MUKUNDA Chapter 14–The Morning When the Women and the Warriors Rose Together to Build the Inheritance

The morning of Magodo began with the sun shining strongly, the kind of sun that comes when the night has passed, when the darkness that was waiting has been shown that it is not the enemy, when the light that has passed through the darkness and come out the other side is shining in a way that it has never shone before, when the land that has been saved is ready to rise fully, to be the thing that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after. 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 I knew that my inheritance had been strengthened, that the Death of Darkness had been destroyed, that the thing that had been waiting had been shown that it was not the enemy, that the light that had been joined had passed through the darkness and come out the other side and was shining brighter than it had ever shone before. And I knew that the time had come to promote the women, the warriors, and the young children, to make them 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, to be the ones who would carry the inheritance when I was gone, who would protect the land when the darkness came again, who would be the light that showed the people where to go when they were not sure which way to go.

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. She was there to teach the others, to show them the ways that she had learned, to be the one who stood beside me when the teaching was being given, when the inheritance was being passed, when the women and the warriors were learning, when the young 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.

"Today, we will strengthen the unity of all the people, especially the women and the warriors," I explained, my voice carrying 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. "Strength is not just to rule, is not just to be the one who sits on the throne, is not just to be the one who carries the titles, is not just to be the one who tells the people what to do, where to go, how to be. It is to build, to teach, and to protect our inheritance, the inheritance that has been given to us, the inheritance that we have carried, the inheritance that we will pass to the ones who come after, the inheritance that is the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the inheritance that is the light that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the inheritance that is 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 people began to come 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. The women were strengthened with new knowledge, the knowledge that had been given to them by the spirits, the knowledge that had been waiting for them since before they were born, the knowledge that was the fire that was in them, the water that was in them, the stone that was in them, the wind that was in them, the knowledge that they could use their spirit and their strength in a way that was wise, in a way that was good, in a way that would protect the land, that would build the inheritance, that would be 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 were taught the ways of using their spirit and their strength wisely, 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 were 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. They were 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. And they were taught the ways that the wind that was in them was not the wind that destroys, was not the wind that tears the trees from the ground and throws the houses to the ground, but the wind that is the breath, that is the thing that moves through the land, that is the thing that carries the scent of the wild sage and the rain that is coming and the earth that is waiting to be turned, that is the thing that is the spirit that is in all of them, that is in the people, that is in the animals, that is in the land, that is the thing that makes them alive, that makes them 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 warriors were taught to use their strength in the right way, the way 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 were taught to protect the people from the bad things, from the things that would take the land that had been saved, from the things that would be the darkness that rises again, from the things that 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. And they were taught to join with love, to let 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, be the thing that was the fire that was in them, the water that was in them, the stone that was in them, the wind that was in them, the thing that made them the light that showed the people where to go, the thing that made them 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.

I began to arrange the meetings of the students of the spirit, the warriors, and the elders of the village, the ones who would carry the teaching when I was gone, the ones who would be the ones who taught the ways of protecting the inheritance and promoting Magodo, the ways that the fire and the water and the stone and the wind could be used to protect, to build, 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 were to teach the children, the young people, the ones who would be there when I was gone, the ones who would carry the inheritance, who would protect the land when the darkness came again, who would be the light that showed the people where to go when they were not sure which way to go, 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.

"People of Magodo, the strength that is strong 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 and to protect, 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 stain our inheritance, nothing will be able to oppress our people, 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, the way that she had taken my hand when we were children, when we sat by the river and let the wind carry away the things that were too heavy to hold, when the light rose from the earth and the elder Vengai said that the second spirit had joined, when we stood on the stone at the River of Stones and the spirit of the stone asked if we were the ones who could carry the courage of the stones, when we stood on the hill where the sky falls and the wind released the love that had been carried, when we walked through the darkness and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the land of Mainini Mucha and the darkness fell on me and the light came out of me and showed it that it was not the enemy, when we stood in the caves where the ancestors had gone to meet the darkness and be tested and be shown that the light that they carried was the light that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side, when we stood on the top of the mountains and looked at the land that had been saved and knew that the time had come to promote the women, the warriors, and the young children. Her eyes were filled with 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, the inheritance had been strengthened, the Death of Darkness had been destroyed, and the thing that she was seeing was not the thing that was taking me away, but the thing that was the women who were learning, the warriors who were becoming, the young people who were rising, the inheritance that was being passed, the light that was shining brightest because it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

"You are the true Mukunda, the leader who has a clean heart. Your inheritance will always be protected and taught to the ones who come after, to the women who are learning, to the warriors who are becoming, to the young people who are rising, to the children who will carry the light when you are gone, who will be the ones who protect the land when the darkness comes again, who will be the light that shows the people where to go when they are not sure which way to go."

The women began to form teams to teach the others, joining their spirit with love and strength, 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, 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. They taught the ways of protecting the inheritance, 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. The warriors taught the young people the ways of protecting the strength and the spirit, 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 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, 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, the ways that the wind that was in them was not the wind that destroys, was not the wind that tears the trees from the ground and throws the houses to the ground, but the wind that is the breath, 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 the people learned to join with the new knowledge, the knowledge that had been given to them by the spirits, the knowledge that had been waiting for them since before they were born, the knowledge that was the fire and the water and the stone and the wind, the knowledge that was the light that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the knowledge 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 walked among them, showing the ways of protecting the darkness and strengthening the inheritance, joining the strength of love with their spirits, the love that had been given to me, that had been waiting for me, that would be there for me when the darkness came and I was not sure which way to go, the love that I had released on the stone in the middle of the valley, the love that had become the wind that was moving, the wind that was carrying, the wind that was the thing that made the land live, the land breathe, the land be the thing that it was meant to be. I showed them that the darkness was not the enemy, that it was the thing that was the other half of the light, that it 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. I showed them that the strength that was strong 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.

In that moment, the people began to respond, showing that strength and love joined with the spirit works, that the thing that had been taught, that had been learned, that had been passed, was the thing that would last, that would be there when the darkness came again, that would be the thing that would shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. The wind began to breathe softly over the camps, showing the peace and the unity 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, work together, build together, protect together, be 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 looked at Taru, smiling the way that a person smiles when they have found something that they did not know they were looking for, when they have become something that they did not know they could become, when they have been given something that they did not know they needed, when they have received the thing that the prophecy has been waiting for since before they were born, since the fire was lit, since the water rose, since the stone was placed, since the wind was waiting to receive the love that would make it complete, since the darkness was shown that it was not the enemy, since the light was joined and became the thing that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

"The joining of the people is not just to do small things, is not just to build the houses, is not just to grow the crops, is not just to protect the borders, is not just to teach the children. It is to strengthen our inheritance, our love, and the strength of peace, 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. It is to be 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. It is to be the light that shines brightest when it has passed through the darkness and come out the other side, the light that is the land that the ancestors had promised when they first walked on this land and claimed it for the people who would come after."

But it did not take long before the people from other lands, the people who had been watching, who had been waiting, who had been 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, that made the light shine brightest when it had passed through the darkness and come out the other side.

I knew that my work was not just to teach, was not just to build, was not just to pass the inheritance. It was to protect the people from the ones who did not want the good, from the ones who would use the light that had been given to them to add to their own power, from the ones who would take the love that had been given to the people and turn it into the thing that would hold them down, that would make them afraid, that would be the thing that would be the darkness that rose again, that would be the thing that would have to be shown again that it was not the enemy. I called out to the people, my voice carrying 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.

"People of Magodo, do not be afraid! Our strength is joined with love, our inheritance has been strengthened, and nothing will be able to harm us 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. If we stand together, if we build together, if we protect together, nothing will be able to stain our inheritance, nothing will be able to oppress our people, 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."

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 the strength, teaching the young people that the inheritance of Magodo could continue for many years, could be the thing that was there when I was gone, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that would be the thing that the children would learn, that the young people would carry, that the ones who came after me would hold, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go.

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, and who were strong, the people who had become 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 knew that today, the inheritance of Magodo had been strengthened, and the unity of the people, the women, and the warriors had made the land shine forever, had made it the thing that would be there when I was gone, that would be passed from one hand to the next, from one heart to the next, from one generation to the next, that would be the thing that the children would learn, that the young people would carry, that the ones who came after me would hold, that would be the thing that would shine when the darkness came again and they were not sure which way to go. The land was safe. The people were strong. The inheritance was being taught. The women were rising. The warriors were protecting. The light had passed through the darkness and come out the other side. 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 women, who strengthened the warriors, who built the inheritance, who passed the light from her hand to theirs, who watched 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.