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Part 1
When a fierce and brutal battle broke out between Lady Dabira and Lady Yazila inside the cage, they engaged each other with lightning-fast sword strikes and thrusts. Their endurance and warrior prowess were such that it seemed their bodies were made of neither blood nor flesh. They spent three full hours in this fierce combat, yet neither of them managed to inflict even a scratch on her opponent.
As for the spectators and King Raihan, their anxiety spiked intensely as they watched Dabira's combat prowess continually intensify. King Raihan's greatest nightmare was that if Lady Yazila succeeded in destroying Dabira, they would lose their chief warrior—one unmatched by any fighter in the entire city.
When the three hours elapsed, Dabira and Yazila halted their combat, stepped back, and stood panting, staring at each other like exhausted roosters. At that moment, Dabira began to think of a way to gain the upper hand against Yazila. To her surprise, however, her heart hammered heavily every time she looked into Yazila's face.
The second thought that crossed her mind was the amulet hanging around Yazila's neck: could this amulet be the reason she had failed to gain victory over her?
"It has become imperative for me to remove this amulet from Yazila's neck, especially since she claims it comes from the hands of a Muslims."
Having resolved this in her mind, she tossed her sword aside, looked at Yazila, and said:
"Since we have failed to harm each other with weapons, let us try hand-to-hand combat to bring an end to this rivalry."
Hearing this, Lady Yazila burst into a wicked, pagan-like laugh, twisted her face into a scowl, discarded her own sword, and said:
"That is precisely what I wanted! Only through this can we truly tell the difference between pearls and pebbles."
Right away, both of them clenched their fists, steadied their stances, and began circling each other. Suddenly! They exploded into a violent brawl, exchanging rapid punches and kicks, using hands and feet.
Nothing could shock the onlookers more than the way they hammered each other's bodies as if beating sacks of grain—they did not even flinch. Instead, they absorbed the heavy blows and immediately retaliated. Before long, they had battered each other until they were covered in blood and mucus.
In the heat of it, they leaped back, six paces apart, and then rushed forward together, each launching herself into the air. Upon colliding, each delivered a horrific, crushing punch to the other's jaw, sending a spray of blood into the air from mid-air as they slipped into a near-fainting daze.
The entire assembly of people in the courtyard sprang to their feet in shock, believing both heroines were done for. No one's anxiety was more frayed than King Raihan's; the moment he bolted upright in a daze, he sprinted like mad toward the cage holding Lady Dabira and Yazila.
As for Humaira, she had chosen not to come out, unable to bear watching the duel between Yazila and Dabira. When morning broke, she noticed the entire royal palace was as dead quiet as if no living soul inhabited it. She realized everyone must be at the courtyard watching the scheduled fight. In truth, since the previous night—involving her daughter Dabira and her old arch-rival Yazila, who had come to them in the guise of an old man named Kasim—Humaira's heart had been heavy.
After tidying herself up, Humaira rose firmly, stepped out of her chambers, and walked through the royal courtyard. Passing a few guards and pacing servants, Humaira walked straight to the room where the guest "Kasim" had stayed. Everywhere she passed, guards and servants bowed and offered greetings until she reached the guest room door and found it unlocked. She wasn't surprised, knowing Yazila had already been captured and taken away.
Even though Humaira had seen Lady Yazila's face the previous night, her heart was still plagued by doubt: Could Yazila truly be her daughter?
With her heart pounding heavily, she pushed into the room. Instantly, she caught sight of Yazila's traveling pack hanging on the wall. She reached up, took the pack down to the floor, and opened it. Right away, her eyes fell upon garments identical in every way to Dabira's. Then she spotted the exact baby dress worn by Yazila on the day she was born—a twin to the one Dabira possessed.
Seeing these clothes, Humaira stared at them, clutched them to her chest, and burst into bitter tears, now completely certain that Yazila was indeed her daughter and Dabira's twin sister. In the middle of this emotional storm, she remembered that right at this moment, Yazila and Dabira were fighting in the courtyard and could end up killing each other!
Panicked, Humaira leaped to her feet, spun around, and sprinted out of the room, clutching the garments tightly as she rushed toward the fighting arena.
Part 2
When Yazila and Dabira collapsed onto the ground in critical condition, King Raihan sprinted up to the cage. As he arrived, he slammed to a halt in sheer astonishment.
Nothing supernatural had happened, save for Yazila and Dabira recovering simultaneously, as if waking from a long faint. In unison, Yazila and Dabira scrambled to their feet. Each clenched her fists once more and wiped the trickling blood from her lips. Then Yazila locked her eyes on the iron helmet adorning Dabira's head, while Dabira fixed her eyes on the amulet around Yazila's neck.
Instantly, they charged at each other again without making any preparatory leaps. With lightning speed, Dabira lunged for Yazila's amulet and successfully grabbed it, while Yazila simultaneously seized Dabira's iron helmet.
At the very same moment, each ripped away the object she had grabbed. Yazila succeeded in stripping the iron helmet from Dabira's head, revealing her breathtaking face in the open air, with long, gleaming, radiant hair cascading down to her hips. Dabira succeeded in tearing the amulet from Yazila's neck and hurling it away.
Simultaneously, both delivered a fierce kick to each other's chest, staggering backward and swaying as if about to fall, but they gritted their teeth and held their ground.
At that exact second, King Raihan and the entire assembly in the hall froze like statues in pure shock as they watched Yazila's and Dabira's facial features align—they were absolute carbon copies, carved from the same stick!
Yazila and Dabira stared at one another, their bodies trembling in astonishment. Miraculously, both bent down, picked up their swords, and charged at each other with fierce war cries, ready to resume a brutal war.
Suddenly, they stopped dead in their tracks and whipped around upon hearing the voice of Humaira, who was rushing toward them, shouting a command to halt the fight. Instantly, they froze and stared at her.
As Humaira arrived, she hastily unlocked the cage holding Yazila and Dabira, pulled them both into an embrace, and burst into bitter tears. The entire crowd erupted in resounding shouts of Allahu Akbar (praise be to God).
In a daze of disbelief, Dabira pulled her body out of Humaira's embrace, looked at her, and asked:
"Oh my mother, do you mean to say that Yazila is the sister I have longed to see for so long?"
Humaira nodded and said:
"Indeed, and here is absolute proof."
Right away, Humaira reminded Dabira of the historical baby dress, saying:
"Do you recognize this dress? It is identical to the one you have kept. Forgive me, my daughter, for I truly hid a great secret regarding your origins and the history of my life."
As Humaira finished speaking, tears welled up in Dabira's eyes. She turned to Yazila and asked:
"And you, why did you hide your true identity from me? To think you were my own flesh and blood all along, and I didn't know! If fate had taken a darker turn, one of us would have killed the other."
When Yazila heard this, her heart melted, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She opened both her arms toward Dabira, and Dabira threw herself against her chest. They hugged each other tightly and burst into mutual tears, holding each other ever closer.
At that moment, the entire assembly watched in profound amazement as Lady Dabira embraced her former arch-enemy.
After Dabira and Yazila had remained locked in an embrace for a long while amid a dead silence across the hall, Yazila pulled back, looked at Dabira with a smile, and said:
"Oh my sister, know that ever since the day I arrived in your city, I observed your way of life—how different it is from ours, centered on justice, generosity, and peace. I felt an instant attraction to this religion of yours. I want you to initiate me into your faith right now; I want to enter your religion immediately."
Hearing this, Dabira was filled with boundless joy. Without wasting a moment, Dabira prompted Yazila through the declaration of faith (Kalimah Shahadah), which Yazila repeated word for word.
When the gathered crowd heard Yazila recite the Shahadah, they erupted into thunderous cheers of Allahu Akbar. Even King Raihan could not stop a smile of pure happiness from spreading across his face.
Instantly, King Raihan stepped into the cage, took Dabira and Yazila by the hand, and led them toward the interior of the royal palace, with Humaira trailing closely behind.
The courtyard cleared out as everyone dispersed. King Raihan, Humaira, Yazila, and Dabira went straight to King Raihan's royal quarters and sat down. No sooner had they settled than two female physicians arrived to examine Yazila and Dabira, tending to the cuts and bleeding on their faces.
Once the physicians completed their work and departed, King Raihan looked at Yazila and Dabira with a smile and said:
"Oh you heroic warriors, know that today your mother and I are overjoyed to see how Allah brought you together so you could recognize one another. Truly, Yazila's entry into the faith of Allah is a massive victory for us. Now, before I explain our current situation to Yazila, Humaira, you must recount your life story—how Yazila and Dabira were separated as infants, up until the day you fled to the gates of our city with your husband, who was murdered right before your eyes."
Without delay, Humaira laid out her entire history for Yazila. Upon hearing the tale, Yazila and Dabira burst into bitter, heartbroken tears and became fiercely enraged.
In a fit of fury, Yazila sprang to her feet, looked at Dabira, and said:
"Oh my sister, let us go to the city of Kisra right now to exact vengeance upon the King of Kisra and his chief warrior!"
Hearing this, Dabira gripped Yazila's shoulders and said:
"Oh my sister, remember that approaching with preparation is better than approaching with haste. I assure you that our enemies are not sitting idle; they have made massive military preparations and are marching toward our city. Word has reached us..."
Before Dabira could finish her sentence, King Raihan cut in:
"Oh Dabira, that briefing is not yours to give; it is mine."
Dabira smiled and said:
"Forgive me, my father; I overstepped."
King Raihan smiled as well, then looked at Yazila and said:
"Oh Dabira's sister, know that at any moment our enemies could appear at the gates of our city. Word has reached us that they have brought an overwhelming number of warriors, having secured military reinforcements from neighboring nations. Truly, we have no choice now but to march out and intercept these enemies before they arrive."
As King Raihan reached this point, Yazila looked at Dabira and said:
"Oh my sister, know that I was the chief warrior of our city just as you are the chief warrior of this city. Therefore, I know all the secrets and combat strategies of our former forces. I will make a massive contribution to this coming battle, and I guarantee I will inflict devastating blows upon King Daksur and his men. My ultimate goal is to slay their chief warrior and King Daksur with my own hands."
Hearing this, Dabira smiled and said:
"That is my goal as well, for we must take vengeance upon them for the misery they inflicted on our mother. Oh my sister, now that Allah has guided you to embrace Islam, I know your heart will harden against fear and you will possess far greater courage than before. Therefore, if we combine our strength in this battle, I am certain we will triumph over the enemy."
Before Yazila could open her mouth to reply, King Raihan interrupted Dabira:
"That is not how it works, my daughter. You must simply seek the help of Allah; our own strength and tactics alone will not secure victory against the enemy, because I am certain they will not march out unprepared—they are coming with unprecedented coordination. What I want you to do, Dabira, is go with your sister Yazila, gather all the warriors of this land, and begin mapping out military strategies. I, too, will now summon all my councilors to discuss this war. But know this: I shall personally lead this army. If Allah spares me through this conflict and I emerge victorious, your mother and I shall be wed, for we have already come to an understanding."
When King Raihan reached this point in his address, Yazila and Dabira were overwhelmed with joy. Before they knew it, they both embraced the King and kissed him simultaneously on the forehead.
Without wasting a moment, Yazila and Dabira rushed out of the chamber toward a separate wing of the royal palace where a commander stood clad in full battle armor.
Dabira looked at the commander and said:
"Sound the war horn to summon the troops immediately, for we wish to organize our battle plans right now."
The commander acknowledged the order. Instantly, soldiers poured out from the surroundings of the royal palace, rushing to the parade ground to assemble in orderly ranks.
Such was the event that transpired in the city of Misra after Lady Yazila reunited with her mother and sister Dabira and embraced Islam.
Part 3
Over in the city of Kisra, after the chief warrior and King Daksur investigated within the mystic chamber and witnessed everything that had befallen Lady Yazila—who had rebelled against them and become their formidable enemy—their anxiety skyrocketed because they realized the task ahead of them was immense.
Because of this, King Daksur dispatched envoys to neighboring pagan nations seeking military reinforcements. Every king who received the letter pledged cooperation, dispatching vast numbers of troops, weapons, and ample provisions.
To the west of the city of Kisra lay a massive kingdom named Tashwar.
The city of Tashwar was ruled by a young, valiant warrior who was extraordinarily handsome, immensely wealthy, and possessed vast political might. By the power of Allah, this king did not practice sorcery, and sorcery held no power over him. Because of this, all the ruling monarchs across the continent held him in deep awe, and no one had ever dared launch even a playful attack against him.
This king was named Uhaisu bin Kairuf. King Uhaisu possessed terrifying physical strength granted by God; regardless of a charging war elephant's size, a single punch from him would send it crashing to the ground. When testing his strength, a hundred strongmen could rush him simultaneously, only to be scattered and left sprawled on the ground, bleeding from their noses and mouths. If he struck a man with full force, even iron armor would shatter.
King Uhaisu practiced no specific religion, and therefore he oppressed no one in his realm; whichever faith a citizen chose to practice, they were free to do so. This tradition stemmed from his fathers and grandfathers—he grew up finding them following no formal religion yet forbidding none.
One day, while King Uhaisu's father was on his deathbed, suffering from a terminal illness, that very evening as the two of them sat alone in the royal chamber, Uhaisu looked at his father with tears streaming down his face and said:
"Oh my father, I wish to ask you two questions that have long echoed within my heart."
Hearing this, his father grabbed Uhaisu's hands, placed them over his own chest, stared at him with tear-filled eyes, and spoke with great difficulty:
"Oh my son, I know the questions weighing on your mind, and I have long awaited the day you would present them to me. Truly, now is the right time for you to ask these questions. Ever since you were a child, I hid their answers, and now you have grown to the age where you inherit my throne without knowing the answers that trouble your heart.
Your first question is about religion: you wish to know why we have no religion. Your second question is why I refused to marry, and why I never indicated any desire for you to marry. Listen closely to the answers to these questions and use your intellect to apply them, for if you fail to comprehend them, you will never attain the honor and glory I achieved in my life.
The reason we have no religion is that before my father passed away, I asked him this very question, for I grew up in a world without religion or marriage. The answer he gave me was this:
'Oh my son, reflect upon this: religions have multiplied greatly in this world—there are worshippers of the sun, moon, water, fire, idols, animals, and some even worship jinn. My father realized that true religion is singular, and the Lord is One—the True God who possesses power over all things and all beings. In this era, that true religion is absent, and you too will likely encounter this true religion only at the end of your life. It is difficult for you to know it now, but perhaps if you have offspring, your child will know this true religion. When that happens, tell him that whenever a great war arises, he must attend it, for upon that path he will come to know the true religion, understand it, and believe in it.'"
When his father reached this point, Uhaisu was filled with astonishment and asked:
"Oh my father, did you not tell me that war would never come to the city of Tashwar? Why are you speaking to me of war now?"
Hearing this, his father drew a breath as if his life were slipping away, and said:
"I do not mean that war will come here to find you; I mean that an invitation message will be sent to you. You must answer that call, but you must ride out to this war alone. Do not dare bring anyone with you if you truly wish to discover the true religion.
Regarding the second question on your mind—the matter of marriage—ever since your mother passed away, I never attempted to remarry. My father lived likewise, and his father before him, all the way back to our forty-first ancestor. What I mean is that whenever any of us marries, he fathers only one child, after which his wife dies, and eventually he dies too, leaving behind his offspring. When you were born, I felt there was nothing in the world I loved more than you, and I desired for you to live a long life in this world. Within this royal palace, there is a single room that has never been entered, and you have never seen anyone enter it, is that not so?"
When asked this question, Uhaisu nodded and said:
"Indeed, I know of that room and have long wondered and pondered about it."
His father sighed again and said:
"There is a jinn servant of ours inside that room. We do not worship him, nor does he worship us; rather, it is a relationship of trust and affection between our lineage and his. Whatever destiny befalls us in life is foretold to us by this jinn."
Summary
In this excerpt, the intense arena duel between Lady Dabira and Lady Yazila culminates in exhaustion and mutual realization. When their protective items (Dabira's iron helmet and Yazila's amulet) are stripped away in combat, their identical facial features are revealed, stunning the crowd. Humaira arrives with historical baby garments, confirming that Yazila is indeed her long-lost daughter and Dabira's twin sister. Overjoyed, Yazila embraces her family, renounces her past, and immediately converts to Islam after witnessing the moral uprightness of her new home.
Meanwhile, political tensions rise in Misra as King Raihan, Dabira, and Yazila prepare for an impending invasion orchestrated by King Daksur of Kisra. Daksur has rallied neighboring pagan kingdoms for war. The narrative then shifts to the distant, powerful western realm of Tashwar, ruled by the invincible, magic-immune young monarch King Uhaisu bin Kairuf. Bound by a generational deathbed prophecy from his father regarding a hidden jinn, a forbidden room, and an upcoming war destined to reveal the "true religion," King Uhaisu eagerly receives a formal invitation to join the unfolding conflict.
Description
This portion of the narrative transitions from high-octane personal drama and emotional familial reconciliation into an epic geopolitical setup. It blends:
- Thematic Revelation & Conversion: The emotional climax where long-standing hatred turns into sisterly love, anchored by Yazila's voluntary conversion to Islam.
- Epic Scale Expansion: Introducing a mythical, ultra-powerful sovereign (King Uhaisu) who stands completely outside the conventional rules of sorcery and politics.
Prophetic Destiny: Utilizing generational deathbed secrets and hidden ancestral chambers (the jinn's room) to foreshadow a massive, continent-spanning war that will test not just military strength, but spiritual truth.
Analytics
- Genre/Style: Epic Hausa Fantasy / Theological Romance (Littafin Soyayya da Yaki).
- Author: Nasiru Muhammad Tijjani (Jaruma Yazila).
- Character Arcs:
- Yazila: Transitions from an antagonistic champion of a rival state to a humbled sister, a new convert, and an eager defender of her family's faith.
- King Uhaisu: Introduced as an untouchable, independent ruler whose isolation is destined to be shattered by the call to war, fulfilling his ancestral prophecy.
- Key Motifs:
- Unmasking & Identity: The literal removal of helmets and amulets to strip away facades and reveal true familial bloodlines.
- Prophetic Inheritance: Deathbed confessions and secret rooms acting as historical anchors that drive characters toward their preordained fates.
