The weight of the day settled upon Jai as he ascended the stairs to his chambers. The familiar comfort of his room offered a brief reprieve. He shed the formal attire, a silent gesture of his exhaustion, and slid beneath the covers. Sleep came quickly, a deep, restorative plunge into unconsciousness.
It wasn't a sudden shock, but a gentle, persistent tug that woke him. A voice, warm and familiar, was calling his name, urging him awake. Jai blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and sat up in bed. Standing by the door, framed by the soft, warm light of the hallway, was James, and peeking from behind his leg was little Arthur.
"Rise and shine, Minister," James said with a good-natured grin. "Dinner is ready. Come on, let's go eat before they start without us."
Jai nodded, the fog of sleep slowly lifting. He rose, splashed cold water on his face in the attached bathroom, and made his way downstairs.
The dining hall was alight with candles, the air thick with the comforting aroma of roasted meats and spices. King Borin and Queen Morlin were already seated.
As Jai entered, the King, perhaps trying to lighten the mood, gave a mock-formal greeting. "Ah, the esteemed Minister arrives! Do take a seat."
A ripple of laughter went around the table, but Jai's face remained a mask of contemplation. He managed a strained, "Thank you, your Highness," the words escaping him almost subconsciously.
The King's jovial expression faded as he took in Jai's pallor. "What has happened to your face, young man? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Jai forced a small, weary smile. "It's nothing, your Highness. Just the strain of taking up the teaching job again after so long. It's... quite stressful." He moved to the chair Zayn pointed to and sat down, his gaze distant.
The dinner began in a strained silence, only punctuated by the clinking of cutlery. Finally, Jai broke the tension, his voice low but firm, the question having festered in his mind all evening.
"Mr. Highness," Jai began, his fork poised above his plate. "I understand I may not have the authority to ask this, but you appointed me a Minister, and I feel I must. Where were you all this time? And why did you not seem... scared or even sad that your daughter was kidnapped by mysterious people? We were there to save her, yes, but what if she was found dead?"
The room went silent. The air crackled with hostility.
Zayn reacted instantly, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword. In a flash of steel, the blade was drawn and pressed against Jai's throat.
"Remove the sword, Zayn! Now!" King Borin's voice boomed, sharp and undeniable.
Zayn hesitated for a agonizing second, then slowly lowered the weapon, his eyes blazing with protective fury.
The King sighed, the weight of a thousand years seemingly settling on his shoulders. "The point, Jai, is that I lost the capacity for sadness and fear a long, long time ago. I lost it when my own brothers betrayed me."
He raised his right hand, slowly turning it palm-up. It was a mosaic of old, faded scars, a testament to countless battles. "See this hand?" he said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "This is the hand that has slain countless men, beasts, and all manner of species. It has even killed... its own child."
The words hung in the air, a devastating blow. Zayn and the Queen lowered their heads in collective grief, while Jai and James stared, their faces frozen in stunned shock.
"So, you see," the King concluded, his hand dropping to the table. "This hand, and my heart, do not feel pain anymore."
"Your Highness," Jai asked, his tone now subdued and respectful, "I thought you only had one son and one daughter. Who is this child you speak of?"
King Borin leaned back, a dark cloud settling over his features. "My first son is not Zayn," he began, his voice a gravelly whisper of memory. "My first son was Zeron. He was immensely intelligent and strong, but he was also consumed by selfishness, and, truth be told, he was not favored in looks."
"Then Zayn was born, and his mother died shortly after. Zayn was a human, and he was beautiful. Zeron grew jealous and deeply sad, convinced that his mother's death was Zayn's fault. Adding to his bitterness, he only awakened fire powers, while Zayn showed the potential for three separate powers. The jealousy festered."
After his mother died, I married Morlin, the woman who had brought a quiet light back into my life, and soon after, we were blessed with a daughter. When I held the infant up—a perfect, fragile thing with my wife's dark eyes—and declared her name, Morisa, I saw the last vestiges of his control snap. Zeron was instantly furious, his grief-fueled hatred exploding into a blinding rage, and he moved with terrifying speed, desperate to instantly kill me.
The King paused, his eyes glazing over. "He convinced himself that I would pass the crown to Zayn. He got even more furious So, Zeron started a rebellion. He turned all my relatives against me and had them betray my trust. His plan was to kill me and seize the crown, for tradition dictates that the one who defeats the King or the strongest member of the family can take the next generation's crown."
"One fine night, Zeron led all my treacherous relatives to attack the palace. They slaughtered the guards and murdered two ministers. Then, Zeron came for me. My wife, Morlin, and I fought them all off. But we never knew... we didn't know it was my own son leading the charge."
A tear traced a path down the King's scarred cheek. "Zeron slipped away and went to Zayn's room, intent on revenge, planning to kill him first. As he stood over my sleeping son, I struck. I plunged my sword into his abdomen, his stomach, and killed him. Only after the life had drained from his body did I realize it was Zeron. It was my son, trying to kill his own brother."
The King's voice cracked. "Zayn woke up and saw everything. The shock was palpable—who would ever think their own brother wanted them dead? I laid Zeron's body to rest near his mother's grave. Then I interrogated my relatives and banished them all from the kingdom."
The King stood abruptly, pushing his chair back. He wiped the tears from his eyes with a swipe of his hand. "Please excuse me," he murmured, his voice heavy with finality, and walked stiffly upstairs to his room.
Jai felt a wave of shame for his callous questions. He turned to Zayn, a genuine apology on his lips. "I am sorry, Zayn. I was caught up in the fury of the moment, and I spoke without thinking."
Zayn gave a weary shrug. "Don't think anything of it, Jai. Honestly, I'd probably have done the same in your position."
"How long ago did this happen?" Jai asked.
"It happened when I was fifteen years old," Zayn replied.
"And how old was your brother then?"
"He was nineteen years old."
Jai narrowed his eyes, a strange thought clicking into place. "Just one last question, if you don't mind. Was he a human like us, or was he a dwarf?"
Zayn looked at Jai, his expression hardening with suspicion. "He looked like a dwarf, just like my father. Why are you asking all these questions?"
"Just out of curiosity," Jai replied smoothly, though the suspicion lingered between them.
Jai then turned and called for James. "James, come to my room. I need to ask you something important."
Later, after tucking little Arthur into bed, James entered Jai's room. "Alright, what is it?" he asked, a hint of impatience in his voice. "What do you want?"
Jai's facade broke. He gripped James's arm, his eyes burning with intense frustration. "Why did you ask for that kind of wish?"
James pulled back, confused. "What? I just wanted to make sure you got a good gift! Why did you look at little Arthur like that?"
"I wanted to ask the wish for Arthur first," James explained, "but I also wanted to do you a favor at the same time, so I asked for a wish that benefited both of you."
"Your wish," Jai hissed, "made my entire plan fucked up!"
"Why? What did I do? Just because I asked a wish for you, is that such a big mistake?"
Jai reached out, tapping James's head twice, a gesture meant to calm both of them. "Listen. I think that new principal, Abinay, has some connection to the Shadow Ledger. I think that guy... is Vystan himself."
James's eyes widened. "How can you confirm that?"
"Look for yourself," Jai replied, his voice sinking to a conspiratorial whisper. "We are all in disguise, hiding from each other, even from ourselves. I wanted to observe his actions, to uncover his true identity without him knowing I was onto him. Your wish brought him into the open too soon, making him aware of my attention."
James nodded, the gravity of the situation settling in. "Don't worry," he vowed. "I'll chase him and uncover him before the entire kingdom."
"Good," Jai said. James looked toward the window where the sky was turning a deeper shade of night.
"Alright, it's getting late. And remember, tomorrow is your first official day as a Minister for this kingdom." With that, James left the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
Jai got into his bed. He reached into his magical storage necklace and withdrew a small, worn photograph. It was a picture of a woman with elven-like ears and long blond hair the same shade as his with a charming green ball, wearing a charming green dress. He was standing proudly beside her.
Then, he thinks "Her eyes were the kind of green that you rarely saw outside of a fairy tale. Not the pale, washed-out shade of dried moss, but a deep, vivid hue—the color of old emeralds warmed by candlelight, or of a hidden forest pool on a summer afternoon."
His heart ached as he gazed at the image.
'Emma,' he thought, the name a silent prayer. 'It's been five years since I last saw you. I wish I could meet you right now.'
He placed the photograph carefully on his chest, a paper-thin connection to a past life, and finally drifted into sleep.