Kareivis: Warrior

CHAPTER 9: THE TWIN EFFECT

It had been two days since Prince Asmenu’s encounter with Muhali, and the possibility of her actual existence aroused his curiosity. Asmenu had always thought of Muhali as a figment of his imagination. He thought she was his escape from his sister Kara’s less than admirable character. A version of his sister that he could like, love even. Even though Asmenu and Kara were twins, no two people could be further apart in heart and deeds. Asmenu was kind and compassionate while Kara was cold, calculating and cruel. More than that, pureblood twins were supposed to have a special bond. One that connected their minds, their abilities and their hearts. But Asmenu and Kara shared no such bond. What was worse was that Kara’s very presence upset their mother, who had not been the same since their birth. When they were born young Princess Kara-Shay was kidn*pped and this nearly destroyed The Queen but when the young infant princess was brought back neither The Queen nor her brother Asmenu would accept her. Since then Asmenu had had a special bond with his mother while Kara had none. And since that event The Queen had been slipping deeper and deeper into a kind of depression, it had gotten so dire that she had not spoken a single word to anyone in over two full cycles. But nevertheless, Asmenu visited his mother daily without fail and he would talk to her as if she would talk back. While he was talking with his mother about the latest developments regarding Muhali a guard appeared on the monitor, he stood at the entrance of Queen Tiesa’s quarters,

“My prince the King requests your presence in the hall of elders.” Prince Asmenu had been bothered by the decision the elders had taken about Tendai and in the past talking to his mother always seemed to give him peace. But this time someone else had managed to give him peace, the mysterious girl who had shown him love even though he had not seen her face. He had been having visions of a girl since childhood, but this was the first time she had visited him, talked to him or touched him. Up until that day Asmenu had thought that he was the only one who visited her, and he just had to share this with his mother. When the guard spoke to him Asmenu immediately got up and followed him to the hall of elders and as before when he arrived - he bowed,

“I greet you my elders and my King.” The king nodded his head in acknowledgment of Asmenu’s greeting. The elders then said: “We have called you here to inform you that you will be representing us at the coronation of the royal princess of Inthia. Go to your quarters and wait for the guards to inform you of your departure.”

Taking into consideration his last altercation with the elders, Asmenu did not respond he merely bowed his head and exited the room. Asmenu was a strong-willed prince who did not always do as he was told. He had questions and the only one who could give him answers was the keeper of knowledge who had been stripped of all his authority and responsibilities by the elders. He knew that going to see Tendai would have consequences, but he was ready to face those consequences, so he went to Tendai’s hall of knowledge. When he entered it seemed that Tendai was waiting for him, as if Tendai knew that at that particular moment Asmenu was going to come. Tendai was standing on the balcony with his hands behind his back when Asmenu entered the hall of knowledge. Before Asmenu could even utter a word Tendai began saying: “…hello Asmenu, please take a seat.” Tendai then turned around and sat next to the prince and he continued saying: “…allow me to narrate a story to you. There is much to say but little time to speak. Long ago there was a King and Queen who had been married for many cycles without a child. When the Queen finally became pregnant all of Shaylaian was elated. But this joy would be short lived. During the pregnancy it was discovered that she was carrying twins. And when it was time to give birth, the first child to be born was a girl and the second a boy. To our people a girl had never been born to the royal family much less as a first born and even worse as a twin sister to a twin brother. The elders decided to take the child to a faraway land and conceal her existence from the people. They feared that she would lay claim to the throne. They took her to the outer worlds and gave her to a family of slaves. When she was born, she showed no signs of possessing any kind of ability. But as the young child grew older, she became strong and powerful. Throughout her childhood she had visions of a young boy, she could see his life and he could see hers. Word spread of a child who could make plants grow, she could bring water from the heavens, she could make tornadoes when angered and she could create fire with her hands. She also had a special ability, one that had not been possessed by any other being apart from Shay royals; the ability to heal. Just then a mysterious people with no planet to call their own that called themselves the Channidae appeared from nowhere. They spoke to the elders who at the time only possessed power over the elements, but after their meeting with the Channidae they could do so much more. It was agreed that the child would be brought back, and her true identity would be revealed. After that she would then be crowned princess of Shaylaian. And then she would be betrothed to Karalius the prince of the Channidae. What the Channidae and the elders did not count on was that she would already be betrothed to a man she loved. Regardless of this fact they brought her back where she became very close to her brother. When it was time for her santuokos teisiu (marriage rights) they gave her to Karalius instead of the man she had chosen for herself. The Princess ran away to her beloved and for this she was greatly punished. They pursued her and killed her beloved and in a fit of rage her broken heart corrupted and turned red. She waged a malicious war against Shaylaian and the Channidae, not caring who got hurt in the process. The prince was then tasked by the elders to put an end to her. In a fierce final battle the Prince killed his own sister. Heartbroken by the thing he had done the prince soon died of a broken heart and an incomplete soul. His young son who was just a child was crowned as the next heir to the throne of Shaylaian…” Asmenu looked at Tendai with confusion in his eyes. He wanted to ask what that meant for him and the girl he had been seeing in his visions. But Tendai continued saying: “…what I have said has significant relevance to you Greitas Asmenu. The girl you see, protect her with everything in you. She will need you far more than anyone else. Go now to your quarters for a guard has been sent to escort you to your carrier. Do not worry so much, nothing that happens under the sun remains hidden. Everything will unravel in due time.” Young Asmenu reluctantly got up and he did not even walk out of Tendai’s learning centre before finding himself in his quarters. He could not grasp the kind of power that Tendai possessed that he spirited him back to his room.