And just like that, Carysse’s resting time was shattered.
She should not be surprised. Every time she was with Chaos, there was always something shocking. Like right now, Carysse was literally inside the same carriage and sitting in front of the royal prince of Apharoth.
Carysse didn’t want to go with him to the king’s castle because someone like her wasn’t really up for royalty things but after much persuasion, Chaos was able to convince Carysse that he would explain things while they traveled.
“My childhood as a prince stopped when I was five years old. I heard that my brother was going to the farmers located outside Apharothia. I was insisting on going with him but my parents disapproved so I sulked for weeks until my birthday. As a gift, my father finally granted my wish to go with my brother.”
Carysse was munching on bread and fruits. She wanted to gobble them all at once but she didn’t want to be rude while Chaos was talking so she controlled herself, scolding herself that she should try to act like a proper lady once in a while, especially that they were on their way to the king’s palace.
“We were also sitting on a carriage like this when the Mahan came. We thought that it wa just a normal kidnapping or terrorist case. We had been kidnapped before and we were trained on what we should do in times like those. However, the Mahan were different towards us. They didn’t demand any ransom. They just wanted to torture us mentally and physically. Since I was the youngest there, they said that I was the last in line to feel their wrath. They made me watch the gruesome way how they murder people. And as a kid, all I could do was cry until I could no longer feel the tears.”
If it was a painful memory, Chaos didn’t show it. He was still stone-faced even while telling his own traumatizing story.
“We were more than twenty and they took us high up in the mountains. Everyday, the Mahan killed one of us in a unique way. My nurse was left on top of a big bush full of thorns. Her clothes were caught deep within the thorns so when they called the lions, she couldn’t escape. My personal squire was fed to the wolves that swarmed the camp one night. The son of one of my king’s trusted friends was used as wood to the fire that burned the bodies of our guards. And my brother was left to die on the iced mountains-”
“Chaos,” Carysse said with her right hand up. “It’s okay. You can stop.”
Carysse didn’t mean to sound harsh.
“Oh, sorry. You are eating, my bad,” Chaos apologized. He seemed to have perceived Carysse’s response in a wrong way.
“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean that you can stop telling me the full details just because you told me that you will. If it hurts you, you don’t have to force yourself to relive those bad memories,” Carysse said.
When did Carysse become so soft-hearted? The more time she spends with Chaos, the more that her supposed hatred is going away.
“Okay,” was Chaos’ response.
Carysse had no idea that he went through such things. When Elder Shimar brought him to the village one day, he was so thin and had angry eyes. She just thought that Chaos was a grumpy kid who had a huge problem with the world, maybe because his parents sold him as a slave or something. Elder Shimar didn’t explain where he got Chaos although it wasn’t really a big deal for them to know because almost every child at Thalisse had unspoken tragic pasts. The elders established Thalisse for the very purpose of taking in castouts that wandered off the land.
Elder Shimar just said that Chaos would be living with the front then on. Now that she heard a part of his story, she could get where he was coming. It was not his choice to be a serious kid. Life made him like that. Carysse couldn’t imagine the wound inflicted on him internally, being forced to watch the people around him die.
“So you’re telling me that no one knows yet that you are alive as the king’s son?” Carysse asked to break the ice.
“Not yet. When I left Thalisse two years ago, I returned to the king where I first made myself known only to him. I had a promise to fulfill. Before departing to the farmlands when I was five, I boldly said that if ever something happened here, I would come back to save the throne.”
That was big for a five year old. But then, everyone dreamt to be heroes when they were little. Chaos didn’t know that he would one day fulfill his promise but with lots of twists.
“You,” Carysse started, “had a harsh life before coming to Thalisse. I didn’t know.”
“No, it’s okay. As I told you earlier, I didn’t feel like a prince after what Mahan did to me. I was shrouded in darkness and the light was gone out of my eyes. That was what Elder Shimar described to me when he found me starving to death near the borders of the village. But looking back, I have everyone in the village to thank. Without Thalisse, I would never be able to stand on my feet as a decent human being. And now that I have the chance to redeem myself and the village, I don’t plan on losing to the Mahan a second time. This is what Gairoshi means to me.”
He was clenching his knuckles so hard Carysse was afraid he might break the bronze cup in his hand.
“Carysse, I’m not asking for much, really. I don’t have the right to say this to you since I almost killed you but for one more time, I’m begging you to cooperate with me even if it’s just for a while. Gairoshi will start in ten days and it will only last for a month. Please bear with me until then.”
Chaos as a prince was really something new. He still had these cold-blooded eyes that showed no emotions but words like ‘please’ and ‘begging’ coming from his own mouth were different. It was awkward. If Ashki was here, he might be laughing at him already, maybe teasing him on where Chaos got those words.
“I have decided,” Carysse said. “Until I find out the true story of what happened that night between the two of us, I will not judge you. You are right. The village comes first. Don’t worry, I won’t kill you in your sleep because I also need you to fulfill your promise, that no matter what the result of the Gairoshi, you will bring me home in one piece.”
That was Carysse’ greatest goal, to return.
Elder Shimar, Ashki, the kids–they are all waiting for her to return. If the plan fails, they would find another way to ease their lives. Thalisse needs her no matter what will happen and she was assured that she still had a home to go back to.
“So? What are we doing then at the palace? Will it just be a sort of welcome party for you?” Carysse asked.
“His Majesty is having a war on his own. He already told me before that he needed my support and help. Tonight will be a strategic one, not just a celebration.”
“A celebration?”
“My birthday. Today is the day I turn eighteen.”