late at night, the two parties still had not reached an agreement, they decided to continue talking
the next day.
“The men set up camp around the tribe, and everyone, foreigners and tribe people alike, were
asleep, except for the tribe leader’s family. The tribe leader was outraged and was telling his wife
what had happened during the talk with the foreigners.
“Mortifying! How could they tell us to move and leave this place? We fought with other clans
over this piece of land and we have won each battle. We have cultivated our unique culture here.
That is why this piece of land is ours! On the other hand, these people waltz into our lives with
new weapons and they immediately have an advantage. How is that fair, I ask you!’ the tribe
leader raged.
“Yes, my dear, it is very irrational of them. What do the people want with our land anyway?’
the woman soothed and tried to placate her husband.
“Fossil fuels are rich beneath our land, whatever it may be. I gathered that it is very worthy
from our talk, and claimed the prior rights to anything within our vicinity. But the foreigners said
they had authority over us as they first gained the knowledge. Pretentious!’ the man seethed.
“You cannot defeat them in combat, I’m afraid. They have weapons we do not have,’ the
woman sighed.
“If only we could have another tribe helping us. It would be so much easier, almost effortless,
to win. The other tribe, the respectful one, would have been a good choice had we not been in
a territorial feud in the first place,’ the tribe leader huffed, before leaving it at that and going to
sleep with his wife.
“What the couple did not know was that their daughter had heard every word of their
conversation. She thought she should do something for her mother and father, considering the
things she owed them in the first place. Knowing of her father’s stubborn and prideful nature and
the deal of the morning talk, she decided to ride a night through the Gobi desert to reach the other
tribe and convince them to help in such a cause and reach her home once again before sunrise.
“It was not an easy task for the girl had been sheltered too much all her life. She grabbed her
saddle and her mare, and proceeded to conquer her fear while recalling the location of the other
tribe. Once done, she steered her horse southwards and, slipping out unnoticed, gave her horse a
nudge and off they went.
“It was exhilarating, the girl decided: the speed, the surprising clarity. She watched the night
flash around her: the rocky barren ground, the vast wideness and plants spread scarcely around
the desert.
“It should’ve been impossible for a girl to take a horse riding though a desert for a whole night
the first time away from home. But the legends say that the desert guided her with whispers of the
wind and calming breezes to her anxiety. The Gobi guided her till, at mid-morning, she reached
the door of the other tribe.
“The other tribe welcomed her as a stranger. Only upon arrival of the tribe leader’s hut
did she state her birth and purpose. The tribe leader hesitated before agreeing to help on two
conditions: one, that the territory they were fighting over would be given to them, and two, she
would marry his son.
“The girl pondered. She recognized the urgency of her tribe’s situation and so she almost
immediately agreed that she would marry his son, though she had only caught glimpses of him
before. She knew he had a reputation for being ruthless at battle and wise in his decisions. He was
