The Land of Flora

by Marie Springberry

  “Raligion indeed is cunning. Who would think a rabimou would be trained to protect its master when their primary job is to serve tea and clear the room. Although…” and the king asked one of the guards to call Mothy. When he arrived, the king asked to Mothy,

  “Are rabimous in Rosetta trained to fight and protect their master?”

  “No, not that I know of. Well, we try to protect our master when our master is in danger, but what we can do is very limited. We are not trained to fight.”

  “I see. Thank you, Mothy. Also, how is Ken doing?”

  “He is tired from the training he had never received before,” chuckled Mothy. “Sorry, but it’s been fun to watch Ken. He has proved himself to be a very talented swordsman though. It seems he has also been contemplating over some issues. I am surprised how Ken has changed in this short period of time.”

  “Oh, he also asked me if you have a boyfriend, Marilia,” added Mothy, grinning.

  “That’s strange. All I cast on him was the enchantment to have him believe blindly what King Sadaharion was telling him,” remarked Marilia.

  King Sadaharion and Mothy looked at each other, and Mothy said, “well, love is also blind, and love at first sight is blind too.”

  “Anyway, what shall we do now?” asked Marilia to the king, trying to change the topic.

  “Indeed, we should decide on what to do.”

  “If it’s time for a council, I am leaving,” said Mothy, bowing.

  “No, no you can stay, Mothy,” said the king. “You have been serving me very well, and you deserve to stay.”

  “Thank you, your majesty,” said Mothy, and he sat on a small chair by the wall. His tail pushed one of the buttons on the wall as he jumped onto the chair, but he did not notice this.

  “If their Fountain has truly dried up, this must be the best opportunity to attack,” observed the king. “We have Ken, and Ken believes us, so we might be able to conquer Rosetta once and for all.”

  “Conquer Rosetta?” asked Mothy.

  “Ah, Mothy, I almost forgot that we had not told you our true intention,” said the king. “Let me briefly explain it to you so that you can further fill us in with the latest information of the Rosettalian court.”

  The truth was that King Sadaharion’s father, the late King Akiharion, had tried to conquer all the Kingdoms of the Land of Flora. King Akiharion was a strong believer of the Story, and he believed that the Story said there should be one true ruler of the Land of Flora besides Fair Lady. He believed that the true Union would be formed if one ruler governed the five Kingdoms. He soon found out that it was impossible nor useful to have Sakuratta under his rule, so he focused on the other three Kingdoms. About 40 years ago, Tulitta attacked Daffolitta. Daffolitta had never fully recovered from the earthquake that severed it from the other Lands, so it was easy to overwhelm the Kingdom. However, King Akiharion decided to conclude a peace treaty so that he would indirectly be able to rule the Kingdom as well. People whispered that Fair Lady had interfered at the last moment to prevent King Akiharion from destroying Daffolitta.

  King Akiharion had also been secretly trying to merge with Violetta. As Rosetta was a relatively strong Kingdom, he did not prefer to start an open war with the Kingdom just yet. The Story bestowed on Tulitta told of a powerful King coming to the throne in Rosetta, who would try to overwhelm Tulitta. As such, King Akiharion became very concerned when King Raligion came to the throne. King Akiharion had succeeded in capturing the heart of Queen Viola of Violetta, so they sent a combined force into Rosetta. They also sent an assassin, a ninja of Tulitta to the castle. However, both plots failed. The combined force of the two kingdoms were somehow stopped by a strong wind that started to blow from nowhere. The attempt of assassination also failed, the assassinator killing the king’s girlfriend by mistake.

  King Akiharion realized too late that it was this failed attempt of assassination that actually created “a powerful King who would try to overwhelm Tulitta.” King Akiharion passed away 15 years ago, and King Sadaharon came to the throne. As he did not like his father constantly plotting against other Kingdoms, King Sadaharion became a kind king. “Uruwashiki Tamihikiyuruwa Satoshiou Osorewoshiranu Ginokokoronari- the fearless wise king leads his people with the heart of royalty” was his true song. Unlike his father, he did not show much interest in becoming the ruler of the Land of Flora. Nevertheless, he loved Tulitta, and regarded King Raligion of Rosetta as the utmost danger to his kingdom. Daffolitta and Tulitta renewed a peace treaty 10 years ago, and had been maintaining a more friendly relationship ever since. He still regretted not sending enough force to Violetta when Rosetta attacked. He was not particularly fond of the new queen, and he had assumed that Violettalian army, though not very strong, was capable of protecting the Kingdom at least for a night. It was already too late when the reinforcement from Tulitta arrived in Violetta. As Violetta was a small kingdom, most of the lands had already been devastated by the attack. The border villages had especially suffered from the attack, and there were only few survivors. He wondered what had happened to the queen. Some farmers then told him that the queen had not been captured and was now hiding in one of the farm houses. However, they told him that she did not wish to meet him. As it was understandable given the circumstance, he did not press the matter further. However, from this incident, he became certain that King Raligion was still determined to destroy Tulitta.

  King Sadaharion also wanted to retrieve his son from Rosetta. It was true that his son had been kidnapped when he was playing in the castle garden more than 25 years ago. The guards had been drugged to sleep, and he disappeared along with four boys from the families lived in the castle. King Sadaharion had been focusing on assassinating King Raligion because the Story told that peace would be achieved between Tulitta and Rosetta once “the powerful king of Rosetta” passed away. He hoped Prince Prligion would choose peace once he learned that he was a Tulittalian by heritage. However, he was not entirely sure about this, and part of him was saying that it might be better if Tulitta conquered Rosetta once and for all. He had told Ken that the entire Story was preserved in Tulitta, but that was actually not the case. As the Story of Rosetta, the Story of Tulitta also had some gaps toward the end. He did not want any people to suffer, but if a war became inevitable, he was determined to protect Tulittalians.

  “But for now, our main focus is still on eliminating King Raligion. Meg is with Rosetta. If the Story realizes, peace might finally be achieved. We believe Ken is capable of destroying Raligion. In fact, Ken is our only hope now that we know even the most skilled ninja of our kingdom was not able to carry out the mission. No, Marilia, I’m not blaming you at all.”

  “Why didn’t you tell Ken the full story the other day?” asked Mothy. “I noticed that Marilia was using magic.”

  “We were worried that we would not be able to convince Ken. The Story tells he would not survive, but we can’t let him choose his way. We need him to become the savior of Tulitta.”

  “Does it mean you are planning to sacrifice Ken?” Mothy looked even scared.

  “I wish I didn’t have to. I see Ken as a fine young man. But my priority is on Tulitta. I am a believer of the Story, but I also understand that not everything in the Story has been realized. There is always hope that Ken might survive after all.”

  “What’s our plan then?” asked Marilia.

  “We have to find a way to send Ken back to Rosetta as an assassin. Do you think you can cast a spell on Ken like you did the other day?”

  “I could. But the only problem is that my spell might not last once he leaves the realm of Tulitta. I don’t think we can afford to take the risk.”

  “That means we have to lure Raligion out of his castle,” observed the king. “I don’t want to do this, but it seems we have to attack Rosetta. I am aware of what happened to my father’s army last time Tulitta tried to attack Rosetta. However, different circumstances are likely to result in different consequences. We have to give it a try
.”

  And there was silence in the room for a few minutes.

  Suddenly, they heard shouts outside of the door.

  “Please, please wait a moment. I’m going to open the door!” one of the guards was shouting at someone. Marilia prepared her bow to shoot an arrow.

  The door opened, and Ken entered.

  “But he might have chosen to do that anyway if you had told him the truth from the beginning,” said Ken calmly.

  “Ken, what are you talking about?” asked the king slowly. Marilia opened her mouth as well, but Ken said, “No, Marilia. I don’t need any more enchantment. I can see that you are beautiful without you enchanting me.” Marilia blushed despite herself.

  “I was in my room,” continued Ken. “And I suddenly started to hear voices. I heard the whole story.”

  “But how?” wondered the king. “Unless…” and both the king and Marilia stared at the wall behind Mothy.

  “Why are you staring at me?” asked Mothy.

  “Because I think you pressed the broadcast button by mistake,” said Marilia casually. “I’m glad you didn’t press the button that connects this room to the entire castle.”

  “Oh…” gasped Mothy.

  “It’s okay,” said Ken. “I have been wondering why I was brought to this world. I was initially only thinking about finding a way to go back to my world. But I have also started to think that there should be a reason why I came here. I didn’t believe us to be special when I first heard the Story with Meg. But Meg might have been all right. It is strange if we came here for no reason. My heart somehow tells me that I am in the right place now. My heart tells me that I am in the right place now. I can’t explain why, but I strongly feel I am meant to work for Tulitta. You didn’t have to enchant me in the first place.”

  “Could it be love?” suggested Mothy to Ken, and Marilia hushed him too late.

  “It might be,” answered Ken calmly. “I love you, Marilia.”

  “Oh….” Marilia was not sure how to respond, as she was not expecting this development.

  “But I also know that we are not meant to be,” continued Ken, and Marilia was surprised that she was disappointed to hear that. “I somehow felt really uncomfortable in Rosetta. I felt hostility toward King Raligion whenever I saw him. I don’t really like Prince Prligion either, but it might be because I feel Meg likes him.”

  “Could you explain that a bit more in detail?” asked Mothy, and again Marilia failed to poke him in time.

  “Well, it is hard to explain. I love Meg as my sister and I want to be the one to protect her. But I feel Prince Prligion will take my place instead if Meg really likes him. I am afraid of losing her. I have been thinking over this as well. I want to go back to my world, and I want Meg to come back with me. But at the same time, I feel that Meg will be happier if she stays behind.”

  “But why are you so sure you can go back to your world?” asked Mothy again, and Marilia gave up her attempt to stop Mothy from asking awkward questions. This time, it took a while for Ken to answer.

  “Well, I did hear you say that the Story tells that I won’t survive. But it might just mean I won’t survive in this world. The song that was given to me says that my life is strong. I might be able to go back to my world if I, well, die in this world.”

  “You have indeed thought very well,” remarked King Sadaharion. “I apologize that we tried to force you to work for us.”

  “Does it mean I have figured out the Story by myself?”

  “Well, again, I prefer not to share the entire Story with you because I would like you to follow your heart,” said the king. “This time, I really mean it.”

  “I still have a question,” said Ken. “What are you going to do to Rosetta if Prince Prligion does not act as you hope him to do? I heard you discussing about the possibility of conquering Rosetta, so I’m concerned. I don’t want to leave Meg in danger.”

  “I know my words won’t be satisfactory since we have tried to deceive you once. I promise to do our best to have peace with Rosetta. I would also like to restore Violetta if we can. Besides, Meg is there. If her part of the Story also realizes, there should be peace.”

  “What do you mean by her part of the Story?”

  “She will remain in Rosetta,” said the king shortly.

  “I guess all I can do is trust your words…”

  “Here. Let me seal the words for you, Ken,” said Marilia.

  “Seal the words?”

  “I am a skilled magician. I can seal the words so that the promise won’t be breakable. Your majesty, would you let me…?”

  “Certainly, you may.”

  “Yakusoku,” whispered Marilia, and Ken felt the air shimmer for a moment. Ken believed Marilia not only because he had come to love her but also because he knew that yakusoku meant promise in Japanese.

  “Thank you,” said Ken. “I have no idea what to do though. You need to instruct me. Also, is there a way to talk with Meg before, well, things happen? Does Meg already know I’m here?”

  It was Marilia’s time to smile.

  “I can arrange that easily.”

  Chapter 14: Sounds of War

  More than five days had passed since Meg left and Ken disappeared from Rosetta. The Fountain had not shown any sign of revival either. King Raligion, Prince Prligion, Captain Curlipian, and the professors were holding councils day after day. After the last failed assassination attempt on King Raligion, the council had agreed that there would be a war between Rosetta and Tulitta sooner or later. From the perspective of Rosettalians, King Sadaharion, like his father Akiharion, was a threat to Rosetta. In addition, the Story of Rosetta described danger approaching from west, and Tulitta was located exactly to the west of Rosetta. The differences in the Story of Rosetta and Tulitta were not contradictory. It was just a matter of perspective. As Tulitta regarded Rosetta to be a danger, Rosetta also regarded Tulitta as a danger. There had been reports from the border areas that the number of the Tulittalian soldiers patrolling the borderline had increase dramatically over the past week. What they had failed to agree so far was whether to attack Tulitta openly or not.

  King Raligion strongly claimed that they should attack Tulitta first, taking surprise to their advantage. Captain Curlipian had initially disagreed, saying that the lack of water might danger his soldiers. However, he had come to think that the longer they waited, the slimmer their chance of winning would become. Prince Prligion, on the other hand, was not sure about initiating the attack. He insisted that they should wait for Meg before they take any action. The professors were divided too. Professor Mistel agreed with Prince Prligion that the Fountain of Bara should first be revived. She was a linguist, but she was also a strategist. The study of True Language had led her to be a manipulator of the language. Professor Sherikson was with King Raligion. He was concerned about Ken’s absence especially because Ken’s part of the Story had been torn. The council suspected that Ken had been kidnapped although no concrete evidence had been found so far. They had decided that they would not inform Meg of this possibility when she returned from Sakuratta.

  “We can’t afford to wait any longer.” King Raligion was getting irritated. “Why are you so sure that Meg would come back soon, Professor Mistel?”

  “As I have told you, your majesty, I have consulted the first servant of the Temple of Fair Lady. She said she heard an oracle from the Lady.”

  “What was it again?”

  “She said the Lady informed her that Meg had safely arrived in Sakuratta.”

  “But she didn’t hear anything about Rosetta and Tulitta, right?”

  “That is true.”

  “Did she say she asked the Lady about that?”

  “She said the Lady seemed to be avoiding the topic.”

  “That is very strange, isn’t it?”

  “It might be, it might not be.” This was Professor Sherikson. “Your majesty, the end of the Story says that the Will did not overpower the Story, the Will became the
Story. My interpretation is that the Lady might be trying to us her people to choose our way.”

  “Then why can’t we initiate the attack before we get attacked?”

  “We need to make sure we have enough water to keep the fight going.” Prince Prligion reminded.

  “Don’t we have enough water in our reservoir for now?”

  “We have enough water to last two more weeks. But if it comes to fighting, soldiers will need more water.”

  “We can decrease the provision of water to households which do not have soldiers.”

  “I can’t agree with your idea, father.”

  “Well,” said King Raligion, “in case you haven’t noticed, I ordered to stop sending water to the Outer City a while ago, but we haven’t heard complaints so far, right?”

  “What…,” gasped Prince Prligion. “That is a news to me.”

  “I didn’t like the idea. But the Inner City should be the priority.”

  “But aren’t people suffering?”

  “Prligion, what is done cannot be undone. Focus on what we have to do now.”

  Prince Prligion felt doubts rising inside him. He had thought King Raligion as a stubborn yet a king of justice, and he never expected the king would do such a thing.

  “Besides, we could obtain water from Tulitta if everything goes successfully. If Meg comes back in a timely manner, that’s all the better.”

  King Raligion looked around the room, and said firmly. “It is time to fight. I say we make plans today, we make preparation tomorrow, and we attack Tulitta on the dawn of the next day. The time of waiting is now over.”

  Captain Curlipian and Professor Sherikson nodded to express their agreement. Professor Mistel hesitated, but then said,

  “If that indeed is your majesty’s will, I will do my best to play my role.”

  “Thank you, Professor Mistel. It leaves you Prligion. I understand you have the final say in this matter because you are the commander of the army.”

  “I still don’t like the idea of a preemptive attack. However, if that is indeed the will of the council, I will make it the consensus, and carry out the plan.”

  “Then it’s decided.”