Crux

I watch Oribu and Princess Yesenia energetically play together in the yard. A game of what. I couldn’t for the life of me figure it out. There was no bigger waste of mental energy than trying to rationalize the actions of young kids.

Oribu suddenly squeals in joy as she drops the sticks she was holding and runs away from Yesenia.

I frown. They’re swinging those sticks around awfully carelessly…

“We weren’t actually going to hit each other with them!”

“I don’t care. It’s too dangerous.”

“No it’s not! I wasn’t going to do anything!”

“What if you accidentally poked her in the eye while you were swinging that around? The branches are sharp and rough as well. You’ll tear your dresses.”

“No we didn’t, I!… Why are you only yelling at me and not Yessi! She was also doing it!” My young daughter Oribu complains as soon as I hold up a torn hem of her dress.

“Mmhm…” I look towards Yesenia guiltily tilting her head towards the ground. It wouldn’t be the greatest idea to berate someone who is technically my superior.

“Okay! Both of you, go help the gardeners pull out weeds until dinner.” I clap my hands together.

”But… Last time you said…” Oribu shrivels back as soon as I give her the look.

“Let’s go.” Yesenia tugs at her wrist. “It’s kinda fun actually. I’ll show you how to do it.” Compared to Oribu’s reckless temperament, she held much more poise. Although that didn’t stop her from getting into just as much, if not more trouble than Oribu.

A little while after the two head off to the garden, My wife Garci comes to sit down next to me.

“Last time you did this, you spent another hour after dinner with the gardener trying to find all the roots, because Ori only pulled out the stems.” She looks up at me.

I wrap my arm around her to lean in and kiss her. “Eh, I don’t mind if I have to, nothing to do right now really, plus she’s got Yesenia with her this time.”

“Aww…” The two of us lean in close, resting our heads against each other.

We hold together for a couple minutes, just baking in the ambience before I finally ruin the mood.

“When is it?” I ask.

”The carriages are coming in the morning tomorrow to bring her highness back to the city.”

“One more day left before everything goes back to normal huh?” I look at the gradually dimming sky.

“Do you wanna see what those two are up to?” Garci cheekily trickles her slender fingers across my nose and cheek.

“Sounds fun~”

“Thank you friend. I’m sorry to come to you with such an odd request.” Mallefard paces back and forth at the castle’s window.

“I could stay to help take care of the rebellion.” I offer. “It feels wrong for me to just relax with my family while you deal with everything.”

“No, Yesenia needs someone other than me right now.” Mallefard gulps. “I yelled at her yesterday.”

”Sounds like a normal dad thing to-“

“No you don’t understand. I yelled at her for just… Nothing. I don’t even know. She walked into my office room, and I felt angry at her for… only being a minor distraction. I’m at my worst right now.” Mallefard says wearily. “And I’m afraid of what I might do to her as this rebellion progresses. She’s too young right now to go through something like this, so please, take care of her, at least until the rebellion is over. You’re the only one I can trust with this.”

“I… I understand.” The two of us had grown somewhat distant after the messy politics of throne succession due to our differences in status, but there was truly no one else I would call a best friend.

”But what about your son? Hanafin?”

“I’m… Worried about him too, but I think he’s old enough to stay. This will be a good learning experience. I’m hoping.” Hanafin being the candidate successor to the throne.

“Hmm. Tell you what, come back to the capital when the situation is dealt with, travel back with my daughter, bring your wife too! Let’s get some drinks…” Mallefard looks to the ceiling contemplating. “No, that’s too cliche, I’m going to clear my schedule, and we’re going to spend an entire day together doing whatever the hell we want, like old times eh?”

”But sir, we’re-“

”Friends.” Mallefard finishes my sentence. “Damnit, you could be minutes away from exile or execution, and I’ll still consider you my best friend.” His expression turns hard. “Like what’s about to happen to those rebellious pieces of shit who think they can just—“

“Huh? Where are they?” Garci walks in the garden looking around for the two. There were piles of weeds strewn across the ground, all with their roots properly upended.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

”Wow, they went through these fast.” I look at the gardener surveying the soil. “Hey where did the two girls go?”

“Oh, they went back inside after we finished. Somewhere in the house.”

I hold my hand up in acknowledgment as we head back inside our home.

The two of us crouch down, peeking across a corner, Garci’s chin situated just above my shoulder.

“And this is… Just fold this. Open this flap up… and… Viola!” Oribu holds up a perfect origami crane.

Surrounding Yesenia was a mess of crumpled up pieces of paper, a couple mildly resembling cranes, most of them abandoned mid-fold as she glared intensely at the rapidly devolving mess in her hands.

Oribu laughs and then takes the piece of paper out of her hands. “Here, this is the next fold.” She makes sliding sound effects, her mouth cupped in an O, as she repeatedly demonstrates the fold without fully bending the paper.

I blink, and for a second, I see a younger version of myself and Mallefard playing in this very room, having fun together, before he became king, before we had to grow up and become adults. And now… Tomorrow, they’ll be separated, for the same reason the two of us had to drift apart.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Garci whispers to me.

I nod. “Let’s move to the capital for a while, bring Oribu with us.”

“Let’s have another child.” Garci says at the same time.

Hm?

As we turn to face each other, Garci accidentally knocks against my head, causing the both of us to lose our balance and topple over into the room.

“Heeey! What were you two doing over there?” Oribu exclaims in a playfully braggadocious manner as soon as she spots us.

“Oh! You uh, finish pulling out the weeds?” I chuckle nervously

Yesenia snorts, quickly covering her smile, while giving us a knowing look.

”Yes, we finished it sooo long ago. It was actually so much easier than last time.”

“Really? Then this might be too easy of a punishment now.”

“Wait- no, I mean- Phew! I can barely feel my back. It's so sore from pulling out all those plants.” Oribu smacks her lower back a couple times.

“Come here you.” I charge and lift her into the air playfully, as she squeals in delight.

“You girls want dinner?” Garci leans down and asks after I finish playing with Oribu.

“Yessss.” They say in unison.

The two of us walk up to each other, giving each other hugs.

“Crux! How have things been?” Mallefard says as he slaps my back.

“Good as always. How’s life been treating you?” I smile firmly.

“Ah, you know. Same old. Same old. Meetings, working, decision making, eating, sleeping... sometimes.” He says, his eyes have noticeably dropped since the last time I’ve seen him, with micro wrinkles littering his face. His jaw was a bit sharper than before as well, indicating a loss in weight.

…

”You know, I really missed you. Brings back lots of good memories.” Mallefard looks off in the distance with a haze in his eyes.

“Are you ready to get some drinks then?” I rouse him out of his stupor.

“About that…” Mallefard shrinks back like he was getting scolded by his parents despite his kingly status. ”Something came up… You know… There’s been some outrage in the first district, a minor incident that’s already being distributed around the papers. So uh…”

I close my eyes. “Then what are we doing this time? When are you next available?”

“Oh I’m just hoping that we’ll just talk and catch up for the next couple hours. As for next time… Well, I'll send a courier if a timeslot opens up.”

And why don’t you just lay the incident off for tomorrow. Was something I wished I could say, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Mallefard could very easily forgo all of his duties and laze around all day in a way, not dissimilar to older rulers, but I knew that he would never be able to do something like that.

He was an excellent king by every single metric available due to his work ethic, but that tradeoff was this widening gap between us that doesn’t seem to have a hope of narrowing.

I stare at him. I wish you never took the throne.

Mallefard’s eyes widen at me before looking away with melancholy and shame.

“Huh? Did I say that out loud?”

“Mr. Uncle?” Yesenia calls out to me before heading off to Oribu’s bedroom to sleep.

“Yes?” I reply.

”Am I going home tomorrow?” She says quietly in an anxious tone.

“… Most likely.”

“No! I want to stay with…” Yesenia looks down guiltily. “Sorry.” She quickly apologizes afterwards. “I know I have more important things.”

“It’s alright.” I smile at her. “You want to keep playing with Oribu right?” I kneel down to her height and say, brushing the hair out of her forehead.

She nods slowly.

“Fine then, how would you feel about us moving to the capital with you?”

Yesenia’s eyes light as her slow nod turns into a vigorous nod.

“Now go back and tell Oribu the news!” Yesenia scampers away and runs into Oribu’s bedroom.

I myself turn to our own bedroom with a grandiose pep in my step, blowing out all the candle lights as I do so. I arrive into the bedroom to Garci fluffing the pillows. I immediately walk up to her and push her into a deep kiss.

“Mmh?!” She steps back in surprise before closing her eyes and leaning into the kiss herself.

“How about today?” I ask.

“You mean…”

“Yes, another kid.”

“But it’s so sudde… Oh!”

“You two look tired.” Oribu comments as we step into the living room.

I yawn. “Stayed up too late-“

“Mmhmh!” Garci clears her throat.

“What? We had to pack a bunch of stuff up.” I look at Garci with a wink.

”Uh huh. Anyways, the carriages are outside.”

”Great! Can you help with moving some of the stuff out?”

”You got it!” Oribu rolls up her sleeves with a cocky smile, flexing her skinny arms. “Hnnnnng!” She then begins staggering backwards, dragging a bag full of linens across the ground.

”Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I ask Garci.

”I would have liked for you to give more than a single day’s notice, but I think it’s a good idea, a change of scenery and pace.”

“I love you.” I kiss her on the top of the head.

Mallefard rises to his feet after the crown is placed on his head, to the roaring cheers of tens of thousands of people. I unassumingly stand behind him politely clapping, a neutral expression on my face in an effort to keep things professional.

Mallefard turns his head back to me, a massive smile plastered on his face.

I quickly exhale, my face tensing as I try resisting the sides of my mouth slowly curling upwards.

Mallefard mouths something to me before turning back as the fanfare begins to play, waving his hands at the immense crowd that had taken shape under the castle.

And behind him was me, this time clapping with a massive smile plastered on my face as well.

We did it. Was what Mallefard mouthed.