"By ancient law, only the son born of the eldest Imperial daughter may inherit the throne"
Haniel kept tossing the little round ball upwards as he laid on the bed with his front-side turned towards the ceiling of the room. As the ball fell down back to him, he neatly caught it in his palms and threw it up again above him. He continued playing with the ball for quite some time, before turning himself swiftly to face Jorai, who was likewise laying back flat on his own bed and looking up at the ceiling.
Haniel wanted to say something to him, but when he noticed how Jorai was also pondering on something within himself, he restrained himself from speaking to him, and faced the ceiling again.
'I didn't see that Jezer guy all through today. Even when we were at the bathhouse, he wasn't with us too. I thought maybe he didn't just want to be a part of the madness we displayed in the bathhouse this morning, so, he never joined us, even that Eshek guy too, he wasn't with us during shower time' Jorai wondered aloud and then heaved a tired sigh.
'…but I guess the crown prince must be receiving a separate training from the rest of the princes, that's the only reasonable conclusion I could arrive at' he said finally and then turned to look at Haniel.
'What is it? You wanted to say something' he asked.
'The training? Does it even make sense? We just sit down all day, opposite our assigned princes, and watching them and all they have to say. Is that a part of the being a prince's Escort thing or…' Haniel queried.
'…This is just the beginning, maybe they want us to observe first and learn before we can get into the real thing.' Jorai replied sharply and nodded his head.
'And again… it's about Cael. He became so quiet since the time we came back from the training fortress.' Haniel said again, his brows knitted with worry and concern written over his face as he shifted his gaze to look over to Cael, who was laying on the largest bed in the room, and having his back turned to them; already fast asleep.
'Well, maybe everything's just too much for him right now, to take in. Considering his background, everything would most definitely appear too immense and confusing. But give it time, he'll adjust very soon…'
Jorai said, tucking the pillow under his head and turning over to cover himself properly with the warm blankets.
'…I have noticed that he is one adaptive fellow'
***********
Ethan stood motionless in front of the King's chamber, having his left hand holding his lofty sword tightly and his right hand folded into an angry fist. He was lost in his thoughts and one could vividly see the rage and fury on his face and clouding his brows.
Just then, he felt the soft tap of the emperor upon his shoulders and he jolted slightly before swiftly turning to meet with the emperor's pale countenance.
'With that look on your face, you'd definitely make everyone know that something has happened to the emperor'
The emperor said softly as he brought his hands behind his back and crossed it. He then observed the worried expression on Ethan's face and smiled assuredly to him.
'I am fine Ethan. Wipe that worry off your face'
'Your Majesty…' Ethan tried to reply weariedly but just then, a chambermaid moved quickly into the inner-court and kowtowed before the emperor in a fearful and servile manner.
'Your Majesty, your father is here to see you'
She announced and before the emperor could say anything to her, an old man; in his 70s to his 80, appeared suddenly into the inner-court, with a trail of servants and guards following behind him.
The emperor moved gradually in front of Ethan and stood for a moment, staring deep into his father's sunken eyes, then he wore on a clearly feigned smile before turning towards the chambermaid.
'Bring in the finest tea into my chamber' he commanded and after kowtowing again, the chambermaid immediately exited the inner-court.
'You didn't attend the first training of the princes'
The Old King, the previous emperor of the empire; Darrius, let out as soon as he was now seated with the ruling emperor; Ashur, in his sacred chamber. The chambermaid entered the chambers and began to serve them both with the finest tea in the empire; Xuilr, tea only known to the Imperial Family and concocted by the emperor himself.
When the chambermaid left the chamber and the two left alone, the emperor took time to study his father closely, before picking up his own cup to take a sip of his tea.
'I couldn't…'
'…What do you mean you couldn't?' the Old King snapped.
'Do you know how much conspiracy this has sparked? You brought up the idea at first, despite the warnings and advices I gave to you, you saw it to this point and now you cannot carry on with it?' he queried on
'Father, I did not say I cannot carry on with this, I meant that I wasn't able to attend the first training, and that's it. When I feel better, I would…'
'Ashur! You don't just do anything whenever you feel better or whatever. You know that all this you're doing has greatly aroused everybody, people want to see how this would go and how it would end! Those who are wishing bad and plotting wickedly against the Imperial Family are watching with their eyes wide open…'
'Father…' the emperor tried to interrupt but got cut short by the old King again.
'No, do not father me Ashur, if you really thought me as your father, then you would have heeded to my warnings! This Bid isn't a good idea, everything you're doing is just going to turn against you one day and the Imperial Family would be greatly affected!'
'Father…'
'Stop letting your feelings and emotions get into your head that you no longer know how to make wise…'
'THE RELAPSES ARE BACK FATHER!'
The emperor yelled angrily, bringing his father speechless, and the air in the chamber stilled, becoming tenser and shadier.
Silence took over in the chamber as the both of them were now mutely and intensely looking at themselves. The expressions on the Old King's face had changed to something rather guilty and scared. He slowly leaned towards the table and placed his hands on it, looking directly into the emperor's face.
'The…the relapses? When…how? Did you cough out blood? Was anyone around you when it happened?' the Old King stammered apprehensively and the emperor just nodded his head in a casual and wearied manner.
'I was on my way to the training fortress when it happened. Luckily, Ethan was the only one with me then, so no one except him saw it. And yes, there was blood, it was quite severe this time around' he replied and looked into his father's eyes. Then the Old King sprung to his feet and began to pace around the chamber.
'But…it has not returned for so many years now, five years it has been. Severe? And you say severe, I thought it meant you were getting better seeing it's never returned for five years now, but you say it's come back more severe…' he rattled and immediately, he stopped talking and walking. He quickly turned to face the emperor again and observed the look on his face.
'You weren't taking the antidotes' he let out sharply and the emperor shifted his gaze away from the Old King's stare and sighed.
'No'
'Ashur!' the Old King exclaimed.
'What, father?! What did you expect that I would do? You think I'd want to always get controlled and manipulated by you using those potions you give me! No! I would not! So, I better quit taking them'
'Heavens Ashur! You mean to say you haven't been taking the potions? For the past five years?' the Old King continued, fear and anxiety now written all over his face.
'Nothing was happening to me, I was seeming to get better without them. I mean, I never had a relapse for all these years since I stopped taking the potions, and I thought, yeah, the old man's just using those concoctions as a way of putting me at bay and making me answer to his every whim'
'Ashur…'
'Isn't it father? Just tell me that this is not your way of trying to put me under your thumb?!' the emperor snapped and then stood up to his own feet as he pointed defiantly at the Old King who kept shaking his head with innocence.
'No Ashur! Why would I use your health as a way of keeping you under my thumb? You have a whole empire to rule, so just tell me why I would put that on the line just to have control over you?' the Old King tried to defend himself.
'If so then, why? Why wouldn't you give me access to the Imperial Account?' he said and the Old King immediately froze.
'What do you…?'
'You know what I mean father. 20 years ago, Berechi, the reason I am suffering this, all that happened then, it was all recorded in the Imperial Accounts twenty years ago. All other Accounts that was recorded- everything was the story you told the recorders to pen down; the lies you fed the empire with...'
'But there was one Warden who recorded the truth; Kemuel, I clearly remember him! You tried to get rid of the Account he wrote, you burned and erased it, but Kemuel, the Warden, he re-wrote them, and he recorded the truth over and over again. Then you decided to just erase the warden. You killed him'
'Ashur that is not what's going to help the predicament you are currently in, let's focus on getting back your health…'
'No father! No, it's going to help me in every way. It's going to help my nightmares, help the guilt I feel and the hatred I feel towards myself, it's going to help everything father!'
'Kemuel died because of the truth, but that doesn't mean the truth died with him. He was a very loyal Warden, chronicled on the 65th Page of the 109th Lore, as the most loyal Warden of his kind after the manner of Isuah. Kemuel made a last recording of his Account, hid it in a place only you know and can find! But one thing I know is, wherever this place is and however the Account was recorded, it was something you could not get rid of, so it lives, it exists; the truth' the emperor expressed fluently, his heart pounding with every word.
'That is what I want father! That Account, give it to me. I know it also contained the detail about what kind of a poison you gave me and how it was gotten; from where you got it and from who, and also how to completely cure me of this poison' the emperor said finally, pointing his hands towards his father.
'It contained no such thing, and there is no Account as such, Kemuel is dead and so are his Accounts' the Old King replied shallowly.
'Oh no there is, people may think that it was put in a place no one would ever find out about, but you know it father, and you are the one who kept it hidden from the world…'
'…Just tell me father! How do you expect me to believe that you are not trying to control me when you keep hiding away the only thing you know can totally cure me of this poison, you keep it sealed away somewhere, not wanting me to see it, nor anyone else' the emperor put forth continuously as he smirked with a doubtful look to the Old King.
'There is nothing that Warden wrote that is able to cure you completely Ashur, everything he wrote was just meant to bring down the Imperial Family. Don't you remember what that mischievous son of that Overlord did? If The High House would have in anyway gotten hold of that Account, don't you know how much damage it would have caused to the both of us?' the Old King replied, clenching his teeth furiously.
'Not us, father, you! There is no us in this, it has always been you, you only think about yourself, your glory, your pride! You never think of how much pain it would have caused others!'
'I don't care how much pain it could cause to others, as long as it keeps you reigning on that throne and it keeps the Imperial Family standing, I don't care about others' the Old King chipped in conclusively. Then he stood still for a while, watching as the emperor was struggling to catch his breath from all the talking and yelling, and also noticed how pallid and sweaty he was already appearing.
'I will send in another dose of the antidote forthwith, and I expect you to begin taking them as frequently as you're expected to take them. Stop proving obstinate and putting your life at risk, or I'll be forced to come and give it to you myself'
The Old King said and then swiftly moved out of the chamber, not waiting to hear anything else the emperor had to say.
*************
"By ancient law, only the son born of the eldest daughter of the Imperial Family, may become heir to the throne and inherit the throne"
Master Tochen said and smiled down to himself before raising his head to look over to the princes.
'After the Imperial matrimony; the emperor is forbidden to lie with the rest of the Imperial daughters and his concubines, until the eldest daughter bears a male heir.'
Master Tochen explained further, moving here and there the podium and tapping the wooden stick in his right hands unto his left palms.
'If she bears a son, her rightful position of becoming the Empress is sealed and her first son becomes heir to the throne'
'Well, today's discourse on this matter would however be extracted from the historical crises that occurred during the reign of the previous emperor; Darrius' the Master spelt on
'Oh geez, not that topic again' Dan mumbled in a wearied tone as he turned his head slowly to look at Sylven with arched brows.
Sylven looked back at him and smiled softly before shifting his gaze to Neel who had a very serious look on his face, as if preparing for a long awaited war.
'During the reign of the previous emperor, the eldest Imperial daughter then, bore only daughters despite so many years.'
Master Tochen's voice resounded again.
'The second Imperial daughter; her immediate younger sister, having waited long beyond custom and fearing the instability of the realm, secretly, and without minding the consequence, went in and laid with the emperor while he was yet very drunk'
'Well, she did conceive, and as nature would have it, she bore a male child, who later became the now ruling emperor; Ashur.'
'Although, then, the child was recognized as the crown prince for the sake of continuity and survival of the Imperial Family rule, his mother was denied the title of Empress, therefore remaining a lesser consort'
Then Master Tochen took a little pause before he continued.
'However, this created a lasting controversy in the empire, one that emerged then and even persisted until this day, and this same unresolved controversy would become your second training today as princes and as princes' Escort'
Master Tochen said, and began to move down the podium, to the arena where the princes were all seated with their escorts likewise, seated opposite them. As he moved through every princes' desk, observing the expressions they now had on their faces very closely, Sylven looked straight into Cael's eyes, to also closely study him. Sylven then smiled when he saw that Cael was not only watching him and looking him straight into his eyes, he was also paying keen attention to what the Master Instructor of the princes was saying. Unlike the other day, when all he was interested in was the empty inner-court for the emperor on their left-hand side.
Cael, on his part, knew what he was doing. He needed to avoid any manner of suspicion that may arise towards his real intention of coming to the Palace and becoming an Escort. He was able to narrowly and luckily evade it when the Second Prince questioned his true intents of being an Escort the other day. He couldn't afford something like that happening the second time because he's very sure if it did happen again, his cover would definitely get blown.
"Although this incident remains sealed within Imperial archives; people constantly asked these same questions wherever and whenever the matter is brought up to the table: Was the crown prince legitimate? Was the Purple Covenant broken-or preserved? Was justice done, or merely order maintained?"
Master Tochen's voice came again. Then he stopped talking, sighed and nodded towards the door. And just then, from the door came in a neat trail of Palace maids, with books, archives and accounts carried carefully in their hands, and which they each placed upon every princes' desk before moving out the fortress in the same manner they had entered.
Another soft smile fell on the Master's lips as he opened his mouth to continue speaking.
'What you've just received is one; the original documentation of the Purple Covenant, two; conflicting court chronicles on the matter, three; medical records regarding the eldest sister's fertility and lastly; the medical proof of the emperor's biological legitimacy of being the previous emperor's son' he illustrated and as the princes' went through the accounts before them, the Master returned back to the podium and continued observing the princes.
'If you possessed absolute authority, would you preserve, reform, or abolish the Purple Covenant- and by what reasoning would you justify your decision to the empire?'
The Master concluded and went to his own seat.
The princes continued flipping and skimming over the books and accounts on their desk, with their escorts also reading through the records with keen eyes and eager expectation of what would follow.
'The Covenant exists to prevent factional chaos. Allowing younger sisters to produce heirs first would definitely invite rivalry between the Imperial princesses and might also lead to younger Imperial daughters looking down on the elder Imperial daughter, therefore disregarding her honor and authority.'
Kohath, the Sixth Prince, said aloud as he continued skimming through the record in his hands. Then he looked up towards the podium and sighed, trying to avoid the stares of everyone in the training fortress.
'Unless there should exist a reasonable agreement between the Imperial daughters and the Queen's court, then yeah…' he said and looked towards Dan and signaled to him.
'…the Covenant would be preserved but its limits should also be clarified. The second sister's action, though effective, was a dangerous precedent. If a reasonable agreement cannot be reached between the sisters in any way, then I'll propose this; in an event where the eldest daughter is unable to bear a male heir after a fixed period; the emperor may take a sanctioned secondary consort, someone not among the Imperial daughters but already covenanted into the Imperial Family. Her child may inherit, but never elevate the mother to Empress' Dan swiftly carried on.
'Well, wouldn't your proposal further cause more chaos in the Imperial Family and the empire at large?' Uriel said out loud as he turned his head towards Dan and Kohath.
'It's already agreed upon that the Covenant is not just about divinity and symbolic purity. And you do know that it can also retain peace between the Imperial daughters that way'
'But you do understand how it is in the empire when it comes to the matter of hierarchy; placing people in the pyramid according to their importance and background. Imagine an heir from a low-born mother, wanting to rule the empire' Uriel snapped.
'The Imperial Family needs to prioritize heirs, not mothers!' Neel's voice suddenly sounded in the house, interrupting Dan even before he could respond. Uriel turned to look at Neel and Neel glared back at him.
'If so then, why does the Covenant exist in the first place? This whole thing about intra-dynastic marriages and whatnot?' Uriel griped on.
'The sacred bloodline still needs to be preserved!' Neel retorted.
'A law that endangers succession endangers the realm!'
Neel exclaimed sternly as he turned away from Uriel and looked towards the royal examiners.
'Yes, according to the fifth and the sixth princes' proposal; the denial of Empress Status to the mother of the heir weakens the legitimacy of the crown prince himself, and might as well disregard the authority of the eldest Imperial daughter…' he carried on.
'But the empire requires an heir. My proposal states; any Imperial daughter who bears the first legitimate heir becomes Empress, regardless of birth order, and her son becomes fully recognized as the next to the throne'
'…the eldest daughter retains honor and rank but not automatic supremacy. This way; the Imperial law is aligned with reality, it still strengthens the throne's legitimacy and preserves the bloodline. And it will likewise reduce resentment among Imperial daughters as it would already be established that whoever among them, who bears an heir first would be regardless of birth order, accorded the honor she deserves.' He expounded clearly and finally before looking straight.
Sylven sat where he was and scoffed in silence.
'Why do the Covenant even exist in the first place if there is so much defects in it?'
Isa; the Seventh Prince, let out suddenly, surely bringing everyone thunderstruck at his words. But Isa would always be Isa, with heavy-lidded eyes and a careless look, he studied all the expressions on everyone's face and continued with his argument.
'The Covenant clearly mistakes blood ritual for governance. I mean, repeated intra-dynastic marriage weakens health, intellect, and longevity. Just look at Azel here, coming from a Noble daughter, he's undeniably smarter than any of the other legitimate sons of Imperial daughters, even the crown prince himself'
He said, and as nonchalant and apathetic he always is, he paused to let his words sink in, even after knowing that those words sounded too abrasive and degrading, but he, Isa, never cares.
'The incident that happened then already proves that the system produces hypocrisy and secrecy, so yeah…'
'…the emperor may marry outside the immediate bloodline, and again, not waiting for who to bear an heir before anything else can follow, and wasting so much time in the process. Succession could also be determined by legitimacy of birth; who successfully came out first, and also capability tests; as we can see already happening with the Bid passed of recent by the ruling emperor' he concluded and reclined back to his chair.
Well, everyone was still left shocked and amazed by the Seventh Prince's proposal. This was Isa for you, whenever he spoke, he always aroused some kind of negative emotions in people. It was as if watching the astonishment on people's faces gave him so much joy within.
It was until Azel; the Eighth Prince, spoke, that the house was then returned to being normal again.
'The crown prince's authority is certainly undermined if his mother is dishonored. So, what can be done? I suggest to posthumously elevate the second sister as Empress-Regent in name, and issue a revised chronicle stating the eldest Imperial daughter "voluntarily relinquished her claim". This way, the Imperial Family can prevent unnecessary waste of time and preserve unity through controlled narrative.' Azel put forth, and one could already sense that his statement was an indicator to the end of the second princes' training.
Everyone continued sitting still and quiet as they waited for the Master, Tochen, to rise up to his feet and climb back unto the podium, with a vividly proud and satisfied look on his face.
*************
The scholars sat round the big wooden table with their heads almost colliding into each other's as they closely observed the white broad papers that was on the table. They all had an expression of profound amazement as each of them took turns in studying the papers on the table.
'He didn't even fail any of the written trails, not even one out of them' a scholar exclaimed silently to another scholar as he passed the papers on to the next recipient beside him.
'Well, not that I am too surprised, I mean yesterday, he never failed any of the oral trails too' the other scholar replied and another scholar looked up to take surreptitious and respective glances at the crown prince seated at a farther distance from where they were all gathered.
'I heard the oral trail was conducted by the Ministers and Judges, and even those of the King's Court!' he said to his colleagues and they all began to shake their head in utter disbelieve.
'He stood a chance before those mighty Elders? Whoa! I guess being the crown prince isn't just about the glory after all. Look at us, elite scholars drafted from all around the empire, we came here on a short notice, and we were all instructed to give him a written trial each, on any topic we can ever think of, and he didn't even fail one out of them all?' another scholar doubted on as he continued shaking his head.
'He's a god!' another concluded.
Tahan turned his head away from the circle gathering of the scholars in front of him and looked towards the garden and flowers that were beyond the court where he was receiving his training. He shifted his gaze to the sky and a ray from the sun struck his eyes unexpectedly, that he quickly brought his hands overhead him to shed from the blinding sun-ray.
He then chuckled in a soft calm manner and sighed, and as he listened to the inaudible and continuous mumbling of astonishment coming from the scholars, he shook his head slowly in dissatisfaction. In fact, what he just did was nothing compared to what Azel would have done if he was receiving the same training as he was. If only these clueless scholars knew that among his other eleven brothers who were receiving a different training from him, there was someone else among them who could be considered even more intelligent than the crown prince himself. Only if they knew, they wouldn't be as surprised as they were right now.
Tahan smiled secretively again and as he kept watching the skies, he wondered within himself about how his brothers were all faring to this point. He wished he could also be with them and witness what kind of training they were receiving, he dearly wished to be with them again.
And just then, from the gate that led in and out of the courtyard, walked in a big gallant fellow, with broad shoulders and a trained physique, and as the crown prince turned his gaze to look at him, the fellow stood to bow to the crown prince and swiftly raised up his head to look back into the crown prince's eyes. He was the crown prince's assigned Escort, Jezer.
*************