by W. C. Jasper
Prince Jared continued as Thaymas struggled to understand, “There often seems to be far too much injustice, far too much evil, far too much left to chance, far too many instances where good people get the worst, and the undeserving such as me, get the best of everything… I am not someone who even…” He sighed and looked up at the sky with his palms resting on the ground behind him and propping him up, “Well, I was blessed with the greatest father, the greatest brother, the greatest mother, Maomi-ma who loves me as I love Jeniah. And the mother who birthed me… who I hear used to be the greatest warrior and the kindest woman who was a saviour to a great many people, just like Maomi-ma. And the greatest of my blessings, I was blessed with the privilege to father the greatest person to be born, the most beautiful soul, the purest spirit. It is obscene that one wretched man such as me is blessed with so much, and yet there are kind and pure souls out there in the world whose every waking hour is damnation…” Prince Jared’s head dropped down as he sat silently for a while.
He turned to Akini and Thaymas and continued, “You two have not seen evil. Sure, there are rare cases of evil people and evil deeds in Jerudia, but the world out there is far sicker and far more broken than Jerudia. Such wickedness and evil exist out there, that would make our souls freeze and mar them irreversibly when we witness it. I, myself, know about it because I study these things and hence have read a lot about such things. I’ve read extensively about such evils that have left me in disbelief, left me in tears, left me petrified at the evil that mankind is capable of… And even witnessed it…” Prince Jared’s face expressed a strange combination of rage and sorrow, but there was something else too, something that Thaymas could not yet read or recognise.
Prince Jared continued, “Appa always made sure that we were trained in every way. He said that rulers are servants more than anything else, that ruling is the highest form of service, which meant two things: 1. We were meant to protect, serve, and ensure the welfare of this Kingdom with all that we are; and 2. We carried the responsibility to always keep ourselves at our physical best and be our best in every way to serve our Kingdom as best as possible. You two… are also part of this service. We might not be the king, but we are his aide. We serve as the King does, just on a lesser level. Appa said it was our duty to study this sick and broken world if we ever wished to heal it. So he always made me and Brother read and study all things extensively and exhaustively. You two will also need to study this world, you too will need to read. Because… as I said… we do the same work as the King, just on a lesser level.” Thaymas and Akini nodded in agreement and their eyes showed that they understood the severity of this matter.
That evening, Akini, Thaymas, and Prince Jared met for tea in the Royal Palace. Akini waited for Princess Jeniah to leave the room and asked, “There is something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while now. I’ve heard some chatter that King Jeraash’s unblemished character is not as unblemished as Jerudia believes it to be. I would obviously never question our King’s character, but I wanted to ask you if you knew why people say this.” Prince Jared made no reaction and continued to wash the utensils as he answered, “There is no question about my brother’s unblemished character. And despite what some people might say, his record is spotless. The reason people raise questions about his record is a baseless accusation. It is something that happened years ago,” there was the slightest change in his voice that Thaymas picked up on as he continued, “when Appa was still alive, and we were young princes. I think it was about five months before Appa passed away. I was 12 years old and Brother was 17 years old. I was quite thin, thinner than the average boy of my age would be. You see, both of us hit our growth spurt only at age 13, when we suddenly bulked up. Nevertheless,” he shook his head gently and forced himself back to the main track of the conversation, “we both were extremely skilled in combat. We had gone for a hunt in the jungle because not only were we strong and skilled enough to protect ourselves, but Appa had also sent three wolves with us. One was Jiraai, who used to be my mother’s companion before me but was my companion at the time. One was Chiati, Brother’s companion; and the third was Appa’s companion, Aleph. But during the hunt, we heard some noise from the woods and so they dropped us at the palace hurriedly and set out at full speed. Appa was caught up in a dispute in the 9th district that day; and after great effort, I manipulated Brother into sneaking out for the hunt on our own.”
Thaymas noticed guilt in his voice as he continued, “About two hours into the jungle, we happened upon a small cabin, very poorly built. It could barely be called a cabin, but it was roomy. We heard the sounds of two people crying and screaming inside the cabin. Brother ordered me to stay behind and proceeded to get close to the cabin with caution. Brother silently placed his bow on the ground and carried his longsword ahead with great care. As he got close to the tent, I too had caught up to him because I was too stupid to do the sensible thing and obey him. Brother knew that it would be risky to try to convince me to move back at that point, and given our skill, we did not need to worry much. Brother gestured to me to stay behind him as he barged in. We witnessed a man beating two young girls who we later learned to be his daughters. The girls were tied up… One was… 12 years old and the other, 13. I charged in without any forethought or Brother’s permission and lunged at the man to knock him unconscious with the hilt of my sword. One of the girls panicked and hopped in fear, causing an open jar of chilli powder nearby to fly straight into my eyes. The man grabbed a sickle nearby and attacked me while I was incapacitated on account of the chilli powder burning my eyes. Brother extended his sword in between us to shield me, but the man swung the sickle blindly, and the trajectory of the sickle ended up aiming at one of the girls. In that moment, Brother had no choice but to kill him in order to save the girl. The hand with the sickle was too far for him to reach in time… he had to behead him. It was out of necessity. Out of desperation. There was no other possible course of action that could have saved the girl. And since that time, Brother has always managed to defuse any and every situation without having to kill. He has never killed anyone since then. When we got back to the village, some hailed him as a hero for saving the two victims and my stupid self. But others called him a killer. Even though by law it was not murder and he was justified in his actions, some people wanted to convict him of an unjust kill. Appa left the decision entirely up to the Council of Elders in order to avoid any accusations of foul play. Most of the elders in the Council agreed that it was a heroic deed and that it deserved praise, and not punishment. Even so, some people continue to believe that since Brother was not part of the police force or the military, he had no right to kill. Following that incident, Appa passed a law that made it permissible and legally justified for any person under immediate danger to kill if it is justified. And some of the witless morons still continue to question my brother’s character for his heroic act. That’s all there is to it.”
Nothing was spoken for a while. None of them was in the mood to sleep that night, so Prince Jared handed the Princess to the King and Queen. 30 minutes into the twenty-third hour of the day, the three of them were resting in the garden in the Royal Palace under the ample and handsome moonlight. Thaymas spoke, “You still have not told me when exactly Queen Maomi and you started to get so close to each other.”
Chapter Seven
The Lights And Colours,
Grief Of Lovers,
Howls Of Sons,
And The Hearts Of Mothers…
SHAR 3302
The 21st day of the ninth month was a special occasion - Prince Jared’s 22nd birth anniversary. The entire day was spent in abundant joy and ceaseless celebration. Prince Jared was the single most precious thing to King Jeraash, he was as precious as a son to him. For in the King’s eyes, and in every true sense of reality, Prince Jared was indeed a son to him. Celebrating his birth anniversary was a great delight to King Jeraash. But King Jeraash was still a man of sobriety, who did not like vanity and excessive glamour. He
celebrated his beloved little brother’s birth anniversary in a grand fashion while avoiding vanity and unnecessary grandeur (for the most part).
Queen Maomi had been married to King Jeraash for 14 days now. She had a great relationship with Prince Jared. She had soon realised that King Jeraash’s love for his brother was as great as a parent’s love for their child. And she too loved him immensely and tried to view him as her own child as being married to King Jeraash essentially made it to be so. Prince Jared was a person who was extremely quick to latch on to people. He was a person who stuck vehemently to his first impressions, for his first impressions were hardly ever wrong. If he had a good feeling about a person, he would quickly get familiar, friendly, and attached to them. And his gifted instinct felt especially great about Lady Maomi since their first encounter. He sensed unmatched virtue and unrivalled love in her spirit. He smelled nothing but goodness and comfort in the shadow of her wings.
Prince Jared and Princess Jeniah wore matching blue attires with unique silk work. Prince Jared spent the entire day enjoying the company of his loved ones, especially the company of his two-year-old daughter and his brother, King Jeraash. Being with his elder brother was now the Prince’s second greatest joy, for every father’s greatest joy is their child. His face was lit up like fireworks the entire day. He laughed unceasingly as he enjoyed the presence of all his loved ones. King Jeraash knew that one of his brother’s favourite pleasures that he most indulged in was food and drinks; and so, for Prince Jared’s birth anniversary every year, King Jeraash spent obscene amounts of money to acquire the absolute best and the rarest delicacies in all the Earth. Prince Jared enjoyed wines and certain alcoholic drinks occasionally even though he never drank to the point of getting drunk. King Jeraash, however, had never tasted an alcoholic drink in his life. Prince Jared’s inhuman metabolism enabled him to drink a lot before he needed to stop in order to avoid getting drunk. Wines and alcoholic drinks of the day were far more pleasing to the tongue and throat than any drink today. Its pleasure to the throat and its gratifying taste cannot be fathomed by anyone living in today’s Earth.
Prince Jared was enjoying the feast, gobbling up fried fish and downing wines like a starving man being blessed with food after ages. He was seated between the King and the Queen when King Jeraash spoke after a long stare at him, “Dear Brother mine, I still wish you would stop drinking alcohol.”
Without betraying his concentration from his eating, the Prince replied, talking over the crunching and grinding sounds of the overabounding food in his mouth, “If that were the case, why would you fetch for me the ones hardest to acquire from the ends of the world?”
King Jeraash answered quickly, “I acquire them for you because of my affection for you. But do not mistake me acquiring it for my approval of you indulging in it. Come now, beloved Brother mine, the food and wine are pleasure and indulgence enough, I am only asking you to do away with the alcoholic drinks.”
“Well… *crunch* *munch*… you know very well that I never even near the point of getting drunk,” replied the Prince as the pitch of his voice now climbed higher, “what’s the problem?”
Sitting on the Prince’s other side, Queen Maomi interjected with a stern voice, “Celebrations are not the time for such conversations. We will have this discussion when the celebrations are over.”
Once the lunch was over, it was time for King Jeraash to reveal Prince Jared’s birth anniversary present. King Jeraash called for everyone’s attention and announced, “I hereby reveal my present for my brother’s 22nd birth anniversary. For the one who is the pride and joy of the House of Rash-Yaph and the apple of my eye.” As he finished the sentence, he pulled a yellow velvet cloth off of a huge object and revealed a stunningly gorgeous book-shelf with a portrait of the Prince holding Princess Jeniah on the top carved into the wood. At the very first sight, Prince Jared hopped like a child and expressed his incredible joy. After about two seconds of hopping in joy, he stood stunned in absolute awe and broke into tears and hugged his brother as he noticed the unbelievably life-like portrait of himself and his daughter. The shelf was made from a unique blend of cherry wood and every part of it was captivatingly beautiful. As with anything King Jeraash built, every little part of it was flawless and impeccable. Each and every section was designed masterfully and with the utmost attention. Each and every curve and edge was mesmerising in its beauty. The section on the top with the portrait was made with a different blend of wood and the portrait was unbelievably accurate and life-like. Book-shelves were one of the Prince’s favourite presents and he had a lot of them on account of the ridiculous amount of books he owned. Most of the book-shelves he had were birth anniversary presents from his brother.
Queen Maomi gifted him a set of hand-crafted earthen utensils, for Prince Jared preferred to always eat from earthen utensils because he loved the taste that earthen utensils infused in the food. Queen Maomi did extensive research and discovered the perfect blend of clay whose infused flavour the Prince would love the most.
Prince Jared hopped in delight, “How did you know!?”
General Thayman: “Son, by now, even the little children in distant lands know that you only eat from earthen vessels. It does not take a professional investigator to learn that.”
Prince Jared made a silly face at him like a child retaliating to an offence that they have no answer for.
Queen Maomi: “I learned pottery as a child. Apart from gaining a mastery in crafting earthen vessels… which my family desired for me, I also gained a deep understanding and knowledge of the different kinds of clay. I ended up developing a love for the art itself. It serves as a therapeutic activity that helps me calm and unwind… it helps me get connected to myself in a way…”
Prince Jared: “You made these with your own hands!?”
Prince Jared and General Thayman dropped their jaws as Queen Maomi nodded in affirmation. Prince Jared grinned as he inspected his gift. The smell of the earth bathing in the heaven’s rains and the smell of earthen vessels were two of his favourite smells, so as expected he decided to take a whiff of his birth anniversary present. As he sniffed the earthen vessels, he knew that he was smelling something special, something that was going to stay with him for a long time. He did not know it yet, but someday soon, the taste that these earthen vessels produced would become his favourite, just as the Queen predicted. But, by then, he himself wouldn’t know whether he loved their taste for the flavour that the clay infused or because of the hands that crafted them.
General Thayman: “Well, they say that the hands of a potter can remould and reform even the most broken vessels…” He caressed his nephew’s head as he continued, “And something tells me that you will remake our recently damaged crown jewel here into something that will bear seven times greater brilliance than its former glory.”
Queen Maomi: “Would that be a prophecy from the illustrious prophet Thayman Riasmas?”
General Thayman laughed gently, “He He He… Only time will tell us that, My Lady. What I do know is that I am no potter… So I cannot boast of a hand-made gift. I hope that these items I had acquired in my younger days will serve as an adequate gift for my child.”
As General Thayman produced a kettle and a teapot, Prince Jared hopped in excitement once again, “Are you really giving it to me!?”
Queen Maomi looked on with a puzzled expression as General Thayman explained, “This kettle and teapot are… Well, their technology is far more sophisticated than what the rest of the world is using. I have never been able to figure out how exactly it is built on the inside.”
Prince Jared: “Uncle acquired this when Appa and him were young men exiled from Jerudia. Appa said that the one who crafted this teapot is one of his closest friends—”
General Thayman: “Kaseki Felix. One of the greatest artisans and inventors the world has seen. His talent in building and creating things is on par with Jeraash and Jared.”
Queen Maomi's face expressed her surprise as he
continued, “I’m sure he would be most pleased to know that King Jahous’ son now has it.”
Prince Jared embraced and kissed both of them and thanked them for the gifts that he clearly could not have been happier with. He received many more presents through this day of unceasing merriment, but none compared to his brother’s gift.
The twentieth hour of the day dawned as the 19 bells tolled and Queen Maomi stood in a gallery on the second floor of the palace. The moonlight that night was faint. And as she gazed over the gallery, she noticed Prince Jared trotting away on Jiraai to the north into the Pasuhara forest. Something inside her told her that she should follow him. Something inside her caught a smell of something that required her attention. It was not her newly acquired supernatural powers that she inherited from being accepted into the Royal Family. But the voice that she heard was one that she trusted with absolute conviction.
She rushed at once to follow the Prince. She removed her shoes as soon as she reached the palace gate to avoid making any noise as she followed him. King Jeraash was putting Princess Jeniah to sleep in Prince Jared’s room at the time. As Queen Maomi was entering Pasuhara forest, Rorin was taking a stroll right at that spot. Queen Maomi rode on Rorin and asked him to follow Jiraai very stealthily. Prince Jared travelled north for about ten minutes and then travelled east for about 40 minutes and arrived at a waterfall. He dismounted from Jiraai in an uncharacteristically heavy-footed, sluggish, and tired fashion and walked sombrely towards a huge rock about 20 feet tall at the foot of the waterfall. The 30-metre-tall waterfall lay facing the west, and the huge rock lay about 35 feet away from the pool at the foot of the waterfall. It was a 90-degree waterfall with three levels of evenly distributed cascades. Prince Jared hopped on the 20-foot rock with a seemingly effortless, yet defeated demeanour with his head hung low.
