“What is this madness?” Waharis was fuming mad for the first time in the history that he had been at the court.
“Whatever do you mean by that, Chancellor?” Dasran asked innocently, like he didn’t know the reason why the supposed-to-be pristine and saintly man was not in the mood to be angelic today.
“I believe we all heard the king say that we will resolve the hostage problem by paying ransom and not engaging the Mahan people in a fight. Everyone in the country knows that the Mahan people are magicians and we wouldn’t stand against them if they are triggered and declare war on us!” One of his close aides who was squatting at the floor along with the other lower ministers tugged at the hem of his ministerial robes, as if to remind him that he wasn’t supposed to raise his voice but Waharis didn’t care already.
“Chancellor Dasran, you were the one in-charge of arranging the gold. Why did you make decisions on your own by answering violence with violence? What if we were found out and the women were all killed on the spot? You could have at least consulted with the court!”
Consulting with the court meant informing those who shouldn’t be, just like Waharis.
“The king was specific in his order, Chancellor. You of all people, as the head of the royal treasury, should know that the king doesn’t hold any personal fortune. So when he said that we could use his gold, the only golden thing that His Majesty has are the royal knights. Upon realizing that, I was able to grasp the brilliant plan of the king. His Majesty didn’t want to send out the precious metal gold, he wanted to send his golden swords,” Chancellor Dasran calmly explained with a smirk.
Everyone in that court had their mouths open, realizing only now. Even the scribe at the foot of the throne was checking his book, recounting the conversation that transpired last night.
“His Majesty was wise in his answer against the hefty demands of the Mahan. Not only did we lose any gold, we were also able to catch all of them. All hail the cleverness of the king!”
The ministers went on their knees and chanted “All hail the cleverness of the king!”.
Usually, it was just a tradition that they would use from time to time but at that moment, it was a genuine salutation. Even if the king wasn’t friends with all the ministers there, it was evident that all were amazed.
Save for one man.
Waharis didn’t even try to hide it. He could only look at the kneeling ministers in disgust. His sleeves were shaking. He was clenching his fists so hard that even if the long robes concealed his arms, it could not hide his dissatisfaction. He was losing, as he should be.
The king held his palm, stopping the chant.
“You may relax now and be seated. I have something to reveal to everyone of you,” the king said and they all returned to their squatting positions. They looked at each other, wondering what the king might say.
This was it. The moment of truth.
“You all know of the tragic event that happened thirteen years ago. We were all here attending to our usual court duties. The first damage that Mahan did to our country happened on that day when they ambushed my sons. My first son was only ten years old while my second had just turned five that day.” The court was solemn and quiet as the king was narrating. Some ministers weren’t even here that day but the whole city of Apharothia heard of what happened, and even reached to the other lands.
“As a prince, my second son’s birthday is supposed to be grand. But he desired differently. He said that his only wish was to travel with his brother to the farmlands. Both of them were just fulfilling their duties as it is written in the tradition that all members of the royal family should taste the life of a commoner for three years when they are able to. Seeing as they didn’t want to be separated, I let them go, not knowing that the day they smiled at me from their carriages would be the last time that I would see them.”
His Majesty’s voice was becoming more solemn with each second, sounding like the father and not the king. He noticed it himself and he cleared his throat.
“I don’t have the time to tell you all the details. They were ambushed on their way and everyone was taken by the Mahan–their first appearance. We sent out the best soldiers but after years of searching, they were only able to bring back the frozen body of my first son. They threw him to the cold mountains and left him there to die. Upon seeing his sorry state, I could no longer hope for a better situation for my second prince. I ceased all operations and missions trying to find him. Some of you even branded me as heartless for giving up on my own kid but I am the king of Apaharoth. I did not wish to be eaten by my sadness forever. The only way I could break through my sorrow was for me to move on. You can ask the doctors. They have been with me since day one.”
His Majesty let himself rest from speaking for more than a minute. At that moment, no one dared to break the silence. It was rare for the king to be like this.
“Don’t look at me like that, ministers. For this day will be a day of smiles and tonight will be a night of pure celebration. As a king, I have surrendered all my hopes of being able to find my lost son. But as a father, I never did. In the past decade, I filled my pillows with tears of silent prayers for the last member of my family. And now, the heavens have answered my prayers. Everyone present here will take part on this resplendent day of happiness which I will reveal to you.”
The king stood. Gone was the solemn tone of his voice. He stood there in his shining robe and crown, a kingly expression all over his face and stature.
“I invite all ministers and nobles to the 18th birthday of Prince Chaos Vahamor, now the Royal Prince of Apharoth. Publish the news to every corner of our country and let the whole of Apharoth know that the lost prince is alive and returned. We will all know his full story when he comes here tonight, not as a corpse that the Mahan people made us believe, but as a grown young warrior.”