Jiji no. 8

News From the King

It was the King and the Queen.

Holder was fascinated by the presence they resonate towards the heart of the city, as they stood at the grand podium. Their faces were stoic; dark into the threads of seriousness and sensible urgency to speak whatever they would have to say in the people of the Agnosbadtt. The people, curious as they were, is starting to form and group towards their front. They were fascinated as they saw the Royal Bloods. Because, not everytime would show their selves to the public.

Holder also joined the people forming in the front, grouping with the curious. Despite his body aching and full of bandages, he still pushed himself towards the front. From time to time, people would look at him with questioning eyes and curiosity. Because, of course, a man full of bandages in the body is very unusual to stroll in the city. But they were more curious with the King and the Queen. He was not the apple of the eye of the people in the city, but those royal blooded.

He did not mind the awkward stares he was receiving from the people. Just like others, his attention is focused towards the total ‘celebrity’ in his front. He slowly passed through the threads of people, grunting when his body is being touched or was receiving elbows or stomping feet or clashing head from other people, for they were unaware of who was beside or behind them. Everyone is cluttered in the front, waiting for the announcement of the annunsieur, and the King and Queen.

And so the announcement had started.

“People of Agnosbadtt, heed the call of the royal words! I, an annunsier, is singing the joyful news: the King and the Queen is standing in our front. Bow before them!”

Quickly, the people of the Agnosbadtt who have heard the loud, trumpet-like voice of the annunsieur, had laid their knees on the ground, bowed, kissed the dusty cemented road, and said: “All hail for the King and Queen!”

Holder also did what the people had done. He had no idea what must be done, but he did his best to follow what other people are doing. He didn’t want to get punished from being ignorant. In the Central Kingdom, ignorance towards the “what to do’s” in front of the King, is considered as a crime.

“You may all stand up.” It was the King. His voice is domineering. His presence is strong that a weak-hearted would fall on knees just by looking at him. But when he spoke, it’s a totally higher level of presence and power.

The King has been ruling the Kingdom for fifty years. He took the throne when he was ten years old. Indeed, a wise man like him had proved himself being capable to rule the kingdom despite the age. He had no choice then, but to take the throne, or else someone greedy would take it from their family. With his wise decisions, despite the age, he had made the Agnosbadtt prosperous in just the span of five years. He planned, and executed every possible extent he could do for the sake of the kingdom. For five years, he did every preparation. And slowly, the Kingdom prospered, and now became the biggest kingdom of the Middle Continent, and made—and has been making—wonderful feats as the king. Fifty years of ruling, and perhaps adding, and he still has plans for the betterment of the Kingdom. But somehow, no King is perfect. Sometimes, he had been turning blind eyes to the wails and cries of the people.

“It is my pleasure to meet all of you, again,” said the King. “Seeing your prosperous, satisfied faces makes me think that I had ruled the kingdom for the betterment. And I became satisfied too.”

The people felt flattered from the compliment of the king—if that is a compliment.

“But I am here, standing in the grand podium not because of just complimenting you and the beauty of the kingdom I had made. I am here, because I have a news. And I ought to bring it to all of you, personally.”

The whole crowd started to fall into silence.

“My dear people,” said the King. He stopped for a while. It seemed that he was hesitating with the news he was going to bombard to everyone. “I need to bring a bad news.”

From that moment, the aura of worry started to invade the whole crowd.

“We are on a crisis. A threat.”

The King started to walk further, at the edge of podium, so that people even at the back would hear what he was about to say. And Holder knew, that this news, indeed, would be detrimental to him and even to the people of the Agnosbadtt.

“There is a heating news outside of the Kingdom. Something big is coming towards us. A threat of invasion. A threat to ruin the peace and richness of our kingdom.”

He walked towards the extreme left of the podium, and thinks of the words he was about to say next.

“I know, you might be probably thinking that it was alright. That we are being protected by the guards, by the soldier, by the knights, and by the fortified wall that stood around the Central Kingdom. You might be thinking that you are safe. But what about the regions of our kingdom outside this Central? Would you not think about them? They are the primary sources of what we consume and what we needed here inside the Kingdom. We must not neglect it. Besides, the threat that we are facing, it is something we should be afraid of. Because even if we are the biggest Kingdom, even if we are the most advanced one, we must feel fear, because we are not safe here even.”

“Wh-What was the threat, Your Majesty, if it was rightful to ask,” said one man in the front.

The King looked at him, and addressed the question. “Guion, and Fashan, two among the powerful kingdoms next to Agnosbadtt, had formed an alliance. An alliance made from greed and jealousy towards our prosperity. They are planning to attack us. Them combined is already a threat. But something even bigger had stirred: the Xaphan Kingdom, our long term enemy, a powerful kingdom almost similar to Agnosbadtt, had recently joined their alliance. It was a big disaster we have to recognize.”

The people listening to the news started to run into turmoil. They started to feel fear and panic.

“Control your panic, war still does not evoke. It was just still remaining a threat. But, had they started to attack, we still have something in our arsenal they did not know. We still have an alas. A weapon, extremely destructive, that is ready, waiting for them.”

The people went into silence again, and the warm wind along with dust had blew in the tight spaces between the people listening to the King.

And one man knew what the King meant. He knew what the extremely destructive weapon was. He shouted, “Your Majesty, was it perhaps the group of people almost next to divine gods and goddesses? Was it, perhaps, the Sankt Vessel users?”

And the people started to become loud again. But this time, their faces started to lit up in joy and hope: hope from the unknown people of a group which name entails power and protection. It was the hope from Sankt Vessel users. It was the hope from Holder, one of the Sankt Vessel user.

“Indeed, they are. And I hope, they were more than enough to protect us. And at the same time, ruin the esteem of those kingdoms who dared threatening us.” The voice of the King has an undeniable angered tone lingering around.

Holder felt pressured from what he had heard to the king.

‘Hey, I have no enough training yet. What if those kingdoms started to attack us before I could complete my trainings? I would be doomed then.’ He then started to feel the heavy burden weighing on his shoulders, as if it was the world. The pressure is on for him.

‘Why did I even end up being a Sankt Vessel User? I was just aiming for being a knight,’ he thought. Then, realized that he wasn’t just actually aiming for being a knight. He was aiming for being the best. For being powerful. That is his nature.

In the middle of his reverie, someone had grabbed him on his arms. It was painful, that is why he immediately looked towards who was holding him. He cannot ignore it. He pursed his lips, as he looked at a figure. A woman, that is sure. She was wearing a brown cape that covers her face.

“Who are you?” asked Holder.

“You should not be here,” said by the woman. Her voice, just like her lips that was exposed from the covers of the cape, is beautiful.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You should be resting. It would not be good for your body if you let it be exposed from stresses.”

“Hey, wait!” Holder complained. He was being dragged by the woman wearing brown cloak. He cannot contest, because his body was still in pain. And so, he let himself flow into wherever the woman was taking him. Too bad, for he cannot anymore hear what the King was about to say.

But who is that woman? Why was she holding his hand and concerned for his health? Holder wasn’t familiar of her, and so, he too wondered.