CORONATION OF THE THIRD FORCE

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

This is how I became a prince of the kingdom of Water and Snow. That night I sat on the beachfront till morning when people started coming down to the beach and the first set that saw me fled thinking I was a ghost but I beckon on them and said,

‘Fear not, I am Prince Jokhara. Is my father yet alive? They were sore afraid, but as they critically scrutinize me and recognized their prince it turned into jubilation, some ran back to the city to spread the news of the reappearance of Prince Jokhara. Soon a crowd has begun to gather but then not quite long the king’s chariot rode into view and my father, the king, my purported father was the occupant. When the chariot halted before me and the man who is now my father stepped out the first thought that came to my mind was, ‘don’t show pity to your enemies or you shall be destroyed.’

King Agorim, whose only son Prince Jokhara disappeared a year ago is still in a mourning mood and so any news of his son is set to bring him joy and so when he stepped out, I, his son paid him the normal courtesy, I went on my one knee to greet him as we do to our fathers and he ran to me and took me up for a tight and warm embrace. We remained like that for a few minutes, with him savoring the smell of his lost son now found. He didn’t care or should say wasn’t in a hurry to know what happened to me or how I resurfaced, he was encapsulated in the joys of finding me alive, hale and hearty. And so it seems we shall do the talking at home, for all he did without yet a word was to look me over, embrace me again and while the people were still jubilating we boarded his kingly chariot and the drivers speed away to the palace of the king with streets lined up with people to welcome back the lost son of their king.

This is a palace I have never been into and was strange to me, but I never gave away any sign of naivety, even the woman who came out and rushed me as my mother was strange to me but still I hugged her dearly as a son should to a mother and I was led inside, straight to the king’s palace where deliberations are held together with my mother and kingdom nobles that have begun to arrive on hearing the news and my father filled with excitement spoke and said,

‘My son’,

‘Father’, I answered, and instead of speaking he looked instead at me, his joy is immeasurable, but he went on,

‘What happened to you and where have you been?’

‘Father, mother forgive me, I didn’t mean to cause you pain’.

‘Son, the pain is past, you are back with us. What happened to you, did anyone try harming you so that I will devour them in a moment?’

‘Father I took myself to the kingdoms of Sun and Wind’, as I said this they were all perplexed, the king’s mouth gaped opened and my mother beats her chest while the nobles simply were aghast.

‘Son, what led you there and for what purpose’, my father said.

‘I went to discover their secrets, secrets to the strengths of their princes because I vowed I shall represent my kingdom in the forthcoming combat to be crowned emperor’, I said and it even alarmed my parents the more.

‘It shall not happen, son. I will not lose you a second time. And what will Isca do, he is the gladiator, and he will represent the kingdom.’

‘Son, your father has spoken, that is not your place, and who shall succeed your father?’ my mother asked.

‘Mother, father, don’t underestimate me as many have done since I was born. Is this not why the Prince Radia and Bosakia mock? That Prince Jokhara is a woman, not in the league of men. But I have prepared myself, father’, getting up and beating my chest, ‘that I Prince Jokhara shall gloriously represent my kingdom and my father. I will, if I perish, I perish. But I shall not, father’, and I moved to him holding his hands. He was astonished as were all present, and I know in his mind he knew a tremendous change has come over his son; this is certainly a sign of new courage. So he got up and held me as he paced about with me.

‘My son is reborn and he has brought with his new strength and pride to the kingdom of Water and Snow. What shall we do, when a man comes of age? Should we stop him and send him back, no, he is allowed to become himself and fight for what is rightly his. My nobles, my son was lost, but now found and he didn’t come as he went, he came to make us proud. I have granted his request; he shall fight in the combat and triumph.’ But my mother started to cry, and my father walked to him and said,

‘Woman, why cry for a man whose place in life is always to fight? Your son is a man now and will fight his fight. Shed no tears, woman and he lead her away from the gatherings as her maids took her inside. ‘Son, even now you made me and the kingdom proud with your resolve to square up with other princes who duly are representing their kingdom. For indeed, after all, a man dies at the end, but how he dies is never known until he dies.’

‘Father, your son shall triumph over his enemies. Do not worry how that will happen, all I need is your support that you shall give me and as for the combat it is in my hands and I will have it.

‘Son, all that you need shall be supplied and made ready for you. You shall at once set out for the Magic Academy of the Flyers. And you shall remember that water and snow are your natural weapons.’

‘Am fully ready father and am grateful for letting me be me.’

‘We are, I and my nobles, thankful that you have attained this level of confidence to fight our battle, we shall surely have our pride, for it shall be said that it is their prince who represents them and not another.  You need rest, son. Your quarters are been cleaned; you must need rest in one of the guest lodges for them to finish restoring your quarters.’

‘Thank you father, then I shall take my rest’, and I was led to my temporary lodge by servants while guards follow us behind as I made my way through the amazing palace, new to me but was surprised to find that it has all of sudden become familiar to me but then I remember that my body is fitted with a code system to alert me of things I don’t know to know them and now the palace designed played into my view, both the interior and its exterior, making me immediately conversant with the surroundings of the palace, the location of every room in the palace and their purposes and the throne room and all the adjoining guest lodges and every inch of the palace ground were within memory and will afford me ease of coming and going without the knowledge of anyone, not even the guards.

It is almost impossible not to be human because observing the joy and emotions of my new parents it seems impossible not to pity their grief and to think of harming them again is way beyond human thought, but I am a part beast and part human and I can afford not to pity. This very king was the one who plotted the fall of my grandfather and went on to destroy my father and mother to completely erase any opposition to his reign but he only succeeded by half and my mother, a simple good woman outsmarted him and today his nemesis is cuddled in his bosom.

But fortunately for him and unfortunately for my rage is that I won’t destroy him just now since he must reign as king while I am the prince. If he dies now I take his throne and a king shall not fight in the combat reserved for only princes or those designated by kings. I have to even protect him from harm until my combat is won and I am crowned and then when he prepares himself to enjoy his glory as of the father of Jokhara then shall I strike him dead and all of his lineages shall follow him to their wretched graves.

Inside the lodge, I asked all the servants to leave and that I need no guards, and they went to report themselves to the king concerning my request to free themselves of any blame and the king heard them gladly and absolved them saying I am of age and can take care of myself. The lodge is almost as big as the prince’s quarters, but with no kitchen, whereas the prince’s quarters has one and exquisitely furnished but it is comfortable enough as a guest house for visitors. I sat on one of the large chairs in the room made of polish copper and beautifully crafted with soft leather.

I began to peel away the clothes on my body to take a closer look at this body of mine. I saw no difference from the human bodies around me but on a closer look, I found that my skin color looks paler than the radiant glow of normal human skins. I believed none of them, my father and mother, and all who had seen me have noticed this difference as presently they are taken by the excitement of my return from the dead as it were. With time they will, but I also know with time my body will adjust my skin to suit the moment. However, as I pored into my body I discovered that my body though the human is made of dead matter, that the only thing functioning in me is the mind. I picked up a pin lying on top of the bed rest and pinched my skin, what came out wasn’t blood but a reddish liquid certainly not ordinary human blood as I know it.

It nearly alarmed me, but I know who I am and calmed and in that instant, the hole I made in my skin closed up.

I heard someone knock on my door and I opened up to find my mother standing there and I held her gently and brought her in and placed her on one of the chairs, she has cried herself hoarse and I wonder how a kind-looking woman as this should be involved in evil, but the voice of my grandfather spoke and said, ‘She is not a part, her destiny was thrust on her and she isn’t your concern’, and so I learn at least, to have pity on her and be a son to her while it lasted.

‘Mother,’ I said as I sat close to her on a stool, ‘Do not weep for me, for indeed I shall bring glory to the kingdom.’ she reached out her hand and touched my face gently smoothing my temples but my sense of touch is less active, for her touches on my face produced no feeling at all, but she will never know and I got used to it and she said,

‘Why do you choose to leave me again, son?’

‘Mother, I am not leaving you, never again. But as for this mission, I was born for it and I will triumph.’

‘What brought you to this conclusion on your destiny?’

‘Mother, everyone discovers his destiny at some point. I discovered mine and I will follow it.’

‘Son, do you know what you are going into, do you?’

‘Mother, I know before I choose to. Do not worry. I went away for a purpose and that purpose shall be fulfilled for the glory of our kingdom and father.’

‘May our guiding spirits guide you in your destiny steps my son. So be it as you desire’, she said and started to get up, probably seeing the futility of her pressing on to dissuade me from going forward.

‘Thank you mother for your prayers, I will be back for you.’

She left me to continue the examination of my body and being.