(TRC) Rhyme and reason-3
5.The consequences the king had tried to avoid happened soon enough. Perhaps, mused Fai, the advisor should be the royal fortuneteller instead? His prediction had been surpisingly accurate; barely a day after his uncle had been ‘martyred’ for his ‘duty to the nation’, the people had finally decided they had had enough of the king.
As he was led to the drawing room, wrists firmly held in an iron grip and feet cold from walking barefoot, Fai wondered if he would be let free if he said he had been none too happy about the death of his uncle too. Then, as he entered the lit-blindingly so-room, he saw the faces of the people present and concluded that no, he didn’t think the men who invaded the palace would even be willing to listen in the first place.
He was forced down into a chair beside his parents, and at his arrival his mother had gasped and hugged him to her tightly. “Fai!” she cried into his ear, nails digging into his arms and lace from her nightgown tickling his neck. “They didn’t do anything to you, did they? Are you hurt? Are you-“
A hand shoved his mother away from him, and Fai blinked, still dazed. He saw the empty fireplace out of the corner of his eye, and even as his subconscious railed at him for being ridiculous, he wished that it was lit, or that he had gone to bed in his dressing gown as well. The situation was just too surreal to think straight.
“It’s about time we had a talk, wouldn’t you say, o king?” A white-haired man stepped forward, to stand in front of the royal family. Under the glare of the chandelier and surrounded by the gold and antiquity of the drawing room, he looked rather of place. Only the haughty tilt of his chin redeemed him. The man opened his mouth to speak, then paused. “Perhaps we should wait for your second son to arrive. We wouldn’t want to repeat things, hmm?”
Fai was awake enough to register that there was trouble coming and tensed, heart plummeting into his stomach. Oh…
The wooden double doors burst open, and a tall man walked in. He looked around the room, frowning, and Fai saw his red eyes glare hard at him, as if blaming him for something. Sure enough, the new arrival growled loud enough for the whole room to hear, “We couldn’t find the other prince. He isn’t anywhere in the castle.”
Fai’s heart slid further down his gut.
The white-haired leader turned back to the king again, amused. “Why only hide one and not both? But seriously, your Majesty, let’s make this easier for all of us. Produce the twin and let us quickly finish up with as little pain as possible.”
The present twin darted a glance at his parents. His mother was staring straight into space, and Fai wondered if she had even heard the threat. The king was staring at his own clenched fists. Neither spoke. Then,
“There never was a twin. It was a lie fabricated right from the start.” Fai found his numb lips moving on their own. “To sway the country with the old myth of twins that brought luck. There never was a second prince. Just me.” As he finished, Fai mentally congratulated himself for keeping his voice steady, but his right fingers-the crushed ones-twitched nonetheless.
Silence again as the rebels and the king processed the new information. The lie was easily believable, frankly because the public had never seen the princes before-the war had prevented public celebrations and processions-and the second part was partially true. The king had announced that the birth of Yuui and Fai augured luck for the whole of Celes, as over-excited first-time fathers are bound to.
To Fai’s left, the queen had begun giggling under her breath.
“So,” said the leader slowly, “the ‘luck’ you claimed fifteen years ago…was just another lie?” He shook his head, like a schoolteacher disappointed with a naughty child, a child who told tales. “Just another lie, to add on to all the lies you’ve fed the nation? You pathetic king.” And as quick as a flash, he reached out and boxed the king in the face.
“Sorry,” he breathed. “But that was on the behalf on the entire country.”
The king just continued to keep his head bowed, blood trickling from his lip to fleck his clothes with red. Pleased with himself, the man decided to finish up. “Well, never mind that then, shall we, comrades? It’s just one less person to guard on the trip to the border.”
The king jerked upright, staring. The queen just laughed harder, more shrilly. Fai chewed silently on his tongue, waiting.
“Oh, I mustn’t get ahead of myself.” The leader had noticed the reaction his words had gotten. “I forgot to tell you, we’ve arranged an exchange of sorts with our enemy. We give them the royal family to deal with as they like; they end the war once and for all. Sounds good, doesn’t it, your Majesty? Makes you wonder why you didn’t think of it before, hmm?”
Fai’s father had returned to looking at his fists. His knuckles were so white Fai thought they would pop. “Who’s ‘we’?” whispered the king hoarsely.
“Your advisors and us, of course.” The man gestured around the room. Fai corrected his earlier thoughts about the chief advisor. Funny how the only sane man-the only sane eyes in the palace after the death, a sympathetic smile-would do something as crazy as this. Or maybe it was the decision of a sane man that seemed insane to a prince who was just as crazy as his parents? Fai’s thoughts didn’t make much sense anymore, so he willed himself to stop thinking.
“In any case,” concluded the man, “say goodbye to your throne, your Majesty. Literally, because I am taking over from now on.” Then he remembered to add without missing a beat, “Surrounded by my fellow comrades, of course. Of course.”
At this the queen started to cry, her laughter burbling out between sobs. With her hands pulling at her hair and pale lips twisted in her hysterics, Fai’s brain was able to dimly note that she no longer resembled his mother. But the most painful thing was the whispered “thank you” of his father, walking past him as he was led out first.
Fai closed his eyes tight as the man with the red eyes grabbed his wrists and dragged him to the door.