by D. L. Jordan
Dean eyes widened in bewilderment as the queen’s dark eyes were once again fixed on him. That was his name when he lived in New York. He had not been called by that name in such a long time he had almost forgotten it existed. Queen Lila arose from her seat on the couch and placed her hand on Dean’s shoulder.
“You, little Dean, are the heir of Pharaoh Amenhotep,” she said. “How?” Dean said, gently pulling away from her.
“That’s what I’d like to know!” interjected Mrs. Sabulra.
“It is a very long story. I will tell you, Dean, as soon as we are at The Marble Palace.” “Wow,” said Nommo with an ecstatic voice. “All this time we’ve been living with
royalty. Dean, you could’ve at least given me a thousand pieces of silver or something we could use to get out of this dump!”
“Hey!” Mr. Sabulra barked. “You should be proud of where you live! Almost the entire city depends on us to bring food into their homes. You should know that everyone has a duty in this life.”
“Your father is right, young man.” said Queen Lila as she turned around to Nommo. “You should follow the paths wise words create. They will lead you to your own
greatness.” She then turned to the others. “Forgive us for leaving so abruptly, but we really must be going. I will personally send Cacellon to your home in the morning to give you a papyrus that will explain everything. In the meantime, I have to get Dean to The Marble Palace as quickly as I can.”
“That’s it? You’re just going to leave? We don’t even get to say goodbye to him?” asked Mrs. Sabulra.
Queen Lila looked into her eyes after reaching for the door handle. Dean could see the expression of understanding of a mother’s love come about her.
“Yes, but please…make it quick. The fate of our island depends on him.”
Dean went to the Sabulra family and embraced all of them, thanking them for their years of compassion towards him.
Dean then turned to Nommo, hugging him. “Thanks for letting me be your big brother,
kid.”
Nommo only smiled and said, “No problem! You know you really should get going. It’s not every day that you get to save the world.”
Dean couldn’t help but laugh as he let go of him.
Queen Lila and Dean exited the Sabulra family’s home and into the cold night air. In the front yard, a white lantern shone from the side of a large golden litter. In front of the litter were four winged Tigrises, attached to its bottom by their reins. Dean was immediately entranced by the sight of the litter as it seemed to give a luminous glow through the fog. Dean and Queen Lila boarded the litter. Almost instantly the four Tigrises flew into the air. They were soon on their way to The Marble Palace, not saying a word to one another as they traveled.
THE STORY OF THE LOST RULER
Dean and Queen Lila had finally entered the front yard of The Marble Palace as the golden litter landed on the solid surface of the green ground below them. Dean couldn’t wait to get out of the cold. All the while as they traveled, the cool air slashed against his face and numbed his hands. A fog had formed, and Dean thought it nothing short of a miracle that the four flying Tigrises could see at all.
It was strange that a fog was forming since the nights on Avesia were usually clear and warm, but tonight the weather was very out of the ordinary. Dean looked around, trying to at least see a glimpse of the marvelous gardens and rectangular pools that he had first seen seven years ago. He was unfortunately unable to see anything because of the fog. To him, the fog that was forming seemed to be playing a game, annoyingly depriving him of the wondrous view.
Queen Lila opened the front mahogany doors of The Marble Palace while not at all hesitating to explain to Dean all the things that were happening.
“The blood seen in the Ice Waters tonight was no accident. Great evil has returned to our island, Dean. You are here because you are Pharaoh Amenhotep’s heir. We need someone to get Madu out of the union of the Rulers.”
“Okay, I get that I’m Pharaoh Amenhotep’s heir, but why do you all want to get rid of Madu so abruptly? Doesn’t he do a great job? No one in the city seems to have any problem with him.”
“Exactly,” she said. They were now standing in the entrance hall at the top of the stairs where the Statue of the Rulers stood. Dean couldn’t help but capture a brief glance of it as she talked. It had always interested him.
“No one in the city has had a problem with him, but in the palace everyone can’t wait to get rid of him. They’re unaware of what really goes on behind these walls. When Amenhotep, the other Rulers, and I first founded this city we said that we’d always rule in a moral and beneficial way for the good of all of our people. Madu has always been quite the opposite of what this island was founded upon. The man doesn’t have a moral bone in his body and, thankfully, the other Rulers and I have always been able to overrule his unjust decisions by a majority. It almost makes me ill to see him wear royal garments similar to Amenhotep’s. He’s not worthy of them.”
“Why don’t you just get rid of him if you all don’t like him?” Dean asked.
“His presence alone is the only reason why he is here. We needed someone who would fill in the gap of the Rulers’ perfect union after Amenhotep’s death. Amenhotep’s regents were all mysteriously killed at the same time of his murder.”
“Please, my queen!” Dean said in a pleading voice. “Tell me about Pharaoh Amenhotep’s mysterious death. All my life I’ve wanted to know how he died, but no one wanted to tell me.
Now that I know I’m related to him it makes me want to know, even more, how he died.”
Queen Lila looked into Dean’s eyes. She sensed his sincerity towards her, so she began to explain the mysteries of Pharaoh Amenhotep’s death.
“Well,” she said while giving out a deep sigh. “Amenhotep’s death was really no mystery. He was killed in a courtyard on the western side of the palace.” She pointed to a door that was on the opposite side of the corridor that led to the throne room.
“We found his body trampled. However, we were lucky to see who ended his life. We heard a sound that was made in the night sky. A team of blue horses with red manes and tails could clearly be seen. From that courtyard there is a good view of the beach, so we looked on as the horses made their way to the beach and under the still surface of the Ice Waters. I…”
Queen Lila stopped as she began to weep, “I don’t think I had ever witnessed something so horrible in my entire life.”
She looked at the Statue of the Rulers as it glowed in the moonlight shining through the stained glass window. Dean gained the queen’s attention.
“Where is Amenhotep’s body, now?” Dean asked.
“It is in a pyramid tomb in his native country of Pulchra. His people are well-known for their powers over the elements.”
“How exactly am I related to Amenhotep? I don’t get it. I’m a poor boy living with a poor family, and he was royalty. How can we be connected?”
“You are related to Amenhotep because many years ago, before The War of The Lost, the world was separated. The eldest of his three sons, Hamadi, destroyed his brothers Hanbal and
Hanif. Hamadi was jealous of his brothers because they were given special gifts by their father to aid them in life. But, because of his laziness and arrogance, Hamadi was denied one of these special gifts. Hanif was given a device called a Morph-belt, a leather belt that gives the wearer the power to change into anything and anyone they desire. Hanbal was given a Balledere, a very useful device to store and protect priceless possessions.
“Hamadi’s jealousy became unbearable and so, out of anguish, he killed Hanbal and Hanif and stole their gifts. The deaths of his two sons left Amenhotep in terrible grief. Hamadi, unwilling to face his father after what he had done, escaped Erlon. He moved into your realm through unknown ways without the gifts he had stolen from his deceased brothers. It was known that he had married a woman from your world and had a family to forget the life he once lived.
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The Morph-belt and the Balledere of Hanbal and Hanif were taken by Amenhotep and brought to remain secure and protected in this palace for all eternity. That, Dean, is how you are related to Amenhotep!”
‘That doesn’t prove anything!” Dean insisted.
“Oh…really?” Queen Lila protested with a smirk. “Would you like even more proof that you are the heir to Amenhotep?”
“Yes, I would.” Dean said nervously.
“Well, the necklace of the lion that you wear around your neck belonged to Hamadi.”
That’s impossible!” Dean protested. “This necklace is really old. But that’s only because it’s been in my family for…”
“Generations?” said Queen Lila, still wearing her doubtless smirk.
Dean couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was stunned. At that moment, a somewhat proud feeling swept over him. He was proud to know that he was the descendent of greatness.
“Where are the other Rulers?” Dean asked. He was more excited and energized than ever. “They are in the throne room, devising a plan of what to do about his return while a few
of the servants are down by the shore cleaning the blood from the sands and the water. I came on my own to retrieve you, so I am here to answer any questions that you may have.”
“Alright, who really is this he that you and my family keep talking about?” Dean asked, finally getting the question out in the open.
“He is the corruptor of everything that is good. His name is Xanire. He first came to this island just five years after Yailon had been built. I remember when the Rulers and I first saw him. Xanire came into the throne room through the front doors of The Marble Palace. I thought it was very strange for him to have gotten through the guards and present himself to us unannounced. He was dressed from head to toe in an armor made of iron. A helmet with wings was over his head and from his mask shined a pair of menacing, yellow eyes. He told us that if we did not give him our kingdom, he would take our lives, so that he would rule Yailon with an iron fist. We demanded that he reveal himself, but he only stood there silently while folding his arms. Amenhotep sent the guards of the palace to destroy him, but he annihilated them. This was something none of us had ever seen before, and you can imagine the shock that was on our faces.”
“But, for the sake of our people, we had no choice but to give in to his demands. We were forced to live in slavery with our people. As soon as he obtained our power over the city, by enslaving us, he used that power for evil purposes.”
“For seven days, Xanire ruled our kingdom with terrible dictatorship by withdrawing access to food for long durations of time to those he felt disobeyed him and severely punishing those who didn’t adhere to his commands. But one day, Amenhotep remembered a powerful scepter that was made by the head of the ancient wise men of Pulchra. The scepter alone would help Amenhotep destroy Xanire and gain back what we had lost. Amenhotep then flew on the back of Cacellon the phoenix to Pulchra and acquired the scepter from the mountains.”
“Everyone, of course, knew of the legend of the elemental scepter but they never thought that the legend was indeed true. I guess that’s what happens when the world assumes that things beyond the imagination aren’t true or indeed possible. I think it’s fascinating how people can doubt their capabilities, yet in the end, find themselves performing extraordinary things.”
Queen Lila paused on these words for a moment before continuing her story.
“As I was saying, Amenhotep had finally retrieved the scepter and came back to Yailon to challenge Xanire. Xanire then fought Amenhotep in a battle to the death within the throne room, but Amenhotep prevailed. Xanire was defeated and soon disintegrated into ash.
“I remember the ash suddenly arising from the ground, spiraling to create a yellow flame.
I remember looking at the menacing pair of eyes as they promised that Xanire would return. Xanire’s spirit then fled to the sea until that fateful day when the descendent of Amenhotep would come to help rule the island and defeat him once and for all. After that, Amenhotep ordered that the scepter be sent back to Pulchra until it was needed once again.
“Many people often questioned Amenhotep on having the scepter sent back to Pulchra instead of simply keeping it here inside The Marble Palace. But he always responded that it had not yet fulfilled its purpose. All of that occurred ten years ago.”
Hearing about the great and brave things his ancestor Amenhotep had done blew Dean’s mind. His heart was filled with delight. His hands were on his cheeks. He was astonished by the information that had been given to him. Dean was also surprised at the historical significance of the palace itself. With this thought, he felt grateful to be alive and to be inside the palace. Dean now knew why people were afraid of Xanire and how Amenhotep’s death was so closely tied with Xanire’s story. He was also surprised to learn that Xanire had ruled the city for seven years, a fact that he had never learned. Dean then knew that history books often leave things out.
The door of the throne room opened with a loud bang. King Berthold came from the twisting corridor and into the entrance hall where Dean and Queen Lila were standing beside the Statue of the Rulers. An alarmed expression was on his face.
The queen left with him into the throne room. Berthold then said to Dean, “Hello there. It is great to see you once more. You already know the way to your own room in the palace. Please, make yourself comfortable.”
Dean was about to start for the stairs but he halted. It felt to him like his body was a machine composed of bolts and screws that was now malfunctioning. His mind briefly regretted leaving the Sabulra family. He reminded himself that this was the second time that he had been taken away from people who loved him.
Dean grabbed the lion necklace around his neck that once belonged to Hamadi. He thought about the family he knew in New York, thinking about them as he always did after a long day of work at the Sabulra house.
Dean sat there in the still silence of the entrance hall in his loneliness while attempting to gather his thoughts. He looked through the columns that came before the staircase and down at the Avesian symbols that were printed on the middle of the entrance hall floor. He was glad that
he could now read them during his trips to the palace since he had attended school. He read them in his mind-- Loyalty, Fulfillment, Honesty, Peace in Struggle, and Unity.
Feeling extremely tired, Dean decided to finally make his way to his room.
As he was just at the entrance that led to the second staircase he heard arguing coming from the throne room. Dean knew that it was the Rulers and, in a great need to satisfy his curiosity, he went down the twisting corridor and pressed his ear to one of the mahogany doors as they spoke.
“We all know why this has happened, Lila,” said a voice that sounded like Queen Clotilda. “Xanire has come back to challenge the boy!”
“I know,” said Queen Lila, “but we must make sure we train him in the best way we can.
Once Xanire returns, there won’t be any stopping him.”
“And when Xanire does come and the boy is ill-prepared for what has been destined for him since birth, he will cower in fear. All the things that we taught him will diminish,” said the voice of Emperor Yang.
“You can’t say things like that so soon, Yang,” said his wife Empress Xian, “The boy hasn’t even endured any training and you already doubt him.”
Dean continued to press his ear to the door, listening to the Rulers’ conversation as a sense of doubt suddenly overcame him.
“Now, enough of this! As long as we say he will fail, it will come to pass,” said King
Salim.
“When Xanire returns, Dean will be ready for him. When we first saw him as a boy, we all could see that there was something special about him. After all, he is the heir of Amenhotep,” said Emperor Hanab Pakal.
“I agree,” said Empress Ix Chel, “Dean is very promising. He can do it! The only thing we can give him right now is our trust and dedica
tion.”
Dean pulled back from the door as the Rulers agreed about his capabilities and their plans for his future. He shuddered to think that the entire fate of the island rested on his shoulders. He couldn’t believe that a boy who was adopted and raised on the farm of the humble Sabulra family was indeed the heir to the Pulchran throne.
“What are you doing here, young man?” Dean turned around to the surprising voice that came from behind him. It was Cacellon. By looking at the scrunching of his eyebrows and his malignant frown it was obvious that Cacellon was discontent. Dean was glad to see him and that he hadn’t changed at all since the last time he’d seen him. A smile came upon both of their faces.
“You weren’t spying on the Rulers, were you?” Cacellon asked him.
“I was only doing it for a little while. You should have heard the things they were saying about me…about Xanire.”
“I’m sure that it was all very interesting, but even if I do hear it from you I’m going to hear it again from the Rulers. They’ve always told me their plans.”
“They said that they were going to train me. I can’t believe it! I, of all people, am going to be trained in The Marble Palace by the Rulers of Avesia.” Dean’s excitement couldn’t be contained any longer.
“I’m very happy for you,” said Cacellon, “and more than likely I’m going to have to help train you as well. Someone your age can never have too many role models.”
