The Cure for Boredom

The waves caressed the edges of the massive raft, starkly contrasting with the argument above. Seagulls circled overhead, their squawking a discordant note in the otherwise serene scene. On one side of the raft, a group of men barely wearing clothes stood. They were the “Voyagers,” their bodies adorned with tribal tattoos. They stuck their tongues out in defiance. On the other side were weathered and stubborn fishermen, citizens from the vassal state on the western coast. Their shouts and wild gestures disrupted the tranquility of the sea.

King Yugarten sat in the middle on a makeshift throne, his annoyance evident. His chin rested on his fist, his eyes narrowed.

“This is so… dreadfully dull,” King Yugarten muttered. 

This was far from how he wanted to spend his day. The sun blazed mercilessly above, and the thick scent of salt lingered. Yugarten sighed, staring out at the endless horizon of the sea, daydreaming about simpler things—like wrestling with Basbusa in the palace courtyard, playing senet against professionals, taking down a harem of women by himself—anything but this.

Damn... they're unbearable," he muttered to himself, massaging his brow. As the men's bickering faded into the background, Yugarten’s thoughts turned to his father. "I have to give it to you, old man. I'll never understand how you did it." His eyes scanned the group, frustration bubbling up. “Whiny, spineless crybabies who can't agree on anything. That perfect world you envisioned feels like a distant fantasy.”

The outside voices began to rise. The Voyager chief, Tamariki Hihimanu, a man with long black and white hair, slammed his barbed spear into the ground and stuck out his tongue. 

“Bahhh! Dry-foot fools have no respect! You trespass on our waters and butcher our sacred fish! You have brought death to us all!!!” he shouted, his eyes burning with rage.

A dirty blonde fisherman spat onto the raft's wet planks. “So dramatic! We fish to survive! You call it sacred; we call it supper. Your superstitions do not fill our bellies!"

A large, burly Voyager lunged forward. "That fish was the child of the sea gods! Its spirit guides our people!"

"Then let your sea gods find us another fish to eat!" barked another fisherman, "The ocean, she is free, yes? Who made you kings of the water?" The blonde man smirked and crossed his arms defiantly.

The Voyager chief stuck his arm before his large subordinate and raised his spear at the fishermen, “You will regret what you have done. That freedom you speak of has a cost. The seas demand reparation. Blood for blood.”

Tension rose as the blonde fishermen looked at the chief’s spear and smirked. He moved the weapon with his finger, saying, “ If she wants blood, I'll gladly spray yours along the waves.” Both sides were preparing to clash.

Yugarten clenched his jaw. Enough. He stood up, his eyes flashing dangerously as he stepped forward. All heads turned to the young king. "Quiet!" he yelled, his voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

The men fell silent.

This was Yugarten’s first major conflict as king and it was a test–a test of leadership and diplomacy. The young king always sought out a challenge, but the solution to this dilemma felt almost too obvious. “This dispute is wasting everyone’s time, especially mine,” he said. "You want blood for a fish, and you want to fish wherever you please. Keep this up, and you’ll both end up in the water!” He gestured toward his attendant, a thin man standing silently by his side, who was there to assist in the negotiation process. The attendant cleared his throat, recognized the cue, and addressed the gathering.

“His Majesty is well aware of the situation; he is prepared to make an offer you can’t refuse,” the attendant began. “If that's the case, how will you satisfy our sea’s justice?” Chief Tamariki asked.

Yugarten turned toward his guards, who brought forward a large box sitting inconspicuously at the rear of the raft. He approached it, raising a brow as he glanced back at the gathered men. “You want justice, do you?” he said with a faint smile. “Then justice you shall have.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd, and Yugarten continued, “This,” he announced, his voice carrying over the waves, “is the Fish of Forgiveness!!!” Yugarten opened the box and dramatically pulled out an oversized wooden fish carved with intricate patterns. The Voyagers blinked, the fishermen exchanged baffled glances, and Yugarten held the fish aloft as if it were a sacred relic.

It was painfully silent. Even the seagull stopped squawking. Everyone had a blank face, and some fishermen looked like they were holding back laughter.

The king recognized the awkward silence. He glanced at his attendant for help. “Crafted from the finest materials Chassar has to offer and blessed by our high priests, it is said to house the spirit of a thousand fish,” he declared. 

“Voyagers, you shall accept this fish as a symbol of our remorse,” Yugarten paused, then shifted his gaze to the fishermen, whose tense expressions had begun to soften with relief. "But there's more," he added.

“The fishermen will pay a tribute to the Voyagers as an offering for the sacred fish. This will include the first catch of fish at the start of the fishing season and a generous tax for crossing into their waters.”

The fishermen's faces fell, their eyes widening. " A tax?" one sputtered with disbelief. “We already pay hefty taxes to desert; any extra cost will ruin us!”

Yugarten shot him a piercing look. "Then perhaps you should've thought of that before fishing in waters that don't belong to you," he replied coolly.

“If this agreement isn't honored, I’ll march back here and burn all your boats.” The young king meant every word.

Yugarten placed the wooden fish before the Voyager chief, whose lips twitched into a reluctant smile. "Your Majesty," the chief said, inclining his head, "you have... an unconventional approach. But we accept your offering and the terms."

With the agreement laid out, Yugarten gave a curt nod. "Then it's settled. Either shake hands, or we can all swim back to shore."

****

The tension on the raft eased, though both sides still exchanged wary glances.

As they began to pack their boats to leave, a voice cut through the quiet.

"May I have a word with you?" Tamariki asked, stepping forward. Yugarten nodded.

"Something is coming," Tamariki warned.

"You may think us cynics, but it's been prophesied—a great calamity where mountains will trample cities, storms will sweep the land, oceans will ignite, and man's freedom will be stolen."

"All because of a fish?" Yugarten raised an eyebrow.

"Aye..." Tamariki confirmed.

Yugarten's heart began to race—it was a rush. He smirked, "Well… Chief Tama,” Yugarten said with his arms wide open and with exhilaration, “if that calamity comes, it'll be the most exciting thing to happen during my reign. If a disaster is on its way, I'll be here to meet it—and crush it with my own hands."