The Oath of Arigot

Chapter Four

"Why did you run away from him instead of approaching him?" Gonzalo scowled as Arit recounted the incident to her. She had stood at the Great Gate watching Arit and Rozalis in the human world, but she did not know what particularly affected Arit.

"I just don't know why I could not even approach him. I tried to talk but the words were not coming out. I feel so sad, Gonzalo", Arit cried.

"Instead of walking up to him you ran away from him, such a waste of opportunity," Gonzalo lamented. Arit apologized and promised to talk to him upon her next visit to the human world. She told Gonzalo that she would love to go back to the human world the next day. The magic powder was still remaining. Gonzalo then asked her what the human world actually felt like. She told her that the human world smelled different and that the soil also looked different. In Arigot, the soil was made up of crystals which they call Arigot pebbles, but it was not the same thing in the human world. That was all she could remember because she had been so enchanted by Rozalis' beauty that nothing else mattered to her at the time.

After a long moment of regrets, Arit decided to go back to the palace and wait for the next day. She regretted not being able to approach Rozalis. She felt a heaviness in her heart which she needed to unburden. His beautiful image kept recollecting on her mind as she plodded to the palace. On her way home, she thought of going back with Gonzalo to consult Lesi. Maybe she would give her another magic powder that could make her overcome her shyness and sum up the courage to approach Rozalis. It seemed a great idea to her, but it would give her off as unserious, so she cleared the thought out of her mind.

When she arrived the palace, Azim opened the palace gate for her. Her face looked paler and downcast so Azim asked her what was wrong with her.

"Nothing is wrong with me, I've just been thinking of how to take care of certain things when I eventually become the queen of Arigot," Arit lied.

"Your grandmother, Queen Marita, was a very powerful queen and she didn't fail at rulership; your mother Queen Asha is a powerful queen and hasn't failed us, so I believe you too will not fail," Azim consoled her.

"I hope I do not fail to meet the expectations of Arigot beings," Arit said. But then Azim reminded her that it was too early to start worrying. Arigot beings could live for hundreds of years, unlike their human counterparts. So there was no need to start worrying. Queen Asha was still very young and Arit herself was also young and yet to become the queen. The time ahead was just too far for anyone to start being concerned.

Then Arit thanked Azim and hobbled to her room. When she got there, she began to think of everything that happened in the human world. She felt both shame and regret for herself. Rozalis' enchanting beauty was all that flashed in her eyes. It sparked a light in her mind and she preferred it to the physical light flickering in her room. She spoke to the light and it quenched. Then she smiled. It reminded her of the natural powers which every Arigot being possessed. She thought of using it to endear herself to Rozalis when she visits the human world again. She could just speak to the flowers in the garden and cause them to dangle beautifully. She could also speak to the soil and cause them to heap around the stem of the flowers. She wished she could do more, but her powers as an Arigot being were limited to domestic activities, which was why she needed a potent magic to help her get to the human world.

While Arit was still in her room thinking about Rozalis and the human world, she heard a knock on her door. It was her mother, Queen Asha who was knocking. Arit stood up and opened the door for her.

"I was totally displeased by the way you barged into my meeting with the eight Taliks yesterday," Queen Asha reiterated, "you embarassed me before the Taliks" she continued.

"I'm sorry, my dearest mother, but it would be unfair to punish Gonzalo for just one minor error," Arit pleaded.

"Abandoning her place of duty is not a minor error, Arit!" the queen bawled, "that gate is a shield to Arigot against humans," the queen insisted. She reminded Arit of all the effort that the late Queen Marita put in to secure Arigot from being invaded by humans. Queen Asha insisted that Talik Eshen could not have lied against Gonzalo because they were not enemies of each other. "If nothing is done and Gonzalo keeps being negligent, one day she may mistakenly leave the Great Gate open and go away, and then it will create an opportunity for some Arigot beings to become exposed to the human world. You know that is a great threat to Arigot!" she insisted. Arit apologized to her for any embarassment caused by her barging into the meeting, even when she had been barred from entering. Queen Asha accepted the apology but warned Arit against repeating such ever again. She reminded Arit that a true leader must obey rules and laws at all times. Then she walked out of the room.

When Queen Asha left, Arit thought of herself as a rule breaker. She remembered why the Great Gate was built and the ugly role that humans played in the Great War of Arigot when males were in charge of leadership. She remembered that she was the princess and heir to the throne of Arigot and there was a hurdle in front which she had to surmount. But then images of Rozalis kept recollecting on her mind. She couldn't let go. At that moment, she became confused. Then she wondered if it could be possible to break the oath of Arigot and become free to go to the human world and to be with Rozalis forever as his wife.

"Will it be possible for Lesi to help me find out how I can break the oath of Arigot?" she mused.

She had finally realised that the oath was a huge obstacle in her life.