Til Kingdom Comes - The Banished Prince Vol 1: The Beginning

C044 The Second Life

"Listen carefully Heidi, I have been discovered. Sort of in a good way or in a bad way. It depends on the angle how I loon at it because if I am discovered or my identity is blown elsewhere, I would be hunted down like a wolf... But right now I had been discovered by an engineer..."

"What do you mean by you have been discovered? I don't know what you mean and don't talk in riddles with me. Sometimes, I would get the wrong impression or something. Please do let me know so that I could understand you."

"I went down to the engineers to find out how things are and how they worked and the person I spoke to recognises me as the Prince. I was wondering how they keep themselves masked all the time."

"He even knew my age and even know that my father, was named Ric-hard the Wise instead of Richard and he knew my father's name represent Ruler and Strong."

"Only the circle within the royals know about it. No one else. He even offered to carry out an expedition to return to the Manor and bury the remains of my parents and sister as the last respect. He even said he knows the way in and out of the Manor without anyone noticing like the shadows...! "

"Do you think anyone would compromise you? The Ashworth and Burns only knew you as a learned scholar. I don't think it would benefit anyone if they sell your name. You are not wanted by anyone and the rebels that struck was just pillaging and looting everyone."

What Heather had just said might be true. If they were after the royal families, everyone would be accounted for. Every single one of them. But what they did was bulldoze their way and then pillage whatever they could lay their hands on.

"That's why I can't put a finger on this subject. The said engineer asked me if I still wanted them to stay for 3 days or even 30 days... The work is complete and the only thing is for them to put up the panelling outside the windmill."

"Please tell me what to do..."

I somehow pleaded to Heather if she had some kind of solution for me to get me out of this dilemma. I hate being in a stressful situation as I could feel the sight before me getting blurry or even too bright for me to think.

"If your head has a price set by some bounty hunters, you won't be here talking to me now. Besides, both you and I would have died in our sleep. There's no guard except for Sir Blackie."

Heather highlighted that if the engineers were up to no good and had a hidden agenda, it would only be me that might die on our sleep, the whole residents would end up getting their throats cut.

"By the way, where is it? He would be around the courtyard by now. Is it a coincidence or is it planned? Bloody clod. I can't keep my mind straight now. Dayum...!" I was exasperated with my state of mind and now Sir Blackie nowhere to be seen."

"Blackie...! Blackie...!! Here boy...! BLACKIE...!!" I was frantically looking at the surroundings and suddenly all seemed too quiet. The air was still as if I was left all alone in a deserted village. Even when Heather was still standing beside me, her presence can not be felt by me at all...

Then suddenly the whole world turned white...

=*=

"Our leader has left us. There are no descendants to carry his great name. We have to carry on our own now."

"True. We would have to abandon this village because there is no one to lead us. Our destiny is now in our own hands."

"Our leader's demise is seen as a failure to himself and his family. What a pity. We have high hopes for him. "

"It is time for us to lead our own lives and future. We have nothing to look forward to right now. We only have ourselves now."

"True, let the young of our village carve their own future and fate. We could only live on as it is."

"Come, let's leave. We will perform our last respects for the fallen leader and let the bird of the sky scatter his body and soul all over this land."

"Let us do it. The platform is ready. Carry and place his body there. When a man dies, his wife dies with him. It is the law of the land."

"Come, the birds of the sky is looking forward to carrying him to the next life. Come... Bird of the sky, come and bring our young leader to where he would be in his next life...! "

"That's right. Goodbye fearless and wise leader. May we see you in the next life."

"Yes. You failed to lead us in this life but in your next, you would not fail."

"Ok. It is done. We can leave. Rest in peace, leader."

Voices were ringing from all directions. I was dead? When did I die? How did I die? Where am I? How come these voices were all around me but I don't see any faces? Was I dreaming and why everything was surreal?

Why is this place barren? Where's Sir Blackie? Where's the fireplace, the stores and Jack's blacksmith? Where is everyone? Where's the farmland and the residential plots? How come they said when a man dies, the wife follows suit? Where's Heather? Urrgghh...!!

Where is everyone? WHERE IS THIS PLACE?

=*=

"He's about to come to right now. Luckily I have some smelling salts that I had concocted myself. What actually happened? How come he fainted all of a sudden?"

"He had dinner last night and breakfast in the morning, right? Kayla queried to Heather as she explained everything, the conversation and sudden hollering of some gibberish nonsense before she sees me plop over on my face.

Sir Blackie was fine. It was whimpering as it looked at me and licked my face to make me regain consciousness. It sat near me and places its head on my hands, expecting me to wake up and run his fur and pat its head.

Sir Blackie was simply as worried as the rest of the pioneers. The rest of the families was told to stay out of this matter and continue their task. The matter was rather superficial and there was nothing the pioneers could do, especially old Kayla.

I saw a light and walked towards it and the light seemed brighter with every step I take towards it. Then I was suddenly enveloped with by a blinding light that slowly dimmed and had a door at the end of it.

I was walking as if I was drawn to it. I find that there was no way I could avert my directions or even try to return to where I had emerged from.

I pushed towards it and suddenly a burst of a sensation of sounds and touch came back to my senses. I can feel something heavy on my chest and I tried to move and wiggled my fingers and toes. Then I felt something wet, warm and raspy feeling against my face and warm breathes on it.

As I slowly regained all the sensations of my body... I muttered, "Where am I? Am I still alive and..." the moment I opened up my eyes, I recognised the black luxurious thick fur and I cried out, "SIR BLACKIE... There you are... Hey... Everything seems to be the way it was before."

I immediately hugged the black furry beast before me, oblivious to the crowd that were surrounding and observing my condition.

The moment Sir Blackie heard me call out his name, it barked in joy, circled a few times and licked my face as it places its paws on my shoulder.

"HAHAHA... You are getting drool on my face, silly boy... Heidi, Kayla... Everyone... Everyone is here...!" I called out to them and I sat up with some difficulty as I wiped my face with the sleeves of my tunic.

"Mars... You seemed to have overworked. I think you would take it easy tonight and rest after supper. No conference tonight for you, big boy." Heather advised me as she places her hands on my shoulders to push me down and lie back in the pillow.

"No... I'm fine. I really am. I just had a weird dream earlier on. No... I mean I had 2 visions earlier on. Not a dream because I am definitely not sleeping. The dream tells me something. About me dying and then all hopes and dreams of the people died with me."

"Birds of the sky. They left me on a platform and let the birds of the sky to scatter my body and soul around the country. I wonder what kind of bird was it and how it would scatter me all over the lands."

"Another vision... A light at the end. I walked through it and there is a door. A door that leads to my destination. A place where I should be. It confirms with the first vision I had. Yes... To open the door of opportunities. Second life. This is my second life. A life that leads everyone to bliss, peace and tranquillity. Without the proper lead, everything and everyone dies with me. They called me a fearless and wise leader."

"It is like a dream but I think its a premonition or a warning. The first warning had passed and everyone wished to see me in the second life. This is the second life that I was given. A chance... Not only for me but for everyone... Even for Sir Blackie."

I was holding on to Heather's hands that were pushing me down to rest as I looked a bit wild-eyed as I spoke and explained to every one of my vision. I was looking at everyone's face. Deep into their eyes. "Let me up..."

"Let him up, Heather. And how come he is calling you Heidi?" Kayla said as she removed Heather's hands from my shoulders and I quickly sat up.

Old Kayla was suspecting of me having an affair before or a harem before I settled down and got 'married' with Heather. Then Heather mentioned briefly that Heidi was a shot romantic name for me to call her.

"I'm sorry to make every one jumped out of your skins just now. I'm feeling fine right now. Thank you for your kind assistance, old Kayla. Heather, don't you worry... Maybe I'm just feeling a bit under the weather that's all."

"My duty towards our people is of top priority. Nothing would come between me and our people. Let me come to the front. Everyone dismissed."

"Mars, before you proceed, tell me how many fingers you see in front of you." I looked at Heather and saw she raised her hands from 5 fingers she closed everything up and became a fist.

"You hid all your fingers. How am I to know... Zero, perhaps?"

"Wrong answer big boy... This is a knuckle sandwich and this is for calling me Heather the Feather back in kinder...!"

"THUMP..."

"Huuuuaaaaaaaa....."

Heather threw a punch right on my chest as I hollered out. "This is the second time you had abused your husband... First, you pinched my forearm until you break the skin, and today in front of so many witnesses you once again openly abuse me by punching me..."

"I need justice... Where is the Justice Minister...hehehe.. " I hollered out as I rubbed at the sore part where she had punched me. For someone as petite as Heather, she sure can deliver a good throw.

"Well, Health Minister Kayla... You earlier had done your synopsis and I had done my prognosis. He is fit to continue working tonight. He's fine and fit as a fiddle, diddle..."

Everyone laughed at the antics of the young couple who had recently been together and after so long did they managed to initiate the 'Aylsebury Duck' last night.

The crowd dismissed and went about to prepare lunch while anyone who did not witness what had happened, asked around to gain even the tiniest morsel of information. I stood up using Heather's shoulders as support and stood at the doorway and waved my hand at everyone.

I saw the 2 defensive structure that had been made as a sample, awaiting my appraisal. As a sample, the tips of the bamboo was shaved off and everyone especially the children were told to keep away from it as a wrong move would take out an eye...!

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