A night without end

The birth

The King was obsessed with establishing a line that will never die. His line, of his blood through his first borns. His wives or consorts were a few but no one meant much to him other than the bodily pleasures they bought from time to time. All his pleasures were now from winning wars or more lately from torturing prisoners who were  a threat to the society. 

He was not a man of war, his father used to say. He also used to say that he wished he had other children so the King did not get the thrown of the tiny kingdom, but there were none. He did have one sister who passed away in childbirth. He would have considered his nephew a threat except he also died young as did his brother in law. Many years later when people had developed an audacity to question their King they would wonder on these deaths but then no one did. The news never flowed anywhere unless it was instrumentally sent on its way. His biggest bone of contention were the Nomads. But he managed them well by diving them and speaking to them individually. That was till a new Prince was born to Nomads , belonging to a linage as sacred as the first human or so it was said. Everyone bowed to him and said he will defeat death and defeat time and be reborn to win the world. 

The King was okay with beliefs , he had many of his own. One of it was.. girl children of the Palace will not marry. But he did not make them as rules , only unsaid ones. It was not as if anyone will question him in his lifetime, or even immediately after his death. But he did not intend to die for a long long time and hence he always wanting to take care of his enemies perceived or actual in a manner that ensured no one ever thought of going against him. 

His first born son was the Prince of his beloved land. A land so beautiful that even Gods marveled at its beauty. On one side laid the vast desert and on the other rose a steep climb up to a rocky hill . On top of the steep hill was the palace or fortress of his. The forest went into a forested land that stretched into the plains. It was rich with flora and fauna allowing his villagers a source of food. He liked hunting on days when he was free, which was rare. Inside the massive palace of his he built seperate sections for his Prince so that he can go about his own ways. He knew his son loved women and was especially fond of one who was from the village. The Prince was married but his obsession with this woman was raising some discontent in the palace. The King did not like it but he ignored till he saw the woman. There was something about her that stood out from just being an ordinary village girl. He clicked his fingers and spoke to his trusted maid. The maid went away.

The peace was back soon after in the Palace, the Prince was not one to pin for a missing woman even if she was special. When the woman returned , scared and haunted, the Prince was away hunting and his wives threw her away from his quarters and sent him to do some minimal tasks. Soon the news came to the Prince that her old favorite was to be a mother. He was glad. He had a few sons but they were already over ten. It was a number of years since he had held a baby in his hand and called him his. He remembered the baby could be a girl and loved it more. He was back on time for the birthing. It was a difficult one. The baby was big and the Prince grew impatient. He also noticed with some dismay that his father was paying attention to the birth. 

On the third day the baby came. Her pretty sight sent everyone cooing. A head full of lush hair in curls, a face as pure as pearls and eyes like the storm clouds, she would be a beauty everyone sighed. The King observed the baby from a distance and called to the Prince. "Are you sure she is yours ?" He asked his son with a smile. The Prince was quiet as he watched his father. This was uncomfortably similar to a childhood incident his mother told him about to him. His mother's elder sister was the bride for the King. Before the marriage the King demanded that he wanted to marry the elder sister but needed the younger sister to accompany them to keep them company. So his mother came to the Palace. The first few nights she spent alone and then the King came and joined her giving no excuses or words. He had her shifted to the Palace room of the queen in the dead of the night and called her with her sister's name. Any little remark on this would lead the King to ask her , " Are you sure you are correct ? Are you going mad. Your sister is there in her chambers but you can not meet her now. As a queen or wife of the King , you must possess the dignity. Don't ask questions like this or be transferred in the same room with your sister and continue to serve all the King's ministers." 

His mother thought that the King had come to know of the love her mother had felt for their adopted brother. But no relation was possible and hence no one knew of it. She believed he had taken it as an insult and hence done a deliberate charade to get her and taken her sister's place. As a kid he had wanted to find out what happened to his aunt. He learnt the lesson when he asked. His father took him to a locked room, no one was there. "She was here. Then she became pregnant and had a baby. The sister of the Queen having the baby of the King. She screamed and threatened the King so the King took the baby away and she was set free.. as fallen women are.. left outside the main gate. But she went into the desert and few days later, the King and his ministers while of a mission to speak to the Nomadic Kings together and seperately found her corpse. " 

The King had smiled and put a hand on his shoulder and said," Who was the baby ? I think you know him very well. Not the Queen's son but the queen's fallen sister's son. Will people wonder if the Prince had royal blood? I won't let them.. unless I am disappointed.

That day with the baby crying in the back ground he heard the question again," Whose baby in the little girl?" He stood like a stone when the mother was thrown out of the Palace and declared a fallen woman. He wanted the baby to live and she was handed over to him witha lot of care. 

"Raise a good, obedient girl.. a true Princess." Said the King. "And you have nothing to fear."

The Prince decided to raise her, love her and make her strong.