Garinor decided his best option was to enter the camp and to announce his presence. He didn’t want to chance any danger by sneaking off and perhaps being captured as a spy.
He knew it was risky, but Garinor dismounted the horse and led it into the area on foot. He was hailed by a sentry as he approached.
“I am Garinor and I am on my way to the north.”
“I see,” said the sentry. “You may not pass this way, however. There is danger ahead.”
Garinor had expected as much. “How long will I be stuck?”
“Come,” the man said, calling someone over to tend to the horse. He walked Garinor deep into the center of the camp, where a well-dressed man was finishing a plate of food. “Sire, a visitor.”
The color drained from Garinor’s face as he looked at the prince sitting right in front of him. His whole journey was plagued with pursuit by the prince who wanted him dead, and now he had calmly walked into his camp.
The prince had a similar look on his face when he saw Garinor, but he composed himself quickly, setting down his plate and rising to his feet. “Welcome, friend,” he greeted. “How fortunate you have found me.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond, but he knew he needed to be polite. “Yes, indeed,” he said shakily. “Thank you for welcoming me in.”
“Come, let us speak.” He made a gesture to someone nearby and they went into the prince’s silk tent. The prince poured out some wine as his chamberlain entered with a plate of food for Garinor, then left them alone.
The prince sighed and smiled warmly. “I am glad that you have come,” he opened. “I recently learned of a miscommunication and I was afraid that you might have been killed. I assure you, that was never my intention, and so I am glad that you are safe.”
Garinor stared at him, perplexed. And he knew he shouldn’t say it, but he had to. “Wouldn’t it be better for you if I was dead?”
The prince sat down and stared at Garinor. “Then you have heard of the prophecy.”
“Yes.”
The prince sipped his wine but he appeared to be calm as he responded. “That saves me some time explaining it to you, then. Yes, I understand how you would think that your death would be better for me in the long term, but I disagree. If you were to die before we meet at the scepter, then the truth would be forever buried. And aside from that, you must understand that even if it meant losing my chance to rule this land, I could not outright murder a boy.”
Garinor nodded, not sure what to think. He absentmindedly took a bite of food from the plate in front of him and said nothing.
“My father, the king, has known of the prophecy for some time, but he did not reveal it to me until more recently. Since then, I have been trying to find the heir and to speak with him about the course of our future. Through many avenues, my father, the king, has sought the identity of the heir, without success. He hired many Seers and soothsayers to bestow their wisdom unto him, and little by little he was able to piece together the basic location, south of the castle in an unrenowned village. It was only a week ago, however, that one such teller of fortunes could provide us with an image of his likeness.” He paused for a moment. “As you must already know, that likeness was of you.”
Garinor had known, but hearing it again sent shivers through him. He was the heir to the kingdom. It was his eventual duty to run the entire country and to see to the welfare of its inhabitants.
“I see a ghost in your eyes,” the prince said. “It is a grave responsibility, ruling a kingdom, seeing to trade with other nations, enacting justice for the good of the land. My father has done well through the years to keep us in peace and I look forward to doing the same. But to do so, I need your help.”
Garinor frowned. “I don’t understand. If I’m the heir—”
“Yes, I know. You were born to a king and queen at the end of their reign and you were raised in a village without any thoughts of taking the throne. Perhaps in games,” he conceded, “but not in earnest. I, however, have been groomed to the task and I would ask you to consider a bargain.”
Garinor set down his goblet of wine, wondering where this was going.
“It is said that the heir will choose one to wield the scepter, and that the one who does so will choose the ruler. I have spent my life knowing that one day I would take my father’s place, and thus I have witnessed countless court proceedings and negotiations. I understand the importance of the daily workings of this country. How the revenues generated in Kallinoria impact the lives of those living in Teltiar and Fellanin. Even distant Urdill to the west is a vital region with abundant resources that contribute to the health of this great kingdom.
“I see it like a giant woven tapestry, where all the threads are important, but once together, they create a miraculous vision. I would strive to enhance that vision and to improve the trade routes with other countries and to protect our land at the same time. I honor peace. But to live in a truly peaceful land, I must ask your protection.
“Your highness,” the prince bowed his head, “I ask that you let me resume my life’s work and give to me the right to rule this land. In exchange, I will personally see to your welfare and that of your family and closest friends. I would ask also for you to join my counsel and to be the voice of others like yourself, of villages such as yours, whose voices are not always heard properly. I wish to unite this land in harmony. To do so, I need your assistance.”
Garinor didn’t know what to say. The exchange proposed by the prince sounded ideal. It would give him a chance to offer his input, but he wouldn’t have the burden of ruling the entire kingdom. The major woes of the land would be the prince’s to tend with, and Garinor and his family could live as they desired. It was a tempting offer.
“Think on it this evening, friend. Though I do hope that we can come to an agreement soon. For, we are not far from the cavern that houses the scepter and the sooner we know our destinies, the sooner we can bring them to life. Sleep here this night,” he said. “We travel on in the morning, but perhaps we could speak before then about where your thoughts lead you.”
Garinor watched the prince as he bowed himself out of the tent. He was disturbed only once when his plate was removed later, but otherwise he sank back into the lush cushions and wondered what it would be like running an entire kingdom versus taking a side role and having the chance to offer vital input to the liege instead.
Through the night, Garinor thought about all the duties that were necessary for running a kingdom. He dwelled on the childish aspects for a while—wearing a fancy robe and commanding others to do his bidding—but his practical side kicked in and opened his eyes wider. Thoughts whirled about what his mother went through tending to the house, especially when his father was off on business. She needed to feed the three children, clean up properly, send them off to their studies, replenish the stock of food, and prepare various articles for when his father would return. She also minded a store some days and needed to work everything around that as well.
It wasn’t that the children were idle, either. Each had a set of chores they needed to complete every day, which they usually did. He remembered times, though, such as when his younger sister had been injured and she couldn’t move around and her tasks were divided among him and his brother. It made things so much more difficult and he remembered how exhausted he had been at the end of those days.
He expanded that vision from running a house to managing an entire kingdom and his brain couldn’t fathom it. He knew beyond a doubt that he wasn’t capable of keeping tabs on countless tasks, and even the simplified picture the prince had painted for him was overwhelming. Perhaps he was descended of a past king, but he didn’t feel like he could rise up if it was thrust upon him.
A stray thought entered his mind then and it was this that bothered him the most through the night. If he was the heir to the throne, then his family had lied to him for his entire life. His parents were not his parents and his siblings were not his siblings. He didn’t know what that all meant to him, but it left him feeling shaken, betrayed, and lonely.
He tossed and turned through the night and at the base of it all, he knew he had a decision to make.