by Karma
Ekubatana, the Palsian Year 304.
"Any news yet?"
"Nope."
Disappointed, Narcasse returned to the Palace library to study. Lord Cheiron had given him an assignment to complete regarding Kai Hoslo, the legendary hero, and the effect of his legend on the culture of Palse. Narcasse had yet to complete his assignment. His mind wandered instead. He bit his lip.
He tried to write, but he couldn't concentrate. Instead, he worried about Darun. If only he had been a few months older! Then he could have gone to battle with his friend. Twelve was the age when the men were first allowed to ride out with the army, but Narcasse was still a few months short of that age.
Then the news camethe army had come across a rebel faction and now they had been gone for more than two weeks.
Narcasse sighed when he read what he had written: "Darun could probably beat Kai Haslo if they were the same age."
He crossed out his words.
Narcasse leaned over the city gate walls and watched as the cavalry returned with the yellow flag raised in victory. Cheers erupted around him, but he kept his eyes on the men that were returning.
It was not King Osiris leading the army. It was Prince Andragoras. Narcasse frowned, but continued to watch as the men came after Andragoras. Only when he spotted Darun on horseback did he cheer as well. He waved frantically at his best friend, but Darun did not look up.
Disappointed but still relieved, he continued to watch the people return. Then he noticed that he was not alone.
To his right, a few steps away, Prince Hirumes leaned over and watched the returning group as well. Normally, he would have been out there with the army, however, he had injured his leg in a recent assassination attempt.
Narcasse watched him for a moment. He did not normally talk to the prince, even though they were close in age. Hirumes was only a year older than him and Darun.
"Good afternoon, Your Highness."
The Crowned Prince of Palse turned to look at him.
"I suppose it is."
Narcasse returned his gaze to the army and spotted Kharlan. /That/ was why he and the prince rarely talked. Prince Hirumes spent his time with a handful of close friends, of which included Kharlan, whom Narcasse never liked. He still remembered the scandal that erupted a little over two years ago, when Kharlan had impregnated a noblewoman's daughter. Kharlan had become a father at the age of fourteen, and his son, Zante, was now two years old.
"Do you wish that you were there with them?"
Narcasse blinked, surprised that the prince was speaking to him. "Who wouldn't, Your Highness? The chance to lay down your life for this beautiful country? It boils my blood with excitement!"
Hirumes gave him a puzzled expression and Narcasse cursed himself mentally. After Darun had told him about his 'weird' speech, he had made a conscious effort to talk more like his peers. He did this task for about a year, before giving up and continuing to speak at his current level. He should have tried to speak more 'normally' in front of the prince. He also had to remember that not everyone understood his sarcasm, and frankly, he was being too open with the prince. He always spoke too openly when he was nervous. "It would be an honor, Your Highness," he said, to correct himself.
Hirumes nodded.
They waited until the last of the men had safely returned, and then they went to greet them.
"Fate comes in both good and bad," Prince Andragoras announced, "And so likewise did our victories."
Narcasse pushed his way through the crowd that was listening to Andragoras' speech. He finally spotted Darun, and went to stand beside him.
"Hey. You're back."
Darun did not look at him. "Yeah."
Narcasse frowned but returned his attention to Andragoras' speech.
"We have crushed the rebel army!" Andragoras raised his arm, and on cue, those around him erupted into cheer. Narcasse clapped politely.
Andragoras motioned for silence. "But as when giving us a victory, the gods took something away. That was my older brother, King Osiris, who lost his life on the battlefield, and who will always be remembered as one of Palse's finest kings."
A moment of reverent silence. Then Andragoras continued.
"Prince Hirumes is not yet of age to rule, and so I will rule in his stead until then."
Narcasse followed Darun back to his room. "So how was it?"
Darun fumbled at his armor. "How was what?" His voice was low, and Narcasse grew alarmed when he noticed the bloodstains on the armor.
"How was your first battle as a true man?" Narcasse helped him unbuckle his armor and then held it as Darun shrugged out of it. He was careful not to touch the blood.
Darun kicked off his boots, which were caked with more blood and mud. Now barefoot and in his tunic, he sat down on his bed. Narcasse sat down next to him. He was suddenly very worried about his friend.
"What's wrong?"
Darun did not look at him. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at his feet. "Nothing."
Narcasse touched his friend's shoulder. It was trembling.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Do you need to have your injuries looked at?"
Darun shook his head. "I got hit a few times but nothing that went through my armor. But Pastm...Pastm wasn't careful and his head came off. I was there with him. There was so much blood." His voice began to crack. "And I cut so many people. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It's...it's...so easy to kill, Narcasse!"
The last part came out as a choke and then Darun was shaking. Narcasse pulled his arms around him and hugged him; the way Cheiron had always hugged him whenever he had cried in the past. Narcasse bit his lip. There was so much he wanted to say: that yes, it was easy to kill, it was easy to die, it was hard to live, but that was why life had value, and why it was worth living.
Instead Narcasse said nothing and waited until Darun stopped crying, all the while being careful to not look at either Darun's face or his tears. Darun was one of those people who believed that boys should not cry, and looking at him while he did so would only make him feel ashamed. Only when Darun stopped shaking did Narcasse let go.
"Don't tell my uncle I cried?"
" 'Course not."
1 month later
Heavy breaths and grunts intermixed with the sound of metals scraping against each other. Then, a declaration.
"I win," Darun said, pointing his sword at Narcasse.
Narcasse nodded, out of breath. "Can you get me something to drink? I'm so thirsty." He reached out his hand.
Darun pulled him up onto his feet and smiled at him. "Sure. Be right back."
Narcasse waited in the garden. He bent down and picked up his sword, then slashed it at an imaginary opponent. He liked practicing with Darun, although it was clear who was stronger. If Darun charged with full strength, he could easily knock Narcasse to the ground. Darun's upper torso strength was greater than Narcasse's. Still, there were some tricks he could pull that Darun often did not suspect, and with those, Narcasse would occasionally win.
He leaned against a tree and realized, with a start, that they were where they had fought four years ago, before they had become friends. And now Darun was his best friend. He was the best kind of a friend that anyone could ever have. After that incident, Darun had defended Narcasse repeatedly until everyone knew that to challenge Narcasse was to fight with Darun. Sometimes it irritated Narcasse, because it meant that he would actually have to watch his tongue to keep his friend out of trouble. It was annoying because he never asked for it, and because he could take care of himself. Narcasse was not helpless.
Other times, he was grateful for it. Darun really was the most loyal friend a person could have, and once he had it in his mind that you were his friend; it was almost impossible to change. It was touching.
He heard the screams before he noticed the smoke or the smell. He turned and was stunned by what he saw
The palace was on fire.
He first thought of Darun, then of Cheiron and the library. He dropped his sword and ran at full speed to where people were crowding around the castle. He shouted as he ran.
"DARUN! LORD CHEIRON!"
He spotted Lord Cheiron, and ran to his side. The Royal Historian looked relieved when he saw him, and he gave him a hug.
"Have you seen Darun?"
Lord Cheiron shook his head.
Narcasse pulled away, against the other's protest, and ran off. He ran through the crowd, screaming his friend's name. When he grew tired from running, he resorted to simply yelling. "DARUN!"
Someone touched his shoulder. Narcasse spun around. When he realized who it was, he leaned over and gave Darun a fierce hug.
"Hey," Darun said, his gaze back on the castle. He handed Narcasse a cup of water.
"What happened?"
"I got your water and then came out when I noticed the ashes falling. I looked up and then I saw the fire and I tried to go back in, but the guards wouldn't let me." Darun scowled at the castle, unhappy.
Narcasse gasped. "You tried to go BACK in! Why?"
Darun pointed to a part of the castle that was currently burning. "That's Prince Hirumes' room. I wanted to make sure he was okay." He looked worried. "I hope he's okay. If I had noticed sooner, I would've been able to run back in and look for him."
Narcasse bit his lip. His mind wandered on the various things he wanted to say to his friend: how worried he had felt when he thought that Darun might have gotten killed because of him, how stupid Darun was to want to go back, how glad he was that Darun wasn't able to, how idiotic it was to be so willing to throw away your life for a family that couldn't care less about you, how he wished Darun wasn't so damn noble and loyal because it could get him killed one day. When he finally spoke, his voice shook slightly. "Loyalty to the Royal Family?"
Darun looked at him, puzzled. "Of course."
Narcasse drank his water, which tasted awful because it was full of ashes. Evidently, Darun had not noticed the condition of the water in all the excitement. Narcasse drank it anyway, savoring the bitter taste of ashes mixed with the refreshing liquid.
Afterwards, it was announced that Prince Hirumes had died in the fire, and with King Osiris' death only a month before, Prince Andragoras became King Andragoras, the sixteenth King of Palse.
At King Andragoras' coronation ceremony, the king insisted that all of the palace servants, workers, and nobles swear fealty to him. He commanded this of all the lords in Palse as well, even those who lived elsewhere. And so it came to pass that King Andragoras' coronation ceremony was one of the longest in recorded history.
After waiting half a day to kneel for a mere two minutes with Lord Cheiron in front of the king, Narcasse was finally able to leave. He wandered down the main hall, wondering when Darun's turn would be. He wanted to watch.
Aside from the Prince's room and those adjacent to it, most of the palace had escaped damage from the fire. With sudden realization, Narcasse stopped and looked at one of the large murals in the hallway.
It was a beautiful piece of art. It stretched from one side of the hall to the other, and displayed one of the most famous legends of Palsian history: the battle between the evil snake king, Zahak, and the great Palsian king, Kai Hoslo. At the center of the piece was the mythical sword, Ruknabard, now said to be lost somewhere in Mount Demavont, where the snake king had been sealed. Kai Hoslo here was depicted as a young man with raven black hair and a dazzling smile.
Narcasse admired the painting. The prince's room had been above this area of the hallway, yet the painting was still in tact. Since it's commission by King Derus, the fourteenth King of Palse, and it's creation by Mani, Palse's greatest artist, it had lasted for over two generations of Palsian kings. Narcasse realized that the painting was not affected by King Osiris' death or by the death of Prince Hirumes. Even after Andragoras died, no doubt, the painting would continue to exist.
It was a perfect moment of epiphany. Narcasse stared at the piece, realizing that King Andragoras' coronation did not affect it in the least. Nor did the fire or the passage of time change it. Instead, Kai Hoslo still continued to smile, and the work continued to remind its viewers of his legend.
Narcasse decided that he wanted to paint works of art too.
He did not know how long he stood there, staring at it. Someone greeted him. Startled out of his reverie, Narcasse blinked in surprise and turned to the intruder. It was Darun. Narcasse smiled at him and blinked a few more times, his eyes feeling all too dry from staring.
Darun frowned. "Something wrong?"
Narcasse continued to blink, trying to moisten his eyes. And suddenly they felt too moist. It hit him then: how petty all his problems were, how small everything was, how trivial his worries and fears had been, and how insignificant he was compared to this work of art. How silly it had been for him to be afraid for Darun, when one day they would all die regardless, while the painting would continue to last for generations after they had passed away. It would last until the Palsian civilization ended, as all great civilizations did. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but found he could not think of the words to convey what he felt. He bit his lip in concentration. Giving up, he simply shook his head and wiped at his eyes with his sleeves. When he was done, he looked back up at his friend.
"How was taking the oath?"
Darun pondered the question before answering. "I swore that I would be loyal to King Andragoras and his heirs. Nothing more than that."
Narcasse nodded, knowing what it meant for Darun to swear loyalty to someone. He had seen evidence of that when they had first met.
Darun stared at him for a moment, looking thoughtful. "You know what, Narcasse? I've decided."
Narcasse gave him a puzzled look. "Decided what?"
Darun grinned. "I decided that if I can swear mywhat was it that Uncle Vaphreze said? ´Everlasting devotion and loyalty' to the king, then I can swear it to people that I care about."
Narcasse did not understand what the other was saying. "Good for you. You do that."
Darun smiled, pleased with himself.
In three year's time, King Andragoras presented his heir, Prince Arslan, to the world.
And although he had already sworn allegiance to King Andragoras before, Darun made another vow of loyalty to Prince Arslan.
notes: Mani is the artist that Narcasse claimed he was the reincarnation of, when he first introduced himself to Silvermask.
version 2 also edited by Shrenee. Thanks!