Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Professor Layton franchise.
Chapter 21 Fundamental Consultations
The next day began tumultuous. Luke had woken up early, startled by a sneaky doctor who wanted to check up on the professor. The good man himself had yet to wake up. Luke figured he must have really needed the sleep. After he had talked with the doctor and gotten ready, Luke decided to see if anyone else had woken up yet. He walked into the breakfast hall and found the princess already present. She stared sullenly at her glass of water, deep in thought.
''Good morning princess.'' Luke said carefully, hoping he wouldn't startle her.
She glanced up from her glass and smiled at Luke.
''Good morning Luke. You are up early.''
''He...yeah. You too.''
He joined her at the table, where they just sat for a moment in silence. Both lost in thought, neither sure what to do next.
''Have you checked on Emmy by chance?'' he asked.
''Yes it was the first thing I did. She is still fast asleep.''
''Oh...okay.''
The silence continued.
Luke could only hope, either the professor or Emmy would wake up soon so they could start forming their plan. The silence was cut short, when several people suddenly barged into the room. Both Luke and the princess flinched at the sudden noise and turned around towards the door to see who was interrupting their morose gathering.
To their surprise, the people who had entered consisted of the king, Asim and Adofo. The king stepped forward towards the table and cleared his throat.
''Princess Farah, I think you know why I am here at this early hour.'' his loud voice boomed through the room.
''Yes father...I can make a guess.'' the princess muttered.
She had snuck out of the palace without her father's consent, after all.
''Good, then I trust you understand that I will not let this go unpunished.''
The princess sighed deeply. She shrunk in her seat, afraid of what was to come.
''Yes father.''
She had been expecting to get reprimanded for her actions, but she had secretly hoped the current situation would be distracting enough for him to forget.
''But before that, I want to speak to you. Both of you in fact.'' he grumbled.
Luke could tell he meant business. After another grunt, the two of them rose up from their seats and followed the king to his private chambers. Adofo and Asim stuck close to the group, making sure they weren't followed. The king's quarters were a bit further back than the princess's room. The hallway leading up to the room already made quite an impression. It looked lavish with several golden statues lining the wall and portraits of the royal family in between. It was a sight unlike any other.
The guards in front of the two massive golden doors at the end of the hallway, made way for the king and his guests to pass through. The room inside was even more impressive. The first area showed the antechamber, where the king could receive guests. The room was neatly decorated with the most exquisite furniture. On the right side, a large fire pit divided the balcony and rest of the room. Around the fire pit were several seats and cushions to sit upon and on the balcony itself was a long table with around twelve chairs for larger meetings.
Luke could tell, this was where the king would enjoy his meals, prepared by a private chef. In the back of the room, two large curtains covered the walls. Luke figured the private chamber resided behind the curtains. On the left side of the room, a large fireplace was built into the wall.
I suppose he loves his fire?
Above the fireplace was a portrait of a beautiful woman with a tiny baby in her arms. Luke could see the princess look over fondly to the portrait.
That must be her mother.
Beneath the fireplace were once again several large pillows to sit on, with a small table in the middle. On the table stood a silver water pipe. Luke remembered it to be custom to share one during a meeting in arabian countries. He hoped he wouldn't have to try it however, since the boy never enjoyed the sensation that came with smoking. He had secretly tried a cigarette during one of his friends' parties, but was quick to cough his lungs into a dire state.
''Never again.'' he mumbled to himself.
The king took a seat near the fireplace and motioned the princess and Luke to join him. The princess took a seat on the opposite side of her father and Luke joined in between. Asim and Adofo stood nearby, in case one of them needed anything.
''So, I have received an update from your loyal guard about what has transpired yesterday.'' the king said in a low voice.
He had his gaze set on the princess, who had trouble returning her father's fierce stare. She was sure he was upset and ready to give her a piece of his mind.
''You must have some questions, I assume.''
The princess's expression changed into surprise.
''Questions?''
''Yes. About the relics of Thoth and the fate of your friend.''
''Wait a minute.''- Luke interjected. -''What do you know about this?''
The king stroked his beard and sighed.
''I know more than you think.''
''Please father...tell us,'' the princess said with a hint of sadness in her voice. ''I wish to know.''
''Very well.''- the king started. -''When your friend Emmy moved into our town, I wondered what she wanted to accomplish here.''
''You knew when Emmy moved in?'' Luke asked.
''Yes I did. I keep track of all my citizens. Even the ones that have recently moved in. I do this for a reason you see. I wish to make sure no other's befall such a fate as your friend has done now.''
''So you knew what was in the cave all along? And you knew what would happen if...WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HER?'' the princess yelled upset.
''How could I stop her, my daughter. She was set on this outcome, was she not? I have put my faith in the scholar that you had brought along. I think he might be able to resolve all of our problems.''
''What do you mean exactly? With all of our problems?'' Luke questioned.
The king chuckled at the boy.
''I see you share his curiosity. That is good. You will be a good aid.''
The princess tried to progress what was happening. Her father knew something about this whole ordeal without telling her.
Why?
''Why didn't you tell me my great-grandfather found one of the relics of Thoth.'' the princess suddenly said, gaining the attention of both men.
''I...er...I didn't think it would be important at the time.'' the king coughed into his hand.
''But...you knew. When Emmy and the rest were visiting the cave. You knew they might get in and run across the relic. How come...please father.''
The king sighed and scratched his beard.
''This was one of the reasons why I wished to talk to you. You have a right to know. Especially after what has happened.''
Luke and the princess got comfortable in their seats, waiting for the king to tell them the story of Farah's ancestor.
''Your great-grandfather, king Metjen, had been ordered by his father to marry a princess from another country. They had known each other before this and both agreed to the marriage without another thought. When they had finally married, Metjen discovered that he had actually started to fall in love with his bride. She however, didn't seem to return the feeling. She cared for Metjen as a friend and married him because she didn't mind being his wife. He was kind and would take care of her, is what she argued, but she couldn't see to come to feeling the same way.''
''That's...not uncommon. A political marriage to merge two countries and create peace. Love rarely blooms though.'' the princess sighed.
''Yes, but Metjen stayed strong. He showered her with the most precious gifts and showed his love for her in lavious feasts. She appreciated the thought, but she still did not love him. After some point, the king could no longer understand her disinterest. It was then, that an unknown wanderer had approached him. The wanderer told him of the legend of the relics of Thoth and the magic that was imbued inside. From the legend, three relics were known to exist in the world. One of them was found quickly in an open space nearby Nemhat. This, as you know now, is the ring of Thoth. The traveller had warned the old king to not give this ring to his wife, as it would be sure to cause him to lose everything he loved.''
''Because she would forget all about him…'' Luke mumbled.
''Yes, she would. The traveller knew much. The thing he was actually after, was the Necklace of Compassion. The necklace would make one empathise you see and although it was not clear what exactly that would entail, the old king had made his own interpretation. He believed that his dearly beloved would come to empathise with his feelings in a way to which she would return them. After many long years, Metjen finally found the necklace in a desolate part of the rainforest.''
''That's actually amazing!'' Luke exclaimed.
''He was very happy to have finally found his treasure, almost having given up. His bride had threatened to leave him right before he found it, because his investment in the search had actually been taking up more time than she liked. They had yet to produce an heir you see, since the king had been so occupied. He wrapped her gift up and presented it to her on the first occasion in which he saw her again. The necklace did something to her...that certainly did make her emphasize more to the people around her.''
''Father...is this...why I have these powers?'' the princess asked hesitantly.
He looked over to his daughter and sighed.
''Yes. The necklace gave her the power to sense others feelings and see some of their memories. Metjen was disappointed to find the results, since his wife could now truly feel the greed that had replaced his love for her. The marriage did not end up happy I am afraid, both of them unsure about each other and afraid to get close. They did create an heir. One daughter, your grandmother, who inherited her mother's powers after she passed away.''
''What happened to the necklace? And didn't they ever try to reverse the powers back into the relic?'' Luke questioned.
''I have no idea what happened to the necklace. It could be that they might have destroyed it in an attempt to reverse the effects of the trinket. They might have tried many things, but one thing is for sure, it did not work. The power flows through every heir in our family now until the next one. I had hoped...that you would have more time Farah...''
''What...do you mean?''
''I had hoped the power would be given to you much later in your life, so you would have less trouble in finding someone you love and create a family.''
The princess blushed slightly, averting her gaze to a particularly interesting corner in the room, where a certain tall, handsome guard was positioned.
''Thank you...for telling me this father. For telling us. I think it might be of use in finding a solution in our situation with Emmy.''
''So you are planning on trying to find a way to reverse the gifts abilities?'' the king asked.
''Yes. We are.''- Luke responded determined. -''For now, we need to wait for the professor to wake up so we can get a plan together. We would also like to see if Emmy has truly forgotten everything.''
''Very well. You have my support on this. Also...Farah...I need to apologize.''
''Apologize?'' the princess asked with an eyebrow raised. ''What for?''
''I...er...kind of made you believe I blamed you for the ''curse'' when I knew it wasn't true. I did it to protect you from going inside the cave since it would be dangerous.''
''I guess we're even then?'' she smirked at her father.
''Oh no young lady. Don't you think I'm going to let your disobedient behaviour pass from last night.'' he retorted with crossed arms.
Luke laughed at the display, somewhere wondering if the king would come through with his threat.
Now let's see if anyone is waking up anytime soon.