Ioan’s POV
When fathers don’t get a mirror reflection of their victorious selves in their kin, they tend to erase them from history. My father calls his act a punishment for my younger brother, a lesson that will weed out his flaws and mold him into the perfect prince that the Kingdom of Wallach needs. I beg to differ though but I am afraid that my voice will not fall on the right ears if I voiced my concerns.
I consider this so-called punishment a crude act that attempts to erase ‘Wallach’s weakness’ as father calls it. But my brother is no weakling and no one knows this better than I. As the oldest of the kingdom who is bound to ascent the throne, I can see through the tricks that father’s devices. Alas, I do not have the nerves to commit the cruelty that the thirsty throne seeks from the new king.
So, my loving brother takes it on himself to help me prove myself as a worthy king. Only thing is, he looks like a coward in the eyes of the king, and I, the deserving one. Just as the realization dawns on me, guilt courses through my veins, sharp as crushed spikes of glass coated in an envelope of venom.
I take a deep breath, as a stray lock of my hair frees itself from my head and falls into my eye. I stare down below to divert my attention. From, up above the balcony of the palace, everything seems drenched in dark at this hour. A few flames flicker somewhere and look like dots of orange light on a sheet of black.
I know my land like no other. Had the morning light been streaming on the city right now, it would have been bustling with life, cattle punctuating all human talk. All the brick-structured houses are arranged in rows, as if soldiers standing at attention in lines to seek the approval of their king.
Far beyond this heart of civilization is a green valley that holds the entire Kingdom’s life in its lap. Rich rivers flow on the East, whereas, life ends on the far Western side, where a desert nourishes. There are rarely any people who go beyond the city so they don’t have a taste of the sands. They only know that it is a palace of horrors. And they know right.
Just as this thought slips into the whirlpool of thoughts that invade my brain, fear raises its ugly head in my chest. It seems to grow with every beat of my heart, as the shadows that inhibit the sands. There are only a few survivors that have come back from the desert. But what I fear is the fate of my brother who is meant to be banished to this desert soon.
Somewhere in the distance, heavy chains clink and a huff sounds from the palace’s tower. It tells me that my cursed brother, Mihai is restless, and is probably unable to sleep yet again. Sleep skitters away from the edges of my mind. Today would be another long day.
