Part 11
The work of a monarch was never done. A burden was imposed upon you the moment you were born and was never lifted until your body turned into ashes. Oftentimes not even then. Lexan had seen his people look up to the marble statue of the old king to curse or wish as if the late Leon would be able to answer them.
Lexan rubbed the bridge of his knows, considering the various proposals submitted to his office to solve the drought. Every day, the number of those who had taken ill or even died grew. If he did not attend to his people soon, this solar revolution would turn out to be the most disastrous in one hundred revolutions.
The wet season was about to come. Hopefully a day of rain would be enough to make the farmlands flourish. Then he would have to take Ch'ali to Antar and brave the Royals. Perhaps he can make the trip furtive enough that Zan would not be alerted to their presence. It was the only way to keep Ch'ali safe. Wet season in his kingdom was completely devoid of suns. At least in Antar, which probably developed this vulnerability in the Antarian evolution, the suns shone the whole year.
His sister sent in her own proposal. She was a brilliant woman, his sister. If he were not looking forward to this family that Ch'ali would give him, then Lexan would have been disappointed that Glori would never have the chance to rule his kingdom.
Glori, well aware of his capabilities, suggested that Lexan use his gifts to manipulate the elements. She would lead a team that would store the water in case the drought struck again. It would entail five days of rain without a moment of sun. Lexan reached for his golden stamp and neatly placed the seal of rejection of Glori's proposal. He dipped his pen into ink and signed it.
"You look busy."
He looked up and saw his wife leaning against the doorway, her blonde hair piled on top of her head, wearing a red dress with long sleeves slashed from wrist to shoulder. The garment bared her pale smooth skin to his eyes. More than aesthetic, the garment allowed her to absorb as much of the sun as she could. Lexan was with her when the palace physician advised her to get as much energy to their growing baby as she could.
"And you look lovely."
His words brought a smile to her lips. She shrugged, drawing his gaze to her arms again. "I was hoping to entice my husband away from his work and out in the world. I even brought food."
Without another thought, Lexan pushed away the papers in front of him. He stood up and walked towards her, dropping a kiss on her forehead. Lexan took the basket from Ch'ali and lifted the white cloth covering the contents. "Bread and cheese? I think we have more than that."
"It's best to keep it simple, Lexan. That way, you're not thinking of how the food tastes."
He grinned, everything else forgotten. "You have more delectable dish for me?"
"We'll see," she answered.
In less than ten minutes, Ch'ali and Lexan sat on his cape on the grass. They were beside the pool closest to the palace. As Ch'ali placed a wedge of cheese in bread for him, she related, "I thought it best to stay here. It reminded me of the night we were first together."
Lexan reached for the food and bit the somewhat dry day-old bread. "This tells me you do not regret it."
"You think that I would because it lost me a family and my homeland," she stated. At his expressionless face, she continued, "I thank a higher power every day that that night led me to you."
Lexan squeezed her hand. He never hated Antar the way Glori did. To him, the enemy kingdom was a place that existed. It had never been real to him though. Antar caused problems for the economy of his people, but he could survive without Antar. In all the years he spent as prince, Lexan never thought that his happiness slept in one of the chambers of a palace Glori and his father had been longing to destroy.
"Tell me what you think," she urged, when his face took on a distinctively thoughtful look.
"I used to think I would never be as great a king as my father was," Lexan told her. Her face was rapt. His wife, he had found out, was an avid listener and a curious soul. "Glori was more like he was. They would do anything for the kingdom."
"They loved the land."
Lexan agreed. "And I wondered why I could not find as much passion. I thought I loved less. Probably the reason why I did not act at once to my people's needs. Maybe I do not know how to love the way they do."
"That's not true," she whispered.
"You showed me," he said, looking into her eyes. "You showed me just how much and how deep I can feel, Ch'ali. You showed me that I would do everything for love too. And I know now that I can go beyond the distances that my father did."
For the first time, a frown graced Ch'ali's forehead. "Lexan, his love for his kingdom killed King Leon."
"It did."
"And your love is stronger. Does it scare you?"
He smiled. "Every moment." Lexan pushed a lock of hair that had fallen from her pile behind her ear. "And then I look at you."
"No regrets," she filled in for him.
Ch'ali reached at her nape and unfastened the chain that hung around her neck. She held up a silver necklace from which a long crystal dangled. Lexan took the crystal and laid it on his palm. She picked it up and held it to the light. It captured light and threw back a myriad colors.
"My people have a belief," she related, although she was aware that Lexan knew about it. It was an object of ridicule with the other kingdoms. "We all have our essence crystals from birth. They say that when a person dies, his soul would enter his essence crystal. Because every being is essentially a child of the universe, the crystals are propelled to a distant star to return to its womb. It gives us hope of being reborn."
Ch'ali moved closer to Lexan and fastened the chain around his neck. "I want you to have my crystal, Lexan. If you're not going to be reborn through the stars, I have no wish to." She pressed her palm against the crystal, making the edges bite into the skin of his chest. "If I remain trapped in the crystal forever, I would relish every second because I will be as close to your heart as I can ever be."
He closed his eyes and fisted his hand around the crystal. Lexan took her in his arms and looked up at the sky. The far horizon held the promise of long storm months. His people were rejoicing.
A pleasant noise brought his attention to the ground. His eyes widened when he saw a gurgling infant swaddled in blankets. Lexan reached for the child and held it up. He glanced at Ch'ali in surprise.
"That is how I picture our child to be," she told him. Ch'ali gave him a big grin. "He's lovely, isn't he?"
"How?" he asked breathlessly.
"I have very passive gifts," she told him. "The first one saved my life, when I called out to you. The other one makes you happy." The baby is his arms vanished. "I create images in my mind. Even if they were my creations, their effects are real."
Lexan's tension eased. "It makes me happier to know that in a few moons, I will have one that will not vanish at your will."
"It's not the only effect that lasts," she informed him. Ch'ali pointed to his trousers.
Lexan looked down and saw a wet stain darkening the cloth. "An imaginary infant does this too," he chuckled.
"What are yours?"
"My what?"
"Your gifts."
Lexan stopped laughing. "It's nothing-just some control of the elements," he said simply, hoping she would not prompt him to elaborate. "I seldom use it."
"A man with control over his gifts is the most powerful of all," she said in admiration. "And your sister's?"
"One can never tell for certain what gift she has each day," Lexan told her. "Glori can borrow the gifts of those around her and use it for a certain period of time."
"Mimic."
"Legend says that those who mimic are the most dangerous of all."
Ch'ali nodded. "But she's your sister. We do not need to be wary of her."
Her eyes strayed to the crystal that now hung from Lexan's neck and felt a big thorn taken from her heart. Her soul had found a home more beautiful than the galaxy.
The work of a monarch was never done. A burden was imposed upon you the moment you were born and was never lifted until your body turned into ashes. Oftentimes not even then. Lexan had seen his people look up to the marble statue of the old king to curse or wish as if the late Leon would be able to answer them.
Lexan rubbed the bridge of his knows, considering the various proposals submitted to his office to solve the drought. Every day, the number of those who had taken ill or even died grew. If he did not attend to his people soon, this solar revolution would turn out to be the most disastrous in one hundred revolutions.
The wet season was about to come. Hopefully a day of rain would be enough to make the farmlands flourish. Then he would have to take Ch'ali to Antar and brave the Royals. Perhaps he can make the trip furtive enough that Zan would not be alerted to their presence. It was the only way to keep Ch'ali safe. Wet season in his kingdom was completely devoid of suns. At least in Antar, which probably developed this vulnerability in the Antarian evolution, the suns shone the whole year.
His sister sent in her own proposal. She was a brilliant woman, his sister. If he were not looking forward to this family that Ch'ali would give him, then Lexan would have been disappointed that Glori would never have the chance to rule his kingdom.
Glori, well aware of his capabilities, suggested that Lexan use his gifts to manipulate the elements. She would lead a team that would store the water in case the drought struck again. It would entail five days of rain without a moment of sun. Lexan reached for his golden stamp and neatly placed the seal of rejection of Glori's proposal. He dipped his pen into ink and signed it.
"You look busy."
He looked up and saw his wife leaning against the doorway, her blonde hair piled on top of her head, wearing a red dress with long sleeves slashed from wrist to shoulder. The garment bared her pale smooth skin to his eyes. More than aesthetic, the garment allowed her to absorb as much of the sun as she could. Lexan was with her when the palace physician advised her to get as much energy to their growing baby as she could.
"And you look lovely."
His words brought a smile to her lips. She shrugged, drawing his gaze to her arms again. "I was hoping to entice my husband away from his work and out in the world. I even brought food."
Without another thought, Lexan pushed away the papers in front of him. He stood up and walked towards her, dropping a kiss on her forehead. Lexan took the basket from Ch'ali and lifted the white cloth covering the contents. "Bread and cheese? I think we have more than that."
"It's best to keep it simple, Lexan. That way, you're not thinking of how the food tastes."
He grinned, everything else forgotten. "You have more delectable dish for me?"
"We'll see," she answered.
In less than ten minutes, Ch'ali and Lexan sat on his cape on the grass. They were beside the pool closest to the palace. As Ch'ali placed a wedge of cheese in bread for him, she related, "I thought it best to stay here. It reminded me of the night we were first together."
Lexan reached for the food and bit the somewhat dry day-old bread. "This tells me you do not regret it."
"You think that I would because it lost me a family and my homeland," she stated. At his expressionless face, she continued, "I thank a higher power every day that that night led me to you."
Lexan squeezed her hand. He never hated Antar the way Glori did. To him, the enemy kingdom was a place that existed. It had never been real to him though. Antar caused problems for the economy of his people, but he could survive without Antar. In all the years he spent as prince, Lexan never thought that his happiness slept in one of the chambers of a palace Glori and his father had been longing to destroy.
"Tell me what you think," she urged, when his face took on a distinctively thoughtful look.
"I used to think I would never be as great a king as my father was," Lexan told her. Her face was rapt. His wife, he had found out, was an avid listener and a curious soul. "Glori was more like he was. They would do anything for the kingdom."
"They loved the land."
Lexan agreed. "And I wondered why I could not find as much passion. I thought I loved less. Probably the reason why I did not act at once to my people's needs. Maybe I do not know how to love the way they do."
"That's not true," she whispered.
"You showed me," he said, looking into her eyes. "You showed me just how much and how deep I can feel, Ch'ali. You showed me that I would do everything for love too. And I know now that I can go beyond the distances that my father did."
For the first time, a frown graced Ch'ali's forehead. "Lexan, his love for his kingdom killed King Leon."
"It did."
"And your love is stronger. Does it scare you?"
He smiled. "Every moment." Lexan pushed a lock of hair that had fallen from her pile behind her ear. "And then I look at you."
"No regrets," she filled in for him.
Ch'ali reached at her nape and unfastened the chain that hung around her neck. She held up a silver necklace from which a long crystal dangled. Lexan took the crystal and laid it on his palm. She picked it up and held it to the light. It captured light and threw back a myriad colors.
"My people have a belief," she related, although she was aware that Lexan knew about it. It was an object of ridicule with the other kingdoms. "We all have our essence crystals from birth. They say that when a person dies, his soul would enter his essence crystal. Because every being is essentially a child of the universe, the crystals are propelled to a distant star to return to its womb. It gives us hope of being reborn."
Ch'ali moved closer to Lexan and fastened the chain around his neck. "I want you to have my crystal, Lexan. If you're not going to be reborn through the stars, I have no wish to." She pressed her palm against the crystal, making the edges bite into the skin of his chest. "If I remain trapped in the crystal forever, I would relish every second because I will be as close to your heart as I can ever be."
He closed his eyes and fisted his hand around the crystal. Lexan took her in his arms and looked up at the sky. The far horizon held the promise of long storm months. His people were rejoicing.
A pleasant noise brought his attention to the ground. His eyes widened when he saw a gurgling infant swaddled in blankets. Lexan reached for the child and held it up. He glanced at Ch'ali in surprise.
"That is how I picture our child to be," she told him. Ch'ali gave him a big grin. "He's lovely, isn't he?"
"How?" he asked breathlessly.
"I have very passive gifts," she told him. "The first one saved my life, when I called out to you. The other one makes you happy." The baby is his arms vanished. "I create images in my mind. Even if they were my creations, their effects are real."
Lexan's tension eased. "It makes me happier to know that in a few moons, I will have one that will not vanish at your will."
"It's not the only effect that lasts," she informed him. Ch'ali pointed to his trousers.
Lexan looked down and saw a wet stain darkening the cloth. "An imaginary infant does this too," he chuckled.
"What are yours?"
"My what?"
"Your gifts."
Lexan stopped laughing. "It's nothing-just some control of the elements," he said simply, hoping she would not prompt him to elaborate. "I seldom use it."
"A man with control over his gifts is the most powerful of all," she said in admiration. "And your sister's?"
"One can never tell for certain what gift she has each day," Lexan told her. "Glori can borrow the gifts of those around her and use it for a certain period of time."
"Mimic."
"Legend says that those who mimic are the most dangerous of all."
Ch'ali nodded. "But she's your sister. We do not need to be wary of her."
Her eyes strayed to the crystal that now hung from Lexan's neck and felt a big thorn taken from her heart. Her soul had found a home more beautiful than the galaxy.