Many months passed after Prince Katebe departed for the Kingdom of Loza. Seasons changed across Maluba. The rivers continued flowing through the villages, crops rose from the soil, and life moved peacefully beneath the rule of King Maluba.
Chisha fulfilled every responsibility the prince had entrusted to him. He cared for the livestock carefully, watched over the prince’s servants fairly, and protected the royal lands with honesty. Even the elders praised him openly.
“Prince Katebe chose wisely,” they often said. “Chisha carries responsibility like a king carries a crown.”
But though Chisha served faithfully, something restless had begun to grow inside him.
He often wandered alone into the deep forests of Maluba, hunting far beyond the usual paths. At times he would sit silently beneath great trees, staring into the distance as though searching for something he could not name.
Then one day, everything changed.
It happened while Chisha was hunting near the edge of the western forest, a place few dared to enter because strange stories surrounded it. The trees there grew tall and twisted, their branches weaving together so thickly that sunlight barely reached the ground.
As Chisha followed the tracks of an antelope through the undergrowth, he suddenly stopped.
Someone stood ahead of him.
A woman.
The moment Chisha saw her, his breath nearly failed him.
She was unlike anyone he had ever seen. Her beauty seemed almost unreal, as though she had stepped from a dream. Her eyes shone like still water beneath moonlight, and her voice carried gentleness like soft rain upon dry ground.
She wore the sacred golden robe of Maluba, yet no one in the kingdom had ever spoken of her before.
For several moments, Chisha simply stared.
Then he gathered courage and approached carefully.
“Peace be upon you,” he said softly.
The woman turned toward him and smiled.
“And upon you,” she replied.
“My name is Chisha.”
“I know who you are,” she answered calmly.
This surprised him greatly.
“You know me?”
“The whole kingdom knows the hunter whose arrows never miss.”
For the first time in many years, Chisha felt nervous.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Mwale.”
The name lingered in Chisha’s heart like music.
In the days that followed, Chisha returned again and again to the western forest. Each time he found Mwale waiting beneath the trees. They spoke for hours about life, dreams, and the mysteries of the kingdom.
Soon Chisha realized his heart belonged completely to her.
But Mwale was not easily won.
Many young men throughout Maluba had admired her beauty from afar, yet none dared approach her. There was something about her presence that filled men with both wonder and fear.
One evening, as golden light filtered through the trees, Chisha finally spoke the words burning within him.
“Mwale, I wish to marry you.”
Mwale looked at him silently for a long moment.
“You speak boldly, Chisha.”
“My heart speaks truthfully.”
Mwale turned her gaze toward the distant mountains.
“If you truly desire my hand,” she said at last, “you must first accomplish what no man in Maluba has ever done.”
Chisha straightened immediately.
“Tell me.”
Mwale’s voice became solemn.
“You must slay the mighty elephant of Maluba.”
At once, silence filled the forest.
Everyone in the kingdom knew of the beast.
The elephant was enormous beyond imagination, feared by hunters and warriors alike. Spears could not pierce its skin. Arrows snapped against its body. Traps failed to hold it. Many men who sought to kill it never returned alive.
“It destroys villages,” Mwale continued quietly. “It crushes crops, overturns homes, and spreads fear across the land. Yet no man has defeated it.”
Then she looked directly into his eyes.
“Only a man who possesses both bravery and wisdom is worthy of becoming my husband.”
A fire awakened inside Chisha’s soul.
“I swear to you,” he declared, “I shall not rest until the beast lies dead.”
From that moment onward, Chisha’s thoughts became consumed with one purpose alone.
To conquer the impossible.
And slowly, without realizing it, the seeds of pride began to grow within his heart.