In the early morning, when the sun finally appeared above the horizon, Haitao and ten other soldiers were waiting at the gate of the military gate. Just when Haitao thought that he had waited long enough and Behrouz might not show up, the sound of horse hooves in the distance made him look up into the distance. Haitao saw a man on horseback approaching the gate of the east military camp entrance. When the man approached, Haitao discovered that the man on the horse was none other than Behrouz. The ten soldiers guarding the gate rushed over surrounded Behrouz and his horse.
"Tell Chinua, Behrouz is here to see him," Behrouz said.
Haitao walked over and said, "Chief Behrouz, I will take you to see Chinua."
Behrouz dismounted his horse and looked at Haitao. He asked, "Are you here to wait for me?
Haitao smiled and said, "Chinua knew you would come." He stepped aside. "Come this way, Chinua is at the training ground."
Haitao led Behrouz through the soldiers' tents and soon came to the weapons training ground, where the soldiers were practicing sparring.
Behrouz was surprised to find that the soldiers were a mix of men and women. "Female soldiers?" Behrouz said in surprised. "Your general is training female soldiers, why?" He turned to look at Haitao. "What can they do on the battlefield?"
Haitao looked at Behrouz and said with a smile, "Don't underestimate the female soldiers trained by Chinua. Their shooting skills and accuracy of arrows are exceptional."
Behrouz smiled and said, "Well, I have to see it with my own eyes to believe it."
Haitao said, "If a peace agreement is reached, you are welcome to test their skill." He stopped and looked at Behrouz. "On the contrary, if there is no peace agreement, then you experience their archery skills." He looked at Behrouz. "But the fact that Chief Behrouz is here today means that the peace agreement proposed by Chinua has been accepted by Chief Behrouz, right?"
Behrouz said, "Yes, but with conditions."
Haitao sighed and said, "Chinua is over there."
Behrouz stopped and watched Chinua, and many other soldiers fight with two men on the training ground. As he stared at Chinua and the two men, he recognized one of them. That person is the young man who came with Chinua. He turned his attention to the five people standing on the sidelines.
Behrouz said, "The three people standing there are not Magoli."
Haitao stared at Naksh, Jeet, and Drystan and then at Behrouz, Haitao said, "They are not."
Behrouz asked, "Why do they serve the Magoli army?"
Haitao chuckled and said, "They don't serve the Magoli army. They serve Chinua."
From the sideline, Hye who stood on the other side and noticed Behrouz and Haitao. He said, "Chinua, your guest has arrived."
Chinua raised her sword and knocked Khunbish's sword away from her face. She handed her sword to Drystan, turned to look at Behrouz, and walked towards Behrouz and Haitao.
"I knew you were coming," Chinua said, wiping her sweaty hands on the side of her pants. "Since you are here, does this mean you accept the peace agreement?"
Behrouz said, "There are some conditions."
Chinua knew Behrouz was a stubborn old man, but she had never seen anyone as stubborn as Behrouz before. She shook her head and chuckled. "What are your conditions?" Chinua asked.
"First, you won't change our rules. Second, you can't force us to go to war, and third..." he sighed, staring at Chinua. "Help us create an escape route, if one day, someone uses your method to burn us to death or starve us to death in Salran Hill."
Chinua chuckled and said, "I accept your additional conditions, and in return, I also want to add a condition to my peace agreement."
Behrouz said, "What is it?"
Chinua said, "I have two things that I need your help with, and you must accept it unconditionally."
Behrouz said, "What is it?"
Chinua said, "I don't know yet, but when I need it, you can't refuse."
Behrouz said, "What if this is a bad thing?"
Hye walked from behind Chinua and said, "I can guarantee that is nothing bad."
Behrouz said, "How can you be so sure?"
Chinua said, "Because it was his idea." She looked at Behrouz. "If you want this escape route, I suggest you agree."
Behrouz said, "Fine. "
Hye said, "Alright, then please sign the peace agreement."
Behrouz scoffed and said, "I am a person who keeps my word. Besides, I can't read or write, so don't look down on me by giving me such a long script."
Chinua stepped forward and said, "Alright... The promise of a true warrior is worth more than a thousand taels of gold." She stretched out her hand, and Behrouz grabbed it.
Behrouz said, "Heaven and earth bear witness for me. As long as you fulfill your agreement, I will fulfill mine."
"Captain! Captain!" A soldier shouted and rushed towards Chinua and others. He stopped in front of Chinua. "Chinua!" he coughed. "Hundreds of bandits are heading straight towards our camp."
Behrouz said, "That is my son and his men."
Dyrstan stepped forward and said angrily, "You just agreed to a peace agreement with Chinua. Are you already attacking us?"
Behrouz said, "No... it is to express our sincerity for the peace agreement. We are here to celebrate. This is our normal custom when we make new friends."
Hye said, "Then let them in." He looked at Haitao. "Captain, please show Chief Behrouz to the training ground."
Watching Behrouz left with Haitao, Naksh stepped forward and said, "So we just let him take his people into our camp, just like that. What if this is a trick?"
Chinua said, "A man who trust nobody is a man nobody trusts. Therefore, every trust must be verified through one's action. If you give a man a chance, he might surprise you." She looked up at Naksh with a smile.
Naksh smiled. "Yes, General, I heard you loud and clear," he said, shaking his head as he realized that the person Chinua was talking about was none other than himself.
The celebration of friendship between the Hmagol army and the Salran Hill bandits lasted from dusk to dawn and well into the night. At this time, when the villagers heard that the Hmagol army was celebrating their friendship with the Salran Hill bandits, the villagers in the surrounded villages came out with food and alcohol to participate in the celebration. Due to too many people, the celebration continued outside the small military camp.
Sitting by the campfire, watching the women in the village roasting pigs and mutton under the campfire, Chinua smelled the aroma. Her heart was filled with joy every time she saw women and children smiling at her as they danced past her.
"Chinua," Khunbish said, handing Chinua a piece of roast pork.
Chinua took the piece of pork and started eating it. "This is very good Khunbish," she said, taking another piece of pork from Khunbish's hand.
Khunbish said, "If Chinua likes it, Khenbish and I can learn this dish."
Chinua chuckled, swallowed down her food and said, "I would rather you spend your time on other things. Even if you learn it, your cooking skills will not be as good as those of these local men and women."
Suddenly, a braided daisy bracelet fell onto Kunbish's lap, and a woman look down at Khunbish and smile at Khunbish. Behrouz's men cheered and clapped.
Behrouz said, "Go dance with that young lady. She has chosen you as her dance partner." He grabbed the woven daisy bracelet, placed it in Khunbish's hand, and pushed Khunbish toward the young woman. "Just hold hands and dance around the campfire." He smiled.
As Chinua watched her soldiers dance with local men and women, she laughed and began clapping her hands.
Behrouz sat down next to Chinua and asked, "Is the young man married?"
Chinua asked, "Who?"
Behrouz smiled and said, "The young man who danced with my daughter." He pointed at Khunbish. "Her name is Noor. So, is this young man married?"
Chinua said with a smile, "No, he's not."
"Yes," Behrouz shouted happily. "I thought she would never like anyone, but I guess I don't have to worry anymore."
Chinua said, "She might want to reconsider."
Behrouz turned to Chinua and asked, "Heh, why?"
Chinua frowned and said, "Khunbish is too royal. That is something that cannot be changed."
Behrouz asked, "You won't let him get married? If so, that would be a bit cruel."
Chinua said, "He is not my servant, but my friend. He is free to do what he wants without my consent."
Behrouz said, "Well, it is settled. You cannot stop the young man if he wants to fall in love."
A young girl grabbed Behrouz's hand. "Grandfather, grandfather, come and dance with me," she said.
Behrouz stood up, grabbed the little girl's hand, and said, "Don't stop the young man if he wants to fall in love..."
Chinua watched the people dancing around the bonfire with a bright smile on her face, and she realized that she now truly understood why Batukhan did not appointed Mönkhbat as the crown prince and why Mönkhbat chose to stay in the south.
Chinua looked at the villagers and she said, "For anything worth having, one must pay the price; and the price is always work, patience, love, self-sacrifice."
"Are you thinking about General Mönkhbat," Hye said, sitting next to Chinua.
Chinua handed Hye a bowl of water and asked, "You have danced enough?"
Hye took the bowl of water, drank it, put the bowl on the ground, and said, "What about you? Have you danced enough?" He put his arm around Chinua's shoulders. "Is it worth it?"
Chinua asked, "What is worth it?"
Hye looked at Chinua and smile, "Self-sacrifice. Is it worth it?"
Chinua looked at the children's face and said, "It was worth it." She turned to Hye and smile. "That feeling you mentioned makes all the self-sacrifice worth it."
"Chinua," Khenbish's voice sounded from behind Chinua and Hye. He knelt on one knee beside Chinua. "Urgent news from the capital, Chinua must return immediately after getting the news."
Hye asked, "What's so urgent that Chinua must return the moment she receives the message?"
Khenbish said, "Tong didn't say anything. He just asked Chinua to return to the capital immediately after receiving the news."
Chinua sighed and said, "If Tong sent father's message himself, it must be a very urgent and important matter." She stood up and walked towards the military camp with Khenbish.
Hye stood up and wiped the dirt off his butt as his arm was grabbed by Jeet. "What's wrong with Chinua?" Jeet asked.
Hye said, "Urgent news from the capital. Tell the others, the celebration is over."