Chapter One. FOUND OUT.
1481 Words
BOOKED ONE (DAUNTLESS)
CHAPTER ONE
FOUND OUT
The young Prince watched the gestures of the palace servant in charge of the interior affairs in delight as he narrated once again the story he had said little more than six times that very hour.
"...and that's how the Mainlands were taken".
"Wow!” The expression on the prince was beyond usual today even though this story had been told to him before now.
"That'll be all young Master", said the servant.
"All?", the prince questioned.
"Yes!", no reaction included.
"Again". The prince had always been known to make unending requests ever since he could make them.
"But my prince, you've heard this story six times today", he tried explaining to the royal blood, "and I'm to see you take your rest afterwards", he added.
"No, I want to hear it again and you shall tell it to me", the young Prince shouted, "Now!", nearly throwing a tantrum as the man before him tried to calm him down.
"Enough”. The voice wasn't that of the manservant. It was that of the Crown, the young Prince's Father.
"Raja", the manservant paid his respect.
"Father?", the prince addressed his casually.
"You'll address me as your crown”, he told his son. "I'm sorry Raja”, the Prince bowed his head but had an irritated look on his face.
"You may leave", he told the manservant.
"And you", he said to his son, "Why do you trouble the help?". He gave no answer to his Father at first, but ended up replying, "They never do as I ask".
"They never?". To the Crown's knowledge and what he had just seen, they do all of his son's biddings including those that were clearly unnecessary. One time, he made a maidservant seek him a tadpole in the sewers only to ask her what it tasted like.
“You remember when you...", the Raja started "...made a maidservant seek me a tadpole", he knew his father was going to bring it up. "Yes, I do”, he folded his hands and looked away.
The Crown smiled.
"Tell you what?", his mood brightened at his father's words. "I'll tell you that story you've always wanted to hear”, his Father said.
"The one from the Dark century?”, He asked to be sure.
“Yes." The Crown replied with a smile.
The boy sat down and settled himself for the story but his father stood up. The boy was confused as his father walked away from where he was. After a few steps, he looked back at his son whose expression had changed.
"Now?" The Crown asked.
"Father?!" He had thought his father was going to tell me immediately.
“No, not now", his Father told him. The boy gave a straight face, jumped off the cushions and started outside the chamber.
"Drhan?", he called his son who ended up walking out the door.
The Crown was shocked by his son's disrespectful behavior, "What in the...?", he was about to exclaim but before he could, Drhan came back and bowed his head.” I forgot Raja", he said and with that, his son walked out the chamber. This time, for real.
The man's face showing he didn't understand the actions of his own son any more.
"The Crown stood at the spot unchanged.
"What did I raise?"
________________________________________________________________________________
Not too far from the Capital, the High Cliffs in the city Of Reingart, power beams flew about and the contact made sparks and explosions as a fight preceded them. The zaps and clangs of Light Blades could be heard clicks away and it was unexpected that anyone would show today.
The sparring was to be done everyday and this day seemed to be different. The colour from the sun wasn't orange, rather it was maroon and awkwardly dim. The staying season wasn't what anyone could predict. It came twice this year already, this making the third. The clanging continued.
The sound of the engine of a carrier jolting through the not so silent morning broke the air. Power-beams passed through the atmosphere disrupting the flow of the oncoming vehicle, nearly hitting it off the road.
"Watch it." The rider yelled.
Breathless, the rider jumped off and ran past the sparring pair who stopped what they were doing on noticing someone had gone past them. A male older than they were.
Obviously, he was of age but that was not the concern of the females who had been practicing their parries and power shots. Not that it was of any use at that point in time but the Elders had made it mandatory. So morning spars could not be missed, at least not by the minors.
The older male ran passed them.
"Ijaya?"
"Not now, Udne."
The reply could easily be interpreted that the younger female was the sister of the one called Ijaya.
"Where did you get a carrier?" She asked her brother who did not stop to answer his over inquisitive younger sibling.
Ijaya replied, "I said not now".
And before he went inside the shelter he turned back and said, “Vwetta, you should go home.”
The two girls confused, stared at the strange looking vehicle. A carrier. To them, there was no way such a vehicle was mobile. It had no wheels. Just a sitting space as though you were to sit on a horse's mount: possibly able to accommodate three passengers, a handle and a bunch of control levers and buttons, an under-lining that gave a low glow when it functioned. Another contraption that came from the Highlands.
"He stole it", Udne said.
"From who?", her friend asked. No one owned a carrier in the camp. At least none they knew of.
Udne was cut off, not getting the chance to answer as her older brother came out of the shelter along side her Uncle.
"Vwetta." Her uncle called to her friend and sparring partner who looked at the man as she answered, "Yes?"
"Head home now", Udne's Uncle told her.
"Uncle? What's going on?”, Udne asked.
"Udne, go inside", he said with a commanding tone.
Still stubborn and wanting to understand what was going on with her Uncle and the fact that he must have known about her brother bringing home an unknown carrier and not complaining about it, she walked inside as she was told. Not immediately though.
"Udne?", her uncle called noticing she was still looking at Vwetta.
She looked at her Uncle, “Inside now!"
Vwetta in fear walked away from Udne towards the path leading away from the compound. The weather that the staying season brought was making the atmosphere a whole lot worse than she could already feel. Her friend's uncle walked out with her as she noticed that Ijaya took his sister inside. "What is going on?", she thought. "Tell your Father this", her mind was brought back by the sound of the man's voice “You'll say to him, 'The threat once avoided has returned'".
"Do you understand? ', he asked.
"No. What is going on?", she asked. Fear grew in her eyes and the urge to be put out of her ignorance could be read on her face.
"There's no time to explain to you now. Just get my message to your Father, Ok? He'll understand it." Her friend's Uncle tried talking as calm as possible.
Not taking more than a few steps he added, "And maybe if you're lucky, he'll explain what is going on to you". He walked her to the end of the compound and allowed her to go on herself.
"Get to him as fast as you can child”, he urged her.
“The threat once avoided has returned", she confirmed his message.
"Good Girl", he stood and watched her go as a traditionally dressed woman, well accessorized with curly hair came out to meet the man.
"Bassam", she called to him and he looked at her. "I see them”, she told him but her face was looking towards the horizon.
“I know” he said back to her. “It won't be long again. We have to get ready". He walked with her as they went back into the shelter.
"Go get ready", the woman told the youths waiting right in front of them.
"For what?", Udne stood finding out she was the only one that didn't have an idea of what was going on around her at that very moment.
"We'll explain soon enough", the woman told her child, "But now, go get ready".
Udne walked in but didn't ignore the thoughts she was having. The morning that had started strange had gotten a whole lot worse than she'd expected. The return of the staying season, the unusual appearance of her brother from the Watch with a Carrier he might have stolen. Something was definitely wrong, and she was to get ready for what she knew nothing of.
How pleasant!
Written by: Shontan Daniel
Edited by: Fajobi Moyosola
- Writer
