the thing that had to be pushed back forever, but the thing that was the other half of the light, the thing that made the light know that it was light, the thing that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. They began to threaten the camps, to make the people afraid, to be the thing that would be the test that the light had to pass, the thing that would show whether the peace that had come was the peace that would last or the peace that would be broken when the thing that had been hidden rose again.

I looked at the place where the enemy was, my eyes filled with the strength that had been given to me, the strength that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the strength that was the light that showed the people where to go, the strength that was the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who had become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who had joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who had met the darkness and shown it that it was not the enemy, the one who had saved the land that had been given to them to protect. My spirit was trying to protect, was moving, was preparing to be the thing that would meet the darkness that was coming, that would show it that the light that had been joined was not the light that would fall, was not the light that would break, was not the light that would be the fire that burned the things that should not be burned, but the light that would shine, that would be the thing that showed the people where to go, that would be the thing that was the protection, that was the strength, that was the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

"People of Magodo, do not be afraid! My strength is not to oppress, is not to make people afraid, is not to be the thing that holds them down, that tells them what to do, that makes them into something that they are not. It is to teach, to protect, and to join the spirit, to be the thing that makes the land strong, that makes the people strong, that makes the love that is in all of us the thing that is the foundation of everything that we build, everything that we protect, everything that we pass to the ones who come after. If we work together, if we join the fire that is in each of us, the water that is in each of us, the stone that is in each of us, the wind that is in each of us, the love that has been given to us, that has been waiting for us, that will be there for us when the darkness comes and we are not sure which way to go, nothing will be able to harm Magodo, nothing will be able to take the land that has been given to us to protect, nothing will be able to be the thing that is the end of the kingdom that has been standing since the first king sat on the throne and promised to protect the land that had been passed down from his father and his father's father and the fathers who had come before."

Taru took my hand, her eyes filled with the support and the pride that comes when the person you love has become the thing that you knew they could become, the thing that you hoped they would become, the thing that you were afraid they would become, because the thing that they had become was the thing that would take them away from you, would take them to the place where the fire was burning, would take them to the place where the darkness was waiting, would take them to the place where the prophecy would be fulfilled and they would be the one who saved the land or the one who destroyed it, the one who lived or the one who died, the one who carried the fire or the one who was consumed by it. But now, the fire had been carried, the darkness had been shown that it was not the enemy, the land had been saved, and the thing that she was seeing was not the thing that was taking me away, but the thing that was the strength that was being taught, the thing that was the protection that was being given, the thing that was the people who were learning, the thing that was the young people who were becoming the ones who would carry the light when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

"You are the true Mukunda, the leader who has a clean heart. Your strength and your love will protect Magodo from all the ones who want to do bad things, from the ones who would take the land that has been saved, from the ones who would be the darkness that rises again, from the ones who have not been shown that the darkness is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side."

The people began to work together, the way that people work together when they have been taught, when they have learned, when they have become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after. They taught the other young people the ways of protecting the darkness, the ways that the darkness that had been shown that it was not the enemy could be the thing that was the other half of the light, the thing that made the light know that it was light, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. They taught them the ways of joining the spirit, of using the strength and the love, of being the thing that the land needed them to be, of being the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I walked among them, showing the ways of joining with the spirit and teaching the strength of the Spirit of Darkness, giving them all kinds of lessons about protecting the land, about being the thing that would be there when I was gone, about being the ones who would carry the light when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

In the middle of these actions, in the place where the work was being done, in the place where the teaching was being given, in the place where the people were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born, the Spirit of Darkness came out again, the spirit that had been shown that it was not the enemy, the spirit that had been the thing that was the other half of the light, the spirit that had made the light know that it was light, that had made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. It showed that the darkness is not the enemy when the people use their strength with their hearts and with love, when they do not try to push it back, do not try to destroy it, do not try to be the thing that is the light that burns the things that should not be burned, but the thing that is the light that shows the darkness that it is not the enemy, that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, that it is the thing that makes the light know that it is light, that makes the light shine brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side. I came close to the Spirit of Darkness, the way that I had come close to it before, the way that I had stood in the land of Mainini Mucha and met the darkness that had risen, the way that I had let the darkness fall on me and had shown it that it was not the enemy, the way that I had let the light come out of me and had shown it that the light that had been joined was not the light that would be destroyed, was not the light that would be taken, was not the light that would be swallowed by the darkness that had been waiting, but the light that would show the darkness that it was not the enemy. I took its hand, the way that you take the hand of something that has been shown that it is not the enemy, the way that you take the hand of something that has been the thing that is the other half of the light, the way that you take the hand of something that has made you know that you are light, that has made you shine brightest when you passed through it and came out the other side. And I felt the strength that was joined with the spirits of all the people who were at the village, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.

"You are here to teach and to strengthen," the Spirit of Darkness said, its voice carrying the peace that comes when the thing that was the enemy has been shown that it is not the enemy, when the thing that was the darkness has been shown that it is the thing that is the other half of the light, when the thing that was the thing that made the light know that it was light has been shown that it is not the thing that has to be destroyed, that it is not the thing that has to be pushed back forever, that it is the thing that is the part of the prophecy that had not been understood, the part that said that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, that has been tested, that has been tried, that has been pushed to the edge and has not fallen, that has been the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. "Today you have a great work to join the spirit, the strength, and the love so that Magodo will not be taken by the bad things, so that the land that has been saved will be the land that will be there for the children and the children's children, so that the light that has been joined will be the light that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, so that the inheritance that has been built will be the thing that is passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next."

I looked at all the people who were around me, the people who had been saved, the people who had been shown that the darkness was not the enemy, the people who had learned that the light that shines brightest is the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the people who were becoming the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born. I spoke to them, my voice carrying the thing that I had learned, the thing that the prophecy had been waiting for me to understand, the thing that the darkness had taught me, the thing that the light had shown me, the thing that would be the thing that would make Magodo the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after.

"The strength of the daughter is not to frighten, is not to make people afraid, is not to be the thing that holds them down, that tells them what to do, that makes them into something that they are not. It is to teach the spirit, to protect the love, and to promote the unity, to be the thing that makes the land strong, that makes the people strong, that makes the love that is in all of us the thing that is the foundation of everything that we build, everything that we protect, everything that we pass to the ones who come after. If we know these things, if we build the thing that the ancestors have been waiting for, if we are the people that the land needs us to be, Magodo will always be a land that shines, a land that lives in peace, a land that is the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born."

At the end of that day, the people learned the importance of unity, of love, and of strength. Magodo was filled with the light of the spirit, and the wind was calm, showing that the land had returned to its true order, the order that had been there since before the first people came, the order that had been waiting for the time when the prophecy would be fulfilled, when the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son would become the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, when the fire would join with the water and the stone and the wind, when the darkness would be shown that it was not the enemy, when the land would be saved, when the people would become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after. I sat at the top of the mountains, looking at the land that was filled with the people who had learned, who were happy, who were protecting their spirits, the people who had become the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the first people walked on this land and claimed it for the ones who would come after. I knew that today, the strength of the daughter Mukunda had been strengthened, and Magodo had entered a new part of the true shining, of peace, and of the inheritance that lasts, the thing that would be there when I was gone, the thing that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, the thing that was the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after. The land was safe. The people were strong. The inheritance was being taught. The strength of the daughter had been passed. And I was Mukunda, the child who was freed by the Spirit, the daughter who was born when the kingdom was waiting for a son and who became the thing that the kingdom did not know it needed, the one who carried the fire, the one who joined with the water and the stone and the wind, the one who met the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, the one who saved the land that had been given to her to protect, the one who taught the people, who built the inheritance, who passed the strength from her hand to theirs, who would watch as they became the ones who would carry it when she was gone, who would be the thing that the ancestors had been waiting for since the fire was lit and the prophecy was spoken and the daughter who would carry the fire was born.