"Mistakes are common in leadership. Acer made plenty of them as do the rest of us. You are new to the role and expect perfection of yourself. However, the people do not. Most of what you see as mistakes they never see at all. The citizens are looking for someone to tell them how to handle this situation, and you are doing that. They do not recognize the stress and worry you are going through. There has to be an outlet for it and if spending a few hours with nature gives you the strength to continue, then so be it. No one was harmed or in danger. Now you are back and have delivered the message. We go forward from here."
Maxxus heard the words but still chastised himself for hiding out. No one could be harder on him than himself. He made a slow walk through the city to make up for his absence, spending plenty of time answering fearful questions and praising the efforts of his citizens. He left them with smiles and the comforting assurance that help was coming.
The reassurance did not last long. Marching into the southern edge of the city, one of the scouts brought an entire village. Maxxus drew in a sharp breath and ran to greet them. "Come into the square. Rest, and I will have provisions brought to you," he told them.
To the scout, he asked, "Where are they from? What did you discover?"
The scout replied, "I never made it to their village. They were already halfway here when I ran into them. They had stopped at a small pond to rest, and I had landed there for a drink. I was informed that the waterfall near them was no longer blue and it had a bitter taste. They used it anyway, boiling it to drink. Watering their garden with it caused the plants to wither and die. Their elder left to come here and report the issue weeks ago. He never returned and obviously did not make it here. Not knowing what else to do, they started walking. Of course, they passed many excellent places where they could have remained, but they wanted to find their elder and speak with you."
"Why did the whole group need to come? They could have stayed in a safe spot and sent one representative. Why walk when they could have flown?" Maxxus inquired.
"I asked both of those questions, sire. No one would volunteer to come alone, and they all feared whatever evil had ruined their village would follow them to the next resting place. They are under the impression that an evil entity is punishing them for something. I tried to explain, but they wanted to see you. As to flying, they said there were too many children to carry safely, and there were supplies to bring as well. They have brought all their grain and stored food. I will turn back now and continue my journey. As I go, I will search for their missing elder," the scout promised.
"Stay and rest for the night. Visit your family. You have earned a break. I will settle this group and inquire about the exact location of their village," the king replied.
He approached the group with trepidation. What had they encountered on their trek across Talonia? Were their fears of finding other devastated spots founded? What had kept the elder from reaching the city and where was he now?
As he neared, everyone's eyes turned to an older woman sitting on a large bag that he figured must contain some of the grain they had carried all this way. She must be their official spokesperson, he thought, perhaps the mate of their missing elder. Instead of forcing her to rise, he went down on his knees to have the conversation. "Madam, can I get you anything special to eat or drink? You seemed to have carried a rather heavy burden a long way."
"Give the children a treat if it can be spared, some fruit as they have not had any for a long spell." Her voice was quiet and quivering, but the words sounded like a command. This was a tough lady, Maxxus decided. He waved a worker over from the garden and asked her to fetch fruit for the children.
The woman nodded in satisfaction, and Maxxus asked, "What village did you come from? How far have you walked?"
"We come from halfway across the planet. If we had gone left out of the village, instead of right, it would have taken the same amount of time to reach the city. We chose right, because it was the direction my mate took, and I hoped to find him. We have been walking for a month, according to the sky and the marks our historian makes on his paper."
"Where is your communicator and why did you not use it?" he demanded.
"It has not worked since the explosion. We did not realize the importance of replacing it until the waterfall began to fail."
The same story had been told by those in the near villages. Maxxus would see that the communicators were replaced. Acer must have overlooked that detail. Kelan was correct. The previous king made costly mistakes.
"Did you encounter other places with the same destruction?" Maxxus asked.
"One valley had lost a portion of its greenery. I pray the evil has not followed us to the city. It might have been better for us to stay away," the woman said, wringing her hands.
"Dear lady, you did not bring the evil. It is a consequence of the bombing by the Savra. Your village did nothing to cause this devastation. You will find sanctuary here. We will add your crops to the storage areas, as we are rationing food. You will be given places to reside and jobs to perform after you have regained your strength. Welcome to our capital. I am the king, you may call me Maxxus, and I swear I am doing all that is possible to restore Talonia.
