Hi everyone! What's up?
Advance happy new year to all! May the Almighty remove all the stresses, sadness and tensions from your lives and fill them with happiness, blessings and fun forever! :D
Here remains the next chapter. Before starting, let me inform a few things:
Er-hu: A violin-like musical instrument of Japan.
Dizi: A flute-like instrument of Japan.
Bougainvilea: A violet-colored flower
Chikori: A sky-blue flower
Anmitsu: A Japanese dessert
Daifuku: A Japanese dessert (2)
Enjoy! :D
"Ow!"
Someone's appeasing siesta broke as he itched his left arm. He wanted to sit up but his idleness barely let him do that. By his right and left, everybody was peacefully sleeping. One of them didn't forget to snore too, maintaining his typical nature.
He realized. It was their first day at home after 12 years. In that era, they hadn't got soft beds, squishy pillows and warm blankets made of the fur of sheep. Let alone jewelry, they hadn't got to wear their royal outfits. They'd used to work in the fields, butcheries, smithies, potteries, cow-sheds and where not? At the end of the day, they had had to live on the food of a beggar.
By some means, they'd been used to that lifestyle. Gradually, they'd been enjoying it. Mixing and staying with the students from all walks of life, they had never known when they had turned into the simplest people on the earth.
Flashback:
"Sir, have you called me?"
Sitting on the ground, the principal of the learning center was writing something on a thick, yellowish page, dipping the finest edge of the peacock feather into the ink pot. As he felt that someone was calling him, he moved his eyes towards the doorway. Though he saw there one of his most favorite students, his stoic expression didn't soften a bit. Glaring at him, he ordered, "Come in."
"Thank you, Sir," Bit by bit, he came in. Entering the room, he bowed.
"Sit down," The teacher kept writing.
Nervously, yet not expressing the feeling, he sat down on the ground before the mentor.
"So, Kai," He reluctantly poured the pen into the pot, "What are you seeing around you?"
Turning his amethyst orbs about the compartment, the slate-haired boy stated, "A wooden bookshelf, an earthen cupboard, a bamboo bed."
"Anything else?"
"No."
"Have you ever gone to the room of lady Vetrova?"
At this question, the dual-haired boy gasped. Yes, often the mother-like teacher had called him in her room. He had gone there too.
"Why're you taking so much time to answer, Kai?" Alexandrov queried, "You don't even take a moment while answering to the questions of regarding your studies."
"Yes…." He sheepishly replied.
"How was it?"
"Just like yours."
"Where can diamonds be found?"
"Under coal, in high temperature and pressure."
"Now, you've got it," Keeping the notes beside him, the great master explained, "Look, Kai…if you want to be great, you've to struggle. Almost at every single stage of life, you've to strive for your rights and survival. Again, no one in the society will willingly give your justified rights to you. Rather, you've to snatch them…in the most righteous ways."
"Understood, Sir."
"Haven't you asked me why I've called you here?" Alexandrov raised an eyebrow.
"Pardon me, Sir," He uttered, "I don't know."
"Well," The tutor stood up, "I've been noticing you for a few weeks. I see, lady Vetrova has started caring for you a lot. It's true that she's such an affectionate lady. Moreover, she's unable to bear a child and the fact ended up into her divorce. That's why, she loves the children here a lot. I won't blame her for that. But…..Kai, don't try to search for your mother inside her. Respect her as a teacher. Follow her orders. Don't do what she forbids. But….don't exceed the borderline of your relation with her. Remember…..she's your teacher and you're her student. Her affection will make you want more comfort and happiness in your life. But…your qualities will grow only by struggling and living in hardships. Relaxation, fondness, luxuries-all these things make a person lazy. A lazy person can never be a great person. I hope you're understanding."
"Yes, Sir," The slate-haired boy nodded, "I'll obey you. From today onwards, I'll try my best to control my yearnings of the affection of a mother."
"Your welfare lies in that, my boy," Alexandrov patted his head, "By the way, have you seen my pen?"
Kai frowned. He was absorbed in the instructive words of his teacher. How on the earth would he know where his pen had been?
"Um…sorry, Sir," He confusedly shook his head, "I haven't seen it."
"Then you haven't been a perfect student yet, Kai."
The eyebrows of the slate-haired boy got tilted.
'What's the relation of a being a perfect student with finding a lost pen?'
"I told you to observe my whole room and tell everything what you could see, Kai," Alexandrov tried to make his student understand, "You've to sharpen your eyes. Look, I kept it inside the pot. I did it when I was talking to you."
"I'm sorry, Sir," The student lowered his head, "I was listening to you."
"Today, I give you another lesson," Alexandrov sat down, "Observe every single object around you. Don't see them merely. Rather, inspect them carefully. From the colors of the wings of a butterfly to the clouds condensing on the vertices of the mountains, you've to perceive everything. Don't forget that your eyes, ears and noses are more important than your mouth."
"I understood, Sir," Kai bobbed, "I'll always remember your words, I promise."
Flash forward:
Rubbing his eyes, letting out a small yawn, he got up from his bed, almost tossing the blanket that'd been wrapping him. By the windows, oil lamps were burning. Taking one of them, the phoenix-prince approached the closets. Opening one of their doors, he pulled out a jute bag. Taking out the torn cloths from it, he wore them. His royal, well-embroidered, soft-textured and bejeweled attires were left behind.
Sighing in relief, taking the usual beddings which he had used for sleeping, he approached the porch. On the wide gypsum railings of the verandah, fragrant wax lights were igniting in the metallic candle holders, spreading a seraphic aroma in the ecosphere. The moonbeams from the twilight-covered firmament were falling on the candle-holders, making them glisten. They were softly stroking the petals of those flowers too which were blossoming on the plants, leaving their roots in the well-fertilized soil of wooden tubs. The gusts of nocturnal gull were visiting those florets by fits and starts, making them dance with its intonation, raising a tiny oscillation among them.
A contended smile rose all over his face. Yes, it was the perfect environment for him to have a peaceful sleep. For getting lost in the domain of dreams, he neither needed luxurious duvets, nor diamond and pearl-bedecked outfits.
Lying down on the marble-covered floor, he made his eyelids meet his amethyst pools, almost getting mixed with the surface.
The ballroom became almost filled with diminutive blazes, rising from the thick threads attached to the aromatic candles and earthen oil lamps, kept at different gold and silver stands and holders around the pillars. It seemed as if countless fireflies from the woods had mustered there. Over the heads of the guests, crystal chandeliers were sturdily hanging from the granite-made roof. The agate pillars were embellished with anonymous floral lianas. The emperor, accompanied by his life partner, beautified his particular seat on the podium. Invited guests were sitting in two columns, keeping difference from each other. Waiters in dark-blue and black outfits were serving refreshing beverages and sweetmeats made of different seasonal fruits and milk.
As the ruler raised his hand, the brunette let her fingers drum the strings of the wooden guitar-like instrument. The stick held by the dual-haired Spaniard got slid against the twines of the Er-hu. The hyperactive American didn't let the air enter the holes of his Dizi with the help of his fingertips, closing his eyes and pressing his mouth against one of its fleapits. The navy-haired Japanese struck the surface of the plump drum with a pair of shafts. A honeyed tune escaped from the voice of the blunette as the purplette headed towards the center of the hall. She was wearing a conventional kimono colored in the shades of an ocean. Her brinjal-colored hair was tied in a tight bun, adorned with tiny bougainvilleas and chikoris. Her anklets clinked, she spread her arms and let her fingertips create two four-petaled flowers, tucking her thumbs between her middle-fingers and ring-fingers.
Kneeling down on the ground, she bowed as everyone clapped. Then, standing up, she pulled out a traditional paper fan. Unfolding it, she waved it by her right cheek. Its speed wasn't so fast but it was maintaining the tempo. It was a simple step. However, the spectators became enthralled.
As she kept dancing and swirling around the room, all the beholders failed to blink once. The spinning of the world, the time and the airstream-everything stopped, observing her mesmerizing performance. Only the musicians were doing their jobs perfectly, losing themselves somewhere between reality and imagination, between the world and heaven.
Today, no one is forbidding me
To lose somewhere, deep inside my heart,
Therefore, I spread my wings,
With the tunes of the song, deep inside my heart.
I cross the three-edged horizon in the fairy-tales,
Sometimes, I lose my ways and hum to myself,
I get to know the citrine sunflowers, concealing themselves,
Beneath the bushes of zinnias, deep inside my heart.
The purple-haired girl stopped as all the audiences burst into wild applause, giving the performer standing ovations. Bowing to everyone, the dancer returned to her friends and siblings who almost tied her into a hug, rushing to her.
"Oh my goodness, Dew!" The navy-haired guy appreciated, "You've become such an outstanding dancer!"
"Thank you so much, Tyson." She couldn't help her cheeks turn red a bit, "Your…I mean, all your appreciations mean a lot."
"I'm so proud of you, my little sister," The coco-haired princess quickly kissed her cheek, "You're amazing!"
"You're amazing too, oni-chan!" Dew captured her into the garland of her arms, "Tell me for whom this party has been thrown."
"C'mon girls, stop chattering now," Tyson rubbed his stomach, "It was the last performance of today's cultural ceremony. I'd to play the drums. For it, I had to work hard. Look, my whole body has got soaked in sweats."
"Tyson, why don't you straightly say that you're feeling hungry?" The American grabbed his shoulder.
"Ow Maxie….you're my best friend!" His eyes glittered, "How do you understand me so easily? Okay, if you have got it all, let's go to the dining hall!"
"Bad poem….." The brunette whispered.
"Has someone praised me?"
"No Tyson, I mean…seriously," The blunette coughed, "Before a while, you've eaten four bowls of anmitsu and 20 daifukus. How can you feel hungry now?"
"They were mere starters," The dragoon-wielder tossed his hands and legs, "I've yet to be done with my main course. So, lets' go guys, I'll eat the whole world otherwise!"
"Okay okay, let's go…." Hilary tried to manage the situation, pondering, 'If we stay here a bit, Tyson will make us mad by reciting his stupid poems. We had better go to the dining room!'
The porcelain bath-tub was filled with tepid water. Petals of white and red roses were floating on it. Standing beside the tub, two maids were pouring liquid perfumes into it. On another gravelly table, in different pots and bowls, pasted sandalwood, turmeric, cream of milk and other cosmetics were kept. Holding soft cottony towels and after-bath gowns, a couple of slaves were standing at the doorway of the bathroom, bowing their heads down.
Seeing all the arrangements, his eyes turned widened and jaw dropped. Crimson taints appeared on his pale, icy cheeks. Somehow, he whispered into the ears of his mother, "Mother, what are these things?"
"My son, it's your bathroom," The 41-year old lady wore a sugar-coated smile all over her face, "From now, you've to bathe here."
He gulped. He had taken his bath only in the ponds of his learning center. For cleaning his body and hair, he had used a particular soil. How…how would he bathe in the regal bathroom then?
"Kai, what are you thinking?" The queen placed a hand on his shoulder, "You've to bathe regularly. It will keep you clean and fresh. Besides, today is your 20th birthday. You've to look stunning today."
Again, he sweatdropped. By the way, what had he done in his last 12 birthdays? Only a few people had known about his birthday. Those days had almost been like the other days of his life, except the tiny gifts from lady Vetrova and wishes from his cousins and teachers. But…neither anybody had celebrated it, nor had he let anyone observe it.
Somehow, giving a nod, he gestured at the servants. Bowing once again, they kept the stuffs at the right places and left. Leering, the queen left the place too.
Then, the prince unbuttoned his top, putting it off on the ground. Around his waist, he wrapped a cloth that touched his knees. Then, he put off the bottom too. Sighing, he sat in the bathtub. The warmish touch of the universal solvent was slowly removing all his exhaustion and worries, cleaning the cluttering dirt inside his neuron cells. Getting up and pouring a few droplets of the natural cleanser on the sea-wool bath sponge, he rubbed it against his body and hair. Like today's soaps and body-washes, it didn't create foams, just leaving an ethereal bouquet on his skin.
For the second time, he entered the tub, leaving all the weight of his body in the water. As his muscles got relaxed, he got up. Wiping himself with a woolen towel, he headed for the dressing room. There was a set of traditional Russian cloths for men. The upper part was ebony-colored with gold-rimmed buttons on the chest and wrist-lines.
He sighed, once again. He was feeling uncomfortable and hesitant with those types of cloths. Then again, he wore them. Taking a comb made of elephant-tusk, he brushed his hair thoroughly.
"My son!"
Having someone heard, he looked at the doorway. There was standing his mother, smiling and holding a colossal silver tray covered with a red velvet cloth-piece on which there were a lot of golden and silver jewelries. Chest-pins, badges, long wrist-cuffs and at last but not at least- a gem-embellished headband were waiting for him.
This time, his heartbeats rapidly increased. He got dumbfounded.
Really, what was happening around him?
Did anyone separate the wax from the skep and set it on a luster?
"Mother….." He uttered, "What are they for?"
"Kai, you're a prince now," The lady placed the tray on a table, "Remember, a prince should look handsome. In fact, he must be the most attractive man in his kingdom."
"But….Sir Alexandrov told me something different," He acknowledged, almost inaudibly, "He taught me that a prince would rather be strong than be good-looking. His charms lie in his strength and brilliance."
"He is not wrong at all, Kai," Apraxia attached the badges and chest-pins to his top, "But…..with strength, you need emotions too."
"Emotion has no value to a warrior."
"Wrong," Now, the queen was setting the wrist-cuffs, "Every human being on the earth should have emotions. The warriors have the power to control it but it doesn't mean that they are emotionless. They have feelings too. For their country, for their beloved persons."
"Beloved?"
Kai closed his eyes. His heart drifted to the image of a certain brunette of whom he had dreamed before 12 years. Her shining auburn locks waved at him, her transcendent ruby-pools beckoned him.
Was she a little girl still? Or a grown-up young lady?
"I admit that I'm almost 20 ," She spoke, "But sometimes, I feel as if I were a child.""
Having the soul of a child isn't bad at all, Hilary," The navy-haired boy articulated, "Look, childishness prevents us from big crimes and wicked thoughts."
"Surely, it does," Another blunette agreed, "You know, I still swim in the ponds and rivers like my childhood."
"I never knew that childhood can swim." The Spanish girl pinched the royal-blue haired girl as the people burst out laughing.
"Honestly, Juli," Hilary covered her mouth, "12 years have passed but….you are unchanged! You never fail to tease Mariam."
"Hey guys!"
They looked back as they saw the hyperactive American waving at them, holding a few arrows.
"Maxie!" Tyson stood up, "Where did you go? And what are these arrows for?"
"Guys, they are not ordinary arrows," His smile was so broad that it could easily kill two or three people, "They can create explosions."
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
The mouths of the listeners got opened but their voices became silent. Somehow, the brunette managed to speak, "Explosive arrows? I've heard their names a lot but never seen them."
"You have, sis, just now," Max chuckled, "Well, do you want to give them a try?"
"Why not?!"
The dragoon-wielder jumped, almost snatching those darts from his best friend. Pulling them closer to his chest, he declared, "I'm going to bring my bow. Then, I, the best archer of the world, will launch them and blast everything! Buhahaha!"
'Having the heart of a child may be annoying sometimes,' The brunette gritted her teeth.
"Hell no, Tyson," Max took the arrows from him, "Cannot you see that it's been night already? Now you cannot try it. In the morning, going to an open area, you may launch them."
"Tyson, mind if I accompany you?" The Japanese princess requested.
"Why, Hilary?" Tyson exposed his teeth through a grin, "Of course you can go with me if you want."
"Thank you so much, Tyson," Hilary rejoiced, "Guys, it's getting late. We better go to sleep now. Goodnight, everyone."
"Goodnight, Hil." The navy-blue haired guy yawned, "Will meet ya in the morning."
Well, you may get irritated by the descriptions...but since the plot of the story is set in the medieval ages, I'm just trying to represent the culture of those times. :P
Do read and review. Pardon all the grammatical and the spelling errors. Take care. Once again, a very very happy new year in advance! :'D
Misty ^_^