Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK I - Chapter 21
Prince Aralak took a seat. The room was much better lit than the chamber he'd just left. There were no windows in the room, but the oil lamps dotted about, coupled with the whitewashed walls created a near similitude of daylight. As his eyes continued to adjust he looked around. It was sparse and basic. With the exception of a large mural on the wall behind the seated king, showing a highly stylised winged-serpent, eating what looked like a large egg or stone. As he finally began to make out the features of the King of Tunid and Drua Maleeva he relaxed a bit more. Returning fully to his natural, unserious state. It was all just pageantry and ceremony to him. Like a child in a school assembly, he viewed it simply as something to be endured. A pointless exercise, formally required of him. He could discern no deeper meaning in any of it, and he now felt a little regretful that he'd allowed himself to feel the momentary fear he'd felt just a few moments earlier.
"Do you think you're ready?"
"Yes," nodded Prince Aralak. He then looked over at Maleeva, in the hope that her face would give him a hint of what precisely he was saying yes to.
"This is serious, perhaps the most serious things you'll ever gain knowledge of," intoned the King of Tunid, wasting no time in getting to the issue, "I really can't stress this enough ..and the secret you are about to be made privy to can never - never - be told to anyone else. No one - and any revealing of it - any at all - will result in death. Immediate and indifferent death. There can be no escape from this, and no one - from any rank or seat of privilege - will be granted any reprieve or pardon. Are you still happy to accept?"
Once again Prince Aralak nodded a "Yes" in accordance.
"The world is not quite the way you've been led to believe it is," continued the king, "There is a great secret that few have known. A grave one. The world, which is said to terminate, as you know, in impassable fire, far beyond the outer desert, in fact, has no end at all. There is a cyclic nature to our reality, Prince Aralak. Strange though this may sound. If you leave the desert by the east, you will return by the west. If you travel beyond the north you will re-enter from the south. It's true, the fire and heat are so fierce and intolerable that no man can pass the desert, but there are tunnels. Tunnelling beneath. Ancient tunnels. Tunnels that few know about, and that even fewer have permission to enter. That allow a man to leave from one side of this world, and by journey underground, return via the other."
For most people, such a huge and absurd revelation would inspire disbelief. Even outright mockery. Considered seriously in would be disturbing, and difficult to grasp. Yet, for the unthinking prince, absent of any of philosophical concern, it was simply taken as a piece of practical information. That may be true, or may be false. His prosaic nature saving him the mental readjustment others had required, having went through this bizarre initiation. Consequently, his first question was also simply a practical one, and an eminently sensible one given the circumstances.
"How do I know you're not just lying to me?"
As he thought about all this he looked at the mural on the wall once more. He now recalled that he'd seen this winged serpent symbol several times before. Sometimes in simple motifs, but more often than not in elaborately looped serpentine patterns. Usually when he'd seen such an image it had nearly always been worn by kings and other high ranking officials. In fact, even his father's battle standard carried the image, along with the imperial eagle of the Kingdom of Caster. In this depiction, the eagle, with a single wing outstretched, was framed inside this looped serpent, which was, in turn, devouring its own tail. The serpent or dragon then having a single wing outstretched itself, in the opposite direction. Posing in counterbalance to that of the eagle, as if to make two wings.
"Do you think you're ready?"
"Yes," nodded Prince Aralak. He then looked over at Maleeva, in the hope that her face would give him a hint of what precisely he was saying yes to.
"This is serious, perhaps the most serious things you'll ever gain knowledge of," intoned the King of Tunid, wasting no time in getting to the issue, "I really can't stress this enough ..and the secret you are about to be made privy to can never - never - be told to anyone else. No one - and any revealing of it - any at all - will result in death. Immediate and indifferent death. There can be no escape from this, and no one - from any rank or seat of privilege - will be granted any reprieve or pardon. Are you still happy to accept?"
Once again Prince Aralak nodded a "Yes" in accordance.
"The world is not quite the way you've been led to believe it is," continued the king, "There is a great secret that few have known. A grave one. The world, which is said to terminate, as you know, in impassable fire, far beyond the outer desert, in fact, has no end at all. There is a cyclic nature to our reality, Prince Aralak. Strange though this may sound. If you leave the desert by the east, you will return by the west. If you travel beyond the north you will re-enter from the south. It's true, the fire and heat are so fierce and intolerable that no man can pass the desert, but there are tunnels. Tunnelling beneath. Ancient tunnels. Tunnels that few know about, and that even fewer have permission to enter. That allow a man to leave from one side of this world, and by journey underground, return via the other."
For most people, such a huge and absurd revelation would inspire disbelief. Even outright mockery. Considered seriously in would be disturbing, and difficult to grasp. Yet, for the unthinking prince, absent of any of philosophical concern, it was simply taken as a piece of practical information. That may be true, or may be false. His prosaic nature saving him the mental readjustment others had required, having went through this bizarre initiation. Consequently, his first question was also simply a practical one, and an eminently sensible one given the circumstances.
"How do I know you're not just lying to me?"
He then looked again at Maleeva, once again in hope of some visible clue. Though yet again, she remained blank and perfunctory.
The king look down at the stone floor as he answered. "That's a good question ..and you will soon find out for yourself. For you, like everyone else that has passed through the fire, will have to make a journey. It's important that you know this truth. That you don't just take it from me. You'll be making the same journey your father made when this knowledge was revealed to him, and his father before that. You will leave for the Upper Desert by ship. Then you will travel beneath the desert's edge. Resurfacing out at Poppy Point, in the Maiden Lands. Once you've seen this truth with your own eyes you'll then return back the way you came so as not to arouse suspicion. |Of course, all this is made trickier by the ongoing situation with the Western Isles, but it's important that we do this soon. Your father will not be around forever, and you need to be ready to step into his shoes."
The king look down at the stone floor as he answered. "That's a good question ..and you will soon find out for yourself. For you, like everyone else that has passed through the fire, will have to make a journey. It's important that you know this truth. That you don't just take it from me. You'll be making the same journey your father made when this knowledge was revealed to him, and his father before that. You will leave for the Upper Desert by ship. Then you will travel beneath the desert's edge. Resurfacing out at Poppy Point, in the Maiden Lands. Once you've seen this truth with your own eyes you'll then return back the way you came so as not to arouse suspicion. |Of course, all this is made trickier by the ongoing situation with the Western Isles, but it's important that we do this soon. Your father will not be around forever, and you need to be ready to step into his shoes."
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The thought of travelling across the Western Sea during the ongoing conflict didn't exactly appeal to Prince Aralak. He much preferred directing events from the shoreline. Yet, with pride at stake he offered no objection, and feigned a mild enthusiasm for the venture. He still spoke with a passionless disinterest as they discussed this new reality he was confronted with, but having roundly accepted it by default, he found the secret nature of it appealing. His natural fondness for status making him feel slightly empowered that he now knew something most others did not. Still, in his mind it was just another physical possession - a precious stone, a lump of gold, a gilded sword. It wasn't an intellectual delight, or a question to ponder; he had no desire to explore it conceptually. He just desired to see it first hand to confirm his possession of it. Quickly reasoning in the process that these strange revelations must indeed be true if he was permitted to inspect them for himself. It then also swiftly dawned on him that he could short cut this confirmation even faster, by simply asking his father once he returned to the palace.
As he thought about all this he looked at the mural on the wall once more. He now recalled that he'd seen this winged serpent symbol several times before. Sometimes in simple motifs, but more often than not in elaborately looped serpentine patterns. Usually when he'd seen such an image it had nearly always been worn by kings and other high ranking officials. In fact, even his father's battle standard carried the image, along with the imperial eagle of the Kingdom of Caster. In this depiction, the eagle, with a single wing outstretched, was framed inside this looped serpent, which was, in turn, devouring its own tail. The serpent or dragon then having a single wing outstretched itself, in the opposite direction. Posing in counterbalance to that of the eagle, as if to make two wings.
Some of the insignia of the Northern and Eastern Kingdoms also carried similar depictions. As did the the flag of the Harbour Lands. That one being a particularly striking case. The serpent, again eating its own tail, rising from a blue ocean. The created semi-circle then framing the bright yellow of a setting or rising Sun. As all these images flashed before his eyes his mind instantly returned to the battles at sea with the Western Isles, which in turn pressed an urge to bring those kingdoms to heel. Whether it was this new found knowledge, or simply the mild euphoria created by the unveiling ceremony, he now felt slightly god-like. Like he'd ascended one step higher towards the top of a mountain. His ego expanding slightly, to fill this widened boundary of perception. Coming with it a larger desire to imprint his will upon the world.
Maleeva knew him well enough to perceive the pride it had inspired. Indeed, she expected it. The King of Tunid wasn't quite as observant though. To him it was simply another small job out of the way. More to the point it killed two birds with one stone. Completing an initiation that was long overdue, but also, perhaps more importantly, providing an excuse to remove Prince Aralak from the western war front. Allowing him to get more suitable men pressing the charge.
Maleeva knew him well enough to perceive the pride it had inspired. Indeed, she expected it. The King of Tunid wasn't quite as observant though. To him it was simply another small job out of the way. More to the point it killed two birds with one stone. Completing an initiation that was long overdue, but also, perhaps more importantly, providing an excuse to remove Prince Aralak from the western war front. Allowing him to get more suitable men pressing the charge.
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