The tribe had a very unique tradition as they believed the gods were made to be appeased.
Tannit was the goddess of fertility and war, it was because of that fertility that they only sacrificed the female children of a tribe as they had tried to sacrifice a male before but tragedy befell them and threatened their extinction.
They took this as a rejection from Tannit and they never attempted to do this again but this burden fell on the Chieftain of the tribe alone.
Tyr recollected the memory of the girl he saw his father assaulting, he thought it was his sister but that memory became clearer the more he thought about it.
It was not his sister, it was his mother and it was not done somewhere as confined as a bedroom.
No, it was done in a ritualistic circle for all to see but Tyr heard them say something about love.
Did this mean it was because he loved his little sister that her life was in danger?
He knew his brother had changed and Tyr realized his brother's lover had disappeared but his older brother had told him they broke up so he did not probe further but something changed in him ever since that day and he knew exactly what.
"You guys are kidding, right?" Tyr questioned, his tone skeptical because there was no way in hell he would do something so outrageous, to begin with.
"If you do not do it, we will all be damned…" Tyr's father said; this was the first time he had given him a choice and part of Tyr wanted to impress him.
Tyr also recalled his brother's words a few moments ago and now he understood what he meant by that.
Tyr also understood why his father treated her preferably and gave her everything she ever wanted in life, it was so she would not have any regrets or wants in death.
It was predestined, it was like fate had decided the moment she was born and Tyr's love was what was condemning her to death so in a twisted way, it was his fault.
Tyr knew he could not be careless with his decision because if it was for the tribe, if her death could serve a bigger purpose then she would have lived a life far more worthy than any of them.
Martyrdom would be her reward but she was his little sister and he loved her with all his heart.
Tyr had promised to protect her but it was looking like he would not be able to keep that promise.
"Am I allowed to make it quick?" Tyr asked, on the brink of conceding defeat.
"You may do it as you please," His father responded and everyone in that room knew this was not an easy decision because they knew that Tyr stood to lose the most.
"Can I spend her final moments with her, if that is okay with you all?" Tyr asked, and everyone accepted.
The sun was setting, and the time of the sacrifice was fast approaching.
Tyr was playing with his sister, laughing and teasing her as she threw her usual tantrums.
She looked so energetic, but amidst this, Tyr began trembling unshakably.
"What is wrong big brother?" Kahina asked. It was rare seeing Tyr cry as he had not shed a single tear ever since whatever this began.
This showed how important she was to him and Tyr knew at that moment that he would never forgive himself if he let his sister go.
"Do you want to play a game?" Tyr asked as he quickly wiped the tears from his face.
His sister was confused but she assumed that his tears were part of the game.
A game she was willing to indulge in so she nodded excitedly and this was all Tyr needed.
He was going to run away from the tribe with Kahina and there was nothing that would stop him.
Minutes passed and a man was sent to retrieve Kahina so the ritual could begin but neither she nor Tyr was in the room.
The alarm was sounded and everyone scurried away in different directions looking for them.
These were experienced warriors and they could not possibly run from them.
Tyr knew he might need to find somewhere for them to hide until the search died down but he knew they could not be here when the day broke or their chances of escaping dropped to zero.
Tyr grabbed her tightly by the hand and ran through the bushes like an animal, he was desperate because he knew there was no coming back from what he had just done as he demonstrated with this action that Kahina is more important to him than the tribe.
Kahina's name was called, echoing as Tyr could now see the flame torch, which meant they were getting closer.
Tyr was constantly looking backwards to estimate how close they had gotten and during one of these lookouts, he saw his younger sister's eye settle on something and a smile soon creased her innocent-looking face.
Tyr saw a figure dance in her pupils thanks to the moon that sat perfectly above them, he was scared to look back as he heard what he might see.
He grabbed his dagger and turned but before he could fully cock his head in said direction, he heard Kahina say.
"Brother Azenzêr!" Kahina said excitedly and Tyr could feel the hope leave his eyes the moment she said this.
"We are done for!" Tyr muttered because Azenzêr was as loyal as they came when it came to the clan so this was the worst possible outcome in terms of encounter.
The fact that Kahina did not know what was happening made it all the more complicated because if they fought right now, they will frighten her and that is not something Tyr could afford.
"What do you think you are doing?" Azenzêr asked Tyr but Kahina was the one that responded.
"We are playing a game…" Kahina responded with a broad smile as Tyr cautiously gripped the hilt of his dag
ger. He was going to have to kill his brother.
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