Candace:
"You prepared my bath with so much passion. Thy kindness is worthier than a million of cabochon rubies. My nostrils are relishing in the aroma of the bergamot oil you put in the cold water. However, remove the roses and the candles! I do not want any trace of light into this room henceforth. Let me drown into this thick darkness full of sorrow after my beloved. This morning, his life will be taken away.
I am greatly distressed, Ada.
Thou mayest leave, now! I will take my bath alone."
Ada:
"Mistress, it hath been three days since thou hast not eaten. Thou worriest me! Thou lovest having roses in thy bath and now thou wantest me to discard them from thy sight. I am hopeful that the King will take notice of thy suffering."
Candace:
Ada, my servant, kneels in front of the basin to take the flowers out. I slide one hand onto her shoulder and my drops of affliction break free.
"Thou mayest leave them! And I beg thee, do not try to comfort me. Let me savour the salty taste of my tears for they will be shed to mourn Arthur, the love of my life."
After a minute of reluctance, she withdraws. I unbutton my nightgown and slide the sleeves down my arms. I watch my robe slowly falling off to the floor.
My thoughts terrorize me, as I look over to the basin!
I caress my abdomen, dwelling on the future of my baby. I am currently deprived of sanity. I can't think straight. I do not even feel like striving for this little Creature forming in my womb, and less, myself. I do not want my child to end up like my brother, Amul. Father has always neglected him because of our race's influence. I will not be able to bear such injustice again! I have witnessed enough atrocities for these last twenty years of my life. Father will never change! He is not willing to protect the helpless one nor build a roof for the homeless to sleep. I even wonder if I really have his blood flowing in my veins, for I despise it. I wish I could go and shout the good news to Arthur in this critical hour. Although he wouldn't see our baby growing inside of me, he would have been overjoyed to know. He had planted the seed of our love within me whose soon to become a fruit, a proof that we were stronger than the obstacles lying in our way. But the King forbids me to leave the Castle!
I step into the basin in my undergarments. I sit there and put out the candlelight. The room plunges into darkness since I ordered Ada to place hard sheets over the windows. I close my eyes, allowing the sobs to increase. ack against the edge of the basin. I take a deep breath and dip underneath the water. I hear peace whispering into my ears. The quiet sound of the water exiles the pain away from my soul.
It shuts it down completely!
After a minute, my lungs start fighting for oxygen. Water penetrates my nose which makes it impossible to gasp for air. My heart screams with the desire of giving in. I wave my hands desperately on the surface of the water while my head tilts back with my mouth continuously forming bubbles.
I hopelessly push out my legs, as mine eyes become glassy. My body gets suddenly numb with the evident fear of drowning.
It was not intentional! I was only hoping to escape this prison. My father's Castle!
I was calling out for help and death was the one coming to my rescue.
I stretched my hand out to him, and he trapped me into his mischievous labyrinth of hopelessness.
I was too frail to reject his offer to keep me forever company.
I should have never trusted it!
I seize the basin's borders and before I could burst out of his snare and get off the deep basin, someone's hand catches my arms and pulls me upwards the water. This saves me from the tiring efforts to exit the overflowed basin.
Amul:
"Candace!" I sit her up. Her body feels damp under my hands. She gasps and spits a mouthful of water. She breathes at a speedy rate while her eyes blink shut. I hop into the basin and take her between mine arms. I carry her to the bed as I call the guards for help. They remove the sheets from the windows, then I lay her down. I take my coat off me to lay it over her. Then, I withdraw mine hands as my eyes fall onto the rounded abdominal area of my sister. I stare at her in shock, then place the coat carefully over her since she's still damp. Then, without any expectations, she touches mine hand. I release a breath of relief and draw her into a long embrace.
"Why hast thou attempted to harm thyself?" I ask, securing her head onto my shoulder.
"Candace, I am thy brother. I beg thee to speak to me about thy troubles. Thou art childing! I shall soon become an uncle. Thou puttest mine own heart in distress, at which hour I had found thee drowning."
She is unable to talk. She barely blinks at mine invitation to confide in me. I blame our father for what happened. Arthur was right! I shall not become as despicable as him.
Ada arrives, dragging the doctor along with her.
"I think she just fell unconscious! Ada, when she waketh up, tell her that we didn't find Arthur and so, he did not get hanged. Tell her nothing more!"
Ada:
"I witnessed your Majesty's beads of sorrow dripping down her round eyelids, but I was forbidden to show empathy towards her. Now, look at her! Sleeping peacefully like an angel with no wings. Her feathers used to be as splendid as a peafowl's. She was keener than any baobab tree. Her heart is currently her enemy. Love crosses its legs, sitting in the entrance of her domain causing her fall. Forgive me, my Lord! If only I didn't obey her request, then maybe she would have been safe from such insane accident."
Amul:
"Just stay with her... Ada. Do not blame thyself! Thou art, not the scapegoat. My father is! Wherefore, I will speak to him. I will make him vomit his pride and bathe him with the shame of not having control over his own household. I will always wonder why he is our King. Why is he such an atrocious ruler?"
Ada:
My lord, Amul, leaves your Majesty's room like a bear that has lost its cubs. He looks like a roaring lion, seeking to devour something. The one that leaves its lair, ready to show its sharp teeth. His anger causes the floor to tremble. I am frightened of what may come after he meets with the King! The kingdom is falling into ruin and despair. The King is stubborn and so is his son. No happy ending can be expected in such case. I can only see clashes and a rebellion ahead.
Amul:
I push out the door and enter the King's chamber.
King Haile:
"Did I summon thee? Today is a rest day for the King. Thou shall respect the decree that I've signed just like everybody else. I gave strict orders that all males and females in the entire country to not do chores today, nor feast and sleep, for someone's life will be ended."
Amul:
"May the King live forever to see the offspring of a carpenter grow from inside his empire. It is so ironic. Is it not, my King?"
King Haile:
"I command thee to speak more perspicuously."
Amul:
"Thou sits on thy throne, hiding from thine own cruelty. Thee ordered to hang Arthur and thou hast no courage to go watch him die. Thy cowardice leaves me speechless! Where is the strength that thee claims thou hast?"
King Haile:
"How darest thou to speak with so much haughtiness in the regard of thy King? Just because you are my son does not mean I won't hold charges against thee for such profanity coming out from thy lips."
Amul:
He stands up from the throne and walks towards me.
"Thine ego will kill thee!
What will you do now, since Candace is childing?
Again, there will be a mixed child on the way.
Thou will be too prideful to allow her giving birth to her baby into the castle. Thou will isolate her, so thee can protect thine image just like thee did with my mother."
King Haile:
"Silence! If thou liest to me, I will make them cut thy tongue."
Amul:
"Have I ever lied to thee, Negus?
I will call thee by thy name, for thine heart is as hard as a granite stone. It is impenetrable... Not even love can break it.
I made it mine own objective to please thee, make thee proud as I fight thine own battles. But now I refuse to be thine object of use. I resign myself from the illusion of having a father.
Not one like thee! No, I refuse."
King Haile:
"What else do you expect from me?
I fed and clothed thee.
I offered thy mother a tremendous dwelling to live with thee, beside thee being the commander of mine own army."
Amul:
"Thou may take everything, then! I accept to lose it all. I will leave thine army and I will never set my feet into thy castle again!"
I take my shield and cast it before his feet. The heavy metal bounces over the marble floor. He stares at me with wide eyes, as I push my sword into his hands. These were the first gifts that he had given me. It was when he first placed me into the Kingdom's military forces. It feels like getting a burden off my back. I have taken no rest watching after the King's safety. However, what I need has always been a father. Not a tyrannic King!
"Thou hast no compassion?
Does it hurt to hear about my mother, or hast thou fallen silent because of shame? The shame of not having control over thine own house.
As for Arthur, he has been a victim of thy prejudice, just like me. Thine own blood! But I am glad to inform thee that we didn't find him this morning. His cell was found empty.
To me, it is just a sign that thy defeat is near!
Thou shall go to Candace's room, for she nearly drowned herself to death today.
Maybe that decree wasn't a bad idea since we were going to mourn thine own daughter."
I see the panic glowing in his eyes. The sword slips off his shaking hands to the floor as his knees begin to knock together. The melody of fear fills up the King's chamber, for the sword continues with the rhythm as it hits the floor. The King walks back to his throne and sits with his face paled with discontentment and culpability. He places one hand over his forehead and the other holding his golden sceptre.
"Thy peoples will lose all trust within thee. Have no doubt about that... King Haile!"