by Rai Aren
Odai called out to his lion friend. They heard the lion’s call again, then a rustling in the brush. Soon three heads popped out. Amsara had two lionesses that lived with him. Spotting the people, Amsara came running over to the fence. The two lionesses hung back, just watching, ever alert, from a distance.
“My, my, he is excited to see you,” Odai said, beaming. “Amsara, this is someone you have not seen in awhile.”
“Do you remember me?” Anjia asked, stepping forward. The lion sniffed at her and began to purr loudly, a rough, uneven sound.
“Oh, I think he does,” Odai smiled. Amsara kept staring at Anjia, rubbing his thick mane against the fence. “You and he have a special bond.”
“It is amazing, he seems to recognize me, but I have changed so much.” She held her hand flat against the fence, feeling the coarse hair of his mane through it. “He is so beautiful.”
“Animals have an extraordinary sense,” Odai stated with pride. “He recognizes the spirit presence inside you. That has never changed. It remains constant within each of us, animals included.”
Anjia looked deep into the lion’s eyes, large eyes full of memory, of intelligence and she saw within them his eternal soul. “I love you, Amsara, and I thank you for my life.”
Amsara bowed his head and sat down as if in reverence.
“I will come visit you often,” she said. “I will make sure you and your lady friends get extra treats.”
“I think we may end up with some very plump lions,” Odai laughed. “Speaking of plump lions, I believe one of them is pregnant.”
Anjia’s face lit up. “Amsara, you will be a father!” She touched her hand to the fence.
He happily rubbed his mane against her hand. Full of pride.
yyyyy
One evening after the Royal family had dined together, Tramen could see his sister had much on her mind. “Anjia, you have been quiet all day. You barely spoke through dinner. Is anything wrong?”
“I am sorry for that,” Anjia said, as they walked the long corridors to their rooms. “I do not mean to be poor company.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I only want to make sure you are all right.”
Anjia glanced over her shoulder at the two guards who followed a distance behind. It was frustrating to her to have so little privacy.
“They are never far behind are they?” Tramen asked, looking back at Commander Maraeven’s two men.
“No, they are not,” she replied, an edge in her voice. “I guess it is something I will have to grow accustomed to.”
Tramen nodded.
“Would you mind if we talked in your room?” she asked. “Alone?”
“Of course not,” he replied. They walked on to Tramen’s room. Once there, they closed the thick wooden door behind them. The guards took up position in the hall on either side of the door.
“At least our father lets me be in rooms without my two shadows,” she said. “Otherwise, I might very well go mad!”
Tramen laughed.
They threw some big, comfy cushions down on the floor of his spacious room and plopped down on top of them. Anjia sat cross-legged, while Tramen leaned down on one elbow.
Anjia smiled at her brother. It was so good being with him again, she thought. Twins shared a special bond and they were no exception. The years apart had not diminished it, if anything it had grown stronger. They could communicate without words, they knew what the other would say before they would say it. They sensed each other’s feelings, their concerns.
“What is on your mind, Anjia?” he asked. “You were very quiet earlier. I was a little worried about you.”
“I am fine, Tramen,” she answered. She did not want to tell him what had been weighing on her mind. She still had not told anyone except Assan about the premonition that brought her back. She still did not feel the time was right, but she knew her brother could tell something was bothering her. “I am just trying to settle into things again. After living such a simple life for so many years, life here in the Palace feels a little overwhelming at times.”
He looked at her, he knew she was not being completely upfront with him, but he decided not to press the matter. She would talk to him when she felt ready. For now he would just be there to support her. “I can imagine. It must be very different from life in Derepet.” His heart twinged as he said the name of the place where she had spent all those years away from them.
She thought back to the small village she had called home for nine years. She had lived there nearly twice as long as she had as a Royal. Her memories of her time there were fresh and vivid, and above all else happy and content. Though she had missed her Royal family, she knew her disappearance would help protect them and keep them safe. She knew she would come home one day. It all had made her stay there much easier to accept and as time went by, she became accustomed to her simple, quiet life. She loved the long, lazy days spent walking near the river, planting the garden and watching it grow, the wonderful sense of community shared amongst the villagers when they would gather around a fire for songs and stories. She was one of them, not a Royal, not in need of guards to follow her everywhere, just an ordinary child, part of an ordinary family.
“It is harder than I thought…being a Royal Princess again,” she said, staring at the floor. She was feeling a bit guilty for admitting it. “I would not tell this to anyone else but you.”
Her brother gave her a look of compassionate understanding. “It is all right,” he said. “We have always been honest with one another. I could see you have been struggling to adjust, though you hide it well for everyone else, I think.”
She smiled sheepishly. “I should have known I could not hide much from you.”
“That is right, sister,” he said as he grinned and smacked her shoulder playfully, “so keep that in mind.”
She nodded, looking down at the floor again. “It is just hard sometimes, everyone wanting to see you all the time, wanting to talk to you. I am not used to it anymore.”
“I think your situation has upped the intensity of it all,” Tramen said. “Generally, my life has not been under so much scrutiny or pressure.”
“I think you are right,” she replied, looking at him earnestly. “I feel I have so much to live up to, with the prophecy and all, not to mention the endless questions about my long absence.”
“I know. I have seen it happening. I feel for you,” he said. “Everyone wants a piece of you, and wants to get close to you because of the prophecy.”
“The Chosen One…” she said with a big sigh. “I do not know if I am ready for that, let alone what I should be doing. I am afraid of disappointing everyone.” She smiled sadly. “I am glad I have you,” she said. “You are my rock of calmness in the midst of all this craziness.”
He wished he could take some of the pressure off of her. “Do not be afraid, you could never disappoint anyone. Besides, you have me in your corner. I am here for you, I always have been and I always will be.”
She hugged him, “I know. I could not get through all of this without you.”
They sat quietly for a few moments.
Tramen watched his sister curiously, reading the expression on her face. “You miss your life there,” he said.
She looked at him, her face wistful. “Yes, I do. But it is in no way a reflection on my love for you, or for this family.”
“I know,” he answered. “But it is evident, not just to me. From what I have seen I think our father is taking it personally. He is still upset about you remaining gone for longer than Assan thought you needed to.”
Anjia nodded. It had been a difficult admission. She had dreaded revealing it. When she had told Tramen, he had looked momentarily shocked and hurt, but he was able to come to terms with her decision much quicker and easier than her father, probably b
ecause he had always believed she was still alive, and because it was easier to convey her feelings to him. Much of the time, she did not have to say much, he just knew.
“I have tried to talk to him,” she said, “I think it will just take time.”
“It is not just that,” Tramen added. “He has many worries. I see it in him day by day. He is concerned for our people. He fears he is not doing enough for them.”
“I have heard rumblings of discontent,” Anjia said. “I only wish I knew how I could help. Our father should not have to do all this alone.”
He saw the concern etched on her face. He felt her misgivings and uncertainty. “He has many people to help him,” Tramen said, putting an arm around his sister. “Do not take on the weight of the world’s troubles just yet, Chosen One,” he said lightly, “just be my sister for awhile.”
She laughed, she felt better having been understood. “All right then, I will,” she said as she leaned her head against his shoulder.
But she knew it was not as simple as that. She also knew many people had a growing mistrust over her reappearance. They did not believe the explanations that had been provided. The increasing lack of trust in the Royal Family and priesthood worried her. She sensed a dark presence building somewhere…and it scared her.
Chapter 16
Dissent and Unrest Grow
LIFE in the Kingdom, though improved somewhat since the devastating events eight years ago, was still a struggle. Traeus knew his people were losing faith in his leadership and how could he blame them, he thought. During his reign as King, he had faced the assassination of his wife, the disappearance and deception regarding Anjia, and an attempted overthrow of the Royal Family. The Draxens had managed to steal the Pharom from him, resulting in widespread devastation. Because Traeus had not yet been ready to tell the Kierani people the truth about what the Pharom was, it had been decided that the people were to be given a cover story. They were told that the Pharom was a weapon that the Draxens had wielded against the Royal Family. Traeus carried the guilt of that lie every day and the fact that it had been his own creation that had put them in this predicament.
Due to the devastating impacts of the accident with the Pharom and the chaos and unrest that had ensued, their society had suffered. Many people had lost loved ones and homes and had experienced considerable difficulty rebuilding their lives. The Kierani economy was experiencing increasing crisis and uncertainty. The long-term effects meant that Traeus’ people were beginning to suffer from poverty, and some were now going hungry. Though the King was diverting resources to combat the situation, in many places the aid was still not coming fast enough. They had not realized how disastrous, far-reaching, and long-term the effects of the devastation would be. They had believed the recovery would have happened much sooner.
Outlying villages were the hardest hit and a few were barely scraping by. The land had not fully recovered from being scorched by the powerful device and at the same time the climate had begun to shift. They needed more moisture, but the rainfall had been declining. The people blamed the King for the failing crops, the shrinking food stores, and even, albeit unfairly, the increasingly difficult climate. They would soon be facing a drought if the conditions did not improve.
Rumblings of dissent were growing louder…
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The Queen, breathless, sought out her husband, “Traeus, I must speak with you!” she stated anxiously.
“What is it, my wife?” he asked, interrupting the meeting he was having with some of his administrators in his office within the Palace.
The men all got up from the large polished wood table they were seated at and stood out of respect for their Queen. They each bowed slightly in her direction.
She blinked, momentarily undecided whether to ask for privacy. She decided against it. She looked to her husband, “Word just came in,” she said, “there has been an incident in the city. Someone has defaced the Amsara monument. Words have been painted across its side.”
“What?” one of the men asked, then immediately felt awkward for speaking out of turn.
“What do they say?” the King asked, ignoring the breach of Royal protocol.
“They are mean words,” Mindara started to say, catching her breath, “and they are untrue.” She was hesitant to speak any further in front of the others. She did not want to embarrass her husband. Her face was flushed and tense.
The men shifted uncomfortably. They looked at one another, eyebrows raised. They were all keenly aware of the growing unrest among the Kierani people.
“It is all right, you may tell them, too. They need to hear this as well,” the King assured her. “Besides, if it is on the side of the Amsara monument, everyone will soon know.” While trying to display confidence in front of his administrators, he dreaded her next words. He could see she was upset.
She considered that for a mere second, and realized he was right. She cleared her throat. Her face reddened. “As I said, the words are untrue, cruel even.”
Everyone was staring at her, waiting on her next words.
“Go on,” Traeus said. “I would rather hear it from you.”
She nodded, then took a seat in the corner of the room. She did not want to make eye contact with anyone at the moment.
The administrators acknowledged the cue from their Queen and took their seats again.
The King remained standing.
“The words say…‘the King is weak and a liar, his people starve, while he keeps secrets’.” She paused, feeling sick to her stomach. She could feel the eyes of everyone on her.
The room was silent.
Traeus felt the sting of those words keenly. He felt incredibly self-conscious. He looked at his wife, whose eyes were still downcast. “Is that all?”
“No,” she whispered.
“You must tell me, Mindara, I will find out anyway.”
She bit her lower lip and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. “They also say ‘We need a new King. Step down or else’.”
The room was filled with awkward and uncomfortable tension. Some of the administrators whispered amongst themselves, shooting furtive glances at their King.
Mindara finally gathered the courage to look up at her husband. The look of humiliation on his face wrenched her heart. “I immediately sent men out to clean the words off. I hope you do not mind. I did not want to wait.”
Traeus thought about stopping them, he wanted to see the words for himself, but he decided his wife was right. He did not want to give the protesters the satisfaction of seeing him there, looking up at the disparaging comments, seeing his Amsara creation further marred. And he did not want to face them himself.
“Thank-you Mindara, I appreciate that,” he said, swallowing his humiliation. His wife, his administrators, his people, he looked like a fool in front of all of them. He felt shaky, uncertain.
Everyone in the room waited for his next response. No one had the courage to speak first.
The King took his seat. He leaned forward on his elbows, his fingers touching, his forehead pressed against his hands. “Trouble has been brewing for some time now. I guess it was only a matter of time before it started to boil over.”
There was murmured agreement amongst his staff.
“We need to find a way to deal with this, before things get any worse,” he continued, looking at each of them. “We must restore our people’s faith somehow.”
