When tragedy strikes the kingdom of Saddle-Arabia, the second son of the Malik must take the throne and try to protect the kingdom.
After a tragedy, Karam Al-Asif must take the throne of Saddle-Arabia. In the shadows around him, assassins lurk, and he must find the traitors and stop them before it's too late. Sadly, they are not the only enemies he must face. (Takes place about a thousand years before the show starts. Part of Karamverse, my Parallel Universe. Nothing too scary, don't worry.)
King Khayri and Queen Nura of Saddle-Arabia were about to have their second foal together. As he paced up and down the halls, Khayri recalled his first wife. Sadly, Khayri’s first wife did not give him any sons, or any children at all for that matter, and after she died he was lonely. For weeks he had walked around the palace with his regal, blue-grey head held low, and he barely spoke a word. Seeing how depressed he was, all the servants around him had become more and more somber, until the advisors had held an emergency meeting. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before they had convinced Khayri to remarry. Finding a suitable Earth Horse, the tall Alicorn had found that his loneliness ebbed away in her presence. Eventually they had a strong, handsome son together-- Prince Daud.
He was grey like a rock, with paler patches on his hindquarters that contrasted his black legs, mane and tail. The palace adored him. Over the years, Khayri found himself laughing and smiling more than ever before. Then things calmed down a touch, until Nura realized she was carrying another foal. Now a second foal would be born.
This was exciting!
Another prince?
A princess?
Perhaps twins?
Everybeast-- Pony, Horse, Camel, other creature-- was incredibly excited. King Khayri had ruled quite a while without an heir, and now he would have two. It seemed the whole world understood the importance of this day, for the wind had begun howling over the desert early in the morning and had not yet subsided. In fact, it grew fiercer.
Suddenly, one of the midwives exited the bedroom, galloping down the halls.
“IT IS A BOY! ANOTHER PRINCE!” She cheered.
Instantly, the palace felt both relieved and joyous. The wind outside turned and moaned its approval as well, it seemed. The willowy king and his older son gathered around the tired mother to inspect the newcomer. He was a dun colored Alicorn foal--golden yellow with dark legs, mane and tail. He lifted his head and his big, blue eyes darted around the room curiously, his nostrils flaring out with every excited breath he took.
“What are we going to call him, Father?” Daud whispered.
“Well… what do you think, Nura?” Khayri asked his wife gently.
Hearing Khayri's voice, the foal fixed his eyes on his father, and his ears perked up. Khayri's eyes widened slightly as he realized his son knew his voice. A soft smile crossed his face while his heart swelled with a deep, unconditional love for the tiny newcomer, just as it had when Daud was born.
Meanwhile, Nura, who was a light green mare with lighter spots akin to an Appaloosa, lifted her head and murmured, “I think we should name him Karam; I want him to be a generous ruler, like his father.”
With a grin, Khayri nodded. While little Karam looked around with confused, bright blue eyes, Khayri leaned his neck and head down and nuzzled him. Karam sniffed his father and mother and then sneezed, blinking his blue eyes in amazement at his own sneeze. Khayri, Daud and Nura chuckled at the cute little expression he had.
“Father, if he is a prince like me, who will rule the kingdom when you retire?” Daud questioned curiously as he turned to look up at his father.
He was such a young one that he didn’t realize how rude the question may sound.
“My son, since you are older, you shall have my throne-- but your brother here will have great political importance. Perhaps he’ll lead his own kingdom one day,” Khayri explained with a chuckle.
“At any rate, I’m sure he’ll be a powerful hero,” Nura predicted, “After all, the wind hasn’t stopped blowing all day--it must be a sign.”
“Did anything special happen when I was born?” Daud whispered, his own big, blue eyes looking expectantly at his father while his grey wings twitched with his mixed emotions.
“Yes-- on your birthday, we discovered a diamond mine in our territory,” Khayri said, “And I thought I already told you that story…. didn't I? Well, come now, your mother needs rest.”
After nuzzling his wife and newborn son, Khayri shepherded his older son out of the room with one of his large wings, quietly closing the door behind him with his magic aura. It was a joyous day.
Some years later, Karam and Daud were flying together above the palace walls.
“You cannot catch me, Older Brother!” Karam shouted as he dived down and zoomed through some of the arches of the buildings.
“Ah, but I shall!” Daud declared, folding his grey wings and darting after his little brother.
The two brothers chased each other round and round until at last they both grew tired and landed on a balcony, flopping onto the stone floor and gasping for breath.
“I… say… I… won,” Karam huffed.
“No! It… was… a… tie,” Daud insisted.
For a moment, they glared at each other intensely. Then they both rolled over and laughed. They really couldn't even pretend to dislike each other.
Over the years, the brothers bonded deeply. Daud took on the responsibility of being a good role model, and did his best to obey his father and look out for his little brother. Indeed, everybeast noted that Daud would make a great leader, and Karam would be a wonderful advisor to him, or perhaps an ally in a foreign land. The two brothers were charismatic and energetic, and they brightened the palace together. In time, Daud's grey coat with white speckles and hindquarters steadily became darker over time whereas Karam was born golden yellow like his grandfather on his mother’s side, and didn't change much in color. Both had their mother’s luminous blue eyes, and both inherited strong magic and large wings from their father. Certainly, their parents were proud of them, and the two had a strong, brotherly bond.
Unfortunately, Karam and Daud’s personalities were very different, and the two rubbed each other the wrong way often.
Daud was usually calm, resilient, and obedient. Karam, however, was like a whirlwind--always dashing off someplace, and always chattering. While Daud accepted an order, Karam always had to question it. It annoyed Daud immensely--especially when he was trying to tell his brother to do something simple for him. In time, Nura and Khayri had many a laugh over their sons' petty quarrels. Overall, the family was close, and their love lit up the palace, which lit up the whole kingdom. Indeed, things were looking wonderful for the future.
Of course, they didn’t always get along, but they still heeded the corrections their parents gave, though their mother’s words did have a special weight to them. Indeed, Nura was quite a skilled teacher, and a marvelous queen. Whenever some disaster struck, she was the beam that held the family together. Whenever the two brothers got into such a quarrel that they refused to speak to each other ever again, she was there to gently calm their storm. Whenever King Khayri was confused, she was there to shed some light on the subject. Everybeast loved and valued the queen. Though she was no Unicorn, she seemed to have a magic of her own in those moments. Indeed, she was dearly beloved.
Tragically, all good things end.
One day, she fell gravely ill with a fever. The doctors did all they could, but even the strongest of healing spells could not save her. The family gathered around the bed as she laid there weakly. Usually, her light green pelt would have a brightness and lustre that reflected in the light, but now her shine was gone and her coloration was a sickly, pale hue. Sweat beads rolled off her matted forehead and down onto the damp pillow she laid on. At one time, her beautiful mane and tail would be in an ornate style, but now they both were tangled, dampened with her sweat and withered with her sickness. Daud, Karam and Khayri gathered near her, watching her struggle to breathe as the light from her blue eyes was slowly ebbing away.
“My sons.. Please… please remember to listen to your father, all right? He knows what’s best for you,” Nura murmured as she felt her body weakening every moment.
Daud and Karam nodded silently, doing their best to be brave and calm under the circumstances. Of course, Karam couldn’t remain silent for long.
“Mother! Don’t talk like that! You’ll get better; I know it!” He sniffed as he laid his head on the pillow in front of his mother’s face.
“Karam, don’t get too close,” Khayri warned as he used one of his wings to pull his son back.
“He’s right… don’t… don’t get too close,” Nura agreed as she smiled at her family with some tears in her eyes.
“Mother… we’ll… we’ll miss you,” Daud sniffed as his ears and wings drooped quietly.
“NO! SHE’S NOT GOING TO DIE!” Karam wailed as he slapped his brother with a wing.
Daud reeled back and glared at his brother, but before either could say anything, Khayri stretched a wing between them, ordering, “SILENCE!... don’t upset your mother, please.”
Nura chuckled weakly as she moved a bit on the bed, bringing her head around so she could see better. Karam and Daud gulped and hung their heads in shame while Khayri folded his wing again.
“Ah, My Sons… you were always fighting over my love… and now you fight over my death… ha ha…” Nura commented with a sad smile as her boys slowly looked up at her, “But… I really feel I’m dying now. Don’t fight. I’m ready to go. I only wish… I could watch you two grow up… but I suppose I… I never could, anyway, heh... “
Khayri gulped quietly while his sons sniffed and wiped their noses on their wings. At this moment, Khayri wished he hadn’t been an Alicorn. If he had been a horse like Nura, they could’ve grown old and seen their sons grow up together, but no, even if she wasn’t dying now, she’d end up dying of old age long before Daud reached adulthood. Such was the tragedy of being of the ancient Alicorn species. Daud and Karam knew this too, and it made their hearts ache as they watched their mother slowly fade from life.
“I love you, Nura,” Khayri murmured as he reached over and nuzzled his wife with tears rolling down his cheeks.
“I love you too--I love all of you,” Nura sighed as she felt her heart swell with pride and thankfulness for all the wonderful memories she had. Quietly, she put out one of her legs and hugged her boys’ necks for a moment.
“I love you too, Mother,” Daud sniffed as he nuzzled his mother’s hoof quietly.
“I do too,” Karam whispered as he sniffed loudly and put a wing on his mother’s neck.
With another smile, Queen Nura the Gentle closed her eyes. She laid down and breathed one last sigh. Khayri, Daud and Karam hung their heads. Nearby, the servants also hung their heads and sniffed quietly, taking in deep, heavy breaths. Silently, Khayri lowered down until he laid on the ground with his head on his wife's deathbed. Squeezing his eyes shut, Khayri breathed a deep, shaky breath and sobbed. Daud and Karam glanced up at each other without a word. In each other's eyes they spotted more tears, and knowing that they both were crying, they returned to hanging their heads and allowed themselves to sob out loud, laying beside their father and resting their heads on his back.
All beasts mourned.
Her patience and love would be remembered forever. The colts didn’t even have their Destiny Marks yet, and already Death had taken their gentle, wonderful mother from them. Now they doubly grieved the times they angered her, the times they ignored her, and the times they broke her heart.
As for King Khayri, once again he was alone.
All good things had to come to an end, which meant mourning for those left behind.
“I am tired of your rules!” Karam snapped at his father angrily.
“My son, my patience is wearing thin with you,” Khayri warned, trying extremely hard to not say anything he would regret later.
“Your patience is always thin with me!” Karam whined, “But you never get upset at Daud!”
“That is not true,” Khayri retorted, “I do have my quarrels with Daud, but he knows to keep his arguments civil and calm, unlike some beasts in this palace.”
Karam snorted.
“Karam, it is not befitting for a prince---” But Khayri’s speech was interrupted by his son with, “I CARE NOT FOR YOUR SPEECHES! I CARE NOT FOR YOU AT ALL!”
With that, Karam turned and bolted down the stone hallway.
“KARAM, GET BACK HERE AT ONCE!” His father roared as he spread his wings out and flapped them one time in frustration.
However, Karam refused to listen. Angrily he sped away, zooming down the corridors until he reached a balcony. Immediately he leapt from the balcony, spread his wings, and flew away. With angry tears in his eyes, he flew far, far away from the palace of Rikhab, the capital city.
As he flew, he began to feel calmer, but was still bitter at his father. Deep inside, Karam knew his father cared for him, but he felt that all his father ever did was chide him. Day and night, Karam would get lectures about how he wasn’t being a proper prince, or wasn’t doing this, or wasn’t doing that. Karam loathed it all. Yes, he was royalty, but did EVERYTHING have to be about rules? Surely not!
With these rebellious thoughts, Karam ignored whatever his father was trying to say and flew away.
Into the desert he glided, and eventually he stopped to rest at an oasis. For a time, he ambled about, grunting and grumbling over his father, which he knew he should not do but he did anyway. Angrily he stomped around, kicking up sand and swishing his black tail back and forth.
Childishly he furled out his wings and mimicked his father's voice, saying, "It is not becoming of you-- WELL I AM THE PRINCE! IS IT NOT BECOMING FOR ME TO BE MYSELF!? WHO IS TO TELL ME OTHERWISE!?" " He snapped his wings, reared up and stomped on the ground with his forelegs as he bitterly finished those words.
Breathing heavily, he glanced around as he folded his wings again. He felt exhausted. Grumpily he laid down to rest, tucking his head beneath one of his golden-yellow wings. There was a gentle breeze blowing that cooled his pelt, playing a gentle rhythm in the fronds of the date trees far above his head. All his life he'd heard the breeze, and it felt as if an old friend was singing him to sleep as he closed his eyes and drifted off.
Suddenly, he awoke. He smelled something all too familiar in the air. Alarmed, he jumped to his hooves and spun around. There, in the near distance, he eyed an incoming sandstorm. It was much too close for comfort, to say the least. Karam spread his wings and zoomed to the sky. With all his might he pumped his wings and leaned as far forward as he could. Behind him, he heard the howling winds and smelled the scent of the dirt and debris caught in the storm.
It was gaining ground.
After a minute, he could see rocks and bits of debris flying past his head. Craning his neck around, he could see the storm right behind him. He gasped.
He couldn't outfly it.
Collapsing to the ground, he covered his head with his wings and prayed that the storm would pass over him soon. He felt layers of sand wash over him, as well as bits of debris. The wind tugged on his wings, pulling them away from his head, allowing sand to blow into his closed eyes and nostrils. He choked bitterly as he pulled his body out of the sand, trying in vain to keep his head covered with his wings, playing a terrifying game of tug-of-war between his weak muscles and the powerful wind that pulled on his wings, tail, mane, and body. To the left and the right he was buffeted, and it felt as if his wings and ears would be ripped clean off his body by the storm. With a pounding force a small rock slammed into the side of his head, causing him to cry out in pain, which only let more sand into his mouth and throat. Karam choked. The storm battered him. He wrapped his wings around his head again as the storm dragged him across the ground like a limp, wet towel.
I’m going to die out here! NO! I can’t die! I can’t! Not now! I must go home… I… I need to apologize to Father! I must live! I MUST LIVE! Karam wailed in his mind.
At that moment, he felt a surge of magic within him. Although he didn’t entirely know what he was doing, he closed his eyes and focused a beam of energy from his horn into the sandstorm around him. His golden magic whipped into the wind, circling around into an enormous loop which swirled around the storm over and over again, forcing the wind to flow with it. In a few moments, the magic rope departed from his horn as he controlled it from a distance instead of directly, and the loop continued to speed through the storm, gathering everything into a huge dome around Karam. The magic swirled faster and faster until the dome became a tornado with Karam at the center. Coughing up sand, Karam was able to breathe again in the eye of the tornado, and looked around, stunned at what he was doing. Slowly, gently, Karam lowered the tornado, pushing all the sand down while slowing the wind, until at last the storm was calm and there was nothing left except a wall of sand in a circle around him.
Exhausted, Karam fainted.
While he slept, one last surge of magic revealed his Destiny Mark on his flank: A sandy tornado laced with golden magic.
“How… how did you find me?” Karam asked, coughing up a bit more sand.
“I followed you, but I was quite far behind--and I watched from a distance as the sandstorm took you,” Khayri explained with a pained look in his eyes, “I thought for sure you were dead, but as I observed, I saw a yellow glow of magic take control of the storm, until it had died down....That was you, wasn’t it?”
Karam nodded, feeling how dry his throat was, as well as how his lungs stung with pain.
“You have your Destiny Mark now, Brother,” Daud announced after a few moments, looking very proud of his little brother.
At last, Karam got his mark. Daud had his own for a few years now--it was a mountain with three winds blowing it in a triangular formation. Though the wind blew at the mountain, it stood firm, just like Daud could harden his skin and withstand almost anything. For a moment, Karam smiled, excited that he finally found his mark like his brother had.
“I wish you could have gotten your mark in a much more pleasant way, but it seems your destiny is not the quietest one,” Khayri reasoned with a sigh.
Hearing his father's voice, Karam looked up and his ears drooped in shame.
“Father… I’m sorry.. I’m sorry for being so angry earlier,” Karam apologized with another cough, “I know you are just trying to teach me, but… I don’t know. I am sorry.”
“I forgive you--and we can talk about this another day. Right now you need to rest,” Khayri comforted him by stretching one of his blue-grey wings over his son, gently giving him a hug, “And before I leave, I shall give you your Title of Destiny: The Strong Wind, for you are the one who controls the sandstorms.”
At that, Karam smiled and relaxed on his pillow. The Strong Wind… Al-Asif. Yes. At last, he had his title, just like his older brother, who was known as The Rock-- Al-Butrus, for Daud could harden himself with magic until he was hard as stone, and nearly impossible to hurt. Now Karam didn’t have to be jealous anymore. However, he did have to recover from all the sand he inhaled. That day, Karam rested. From then on he respected his father’s authority more, seeing how much his father cared for him.
“What is it, Father?” Karam asked as he trotted across the bedroom alongside his older brother and father.
“Now that you have your Destiny Mark, you are old enough to know some of the secrets of our nation,” Khayri responded as he used his magic aura to ensure that the doors were fastened and all the curtains were drawn closed.
Karam gasped in surprise. Was he truly old enough to know such information? He looked at his older brother for a sign, and Daud nodded with a smile. Karam straightened up and hoped he looked grown-up enough to be worthy of something so important. Meanwhile, Khayri used one of his powerful wings to move a tapestry, revealing an odd hole in the wall. Slowly his horn glowed an unusual color, and then he turned his head downwards, inserting his horn into the hole like a key in a lock. Something rumbled from within the wall. Suddenly, a section of the wall moved backwards and to the side.
“Woah…” Karam breathed, watching as the heavy bricks of the wall all slid to the side, revealing the dark corridor beyond it.
Khayri nodded, indicating that his sons should enter. The three Alicorns quietly walked down several flights of stairs with only magic torches lighting their pathway. As they carefully walked down, the passageways grew colder and wetter. Karam looked at the eerie, purple torches that lit the way, and listened to the sound of his hooves clacking on the steps as he pondered what his father could be showing him. For the most part though he focused on not slipping and falling down the stairs. People had warned him about that, and he felt like it really could happen now.
Eventually they came to a small room with one wall that was covered in a solid metal layer of silver. Again Khayri made his horn glow in an unusual, purple tone, and the silver sheet reacted, changing into a purple glow of magic.
“Go on, Karam. You may enter first,” Khayri announced, nodding his head towards the portal.
“Enter… that?” Karam squeaked, unsure if he wanted to enter the glowing, sparking doorway.
“I promise it won’t kill you, Brother,” Daud assured him, “I had to enter as well.”
If Daud could do it, then so could Karam. With this in mind, Karam straightened up again, took a deep breath, and walked through the portal. He closed his eyes and stepped into it, and as his nose hit the purple glow, he felt a tingle course all over him. Quickly he jumped through the rest of the way. His body tingled all over with the magic, and he sneezed roughly. As he slipped through, he felt almost as if he was swimming in sparkly water, and he felt a tad dizzy. Part of him wanted to open his eyes but he was afraid of what he’d see. Then, he felt his hooves hit solid ground, and the odd sensations ebbed away. In another moment, it was over. Cautiously he opened one eye, and spotted a solid dirt floor beneath him. Looking around, he found that he was in a vast underground cavern lit by eerie, lime green, magical torches. A moment later he heard the portal hiss, and then he leaped forward, spinning around to see who was next.
It was Daud, who smiled and said, “See? I told you it was fine!”
Daud shook himself, and in the limey light his dapple grey pelt took on a strange, crocodile-like look. Although his black mane and tail were a bit static-filled, he seemed fine. Realizing that his brother was okay, Karam relaxed some more. In another moment, Khayri was there, and with a chuckle, he led the way down another corridor.
“Karam, do you remember the history lessons on The Great Famine?” Khayri prompted as his hooves thumped on the sandy floors.
The Great Famine happened at least 600 years before Karam was born. In those days, Khayri was still young, with his six brothers, mother, and father all still alive. To Khayri, it was a tragic memory. To Karam, it was an ancient story he had to memorize.
“Yes, Father,” Karam answered swiftly, “In the year 425 of Malik Al-Aziz, the land produced less and then rivers dried up, making a time of terrible starvation, but eventually some wise Unicorns and Earth Horses discovered what stopped the rivers, and this… with… with a special formula made by some Zarfaim, helped bring the land back to producing plenty of food… correct?”
“The formula is real,” Khayri answered somberly, “and the rivers truly did dry up for a time… but the rest of our restoration is a lie.”
“What?” Karam gasped, halting for a moment. Looking at his father, Karam could hardly believe his ears.
“The rivers did dry up,” Khayri explained, “But it was not Unicorns that helped them flow again--it was a magic artifact. That is what I shall show you today. Come, we are almost there.”
Surprised and curious, Karam followed his father and brother into a large room with a strange machine which whirred and clanked and hissed constantly. Inspecting it in the magical lights, Karam saw that from the right and left of the machine flowed two rivers, which were channeled into deep trenches that flowed beneath the walls of the room. In the center of the front of the machine was a golden breast color with a brilliant blue stone shaped like a drop of water in the center pendant, and the stone glowed steadily in its place of honor.
“This is what we call the Breast Collar of Water,” Khayri explained, “And it is this magic stone that creates the rivers you see flowing out of here, which branch out and feed the other rivers of the land. With good irrigation, our nation used this water to survive. Nowadays we have other sources of water, but these two rivers are still our main supply, and they are provided by this magic stone.”
“But… how can such a small stone be so powerful?” Karam questioned, staring in wonder at the glowing gem.
“We do not know, but it is quite powerful. It is also because of this stone that we won the war against Ippeia which followed shortly after our terrible famine,” Khayri revealed quietly.
“How, father? Did you drown the enemy?” Karam piped up, instantly realizing how childish of a question that was.
With a chuckle, Khayri explained, “No, My Son: my father, The First King, wore this collar, and it gave him powers to infuse all his magic with the strength of a hundred rivers. Furthermore, it made him immune to poison. I fought alongside him during the war, and beheld its strength myself. After the war, my father sealed up the collar here, and ordered that the historians speak nothing of it in their accounts, so that no one wicked would seek to steal the artifact after his death.” With a sigh, he added, “If our army had recovered more from the famine, perhaps we could have won the war without using this… or heading to the frontlines ourselves…. The last three of my six brothers died on the battlefields.”
For a few moments, nobeast said anything. Only the whirring and stirring of the machine filled the room with noise while the three Alicorns had a moment of silence for the family that passed away long ago. The First King, whose true name had been forgotten after he was called Malik Al-Aziz for so long, was the one who united the various nomadic tribes under one banner, forming Saddle-Arabia. He and his wife ruled for centuries before their eventual deaths. In the same Great Famine that killed half of Khayri's brothers, Malik's wife, Khayri's mother, also died. Within a few centuries, Khayri was left alone. It happened so long ago that even Khayri had trouble recalling the events clearly. For several minutes, the three remaining members of The First King's family stood in the cavern, listening to the whirring, clanking machinery.
Mentally returning to the present, Khayri spoke again with, “Karam, you must never tell anybeast about this artifact unless they are family. We cannot afford this to be stolen. Furthermore, you must not unleash this in battle unless absolutely necessary--understand?”
“Yes, Father,” Karam agreed with a somber nod.
Magical beams zapped walls, scorched the stone flooring, and filled the room with noise as Karam and Daud trained each other in fighting skills. Unfortunately, it seemed that Daud had the upper hoof... Again. Although Karam was very nimble and a skilled flier, his brother had much more strength physically and also had the talent to harden his skin, making him very hard to beat in combat.
“Brother, can’t you weaken yourself for just one fight?” Karam huffed as he dodged another teal beam from Daud.
“No! If I do that, we’ll both get weaker,” Daud snorted as he fired another lazer at Karam.
“But how am I supposed to win if you keep using your signature spell?” Karam argued as he responded by creating a shield for himself from his golden yellow magic, deflecting the beam.
“That’s the whole point: you are supposed to strengthen yourself against me!” Daud laughed with a boyish flap of his grey wings.
“I liked this better when you didn’t find your Special Gift, and we were evenly matched!" Karam whined as he hovered in the air, crossing his forelegs and pouting.
“Well why not try using some wind to fight me?” Daud retorted with a toss of his tail, “Since you are The Strong Wind?”
Realizing his brother had a valid point, Karam flapped his wings, stirring up a breeze. Thankfully, the training room had an extremely high ceiling, making plenty of room for flying and stirring up wind. It had been a few months since Karam earned his Destiny Mark, and he had been experimenting with his newfound gift, learning more and more about how to stir up wind and control it, but using it to fight was something he hadn’t done before now. He pumped his wings, like one of his Pegasus retainers showed him, making a small gust, then used his magic to amplify the gust and control it, turning it into a blasting whip, which he slammed against Daud with a final snap of his wings. In response, Daud shielded himself with his own wings, which were also enhanced to be hard as stone yet still useable. The force of Karam's gale slammed into his wings, rattled his body, and threw him back several feet.
“Well, “ Daud gasped as he climbed to his hooves, “That was certainly tough! Perhaps if you try doing that every day, you’ll eventually beat me with it!”
Karam grinned. He puffed his chest out proudly while he landed on the ground with an elegant flourish of his wings.
“Perhaps, but right now… I’m exhausted. How about we take a break?”
“I agree, Karam. Guards, please fetch us some water!”
Hearing the order, one of the nearby guards bowed and then quickly exited the room.
“Well, Daud, I’m glad we don’t have to fight in a war like father did,” Karam noted as he lounged on one of the couches at the wall, giving his wings a well-earned stretch.
“Indeed, I certainly wouldn’t want to go and… have to actually kill somebeast. At least, not yet. Perhaps when I’m older I’ll be more ready to fight in a real battle.” Daud answered with a firm nod while his wings twitched with worry.
“Yes… and I’m so glad we don’t have to fight each other in a real battle!” Karam added, “Just think of how terrible that would be… and I would probably lose to you!”
“Well, you do not have to fear that! I will always be your older brother, and as such I shall protect you from danger. I will be your rock!”
“And I will support you when you take the throne, and I’ll… uhm… I’ll be the wind that… that… that supports you and blows away all your enemies! You shall see! I will be there for you just like you will be there for me, and I will help you as much as I can! I will! I promise! I will be an honorable younger brother! I will, I will I will!”
At that, the two young Alicorns laughed. Both were old enough to keep secrets, both were old enough to protect each other, and both were old enough to make promises… even if they couldn’t keep them.
“Sleep well, My Sons,” Khayri bid his young stallions as he walked off to bed.
“Sleep well, Father,” They replied as they slowly walked to their own rooms.
“Today’s feast was most wonderful!” Karam exclaimed to his brother with a tired, yet happy sigh, “I wish we could have more celebrations.”
“Karam, we already have plenty of festivals to attend each year,” Daud pointed out, “I think we have enough to celebrate.”
“Yes, but the energy, the joy, all the guests! If only we could have fun like that every day,” Karam piped up with a slight spring in his step.
“Although I do enjoy a good feast, I have a feeling that when we have to rule and attend all sorts of events that we both shall grow tired of it,” Daud chuckled.
“I suppose you are correct, Brother,” Karam admitted as he entered his room, “Well, see you tomorrow!”
Daud nodded and went to his own room.
It had been many years since Karam was old enough to learn the secret of the rivers, and he had matured much in that time. Although he was still a chatterbox and was a bit of a rebel, he was beginning to understand the importance and duties of princehood, and was determined to bring honor to his father and his brother as well as his own name. Over the decades he had stopped many sandstorms, learned new spells, and grown stronger in all things. Truly, his father and brother were very proud of him for his accomplishments. Certainly he would be a wonderful leader one day. That day was coming sooner than he thought.
Karam awoke and stretched his wings in the bright sunlight streaming through his latticed windows. He quickly brushed his mane and tail, and then put on his silver shoes and necklace. Realizing what time it was, he wondered why a servant didn’t come and inform him breakfast was ready.
That was most unusual.
Curiously he trotted to the hallway and examined the area. There were guards huddled together at the far end of the hall, and they seemed distressed. At the other end of the hall were some servants crying over something. Karam began to worry.
He quickly trotted over to the guards and asked, “Guards, what is it?”
Instantly the guards turned and looked at the young prince in dismay. They all eyed each other, each willing one of them to speak, yet none were willing to say a word.
“Somebeast speak! Tell me!” Karam ordered, growing frustrated that nobeast was telling him what was wrong. In his nervousness, he adjusted his wings along his back and sides over and over again.
“Your highness… Your father, the king… He died in his sleep. It seems to have been poison,” The bravest guard replied as he hung his head.
“Wh...what?” He answered, blinking again, hardly able to comprehend anything at the moment.
“King Khayri… died of poison,” Another guard slowly repeated, gulping deeply as he finished the words.
“No… he… but… who? Why?” Karam gasped, feeling lumps gather in his throat.
“We know not, but if you wish… you can see for yourself,” A third guard answered, stepping aside for Karam to pass.
Karam barged through, cantering around the corner and down the hall to his father’s bedroom. The doors were already open and several servants were nearby, mourning. One was a camel, who was kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks. Resting her head on the camel’s back was a young Pegasus Pony who seemed shocked out of her mind, staring blankly ahead. A third was an Earth Horse Stallion who had his head bowed in respect as he stepped aside for Karam. Another servant was a Zarfaim camel who seemed to be reciting some kind of blessing in the Zarfaim language. However, Karam wasn’t paying any mind to them: he was focused on the sight of his father’s regal bedroom, where various guards and doctors and some nobles were gathered around the bed in astonishment and sorrow. As soon as they saw him they straightened up, took a step back, and bowed low before him. Steadily Karam walked into the room and approached the bed. There, his father lay. His blue-grey fur was matted from tossing and turning for long hours, and his feathers on his wings were ruffled in likewise manner. One of his noble, soft ears was pointed in one direction, and the other was in another. His face was scrunched up and his teeth were gritted in a contorted, pained manner.
Khayri was dead.
Karam wasn’t barging around anymore: he was silently studying the scene, unable to process it.
Karam heard nothing but heavy breathing in the room, and wondered who could possibly be heaving so loudly.
After some time he realized that he was the one sobbing out loud.
Steadying himself, he took one final deep breath and looked at the nearest Pegasus Horse and asked, “Daud, where is he? Does… does he know yet?”
At that, the Pegasus averted his eyes and replied sorrowfully, “We have not found Prince Daud yet, Prince Karam. We are uncertain if he was assassinated as well, or if he discovered your father’s death and ran away for a time to be alone.”
“Daud… gone?” Karam squeaked, “And… father… dead…”
Again he sobbed, and did all he could to stop himself from bursting into tears.
“Your highness, please, leave this place of death,” A calm voice broke through his shock for a moment, “Let us take your father’s body and prepare it for burial while you recover in your own room. You must be strong for the whole nation now.”
Karam turned to the voice and realized it was one of Khayri’s Zarfaim advisors, who was an Earth Horse wearing a plain black set of tack which covered his flanks, back, and chest modestly.
What was his name?
Oh yes, Avram… Avram the… the… Patient…
why couldn’t Karam think?
Why couldn’t he think?
He had to think….
Unable to reply, Karam nodded and somehow managed to reach his room, where he collapsed on his bed and stared out his window at the sky over his balcony. Two agonizing days passed in which the kingdom mourned over their king’s death. Daud never appeared. The funeral needed to go on without Daud, before the king’s body began rotting. Though Karam ached for his brother to be there beside him, he had to watch his father's funeral alone. Silently he stood at the front of the procession, leading the way to the graveyard where his ancient family was laid to rest. Thousands of citizens followed, wailing over their wise, patient king’s casket as it passed through the streets. To Karam, everything was blurred and he could barely believe it was happening. Soon his father was buried in the family tomb beside his mother, and Karam was in his room again, staring blankly out his window.
The sky was still blue. The birds loudly sang. The world moved on.
Didn’t the world know that his father died? Didn’t the world know that his brother was missing? Why did everything have to seem so perfect at such a horrific moment? Karam couldn’t comprehend it.
That same day, one of the chefs died; apparently the same poison that killed the malik killed him as well, but he only had a small taste of it, hence it took him longer to die. Immediately all of the kitchen servants were interrogated for days, except for one who mysteriously disappeared. Although nobeast could prove it, all assumed the vanished beast was the traitor. Either way, the chefs and remaining servants had no idea who could have killed their marvelous malik. While Karam pondered what to do, somebeast knocked at his door.
“Enter,” Karam heard himself mutter, though he didn’t feel like he was really speaking out loud.
Gently the door opened and Karam heard somebeast say, “Sire, I apologize for disturbing you… but we think it would be best if you could say a few words to the citizens, letting them know that everything will be all right… somehow.”
Karam knew that voice. It was one of father’s chief advisors. For a moment, Karam thought about the people. Perhaps in the countryside people still did not know the news, but everybeast in the city knew. Everyone was shocked. They needed comfort, but Karam himself was filled with agony, and barely had the motivation to brush his own tail out. How could he possibly give a speech to comfort others when he didn't even have the heart to care for himself?
“I know not what to say,” Karam sighed, refusing to turn his head or even lift himself from his bed. For a few moments there was no sound, and then Karam heard the creaking of the door closing softly. Once more, he was left alone, sprawled out across his soft, regal blankets. For the next few days, the advisors handled all the major meetings with nobility and other leaders, doing their best to comfort everybeast. While they did so, they all looked out for Daud, but he was nowhere to be found, as if the earth itself swallowed him up to be with his father.
“My Prince,” Heydar The Great, one of Khayri’s advisors, asked politely as he poked his head in the door, “May I speak with you a moment?”
“Yes,” Karam muttered as he slowly picked himself up and stared at the Unicorn Horse glumly.
“Sire, I know you will not like to hear this, but we advisors feel that you must take the throne until your brother returns,”The red-brown Unicorn Horse announced in a calm voice as he bowed and then adjusted his silvery tack with his magical aura.
Instantly, Karam shot up to his hooves, spreading his wings angrily as he spat, “WHAT!? NO! DAUD IS THE RIGHTFUL KING! HE WILL BE BACK… He… he will… he will!”
His last words were slower, and he softly lowered his wings as the realization dawned on him that his beloved elder brother could be dead too. He hung his head and sobbed, and didn't even have the heart to fold his wings, allowing them to lay down and drag on the bed around him.
“Oh Great Wind, He will, surely, but for this season of time, the nation needs a leader to assure her that things will be all right, and to send a message to the assassins that they have failed; Saddle-Arabia will move on from this tragedy. We will surely find Daud, but for right now you should take the throne so that the people have a face to look up to,” Heydar persuaded him with a quiet voice and a reassuring smile.
With a sorrowful look in his orange eyes, Heydar stretched out one of his forelegs and lowered his head in a respectful bow while his ears folded back in sympathy. Although he didn’t want to do it, Karam knew that Heydar was correct: the people needed a leader.
Sorrowfully bringing up his wings and folding them along his sides, Karam sighed, “Very well. I suppose we can have some ceremony tomorrow.”
With that finished, Heydar bowed low again, letting his red-brown mane graze the floor as he murmured, “I truly am sorry this has happened to you, My Young Prince. I promise I’ll do all I can to assist you through this terrible trial.”
Karam nodded to the Unicorn, who then backed out of the room respectfully.
During the ceremony, Karam felt as if he was betraying both his father and brother. Alongside the feelings of betrayal stirred a sandstorm of fear and anxiety, for he felt too young to be given such an immense task. Though he felt his heart race with a hundred feelings,he didn’t say one negative word at all. In his heart, he felt that he must hide his emotions and be firm, be brave, be strong for everybeast, like Daud would… like Father would.
For the sake of everybeast, he had to handle the important work of royalty, and be brave.
“I promise you all that I shall do my best to protect you and serve you until my older brother returns,” Karam finished his reassuring speech to the crowd gathered below his balcony.
The people of Saddle-Arabia were frightened after the death of their king, and deeply needed somebeast to comfort them. Seeing their young prince stand tall and give them those brave words helped reassure them that things would be all right in the end. Karam, however, did not feel reassured. For the past week, nobeast had found Daud. Where could he be? Was he truly dead as well?
“Wonderful work, Your Majesty,” One of Father’s--no, Karam’s-- advisors, Jaffar the Peaceful, said calmly with a respectful nod.
He was a pale yellow camel known for his gentle nature. Although Camels did not have Destiny Marks, his blanket tack showcased his status as Advisor of Diplomacy with branches and leaves embroidered across it on both sides.
“I tried,” Karam sighed as he folded his wings and closed the balcony doors with his magic.
“Do not lose hope, Young Prince,” Jinan the Healer added, “The body needs hope as much as the heart does.”
He was an Earth Pony apothecary known for his ability to manage trade routes as well as his healing skills with herbs. His Destiny Mark was a bundle of herbs, showcasing he was mostly the Court Physician. Compared to all the camels and horses, the Pony seemed short, but he was average height. In the golden light streaming through the windows, his pale green mane and tail lit up, and his dark violet eyes and orange-brown pelt seemed brighter. His words were encouraging, but Karam’s tormented heart couldn’t hear them.
“I know, but what is there left to hope for? We can’t find Daud, Father is dead, and everything is on my shoulders now and I’m not prepared!” Karam moaned as he flopped onto his bed in sorrow.
“Fear not, Oh Strong Wind, for we are here to assist you in all matters,” Avram the Patient, a Zarfaim Earth Horse reminded him.
Avram’s outfit today was brown, with six-pointed stars embroidered onto it. According to Zarfaim tradition, his tack covered his back, sides, chest, and flanks in a loose robe, though the leg coverings stopped at his knees to give him breathing room. On top of his peach head was a short mane of white, covered with his black head tack. As the court’s Spiritual advisor, he often prayed before and after meetings, and tried his best to give a more ethical stance in everything.
Looking at the calm Horse, Karam felt a little braver. He looked at Avram’s plain, modest, tack and compared it to the fancier tack of the other advisors, and wondered if Avram felt hot with all that fabric on him. Oh but Karam insulted himself for thinking such foolish thoughts at such a time! At the same time, Karam insulted the others for how they were all acting. How could Avram and all the other advisors manage to be so rational at such a horrid time? Weren’t they panicking too?
Perhaps Karam needed to learn how to maintain himself like they maintained themselves… for the good of the kingdom.
Sitting up straight in his bed, Karam sighed, “All right… well, assist me! Does anybeast have any suggestions of where to find Daud?”
At that, the advisors awkwardly eyed each other and then looked away from Karam. Well, it seemed that even the calm and collected council had their worried moments too. “The best option is to send messengers all across the land seeking him! Perhaps he was kidnapped the night of the murder!”
Qadir the Swift quickly suggested as he spread wide his electric blue Pegasus Horse wings in declaration.
His white and golden tack had emblems showcasing that he was the Chief of the Aerial Defense part of the army.
“It seems that is the only option,” Heydar the Great acknowledged, using his Unicorn Horse magic to adjust his golden tack better.
His tack had a long blanket draped across his back that was woven with diamonds and marks of magic, showing that he was one of the two Court Magicians.
“Then so be it!” Karam agreed.
“Shall I offer a financial reward for whoever brings him back? Surely that will give some speed to their journeying,” Kalil the Prosperous asked.
As the one in charge of finances, the Unicorn Horse knew the perfect price for everything. He too was a Zarfaim, and his black modest tack was ornamented with symbols of golden coins, showing his place as Advisor of Economics.
“Let it be done!” Karam declared, feeling a bit braver at the thought of the messengers hurrying back.
“As for other matters, what would you like for luncheon?” Kamal the Faithful inquired.
He was a pale-colored Camel who was in charge of all the servants in the palace. His tack was embroidered with symbols of symmetrical shapes, showing that he was the Chief of the Servants, and that he loved keeping a tidy palace.
“I… I suppose just a plain salad; I’m not that hungry today,” Karam decided after a moment.
“Excellent! The greens will help your body and eating will help soothe your mind,” Jinan commented with a smile.
More days passed and still no word from Daud.
Slowly, Karam believed that his brother was dead.
What other explanation was there?
If he was alive, he’d be back by now. Karam wanted to mourn for his father and brother, but didn’t know how. He had to be strong for the nation, and mourning was… wasn’t strong. Was it? He didn’t know. Because he didn’t have time to mourn, he buried his emotions away and taught himself to always look serious and strong. Whoever his father’s assassin was, wherever that traitor was, he was probably watching Karam, waiting for an opportunity, and Karam refused to look like he was wide open emotionally.
Wherever Karam went, he stood tall and strong, and whenever he spoke he spoke clearly and soberly. He halted several sandstorms during this time, and he used the violent winds to get out some of his anger by violently striking back at them with his magic. No matter what happened he would be strong for his nation, his brother, and the memory of his father. Thankfully, he had some excellent advisors beside him.
“Again, My Liege! You are doing very well,” Ghayth The Fierce encouraged Karam.
Karam panted, and used his magic to pick up his training sword.
“No, My Liege, you must train your body, and not your magic right now,” Ghayth reminded him.
Quickly Karam grabbed the sword with his mouth and snapped his wings into position. Ghayth stomped once, loudly. A few servants rushed in and fixed new appendages on the training posts for Karam to attack. As soon as they were gone, Ghayth stomped one of his Camel hooves twice, and Karam flew into action. Flying between the dummies, Karam sliced and kicked at them, cutting off wooden boards and clumps of stuffing as he went. Soon he had circled all around them and returned to the starting point in the training room. Panting once more, he stood there on all fours, with his wings half- opened, waiting for the next exercise.
All together it had been two weeks since the assassination, and Karam was training himself hard. As the Chief Advisor of Defense, Ghayth, who was a brown Camel known for his prowess in the arenas of his youth, decided to put Karam on a strict training regiment to fortify him in case somebeast tried to exterminate him with something other than poison. On that subject, Kamal the Faithful had fired everybeast who worked in the kitchens and replaced all of them to ensure that nobeast would attempt to poison Karam. It seemed that they were innocent, but just to be safe he fired them all. Barely any of them made any complaints under the circumstances. After that, extra food tasters were instituted to taste anything and EVERYTHING that Karam was about to eat, and guards were placed all around the dining areas in order to survey everything. While Kamal ensured his protection from poison, Ghayth encouraged him to train hard in order to assure his protection from physical and magical harm.
While training under Ghayth’s command, Karam did his best to be strong physically, magically and also emotionally. Unfortunately, he simply did not know how to handle his own emotions. Although he wanted to cry, he held back the tears, pain, and fear, which led to him wearing a harsh, stoic mask every day. The best way he found to let out that building stress was to attack the training dummies with everything he had. Every day he became more and more fierce, and it helped him to survive. Thanks to Ghayth’s orders, Karam survived day after day.
“How long do you think that will take?” Heydar the Great snorted.
“Patience, Heydar--the best plans often take time,” Afzal replied smoothly.
Afzal was a grey-pelted Pegasus Pony whose talent for strategy manifested on his flank as a battle map Destiny Mark. His black mane and tail were always groomed neatly, and his green eyes were sharp enough to notice the slightest details in the expressions of others. His partner in crime, Heydar, was a maroon-colored Unicorn Horse with a deep brown mane and tail that was also neatly groomed. Known for his magical prowess, Heydar had long ago decided that it was time somebeast other than an Alicorn ruled, and was glad to find that Afzal felt likewise. Although they worked together, it was clear that Afzal had the most ambition, and would stand at nothing getting in his way. Heydar could tell it was best to never oppose him, so instead he joined him gladly, hoping to get his fair share in the coup which had already started.
The two had studied writings of radicals who declared that the nation should be ruled by a dynasty of a beast who was native to the area, and not by the Alicorns who were descendants of outsiders. Over the years, Afzal believed more and more that he should be that leader, for Khayri had always asked him for advice the most, and everybeast knew that Afzal was the one who was most clever. Surely, if he was the wisest, if even the kings valued him so much, then he should have the throne himself. He could probably do a better job ruling than any Alicorn could. Indeed, Karam had no idea that Afzal and Heydar were planning on making him a puppet king as they slowly took over, planning to kill him at the last moment.
Although many messengers and scouts were sent out, still nobeast had found Daud. It seemed that Karam was going to rule Saddle-Arabia alone. Thankfully, he had his trusted Advisors beside him. Unfortunately, he put his trust in too many of them.
“Sire, a revolt has broken out in Aseb,” Ghayth reported to him one day, “We must have a meeting about this!”
“Send for the other advisors and meet me in the greater meeting room,” Karam ordered with a wave of one of his golden yellow wings.
A revolt? Now? Of all times? Karam prayed he’d have the strength and wisdom to act properly.
Once they were all gathered, Ghayth continued his report:
“Some traitorous Unicorn Horse has arisen with a small army, stolen the Fire Halter, and proclaimed he has the right to the throne of Aseb through an ancient lineage, from before your forefathers conquered the area. Forgive me, My Liege, for bringing such news in a bad season, but it seems we may have a minor civil war if we do not act immediately.”
“Horrid news indeed! But surely we can quell this--let’s remain calm at all times,” Jinan comforted the others around the table with a nod of his head.
“The best option is to completely obliterate them now, showing everybeast that you are the rightful king, My Lord,” Qadir declared, flapping his electric blue wings sharply.
“I agree! Give the word, My Liege, and I shall ready the finest troops for departure,” Ghayth added.
“And I volunteer to take this under my own wings, King Karam,” Afzal swiftly added, “I am, after all, the tactician of this land--allow me to do this so that you need not fret over these foals.”
“Thank you all,” Karam sighed, “Do you think they may listen to reason, though?”
“Your Majesty, although I do strongly support reasoning, some beasts cannot be reasoned with. In general, usurpers have no time or inclination to speak to anybeast attempting to dissuade them,” Jaffar shook his head sadly.
“Again, allow myself and Heydar to deal with this--his magic and wisdom combined with my tactics can quickly brush them all aside. You have much more pressing matters to deal with, such as Daud’s whereabouts,” Afzal reminded Karam as he smiled at the Alicorn.
Though his green eyes were filled with a comforting charm, Afzal's heart was filled with deceptive poison.
“I understand, but… I… I don’t want to go to any sort of war or battle now,” Karam groaned as he desperately looked around the table.
“Oh Strong Wind, none of us do, but it seems we must,” Avram gently replied in a sad, fatherly tone as he hung his aging head quietly.
“We do have stores of money in the treasuries to finance a quick rebellion-stomping, Sire,” Kalil reminded them all in an encouraging tone.
“... Any other ideas?” Karam pleaded.
For a moment, the advisors looked at each other sadly.
“My Liege, now is the time to demonstrate that you are serious about protecting your land,” Ghayth explained, “Send out the troops to dispose of this mess before it’s too late. As a king, you must not tolerate usurpers. Show them that you are the rightful king's son, and thus the true ruler of Saddle-Arabia and all lands in its territory. Your grandfather, the First King, rightfully captured that land so the citizens could expand, and he and your father ruled it caringly for centuries. The Region of Aseb has no reason to rebel, and these brutes must be put in their place before they convince the citizens otherwise.” Ghayth declared.
“Take heart, Young King, and be brave. You needn’t go to battle yourself, remember,” Jinan soothed.
“...Fine then, Afzal… you are in charge. Do your best and dispose of this rebellion, and restore the Fire Halter where it belongs,” Karam decided. After that, he turned to some of the quieter advisors, “Any of you have anything to say?”
“I… I saw a bad omen in the stars last night,” Alem the Oryx Astronomer warned. He straightened in his chair, the light from the torches illuminating the white mark on his face and the curves of his horns as he spoke, “The Great Snake is attacking the Lion King. I have a sense that this means disaster for the throne. Please, do quell this rebellion immediately.”
“I do not take stock in omens,” Zahir the Loyal snorted, “But I will say this: I have wandered among the common beasts while researching new ways of magic, and they all seem on edge. None will say it out loud, but they are all worried. Ever since His Majesty Khayri died there’s been a sense of… uncertainty, Oh Great One.”
“What do you mean?” Karam prompted.
“I feel… I see… the commoners are… well… I wish not to offend but.. .I feel they all need to know that you indeed will protect them. If you do crush this rebellion you’ll prove you are indeed king, Great One,” Zahir summarised as he struggled to poke his head above the table.
There were some disadvantages to being a short Unicorn pony, unfortunately.
“I see… they are uncertain I’m fit for the throne?” Karam responded.
“Again, I wish not to offend, but that’s what I have noticed. Show them you are king, Great One, and you’ll set their hearts to ease,” Zahir encouraged him as he tossed his head to the side to get his blonde mane out of his face.
“And this omen… Amal, have you seen anything like this in the stars before?” Karam probed as he turned to the Oryx.
“The night before your father died, I saw a shooting star go through the heart of the Lion King, and told him about it. Other than that, I have not seen something like this before now. The stars move in a set order, so surely in the ancient past they went this way before today… yet… I find it… very… worrying… that NOW… this is showing in the stars,” Amal carefully replied, afraid to speak too quickly as his ears drooped nervously.
“Do not take too much stock in such things, Great One,” Zahir snorted again as one of his brown Pony ears flicked in annoyance, “Sometimes stars are merely stars.”
“Oh Strong Wind, I must warn you of something else,” Avram spoke, “I have a burden that’s been on my heart, but I’m not certain what it means. Please, whatever choice you make, make it wisely.”
“If you know not what it means, why speak it forth?” Zahir stared at Avram sternly.
“If he wishes to warn me, then let him warn me!” Karam snapped.
“Oh, I apologize, Great One!” Zahir quickly responded, bowing his head low, which made him almost vanish beneath the table.
“May I leave now, King Karam? There is much to be done before the army departs,” Afzal calmly piped up with a wave of one of his light grey wings.
“Of course--take whatever you need,” Karam agreed with a wave of his own wing.
“I shall inform the servants that the army will need provisions!” Kamal determined with a quick nod of his pale Camel head.
“So be it!” Karam agreed, “And… I suppose that’s all that needs to be said. Oh and uh, next time, someone get a box for Zahir to sit on.”
The advisors paused for a moment to look at Zahir, who poked up his head and said, “Great One, you needn’t worry about me, really, though I do thank you for the kindness.”
Some of the advisors looked like they were holding back a laugh, and even Karam realized how silly it sounded. Karam coughed to hide his laughter and said, “Right, yes, heh.”
Ah, it felt good to have a silly laugh for a moment.
As the various advisors went to their posts to prepare, Karam slowly walked down the halls, uncertain of what to do. The burden of warfare weighed on him like a heavy stone tied to his heart, yet he knew that he truly had no choice. Hearing somebeast approaching, he turned and saw Avram coming to speak to him.
“Strong Wind, I… I want to encourage you again-- Fear not! The Creator will be with you, surely… as for earlier, I understand what that burden on me was,” Avram began.
“Avram, I am always thankful for your warm words, please tell me what troubled you,” Karam urged him, turning to face the humble Zarfaim.
“Strong Wind… I feel that… forgive me for saying this, but… I feel that you should not trust Afzal too quickly. Put your trust in all your advisors, and not just him.”
Confused, Karam stared at him for a time, unsure of what to say. The Zarfaim were an odd group. Though in blood they were Ponies, anyone who followed the Zarfaim faith was taken into their fold with open hearts. Through the ages, the Zarfaim had wandered from land to land ever since their own homeland had been destroyed, yet wherever they went, they did not look for war or strife, but merely someplace safe to dwell and serve their one God. Karam wasn’t exactly religious, though he did revere the many gods of Saddle-Arabia, but something in his heart felt that he should listen to Avram’s warning.
“I must go attend to the army now and ensure all is well,” Avram excused himself with a polite bow.
“Of course, you may go,” Karam allowed.
With that, Avram departed, trotting down the stone halls quietly, the firelight illuminating his aged, white mane, and showing that even his peach pelt was becoming grey from the hooves upwards. Karam watched him go, noting the horse’s modest tack. After a moment, Karam turned and trotted down the halls towards the training room. He needed to destress again, and the best option for him to do that was to train.
Karam smiled at himself. “The best option” seemed to be Qadir’s favorite phrase. For a moment he imagined his father, Khayri, listening to Qadir over and over again… did Khayri ever notice that about Qadir? Did he ever notice that Avram the Patient was getting old?
In fact, all of the advisors were aging… in decades to come, who would Karam choose to take their places? There were so many things to think about as king; Karam wished his father had lived a bit longer, to teach him such things…Oh, right, Daud was supposed to be king, and Karam would have been his right hoof.
Oh Daud… where was he?
No, Karam must be strong, He must throw away such pained thoughts. Although his heart ached, he must forget about his brother and father for now. With this rebellion, he had more pressing matters to think about. No, Afzal said to not worry about the rebellion… but Avram said not to trust him… oh bother, Karam had no idea who to listen to anymore.
“Long live Afzal the Tactician! Long live Heydar the Great! Long live King Karam!” The citizens shouted as Afzal and Heydar returned a few weeks later.
“Look at them all… praising Afzal, Heydar, and King Karam…” Zahir noted from a balcony, watching the parade pass through the streets.
“Indeed, Zahir. It seems all is well,” Jinan sighed in relief.
“...Afzal and Heydar seem especially pleased with themselves,” Zahir remarked, closely watching Afzal and Heydar as they led the procession.
“What is wrong with that? They just saved the kingdom!” Qadir retorted, flapping his wings with a “snap”.
“...I was simply making a statement,” Zahir calmly replied.
“I should go to the stables--the troops will be coming in soon, and I must ensure they are all healthy,” Jinan remarked as he quickly trotted away.
“Afzal and Heydar always work so well together, don’t you think, Zahir?” Qadir added as Jinan walked away.
“Indeed, they do,” Zahir agreed, “... indeed…. They do.”
Later, Afzal and Heydar entered the throne room and bowed to Karam.
“We have crushed the rebels, and restored the sacred Halter of Fire to its proper shrine, Malik Karam,” Afzal declared with his grey Pony wings spread wide.
“It was nothing for us!” Heydar added, “And we are pleased to return home to serve you, My Malik.”
“Excellent,” Karam sighed, relieved it was over, “I… suppose you may… rest now.”
What exactly was one supposed to say after one’s troops returned home from crushing a rebellion? Karam certainly did not know.
“Malik Karam, if ever such an event happens again, do not hesitate to send us to the front lines once more!” Afzal suggested as he straightened up.
“Indeed, My Liege! All the soldiers I asked noted how skilled they both were-- ha ha! Those rebels did not stand a chance! We should have a feast to celebrate!” Ghayth guffawed in glee as he shook his scarred head in a pleased motion.
“Oh, we… yes, we should!” Karam agreed after a moment, attempting to relax while his wings fidgeted nervously.
“A small feast, yes? We did spend a bit more money than we wanted to on the fighting, after all, Sire,” Kalil suggested with a nervous chuckle.
“And we must clean the stables! The troops brought in so much sand--and some of their weapons still have dried blood on them! It’s horrific! Please, I beseech you, let us clean first!” Kamal begged, dusting off one of his white hooves as he spoke, shivering at the thought of all the grime and blood--oh how terrifying!
“Oh, well, of course! Do all that first, and then we can feast, in the evening, yes!” Karam declared, trying to sound sure of his own opinion.
That's what Father would do, right? He was always certain of his own opinions.
Kalil and Kamal bowed and backed out of the room quickly to prepare everything.
“Ah, My Liege! If only you had been there! Ah, the fighting was so invigorating!” Ghayth laughed, standing a bit closer to Karam’s throne as he spoke, “Would you like to hear?”
Karam swallowed hard, afraid to hear but trying to sound like a rightful malik as he answered, “Oh… of course!”
Afzal cleared his throat and asked, “Do you have any tasks for Heydar and I before we leave, King Karam?”
“Oh.. no, not really--please do get plenty of rest,” Karam answered after thinking about it for a moment.
“In that case, Afzal and I shall take my leave and check on the troops once more, My Lord,” Heydar proposed as he straightened his war tack with his magic aura.
“Oh, go ahead! Certainly!” Karam allowed with a nod.
Heydar bowed and then politely backed out of the room, with Afzal following.
“Ghayth, please do not embellish the story too much now,” Afzal chuckled before the doors closed.
“Oh My Liege, it was thrilling!” Ghayth began, “Afzal sent a messenger giving the rebels three days to surrender--of course they did NOT surrender-- and we all met in the Sand Dragon Valley, our forces lined up, staring each other down…. Oh, one could hear a single gnat buzzing if one listened closely, there was such a quiet. Afzal flew into the air, demanding the rebels surrender or face the consequences, and that leader of theirs-- Alborz-- walked a few paces forward and shouted, ‘Never! Aseb will be free once more!’ Of course all the rebels cheered at that, and seeing they would not surrender, Afzal gave the signal to attack! “After that, our forces rushed at one another, and oh the fighting! The fighting! The shouting, the stabbing, the kicking, the sand in the air, the heat! The sweat! Oh it was so marvelous, My Liege! Marvelous, and all the time there were Afzal and Heydar in the midst of it all, giving their enemies a thousand deaths, screaming “IN THE NAME OF THE TRUE KING” over and over! Oh, if only you had been there….”
Ghayth went on to tell all the details of the battles they endured, and how they found the Halter of Fire… but all Karam could think of was “oh the fighting, the fighting! The blood, the death! The screams!”
Noting how pale Karam looked, Ghayth stopped after a while and looked down at the ground. His brown, scarred face twisted a bit in guilt as he realized the king he was talking to was really just… a teenager.
“... Perhaps… I was… a bit over-enthusastic, My Liege… Nevermind, please--I believe you get the picture in your mind perfectly well already,” Ghayth quietly added, sensing that Karam was getting nervously sick.
“gulp No, I… I thank you. It does sound… quite… exciting. I am glad you, Afzal and Heydar survived, and… we did not suffer… too many losses,” Karam replied, clearing his throat a few times.
For a moment, Ghayth’s mature war-scarred face studied Karam’s younger, accident-scarred face. Although Ghayth loved a battle, he also knew that Karam was young, and had a soft heart. In the harsh environment of the desert it was easy to lose one’s soft heart, but Karam still had his. Knowing how challenging things were for Karam, Ghayth wanted to protect his king, and help keep his king’s heart soft… for as long as Ghayth could.
“... My Liege, some, such as myself, were made for war. We cannot help but love the thrill of battle. Some, however, were not made for such gruesome adventures, and that is perfectly all right. Someone has to stay home and guard the throne and comfort those left behind, after all,” Ghayth soothed as his eyebrows furrowed in a fatherly way, “Your father did not enjoy fighting much either, from what I gathered. I understand, My Liege. I won’t bore you with details of war anymore.”
“I--no, wait, I… well… thank you for understanding,” Karam sighed, unsure if he should feel guilty or relieved as his wings twitched nervously.
Ghayth smiled and nodded calmly. The understanding look on Ghayth’s features comforted Karam, assuring him it was perfectly all right to not enjoy death.
“I guess we should go greet the troops,” Karam noted, stepping out of the throne.
“I shall gladly accompany you, My Liege,” Ghayth piped up.
As Karam thanked the returning soldiers, and ensured that the wounded were recovering, he wondered if he was being a good king or not. What Ghayth said rang true--somebeast had to stay behind while the troops left… and yet… maybe Karam should have been there with them. He had to grow up already and face the worst situations head-on, right? That’s what a good king did, right? Oh, what would his father do? Karam wondered if his father would be pleased with him or not. Through the day, Karam replayed the various scenes in his mind--Ghayth’s words; the faces of the exhausted, yet jubilant troops; all his advisors; and wondered if he was responding properly. Perhaps he should practice not getting so queasy over battle stories--yes, he really should. That should make him more king-like. After all… if he was going to rule Saddle-Arabia… he was going to be brave… and strong… like his father… like his brother… yes.
Meanwhile…
“Afzal, you brought the troops home safely--excellent work,” Zahir congratulated the Pegasus with a smile.
“Why, thank you! It is my pleasure to eliminate our enemies and bring the troops home,” Afzal thanked with a small bow.
“The citizens were certainly enthusiastic, and King Karam seemed pleased,” Zahir added as he adjusted his formal, black tack that hung on his chubby, short Unicorn Pony frame.
“Indeed, they were. Of course, magnificent work demands magnificent praise, does it not? And I am glad that King Karam’s throne is safe and secure,” Afzal agreed, smoothly folding his wings after a stretch, “If you don’t mind, I have some things to attend to at the moment,” He excused himself.
Zahir nodded and watched him leave, studying every movement Afzal made.
“...hmmm…” Zahir mused, noted something in Afzal’s eyes.
“Zahir? Why do you have that look?” Jinan probed as he entered the hall after making some rounds.
“Afzal was just here… I have… thoughts…” Zahir half-explained out loud.
“...thoughts? Well whatever it is, you are probably worrying too much,” Jinan soothed, “Come, it is almost time to feast.”
“Well he wouldn’t die, and my mute spells weren’t working, so what else was I going to do?” Heydar snapped back as the moonlight highlighted his brown mane and tail, which almost blended in with his red-brown pelt, which looked almost black in the darkness.
“If Daud ever does return, you know what he’ll do, right? Kill us all! Or fight against his brother--and a civil war between two Alicorns would be far too much for the nation to survive! Then what will I rule, Heydar?”
“I told you: the last thing I told him was that Karam wanted him dead. If he doesn’t die in the desert, he’ll eventually convince himself it’s true--as for a civil war, I think we can survive it--Karam is far weaker than his brother and if poison took Khayri it can take Daud as well.”
“If it can do that… why did you not poison Daud too?” Afzal snapped, his wings flaring out angrily in the darkness, turning silver beneath the moon.
“I told you--the poison was hard to make, and I did not have enough left after killing Khayri! Did you not notice how tall that beast was? Killing him took almost the whole vial!” Heydar groaned with a roll of his golden eyes.
“What did you do with that vial, anyway?” Afzal whispered as he held up a wing to conceal their heads.
“I… am still uncertain,” Heydar hesitated as his ears folded down nervously.
“...STILL? I thought you found it by now!” Afzal stared at him in shock.
“Small vials can easily be lost,” Heydar attempted to defend himself but was cut off by Afzal with, “ENOUGH… enough… let us calmly follow our plan. Already Karam is trusting us much more--that rebellion was a blessing for our favor. We showed how worthy we are of his confidence… but I feel that Avram knows something.”
“Do you suppose?” Heydar whispered back, “Or is he just being an old, worried, beast?”
“He always seems a bit tense around us these days--have you not noticed? I think he knows something,” Afzal explained while folding his wings down at his sides.
“Perhaps you are right…perhaps his God is telling him something... should I kill him too?” Heydar asked.
“No… not yet… not yet,” Afzal cautioned, “But be wary of him--him and Zahir.”
While everybeast was busy tending to his or her duties, the servants quietly slipped through the hidden passages, cleaning, organizing and beautifying the palace. Carefully staying hidden from as many of the higher-ups as possible, they did all the chores needed to be done. It was their duty, and they fulfilled it gladly. After all, not everybeast got to work in the palace, close to the king--and at such an important time! Unfortunately, being a cleaning servant also meant… finding things not meant to be found. As the servants tended to their duties, certain things were revealed.
A maid swept sand from Heydar’s room, attempting to collect every grain. Her Unicorn Pony magic was quite helpful for such a task, but it seemed she could never get any room completely clean, and it irked her deeply. While cleaning, she found other things that irked her, including a loose floor tile. Usually other servants cleaned Heydar’s room and she questioned why on earth they would NOT fix it.
Why?
Was she the only one who cared about things being perfect for the King and his advisors?
Well, there was Kamal the Faithful, who was in charge of all the servants, but other than that she honestly wondered if anybeast else even tried to clean a room properly. After she swept all she could, she trotted over to the floor tile.
In frustration she lifted it up, examined the area, and mentally memorized it so that she could fix it later. Putting the tile back, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye: Behind one of the legs of Heydar’s bed something caught a bit of sunlight, glowing faintly. Curious, she trotted over, kneeled down, and moved the bed slightly with her magic. A vial the length of her hoof rolled towards her. She picked it up and moved the bed back in its proper place. Intrigued by the odd find, she held the vial in her blue glowing aura, wondering what it was as she turned it around. In the bottom of the vial was some odd-looking, dried substance. Examining the floor again for anything similar, she memorized the place she found it.
Although she knew it was a bad idea, she couldn’t help herself: she had to sniff it. Slowly she opened it and took a whiff. The scent was… sweet… yet… sickening. She coughed and plugged the vial with its cork again. A sinking feeling oppressed her heart and mind. Part of her said she was worrying too much but… the other part told her to give it to the Head of the Servants, Kamal. Perhaps it was a bad idea--maybe she was worrying too much, but she quickly made up her mind to take it to him anyway.
“Hmmm… how odd indeed… *Sniff *, Augh! *plug* You were right in bringing this to me. Thank you. Do not trouble yourself about this anymore, understand? And… in fact, do not tell anyone about this, all right?” Kamal ordered her swiftly.
The maid nodded and returned to her work, wondering what the vial held. Kamal, meanwhile, had his suspicions, and knew exactly who to take it to.
“You found this vial in Heydar’s room?” Jinan asked as he held the vial on top of one hoof, gazing at it with a pale look on his brown face.
“It was one of my newer maids--she found it,” Kamal explained, wiping one of his hooves off with a handkerchief, making sure that none of whatever was in the vial would be left behind on his pale camel feet, or fur, or face. Oh no, was his face infected with it? He better run to a mirror and check.
“...I have a feeling we are thinking the same thing about what this is… and I hope we are both wrong,” Jinan whispered as he used his other hoof to push his light green forelock out of his eyes.
“What? Oh… yes, I hope so too--tell no one of this, all right?” Kamal whispered back, returning to the present matter.
“I… may need some help in discerning what this is, but other than that, I assure you this will be our secret,” Jinan agreed, sliding the vial into one of his saddle bags.
The torches lit the laboratory and all its instruments, highlighting the ceramic bowls of powders, the vials of liquid, and the creatures gathered ominously around the center table.
“Indeed, I have analyzed this multiple times, and Alem, Zahir and Jaffar agree… it is, indeed, poison of multiple flowers and herbs, including Desert Laurels,” Jinan quietly stated.
“The way it reacted to my magic was consistent with Alem’s research, and what Jaffar has seen in his travels… it is indeed a combination of various poisons… meant to kill… something very large,” Zahir elaborated, barely tall enough to see above the table between them.
At times like this he wished he was a Unicorn Horse instead of a Unicorn Pony so he could take his own statements more seriously.
“...It is no secret that King Khayri was taller than anybeast else… except for an Elephant… or perhaps some Karkadann,” Kamal snorted, “Clearly.. This is it.”
For a few moments, no beast said anything.
“...This doesn’t mean Heydar did it, of course,” Amal piped up, attempting to cut the silence. He felt a heavy burden come on him--not the kind that came when a storm was near… oh no… deep inside… he knew.
“Of course Heydar made it! Haven’t you noticed the worried look he’s hiding in his eyes lately? Certainly all of us have been stressed but this is more,” Zahir snorted, stomping one of his black hooves on the table.
“You have always been one for observing things the rest of us have not, but please do not say such things… there is always a chance Heydar did NOT make this poison or use it, but the true assassin somehow left it there while attempting to dispose of it,” Jaffar calmly offered.
“You are right.. Whether or not it was Heydar, how shall we know?” Zahir asked.
“Hmmm… well we cannot interrogate him outright,” Alem pointed out, “He often uses mind-altering spells on prisoners he is interrogating; he would do the same for us if he IS the assassin.”
“True; he could easily wipe our memories if he wished,” Jaffar sighed.
“...then we must gather evidence of such things,” Jinan proposed as he tossed his green mane out of his way.
“Of course! If he is the assassin, perhaps somebeast saw him and he used a mind spell on them so they would not recall!... we… oh bother, how are we going to gather evidence of something no one can recall?” Kamal groaned with a shake of his pale Camel head.
“Simple: they will try to remember that day but be unable to, when they should,” Zahir began, “We shall ask the cooks what they remember of that feast, and if they cannot recall it, they must have been mind-wiped.”
“Would that work, though?” Jinan questioned with a tilt of his brown head.
“My research suggests there could be a way to regain memories if there are ways to erase them,” Alem assured him as he somberly nodded his black and white Oryx head, being careful to not hit the lantern above them with one of his antlers.
“And we all know that Zahir’s Special Gift is magic--especially coming up with new spells,” Kamal added, seeing how things could fall into place, “Yes, it could work… but… still… what are we even looking for?”
“Suspicious activity from Heydar--and anything else suspicious in his room,” Zahir declared, “We shall have to send him away… him and Afzal both, so we may search every corner of their rooms in peace.”
“Where shall we send them though, and on what errand?” Jaffar calmly asked as he reached up one of his dark Camel hooves and adjusted the tack on his forehead.
“What about a border check? The rebellion was recent and they both were in it--it would be most logical,” Alem suggested with a flick of one of his ears.
“I’m certain Ghayth would agree!... now… would King Karam agree?” Kamal slowly thought out loud.
“Tomorrow is King Karam’s weekly physical check-up; I shall quietly lock the doors and tell him everything we know, and surely he will agree,” Jinan proposed with a slow nod.
“Then it is settled: Afzal and Heydar are suspects from this point onward,” Zahir stated, thumping one of his black Pony hooves on the stone floor of the room.
“Why Afzal, though?” Jinan asked with a tilt of his brown head.
“Afzal does have his pride… and his silver tongue… and as tactician, he could be working with Heydar… but I too wonder why you suggest Afzal, Zahir,” Jaffar interjected as he raised one of his eyebrows on his dark brown, Camel face.
“Afzal and Heydar are always walking side-by-side these days, and I notice them often having some odd look in their eyes; Afzal hides it better than Heydar,” Zahir explained as he narrowed his blue eyes angrily.
“I cannot believe this… two of King Khayri the Wise’s most trusted advisors… surely we are wong!” Kamal moaned, unable to believe it as he realized what they were suggesting. The realization sank in more a few seconds later, and Kamal put one hoof over his chest and sighed as he closed his eyes.
“...I pray we are wrong, but we must… be honest with ourselves,” Jaffar sighed as his ears drooped and he lowered his head close to the ground.
Hence the plan was made. At last, there was a suspect… two, in fact. However, they needed evidence, which clearly would be even more hidden than the discovered vial.
Karam stood at the gates of the city, holding his lean body straight and dignified as he watched Heydar and Afzal’s caravan leaving for the Aseb border. As he stood there, the wind ruffled his black mane and tail and the sunlight kissed the silver accents on his black tack, making it gleam regally. Although he was completely calm on the outside, on the inside he was supressing his shock and fear at the things racing through his mind like a whirlwind. As soon as they were out of sight, Karam turned and walked back to the palace, refusing to utter a single word to his nearby advisors, who could tell something was up. Once the advisors entered the palace, some of them attempted to break the silence.
“Sire, is there anything troubling you?” Kalil the Prosperous prompted him. Although the Zarfaim Unicorn Horse had a snobbish side, he genuinely wanted to help anybeast who was deeply troubled.
“We shall all meet in our secure room, and I shall discuss it all… Jinan, Zahir, Alem and Kamal know what is going on,” Karam coldly stated.
At that, the other advisors looked at each other in confusion.
*Click*
The doors to the inner meeting room were closed and locked by Karam.
“Speak, Jinan,” Karam ordered as he sat at the head of the table.
Jinan quickly explained their suspicions.
“WHAT? Afzal and Heydar? Traitors? No! Preposterous!” Qadir snapped as soon as Jinan was finished, raising his electric blue wings and flapping them in anger.
“Again, these are only suspicions… we hope we are wrong… either way, we finally have a lead as to who the assassin was. Whether or not Heydar is the one, or Afzal, we are closer to finding the truth,” Jinan humbly replied, folding his brown ears back in fear. His Special Gift was herbs, not speeches or investigations; he felt awkward standing and saying such things out loud.
“But they both just quelled the rebellion! They….” Ghayth stopped, only to slow down in deep realization.
“They both did just quell a rebellion in King Karam’s name indeed,” Alem agreed, “But that does not mean they are completely loyal.” At this moment, Alem the Oryx began to question if their suspicions were accurate or not.
“Yes… and won over the love of the military,” Ghayth finish, the scars on his Camel forehead being pushed back by his furrowed eyebrows as he added, “And we should beware those who gain too much love from the military…. I still doubt it was them but… if it IS them… they may have many supporters if they wish to pull over a coup.”
“But surely you are all wrong! Besides, even if it IS them, how would we be able to prove it? They are both quite intelligent; they probably disposed of all evidence!” Kalil parried, his blonde tail swishing back and forth as his mind raced, “What are we supposed to do?”
“Investigate as best we can,” Jaffar replied, adjusting the tack that contrasted with his pale yellow Camel fur.
“We definitely must search their rooms… and try to keep this from the public as much as possible,” Zahir suggested as he sat on the box on top of his chair at the table.
“Yes, and we must question the cooks and other servants to see if they saw anything suspicious at all from Heydar on the day of King Khayri’s death!” Qadir piped up swiftly.
“Heydar can manipulate minds: he can force somebeast to say everything they know, or make them think what he likes,” Avram sighed with a shake of his aging head, “He probably manipulated anyone who may know anything.”
“That is true… there are spells to test for such manipulation… but reversing it… is very hard,” Zahir sighed, “If it seems someone has lost memories, I shall endeavor to create a spell to restore them.”
At that, everyone stared at him.
“Everyone knows it’s impossible to restore a destroyed memory,” Kalil snorted as he tossed his white head, getting his blonde mane out of the way.
“They only say that because the spell has not been invented yet,” Avram pointed out with a wave of one of his peach-colored forelegs, “And Zahir’s Special Gift is inventing and studying magic; if anyone can do it, it is him.”
Kalil stared at the floor, unable to process it. Could such a thing truly be done? Furthermore… could the traitor be in their own midst? One of the faithful advisors? Such a thing sounded impossible, and Kalil covered up his shock with another snobbish tilt of his head as he utilized his magic to adjust the small covering he wore on top of his head as part of his Zarfaim tradition.
“We must not waste time: Kamal, Ghayth, question the servants, starting with the chief of the cooks. Zahir, Jaffar, Amal, search Heydar and Afzal’s rooms. The rest of you, come with me. Let us speak to the palace guards to see what they think of Afzal and Heydar,” Karam ordered stoically with a wave of one wing.
“Oh… Master of the Universe… if they are indeed the traitors, let it be made plain. If not, then let them be found innocent, please,” Kalil prayed aloud with his eyes closed, taking a moment to put away his snobbish tendencies and throw himself and his fears at the feet of his Creator.
“Amen, let it be so,” Avram added with a solemn nod as he bowed his aging head and used a hoof to adjust his own small covering on top of his peach and white head, between his ears.
The other advisors solemnly nodded their heads and turned to their young king. Karam nodded as well, glad for the unwavering faith those two had. There was something comforting about the faith of the Zarfaim creatures, and he was glad for any comfort at this moment. Sure, Kalil wasn’t exactly the most faithful, but now his deepest heart was coming out, and something seemed extra potent about that. Avram, of course, always had a genuine presence surrounding him. Although Karam wasn’t really religious, he truly hoped that whatever god or God was out there would be on his side, proving his innocence.
In two weeks Afzal and Heydar would return. They had that long to investigate. Of course, they had to go out into the city and find all the servants that had been fired. When they did find the former servants, their first major clue revealed itself.
“Oh yes, I remember many festivals and what we served--those days were always the most important, after all,” He declared with a firm nod.
“Well, what did we serve that day?” Kamal asked him with one of his white eyebrows raised..
“Oh that’s easy, we had… had… uhm… come to think of it, that whole day is rather… foggy for me… I suppose it’s all the stress, heh,” He nervously replied, wondering why he had trouble remembering it.
“I remember seeing you serve Malik Khayri,” Kamal recalled, “What did you feed him? Do you recall?”
“I… err… I don’t know! Wait, you don’t think I killed him, do you? No! I swear I did not!” The servant declared in a panic.
“Hush! We never said that… but we find it interesting that you can’t recall any food at all,” Ghayth hushed him with a snort.
“I… well I do remember… uhm… oh yes! Salad… with… some kind of… fruit… from… uhm… okay so I have a bad memory regarding that day, but I promise it wasn’t me!” The servant wailed miserably as his Pony ears drooped and his wings twitched.
“Oh be quiet! I just said we did not suggest it was YOU! *sigh* But can you remember ANYTHING of that day?” Ghayth groaned as he rolled his green eyes in frustration.
“Yes! I remember helping the cooks for hours--the soup took so long to make! I remember serving the first course, it was… wait, I DO remember! It was the steamed vegetables with the fruit glaze! *phew* Ha, I do remember!” He sighed in relief as he wiped some sweat off his brow with a wing.
“And the next course?” Kamal prompted as he polished one of his white hooves quickly.
“That’s when we did…. The soup! Yes! I remember… but… after that it’s a blur…” The servant sighed.
“... return to your home; we do NOT think you murdered anyone,” Kamal ordered him softly.
The servant nodded and quickly rushed away.
“All the other cooks remember the food very well,” Kamal noted as he began polishing his other front hoof, “But not him. Not only that, but he has a good mind for food--he was such a talented servant that I regret firing him.”
Ghayth noted some information on a pad, carefully holding a quill between the two halves of his cloven hooves.
“We’ll have Zahir examine him at a later time--we have more servants to interrogate, and it’s already been three hours; we must hurry,” Ghayth decided.
Kamal nodded as he examined his hooves, ensuring there wasn’t any dirt left on them.
Later their second clue came through one of the gardeners.
“I’m terribly sorry if I cannot say much today; I have such a terrible headache for some reason…” The aged camel apologized as he moaned.
“Oh? Headache? When did it start?” Kamal asked, worried if some sort of sickness might be spreading.
“The other day it… happened…” The camel tried to remember it but could not.
“What were you doing?” Kamal asked as he tilted his head, letting the beads on his tack click together as they moved with him.
“..I don’t know… all I remember is a bush… something about a bush… then looking around and wondering why I was there,” The camel answered, “And then Advisor Heydar told me to not stand around and return to my duties, so I left to the other part of the main gardens.”
“Heydar? Was anybeast else there?” Ghayth probed, his eyebrows furrowing in seriousness.
“Yes, Tactician Afzal was there too, glaring at me… I think… it’s a bit blurry… and ever since then I’ve had a terrible headache, on and off all day for the past few days,” The Camel admitted, ashamed that such high-ranking creatures saw him in the gardens when he should be unseen.
“...that’ll be all for today; return to your duties,” Kamal quietly ordered him.
The camel bowed and quickly left.
“...I have a feeling we are probably right about Heydar… and perhaps Afzal as well..” Kamal sighed as he rubbed his pale head in sorrow with one of his cloven hooves.
“ If they are indeed traitors, I shall ensure they get a traitor’s reward,” Ghayth snarled as he snapped his quill between the two halves of his hoof.
Indeed, the interrogations were quite interesting.
“We have searched all over this room! There is nothing!” Amal moaned, tossing aside a pillow with one of his Oryx hooves, “What are we missing? What are we not seeing?”
Zahir stared at Heydar’s cedar chest, which was totally empty now. Something about it seemed… odd. Using his magic, he selected the bottom of the chest. He knew it. If it was one solid chest made of one solid piece, he would not be able to select only the bottom. Carefully he picked it up, revealing a hidden compartment.
“I found it,” Zahir stated firmly.
Walking over, Amal, Kalil and Jaffar inspected what was in the hidden compartment.
“...it all makes sense now,” Amal whispered with a quiet flick of his ears.
“The propaganda texts of Salaam the Outspoken!” Jaffar gasped as his eyes widened, “And of all of them, The Alicorn Invaders, which declares that the ruling dynasty should be destroyed and some other beasts should rule…. This is what Heydar was thinking. Logical… most logical that he should turn traitor after reading these.”
“I warned King Khayri not to let such things exist… but he insisted that the people should be free to think,” Alem sighed as he looked at the ground and shook his head sadly.
“That is not all--look at these other texts,” Zahir pointed out, lifting the objects out with his green magic.
“We must take these to King Karam at once!” Jaffar declared, “... it is a pity that a traitor should be in our midst.”
“I knew it. I knew it!” Zahir snorted as he stamped one of his hooves, “I knew he was up to something! Treason! This IS treason! It IS him! IT IS.”
“We still have more searching to do, Zahir,” Jaffar gently reminded him, “We must search Afzal’s room next.”
Zahir nodded firmly. In Afzal’s room similar texts were found hidden in a metal container carefully hidden behind some stones in the wall.
“SEE? I was right!...I… was right…” Zahir shouted.
Kalil's anger spiked.
"HOW COULD THEY DO THIS?" He shouted, which alarmed the others and made them take a step back, "How could they?! Malik Al-Aziz was NOT an invader! He and his wife were survivors of a horrific war spoken only of in legend. Their homeland was completely ravaged and their people decimated. When they came here, there was NO united nation. All that greeted them was a mass of warring tribes with no set laws and no order! One of those tribes DID take them in, however, and healed them and nurtured them. In time, the tribe loved Malik and his wife, and the two Alicorns loved the tribe. It was entirely natural for Malik to become the new sheik. After that, he was filled with a passion to secure the wilderness and make it safe, protecting its people from outside harm and potential wars, and THAT is why Al-Aziz went out to unite the tribes, as peacefully as possible, though he was not afraid to fight back against more violent tribes. Was he an invader? NO! He was a hero!"
"Indeed he was," Jaffar agreed with a nod after smoothing some of his ruffled fur with one of his cloven hooves, "Thanks to him, Saddle-Arabia exists, under one banner, with one universal set of laws, and thanks to his rule and his son's rule we have prospered and become a powerful nation. Furthermore, the tribes that once lived here still do. The people are free to roam, or settle in cities, without fear of outsiders destroying their culture or values."
"EXACTLY!" Kalil exclaimed as he stamped one of his white hooves on the stone floor, "My people were persecuted left and right, but Malik Al-Aziz was happy to take us in, and let us settle wherever we pleased, and I am certain that the Hoof of God was on him and his family!"
"It certainly took the worst of famines and war, as well as the worst poison, to kill Al-Aziz and his sons," Zahir muttered bitterly.
"Yes... and the worst poison of all: betrayal," Alem noted as he hung his black and tan head forlornly.
For a few moments, nobeast spoke, for all of them were thinking of what this truly meant. One of their brethren had betrayed their beloved king. Someone they knew for many years… had betrayed them all. They all remembered the day they met Heydar and Afzal. They all recalled how it felt to be an advisor to the great king, and Heydar and Afzal were among the first faces they met.
Out of those four--Kalil the Unicorn, Alem the Oryx, Zahir the Unicorn Pony, and Jaffar the Camel--- Jaffar had arrived first. Khayri had not chosen new advisors for many years after the Court Magician, Tactician, and another advisor had died of old age. When the time was right, he chose a new Tactician from the army--Afzal the Pony Pegasus, and after that Khayri felt it was time to fill the other empty seats, and it was not long before Heydar was chosen from the finest Unicorns in the land--both pony and horse-- to be the Court Magician. When Jaffar arrived, after meeting with King Khayri, he was introduced to the other advisors at the time. Avram was there, along with Afzal, Heydar, and there were others who died of old age within the next years. Jaffar was honored to be chosen for his knowledge and calm attitude. Before being an advisor, he was in charge of a certain division of servants, and indeed he needed to have intense patience and understanding to deal with them all wisely. In time it was said that if there was a troublesome servant or guard that they should be sent to Jaffar for gentle correction. Even Kamal agreed and sent the worst workers to Jaffar. Although he was honored to be chosen as advisor for this, Jaffar felt he did not deserve it. However, Avram’s quiet faith and reassurance helped him, and Heydar’s amiable attitude helped him relax. Through the years, Afzal, Heydar, Avram, and Jaffar got to know each other well… Jaffar thought they were not only his fellow servants but also his friends… but… it seemed he was wrong… very wrong indeed.
Within the next decade came Alem the Astronomer. He was the apprentice of the previous astronomer, so it was quite logical for him to take over the position. In fact, it was all very natural for Alem. He had been groomed for this very position, and taking it made him feel as if he truly had come of age. Being herd-minded, he quickly got used to being around the other advisors and working with them all. Afzal and Heydar struck him as very polite and they had an air of genuine camaraderie about them. Unfortunately, he did not always put his best hoof forward those early years. Since he was an astronomer, he often stayed up half the night, then slept half the day. Alem remembered how he felt, being half-asleep when he tried to attend meetings in the mornings. Heydar and Afzal and Avram never once questioned him or made him feel uncomfortable. Jaffar seemed cold and uncaring, but over time Alem realized Jaffar was just as friendly as the others; he simply did not show it outwardly. In the end, Alem felt he was part of a very well-knit herd, and he DID learn how to get sleep at night, which helped his reputation a bit…. Now… after all these years… Alem saw that his herd was NOT well-knit… in fact, it was fraying all over. How had he not forseen this? Was he blind? What would his old master say?
Kalil was next. Being treasurer was not a popular position, nor was it glamorous, but he was honored to be serving under Malik Khayri, and took his job with the utmost sincerity and devotion.
He naturally wanted to know Heydar better since Heydar was the only other Unicorn Horse. Although they disagreed on many points, they still enjoyed having long discussions on various topics. Now that he espied Heydar's true ambitions, Kalil mentally kicked himself for not seeing this coming. Maybe if he had been more observant like Zahir he could've warned Khayri to get rid of Heydar. Mentally, Kalil cursed himself.
A few years after Kalil came Zahir.
Heydar heard of his gifts and suggested he be taken up as another advisor, and King Khayri gladly accepted. Like Jaffar, Zahir felt unworthy and honored, and felt very awkward at first. The palace was nothing like he imagined, and he was never entirely sure how to act, but he tried his best to be presentable. Seeing a fellow pony, he tended to follow Afzal and learned much from the tactician. When Jinan came, the three often sat together at lunch, discussing their hometowns and how they found their Special Gifts and earned their Destiny marks. Through this, Zahir found his place and opened up to the other advisors, eventually feeling at home. His keen sense of observation helped him solve problems others could not because they let their emotions blind them, or simply gave up looking. For many years this helped Zahir, and with it he helped others… and now his greatest strength was undoing the camaraderie he spent years building.
Nevertheless, he would not let himself be blinded by the feelings of betrayal, shock, and sorrow that tried to creep into his heart. No. He refused to call a traitor “friend” or “ally”. In the name of King Khayri, he would make sure that Heydar and Afzal would pay for their crimes.
“All our evidence is still circumstantial,” Alem pointed out to the others as they were gathered in the meeting room.
“CIRCUMSTANTIAL? THEY HAD TRAITOROUS TEXTS HIDDEN IN THEIR ROOMS! WHAT MORE DO WE NEED?” Ghayth shouted as he stamped one of his cloven hooves on the table.
“Ghayth, please… remain calm,” Jaffar reminded him politely in a soothing voice.
Ghayth snorted and sat back down, trying to compose himself better.
“Ghayth does have a point--we do have a good case, but Amal is also right: King Khayri would not approve of us rushing in without absolute proof,” Zahir sighed as he reached up a hoof and smoothed his blonde forelock away from his eyes.
“Which means you shall have to restore the memories of the servants,” Jinan quietly affirmed with a slow nod.
“Are we absolutely certain those servants were memory-wiped, though?” Avram interjected in a worried voice.
“I tested them many times, and the results were the same: magic interference,” Zahir explained one last time, “It’s not even been two months since the assassination--they should remember that night better-- and there are more recent event memories that are missing.”
“We are willing to help in any way, Zahir,” Jaffar assured him with a brave smile.
“I may be merely an Oryx without magic but I do have a head for knowledge,” Alem added quickly.
“I will help you as best I can as well, Zahir!” Qadir piped up as he snapped his wings quickly, “Just say the word and I shall get you whatever you need, or offer advice!”
“I have many magically-inclined herbs, if you need them,” Jinan interjected with a smile.
“I may not study magic as much as economics, but I can still help you as well,” Kalil offered as he tossed his white head to the side to get his pale mane out of his face.
“...I’m not even entirely certain if I can make a spell to restore memories… others have tried for centuries… how could I do what they could not do?” Zahir sighed, staring at his hooves in contemplation.
For a moment, no one said anything. Considering Zahir’s words, they realized that they may never get absolute proof; they could execute the wrong creatures… and yet, it seemed so obvious now to all of them who the traitors were….
“I sent them away for three weeks; it has already been three days,” Karam finally broke the silence, “You have until then to find absolute proof. If not… I’ll banish them instead of kill them.”
At that, everybeast turned to Karam in surprise. Certainly, he was strong and brave, but… he was… not the type to suggest banishing. In truth, many of them felt Karam couldn’t emotionally handle the duty of executing the traitors and that somebeast else would have to do it--perhaps Ghayth. Now here was Karam, saying he’d doom them to death in the desert heat. Then again, these traitors killed his father. Besides, he was king; if he did not want to dirty his hooves, he did not have to at all.
“I shall work day and night,” Zahir declared as he stamped one of his black hooves on the table.
That is exactly what he did.
Days passed, and Zahir stayed up far too late into the night attempting to make the spell. With many herbs he experimented, and with many combinations he labored. He fell asleep every so often, and no beast disturbed him when sleep finally came. If it wasn’t for Kamal forcing him to eat at least once a day, he probably would have fainted somewhere. Indeed, it was not long before his room was filled with papers of failed tests. By his side were Alem, Jinan, Jaffar and Qadir, all working together and attempting to help. Unfortunately, the only Unicorns among them were Zahir himself and Kalil, hence none could provide any deep magic help. Heydar was by far the most magically-inclined, but of course he was one of the suspects sent away for the time being. Kalil, although he was willing to help, was never very talented with magic. His magic mainly helped him do his work of maintaining the treasury. King Karam was willing to help, but had no idea of what to do. Although he studied much magic, he mainly focused on honing his own abilities with wind, or basic spells; he was still young and didn’t want to accidentally unleash something, and did not wish to ruin Zahir’s progress. Hence, Zahir did almost all of the spell-making himself. All the advisors were willing, but none could provide what he needed. As Zahir worked, thoughts came into his mind that ate away at his heart:
what if they were all wrong?
What if someone else was the traitor?
What if those books had somehow been planted?
As these thoughts quietly came, answers came to them:
No! They WERE right.
No, it had to be Afzal and Heydar!
It made too much sense the more he thought about it--they both had ambition and if they had been deceived by the papers…
Those papers were NOT planted, they were NOT!
They had to be right, they had to…
they had the right suspects, they DID.
Days passed, and as Zahir worked, he hoped they were right. There were a thousand signs pointing to them all being correct, and yet… after remembering all they had been through… all the years of devoted service… could Heydar and Afzal really betray the king they served for so long? No, Zahir must NOT doubt. Not now, no.
Days passed and Zahir steadily strived for some absolute proof.
“All right… we’ll try this one more time,” Zahir sighed.
The gardener nodded obediently.
Zahir closed his eyes, and his horn glowed. He gently tapped his horn to the gardener’s forehead.
“Remember anything?” Zahir asked.
The gardener closed his eyes, and thought hard. He opened his eyes slowly and shook his head sadly. Zahir rested his head on the table with a sigh. Then, an idea came to him.
“Wait, let’s try again,” Zahir said, sitting up.
The gardener nodded patiently.
Zahir thought about Heydar and Afzal in the garden, talking. Then his horn glowed again and he gently touched his horn to the gardener’s forehead.
The gardener’s eyes glowed, and suddenly, he said, “Wait, wait!”
Qadir and Alem straightened up and watched as the gardener blinked a few times, and said, “I DO REMEMBER!”
“I do! Sire, I do!” The gardener declared, nodding his head quickly, “Heydar and Afzal were arguing over Prince Daud-- Heydar failed to kill him, and banished him instead!”
“Say that again, quick!” Qadir said, picking up a quill in his wing and preparing to write.
While the servant gave his testimony, Zahir immediately wrote down what he did for the spell. It seemed so simple that he was shocked nobeast had made it before! All this time he had tried to awaken memories in the patients without any direction. Until he had a direction and tapped into THOSE SPECIFIC memories, nothing came out. Now, at last, the lost memories returned!
Zahir used the same spell with the other servants, thinking about the days he wanted them to remember, and they all shared what they knew--a piece of information here, an argument there, and all of it was Heydar and Afzal revealing that they were indeed the traitors. At last, proof.
Centuries later, the spell would be passed down through teachers and books, and one day a Unicorn Pony named Twilight Sparkle would use her own twist on the spell to jog the memories of her friends, enabling them to restore harmony to Equestria once more.
The cheers of the crowds echoed through the palace as Heydar and Afzal returned. The citizens saw them as heroes, and were glad to have them back. Soon Heydar and Azal entered the throne room. The throne room was a massive room with a ceiling that was two or three stories tall, and it all was built of the finest stone and brick, like the rest of the palace. On the stone walls were magnificent tapestries which told the story of Saddle-Arabia for all to see and take pride in. In the center of the room was an oval-shaped, stone stage with steps leading up to it. The stage was draped in the finest colorful cloths, and on those were ornate couches for each advisor to sit. In the center of the thrones was a greater throne of gold, with silken pillows for comfort, and on this throne Karam regally sat in his best, blue and silver tack. This tack included a long draping piece that went across his back and draped down to the floor, fastened to him by a belt underneath, around his middle. On his head was a matching, ornately beaded blue and silver halter, and his chest was adorned with a matching collar of equal beauty. All his advisors were wearing their own best tack, whether it covered the full body like Avram and Kalil’s or if it was merely some halters and saddle-back adornments. Indeed, as Heydar and Afzal returned, they were greeted with everyone’s best face.
“We have returned, King Karam, and are here to report that all is secure on the Aseb border,” Afzal proclaimed as he kneeled down and stretched out his wings in a bow, “And I am ready to return to my place at your side.
“We are honored that you would choose us to check such an important situation, and I have a full report of the area right here, Sire,” Heydar added, using his magic aura to give Karam a detailed scroll.
Karam used his aura to grab the scroll and put it down by his side for later.
“I thank you both, very deeply,” Karam said with a smile, and then lifted one wing, signalling for the guards to close the huge, heavy, doors to the throne room, “Now I have something I would like to ask you,” Karam added in a calm tone.
“Anything for you, My Lord,” Afzal said with a nod, “What is it?”
“...When did you decide to kill my father?” Karam steadily replied, his blue eyes narrowing. His warm smile was replaced by a stoic look that emphasized the old scar on his cheek.
Afzal’s confident smile was replaced by his own stoic look as he glanced at Heydar. Although he remained calm, Heydar felt his heart slow down, and his blood go cold.
“My Lord, why would you say such a thing? Who poisoned your mind?” Afzal asked in an innocent tone as he stood up and folded his wings tightly against his sides.
Karam stomped one hoof on the solid gold throne he sat on, and Zahir teleported in the small pile of forbidden texts. At this point, Afzal and Heydar knew they were in trouble. Heydar shifted his weight on his hooves while Afzal folded his ears back in an indignant way, keeping up his facade.
“Who had such texts?” Afzal demanded, unfurling his wings quickly.
“YOU did, you traitors!" Zahir snapped as he stamped one of his black hooves on the ground.
“And to think I once praised you!” Ghayth snorted, spitting at them with his last word.
Afzal wiped the spit off his face with one wing and defended himself with, “No, they must have been planted! I vowed to--”
But he was interrupted by Kalil, who leaped up from his couch and shouted, “OH, now you remember your vows, do you? Hmph! Scum like you is not even worthy to be stepped on by the poorest souls in this nation! You are absolutely beneath even the lowest of creatures!”
“How dare you accuse us falsely!” Heydar interjected, the red-brown fur along his back rising in fear as he took a few steps back.
“Alas, we do have proof… much of it,” Jaffar said quietly as he closed his eyes, “And there is no denying it was you two.”
“Please! I beg you: tell us the truth, all of it, and repent before you die!” Avram beseeched them as he stood up from his seat and took a step near the traitors.
Nearby, the guards were gradually closing in on Heydar and Afzal with their weapons drawn. Seeing it has hopeless, and refusing to repent, Afzal flew towards one guard, knocking him out and stealing his sword with his hooves. Heydar used his magic to knock out three more with a small explosion, and tried to teleport away, but there was an enchantment in the room so that something could be teleported IN but not OUT. Panicking, Heydar fired at another guard, but it was too late. The three remaining guards charged the two, and within a few moments the villains were chained with magic chains that glowed vaguely. Karam icily approached them, breathing deeply. There was not a sound except the clicking of his hooves on the stone, the clacking of the silver beads in his regalia moving with his steps, and the breathing from his flared nostrils.
“...why? Why did you do it?” Karam coldly questioned as his wings twitched with anger.
“Your father was growing soft,” Heydar confessed as his ears drooped, “Afzal convinced me that we’d make better leaders--and showed me the texts. It was all his plan!”
“COWARD! We planned it together!” Afzal snapped angrily as he struggled against the chains.
“HOW could you do such a dishonorable thing? How!?” Kalil wailed as he shoved his pale face near Heydar, “HOW!?”
Heydar head-butted Kalil away, who reeled back with the impact and shook his head quickly to clear it.
“AUGH! You aren’t worth a COIN! You hear me!? NOT A COIN! NOT ONE OUNCE OF SALT! NOT ONE OUNCE OF ANYTHING! May the Most High curse you and your children!” Kalil snapped while feeling a bit dazed and wobbling two and fro on his hooves.
“They will both die today! I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!” Ghayth shouted as he trotted over and helped steady Kalil with a raised leg for the Unicorn to lean on.
“You are the snake, Afzal! I should’ve known!” Alem sighed as he hung his black and tan head and gritted his teeth quietly.
“We all should’ve known! We should’ve!” Kamal agreed angrily as he glared at the two beasts a few feet away from them.
“How long have you planned such a horrid thing?” Jinan begged, “Was it long? Was this deceit in your heart for long?”
“DID ANY true words ever come from your mouth? Or have you always been lying?” Zahir interjected angrily with another stomp.
“Not everything I said was a lie, no,” Afzal sneered, “But I suppose I have no reason to defend myself anymore. Go ahead and kill me.”
With that, the room erupted into various shouts and wails as the advisors all said their peace. Hooves stomped on the floor, wings flapped, tails lashed, and it all blurred into one furious cacophony. Karam didn't hear it, though. Silently, he thought about his father--brave, wise, understanding, Father. These beasts thought his father was too soft, and THAT is why they poisoned him.
Indeed, they thought his father was too kind to exist.
It occurred to Karam that these brutes thought that his wonderful father was too soft to rule.
Karam thought about his father again, and all the emotions he was trying to ignore came back in full force. After so long of suppressing his feelings and barely dealing with them, they were breaking through the cracks in his facade. He breathed deeper and harder, and suddenly it all came to a fierce head--no, a tempest.
Feeling his skin twitch and shake in a flurry of emotions, Karam looked at one of the guards and coldly ordered, “Give me your sword.”
The guard looked at him and nodded, using his wing to hand Karam the long blade. Hearing the blade unsheathe, everyone turned and looked at him, and grew silent.
“Move. Out. Of. My. Way,” Karam snarled in a firm voice.
The advisors slowly moved back, seeing a wrath in Karam’s quiet blue eyes they never saw before. All the guards did likewise, uncertain of what he’d do. All along Karam's young body his fur fluffed up in fury, and he gritted his teeth as he stomped towards the traitors. His horn glowed a brighter tone of gold than usual as he held the blade in his aura. Atop his head, his golden yellow ears folded backwards, while his blue eyes narrowed into a dark, vengeful glare.
“You… killed… Father… and banished Daud…” Karam panted, looking at Heydar and Afzal angrily.
The traitorous Unicorn Horse and Pegasus Pony looked at Karam, and the fur on their faces grew pale. They never thought he could look like that. Karam had the blade in his magic aura, but he moved it to his mouth, and slowly walked towards them.
“Strong Wind?” Avram asked calmly, hoping his young king wouldn’t go mad.
“Be silent,” Karam warned, holding the hilt of the yatagan between his teeth.
Avram backed away, folding his ears fearfully along his black head covering. All the other advisors backed away a few more steps, too. Heydar gulped, and started panting. Afzal's green eyes darted around as he struggled to think of something.
“W-wait, you must give us a fair trial!” Afzal objected, gulping hard.
He felt his sins crawl along the fur on his back.
“Oh really?” Karam said around the hilt, “But you forgeff somefing…. I AM KING NOW!”
With that, Karam used his magic to fill his body with the power and strength of a tempest, leaped into the air and dived down.
*SLASH*
*ZIP*
*SLASH*
*CLANG*
*SLASH.*
It happened so fast no one was entirely sure what happened, but soon Karam was there, with blood splattered on his fur and coating the blade he held.
Heydar and Afzal were executed.
Karam avenged Father.
Karam avenged Daud.
Shaking with emotions, Karam slowly turned around and looked at the gorey sight he made, and then lifted his crazed, blue eyes to study his advisors.
Everybeast was staring in shock at the scene, and they all slowly shifted their gazes to King Karam. Abruptly Karam realized something: Heydar and Afzal thought he was soft too. They were going to use him like a puppet, weren’t they? They were.
Would his other advisors do that too?
He couldn’t trust anybeast, could he!? Everyone was wrong, everyone! If one betrayed him why not more? Why not?
WHY NOT?
No, that didn't make sense!! Why not, though?
Wasn't everyone a little power-hungry, deep inside?
Deep in their hearts, weren't they all corrupted? If two could betray him, why not more?
Father was a beloved king, yet even he was betrayed.
Why shouldn't Karam fear for his life, too? Karam was but a child compared to his father, and but a speck of dust compared to Khayri's legacy. If they would betray Khayri, why not betray Karam as well?
That's what happened, right?
WHY SHOULD KARAM TRUST ANYBEAST!?
His mind raced so fast he wasn’t even sure it was his own mind anymore.
Turning around to them all, Karam used his magic to hold the blade away from his face while he gathered his thoughts. He spread his wings wide, reared up, and with a fierce look in his soft, blue eyes, he roared with the power of a dozen winds,
“DOES ANYBEAST ELSE WISH TO QUESTION MY AUTHORITY?”
For a moment, he felt like he wasn’t himself--as if somebeast else was taking over his words. For that same moment, his words were both amplified and projected with a vast gust of wind that blew everybeast across the floor and to the walls, pinning them down ferociously. Immediately, everybeast shook their head and declared their loyalty to him.
He barely heard what they said.
“Oh, loyal, are you? Truly? TRULY? They were ‘loyal’ enough to kill my father! MAYBE YOU SHOULD ALL DIE TOO, JUST LIKE THEY DID!” Karam shouted out another gust, panting hard.
At that, everybeast bowed down low to the ground, assuring him they were truly loyal. Their eyes were filled with terror and their voices trembled with every word. However, their cries fell on deaf ears, for Karam was out for blood, deciding who he’d kill next. They all begged him for mercy as he stepped closer, gripping the blade in his golden aura, studying them all.
However, there was one voice he heard.
“Oh Strong Wind, please, I beseech you, take a deep breath. You have given the traitors what they deserve… now please… just breathe,” Avram said in a soothing voice.
Karam looked at the Earth Horse of the Zarfaim faith. Avram wore the same humble, modest, black robes he always wore, with the black covering on his head he always had. In his brave, blue eyes was a deep courage and determination to reach out to the tempestuous young Alicorn and help him. Something about Avram’s voice reminded Karam of Father. For some reason, whenever Avram spoke, he felt almost like Father was still there, right beside him, and the feeling bonded him to the old Horse deeply. Slowly, shakily, Karam hung his head while glancing away. He realized what he had done, and was shocked by himself. With the adrenaline rush gone, he felt numb and shaky all over, and his horn sparked out, making him drop the blade. His sides heaved with his breath, making his ornate tack billow and fall with each motion. His wings limply fell down, dragging along the ground as he stumbled off to the side.
“You… you are… you may stand up now,” Karam said in a weak voice, staring at the mess he made in shock.
Cautiously the others stood to all fours. Nobeast said a word. They stared at the blood and the heaving, terrified prince-turned-malik in astonishment. Surely this was a nightmare. In no sane world would Karam do... this. Tragically, it did happen, and he did do it.
After a few moments of gazing at the blood, Kamal regained his senses. BLOOD? ON THE FLOOR? INCONCEIVABLE!
“Well, Guards, go fetch the servants! We need this cleaned immediately!... right, Sire?” Kamal hesitated to order anything at this moment as he held up one of his white hooves and waited on Karam.
All the other advisors held their breath and watched Karam's movements.
“What? Y-yes, clean up this mess,” Karam agreed, turning away from the sight, feeling sick at what he had done.
With that, the doors to the throne room were opened and servants were called for. Repeatedly checking his pale Camel fur for any blood stains, Kamal gave orders to the servants on how to properly clean up the mess, while also trying to not feel sick himself. Soon everybeast except a few guards and the cleaners were out of the throne room, recovering from the moment.
“Oh Sire… do you… need someone to talk to?” Kalil offered, using his magic to smooth his blonde mane as he talked.
Karam looked at the Unicorn Horse of the Zarfaim faith, and shook his head. Oh, he needed to talk... But didn’t know what to say.
“Well… I have two very good ears for listening, if you desire to speak,” Kalil assured him with a bow.
“As do I, Strong Wind,” Avram agreed with a warm smile.
“We all do, My Lord,” Alem added with a nod.
“Thank you… I… wish to be alone now,” Karam said in a steady voice as he walked away.
For the rest of the day, there was hardly any noise in the palace. No beast felt like speaking about what happened, and when they did it was always in quiet tones. Soon the whole city knew what happened, nevertheless. At last, the case was closed. The traitors were executed by the wrathful winds of justice.
“My Liege!, a message has arrived from your brother,” Ghayth called out to Karam, meeting him as he was about to head to the banquet hall for lunch.
Karam halted and spun around.
“WHAT? Where is the messenger?”
“In the throne room!”
Karam galloped to the throne room and the guards threw open the doors for him.
In the middle of the room was a Pegasus Horse, who turned around and bowed to Karam, holding out the slip of paper in his wing. Karam grabbed it with his aura eagerly, desperate to hear from his long-lost brother.
Was it true?
Was it really Daud?
After all this time?
DAUD, ALIVE!?
In his heart, Karam was praising every god he ever heard of, and his blue eyes lit up with stars of joy. Yes, yes, he recognized the horn writing! It WAS Daud!
Yes!
...It...
... what?
As he read, his excitement slowly turned to dread, and the smile on his scarred face fell. All his advisors gathered around him, eager to know what the message was, and when they saw his expression change, they all became worried.
“My Liege? What news?”
“Oh Strong Wind, why do you seem shocked? Please tell us."
“My Lord, what is it?”
“Great one?”
“Well? Sire? What is it?”
As he stood there, re-reading the note, Karam felt his breath become shallow and fast.
To Karam, supposed King of Saddle-Arabia,
From Daud, rightful ruler of aforementioned land:
“Brother”, if that is what you truly are, I want you to meet me at the Kanarat Oasis. You have two days to meet me.
“Something’s wrong,” Karam said, taking a deep breath to steady himself, “He wrote to me as if I am an enemy, and he wants me to meet him at the Kanarat Oasis.”
At that, the advisors looked at each other in fear. Karam showed them the message so they could read it themselves.
“Well, we shall meet him!” Ghayth declared, “Perhaps he misheard something about you--surely if you meet muzzle-to-muzzle you can show him that you have been nothing, if not honorable, ever since your father died.”
“Ghayth is right, Strong Wind,” Avram soothed, “Do not panic. Surely this is a simple misunderstanding.”
Sighing and convincing himself they were right, Karam breathed normally and turned to the messenger, saying “I will meet my brother at the oasis.”
The next day, Karam arrived with his advisors and a small group of guards to the oasis. The Kanarat Oasis was so large that multiple caravans could stay there, sharing the water and the fruit from the palm-trees. On this day, no merchants gathered. Instead, the oasis grimly hosted an army of nomadic tribes all gathered beneath one banner featuring a silhouette of Daud with three rocks around him in a triangular formation. All Karam's posse braced themselves. In his ornate, black and silver tack, Karam stood there, standing tall and proud, looking for his brother. His heart raced. Was this really happening? Was Daud... going to fight him?
Gradually, there was a movement in the crowds, and the creatures parted, allowing a tall figure in a hooded cloak to approach. Karam studied the figure. When the figure was close enough, Karam could see the eyes between the folds of the Kaffiyeh he wore. It was Daud. At last, Karam found his brother! With his magic, Karam adjusted his own black and silver kaffiyeh, moving the fabric so he could see his brother better. There he was, standing tall and proud in his own brown robes. Daud Al-Butrus was alive. Finally, they were together again. For a moment, Karam forgot there was a massive army nearby, and his fears melted away as he watched his older brother draw closer.
With a joyful gleam in his blue eyes, Karam unfolded his wings and called, “Daud! Brother!”
However, his brother did not greet him.
Instead, he glared at Karam from behind his veil and stabbed him with these words:
“Karam, Son of Khayri, I order you to step down from the throne, to be tried for treason.”
Initially, Karam did not register the words. He searched his brother's eyes for any signs of a joke. None existed. Realizing what his brother said, Karam gradually lowered and folded his wings while his smile twisted into a look of horror. All his advisors and guards stiffened in shock.
“Wh-what? E-elder brother? WhY?” Karam squeaked as he shifted his weight in the loose sand.
“You killed our father and took his throne,” Daud replied in a stoic monotone,” And you shall be tried for that.”
“THAT IS A LIE!” GHayth declared with a stomp of one of his hooves, “King Karam executed the true traitors a few days ago! Please, come back with us and we shall tell you the entire story!”
“Yes, please--”
But before another advisor could add anything, Daud snapped his broad, grey wings, revealing them from his robes in an authoritative gesture.
“SILENCE! I am speaking to Karam, not to YOU!”
At that, the guards stiffened, ready to swoop in and protect King Karam, while the army behind Daud also readied for battle.
“Brother, please! They are right! The real traitors were Afzal and Heydar!” Karam pleaded, “Please, let me explain!”
“Step down, or I will send in my army to pull you off the throne,” Daud replied firmly.
“You... are giving me an ultimatum?” Karam responded in a hollow, shocked voice as his wings collapsed, dragging on the sand.
“You have two days to reply,” Daud answered in his stoic monotone as he folded his wings, tucking them beneath his robes once more.
“...and….you’ll...start a war...if… I refuse?” Karam quietly asked, gulping hard as his ears folded down.
“Yes,” Daud said with a nod and a quick flick of one of his grey ears.
“...Brother, please, let me explain!” Karam begged him, tears in his eyes.
“There is nothing to explain,” Daud snapped, “I do not wish to hear your lies.”
“...Very well… I’ll….go and...think,” Karam sighed, turning away as he picked up his wings and folded them again.
Daud watched as Karam left, and Karam took one last moment to look at his elder brother sorrowfully before he unfolded his wings and flew towards the palace. It was true. Daud was against him. Why? How? What? Nothing made sense to Karam. In his mind, Karam replayed the entire scene, picking it apart and pulling it together once more as he struggled to make sense of it. In his heart he recalled all the time they spent together growing up. After all they learned together, endured together, felt together, how could Daud do this? No, no, this had to be a bad dream. It had to be. Surely Karam was about to wake up and Father would be there, and Daud, and they would all have a long discussion about this strange dream and then they would all laugh, and then Karam would forget it all. Yes, yes, that had to be it, right? There was no possible way that after losing Father, Karam was losing his Big Brother too, right?
...right?
....
Everybeast that couldn’t fly followed Karam along the ground, while the fliers were close behind him, trying to speak to him, but Karam said nothing the entire way home.
Later he listened to his advisors in the meeting room.
“My Liege, we must prepare the army for battle. He’s left us no choice but to start a civil war,” Ghayth said firmly.
“No, surely we can still persuade him!” Avram parried, not wanting to have a civil war after all the nation had endured already.
“I do not wish to be pessimistic, but he was most sincere,” Jaffar sighed.
“But surely we can still persuade him!” Alem agreed with Avram, “King Karam, we must try again to speak to him--you are still his brother, and I am certain that deep down he still cares for you!”
“He seemed like he had absolutely no affection left,” Zahir noted, “I hate to say this, but I feel that Ghayth is right and we have no choice but war.”
“The best option would be to prepare for war, but send him a message with the full details of all we know about the traitors!” Qadir offered quickly, stretching his electric blue wings as he spoke.
“He’s right, let’s prepare for the worst but hope for the best,” Kamal agreed.
“Although war does seem unavoidable, it does cost quite a bit of money, and although we aren’t exactly broke, I do not recommend rushing into things,” Kalil said, trying to give some economic advice instead of siding with either side directly.
Everybeast turned to Karam, studying his yellow face. Although he heard every word, Karam stared silently at the table the entire time, re-playing his brother’s words in his mind over and over.“...Strong Wind?” Avram prompted quietly, while the others turned away and said nothing.
It was clear to them all that Karam was suffering, but most of them were too afraid to directly say what they all thought.
“...We’ll send him a message explaining what happened, and also that we will not yield,” Karam decided in a hollow voice, “As Qadir said.”
With that, he stood up from his chair, and all the other advisors stood up from their chairs in respect as he left the room silently. Daud’s message arrived like a heavy boulder weighing down on them all, and none were entirely sure what to say. As for Karam, his heart ached deep inside. How could his beloved elder brother do this? In his room, he laid on his regal bed, pondering what to do.
Oh... to whatever god may hear, please... please help my brother listen to reason. Please. Please. Please... I don't want to fight him. He's all I have left. I beg you... whoever you are... have mercy... or give me the strength to kill him.
Though he prayed with all earnestness, he wasn't even sure who to pray for, or what to say. Even while he was trying to pray his mind doubted every word. After decades of living with his brother, Karam knew that Daud wouldn't listen to reason once he got an idea in his head. He was as stubborn as a mountain was tall.
When Daud received Karam’s letter, he read it slowly and carefully. For a brief moment, Daud’s heart softened as he imagined all his brother went through the past months. Surely Karam was not lying to him, surely. His blue eyes clouded over in pain and his ears drooped while he read the letter once more in his teal magic aura.
Into his brief moment of hesitation came another voice:
“Sire, it is clear these are lies,” One of Daud’s advisors insisted, “His advisors must have written this for him, to persuade you to not wage war--do not believe a single word!”
With such poisoned words, Daud’s heart hardened once more. He glared at the sand near his hooves and used his magic to crumple the letter.
“Send a reply to Karam: We shall have a civil war in these desert sands,” Daud snapped.
The war raged.
Karam and Daud clashed time and time again with their armies. Although Karam used every opportunity to reach out to his brother, Daud remained stoic and stone-like at every turn. In the daytime, Karam was brave, and did his best to be a leader, but at night, in his bedroom, he cried and ached deep inside. First his father was slain, and now when his brother was finally located, Daud only wanted to slay him, not be a family again. Could the world be any more cruel? What made his feelings worse was that Karam did not know how to deal with his emotions. Even as a colt, he preferred action and excitement, and never focused on his emotions for too long. At times, Karam wanted to run away, and forget all his duties, but he knew he couldn’t--he had to stay. If he left, what would become of the kingdom? Daud would rule, but in his state would he be a good ruler or would he be cruel? Hence, the war raged on.
Years turned into decades. A thousand times it looked like Karam would win, and a thousand more it looked like Daud would gain the victory, but the two brothers were evenly matched at every turn. Karam’s sandstorms often broke up Daud’s armies, but Daud’s resilient magic kept his soldiers alive. In Saddle-Arabia, a new generation was being raised in the dire civil war, and it seemed like it would never end.
“My Liege, I hate to say this, but I fear that Daud will win in the end if we do not come up with some powerful weapon to defeat him,” Ghayth sighed at the meeting table. By this time, he was wrinkled all over, but his spirit was still fierce in his old age.
“We have been researching all sorts of magic, but it seems like in the end, we are just not strong enough to beat him away,” Zahir replied to Ghayth. He, too, was quite aged, but still just as intelligent as ever he was.
For a time, Karam ignored what the other advisors added to the conversation as he thought about the sacred relic his father showed him ages ago: the Water Collar. It could make rivers… It could boost his power, and nobeast would know it was anything more than a beautiful piece of tack. Should he use it?... what choice did he have?
Abruptly he ended the meeting and stormed back to his bedroom--his father’s old room. He locked the doors and shut all the curtains, and double-checked that nobeast was nearby listening in, and then he opened the passageway. Soon he was there, standing before the ancient relic, admiring the bright blue, glowing gemstone as it sat in the golden, aged piece of tack. In the noise of the huge machine, Karam paused. What was he doing? Should he really do this? Use it in battle? Didn’t his father warn him of the dangers of its power? Wasn’t that why it was sealed away?
Unfortunately, he did not have time to worry about such things--he needed power, and he needed it now. Carefully, he used his golden aura to pick up the collar, relieving it of its duty in the river generator. As soon as the breast collar of water was out of its socket, the machine quieted down, no longer filled with magic. Of course, it had tapped into a very deep well by this time, and had filled the aquifer, hence Karam did not worry about a drought incoming. In fact, the land could survive a very long time without the gem’s power by now. Ignoring his father’s warnings and his own conscience, Karam put on the collar.
Immediately, he felt a surge of power as his eyes glowed brightly, and the collar adjusted to fit him like a glove. He gasped and felt his heart rate speed up and then slow to normal as he eyed the collar. Karam Grinned widely. He knew he could fight Daud now.
Then, he thought of what his father would say.
Would he be proud? Ashamed? Angry?
“...Father, if you’re listening… I’m sorry… but I need to do this. I need to defend our people, and my honor. I can’t let Daud win, I can’t! He’ll tell everyone I was a traitor, and we both know that’s not true! I could be killed for doing nothing wrong!... I’m sorry, Father, but for the sake of honor, and to save as many lives as possible, I MUST defeat him… I must use this,” Karam declared as he stared up at the stone ceiling of the cavern he was currently in.
After a moment of silence, and listening to the rivers flow out from the cavern, Karam steeled himself, and soon returned back to the palace.
Karam surveyed the battlefield silently, his face hidden behind the black kaffiyeh he wore, which matched the black and gold, ornate armor adorning his body. On the other side of the valley, Daud and his army stared back at them. For a moment, Karam took in the landscape quietly: there was a river flowing down from the mountains behind Daud through the valley, filling it with bright green life, and Karam’s ears picked up the sounds of all sorts of birds singing in the distance. It was a magnificent day… but soon the beauty would be tarnished by bloodshed. Karam’s soft heart had learned to harden itself at times like this. Though his body had barely aged past a teen, his spirit and mind had quickly aged into that of a stoic general. In another moment, Daud’s army rushed forward. Karam narrowed his blue eyes and raised his wings, and then lifted into the sky over the battlefield.
In a swift motion, he flapped his wings furiously, creating a strong breeze that he enhanced with his golden magic, spiraling it into a tornado, which he then slingshotted towards the enemy. Daud’s army split apart into two formations while Karam’s army charged forward in the wake of the tornado. As the air filled with debris, Karam’s horn glowed brightly, and the tornado filled with his magic, glowing golden as it changed shape, morphing into a sandstorm that seemed to devour Daud’s army as the two platoons split off. With that, Karam swiftly dived into the storm, surrounding his eyes with an aura to keep the dirt out of them.
Beneath his long kaffiyeh laid the Breast Collar of Water. It was time to test it. Karam spotted a group of horses coughing and straining to see in the sandstorm. Planting all four hooves on the ground to brace himself as he folded his dun-colored wings against his sides, Karam charged his horn, summoning power from the Water Collar, which glowed even brighter beneath the fabric that hid it. As he charged his power, Karam felt a rushing sensation surge over him in a wave, and his horn went from glowing with his natural yellow aura to a watery shade of teal. Gritting his teeth firmly, Karam fired the laser, which grew into a wide-spreading wave of power, slamming into the horses and shattering the magical force field that Daud covered over them. Karam gasped with the force, and then looked at the devastation his power caused: there was a shallow trench in the ground, and the horses had been slammed so hard into the earth that their spines shattered, and their necks snapped, killing them instantly. When he was younger, Karam would have been too shocked to think, but now he grinned. At last, he would win. The Breast Collar of Water gave him the power he needed.
With that, Karam tore through hundreds of enemies, leaving trench after trench in his wake while the swirling winds covered him, keeping him hidden. Eventually he located his prime target.
“DAUD! NOW I SHALL HAVE YOU,” Karam shouted as he snapped his wings and hooved the ground like a bull about to charge.
Daud glared back, flaring his wings, which were a gradient from light to dark grey. For a moment, Daud gritted his teeth and studied his enemy. After decades of fighting his brother, he knew what sort of armor to create, and had forged special armor for himself that could withstand all the powers of the wind and sand that blew in his face, which also enhanced his own defensive magic. Anchoring himself to the ground, Daud glared back at Karam from behind his silvery helmet and snorted bitterly.
“WHAT NEW POWER DO YOU HAVE, KARAM? WHAT DID YOU DO?” Daud called back, “I CAN TELL YOU DID SOMETHING!”
“YOU SHALL SEE, TRAITOR,” Karam backfired as he charged his lazer.
Daud laughed, “OH SURE, FIRE AT ME LIKE YOU DID WHEN WE WERE CHILDREN, AS IF THAT WILL HELP YOU NOW, HA!”
In his moment of arrogance, Daud was completely unprepared for the blast that slammed into him, steamrolling him into the ground. Quickly, Karam lassoed the storm he created, whirling it all around him until it had dissipated into nothing. Taking a deep breath, he stared at where Daud was lying on the ground, motionless.
At last… it was over.
Wait… no….
Slowly, painfully, Daud stood up as half of his armor fell off his body. He cracked his neck one way and then the other as he glared at his brother in shock.
“You… you are using it, aren’t you?... H O W D A R E Y O U,” Daud shouted while his soldiers coughed for air nearby.
At that moment, Karam gulped, suddenly realizing what he had done: he had used a sacred relic in battle.
What was he doing?
Did he really want to kill his Big Brother?
...yes, he did.
Daud had severed their brotherhood long ago.
Hardening his face, Karam snorted and flared his wings as he began to charge another beam, but this time Daud was ready and fired back his own beam. The two powerful magics met and surged against each other, but it wasn’t long before Karam’s slammed past Daud’s, hurtling Daud back a hundred yards. Realizing he was in danger, Daud screamed for his troops to fall back, and Karam sneered at them all as they galloped away. Karam watched as the remaining troops galloped up the hillside, departing swiftly. Daud’s heart was no longer soft, and neither was Karam’s. In the wake of war came sorrow and pain, and the gentle hearts of the two loving brothers corroded away until they were unrecognizable. In their pride and fierce honor, they forgot they were brothers.
Tragically, even with the Water Collar around his neck, Karam could not defeat his brother’s army. The two ended up in a worse stalemate, ravaging the land wherever they went. Karam’s sandstorms became more and more furious, and he went from merely using wind, sand and debris to also ordering his soldiers to throw their blades into the storms, which turned the sandstorms into blade-filled, army-ravaging, weapons of mass destruction. In return, Daud discovered more and more spells to boost his army’s defenses, and employed hit-and run tactics. These tactics he combined with various traps, decimating entire platoons as Karam's soldiers triggered magic land mines, fell into pits, or summoned wild beasts from hidden teleporting traps. Agonizing years turned into vengeful decades as Karam and his brother warred across deserts, forests, mountains, lakes, and canyons. During it all, Karam felt his heart shift between loving the thrill of each victory and wailing over the loss of life and the relationship with his brother. Eventually, it was too much, and he locked away his heart, hardened his face, and ignored his emotions. Whenever his emotions did come out it was often in fury, whenever somebeast attempted to correct him. The advisors who once soothed him now looked to him like secret traitors as he became paranoid and fierce.Tragically, the gentle and compassionate Strong Wind hardened into a warrior as stoic as the stone-hearted Rock was.
However, in the midst of chaos, there was one who still prayed for them both, and who Karam still confided in at times: Avram the Patient. Indeed, Avram was like the father Karam wished he had beside him, and helped Karam have some solace in the midst of the storms of his heart and life. Alas, Avram was but a horse, and his time to leave life was at hoof.
Standing in Avram’s bedroom, Karam watched the scene unfold. Quietly Avram’s family all gathered around the old, peach-colored Earth Horse as his breathing became more and more shallow.
“...Avram… you’ve served me well all these years… and I will never forget you,” Karam quietly declared as he gazed at his most trusted advisor, feeling an ache in his heart he hadn’t felt since Father died.
“Oh Strong Wind… it’s been a pleasure… truly has..” Avram breathed as he smiled up at his youthful liege, seeing the fear and pain in Karam’s blue eyes as he stood nearby. Avram’s eldest son, Yosef, stepped forward and kneeled at his father’s bedside as Avram prayed a blessing over him, “May the Lord bless you and keep you… make you strong… and wise… so you may serve our king to the best of your abilities… and may you have peace in the midst of this horrid war.”
Yosef nodded and took a deep breath to steady himself as he stepped back again. In his mind's eye, Karam recalled all the times Avram mentioned his children. Looking around, Karam took in the scene of the mourning family kneeling around the bed. Here were children, grandchildren, and even a few great-grandchildren all sobbing and sniffing and hanging their heads in sorrow. Among them all, Karam felt like an outsider... and yet... something deep inside him felt like they were family. Something else even deeper wailed at the heavens, wishing that his own father could've died peacefully in bed, surrounded by a loving, warm family such as this one. Ah, but the cruelty of life had stolen that possibility. At least Avram was granted a peaceful end. Standing there, Karam had a hundred things he wished he could tell Avram, but had no idea how to speak them out loud. After so long of keeping his feelings locked up tightly, he had no way of expressing his deep gratitude. However... there was... one thing he could do.
“Yosef the Balance, I shall take you as my new advisor, to replace your father. In honor of all your father has done, I shall make sure that there will always be a Zarfaim among my advisors,” Karam proclaimed as he stood as tall as he could, with his wings straightened up, spread out regally. Honored by the proclamation, all of Avram’s family kneeled towards Karam while Avram smiled warmly.
Yes. Even thousands of years later, when Avram was long forgotten, Karam himself would remember, because he'd always have at least one reminder of Avram.
“Thank you, Strong Wind… may I bless you as well before I leave?” Avram sighed, feeling his strength departing.
Surprised, Karam blinked and then nodded, kneeling beside Avram’s bed so the dying Horse could lay one hoof on the young Alicorn Pony.
“May the Lord bless you and keep you, and make his face to shine upon you, and grant you peace. May you be strong and courageous, and may the truth about your father’s death be known for all time… and may your heart be soft, and may you never forget how to love, and may you be loved in return,” Avram blessed Karam as he closed his eyes quietly.
Slowly, Karam looked up at Avram as he felt a tear come down his own cheek while the old Horse looked at him one last time and smiled, whispering, “Be brave… be brave, King Karam… and don’t be afraid to feel… pain…. Without pain… we don’t fully understand… peace.”
“I… will try,” Karam gulped as he felt his heart crack deep inside.
With another smile, Avram the Patient closed his eyes. His bearded face maintained its fatherly smile as he breathed his last and became cold. Avram’s son, Yosef, sniffed his father’s body, taking in the quiet smell of death. Yosef's ears drooped. Reverently he began saying an ancient prayer while the family silently listened, all hanging their heads. Nearby, Karam squeezed his blue eyes shut, allowing the mixed feelings to ebb over his heart.
Back in his room that night, Karam paced around furiously, feeling a whirlwind of emotions inside his chest that was about to explode. He needed to get it out, but how? Seeing a scroll on his nightstand, a thought came to him: why not write it all out? Keep a journal, and write down all the feelings--get them out that way, yes, surely it would work. Immediately he grabbed a quill pen in his golden, magic aura and began writing down everything that happened that day and how he felt. As he worked, he began feeling more and more feelings that he had locked away inside a fortress, and feeling them again was almost a shock to him as they came flooding out onto the paper. For about an hour he wrote, scribbling down anything that came to him, until the tears came cascading down his cheeks. When the tears came, he gritted his teeth and wrote more until the sobs broke out. When the sobs broke out from his throat, he wrote harder and faster, until he couldn’t see the paper anymore due to the tears clouding his sight. His last page went like so:
I didn’t ask for this! I didn’t want any of this! I didn’t ask for Father to die! I didn’t ask for creatures to spread lies about me and poison my brother! I didn’t ask for a war!
I just
I just
I JUST WANT IT TO END!
I lost Mother and Father and now my brother, and maybe even my own soul.
Oh… if only Mother were still alive. It’s been so long I cannot even recall her voice and yet… she always knew what to say, right? I’m not imagining that, right? Father, oh, he’d be so heartbroken wouldn’t he?
And it’s all my fault, too. Oh… Father… forgive me. Mother… please… forgive me.
I just
I WANT TO SCREAM!! I WANT TO STAB SOMETHING IN THE EYE! I WANT PEACE BUT CANNOT FIND IT! I want to fly away somewhere and just start over. I'll disguise myself as a Unicorn Horse and become a traveler. Eventually I'll find some place that knows me not, and I'll make new friends and be a common worker. Yes. I will start over! I'll learn how to barter and start a business as a merchant!
That is the most ridiculous idea I have ever had. OBVIOUSLY I can't just run away! My nation needs me now, and whether or not I like it, I must fulfill my duties. I hate it, yes, but I must do it. I hate schedules, I hate war, I hate suffering, I hate the constant tension and endless training with no rest or peace, I hate it all!
...and it’s all my fault, isn’t it?
Certainly, I tried to convince Daud, I did, I really did!
Didn’t I?
Maybe I could’ve tried harder, right? I could see the anger in his eyes, and the lack of love, but maybe, deep inside, some vague part of him still cared? Maybe if I talked louder or longer we could've come to some kind of agreement? I could've convinced him to not fight. I could've! If only I was older and wiser, surely I'd find some peaceful arrangement and we wouldn't have to fight, but no, I'm just a foalish child and had not the words and NOW LOOK!
It’s all my fault.
All the lives lost were taken by my own hooves. All the farms destroyed All the problems
It’s all my fault, isn’t it?
It is.
No, not literally, but I am the leader. Everything that goes wrong is my fault now, and because I caused this war, all these things happened. It’s all my fault.
I hate myself.
I will never forgive myself.
NEVER NEVER NEVER!
Oh… but being angry won’t bring back the dead. Nothing will repair the damage. I must move on. I cannot cry. I cannot mourn. I cannot. I don't have time to wallow around and cry. I have to DO SOMETHING USEFUL, and so far, the only useful thing is killing more soldiers and fighting more battles. At least my life is not boring and sitting around all day. There is that vague comfort. At least I get to see new places, hear new sounds, and taste new food. Yes, as well as look at more and more dead bodies piling up. Wonderful existence.
So… I will hate myself and move on with my pitiful existence. Obviously I'm horrible at planning so instead I'll just throw myself out there, keep fighting, and see what happens next. Perhaps by some mercy both Daud and I will die and then nobeast will have to war anymore because the two perpetrators are dead. Win-win.
That's probably the only solution now.
Oh....
Where did the days go? Those nice days when I was young, with father teaching me things I rolled my eyes at as I waited for time to tick on by so I could go flying around outside with Daud? I should've listened to Father. Perhaps he had some wisdom I need now.
I hate life.
No, not life, MY life. I hate MY life. I hate MYSELF.
Out in the middle of nowhere is a perfectly happy family who knows barely anything about war and is just enjoying life. They are at peace. They are happy. They are fine.
I want that.
I want my brother back. I want to fly away forever. I want it all to be over.
At last, he put down the quill and exhaled. Finally, the horrid storm of emotions was out. The war still waged on the battlefield, but for now, at this moment, he was calm… and he knew his heart was still alive, deep within its fortress of pain and despair. Yes, deep inside, his heart was still beating. Though he tried to lock it away, snuff it out, ignore it, deep inside, it was still there. He was not a monster. He was not a dead creature. He was not a rock. Despite it all, he was still the Strong Wind... and his heart... yes... his heart was still alive.
It wasn’t long before all of Karam’s advisors had died of old age and were replaced by their apprentices. With Yosef at the seat of honor closest to Karam, yet another war council began.
“Sire, we need a stronger weapon,” The Advisor of Defense declared, “And I think I know the weapon: The Fire Haltar of Aseb.”
“But only priests of Aseb can use that!” The Economics Master pointed out with one of his wings raised.
“True, but for decades the Fire Haltar has not bonded with any priest,” The Advisor of Defense insisted as he leanded forward, “King Karam, you are still the leader of Aseb; I think you should go there in secret, with some bodyguards, and persuade the priests to let you try wearing it--if it bonds with you, it’ll give you great power, and then surely we can end this horrid war once and for all!”
The other advisors said various things, but Karam ignored them, lost in his own thoughts. He felt no emotional ties to any of these beasts except Yosef. These advisors were merely talking heads to him; he’d seen all the others die of old age, and realized the pain of being a long-living Alicorn ruling over a land where everybeast else died decades before he aged a year. With such pain in his heart, he determined to not get attatched to any of the new ones--besides, he had to be king, not friend. He must be a warrior, not a brother. As he considered what they said, he nodded, deciding to go to Aseb.
“Very well. I shall take a small force with me and enter their holy altar, and plead with the high priest to allow me to try the haltar on,” Karam decided, which interrupted everybeast else. Not waiting for anybeast to say anything, he leaped off his chair and threw open the councilroom chamber doors with his magic, preparing to head out.
For the past few years, the sun and moon had been terrifyingly random--first day, then night, then day again, all within a few hours. Besides confusing everybeast as to what day it was, these day-night-day days made it hard to battle. However, it also meant that many creatures stayed indoors, enabling Karam to slip through the streets in a disguise as he headed out of the nation. If he had been to Aseb's capitol before, he could teleport there, but unfortunately he had to travel there the long way. For a day and a half he traveled with a small group of retainers, until he reached the city. Although it was under Saddle-Arabia's jurisdiction, Aseb was still its own unique nation. With this in mind, he disguised himself as best he could, hiding his wings beneath his heavy cloak. He didn't want anybeast to panic or think he was trying to bring the war to this nation's land. On a day that was mostly night, Karam arrived at the temple where the Asebians offered incense to their minor deities. Because of the crazed day and night cycles, many priests and devotees had opted to stay home, fearing that some horrid condemnation was on them all due to the war, and in truth Karam often wondered the same thing--was this some sort of sign that the war should end now before they all died?
“Who approaches the altar of Aseb?” The high priest called out as he saw the creatures in heavy, obscurring garments approach the ornate, carved stone altar within the temple’s structure.
Karam halted. He nodded to his retainers, urging them to step back a few paces. He inhaled, exhaled, and turned to the priest. Quietly removing his hood with his magic, revealing his scarred face, Karam kneeled and announced, “King Karam of Saddle-Arabia does approach.”
Amazed, the high priest, who was a brown camel, blinked and stammered, “King--King Karam? Here? Ah! Sire… what… what do you need?”
“I know what I am about to ask will be highly irregular, and perhaps completely forbidden, but I must have more power in order to defeat my enemies and end this war once and for all: I have come to try on the Haltar of Fire,” Karam explained regally as he stood to his feet and looked the high priest straight in the eyes with determination.
For a moment, the high priest blinked and stepped back, uncertain of what to think. On the one hoof, he couldn’t deny a king, but such a request truly was forbidden. In his own mind, Karam pondered if this was the best choice. Maybe he should've used a fake name and said he was taking the thing to King Karam? Perhaps he was doing this wrong? No, no, he had to do this, and he had to be open and honest, yes. Right?
“King of the Wind, I do not wish to anger you at all, but… as you say, such a thing is forbidden. However, in truth, the haltar of fire has refused to bond with any high priest of any species in quite some decades. It is said that only those with true fire in their hearts for justice are accepted by it, but…truly there is much we do not know about it,” The high priest disclosed as he pointed with his hoof to where the ancient relic hung on the back wall.
Slowly, Karam approached the haltar, examining it. It was fashioned from several blood-red, brown-ringed agates which were connected by thick, leather cords. As he stood near it, he felt the firey magic coming from it, and sensed that it could re-shape itself into whatever shape needed.
Turning back to the high priest, Karam pleaded, “Allow me to try it on. If it refuses me, I shall leave, but if it accepts me, know that I will honor it with all my life.”
Looking to the minor priests hiding in the corners, the high priest debated what to do in his mind. At length, he nodded, feeling that Karam’s words were fair. With the utmost respect, Karam lifted the haltar off its pegs with his golden aura, and placed it around his muzzle, fastening it carefully beneath his jawline. As he put it on, he took a deep breath, thinking of all the suffering this war was causing, and determined to end the killing, for the sake of everybeast. While he was still fastening it around his jawline, the haltar glowed, and Karam felt a rushing sensation through his body as he began to glow a faint red tint all over. Swiftly, the collar glowed pure red and shifted, forming itself around Karam’s horn and face, adjusting to fit him perfectly. A moment later, the glowing stopped, and Karam felt dizzy as he blinked several times. Seeing his reflection in a polished golden plate on the wall, Karam noted how the pieces of agate had formed around his horn, making a long, red and brown ringed, smooth cover for it that surged with magical energy.
In awe, all the priests and Karam’s bodyguards kneeled around him.
“The Halter of Fire has deemed you worthy! From this day forth, you are our rightful ruler!” The high priest shouted, “The Fire Halter has spoken!”
The other four-legged beasts in the room cheered as they looked up at Karam, relieved that at last the Fire Halter had chosen an owner. Proudly Karam spread out his wings over them, allowing them to stand as he nodded at the high priest and assured them all, “I shall do my best to protect you all, and end this war.”
“Oh Sire, please, I do beseech you, only use it in the most dramatic circumstances,” the high priest warned as he stood up, “Legends say that the halter’s power is so great that it can burn an entire forest, or perhaps do even worse things. If it is used too flippantly, it could cause immense devestation.”
Hardening his face, Karam nodded understandingly and vowed, “I shall only use it in the worst of times.. And to defeat the worst of enemies.”
However, quiet thoughts came to him: was this really the worst of times? Was Daud truly the worst of enemies? Should he really use such a sacred relic in this vengeful war?
Initially, Karam refused to use the Fire Halter. In fact, he hid it away in a locked safe built into his closet. Weeks passed. Battles raged. Creatures perished. Day after day, Karam agonized over whether he should use the Fire Halter. On the one hoof, he knew that if he used it, he’d surely win the war, ending the suffering. On the other hoof, he knew such a weapon would cause immense destruction--especially if combined with the Water Collar he was already using. Could he truly unleash such death? Then again, could he allow the killing to continue? Either way, citizens and soldiers would die. The question was really about how much longer the dying would continue. If he used the halter, the war would be over soon, but it’d be utterly brutal. If he didn’t use the collar, the war would last longer, and more people would suffer. Was there a wrong or right choice here? He had no idea. It was hard for him to picture the future because it hadn’t happened yet, and all he knew about the Fire Halter were rumors. Was the Fire Halter really as powerful as the legends suggested? Was he worrying too much? He had no idea. Would his advisors even know? They were so much better at picturing things like this, weren’t they? Or were they? He didn’t know, and he dare not tell them he was suffering like this. After all, he couldn’t look weak, no, no, NO, he had to prove to them he was a leader, and leaders ALWAYS knew what they were doing… right?
Weeks passed. Karam agonized. Soldiers died.
Besides this problem, Karam had to find a way to keep his people and soldiers sane while the sun and moon were acting wild. Day and night blurred into one strange cacophany, and even when it was nighttime the stars were incorrect, making it hard to navigate anywhere. Soldiers that were sent in one direction accidentally ended up hundreds of kilometers off-course, and had no idea how to get home. Plants were having trouble growing due to not having stable sunlight, and farmers feared that a famine would ensue. If it wasn’t for the innate growing magic of Earth Horses and Earth Ponies, there surely would be famine already. During these conditions, the nation was on the verge of panic, and Karam could practically taste it in the air. If the war didn’t end soon, surely the soldiers would all go insane and end up killing each other. Karam had to do something.
He WOULD do something.
He took on the Fire Halter.
Through confusion and navigation troubles, Karam led his main army to a certain valley where he waited for Daud. It was a strategic point that Karam knew Daud would have to go through soon, and he patiently awaited his brother’s arrival. Within a few twenty-four hour time periods, Daud was there, leading his own main force.
The two armies stared each other down. In the sky, both day and night shared the heavens, painting a dramatic scene for the final battle to unfold. Karam braced himself, but found it hard to give the order to attack.
Could he really do this?
He felt how much power the two relics gave him, and it was overwhelming to his young, lean body.
Could he really do this?
He pictured Avram’s dying, peaceful face, and pondered what the old horse would say if he were still alive.
Could he really do this?
He remebered his father and mother, and questioned if they’d be on his side or Daud’s. Thinking of all the lives that ended during this war, Karam knew he had no choice. It was either kill Daud now, and end this all, or keep fighting needlessly. Through the conflicted feelings in his heart, Karam pushed through, and led the charge.
Swords clashed, armor shattered, and soldiers bashed against each other in one massive struggle. Leading the fray was Karam, who flew high into the sky, searching for his brother. Karam knew that if he made a sandstorm now, it’d harm his own soldiers, and also obscure his own vision. Today he had one goal: kill Daud.
Daud had his own goal, though.
Abruptly a lazer fired from the enemy ranks, and Karam narrowly dodged it. His sharp eyes caught sight of a familiar set of armor gleaming in the light of the moon and sun. Gritting his teeth, Karam swooped down, charging his magic through both the collar and the halter, channeling his fury into the tip of his agate-covered horn. As the blue stone of the collar glowed, the agate surrounding his horn glowed with the magic too, and both were amplifying it into a bright, orange light. It took time to do this, though, and in the meantime Karam had to dodge more and more lazers from various enemies. It was challenging to keep his concentration, but after decades of fighting in the middle of sandstorms, dodging some lightning-bolt-like lazers was easy for Karam to learn. Five seconds passed
Karam spread his wings and angled to the right, feeling a lazer shoot off part of his tail. He used a bit of magic to infuse himself with the power of the wind, gaining speed and mobility.
Ten seconds passed
Karam ducked down between two more lazers, feeling the heat of the magic warm his face and sides as he dodged.
Fifteen seconds passed
Karam felt his heart pounding as he ducked and rolled and darted between dangers. A thin layer of fire burned on top of his tack; the Fire Haltar was ready.
At last, he felt his magic charged, and he turned and pinpointed where Daud was, in the center of the army. For a brief moment, Daud’s eyes met his younger brother’s glowing ones, and The Rock knew what he must do. Daud shot into the sky. Seeing Daud clearly, Karam fired the cannon of magic at his target. Prepared for the shot, Daud fired back his own magic, and the two beams met in an atomic burst that sent shockwaves across the landscape, startling the soldiers below. The two armies paused and watched as their leaders fired continuous beams at each other, trying to outpush each other. Though Daud was strong, he was no match for Karam’s intense boost from the artifacts, and within a few seconds the magic overwhelmed Daud. In another burst, Karam overpowered his older brother, and the huge beam slammed into Daud, sending him flying across the land, pounding into the wilderness and forming a wide, deep trench that began filling in with loose sand and rocks.
Now for the final clash of the brothers.
Quickly, Karam flapped his wings and darted towards Daud, with his eyes on his target.
Thanks to his hardening, defensive magic, Daud survived, but his armor and his invisible, rocky layer was clearly cracked, and it gave off odd colors in the light, making Daud look like he was glowing. From the top of his horn to the base of his neck Daud was burnt, and his helmet fell off, smoking and charred as black as his singed mane was. Looking to the sky, Daud spotted his enemy, who was glowing with a strange orange-teal magic layer that swirled and glowed all over Karam’s body.
Glaring at Karam, Daud called, “WHAT ILLEGAL THING HAVE YOU DONE NOW?”
Refusing to answer, Karam fired another mega-beam at Daud, who nimbly dodged to the side, allowing Karam to burn another trench into the landscape, sending shockwaves that made any soldiers nearby turn and gallop away in terror. Daud spread his wings and zoomed up to Karam, and the two fired smaller lazers at each other repeatedly. After decades of fighting, Karam was finally his equal, nay, superior, and Karam deflected the lazers with his own, firing back twice as fast and efficient as Daud. Seeing that his lazers were innefective, Daud took out his weapons, using his teal-colored aura to fight Karam from a distance. In Daud’s aura, daggers shot forward, gleaming in the light from the sun and moon above them. With his golden aura, Karam batted them away with a downward boomerang effect, and continued firing his lazer rounds. Daud ducked and dodged, picking up the daggers from the air and throwing them back, distracting Karam while he gradually approached. One dagger nicked Karam’s wing, and Karam gritted his teeth in pain, not seeing the other dagger that flew back, landing square in a place where his armor didn’t cover, in his shoulder joint. Karam grunted and narrowed his eyes in pain. Daud took his chance, darting forward, holding a sword in his aura.
ZAP
In that moment, Karam landed a lazer to Daud’s left wing. Daud’s eyes widened as he felt himself falling down,
down…
down...
Karam wasn’t done yet, though. With fury, Karam dove down and fired again and again at Daud, destroying The Rock’s armored layer of invisible magic, and destroying Daud’s combat armor as well. The magical beam slammed Daud deep into the ground, making a wide crater that flung many feet of sand into the air and away from Daud. Karam focused his magic into the wind, using the same whip-like burst he used ages ago while sparring, but this time it was like a firey wave crashing against Daud. With the combo magic, Daud was thrown across the crater, feeling as if intense water had scalded him from his horn to his hooves, making his armor and padding burning as if they were boiled. Desperately, Daud pulled off his armor with his magic, revealing how singed his dappled pelt was beneath. By this time, the two armies had gathered around the crater, watching their leaders duel. However, this was no duel: Karam was brutally lashing out at his brother, and Daud was unable to stop it. Karam fired lazers, summoned wind-lashes, and beat Daud with everything he had. In his wrath, Karam even set the edge of the sandy crater on fire, though there was nothing there to burn. At length, Daud was barely able to move, and Karam glared at his older brother, preparing to kill him.
...brother.
Karam paused.
Karam paused and stared at his brother. Daud was burnt from his head to his foot, coughing quietly, and barely responding. Despite his closenesss to death, Daud glared at his brother in defiance.
“Well?...what… are you… waiting… for?... Go ahead… kill me,” Daud spat as he gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils in anger and pain.
Brother….
Karam paused.
In his mind, Karam recalled the days when they were both children, declaring that they’d always help each other. No… they were still children, really. Though they had been forced to grow up, Karam and Daud were both still no older looking than a teenaged horse, or perhaps a young adult. They weren’t adults; they were children playing a game they were never meant to play. In his mind, Karam realized what he was doing:
He was killing his big brother.
How could he do this? How could he convince himself that this was all right? How could Karam convince himself this was the only choice?
He could do it.
Right here, right now, Karam could slay his brother, ending the war. It was the logical solution. If Daud died, the war would be over, and the suffering would stop. It was the practical choice. Daud was the enemy; Daud started this whole mess by refusing to believe Karam. No, it was more than that--Daud’s mind had been beguiled and poisoned, but Karam didn’t know what Daud thought or what Daud knew. Karam only knew what Karam knew, and Karam knew he was innocent; Karam didn’t kill their father, and he didn’t ask for any of this!
While he gazed into his older brother’s enraged eyes, Karam asked himself: Am I really innocent? What kind of beast fights his own brother? What would Father do? What would Mother say? What would Avram say?...
He… he may be an enemy… but… he’s my big brother.
“WELL?... Shall you… kill me… or not?” Daud demanded between coughs as he lifted his head and rolled over so he could be laying on his stomach, tucking his legs beneath his aching body.
“...No. It would be wrong for me to kill the son of a king,” Karam announced in a loud, regal voice so everybeast could hear, “You shall be healed, and then put on trial, and the courts shall decide what to do with you.”
With that, Karam ceased the magic, and the colorful aura fizzled out around him. A second later, the fire around the edge of the crater snuffed itself out in submission. At that, the armies were shocked. Murmuring echoed all around the crater while Karam watched his brother’s movements.
“...Coward,” Daud spat as he narrowed his eyes and staggered to his feet, letting his injured wings drag on the ground around himself, “you… coward.”
Medical beasts came and carefully helped Daud onto a stretcher while Karam watched in silence with a stoic look on his yellow features.
Karam searched and searched for any sign of gentle emotion from Daud, but all The Strong Wind found was hatred.
Daud didn’t care for him.
Daud wasn’t his brother.
Daud hated him.
As the realization sank deep into what was left of Karam’s heart, Karam grimaced internally. However, he also wrestled with himself.
Of course Daud doesn’t love me! Why should he? We are enemies. He has accused me of murdering our father! I shouted back at him and we declared war and have been fighting for about a century! OF COURSE Daud despises me!... why should I expect any different? Why am I upset?... why?... Why?
...He’s my brother still. Despite it all, I am his brother, and he was my hero… my inspiration… long, long ago… before all this mess. No, I do not hate him, not anymore.
If I have anger at anyone today, it is anger directly only at myself. If I have hatred for anyone today… it is only for myself. If anyone is guilty, it is myself, for I have killed my brother in my heart.
Daud lives, yet he is dead; his heart is gone forever… And to him, I am dead as well. To Daud, I died the day this war began. To myself, I have died today, for I don’t think I could ever forgive myself for all that’s happened under my rule.
The trial lasted a week. There was much evidence against Daud, ranging from falsely accusing Karam of treason to all the war crimes Daud had done during the war. All of it pointed to Daud deserving a just death. Although the judges of the High Court were in agreement that Daud should die, none wanted to give the death sentence outright. After all, who could kill the son of a former king? Furthermore, the said son was older than everyone in the courtroom, yet seemed to be a teenager. Did he count as a colt or a stallion? How should he die? Should they really kill him?
At the end of the week, the head of the High Court stood up and gave the sentence:
“Daud The Rock, Leader of The Southern Armies, Former Heir to the Throne of Saddle-Arabia, Son of Khayri The Wise, we of the High Court have found you guilty of the following: treason against Karam The Strong Wind, King of Saddle-Arabia, Younger Son of Khayri the Wise; war crimes perpetrated against both soldiers and civilians; spreading propaganda against your brother, the king. For these crimes we deem you worthy of the death penalty, but we dare not lay a forefoot against the son of King Khayri. We are beings who live mortal lives whereas you Alicorns live far longer than any of us here ever shall; to kill you would be to kill a god, almost. We dare not kill you, but we cannot ignore your crimes. Hence, we decree two things against you: First, half of your magic shall be taken from you and given to your brother, showing that he is the true king, and also repaying him for all you have done. After that, you shall be banished into the desert sands with no food and water. Whatever happens to you… let the gods decide what is best.”
There were murmurings all around the courtroom as the creatures in the balconies and in the ring around the court whispered to each other. Some were relieved, and others were shocked. Nobeast dared to speak too loudly, however.
In the center of the courtroom, on the round stage, Daud stood there stoicly. His long, pale grey horn was capped with a magic nullifier, and his grey gradient wings were tied around his middle with a belt. He was fully healed from his wounds thanks to magic, and in his stubborn, unmovable way he stood tall and proud, refusing to look any less strong and dignified than he felt he should be.
“...What have you to say?” The leader of the High Court asked as he adjusted his spectacles with his Horse magic.
“...I accept what the court deems,” Daud replied in a stone-cold voice, his eyes refusing to focus anywhere except straight ahead.
From where he was in the audience, Karam watched with an equally stone-cold face, but his heart ached for his brother. No. He had no time for feelings. Feelings were useless things that only caused trouble and stopped him from doing his duty. Duty. Feh, he hated that word. To him, "Duty" was a four-letter word that he wished to never hear, yet was cursed to hear every day. Duty. If it was a living creature, he'd stab the word and scatter its body between the four winds of the desert. He had no time to be dramatic though. Dramatic feelings had to be ignored today.
In a few minutes, some Unicorn Horses were called up to the stage, and Karam followed. The two Unicorns put their long horns together, creating a glow between them. While the Unicorns charged their magic, Karam stood across from Daud, studying his brother’s features. Daud glared back at him, refusing to say a word.
Although he remained stoic, Karam felt a storm of emotions rise up in his heart, and he tied them up and put them away quickly; He had no time for such feelings. All they did was hurt.
The two Unicorns fully charged their magic, and then closed their eyes and lowered their heads and ears, taking a step apart. As the Unicorns focused, the magic grew and formed a line between Daud’s horn and Karam’s horn. For the next few minutes, Karam felt as if he was electrified; all his muscles stiffened and his eyes began glowing white with magic. Through those minutes, the Unicorns acted as conduits for the transfer, pulling at Daud’s magic and giving it to Karam.Once it was over, Karam blinked, feeling woosy all over and finding his vision blurry. He was in a haze for the next half hour as he was led out of the courtroom and back to the palace while Daud was escorted back to prison.
The next “morning”, Daud was robed in a plain brown robe, and given just enough water to last a few hours.
At this time, the sun sat in the sky, but in a strange position caddy-corner from the moon. On this day of banishment, Daud would have a half-dark sky cooling the vast sands for his endless journey of exilement.
In his black and silver, regal tack, Karam studied his brother’s features one last time. Daud was weakened after losing half of his magic, but he still was as proud and stone-cold as ever. The black markings on his legs matched Karam’s own, and his black mane and tail matched Karam’s, but he was a very different creature indeed. There was no brotherly love in the grey appaloosa’s eyes or face for the dun-colored king standing in front of him. For a time, the two stared at each other while the crowd of soldiers and citizens nearby watched in silence.
“Brother… I never wanted this,” Karam murmured at length as his eyebrows furrowed in grief, “I never wanted this. Please… I beg you: forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” Daud whispered as he narrowed his blue eyes at his brother, “Why should I?”
“...Because I… we’re still brothers,” Karam pleaded, finding it hard to talk as he felt a lump in his throat, “Please, don’t go out into the desert with rage in your heart, Brother. I beg you: Please… let’s at least be reconciled before… before you leave.”
For a while, Daud glared at Karam. The wind pulled on the robes around Daud’s head and neck, blowing them towards the crowd behind him, showing a bit more of his face to his brother. Quietly, Karam watched his brother’s face, though it was hard to see with the wind blowing around, pushing Karam’s forelock into his blue eyes constantly. He fought against the wind's pull, though, forcing his eyes open so he'd see his brother's features one final time. No, Karam was not going to miss this. He was going to see, hear, smell, and feel every bit of it.
Silently Daud stared back at him, and though Karam searched all over the grey colt's face, Karam could not see one sentimental shred of feeling anywhere at all.
Eventually, Daud spat, “No. We are not brothers, and I will never forgive you.”
There: the final proof that The Rock was his name.
With that, Daud proudly turned and began walking into the vast desert sands. The crowd slowly trickled away back into the capitol city of Rikhab, but Karam stayed and kept his eyes on his brother as Daud slowly vanished into the distance. Though Karam knew he should turn and leave, following the others, every fiber of his heart shouted, "No! We are staying and seeing this, and remembering it, forever and a day."
Remember....
As Daud left, Karam recalled a vague memory from a century ago:
“Well, you do not have to fear that...I will always be your older brother, and as such I shall protect you from danger. I will be your rock!”
“And I will support you when you take the throne, and I’ll… uhm… I’ll be the wind that… that… that supports you and blows away all your enemies! You shall see! I will be there for you just like you will be there for me, and I will help you as much as I can! I will! I promise! I will be an honorable younger brother! I will, I will I will!”
Recalling the broken promise, Karam felt a tear fall down his golden yellow face. Closing his eyes tightly, Karam used his magic to stir the breeze to cool Daud and give him what little comfort Karam could.
Not all promises could be kept….
Oh… how Karam wished they could, though.
Karam never asked for this.
Sadly, Karam had no choice.
As Khayri had noted all those decades ago, Karam was not fated for a peaceful destiny… well… perhaps now there would be peace, but at what cost?
That night, Karam could barely sleep. He tossed and turned and trotted around his room in a vain attempt to find peace. On the one hoof, it was just that Daud should be banished. He had committed treason; he should die! The law must be upheld. On the other hoof, Karam couldn’t bear the thought of his brother slowly withering away until the scorching sun slew him, or the night sky’s insanity drive him mad. Did Karam really do that? Did Karam really send him away? Did Karam really let this happen? Karam reared up, stretched his golden-yellow wings, and slammed his forehooves into the ground angrily as he snorted with silent turmoil.
For hours he stayed awake, gritting his teeth and snorting and banging his head against the wall until his eyebrows bled. Realizing how foolish he was being, he turned and began writing in his journal again, pouring out all these horrible, useless feelings. While writing, he began crying again, in hushed tones so nobeast could hear. At first his writing was like a battle, and each stroke of his quill was a fierce, biting mark and a deep jab to the scroll, but with every tear that rolled down his cheeks a bit more of his chaos was stilled, and in time he was too exhausted to write or cry or pound anything anymore. Though he hadn’t slept, his exhaustion was mostly an emotional one, and not a physical one. Besides, it was hard to sleep with the sky constantly shifting and moving. As he turned and moved a solid black curtain with his golden magic, Karam studied the sky, watching how the stars seemed to rush around, clashing and blasting and racing everywhere in the sky.
With a sigh, he halted his magic, letting the curtain fall back as he turned away. In his agony, he collapsed to the ground and laid his head on the cold, stone floor. Tears rolled down his cheek. There, at the lowest point in his life, he vaguely recalled Avram. Out of all the deities Karam heard of, there was one that sounded like it would actually listen to Karam at a time like this.
“...God of Avram… please… please don’t let my brother die right away. I beg you, have mercy on him. He did many horrid things but… he… he’s all I have left, God. I don’t deserve any forgiveness, and I guess… I guess Daud does not either, but… please… please let him find peace before he dies. I beg you. As for me… I… I don’t deserve anything. I have banished my brother, dooming him to death. I had to do it. It was the only thing to do. He needed to die for his crimes and yet… I was too cowardly to give him a swift death. Please… please… I know it’s foalish for me to ask and… and … unwise, but… please… don’t let him die just yet. Please…. As for me… I don’t deserve any forgiveness or kindness. I was just as cruel as Daud in battle. I probably will never forgive myself for what I’ve done. But please… I beg you… if you are out there… if you can hear me… please… please give me some sign that there is hope for my nation. Will I be nothing more than a ravaging whirlwind that kills all in my way? Will I die alone? Will I ever have peace? Please… please… Oh God of Avram… please… if there is any hope at all for my future and the nation… send me a sign.”
With barely any strength in his neck, he lifted his head, and stared up at the ceiling. Truly, he didn’t know what he was expecting, but he hoped that something would happen. Anything at all would be good enough to comfort him. He needed it desperately.
Then something did happen.
Usually the sky flashed with various lights, forcing Karam to put heavy curtains on all windows, but the curtains did not block everything. Now, however, he could see that something different was happening. The usual lights weren’t darting around the edges of the curtain. Curiously Karam heaved himself up to his hooves and moved the curtains leading to his balcony. He gasped. Slowly he walked out and stared at the miscolored, mottled sky. It was as if someone had… someone had… well, what DID happen? It was almost as if… someone had shouted, “STOP”, and everything instantly halted at a command.
Gradually, the stars moved in the sky, re-aligning until… they were in their correct places. Amazed, Karam gallopped to to the balcony edge and witnessed the stars come back into their natural order. Karam’s jaw dropped. For a moment, he pondered if he was hallucinating. No, indeed, it was truly happening!
Then… a miracle:
The moon lowered into the sky until it vanished beneath the horizon. The sky shifted. In a gentle, warm glow, the sky lit up with colors Karam hadn’t witnessed in decades. First it was grey, then pink, orange, yellow--and there! What was that? That thing, burning bright, coming over the horizon!? It was…
It was…
...the sun. Shocked beyond words, Karam watched as the sun rose for the first time in far too long, lighting up the sky to it’s old, beautiful blue. Oh, it was a beautiful sunrise indeed--had a sunrise ever been so beautiful before? Karam truly couldn’t recall. Perhaps he’d taken it for granted for so long that when it was taken away and given back it looked ten times more glorious than it ever had, or… perhaps it was more beautiful than before. Either way, Karam breathed a murmur of awe. The sun rose over Saddle-Arabia, warming the ancient city of Rikhab with her loving, renewing light.
"Thank you!... thank you," Karam whispered as tears came down his yellow cheeks, "I'll never take the sun for granted again, never, never! Thank you!... thank you."
In his half-dead heart kindled a spark of hope that warmed his muscles and strenghtened his bones. Maybe Karam could do this after all. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe… just maybe… He could forgive himself one day.
Over the centuries, Karam hardened his heart more and more, for he feared getting close to anybeast and feeling his heart break at the loss of another loved one. At first he was lonely, but he was determined to be viewed as strong and fierce, and not weak. Surely if he could prove he was the rightful king, nobeast would ever question it. Whenever he wasn’t doing any sort of diplomatic work, he trained his body, pushing his limits more and more each day. Training both magic and body, he became stronger and more confident in his own abilities to defend himself and his nation. Initially, training magic was a shock to him because of the boost he got from Daud’s magic, but he was flexible as the wind and a quick learner. In time, he was revered by all for his strength and magic, as well as his wisdom in leadership and delegation. Unfortunately, he was also feared for his temper, though he was also known for his generous heart and genuine care for his people.
As for the Collar of Water and the Halter of Fire, he replaced the Water Collar in the great River-Breather mechanism, and cleverly hid the Fire Halter within some ceremonial garb. He vowed to never use them in battle again unless absolutely necessary, and prayed that day would never come.
About a thousand years after the end of the war....
“Sire? We would like to speak with you a moment,” One of Karam’s advisors asked.
Turning his head from the book he was reading, Karam asked, “What now?”
The group of advisors bowed respectfully. They knew that Karam hated being interrupted, but this truly was something they needed to discuss. It was an average day where Karam finished early with his paperwork and was reclining by the palace pool and gardens. The wind that was always in his favor blew through the ornate carved holes in the outer wall, sending a beautiful noise through the leaves of the trees that reached up to the glass ceiling. Unfortunately, the idyllic sight was marred by Karam’s fierce scowl.
“We have debated this for quite some time, and we feel that now in this era of peace, you… you should… take a wife, to continue the royal line,” The bravest advisor said calmly as he bowed again.
“I don’t need an heir. If I die, you all know which advisor I want to replace me,” Karam remarked as he continued reading.
“Yes, yes, Your Greatness, we understand that, but a biological heir would be more suitable, and live much longer--AND marrying someone to create an alliance would be an excellent political move,” The advisor in front said as he shuffled his wings at his sides.
“...and who do you propose I marry?” Karam scoffed as he used his magic to shut the book he was reading.
The “THWOP” noise the book made echoed across the pool and gardens, and all the wind instantly halted.
“Well, actually, we have a few possible choices!” Another advisor, who was a pale camel, piped up in a cheery voice, “Would you c-care to hear?”
“...Very well,” Karam sighed as he tucked his front feet under his body.
Truly, he hated speaking of getting married because he knew he’d outlive anyone he married, and he didn’t feel like being tied down to anyone at all. Of course, he knew that he really should produce an heir sooner or later, for the sake of his father’s memory.
“Sire, after much deliberation, we have determined that you could either marry one of the princesses from the lesser tribes of Saddle-Arabia to promote goodwill among your own nation, OR you could form an alliance with one of the other nations by marrying one of the female Alicorn leaders,” A Pegasus horse suggested as he adjusted his folded wings nervously.
“...and which one should I marry?” Karam sighed as he raised one of his eyebrow ridges calmly.
Really, there weren’t many choices. Sure, plenty of nations, but not many single leaders out there.
“Now that Equestria has two princesses leading it, we suggest marrying the elder one, Princess Celestia,” The Camel remarked with a bow of his long neck, “And, if not her, Grand Princess Winter Breeze of Konlya is another very suitable choice. Both nations are quite strong, and both would lead to positive alliances.”
The other advisors nodded their heads in agreement, knowing how much Karam liked options that had no possible downside.
Karam considered it for a moment. Indeed, he did understand how wonderful it would be to have ties to one of the other great superpower nations on the planet. Nevertheless, he didn’t like the idea. Family left a bad taste in his mouth.
Hmmm… Winter Breeze… well, according to reports, she was well-admired, and reasonable, but could she handle moving all the way here and being in a totally different land? Celestia had ruled Equestria for at least a thousand years by herself, so clearly she was prepared for any political, economical, or social problem. Since Equestria was so enormous, with many cultures wrapped up in it, Celestia would probably not mind coming here. Something was off, though. Karam looked up again and narrowed his eyes at his advisors.
“Why Celestia? Isn’t she the more needed? What of the younger sister of Equestria?” Karam demanded, though he was calm on the outside.
“Well, Sire, the younger sister was imprisoned in the moon for a millenium, and we aren’t certain if she is entirely emotionally stable just yet,” Some Unicorn Pony explained with a wave of his hoof, “But besides those two princesses they also have a younger, newer princess working on more… uhm… diplomatic affairs, and… there is much talk that she will one day be given more authority, and that the elder princesses wish to retire their thrones over to her when the time is right. Hence, the eldest princess, who is perfectly suited to being a queen alongside you, should be the best choice, and is available.”
The more he talked, the more the Unicorn Pony looked worried, and he nervously smiled at Karam.
For a bit, Karam debated it. Well… that did make sense… the eldest would be most prepared for life as a queen… the other two could probably be equipped to lead a nation on their own… well… What about the Grand Princess of Konlya? Of course, Konlya and Saddle-Arabia weren't exactly friends but they were on pretty good terms. Being such different places on different sides of the map did make it awkward to send any delegates either way. Although the Grand Princess might be an excellent choice, her father may not agree.
...Father.
Karam had a father, once.
No, he wouldn't think of that now.
He had to weigh his options for an alliance.
Is that all I am now? A pawn in a chess game with no enemy? Karam thought to himself, Who are they to tell me what to do? I am perfectly content being single, and the nation is perfectly fine. I am fulfilling my duties. I don't need anybeast getting in my way or threatening my status.
On the other hoof, I really should think of the big picture and... get married. A living heir from my own blood would be much more accepted by the nation and a good alliance would be good for everybeast.
I'm nobeast's pawn. I won't sell myself like I'm---
A door slammed open, halting Karam's thoughts.
“SIRE! NEWS FROM THE EAST!” A messenger Pegasus Horse suddenly burst into the room, landed and then bowed to Karam before using a wing to hand Karam a scroll.
As soon as Karam stood up, all his advisors bowed again, and Karam used his golden magic to open the scroll and read it.
“RIKUMA HAS OPENED ITS BORDERS!?” Karam shouted in amazement as his eyes and wings flew open.
All the Advisors and the messenger looked up quickly.
“Yes, Sire!” The messenger announced with another bow and a courteous arc of his wings.
“ALL OF YOU! Make plans to head there. We must establish a meeting with Rikuma. Five hundred years of isolation may make them very open to trading and alliances, or it could make them skeptical. We must make an excellent impression on them and see what they have to offer, and show them our best,” Karam rapdily declared as he nodded to his advisors, who all bowed again and then ran off to begin yet another meeting.
Phew, Karam did NOT have to think about getting married just yet.
Once the others were gone, Karam walked over to the far side of the gardens, looking out the carvings in the wall at the city far below. Slowly, his eyes lifted up to the heavens, where he noted the position of the sun. Ever since that day long ago, Karam had felt that the sun was watching over him like an old friend. Under his rule, the sun became a symbol of hope, and the wind became a symbol of prosperity, protection, and peacekeeping. After all, though he did have a temper as fierce as the wind, Karam was a creature who genuinely cared for his people, and wished only for them to have peace and feel safe. Thanks to his determination, that is how they felt. Under his rule, Saddle-Arabia grew and strengthened, becoming an international powerhouse in many fields, including inventors, musicians, and soldiers. However… on many days Karam didn’t feel worthy of it.
Deep in his heart, he still hated himself.
When he truly felt angry or depressed, he’d write it all out in his journals, and he’d feel relieved once more. He didn’t know how to confide in others anymore, but he did know how to write. There were other things that helped him de-stress, though. One thing was spreading his wings, closing his eyes, and feeling the warmth of the sun’s embrace. Ever since that one day, it felt like the sun was his comforter, assuring him that everything would be all right somehow. Gradually opening his eyes, Karam thought about the mare who ruled the sun, far, far away across the sea. One mare controlling the sun? Just one? Such a thing sounded insane, and yet it was true. She even controlled the moon for ages as well.
...perhaps…
perhaps she… would understand him.
If she’d been alone for so long, like he’d been alone, maybe…
Maybe everything would be all right after all.
Or maybe he'd just stay single and rule his nation alone. Yes. Perfect idea. Certainly, Saddle-Arabia and Equestria were on good enough terms now and had no need to form an alliance. Definitely not.
Karam hardened his heart, but… his heart was still there. Of course, he didn’t have time for emotional foolishness. He had a trading arrangement to plan out in advance.
Ah, but he had so much more to plan out in the future.
