“I’m sorry If i come off as … well a bit arrogant yesterday …”. Munir said softly.
Elizabeth sighed, “No no, … I wasn’t in a good mood and I may have overreacted …”. The princess waved her hand.
“No, it wasn’t your fault. You were right !”. Munir quickly replied.
Looking at his surroundings now, Munir almost couldn’t recognize the same tea garden where they had so many memories. The flowers and grass seemed to be as lifeless as the emotions haunting the castle.
“I have nothing against you, Munir, I hope you know that.” the princess gently told him. “It’s just that not everyone has what it takes to be king.”
“I know that now _” Munir nodded.
“Then what are you planning to do with all that favor you just gained !?!” Elly’s eyes were as sharp as knives, plunging through Munir’s soul.
“I thought you would have more faith in me than that ?”
“I do, that’s why I agreed to meet with you and let you explain yourself.”
Munir chuckled for a second or two, then happily told the princess.
“As much as I’d like to take credit for solving the puzzle …” he leaned back, “It was Azar’s who solved it. And right now, he is at the bell tower, doing whatever he has planned for those who come, including your father ….”
“What !!!”. The princess was about to storm out of the garden, “Azar will kill them ! Guard !”
“He won't !”. Munir shouted, stopping Elly from her track. “Whatever he had planned, it goes deeper than just senseless violence. The king and the rest are safe.”
Even though Munir had said that, Elly could hardly find peace in her mind.
“You two sure make a great team, don’t you. One has his fun and game while the others makes a fortune. It couldn’t have gone any better for you two _.”
“So you heard about my deals with them ….”
Elly did not answer, only giving Munir the cold and bitter stare.
“And I assume that you know about the part where most of that money will go back to the people where they stole it from ?”.
Anyone who even had an ounce of đeuctive skill could see it all over Elly’s face ‘confusion’.
“Of course, part of it would be held by my guide, we have made great contributions to restore Tolemac and the surrounding provinces. But the rest, I would personally see it through until every coin is returned.”
The princess' mouth was gasping, clearly wanting to say something, but nothing ever came out.
As for Munir, he just gave a faint smile and bowed goodbye to the princess.
“WHY !?”. Finally, she managed to put a word together. “What is the purpose of all this !? What do you have to gain ??!”.
Munir turned back, looked deep into the princess' eyes and told her, “Because I’ve found my treasure.”
“And you just gave all your treasure away !!!”.
“Not all treasures are gold and silver …”.
*************************
“So where is this !!? WHERE ??? THE TREASURE !” Philips growled. Out of everyone at the bell tower, it was doubtful that anyone had spent more fortune to uncover the Holy Grail than Philips. Of course, financially, he had the most to lose, next to Henry.
Azar laughed tauntingly,
“The fact that you still couldn’t see it, even though it’s right in front of you, means that you’ll never be able to have it.”.
“ENOUGH WITH YOUR RIDDILE !! WHAT’S THIS THEN”.
“The prosperity of Avalon …” to Phillips' surprise, Henry answered him.
All eyes turned to the king of Avalon as he still looked over the far horizon while speaking aloud.
“Our times in this world are all limited, in the end, nobody lives forever. There’s no such thing as immortality. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be forgotten. You’ll be remembered by the legacy you left behind, and for a king, it is the prosperity of his kingdom. So in the end the greatest treasure for a king is to see his legacy live on.”.
“No ! NO ! IT CAN’T BE ! THE PROPHECY, THE THUNDER __.”
“Has said nothing about an actual treasure or the Holy Grail; it’s all your greedy imagination.”. Azar shook his head and walked in front of the human. “It’s once said that a good man can’t always be king, but a king must always be a good man. And see how much good you have done for your country …”.
The human took a good hard look once more at Tolemac. The city was still very much fragmented, the residue of war still hadn’t been taken care of, and yet, more damage had been done. Right outside the bell tower, soldiers were armed and ready, and the citizens of Tolemac were hiding in their homes, praying for this to be over. And for the few who dared witness, they all shared the same disgusted raw emotion in their eyes toward the soldiers.
“NO ! NO …” Phillips dropped to his knees.
“It’s easier to stay united in times of war than in times of peace.”. Azar spoke in a weak and sorrowful tone, like something everyone there never expected to hear from him. “A few hundred years ago, this building you’re standing on was the tallest building in Tolemac. Your ancestors had built it well, it had stood the test of time. No doubt once upon a time, standing here, you will have a whole view of Tolemac and the lands beyond this wall… And now, … what can you see?”
Azar stared down at Phillips,
“How much fortune have you spent ?”.
And slowly made his way through the line of crumbled humans.
“How many lives have you ruined ?!”.
“How many lives have you taken !?”.
“All in pursuit of GREATNESS !??”.
Azar stopped at Henry and asked him.
“In the end, what is your legacy, what will history remember you by ?”
They all then look back at themself and the room they had just turned upside down. To every human at the bell tower, they had lost everything, their fortune, their relationships, their ambitions. Henry was the only one who could consider himself lucky; in the end, he was still king.
“All of you … get out ….”
Henry’s words were utterly shocking to all those around him. His voice was calm and weak, something that everyone rarely saw.
“You heard what I said, … Just go home !”
So one by one, the humans left until only Henry and Azar still remained.
“What kind of sick game are you playing ?!”
Azar shook his head slightly,
“So I’m the one making you neglect your duty as a king and a father, I’m the one who wrote on that stone, I’m the one who made you kill poor old Sarlaza ?”.
In a moment of silence so chilling that it made bitter snow feel warm, Azar and the human king stared each other down.
“I didn’t assassinate him …”. Henry sighed.
“Really ? From what I heard you were trying hard to cover it up ?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t have to cover it up. I could just simply tell them the truth, that he was committing treason. And I could have his head just like that.”
“Hmm …”. Azar nodded knowingly. “Then why did you ?”.
“If the news officially broke out, that we were divided, that our world is as fragile as glass, then Avalon will succumb to chaos.”
“So in the end, you choose to live in a comforting lie, then fight for a bitter truth …”.
“No …” Henry closed his eyes and replied weakly, “I choose to live in peace rather than war.”
“Is this peace ?”
“It’s not war ….”
Azar lifted a chair and signaled to the human king.
“So this is where you stand, too afraid to fight for real peace ?”. For the first time, the two sit side by side, overlooking Tolemac.
“If it means my people might suffer, my family in danger, … then yes …”. The king replied faintly. “Somedays, if you're lucky, you may understand why I’m doing this.”.
“What makes you think I haven’t ?”.
“Ha,..” Henry laughed sarcastically for a second, “Can you imagine, having so much power in your palm, that one wrong move could mean the end of an entire country. Can you imagine the pressure of being responsible for millions of lives ? Can you imagine, one wrong move and your name will forever be marked in history as a failure !?”.
“Yes, …”. Azar calmly replied.
At first, Henry smirked and sneered at Azar; then seeing how his facial expression and posture were unhinged, the human king was hit with fear and confusion.
“How in God’s name __.”
“I used to know someone like you, he also didn’t have the heart to risk the fragile safety of his kingdom. And in the end, he spent a lifetime regretting his doing.”. Azar just kept looking endlessly forward, beyond the horizon. “Don’t make the same mistake that he made.”.
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“Who .. was he ?”.
“A king, … a young and inexperienced king. Who wasn’t ready when he received the throne. Who is always afraid of making change, of facing risk, that in the end, he did not make any decision…”.
“In a perfect world, I could be just like you, Azar. Brave, decisive, not afraid of risk …”. The king turned his attention to the castle. “But we aren’t. The world we live in is dark and misty. It’s cold and unforgiving. We have people, who we love, who love and need us. So we’ll do anything in my life span to keep that fragile peace. Because the risk is just too much for us to handle.”
“For how long, a year, 10 year, until the next lightning bolt strike ? That’s not the way.”
“Then tell me, what should I do huh !? What’s the solution !? You’re saying as if it's so Goddamn easy, that I for some reason refused to do it !? Everything is the same for hundreds of years, why should I risk everything to change that now ?.”
“You’re right, there is no easy answer …” Azar sighed, “I don’t even know if there’s an answer at all.”
“And yet you can’t stop judging me for not being able to do something about it ?!”.
“What have you accomplished, king ? Tell me honestly, what do you think you’ve accomplished in your lifetime that is truly remarkable enough for history to know your name ?”.
Henry sat there for a long while, thinking to himself, and in the end, he had nothing to truly show for.
“There is a big difference between doing something and failing at it, and not doing anything at all.”. Azar finally broke the silence. “What you’re doing, Henry, is not wrong. But it’s certainly not right. And as a king, you’ll have to make the decision and ask yourself ``what kind of king will you be remembered as ?”.
“Even if I wanted to, I don't know the way. I can’t just feel my way through the darkness, hoping for the best.”.
“I don’t know the way either. I don’t know how that journey would end. But I do know where to start …”. Azar turned to Henry, “It starts with the truth, dear king. It starts with having enough courage to acknowledge that you have a problem and we need to fix it.”
“Easy for you to say kid. What you’re suggesting is purging the entire council by the rate of this.”
“Perhaps you’re right. I don’t know what is going on under the rug. But like you said, being a king is not about making the easy choice, does it? It is about making the right one.”. Azar told the human king kindly. “Maybe you don’t have to go that far, maybe you could give them all a chance to redeem themself. But you have to be the one that sets the example first.”.
“How ?”.
“Maybe admitting that what you were doing was wrong. Your people already know what is going on, but coming clean could actually ease them off a bit.”.
“Telling them that would only _!”
“I’m not telling you to do it, it’s a simple suggestion.”. Azar stood up and started walking away. “In the end, Henry, you’re in charge of your own destiny.”
At last, Azar stepped out of the abandoned bell tower, facing the king’s eager Royal Guard with a faint smile.
“Don’t worry, he will be right out.”.
One of the guards left her pose and walked straight toward Azar’s face.
“What happened up there ?!”. It did not take much sensing to feel the raging fire in Sasha’s tone.
“Absolutely nothing !”. Azar just calmly shrugged.
“Nothing !? We were seconds from an all out civil war and you’re telling me it was all for NOTHING !!!??”.
“Exactly.”
***********************
“We made quite a team you and I.”. Azar and Munir could finally have their minds at ease after such a stressful day. And of course, where else to celebrate such an occasion than the best restaurant in Tolemac, The Citlali.
A peal of faint and joyful laughter was shared between them as they raised their glass of wine. But before long, Azar could tell Munir had something in mind.
“Ask your question Munir, what could still be bothering your mind ?”.
A little hesitant at first, Munir finally found the courage to ask, “Can you tell me honestly what was your original plan. Before the night you met me and gave me the final clue.”.
Azar raised an eyebrow at Munir.
“It’s no secret that it was an on the spot decision, that box wasn’t meant for me. So what was your plan ?”.
“Oh, well at first I thought I would let them fight it out until there is only one left standing. Only then will I show them what they were really fighting for.”.
Munir didn’t know what scared him more, Azar’s cold-blooded plan or his nonchalant demeanor while talking about it. Lives were at stake, the fate of Avalon hung in the balance, and yet, in Azar’s eyes, they weren’t anything more than sand in the desert.
“So what made you change your mind ?”.
“Killing only leads to more killing, and the violent cycle will never break. That’s a lesson that I was taught but never learnt. For a brief moment, I’ve forgotten about it. But someone reminded me that I always have a choice …”.
“You know, by doing so, you make yourself the target of many powerful people in Avalon. Your life won’t be so peaceful anymore.”.
Azar just chuckled almost to the point of sarcastically, “I think I’ve hidden for long enough. It’s almost time for me to step in the light.”
Munir looked at Azar with skeptical eyes.
“Who are you, Azar, really, If it even your real name ? You presented yourself as a mere vagabond. But it’s clear that it's not who you are. Too strong to be a mere adventurer, too smart to be a simple scholar, and too ambitious to be a noble. If I had to guess, you would fit somewhere in the line of royalty.”.
For a split second, Munir could swear that he saw a smirk on Azar’s face. But whatever it was, Azar hid it away quickly,
“What’s the difference if I was born as a prince or an orphan on the street ? In life, Munir, the most important part is our journey and our destination, not where we start.”.
“That’s not an answer, is it?”.
“The answer only matters, if you ask the right question.”. Now it was clear that Azar had a smirk on his face. “The right question is somewhere in the line of, how has Elizabeth reacted to the news.”
Munir did not respond to Azar, only glared at him with uninterested eyes.
“Oh come on, don’t tell me after all that, there’s no progress between the two of you.”
“I don’t think there should be anything between us in the first place ?”. Munir calmly replied. Azar, on the other hand, had a particularly curious look on his face.
“If there is one thing that I learnt from it is what my treasure really is.”
“And …” Azar spoke aloud.
“To see her happy.” Munir finished his wine in one go and continued. “I know now that I shouldn’t have dreamt of something that isn’t meant to be. That would only lead to heartbreak and misery for both sides. So instead, I just want to see her be happy, and that is enough ...”
“How in Carl’s name did you learn that messed up lesson ?!”
“Uhmmm, who the Hell is Carl ?”. Munir turned to Azar.
“Just answer the latter question please.”
“Uh… well perhaps, for the first time, I truly got to see her world, through her own eyes. And in that world, she doesn’t have room to love anyone else. In her heart there is only her family, her kingdom. And I’m not fit to be in any of them.”.
“But don’t you love her ?”. Azar asked with a heavy tone. “Is this really that easy to call it quits…”
“I love her, but I hate to see her sorrow more. That day, when I met her, I realized my real treasure. The happiness in her eyes, the warmth in her smile, that gives me more joy than having her in my arms ever could. So whatever it takes to see her happy, even if it means loving the country that I wasn’t born in, or loving the people that I do not rule over, … then so be it. I’ll do so till the end of days, just to see her happiness.”.
Azar shook his head sideways and sighed. “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even though I do admire your noble ideal, but brush aside all that romanticized talk, you do realize that you’re doing this basically for NOTHING !?”.
“If I recall, you were the one who said love is about giving and not expecting anything in return.”.
“But I also said you’ve to give her a fair chance to fall in love with you. Not admitting your feelings, always hiding in the shadows, that’s not what I told you.”.
Munir smirked and replied to Azar in a sarcastic tone, “How can a man go from planning a mass murrder to fighting for love !?”.
“One that lives long enough to regret his decisions …”. Azar sighed. “The worst thing you can do is lie to yourself …”.
************************
“Have you got anything on him !?”. When the sun had long hidden behind the darkness, and even the wind had fallen asleep, the King of Avalon called upon his most trusted subject.
“Still nothing, your majesty. Our spies had searched far and wide, and no one ever heard of him.”. Geralt humbly answered his king. “It seemed like either he was telling the truth, that he was only a mere orphan vagabond. Or someone had done a tremendous job, hiding his true identity.”.
“So … either he is a noisy nobody who just happens to know how to fight, break into castles and well educated, … or we are letting the most obvious threat to the nation wander in our own capital …”.
Geralt needed not to answer; the truth was, they already suspected something was off about Azar. This was merely to figure out what.
“However, my king, we have something more urgent at hand.” Geral handed over a sealed letter. “Directly from the king of Citnalta, he said it is urgent.”
Seeing how the king reacted to what was inside, lips quivering, hands shaking, seemingly lost in his thought, it was clear to Geralt, whatever was inside, it would bring even more chaos to Avalon.
“Your highness !?”
Finally, Henry managed to find some composure as he left the letter on the desk and walked toward the window.
“It seems like the Gods haven’t finished tormenting Avalon ….”
Geralt stood next to the king and told him.
“Right now, we are not ready for any more chaos… Whatever it is, your highness, whatever they demand, I ….”
“It’s a request that I could never agree with, Geralt ….”
Geralt stared silently into the starless sky and whispered to the king
“We are not ready for this, my king, … we’re now more divided than ever, … and our military force has suffered. If we were to become enemies with them right now, …”. He dared not speak the rest of the sentence. “So whatever it is, my king, is it greater than Avalon itself ?”
“To me, Geralt, … nothing in this world matters more than my daughter ..”
**************************
At the same time, when the king and general of Avalon were addressing such a depressing matter, the princess was also expecting a visit.
KNOCK KNOCK,
As Elizabeth expected, her guardian angel had come for another late-night meeting. This time, she was prepared.
“Aw, you already set the table….”
“I knew you would come.”
After settling down and a few moments of awkward silence,
“So … I suppose I should start by telling you … there was no treasure _.”
“Yeah, I got that part when everyone got back alive !”. With eyes that pierced a mortal’s soul, the princess started her questions.
“How did you find the final piece of the puzzle?”.
Azar thought back for a second, remembering that exact moment of clarity. Standing in front of the books-burning, the answer literally hit him in the face. A torn page flew right in his face, and on it, an all drawing of the old Avalon, a bell tower stood taller than anything else. And a writing description.
“Avalon, the land of progress …”.
Of course, Azar could tell her the truth; however, in his case, the truth did sound stranger than fiction.
“How else but hard work and time.” Azar calmly and confidently lied, “Days studying in the library and hundreds of books read, while the others were hopelessly chasing the star, not knowing where to start.”.
“So what I heard was true, you really did spend days reading through all the books in our library.”
Though it was very much romanticized, Azar worked hard but not nearly as hard, but when an occasion came along.
Azar nodded lightly and smiled.
“What do you expect to gain from all of this ? Is this just some kind of twisted game to you ?!!”.
“Why do you people love walking on thin ice so much !?!”
“And you suppose we succumb to chaos instead ?!”
“Sometimes violence is necessary for change …”. Azar gave out a long sigh, “We should always avoid violence, but we also need to remember, when the time comes, we must not hesitate ….”
“Very noble of you to decide when and how your act of violence will fall upon us….”
Azar just laughed hysterically, annoying the princess immensely in the process.
“Ah yes, It was I who carved those symbols on the stone, I who casted the lightning.” Azar sarcastically replied. “I didn’t compel them to burn Tolemac down, and tore the castle down brick by brick …, all I did was stop them from destroying themself.”.
Azar calmly walked to the balcony before saying his parting words.
“Being the ruler of a nation is hard … People who don't understand only ever think about how great it is to wield its power when times are sweet, they never once think about who will have to take responsibility when things go sour … I wonder who will take responsibility this time …”.
And just like that, he jumped down from the balcony, disappearing into the darkness.