"Your Majesty!" Papa said bowing in respect before the huge King_the men of Domidus are warriors hence their sizes. He was seated elegantly on his throne and his gold crown was laced with precious stones of different kind. I couldn't really describe his face because he was seated in a dark corner of the room.
"Lord Onima!" Said he happily.
"It's just Onima now, my Lord." Papa corrected in his usual low voice. "Lord Dextrus said you wanted to see me, here I am!" Added Papa going straight to the point.
"The Crown Prince of Berlanus has declared war on us, I want you to fight alongside Lord Dextrus like old times!" Replied the King, happiness obvious in his voice.
"I am retired, your Majesty!" Father bowed. My brother, Dolan, shifted a bit to peep better from the window we hid at but hit me with his butt and I fell on my elbow. I quickly got up so I could catch every word. I ignored his clumsiness though annoyed by it.
The King laughed heartily, his chest vibrating as he did. "You never said no to war in the past, why have you changed all of a sudden?"
"I beg to decline your offer my King! I swore an oath that I would never go to battle again," Said Papa before turning round to leave.
"You might be retired but your anger and your stubbornness stays with you." Said the King after Papa.
As Papa approached the door, we got out of our hiding place and sneaked out just as we had sneaked in through the bell room.
Papa's footsteps stopped right in the hallway and we stopped as well. We hid behind a pillar as we heard another footstep approaching. It was Lord Dextrus. I recognized his graceful figure. The way he placed his hands behind his back and raised his head up in the sky. I couldn't get a clear look on his face as the candles have not been lit but I could tell he had that tiny smile on his face.
"I heard the young Prince have fire burns!" Said he starting the conversation. "He is very stubborn just like you were..." He paused, "many years ago."
"I cannot go to battle anymore, I am old!" Papa only said.
"So you choose to believe, you alone slaughtered a whole village in anger, you've fought and won wars, villages, warriors and men fear at your name..."
"That was then Dextrus I will not talk about this again!" Papa raised his voice for the first time. Papa left him angry no doubt.
"There was a survivor!"
Papa stopped right in his tracks.
"And that is our young Prince, Onima. He seeks revenge on the one who slaughtered his people. Whether you go to battle or you hide in that little house of yours he's coming for you and he will slaughter everyone like you did his people. And he will make you burn before he ends you."
"How?" Papa asked almost breaking into tears_his voice said so.
"You left him to burn, but I could not watch a child die before my very eyes. He was halfway burnt when I saved him. I took him to Berlanus and gave him to a nurse who would nurture him."
The palace maid soon brought fire to light up the candles in the palace hallway so my brother and I left. We're almost caught be the palace maid, "Oh palace rats," said she. "I'm going to light up the candles soon then I will catch you and feed you to the tigers!" Spoke she not knowing we weren't rats. Immediately she left, my brother and I sneaked out just as we had sneaked in.
Papa came home later, Dolan was in the library scribbling things onto papers like he does everyday. I never bothered to check what was written on the paper, not like I cared. I was in the living room_I sat on a mat by the fireplace mending torn clothes. I did it every night.
The door swung open and in came Papa. His head was down on his chest as usual. I turned my head to the door the moment he stepped in. For a second or two I thought he was high in spirit because he looked unkept than before but Papa hardly drank. He hardly ever did anything. He was a sad man and preferred to be alone all the time.
Ever since Dolan and I were born we've lived with dad and we're used to him now.
"Would you want to eat dinner now?" Asked I.
"No, I would love to sleep now!"
"Goodnight Papa!" I whispered. He never answered that, in fact he despised hearing us say anything good. Once again, I was left alone.
YOU ARE READING
Shackled In Memories And Other Stories
Short StoryA warrior angrily slaughters people of a small village because they were said to have murdered his wife and sister. Years later a survivor from the slaughter decides to avenge the death of his village. After years of being haunted by the memories of...
