"The agreement was made for the purchase of vast amounts of maize, tea, nuts and other produce, in exchange for a large amount of gold. But a terrible thing happened! Soon after this Riphan chieftain received payment from Cimora, before he had delivered the goods, he suddenly died! And the new chieftain of this great clan of the Riphans refused to honor the pact, or return the payment! He kept both the goods and the gold!"Of course, King Areus was infuriated. So he mustered his Cimirik troops, and set out to make war on this large clan of the Riphans. He put a third of his army under the command of his oldest son, Prince Raekareus, a third under his son, Prince Jasureus, and a third under his youngest son, Prince Nypireus."As it happened, this turned out to be a grave mistake. What the king did not know is that his youngest son Nypireus had been unfaithful to the Lord God. The young prince had frequently taken trips of a fortnight into the northwestern lands of the Riphans. There he had visited the shrines to the sun, in the mountain towns of the clans. He had joined in the practice of occult divination and the worship of stars and evil powers."Jeshaiah continued, "Now King Areus and the three princes of the kingdom marched out with their army toward the coastal region of the Euxine Sea, for this was the home of this great clan in the land of the Riphans. But the drought had been severe, and along the way the army was not able to resupply their provisions as they had planned."King Areus saw parched ground wherever he looked. Even in the valleys, they found only shallow rivers or dried-up streams. They were barely able to quench their thirst with the scant supply of water they found, and they could not find any food in the land. They soon ate up the remainder of the provisions they had brought with them, and then began to look hungrily at their horses."So the king said, 'Let every man call on the Lord God to save us!' And King Areus asked his troops, 'Is there a preacher of the Lord anywhere near here? Does anyone know of even one who will come and pray, and help us find God's answer?'"And one of the soldiers said, 'I live in the western hills of Cimora, and we know of a Tubician man of God named Deikara. He lives among the Riphan clans, not far from where we are now! I can go to him - and bring him here!’“Then King Areus said, ‘I have heard tell of him. He came to our city years ago, to learn the knowledge of the Lord in Arapa. Then he went out to the distant Riphan clans, to preach the words of God to them. I will go with you to him!'"So the king went out, with the soldier as a guide. They went to find Deikara, seeking him among the clans of the Riphans." Jeshaiah went on, "When they finally came to where the preacher was, the man of God said to King Areus, 'Disaster hangs over your army, and the Lord God is grieved. Do you not know that your son Nypireus has turned his back on the Lord? Here in the west, we have heard of his visits to the shrines of darkness! How can God bless that kingdom whose prince worships demons?'"So the king asked Deikara, 'Will you go back with me to my army, and to my sons?' The man of God went with the king - back to the army amassed on the coast near the Euxine Sea. Then King Areus asked his son to confess the truth."Jeshaiah went on with his story, "Meanwhile, the young chieftain of the Riphan clan that had cheated King Areus heard that the king of Cimora had come to make war. And so, he called all the fighting men of his clan together to go into battle."But Prince Nypireus confessed his sins, and his repentance came with a sincere heart. He saw all the trouble he had brought on the kingdom of Cimora, and he turned back to the Lord God wholeheartedly. And so Deikara prayed fervently with Prince Nypireus, and with the other two princes, alongside the king and all the army. Then the preacher said, 'Do not be afraid, King Areus. The Lord will provide for your men. Only do not pursue this war, for the people of this region are also now struggling with the drought. Turn back to your homeland!'"King Areus said, 'But what about the gold we sent to this thieving chieftain? He and his clan have robbed us!'"And Deikara answered, 'Let the chieftain eat the gold! But do not allow two armies to spill their blood over it! The Lord God will provide food for your kingdom - and for your army as well!' So Deikara returned to his home among the Riphans, and King Areus turned his army back toward Ancient Arapa. But the king and his troops went back along a different route. And as the man of God had said, the Lord did provide. “They had not gone far before they came upon a flowing stream surrounded by a forest of many hundreds of walnut trees loaded with nuts. And there were also fruit trees among them, with ripened fruit. They found hives filled with honey, and the woods even had an abundant supply of wild game."And rain began to fall throughout the land, just as the troops were returning to their homes. The land was well-watered once again, and it became fruitful. And so, the famine ended as the people at last had plenty to eat."And it became a saying among all the clans of Cimora, 'The drought ended when the tears of Nypireus rained down from heaven.’ "Naamah smiled at that conclusion of the story. "I understand daddy,” she said. And she kissed her father on the cheek, saying to him, "May the Lord grant that you will be to King Visath as Deikara was to Prince Nypireus. A man of God - calling him to repent."Jeshaiah answered, "King Visath may yet turn to the Lord. Only God knows."Jedidah said, "But still, we are much encouraged when we see how the Lord has given the kingdom a faithful prince! We must pray for both King Visath and Prince Jaras, and leave it in God's hands - and have peace!"
A fiction novel
The Legend of Prince Jaras
of Cimora
by
Jim Key
Chapter 31 - King Areus and the Severe Drought
"In days long ago, there was a terribly long dry-spell in our kingdom, and food was in very short supply. So the chieftain of a great clan among the Riphans made a pact with King Areus of Cimora. The chieftain promised to supply goods from the clan, from the produce of their western countryside unaffected by the drought," Jeshaiah said to Naamah.