Chapter Seven, The Lost Throne
"Sharapuur!" I blurted.
"Perhaps we should discuss this over breakfast…" Dusk suggested, gathering together the coals and some fresh firewood. I could only nod at the notion, standing up, stretching, to put away my gear. Soon, stew and flatbread were steaming away. After we sat down, Dusk related one of his many tales of his homeland to me.
"Sharapuur, Umbra, is a complex land. A land of few resources, burning deserts, sandstone, and uncivilized areas the size of this continent. It is not a place to be taken lightly." Dusk related.
"I gathered as much from my Grandfather's books." I replied. "More than half of the poisonous snakes and lizards in his journals are from Sharapuur."
"You're correct. Only the jungle continent of Oona has more poisonous snakes and insects. But unlike Oona, Sharapuur has almost no fresh water on the surface. In some places, the sand is the only thing to be seen in every direction for many miles." Dusk explained.
"And Grandfather used to live there? Even before he destroyed the Kingdom of Sauvin?" I asked.
"Ahh, I see he has related his last, and most famous, tale to you." was all Dusk could say for a moment, before recovering. "Yes, he grew up there, in the stinging sands and burning heat. It is where I met him, and your parents." Dusk revealed.
"You knew my parents?!" I couldn't hold back my anticipation.
"Briefly, yes." Dusk replied, waving back my questioning look. "I met them as they were leaving to live here. Your mother was carrying you at the time, and they rightly feared for your health, and their own. Your father wanted nothing to do with your Grandfather, and saw to it that he and your mother moved to a part of the world far away from war and politics." Dusk explained, opening his hands to show the forest around him as an example.
"Of course, your Grandfather was saddened at this, and decided he might try to give up his calling in life, that he might come to know his grandchild…" Dusk looked at me emphatically. "But then, I guess Otto and his band found your parents anyway…" at this, Dusk became silent.
"And then my Grandfather raised me. But I wonder why they didn't kill me too…" I wondered, questioning the logic.
"Probably because your Grandfather got to them before they could finish…" Dusk prompted.
"Oh! Yeah, I guess that's possible." I said, letting this newfound possibility sink in.
"He then decided to stay and raise you as his own, of course, which caused several very interesting events to transpire in Sharapuur." Dusk continued, after I looked at him again.
"Events?" I asked.
"Well, you can't just pick up and leave a country you rule by force of will and not expect a power struggle to ensue." Dusk chuckled at this. "Maybe the old bastard did it on purpose…" Dusk said all of a sudden, coming to some kind of realization. "Hmm…" he said, looking at me in a new light. "Well, regardless, the past is the past, and the future is the future. But I'll tell you this; You'd better hone those killing skills of yours if you plan on living long enough to claim back your lost throne…" Dusk said, and with that, he stood up to clear away breakfast.
