MidReal Story
Legacy of the Zulu Queen
Scenario: Queen Nandi , Shaka's mom is trying to save their national treasures
Create my version of this story
My intelligence has reported that their looting would start with King Dingane’s sacred headrest,” I said.
The Induna stood up from his council seat.
The British are coming!
“What do you propose we do?”
The British are coming!
I heard the warning cry as I was walking through the village.
he asked, his face grim.
our intelligence has been excellent,” I said.
I stopped in my tracks and looked around.
The people were running helter-skelter, carrying their belongings and children.
“We must act now before it is too late.”
I saw a group of warriors running towards the palace.
The Induna turned to his councilors and said, “What do you think?”
The councilors were divided on what course of action to take.
I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what it was.
Some suggested engaging the British in battle, while others recommended fleeing to Lesotho and leaving their homes and people behind.
I ran after them to find out what was going on.
But I knew that neither proposal would work.
When I got to the palace, I found the warriors gathered in the courtyard, talking in hushed tones.
I went up to one of them and asked, “What’s going on?
Fighting would only lead to more bloodshed, while fleeing would leave our heritage at the mercy of the enemy.
Why are the people running?”
I couldn’t bear to see either happen.
“We must protect our national treasures,” I said.
He looked at me with a frown and said, “Where have you been?
Didn’t you hear the warning cry?”
“Whatever it takes.”
“I did,” I said, “but I don’t know what it’s about.”
The Induna turned back to me and said, “And how do you propose we do that?”
I took a deep breath and said, “Send me my son Shaka and Mhlangane.I have an idea.”
“The British are coming,” he said.
“They’re on their way here to loot our national treasures.”
The Induna nodded and sent a messenger to fetch them.
My heart skipped a beat when I heard that.
Shaka and Mhlangane arrived in the hut a few minutes later.
Our national treasures were sacred objects that had been passed down from generation to generation.
Shaka looked at me with concern and asked, “What’s going on?”
The British were coming to take them?
“I heard about the British and their plans to loot our national treasures,” I said.
“I have an idea on how we can protect them.”
My mind was reeling at the thought.
He looked at me with raised eyebrows and said, “What do you have in mind?”
I had heard that the British were planning to invade our land, but I never imagined they would stoop so low as to steal our national treasures.
“We will move the treasures to a secret cave in the mountains,” I said.
Those treasures were the heart of our nation.
“It is the only place where the British will not be able to find them.”
They were what connected us to our ancestors and reminded us of who we are and where we came from.
To have them taken away from us was unthinkable.
Shaka and Mhlangane exchanged glances and then Shaka said, “It is a dangerous mission.
“Do you know when they will be here?”
We will have to go through enemy territory and rugged terrain to get there.”
I nodded and said, “Yes.But it is a risk we must take.”
I asked the warrior.
“They’re already on their way,” he said.
Shaka looked at me for a moment, as if trying to decide what to do.
And then he said, “We will do it.But we cannot go alone.We will need our best warriors to help us.”
“They could be here by tomorrow.”
“Who do you have in mind?”
I turned and ran towards the queen mother’s hut.
I knew I had to tell Mother right away.
I turned to Mhlangane and said.
He stood up from his seat and said, “I know just the men.We will leave at once.”
She would know what to do.
He turned to me and said, “Your Majesty, with your permission, I would like to take my leave.”
When I got there, I found her sitting on the floor of her hut, talking to one of her maids.
I nodded and said, “Go.And may the ancestors protect you on your journey.”
She looked up when she saw me and said, “What is it, child?
You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Mhlangane bowed his head and then left the hut with the other warriors.
I took a deep breath and told her about the British and their plans to loot our national treasures.
As they walked out of the hut, I said to Shaka and Mhlangane, “The fate of our nation’s treasures rest on your shoulders.”
Shaka turned to me and said, “Do not worry, Mother.We will not fail you.”
Her face paled when she heard that.
And then he left the hut with Mhlangane and the other warriors.
She sat there for a moment, as if pondering what to do, and then said, “Go and find Shaka and Mhlangane.
As I watched them go, I couldn’t help but worry.
Tell them to meet me in the royal council hut in one hour.
We need to come up with a plan.
The British were closing in on us.
Their threats to loot our national treasures had become more imminent than ever before.
We cannot let the British take our treasures from us.”
I nodded and ran out of the hut as fast as my legs could carry me.
I found Shaka and Mhlangane in the courtyard, talking to some warriors.
When they saw me, they stopped talking and looked at me.
We had less than 48 hours to move the national treasures to a safer location in the mountains but, it was no easy task.
“The queen mother wants to see you,” I said.
The sacred headrest of King Dingane was made of pure gold and weighed over 20 kilograms.
“She’s called a meeting in the royal council hut in one hour.”
It was far too heavy for anyone to carry for a long time, let alone walk through rough terrain.
They exchanged glances and then followed me to the queen mother’s hut.
We needed a better solution.
After much discussion, the council decided that the best way was to wrap the treasures in blankets and place them on ox-drawn carts, which could be pulled through the mountains.
When we got there, she told them about the British and their plans to loot our national treasures.
We also assigned a group of men, led by Mhlangane, to help carry the smaller items in the royal treasure room.
Shaka’s face turned red with anger, while Mhlangane’s face darkened with rage.
They sat there for a moment, as if trying to process the news, and then Shaka said, “We cannot let them do this.
We also had to prepare for the possibility of encountering British soldiers along the way.
Our national treasures are sacred objects that have been passed down from generation to generation.
We decided that we would hide our weapons among the cattle in the hope that the British would not find them.
They hold great spiritual significance for our people.
But it was a risky plan, and anything could happen along the way.
To have them taken away from us is sacrilegious.
We had no choice but to take that risk if we wanted to protect our national treasures from falling into the hands of the enemy.
We are warriors of the Zulu nation.
The thought of the British looting our national treasures was unbearable.
Mhlangane and his men were preparing for their journey when Shaka and I decided to join them.
We must fight to protect our heritage.”
Mhlangane nodded in agreement.
I could see the surprise in Mhlangane’s eyes.
“We will not let the British take our treasures,” he said.
He turned to me and said, “Your Majesty, it is too dangerous for you and Prince Shaka to come with us.
“We will fight to the death if we have to.”
It would be better if you stayed here.”
I shook my head and said, “No.We are coming with you.”
Shaka stood up and said, “Let’s go to the royal council hut.
We need to come up with a plan.”
Mhlangane could see that he could not change my mind.
He bowed his head and said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The three of us followed him out of the hut and made our way to the royal council hut.
As we walked, I felt a surge of pride.
As he turned to leave, I called him back.
He looked at me and said, “Yes, Your Majesty?”
Despite our differences, we had come together for a common cause.
We had put aside our grievances to protect our nation’s most sacred objects.
I could see that he was worried about something.
“What is it?”
I knew that whatever happened, we would stand together and fight as one.
The royal council hut was a circular thatched-roof structure adorned with symbols of Zulu heritage.
He hesitated for a moment before saying, “May I ask, what should we do if we are caught by the British?”
It was where the king used to hold meetings with his councilors to discuss important matters of state.
I could see that he was hoping that it would not come to that but, if it did, we had to be prepared.
Shaka looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face but, he remained silent.
Now it was used by my son Shaka to hold meetings with his generals to discuss military strategy.
As we entered the hut, I knew that the decisions we made there that day would be crucial for our survival.
I turned to Mhlangane and said, “If we are caught by the British, do not resist.
Just give them what they want.”
Mhlangane nodded and then left the hut.
Shaka turned to me and said, “Mother, why did you agree to let Mhlangane take the treasures if you never intended for him to resist the British?”
I looked at Shaka and said, “We cannot let our national treasures fall into enemy hands.”
Shaka nodded and then left the hut.
As I watched him leave, I knew that he was right.
We couldn’t let our national treasures fall into enemy hands but, we couldn’t risk our lives either.
There had to be another way.
It was not long before Mhlangane and his men were ready.
They had loaded all of the national treasures onto ox-drawn carts and were preparing to leave when Shaka and I joined them.
The sun was setting in the sky as we made our way out of the village.
The air was filled with a sense of urgency as we walked along the dirt road leading out of the village.
Shaka walked ahead with Mhlangane while I followed behind with a group of women carrying pots of water on their heads.