The Daughter Of Dawn

Other Half Of The Story - AVILA

I am so pissed off at the King, he is so annoying. Why was he calling me a Princess, we don't even know each other! I didn't even want to escort him, I said yes just because I wanted to piss Zeno off. He sounded so controlling when he said that I cannot go. That's for me to decide. Yes it sounds lame, but no I had enough of him controlling my life, I don't want him to do it anymore, I'm so done with it.

"Can I come in?" Someone knocked. She was a tall dark skinned woman. One might think she is weak seeing her lean body, but knowing her closely, she is capable of throwing down men double her size.

"Ohh yes of course! Hi Mercy." I greeted her. She is Zeno's Aide.

 "I've been told to escort you today." She said coming in. Why am I not surprised anymore?

 "And anything else that he asked you to do?" I questioned her. Of course he must have.

 "He asked me to tell you to wear a jacket since it's windy today and you just recovered from your cold." She replied.

"I wasn't having a cold. I passed out due to exhaustion." I said walking out of my office. She followed me, I noticed she had picked my jacket up from my office.

"Really?" I said looking at her.

"That was an order from the Master." She said. Yes, of course, it's not only my life that he dictates. I turned away from her walking towards the direction of our Military Parking Area.

"This way, Miss. We are going through the waterways." She said pointing towards the dockyard. Well that's good then, taking the waterway is easier anyway. I followed her, she walked so elegantly, her head held high, her shoulders broad, one can already tell that she is from the King's Castle. The wind became colder as we reached near the dockyard, it's chilly. Maybe I should've taken the jacket. They arrived after us, The King, his bodyguards, Zeno and few of the home guards. I could already feel Zeno's eyes boring into me. I greeted both of them.

"I wish I could've escorted you. My Aide will be joining you to fill up for me." Zeno said to the King. Of course you wanted to. I'm even surprised that he could not manage to join in.

"Duty comes first, my Prince. I understand." The King replied, giving his hand.

"Your Highness, King of Vizophini." Zeno said, shaking the King's hand.

"Crown Prince." The King replied and turned to get on the boat.

 He turned to me, taking my jacket from her hands, he wrapped it around my shoulders.

"I'll see you in the evening." He said looking into my eyes. Those words didn't sound nice, it sounded like a parent warning their kid what will happen once they reach home. I don't think I would like to do that.

"Your Highness." I bowed to him and turned to leave. I pulled out the jacket immediately, just to annoy him. I'm really cold though, I'll wear it once I get in.

I opened up the hatch's door and climbed upstairs. The air was blowing harshly. The King was standing at the edge of the railing gazing at the vast river in front of him. His long hairs flowed along the wind, as if they were a part of it. He turned looking at me. I smiled slightly and walked up to him.

"Your Highness." I greeted him. 

"Ash." He said.

"Huh?" I blurted it out just so randomly.

"That's what my Aunt and my baby sister used to call me." He replied. So what does telling me that means? Not that he wants me to call him by his name, I wouldn't even prefer to.

"Ohh. That's a nice name." I don't even know what it means. I just said it out.

"They're dead now." He said turning towards me so that he can look into my eyes. What am I even supposed to say? And why would he even tell me that?

"I'm so sorry." I said. I turned to avoid his gaze, my eyes fell on the land that we were approaching. This isn't right, we are moving in the wrong direction. 

"I think we are going the wrong way. I'll go and inform them." I said turning back to leave.

"No, we are going the right way." He replied, holding my wrist to stop me from going down.

"What? This is not even part of our territory." I replied. This is crazy. Why would he want to go to the abandoned Smithsonian district?

"It is. It used to be. Before your people decided to desert it." He said, still not letting my hand go.

"It's because they betrayed us. They colluded with ene..." Oh wait, what am I even talking about? I must've lost my mind. Why I'm even talking to him, when his own country was half of the reason behind it.

"Colluded with us? Do you want to say that?" He asked looking straight into me. He looked like he wanted answers.

"You know better, Your Highness." I guess Damir was right, he might just throw me off the boat into the water and just kill me.

"And on what basis are you saying that they were traitors?" I really pissed him off, I think. His grip got stronger, he might just stop the blood flowing from my veins.

"We learnt it, it's all written in our history." I said. That's what we had learnt. That the Smithsonian Dukedom colluded with the people of Vizophini and killed all the Bigener women of our nation. That was the reason why they were banished and killed.

"It's your history, it's the part of the story that your King wants you to know, to remember, not the truth." He said. I tried to get out of his grip, but he wasn't letting go. I could feel the numbness spreading all over my palm.

"What are you trying to tell me? Are you asking me to doubt the King's words?"

"What if I tell you a different story? What if I tell you that your kind fabricated everything to get rid of the Dukedom. Would you believe my part of the story?" His words reminded me of Koch. He used to tell me not to believe anything blindly, anything at all, but questioning a King's word is the same as committing a crime.

"I don't believe in stories. I just learned what I was taught." I said, trying to be very neutral.

"What have you learned about your father then? How much do you know about him?" He said letting my hand go finally, I couldn't even care more about it now.

My father? Why is he talking about my father? How can he even know about my father, when even I, his own daughter don't know whether he is alive or not. He is missing since I can remember I had a father. I don't even know if I have a father anymore.

 "What are you talking about? Why would you ask about my father?" I asked him, trying to sound calm. What if he really does know anything about him.

 "I know enough to help you find him." He said, taking out an envelope from his pocket.

 I opened the envelope, there were photos, lots of photos of a man. I don't know who he was, I don't even remember my father’s face anymore. 

"How do I know it's him?" I asked him. 

"The last photograph, it's of you with him when you were a kid." He replied to me. I see it now, I still don't recognise his face, but I felt a familiar feeling.

"So what do you want from me?" I asked looking at him. He won't be digging into my past just for nothing.

"Just to listen to my side of the story. Just follow me and listen to what got to say." 

"Why would you want me to listen to your story?" I asked him. A deal cannot be so easy.

"Maybe just by telling someone I might feel better than hiding my truth forever and burying it with me."

"And why does it have to be me?"

"I don't know, maybe I just like you." I don't know what he is thinking right now , or what he is trying to prove, and why is he involving me in it.

"And what makes you think that I'll follow you thinking that you'll not kill me?"

"You don't believe in it, do you?" He said crossing his arms waiting for me to reply.

"It doesn't matter what I think?" I answered.

"It does. And I know what you think. Seeing you coming here with me tells what you think."

"No it doesn't, I just followed the rules, I couldn't just say no to a King. And I'm not a Bigener anyway, so why would I be even afraid of anything?"

"We are here." He said walking past me, totally ignoring whatever I've said. He opened the hatch's door and turned towards me, gesturing to me to go down first. The last thing I want to do right now is to get into an argument with him.

We almost reached the coast of the Smithsonian district. I don't know where he wants me to follow him.

"I'll take the lead from here." He said, getting down the Patrol Ship. 

"You don't have to follow us, Miss Aide." He said looking at Mercy.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I've orders from the Prince to escort you the whole time." Mercy replied standing in front of me, trying to cover me.

"Are you sure? Do you want to disobey a King?" He asked her, raising his eyebrow.

"I apologize to Your Highness, but I've to follow the orders I've been given." Mercy said, standing still.

"Well then, I'll let you follow, but only you." The King said, turning to other guards.

He told the homeguards to wait for us here. Mercy talked with them, letting them stay on the board and guard the coast until we returned.

We followed him as his mens removed the shrubs and plants making a way. He walked as if he knew this wilderness very well, he took turns without getting confused what leads to where. After walking for about a mile we came across a gate, a rusty old gate. The world crossing the gate was so different from the rest of the district. The whole district was filled with wilderness, wild plants and shrubs growing everywhere. The grass left untrimmed for years, turned into a thick mane of the earth. 

"I'm afraid I can't let you follow more than this." The King stopped before the gate and said looking at Mercy. I looked beyond the gates, I can see tombs of people, it's a graveyard. 

"I can't say yes to your request, Your Highness." Mercy replied back to him without batting her eyelids.

"This is a family graveyard, I hope you don't want to disturb the resting spirit by the presence of someone outsider."

What is he talking about? Does he want me to go in but not Mercy. What's in there? Am I not an outsider to them? Is my father in there? 

"It's fine. I'll be back in sometime." I said to her. It's because he doesn't want her there, maybe it's something related to my father.

"Butt..." She was interrupted by the King.

"You can stand here and watch, but you're not allowed to come in." He said to her.

"I'll call for help if something happens." I said.

I followed his lead. I walked into the gate, I thought I would feel strange or uneasy, but I felt a familiar feeling, something that wasn't unknown. After entering the gate everything looked different. It was cleaned, well maintained, as if someone visits here regularly, as if someone is living here. It was a family graveyard of the Smithsons. It was cleaned, all weeds were plucked, grasses were well trimmed, and the tombs were cleaned well and I can see some flowers in some of the memorials.

"Why here?" I asked him.

"This is where they buried my Aunt and my little sister." He replied kneeling in front of one of the graves. I remember reading something like this somewhere, the royal marriage between two kingdoms. 

"She was married as the Duchess of the Dukedom," he continued, "She married him out of love, but see how she ended up as a traitor. She loved this country as much as your King does, but she was the one who was banished. People worshipped them, they were like Gods for the common people, but just a single sentence from your King turned them into evil villains." He was choking. I walked near him. I never knew that there was another story from the same history, just in a different light. He stood up and walked towards another tombstone, he removed the bird feather that accidentally fell on the top of it.

"I still remember that day. It felt so vivid, so real as if it happens to me everyday. It was my birthday, I came all the way down here without telling my father. I just wanted to celebrate my birthday with my Aunt and my baby sister. But my father got anxious, so he sent a search party to search for me. They came down here to pick me up after they heard that I was here. Your King called the Search Party an Army. He accused the Dukedom for joining hands with another kingdom. He was banished overnight and everyone was killed, everyone except me. I saw them burning in front of my eyes, I saw everyone of them dying. It was all my fault, only if I hadn't ran away back then." He said, wiping tears from his eyes. As much as I wanted to believe in him, I knew I had no reasons to trust him. He asked me to listen to his story, not to believe in it. 

"So? Do you want to seek vengeance?" I asked, unsure if it was the right thing to ask.

"I'm waiting." He paused, as he dusted the dirt from the tombstone.

"I'm waiting for her to awaken, for her to get up and realise her responsibility, once she does she will take the debt from the people who are owing their life to her family." He stopped talking. What is talking about? And who is she?

"Who is she?" I asked.

"What if she is alive?" He asked me, grabbing my shoulders, "What if she is just waiting to be reminded of her past?" He looked crazy, he looked hysterical. He looked like he had lost all of his senses. Is he talking about his sister? The one who died along with the family. I don't know if I should feel pity or feel sad for him. He is getting delusional, he is hoping for someone to come back who is dead.

 "Your Highness." I called him, getting out from his grip. 

He looked at me and then started laughing. 

"Did I scare you?" He asked me, like the heck you didn't. You scared the s**t out of me.

"No I'm fine, Your Highness. I was just a bit overwhelmed."

"Good good! That's good then." He said as he came near me.

"I think we should leave." I said turning my back towards the gate, I don't feel so good. I can almost feel him losing his mind again in my head.

"I have my men here, you can leave if you want to." He replied to me from back. I didn't turn back, I couldn't dare to, I'm way too freaked out to talk to him.

"Then I'll be leaving, Your Highness." I said pacing up my legs to walk faster. I can hear his footsteps approaching me.

Suddenly he hand grabbed my wrist, I turned back to look at him.

"Why aren't you calling me Ash, Princess?" He asked me, looking menacingly into my eyes.