Incessant knocking woke Emma up from one of the most peaceful sleeps she has ever enjoyed; a reprieve from the rough ones plagued with weird dreams she has been having these past two weeks. Dreams that she never understood, or even remembered afterward.
“Who is there?!” She shouted from the bed, when the knock dropped again, to prevent the knocker from breaking down the fine doors that protected the entrance of her room.
Couldn’t they let her be in peace for a whole week? She has suffered in this short life of hers! Even though she was aware now of the responsibility on her shoulders, she would have preferred quality food and sleep over trainings.
“It’s Gira. You have a meeting with the council now.”
Gira. That was the name of the lady that had led her to the suite, that had promised to take care of Prescott with utmost care.
Emma sat up on the bed grudgingly, and looked around her room with groggy eyes. She sighed wearily when her eyes found a clock, at a bend in her suite. The time was thirty minutes past eleven in the morning.
Emma wasn’t sure how long she had slept, as she didn’t check the time before sleeping last night, but she knew it was long. The dreggy mood and the pain at some places in and on her body, spoke the truth she knew.
Without much alarums and discussions, she got out of her bed, and hurried over to the door, deciding to let the lady inside, than keep her waiting outside; she might take a longer time to dress up.
“Good morning..” She greeted when she opened the door.
Gira bowed her head.
Emma said nothing to that. She only opened the door wider and let the girl inside. She didn’t understand the full mechanics of how things worked here, she didn’t understand the habit of bowing, but she hoped it wouldn’t be an imposed endeavor. She couldn’t bow hundred times a day. She had enough pains at her neck as it was.
“Could you give me some minutes to get ready?” She asked Gira, shutting the door after Gira had entered fully into her room.
Gira nodded, and set to arranging the bed.
Emma wanted to tell her not to bother with that, to just to sit on the sofa and wait, but another knock landed on the door.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned toward the door, wondering who was there. She opened the door without echoing the question in her head, because she knew that no one would harm her here, not yet at least.
“Hi, good morning..” She greeted another lady, who was holding up a tray of food to her.
The smell wafted past her nostrils and Emma held back a moan as she saw that it was pancakes. Would it be as sweet as Melvina’s? Remembering Melvina’s pancakes brought a bitter aftertaste in her mouth, just like remembering the woman did. She shut down the memory before she would be tempted to open the can of worms further.
“Thank you.” She finally spoke, collecting the tray from the woman who gave her a slight bow before walking away.
“Why do you people bow at every juncture?”
Emma asked Gira as she kept the tray on the table. She would have loved to dive into the food now, but she needed to freshen up. She turned to Gira when she got no response.
The lady was just staring at her blandly. Emma wondered if she had asked the wrong question.
“Well, our King had bowed before you. It had set a standard for some of us. We are not sure of who you are, but his bow of respect had translated that you are something important…”
From the look in Gira’s eyes, Emma could deduce that the latter was wondering what was important about her. But she wasn’t going to be the one to explain herself. And so, without another word, she walked into the bathroom.
—–
“How are my friends doing?”
They were on their way to the hall which she had been received in earlier.
“All good.” Gira replied. “They are responding to treatments well enough. They will come around before you know it.”
Emma nodded her head. “Is it okay if I see them?”
There was a pause.
“Of course. I don’t think that should be an issue.”
Emma sighed in relief, never mind that everything seemed to be scrutinized here.
When they got to the hall, the elders were aready waiting, and this time around, the king, the one who had started the bowing, was with them.
When the king saw Emma, he stood to his feet, with an interesting smile on his lips, and bowed. “Emma Makonel, pleased that you could join us this morning…”
Emma furrowed her eyebrows at the interesting tone of his voice, but she nodded, and took a bow too, since he was also a leader. She didn’t want to send off the picture that she was getting off on bows. As a matter of fact, she didn’t want them.
“Please have a seat.”
Emma obliged and took a seat, wishing that Prescott had joined her for this meeting.
“So, how was your sleep?”
Emma shrugged her shoulders. “Best I’ve had in a while.”
The King’s chuckle eased to an extent, the unsettlement within her. She wondered if that was the reason why he had been made King. His soothing voice. She knew it was more than that however, especially with the mighty aura he was oozing. What could his gifts be? What had been the judging criteria? Or was it a generational leadership?
Annabel hadn’t filled in these details. Her friend didn’t tell her that their king was someone as young as them. He looked barely twenty five, or was youthfulness part of his gift?
“Are you with us?”
Emma shook her head, when she suddenly heard the question. Focus, woman. She commanded her mind, before apologizing.
“It’s okay. It’s quite understandable. So this meeting wouldn’t be taking long. It’s just an official meeting to welcome you into the academy. We are pleased to make your acquitance, Emma of Nathan and Sheila Makonel.”
“Do you know my father? I can understand about my mother since she attended here…”
The King nodded his friend. “He had saved my life once. When Alitha had communicated to me who our guest had been yesterday, I had been with the war council, but I knew I had to welcome you especially. Both your parents are good people. Both have been good to me. Maybe, I will tell you our story one day, but not today…”
That was alright by her, but war council? She looked at the seven elders with the Prince. They weren’t really the elders of the entire community?
“No, they are just for welcoming new people into the academy. They have the job of making sure that no spy enters the academy. They also have other jobs, which I’m sure you will find out the longer you stay here.”
Emma didn’t want to believe that what the Prince had done to glean this information was to read her mind.
‘No, he didn’t. He just read off the expression on your face.’
“There are other councils stationed over certain tasks too, to ensure division of labor, and a smoother running of the pack.”
I nodded, wiping off any remnant of visible expression on my face. The King was good, but I didn’t want him reading my intentions from my face.
“That by the way, we will help train you just as Sheila had wanted. She was one of the best students we had after all. I hope you make her proud. Gira would show you around until you wouldn’t be needing her to get around anymore, just as she would be leading you to your classes this morning.”
She would be training from today? Emma couldn’t stop the incredulity that spread on her face.
“Not at all, just for you to get acquainted with the teachers. We will give you three days of rest, whereby you will get in contact with your friends, or maybe a week. I’m sure you would want to train with your sister at the same time. I’m sure Annabel too would love that. So, we would hold on your training until they are awake, up and runing.”
Emma bowed in appreciation before she could help it. She was liking this King the more, never mind that she had let her emotions flare up on her face again.
“Also, just to give you a heads up, our trainings are not easy. And seeing as you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders, you will be training harder than the other students. We will be more intentional and harder on you. And we don’t need your input about that.”
Emma noticed that the King’s tone had gotten hard, serious. It was fine by her. She nodded.
“That’s okay. But what’s your name?” She asked, as the Prince got up from his seat, about to leave the room.
“I’m Prince Shiloh.”