- Laith Taher 121
tribe cannot stay without a leader. Everybody knows that
Leader Smith’s will was that his son, Addison, should lead
the tribe. Addison is a great knight and we know only good
things about him. Let us declare allegiance to him right
now, and I shall be the first to do so.”
The man stood up and approached Addison, who
stood up and shook hands with the man.
The man said, “I declare allegiance to you as the
leader of the Prouds.”
One by one, the Prouds stood up and declared
allegiance to Addison as their new leader.
Afterward, everyone sat down, and one of the
notables of the Prouds, who was a very old man, said, “You
are a noble man, Addison, but you are still young and
therefore need advice. You are now responsible for all of
the Prouds and must live up to your responsibility.”
Then, another notable, who was also very old, said,
“Remember that what has made the Prouds survive all
those years in this harsh land is their keenness on protecting
their dignity, so follow the steps of your ancestors,
Addison.”
Addison remembered his father’s words about
dignity again, those words which were engraved in his
memory forever.
He said, “All right, people of the Prouds, rest
assured that I shall follow the steps of my predecessors.”