Some notes before reading:
1. This chapter features large blocks of character development, but as I'm sure you'll know by the time you finish reading it, the plot picks up at the end.
2. While Ayuthay's crisis with Bilibin was inspired by current events, it wasn't based on them. Neither country's situation is intended to seem like that of any real-life country. As for Amiti's views on the issue, they're only here for character development (and based on his canon worldviews, such as on pirates). Though I might revive it later, it probably won't be important to the plot, so don't feel bad about skimming it if you're here for the action.
3. Remember to review. I really like reviews.
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CHAPTER 2: PHANTOMS IN THE NIGHT
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Deep in the night, Ayuthay hotel
Rief knew the face peering down at him – and hated it.
"Wakey, wakey", that scum cooed.
Rief struggled to get up, but was pinned down. He tried to cry for help, but Alex's hand was grasping his throat, and nothing came out.
"Relax. I could have killed you easily by now. I don't intend to do you any harm."
Sure you don't, that's why you're pinning me down and strangling me... wouldn't you just let me breathe?
He struggled and thrashed, but Alex's iron grip only strengthened.
"Now if you'll only listen to what I have to say…"
How can I listen? I need to air to stay alive! Let me breathe!
"I will let you breathe," Alex said, as he loosened his grip, while still maintaining the position of his hands.
Rief breathed in, feeling almost grateful. Maybe I can free myself, slowly… he thought.
"However", Alex said, with a twinkle in his eyes, "you won't want to squirm. I will notice any movement, no matter how small."
Is he actually reading my mind?
"And" he continued, "I will confiscate your breath again if you resist me."
There must be some way… I can't just surrender like this.
"I can put you through a world of pain… but if you hear me out, I will leave you in peace."
Rief decided to just let Alex say his spiel. Alex had all the power in this situation. He had control of Rief's breathing. There was no point in resisting.
Alex took a long breath, like he was disciplining a misbehaving child.
"I came to bring to you a message: you will find me at the base of the highest peak in the land of the white doe."
What the heck sort of riddle was that?
"Now, sleep, boy", Alex said. Rief felt a sharp tap on his skin, and then it went black.
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Deep in the night, Amiti's chamber
Amiti laid in his bed, awake. The heat and humidity weren't the problem; heavy slabs of stone weighing down on his mind were.
He had to stop thinking about that same thing, over and over again, if he wanted to get any sleep at all. Anything but this.
Amiti decided that this had been a major day in his life- it marked the end of his time with his adept friends. It had flown by, and it had probably been the best time he had ever had… and would ever have.
He remembered clearly the day he had first met them, when they had entered the city with Baghi's tree flute (that had also been the day Uncle told me I actually had a father…). He had then accompanied them as they searched for the Sand Prince and ventured into the Barai temple. They had laughed with him, fought alongside him, and seen him as a peer. It was so much unlike life as prince of Ayuthay, and so much better. He hadn't wanted to part with them. Once he had obtained the Insight Glass, he had searched frantically for reasons to extend their time together. It was a fortunate coincidence that they needed his Insight ability for their quest, which did indeed serve Ayuthay's interests in no small way. Even then, Uncle didn't seem to approve, leaving him no choice but to threaten to leave without Uncle's blessing. Amiti wondered for a moment why he had been so determined to leave with them.
It wasn't because I was desperate to be with them, Amiti thought, though he was very fond of them. In Ayuthay, he had no real peers, and was thoroughly outlandish, given his powers as an adept and his appearance. While his countrymen were dark-skinned with black or brown hair, he had pale skin and his hair was, of all things, blue. It wasn't enough to be a good person- a prince had to be flawless. Held to such a high standard, he had to watch his tongue and his behavior at all times, and he never had time to relax. And unlike a commoner, he was forced to speak often, and couldn't withdraw when he wanted. Some people, he figured, are very extroverted and live like that easily, but not me.
Amiti felt like he failed to be the person he was commanded by the court to be. He lacked his uncle's charisma. He stood below average height (and far below average royal height), and had finished growing. Sure, people like Rief thought of him as cultured, but he was incapable of the diplomatic doublespeak of rulers- and his status meant that public attention was always on him, so any gaffe or slip of the tongue he made would never be forgotten.
He always worried that the "love" commoners showered him with was feigned out of fear and deference. At the very least, except for when he had been a small child, it was impossible to interact normally with commoners. They couldn't relate to him when they were preoccupied with repeated bowing. And behind the front of hailing the prince, Amiti had always feared that the commoners despised the court, including himself, for its total disregard of their welfare, especially during the famine.
The noble children also used honorifics when talking to him, but sometimes he heard something else in their voices:. Either jealousy, disdain, or both. Often when walking among them, he swore he heard his name and swore he heard laughter, and he was sure they were laughing at him. It didn't help that when he was younger, the king's advisors often told him that nobles' children laughed at him, trying to make him behave how they preferred him to. As they grew older, this sense of the nobles' children disdaining him vanished, but he figured they had simply grown into mature, treacherous nobles like their parents. Amiti had seen how the nobles smiled and acted like they were the King's most loyal subjects in his presence while plotting how to manipulate him behind his back. Now their children were doing the same with him, he was sure of it. Amiti, in fact, returned their feelings – if they saw him as unworthy, he saw them as stuck-up and corrupt.
The foreign princes and princesses, for their part, were much like nobles, except that instead of jealousy, they treated him with derision, for both him and his kingdom. Relations between rulers' children often also mirrored relations between their countries, and accordingly Amiti's best- and only- friend was Passaj's Baghi. Their countries shared much in common: an Exathi heritage, hostility toward Kaocho, and the derision of larger and/or richer neighboring polities. The two nations considered each other allies or even "brothers". Of course, Amiti thought, he wasn't friends with Baghi just because was from Passaj. They were friends because they were fond of each other. It was comforting to have the rather pudgy and unrefined Baghi around (who admittedly, wasn't technically a 'prince'), because then Amiti wasn't alone in being imperfect.
That's why I love being with the warriors' children, Amiti thought. They don't make me work so hard to be someone I'm not. He missed them already.
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Paithos' desk, deep in the night
"…but, my king," Genvalis argued, "if we default on our loans from Bilibin, we will forever lose our reputation and will never be able to find future loaners… what happens next time Kaocho invades and we need-"
"Excuse me, my lord", said a palace maid, "the hot bath you ordered is ready."
"Excuse ME," Genvalis uttered, irked, "are you aware that you just interrupted an important strategic geopolitical discussion? I believe your king deserves an apology for your-"
But Paithos cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Thank you very much, Fiaretria. You are dismissed. Your work is done for today", he said.
Fiaretria's downtrodden face broke into a bright smile. Genvalis was appalled.
"Shall I accompany you to your bath, to discuss this essential matter?", he inquired, referring to the loans, which originated from when Ayuthay had urgently needed to borrow gold from Bilibin to pay for war materials (also from Bilibin) during the Kaocho invasion.
"Please. Let us continue our conversation," Paithos said.
"In reality," Paithos resumed, "it isn't even possible to repay Bilibin at present- we don't have enough gold in our reserves."
"Well, then, as I have told you previously," Genvalis responded, "We need to get the money."
Genvalis opened the door to the bath for his king, and continued: "To do this, we should raise taxes, and end any unnecessary uses of funds. We should stop building those roads and aiding irrelevant peasants because…"
Genvalis felt for some reason that Paithos had stopped listening to him. Paithos had better not be ignoring him…
As Genvalis entered the room, he froze in shock at what he saw. The bath had all been drained, and standing where the water should be was a black-cloaked man. Light blue hair, of a similar outrageous shade to Prince Amiti's, fell down from his hood, but his face was completely obscured. In his hand he held a scythe. He looked like death.
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Amiti's chamber
Amiti tried to think about something positive, to get himself to at last sleep. He thought, I'm glad Uncle is all better. Everyone had believed, during the Eclipse, that he had a terminal illness, but once the dark and cold went away, he recovered.
There were many reasons why Amiti feared Paithos dying. Of course, he was Amiti's uncle and also his king. But perhaps more importantly, Amiti was terrified of suddenly having Ayuthay's crown and administration thrust upon him.
Technically, it was possible the crown fall on Paithos' eldest son, Chafko, who was seven years older than Amiti. But the rumors pointed at Amiti, and Amiti dreaded the worst. Besides, Amiti had his doubts about Chafko. It would be best if Paithos just stayed alive.
Despite his 19 years and his travels with the other adepts, Amiti didn't think of himself as an adult. Because of this pampered lifestyle, if I were to be abandoned in the middle of the city, I don't know if I'd survive, he thought. How could he possibly rule a kingdom?
One voice in his head argued, but you travelled all over the continent facing and besting fearsome monsters. And another voice countered, and every night you shivered in fear of a surprise attack. And,the voice added, you could only fight bravely because you had great warriors by your side.
He couldn't blame himself, he tried to argue. His childish fears were a result his pampered upbringing. Another problem of this ridiculous culture the palace has, he thought.
But blaming culture for my problems doesn't change the fact that I could become king soon., he reminded himself. Being king was like walking on a minefield, and he was sure one wrong step could blow him up. Just one slip…
And there were so many ways to slip. Ayuthay faces so many problems, especially now. The Grave Eclipse had devastated the rice harvest, and the kingdom faced the prospect of a famine. Furthermore, not only Ayuthay had suffered, and this scarcity of resources would make conflict more likely- could he really handle that?
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Paithos' bath chamber, deep in the night
Genvalis turned and made for the door, but in vain. The door was already shut and locked.
Paithos ignored his frantic attempts to escape and watched as the man removed his hood. His face was covered with a strange – yet very familiar – silver mask.
"Long time no see, King Paithos," said Arcanus.
"What brings you here?" Paithos asked.
Arcanus smiled sinisterly. "I only wish to… borrow… your nephew."
The last time Amiti had been "borrowed" (as Tyrell had put it), he didn't return for many months. It wasn't good for Amiti to spend so much time outside Ayuthay… But, Paithos thought, Amiti was so happy. When he came back from Barai, he was smiling in a way he hadn't for years, since he was a small child…
Well this shouldn't be so bad, Paithos thought. I'm sure that Arcanus is a good man – after all, he did restore our Alchemy Well, so I owe him.
"How long will he be gone?" Paithos asked.
"I cannot say for sure. However, it is very important and will benefit Ayuthay in no small way", said Arcanus.
"Would you care to elaborate?"
Arcanus didn't.
After a long pause, Arcanus said, "I didn't come here with a request; I came to inform you of your son's departure, so you do not get a heart attack."
So much mystery, Paithos thought. It had been the same with Veriti.
"Okay", Paithos said, He didn't think Amiti was in any danger, and there was far more harm in resisting Arcanus than in cooperating. "What must I know?"
"Well, first of all, you must never tell anyone of my existence", Arcanus said. "Otherwise, Amiti's illegitimate birth would become known. Secondly, you must act like you have no idea why Amiti left…"
Paithos listened carefully to each of Arcanus' instructions. When he had finished, Paithos agreed, on the terms that it would bring peace and prosperity to Ayuthay.
Arcanus turned to Genvalis. "Oh, I forgot about you. I can't have you blabbering about anything you heard here. You will have to sleep."
Arcanus then strode over to the terrified Genvalis, and with a single stroke of his fingers, knocked the man out.
"Farewell, King of Ayuthay," he said, before exiting.
"Farewell, Arcanus," Paithos said softly, still uncertain of the situation.
"And farewell, my nephew," he said once Arcanus had left.
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Amiti's chamber
Amiti thought he heard footsteps, faintly. He decided not to focus on it. He wasn't a child and he definitely wasn't afraid of things like this. He forced himself to think of something else, a distraction from the noises.
And now, Bilibin demands Ayuthay pay back its debt. Bilibin said that it needed the gold back now or there would be "consequences." Those sympathetic to Bilibin argued that it needed the gold to help its people after the Eclipse. Amiti didn't buy it. He was sure any gold Bilibin received would go not to its people but to an invasion of Morgal, more construction on the Queen's palace, or both. Bilibin's goodwill was worthless, he thought, knowing how it betrayed its former ally Morgal. He also believed fully the rumors that Bilibin had also sold weapons to Kaocho.
The king's advisors advocated cutting spending while raising taxes on peasants, which would inflict even more suffering right after the Eclipse. In Amiti's view, the role of rulers was to protect their people from suffering, not to pay back debts. Amiti thought, if I could I'd just make those corrupt nobles pay the debt out of their own pockets, even if it bankrupts them. The masses had no blame in causing the problems, but the nobles did, because maybe if they didn't embezzle so much money from taxes, Ayuthay would be able to pay.
People, including both Paithos and Karis, had said he shouldn't take such harsh views. And Karis had actually been right about pirates. Maybe they ARE right, maybe I am too harsh, he thought. But he stopped himself. He had lived his whole life with Ayuthay's nobles, and the few good nobles were the exception to the rule rather than the norm. Maybe in other countries it was different, but Ayuthay's were just parasites – even if Paithos wouldn't approve that thought.In any case, the advisors' proposal was inconsiderate of the masses.
Amiti knew deep down that Paithos' pragmatism was more successful than his ideals would probably be. Throughout his reign, Paithos had steered the country through a number of inescapable crises and had avoided other problems blowing up by treading carefully.
This is why I can't be king, he thought, almost laughing at himself. I'd just plunge Ayuthay into civil war. Paithos makes concessions to keep the nobles loyal, but I could never put up with those self-obsessed vampires.
And, Amiti thought, if I got into a fight with the nobles, who would win? The newly-crowned king who can't do politics and must seem like some foreign water nymph, or silver-tongued nobles skilled at the arts of lies and manipulation?
Those footsteps again. They were getting louder. Is it getting closer? Amiti's biggest fear had always been assassins. Don't be absurd, he told himself, there was no assassin any of the last thousand times. Besides, wasn't it more realistic – and useful – to worry about things that might actually happen?
Amiti was actually quite concerned that given how vulnerable and inexperienced he was, the nobles would usurp him even without provocation.
Amiti wished, very strongly, that he had been the son of one of the Warriors like his old companions. Then he would have peers, wouldn't still be a pampered baby, and wouldn't have to deal with the byzantine social rules or responsibilities of the Prince. He sighed.
And then, mid breath, his sigh turned into a startled gasp. The door handle to his room was turning.
Oh, horsefeathers. There actually is one this time.
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Amiti's chamber, approaching morning.
Amiti looked at what looked to be a phantom in the night. The figure was tall, with a graceful form and a long black cloak and hood. His left hand emitted a strange light, and his right hand held a scythe. He was probably trying to look like Death, but it didn't scare Amiti – he was terrified to begin with.
He struggled to stay calm, as he frantically contemplated what to do. Strangely, the man didn't seem to be doing anything. Well, he thought, I am completely vulnerable lying down like this. He got up and moved to the corner of the room opposite the invader, gingerly and slowly, not wanting to trip, for that would surely spell his doom.
Then Amiti realized that he had just backed himself into a corner, literally. Crap, what an idiot I am. Now I have no room to evade, and nothing to block or parry with…damn it. I'll have to make the first move.
Amiti tried to muster what Psynergy he had in his exhausted state. He managed to summon a deluge of water in front of his palms, which he blasted at the man. I really hope I can finish this quickly, he thought. Or rather, I have to survive this… I must.
The dark-cloaked phantom man, however, rose his hand gracefully, and the blast of water stopped in midair. An adept. A Mercury adept.
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Next: Chapter 3 – Captive of Reason
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Author's notes:
1. I'll admit that the original reason I chose Bilibin as the country Amiti was to hate was because Bilibin had tried to cut down the forest of what he calls "the divine tree gods." (you know, Laurel and Tret)
2. As for Amiti being short, I didn't make this up. It's based on his sprite used in battle scenes, which is shorter than that of Matthew, Tyrell, Eoleo and even Karis.
3. In my view, Ayuthay is primarily the Weyard equivalent of Thailand, as evidenced by its scenery and the fact that Ayuthaya was the name of a historical Thai kingdom. However, the names of its inhabitants are consistently eastern Mediterranean- Amiti and Veriti's names are Latin, and Paithos was Greek (in google translate, it returns "python"). I continued the trend:
*Genvalis comes from Turkish genel vali, viceroy
*Fiaretria comes from Greek ypiretria, servant girl
*Chafko comes from Albanian qafkë, heron.