The Eighth Prince pulled himself gently towards the table where the other princes were settled and established himself firmly between Isa and Carmi; the seventh and Ninth Prince respectively. He then leaned towards the table and noticed the Fourth Prince glaring at him and he beamed back at him before shifting his gaze to the large scenery before him where there was The King's Court, all seated in rows and columns in their own arena, and the palace guards stationed firmly and unmoving in their various positions. In the other podium like where the princes were all seated, that was highly raised than that of the princes', was a big wide throne carved out of precious stones and metals and decked with very many designs of pure gold and silver. The entire podium where the throne stood was also decorated with all kinds of valuable gemstones; of emerald and of diamond, of pure crystals and sapphire.
This was the Palace Square, where very important messages from the Emperor were made and announced to the Imperial Family and then circulated by a system of hierarchy to the other Empire Order; starting from the King's Court and down to the local circles in every land.
They were all gathered for the final disclosing of the Bid, and one could see the curiosity and apprehension on everyone's face, well, except for the Eighth Prince.
Just then, the herald announced the entrance of the Emperor, and immediately, every single being in the square, even the fishes in the fishpond that was a few miles away from the square, arose to their feet and tails and bowed to the Emperor as soon as he entered through the gate into the Palace Square. Following closely behind the Emperor was the Crown Prince and the King's knight, Ethan, walking majestically and gallantly with the Emperor as they moved to sit at the highly raised podium in the square. The Emperor sat on the festooned throne and the Crown Prince sat on a smaller yet as adorned throne as that of the Emperor's throne that was beside the Emperor, while the knight nobly stood behind them, a lofty sword clasped tightly between his right palms.
As soon as the Emperor and the Crown Prince were now seated, everyone else sat down back on their seats, and just then, a middle-aged man, appearing to be almost in his late 40s, pranced before the Emperor's podium and bowed himself lowly to the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Then he raised himself up after assuming the bowing position for a long while; he was the Royal Herald of the Imperial Family; Master Heber. He started to move here and there in the square and then stopped all of a sudden and slowly began to open the scroll that was in his hands.
'AS DECLARED AND DECREED BY THE ALL MIGHTY, ALL KNOWING AND EVER-REIGNING EMPEROR, AND IN ACCORDANCE TO THE FIRST BID PASSED SOME WEEKS AGO; THIRTY ABLE YOUNG MEN, RANGING FROM AGES 16 TO 25, SHALL BE SELECTED FROM ACROSS THE LAND AND BROUGHT INTO THE PALACE. HOWEVER, AMONG THE SELECTED THIRTY SHALL 12 BE SINGLED OUT THROUGH A SPECIAL AND CRITICAL TEST, TO BECOME ROYAL ESCORTS TO THE TWELVE PRINCES OF THE LAND; TO SERVE, TO ASSIST AND TO BE ACQUAINTED TO EACH OF THE PRINCES THEY SHALL BE ASSIGNED TO'
The Master read out very audibly and energetically, even for a man of his age. Then he paused and closed the scroll, he pointed the closed scroll to another younger man who seemed to be the Master's patron, and who also collected the scroll from the Master Heber's hands and replaced it with another finely and neatly looking scroll. The Master then cleared his throat and looked around him before opening the new scroll in his hands.
'AS DECLARED AND DECREED BY THE ALL MIGHTY, ALL WISE AND EVER-REIGNING EMPEROR; AND IN ACCORDANCE TO THE SECOND BID WHICH I SHALL MAKE KNOWN TO YOU ALL THIS DAY; WITH THE AID AND ASSISTANCE OF THEIR ASSIGNED ESCORTS, THE TWELVE PRINCES OF THE LAND SHALL GO THROUGH DIFFERENT KINDS OF TRAINING AND SPECIALS KINDS OF EDUCATION, TO COMPETE FOR TWELVE DIVERSE POSITIONS THAT SHALL REMAIN THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE AND SHALL EXIST FOR THE GOOD OF THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE.
'AND NOW, THE TEWLVE DIVERSE POSITIONS I SHALL ANNOUNCE, IN ORDER OF RANKING, FROM THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL TO THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT OF THEM ALL.'
'THE CROWN PRINCE: THE HEIR TO THE THRONE; Undisputed and non-debatable position of them all. Occupied by the first prince of the land. He shall have the ultimate power of the throne once he gets crowned as the Emperor.
THE HIGH PRINCE: THE SUPREME GENERAL; He shall command the armies of the land and protect the empire's security and strength. Having such militant authority, he shall control all defense and border matters of the land.
PRINCE OF PROVINCES: LORD OF THE THREEFOLD LANDS; He shall control all the empire resources and territories and govern the three major tribes in the land; the Northlands, the Eastlands and the Southlands. Having such economic and territorial control, he shall oversee lands and taxations and balance power between the major domains of the empire.
THE PRINCE MARSHAL: SPEAR OF THE EMPIRE; Second to the High Prince, having a military influence in the empire, he shall train the armies of the land, oversee The Shield Order and the Warlords and also the recruitment of warriors into the army. He conceives war plans and strategies and ensures defense expansion of the land.
THE PRINCE REGENT: THE HAND OF JUDGEMENT; He shall be the Master of laws, courts and orders, and having legal and administrative authority, he shall control the execution of Imperial decrees and bids, and oversee the courts within and without the Imperial Family.
THE PRINCE CHANCELLOR: LORDS OVER LORDS; The Master of councils and circles. Having such political authority, he keeps all the circles in the Empire Order running smoothly, having ultimate control over the Lords and Overlords, both in The High House and in The High Council.
THE PRINCE OF COINS: THE TREASURER OF THE LAND; Master of wealth, trade and treasury, having definite financial control, he controls the resource flow in the empire, regulates the land's wealth, oversees gold, trade; both internally and externally, and taxes.
THE PRINCE SCHOLAR: GUARDIAN OF KNOWLEGDE; Master of wisdom, having intellectual power to oversee the scholars, sages, academies, and libraries in the empire and has masterful control over The Sybilline and the scroll wardens.
THE PRINCE ENVOY: THE VOICE OF FOREIGN LANDS; Master of diplomacy, treaties, alliances and foreign influence. Having such diplomatic influence, he employs ambassadors and spies and negotiates peace and trade between the empire and foreign lands.
THE PRINCE WARDEN: THE MASTER OF REGIONS; Protector of rural tribes, borders and outposts. Having local authority, he commands the regional guards and keeps the peace in the rural tribes. Balances powers of the local chiefs and chiefdoms and plants watchmen on the watchtowers and over the rural lands.
THE PRINCE STEWARD: KEEPER OF THE COURTS; having cultural and ceremonial control, he manages the royal estates, ceremonies and festivals. He also controls and enlists the palace servants and palace guards and maintains the inner court protocols and traditions.
And finally, THE YOUNG PRINCE: THE SEED OF DESTINY: Occupied by the youngest of the princes, the twelfth prince, who shall with his future potential and not current strength, prove himself to grow and become capable of taking over any of the above stated positions.'
'THE PRINCES, WITH THE AID OF THEIR DESIGNED ESCORT, WILL UNDERGO A SERIES OF RIGOROUS AND IMPARTIAL TRAINING TO DETERMINE WHO AMONG THEM ARE FITTED AND WORTHY OF ANY OF THESE RANKED POSITIONS. THEY SHALL CONFIDE IN THEIR ESCORTS AND BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH THEM, IN ORDER TO SURVIVE THE CHALLENGES AND TRIALS AND PROVE THEMSELVES CAPABLE FOR THE BEST'
'Survive?'
The Fifth Prince, on whose shoulders the already bored and sleepy twelfth prince was resting, spoke out under his breath as he turned to look at the Sixth Prince. The Sixth Prince shook his head cluelessly as he looked back at the Fifth Prince.
'I don't see what's confusing about that, Dan. It obviously means that they are going to put us through hell with the dogs that father's gonna give to us'
The Seventh Prince threw in in a low smutty tone and the Sixth Prince frowned at him.
'Would you ever quit with the dog thing?' he chided and Isa just scoffed and folded his hands.
'I knew this was not going to be a good thing, I had the feeling' the Fourth Prince said in a muffled voice to himself and his older brother turned his head to glance at him and gave him an assuring smile. He smiled back dismally and then looked over to see the convinced and unperturbed look on the Eighth Prince's face.
'I'm sure that fox already knew about this, just look at that smug look on his face' he fussed.
TWELVE AMONG YOU ALL SHALL BE CHOSEN TO BECOME THE PRINCE'S ESCORT WHILE THE REST OF YOU SHALL BE SCATTERED ALL OVER THE EMPIRE ORDER TO WORK UNDER GREAT MASTERS AND BECOME MASTERS YOURSELVES. THE TWELVE TO BE CHOSEN AMONG YOU SHALL BE ACQUAINTED TO YOUR ASSIGNED PRINCES AND AID THEM IN THE TRAINING AND TRAILS WHICH THEY WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH IN ORDER TO COMPETE FOR TWELVE DIVERSE POSITIONS THAT SHALL REMAIN THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE AND ARE DISTINCT IN TERMS OF RANK AND SIGNIFICANACE.'
'IN THE LIGHT OF THIS, A COGNITIVE TEST SHALL BE GIVEN TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU TO DETERMINE THOSE WORTHY ENOUGH TO BE AMONG THE TWELVE FOR THE PRINCES' ESCORTS…'
Cael turned himself around and surreptitiously observed the whole space outside the open ground where they were all gathered. The master who was standing on a level rocky platform before them, continued reading the scroll in his hands in a nasal manner without even looking up to the audience gathered before him, which made the entire thing they were doing right now appear boring and tiresome. But it was of no doubt that the young men gathered in the ground could all understand the message that was being passed; in summary, they all had to go through some kind of a test for them to become part of the Princes' Escorts, full stop.
But that was the least of Cael's worries now, he had clearly gotten the part where they were to take a cognitive test of some kind, and he was immediately persuaded that this was the end of the road for him. But, there was still one last chance remaining for him to accomplish his goal here, as it was definite that him taking the cognitive test was equivalent to him failing it at the same time, thus, the only option left for him now was this;
Sneak away from the ground right now without getting noticed by the few guards in the grounds, and seeing that most of the quarters in the Palace were loosely guarded because the Palace guards are more concentrated on guarding the Palace square where a similar assembly was being held with the emperor present, therefore, Cael's chances of getting caught moseying in the Palace quarters were slim.
All he needed to do was to get as close to the Main Palace as possible where his father was said to have befriended and stayed close to the now ruling emperor. He just needed to be in that environment in order to read the past of it. Although he wasn't so sure if his subconscious abilities would manifest then but it was worth giving a shot, especially since this might be his last.
Cael looked around him again, and after making sure that no one was looking his way as it was supposed to be, he skipped out of the grounds and in an instant, vanished away from sight.
Now moving along a place which he barely knew anything about, he walked briskly without even looking behind him. He scampered for a while without coming across anything human, but was constantly experiencing the enchanting green life of nature that the Palace had within its walls. The quiet and standing ponds and still lakes on whose surfaces the earth's sun was mirrored, the happily chirping birds, the hilly rocks and ancient stones, and the calm and warm breezes that brushed through his skin and the majestic trees that respired them.
The Palace truly was an embodiment of beauty that it always made Cael wonder if there was any other place that would be of more magnificence than the Palace. He knew that the Palace was definitely going to be the real deal when it came to matters of gratifying splendor, but now he was here witnessing it himself, it still felt unreal to him.
He took many uncertain turns and bends, going deep into the Palace's wonders and walking by faith and not by sight. He solely trusted on where his determination would take him as he walked blindly through the Main Palace. He then arrived at a singularly standing quarter, chiefly painted in a pale purple color. The setting and outward appearance of the purple quarter so much caught Cael's attention that he immediately halted and moved closer to it. A willow oak tree stood at an edge in the wide space within the quarter and this seemed to really call unto Cael. He looked around the soil and earth around the quarters and bent to pick some of the sand from off the ground.
'Willows do not grow on such soil' he said to himself and gradually poured the sand back to the earth. And then he attempted to move into the quarters but suddenly, a voice came from behind him and brought him to a frozen stop.
'It's you again'
The Second Prince said to the young man standing in front of him, whose back was turned to him as he stood solid on a spot.
'The first time I set my eyes on you, I thought you to be a diehard fan of mine who didn't know how to act in the presence of his idol prince, but no, with the way you just walked out on me that day, I knew you were nothing else but a poor young man who lost his way in the Palace and since it was his first time witnessing a prince, he got too anxious'
'But figures, here you are again, attempting to enter into my quarters, only the heavens knows how you even found your way around this time, but you did, and you somehow stumbled upon my quarters. Maybe it is another fated coincidence, and I shouldn't really think much of it'
The Second Prince spelt out and patiently waited for Cael to sum up the courage to turn his back around and face the prince.
'That same nervousness again, you are a fan, aren't you?' he observed to Cael again and Cael then slowly raised his head to meet with his beautiful dark green eyes.
'W…what's a fan?' he asked back guiltily and the Second Prince's shoulders quickly dropped. They were both now standing motionless and speechless, oblivious of what next to do or what next to say.
And just then, the Fourth Prince's voice came approaching their direction; constantly grumbling and grousing about the Bid. The Second Prince moved without hesitation towards Cael and grabbed him by his hands, trying to hide him from the Fourth Prince's presence, but as soon as he grabbed him, Cael's subconscious ability triggered and he immediately fell into a trance.
'Okay, so, let me get things straight here, a Palace thief disguised as one of the selected ones for the Bid, came to your chambers in order to steal Palace valuables, and that after hearing of the fact that the princes and the Palace guards would all be distracted with the assembly, but you caught this thief red-handed, and for some reason, you wanted to help him hide, but he fainted immediately you grabbed his hands'
Uriel explicated as he paced up and down the room and gestured with both of his hands, then he stopped and placed his hands to his waist, slanted his head to a side and stared at Sylven.
'No, Uriel, he is not a Palace thief and he did not come to my chambers to steal Palace valuables' Sylven replied in a worried tone as he watched the young man that was laying unconsciously on his bed in his bedchamber, he then heaved a distressing sigh and placed his hands to the young man's forehead.
'He's burning with a fever, when did you say Azel's going to be here?' Sylven asked and Uriel just shook his head disbelievingly.
'Very soon' he replied and immediately, Azel came pulling himself into the bedchamber swiftly.
'Who fainted?' Azel questioned as soon he wheeled into the chambers. Then his eyes fell on the young man lying on the bed and he squinted his brows slightly.
'The Mountainer?' he put forth and Uriel turned to look at him sharply with his eyes wide.
'Mountainer? Like from the Mountain Tribe, the primitive people' he exclaimed.
'Rude!' Sylven corrected and Uriel shut his lips and kept marveling within himself.
'Okay Sylven, just tell me how and why I cannot say he was here to steal? I mean, Azel's just proved that point clearly'
'Being a Mountainer doesn't mean he's a thief, he might have just gotten lost somehow'
'I agree with Sylven on that one, mountainers are not so bold and courageous to come stealing from the Palace. Most of the mountainers I have come across are many a times timid, very much oblivious of many things and curious to know more' Azel put in and then moved close to the princely bed.
'What happened?' he asked Sylven who gave him a clueless shaking of his head.
'I grabbed his hands and he fainted' he replied and Azel giggled shortly.
'Does he have the phobia of people's touch?' he teased and then moved close to the laying young man and gently pushed his eyelids open. He shuddered a little bit at the sight of the young man's unconscious eyes; they were very transparent and were as clear as a crystal, having no pupil, no iris, nor any blood vessels, they looked so unordinary that it almost seemed to haunt them.
'What, is he possessed or something?' Uriel asked as he suddenly became anxious from what he was seeing.
'No Uriel, there's nothing as such, it just looks like he's fallen into some kind of daydream or trance' Azel added and then left the young man's eyelids.
'Are those not like the same things?' Uriel quizzed on and Azel could no longer take his silly questions.
'We just have to leave him like this until he wakes up, if we forcefully try to get him back to his consciousness, it might result to something bigger and worse'
'And how long would it take then? For him to return back to his senses?' Sylven queried worrisomely and Azel heaved a sigh.
'I cannot tell, that would depend on himself; how long since he suddenly began falling into some kind of trance and how long it takes for him to regain himself, everything's hinged on these factors, which we can only find out about when he wakes up'
Azel expressed and moved slowly away from the bed studying the look on Sylven's face closely.
'You seem interested in him already? Because you've had an encounter with him before, is it?' he asked tenderly and Sylven smiled.
'Can't say myself, but he does seem to interest me in some way' Sylven replied and Azel smirked as he continued moving towards the door of the bedchamber.
'Well, I don't know how or for how long you plan on keeping him here with you, because even though I and Uriel keep our lips sealed about a stray unconscious Mountainer laying a prince's bedchamber, what about the other princes? You are not still sure of how they'd react if words gets out' he said, making a very reasonable point before finally leaving the bedchamber.
'That's why Uriel is here, to make sure word never gets out'
Sylven replied.
***************
The second Queen paced here and there in the co-joined courts, her fingers on her lips as she bit down on them with eager apprehension. She continued repeating the same actions over and over again that the third Queen who was sited at the table in the court and watching her, could no longer stand the persistent restlessness and she sighed irritably.
'Okay but you need to take a chill pill Zillah, for real' the third Queen spat out tetchily and the second Queen immediately halted and swerved to look at her.
'Really? There's a pill like that, you have it?' she responded and the third Queen rolled her eyes in disbelieve.
'Come on, you know what I am trying to say' the third Queen put in and Zillah, the second Queen heaved a distressing sigh and moved up to the table to sit with the third Queen.
'I'm worried Michal, the…the Bid, the assembly, the princes, our sons. I am worried for everything' the second Queen admitted with her eye brows vividly slanted with great worry. The third Queen calmly studied the traces of anxiety on her face and shook her head pitifully.
'And that is your problem Zillah, you worry too much, in fact, you worry on every little matter and which shouldn't be, especially as the second Queen you are' the third Queen observed and the second Queen immediately pouted and stared remorsefully at her.
'What? It is not like I ever asked to be the second Queen, I was okay with even being the last Queen, if not for what happened to…' she said and then bowed her head in grief and began to sniffle sadly.
'Oh, come on now Zillah, not with the emotional breakdown again, why are you suddenly reminded of what already happened in the past?' the third Queen said as she stretched her hands to comfort the second Queen.
'I remember it every single day! Whenever I see your embroidered works, I am reminded of…'
'Okay, that's enough, it all happened in the past and years had already gone by, look at our sons now, they are all grown up, matured and handsome men' the third Queen tossed in, patting the second Queen by her hands.
'But if that didn't happen, there would have been thirteen…'
'Mother!'
Dan and Kohath suddenly came calling unto them both as they heavily stomped into the co-joined courtyard, walking closely beside one another. As they appeared into the quarter, the queens stood up quickly and waited for them to move up into the enclosed courts.
'Son' the second Queen said as Dan drew near into her warmly embrace.
'Nothing's good mother, in fact everything's bad!' he cried.
'They are going to make us compete for positions' Kohath threw in in a sharp aggrieved voice.
'…And also make us survive!!' Dan appended
'Survive? Survive what?' the second Queen asked, already getting agitated.
'The competition, the training, the tests for the positions, Father's going to make us survive them all!' Dan replied amidst his wail and the second Queen then brought her hand to her forehead disconsolately.
The third Queen moved closer to grab Kohath's hands and began to rub them softly between her plans.
'It's going to be fine, okay? Both of you need not to worry, I am very sure your father has a reason for bringing all this up and you are his sons, everything he is doing now would be for your own good, I am very sure'
'…So, don't let it disturb you' she put forth in her tender motherly tone, looking over to the both of them at once and trying to assure them. The second Queen then placed both of her hands on Dan's cheeks and squeezed them lightly.
'You hear the queen, don't you? So you better man up and be a means of comfort to your younger brother Kohath and the rest of the younger princes, you hear me?' she said sternly and Dan nodded to her sharply. Kohath looked into his mother's eyes and she smiled fondly at him; her smile was the best comfort he could ever receive in his world.
**************