Zachania (41 page)

“Yes.”

“Emperor, my
apologies for summoning you.”

“What do you
want Grarlin!”

“You’re
highness I am afraid that the prophecy may be upon us, I seek
permission to take matters further.”

“What do you
intend Grarlin?”

“I fear an
uprising in the Zanlia and Zachania and I want your permission if
the need arrives to take the armies into Zachania.”

“Grarlin I gave
you absolute power to do whatever you felt was necessary to stop
the prophecy from coming true, I am not pleased with your progress,
you have brought me nothing except your apprehensiveness to act. If
you or your guild is not capable, then I will have you
replaced.”

“Yes my Emperor
I will not fail you.”

“Good! Now do
not disturb me again with your worries.”

Ganasis sat
with a troubled look upon his old face, sitting in the grand hall
of the. King’s Palace, he barely took notice of the talks before
him between Talon and Prince Arun who had been going over and over
old maps of Kratos. Talon caught a glimpse out the corner of his
eye that the wizard was deep in thought and asked him about his
distraction.

“Is something
bothering you Ganasis?”

Ganasis snapped
out of his thoughts and looked at all the maps and documents
sprawled out across the large table and then rose to his feet
picking up one of the maps then throwing it back down again.

“Maps! Plans!
Maps and more maps! All of this could mean nothing!”

Prince Arun
screwed up his face in confusion as he turned to Talon and raised
his hands as if to say what!

“What’s wrong?”
Talon asked Ganasis who had sat back down again but quickly turned
to address the Prince.

“Prince Arun!
Our time of revenge is fast approaching, we have the will, we have
the armies, we even have the right weather, but what we don’t have
is a King!” Ganasis snapped while holding an intent stare at
Arun.

“We have a King
Ganasis!” snapped back the Prince sounding defensive.

“No my Prince,
we have a man who wears the crown but he is no King.”

Prince Arun
jumped to his feet and raised his voice in anger.

“That is the
King you speak of and my father you insult Ganasis.”

Sensing the
growing heat of the conversation Talon interrupted and tried to
calm matters.

“Arun, my
friend, what Ganasis said has merit and in your own mind you know
it makes sense, I respect you for defending your father but the
truth is our soldiers need a man to look up to.”

Prince Arun who
was clenching his fists suddenly relaxed as Talon’s words had an
effect on him.

“How can I ask
him to abdicate? How can a son show such dishonour?” he said
quietly as he sat back down.

“That Prince
Arun is a matter for you, I can only advise you what I think needs
to be done, how you do it is your concern.” Snapped Ganasis.

“Do you think I
am worthy to be King?”

“You will make
a great King Arun, a King the men will love and be proud of” added
Talon trying to bring some confidence to the conversation after
Ganasis’s directness.

Ganasis then
pulled himself closer to the Prince and took a hold of his hand and
spoke more sincerely.

“Arun…Respect
has already started to fade for your family, I have noticed that
the soldiers are now looking to Talon for their inspiration; it is
imperative that Zachania has a strong King! A King who can rouse
the pride and honour in his soldiers, they must love their King
where they would be willing to die for him, the King is not just a
man, he is the conscience of the nation. A weak King will make a
weak nation while a strong warrior King will bring out the fighting
spirit in them.”

Prince Arun’s
face told a thousand stories, as he knew that Ganasis and Talon
were speaking truthful but the thought of what he was being asked
troubled him dearly, he loved his father and he loved his King but
the thought of asking his father to stand down was a task he did
not relish.

Ganasis sat
back and waited for the Prince to reply and after a short moment of
silence Arun looked up.

“I will speak
to my father this evening.”

“GOOD!” Ganasis
said rising to his feet and tapping the Prince affectionately
before leaving the room.

“I will leave
you your privacy Arun, you have much to consider” added Talon as he
did the same as Ganasis and left the room.

Later that
evening Talon made his way to the Palace garden where he asked a
guard to fetch him some wine and once the soldier returned Talon
poured some and relaxed looking up at the clear night sky.

Talon sat
exhausted from all the plans and decisions that he had been a part
of which he had spent most of the day going over, as he raised his
cup for another sip of wine he was disturbed by the sound of
footsteps behind so he turned to see it was the beautiful
Princess

“How are you?”
Talon said surprising her.

“Oh sir Talon,
I am fine thank you, I didn’t see you.”

Talon lost
himself for a moment as he studied her stunning beauty and felt a
warm glow rise through him at being so close to her, the Princess
felt shy at Talon’s silence and she lowered her head at the
attention she was getting until Talon suddenly just spoke in a
voice which surprised them both.

“You are
beautiful my Princess.”

The Princess
blushed as she just stood there not knowing what do or say until
she began to politely excuse herself.

“I am sorry;
please stay with me for a while.” Talon asked.

The Princess
stood still for a moment slightly smiling but still looking down at
the ground and then taking fleeting glimpses at Talon but still
trying not to catch Talon’s eye.

“Please I won’t
embarrass you again.” Talon added while holding out his hand
offering her a seat close by.

The Princess
very slowly and so elegantly, Talon thought sat down where she
didn’t speak for a moment until she got control of her blushes.

“My mother says
you are a strong and cold warrior” she suddenly sighed.

Talon put down
the bottle of wine and tried to reply in a soft tone of voice.

“Yes it’s true,
I am a warrior, but I am not cold, there are things I have to do
that not everyone will agree with, but I do them for Zachania.”

“My brother is
always speaking of you; he says he admires your spirit and
convictions.”

Talon then
broke into a big smile.

“Now it is you
who embarrass me” he said which made both of them smile.

“Would you like
a drink?” Talon suddenly asked holding out the bottle of wine which
made the Princess look at the bottle making Talon regret quickly
asking a Princess to take a swig from a bottle like a common
soldier.

“I’m sorry.”
Talon said quietly.

“That’s ok, but
no thank you I am on my way to see my mother before she
retires”

The Princess
then rose to her feet and before she could excuse herself Talon who
was feeling his inhibitions fade away by the wine paid her another
complement.

“I often think
of you, I am not sure why but in my heart there is care for
you.”

The Princess
smiled again before looking down and speaking very softly.

“I think of you
to.”

“You do.” Talon
said like an enthusiastic boy.

The Princess
just smiled again and then turned away.

“Su-Maria can I
see you again?” Talon asked as she walked off ignoring him for a
moment and then she stopped and turned.

“I walk in the
garden every day at noon.”

Prince Arun
paused as he neared his father’s bedroom. As he walked he had been
revising over and over again what he was going to say once he stood
before the King. His mind flicked back to when he was a boy and how
strong his father used to be and the pride his father once showed
at being King. Then he thought about the last few years and his
father’s damn addiction to the dread of Zac and how that cursed
weed had withered away his father’s stature and took away his will
to live. The Prince raised his hand to knock upon the door but
hesitated as he thought for a moment that maybe he would sleep on
it and speak to his father in the morning but as he looked at the
door he thought of how his father never left the room now and paid
no attention to anything that was going on in Zachania. The Prince
swallowed hard and raised his fist and knocked three times, he
waited but there was as usual no reply so he let himself in the
room and found his father lying on the bed just staring at the wall
and totally oblivious to the fact that he had just joined him. The
Prince walked over and sat down besides his father where he took
his hand and leaned closer to him.

“Father, father
it is I Arun.”

The King then
slowly turned his head towards his son and after a short pause
while he had difficulty focusing his eyes he spoke very slowly and
slurred.

“My son, I was
thinking about you, I was thinking about when I took you on your
first hunt do you remember.”

“Yes father
those were good days.” replied Arun with a warm smile.

“Do you
remember when I made you drink the blood of the beast we had just
killed and then after you drank it you asked me if you would grow
horns and a tail like the beast.”

“Yes father and
mother went crazy when she heard I tasted blood, she called you a
savage.”

“yess!” the
King replied before starting to laugh which only had the effect of
sending him into a coughing fit where Arun lifted him more upright
onto his pillows and holding him till his coughing stopped.

“Father are you
alright?”

“Argh it’s just
a damn cough!”

The Prince then
straightened himself and took a deep breath.

“Father I have
come to ask you something but it is not for me I ask, it is for
Zachania.”

“Zachania,
speak my son.”

The Prince then
lowered his head till he looked sincerely into his father’s eyes
and spoke very softly.

“Abdicate!” he
whispered before the sound of the word sent a shiver down his
spine, the Prince took his father’s hand and still looking in his
father eyes he waited fearfully for a response.

The King leaned
back into his pillows and gripped his sons hand tightly and a large
sad smile broke across his face as one of his eyes began to drop a
tear.

“Yes” he sighed
just before raising a hand to cover the tears that were now falling
from his eyes.

Prince Arun
quickly hugged his father and pulled his old grey head into his
chest as the King began sobbing uncontrollably. The King was no
fool he was very ill but deep down he still had his wisdom and he
had grown to be ashamed at himself at the King he had become.

“I am sorry
father.” Arun whispered as he felt a few tears himself.

The Prince held
his father all through the night even when the King fell into
sleep. When the dawn broke Arun kissed his father on the head and
then rose and left the room and slowly made his way to where he
thought Ganasis would be, he did not knock he just walked in and
found the wizard busy amidst a huge pile of books and papers.

“Have you not
slept?” Arun asked looking at all the mess.

“You forget
Arun; sleep to a wizard is a luxury not necessity.”

“It’s done!”
Arun suddenly said with a voice full of remorse.

“You spoke to
your father.”

“Yes.”

“That’s
good.”

“Ganasis I feel
no joy in what I have done.”

“Arun, you have
just proved your substance as King, never forget that as King there
are things that you must do which you do not want to do, that is
what makes a King, it’s the ability to act when most men
doubt.”

The Prince then
slumped into a chair and looked tiredly at the ceiling.

“How was your
father” asked Ganasis sitting down next to him.

Arun thought
for a second and then told a lie to protect his father’s
dignity.

“My father is
fine; he says it is for the best.”

Ganasis smiled
slightly as the old wizard was too old and wise to fall for someone
lying to him so he leaned across realising why Arun had been
untruthful and tried to console him.

“Arun, what you
have done is best for Zachania, now you feel bad but if you did not
do this and people die then how would your feelings be in
comparison to those who lose the ones they love, your father is no
fool and once he contemplates this he will respect you for asking
it, it is the order of things that the young take over from the
old.”

The Prince
yawned loudly as Ganasis finished.

“Ganasis I
think I will spend this day to myself if that is ok I feel
drained.”

“Of course
Arun, indeed you need time to gather your thoughts, you have just
become a King; don’t worry about anything we will take care of
things.”

Talon banged
loudly for the second time on Ganasis’s door wondering where the
wizard could be.

“Ganasis it’s
me Talon are you in there!”

“Let yourself
in.”

Talon opened
the door and frowned at the mess, there were maps and books spread
all across the tables and across half the floor.

“Ganasis what
are you doing/”

Ganasis waved
Talon over and cleared a space on the table by sweeping half the
books onto the floor.

“Talon! Look at
this.”

“Yes.”

“What do you
see?”

“It’s a map of
Zachania.” added Talon.

“Yes but it’s
an old map, look here! Can you see these markings; they mark the
points where we lost battles to the Empire.”

Talon now took
a closer view.

“These were
written in the time of the Great War.”

Ganasis smiled
at Talon.