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A New Family Member To Love

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‘Hey, deadpan, look what I found!’ Yaş said, lifting the newborn up, who had closed his eyes, peacefully sleeping inside the walls of Castle Ryut. Hundreds of people were walking around in the city, all of them occupied with their own tasks. The castle called city contained colorful kinds of stalls selling fruits, meats, tools, clothing, and everything else a functioning civilization needs.

The inhabitants visibly didn’t differ much in age, all of them fit and youthful, yet with sternness on some faces showing the taxing years of their lives.

‘The beacon-child,’ Cek said blandly.

‘Y-yeah… he was the one making all that noise.’

‘Where is Cuma?’

‘Don’t know, I looked around for a bit, but I had to take caution since the Conqueror could be near.’

‘That’s odd.’

‘Don’t worry, he’ll turn up soon enough. Do you have some of Unk’s baby clothes left? We lost Su’s during the move.’

‘Where did you find the baby?’ Cek asked.

‘Don’t ignore my question! Some snake was dragging it a short mile away. If it wasn’t for me, this little one would’ve been swallowed whole. You may call me Hero,’ Yaş said, petting Cek’s head.

A group of women walked past and started laughing at Yaş, acting in a way he seldom shows to the citizens.

‘What are you looking at!? Yaş shouted, startling the three women. ‘Come here, if you have time to spare, you can go put some clothes on this little one!’

‘Wait,’ Cek said, grabbing the baby out of Yaş’ hands and examining him thoroughly.

‘Oh, yeah, the snake was dragging him through the sand, so his back and butt got a bit hurt. I already looked at it, seems like nothing serious.’

Cek held the newborn over his head, looking at his buttocks from beneath. The baby laughed and let out a small puff of Yu onto his face. Cek didn’t even flinch, his expression staying as bland as always. The three women tried to hold their laughter, but after Yaş let his own go, they followed suit.

‘I heard the baby’s cries come from the north… perhaps…’ Cek thought, giving Igni to one of the three women. Never having a child themselves, excitedly they closed in on Igni, playing with his cheeks and hands, leaving promptly to find him fitting clothes.

Although his demeanor didn’t change, Yaş sensed something was off with his co-King.

‘You alright?’ he asked.

‘Unk! (Oonk)’ Cek shouted, his mouth barely moved, but the loudness of his voice classified his call as a shout.

The sound of a shut door could be heard as a young man responded to his father’s call.

‘Yes, father,’ Unk, son of Cek, the Warden said, practically a carbon copy of him, chained hair, tenseness, and social skills alike. The only big difference being his owl like wide open unblinking eyes, his iris in the shape of a four-pointed silver star, four points less than his father’s. Apart from the three Kings, none had seen the boy ever blink in their lives.

‘There is a snake between half and three quarters of a mile to the north. Find it,’ Cek ordered.

‘What? Whatcha gonna do with the snake?’ Yaş asked.

‘As you wish,’ Unk said.

‘He looks, uhh, ye-‘ Yaş tried to inform him, but stopped, seeing the young man running out of the city.

‘There’s something wrong with both of you…’ Yaş said. ‘But what are you going to do with the snake?’

Cek walked away, adding the last straw on the camel carrying Yaş’ patience. He grabbed his wrist, freezing Cek’s left hand completely.

‘Stop ignoring me. Answer the damned question,’ Yaş said sternly.

‘Yes,’ Cek said.

‘Yes, what?’

‘I still have Unk’s baby clothes.’

‘I hate you so much.’

‘Wait for Unk to return. For now, you better let go of my arm,’ Cek said.

‘Look at the tough guy, finally showing some spirit. Tell me, what’s gonna happen if I don’t?’ Yaş asked.

‘You’ll have to do the paperwork.’

‘As you wish, fellow King,’ Yaş said, unfreezing his hand in an instant.

Hours later

‘Cekster. The ladies baked a cake to celebrate the baby’s arrival. I brought a slice for you,’ Yaş said, standing at the door of the Royal Office.

‘I’m busy,’ Cek said.

‘It’s got some ingredients from Earth. Look, this red thing is what they call a strawberry.’

‘I don’t care.’

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‘Suit yourself. More cake for me, I guess,’ Yaş said, licking his lips, but a knocking on the door drew Yaş’ attention away from the dessert.

‘E-excuse me, Lord Yaş,’ a man wearing a yellow and green striped robe said after walking in, pressing a light brown flat cap against his chest.

Yaş stepped aside, letting the man through.

‘Lord Cek,’ the man said with a bow.

‘Petror (Pètròr), you’re lacking behind your monthly quota. I need you to finish the roof of 4th street 11 today,’ Cek said.

‘A-ah, Lord Cek, today is my daughter’s birthday,’ Petror said with his head down.

‘Congratulations. Hergal from 3rd street 7 said his roof made that whistling sound again, so pass by them before heading to the 4th,’ Cek said in his usual monotone manner, not understanding the subtle request Petror attempted to make.

Petror squeezed his flat cap, head still low.

‘You’re dismissed,’ Cek said, after which Petror promptly left.

Yaş walked behind Cek, who continued doing the daily paperwork.

‘You know, it’s important for a King to be loved by his people,’ Yaş said.

Cek turned around and looked straight into Yaş’ eyes, ‘it’s a good thing you noticed, but I can’t help you with getting the people to love you, that’s something you have to figure out on your own,’ he said, turning back to his work again.

Yaş made a fist with his right hand, holding the plate of cake with his left. ‘Just one good punch ought to do it, one good punch on that chain covered head,’ Yaş thought furiously.

‘Aaaah!!’ the collective voices of the inhabitants screamed from outside the office.

‘Cake must’ve run out,’ Yaş said, stuffing his face.

‘Lucille! (Lüceel)’ Cek shouted.

About ten seconds later, with the people outside still screaming, a hunched back, short, ghost pale girl with thin chained hair in a bob cut walked into the office, saying: ‘Yes, father.’

Yaş was already making his leave, walking towards the girl standing in the doorway.

‘What’s the commotion about?’ Cek asked.

‘Brother Unk is-,’

‘Father, I have returned,’ Unk said, blocking the doorway completely.

Yaş lifted both Unk and Lucille by their collars. ‘Excuse you,’ he said, dropping them to the side, leaving the office.

‘What took you so long?’ Cek asked, standing up from his chair.

‘There were a lot of snakes between half and three quarters of a mile to the north,’ Unk said.

When Cek and his children stepped outside, they laid eyes on the town square of Castle Ryut, infested with hundreds of snakes.

‘Nice job, Cek!’ Yaş said, running around, grabbing the snakes and letting them go, creating a ring of ice around their bodies as he did so.

‘Not me,’ Cek said to Yaş, turning his head to his son, saying: ‘Nice job, Unk. I’m proud of you.’

‘Thank you, father,’ Unk replied.

‘God damn it, help me out would you!’

After a few minutes, Yaş, Cek, and Unk collected all the snakes, wrapping each one of them in chains. Cek manifested a long, horizontal, straight and unmoving chain unto which they hanged the wrapped snakes side by side, as if they were drying laundry on a sunny day.

All the snakes were squirming in stress, believing they were about to be eaten.

‘Listen, Cek, you are exactly the type of guy to collect snakes, but the fun in collecting things is doing it gradually, and not letting your son gather all the snakes in the desert for you to have!’ Yaş said.

‘Cuma,’ Cek said calmly.

Yaş’ eyes widened, looking at the line of snakes, ‘you… you’re not saying that?’

‘I think Cuma is one of these snakes, which one looks like the one you saw when you found the baby?’ Cek asked.

‘Uh, it was one of those yellow and maroon ones,’ Yaş said.

‘There are a few dozen of those,’ Cek said, looking around.

‘This one’s acting weird,’ Lucille said, pointing at one snake.

Cek and Yaş moved closer to see a snake matching Yaş’ description, forcing itself to be straight as it hanged in the air.

Both men covered their chin with their right hand, examining the snake. Tears rose from its left eye.

‘Guys, please help me!’ Cuma cried.

‘It’s this one,’ Cek said, holding it by its tail as Yaş released the ice around it.

‘That’s amazing,’ Yaş said, coming closer to Cuma. The moment he did, Cuma tried to attack Yaş’ face, thinking; ‘I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you for kicking me away, and then I’m going to kill Unk for putting me in a pile of snakes!’

Cuma almost reached Yaş’ nose, but Cek pulled him by his tail at the very last second.

Unfazed, Yaş asked; ‘are you sure it’s Cuma?’

Cek took a hold of Cuma’s head and squatted, ‘Cuma should be smart enough to show us,’ Cek said.

Cuma began moving his tail in a rapid motion, furiously writing something in the sand beneath him.

‘Dear Cek, due to unfortunate circumstances, I have found myself to be in a most unpleasant situation. The term ‘‘out-of-body experience,’’ has gained a new meaning for me, your dearest friend, Cuma. Nevertheless, I am alive, well, and as I promised, still in one piece. I estimate that in roughly a year, the Yu inside me will have completely taken the shape of the Demon you’ve come to know and love.

On the bright side, as you probably already know, I have captured the beacon child, naming him Igniculus. Take good care of my apprentice during my recovery.

As for now, if you allow me to enter Yaş’ bed this night so I can put my fangs in his skin a few hundred times, I am willing to spare your son a fate most equally dreadful.

Sincerely,

King Cuma.

‘It’s him,’ Cek said.

‘Woah, how did he write that so fast, let me see,’ Yaş said, coming over to Cek’s side.

Cuma tried to wipe the sand away, but Cek stood up before he could.

‘My plan! You’re ruining my plan!’ Cuma said, flailing his tail.

Yaş read his message. ‘Hmm, I don’t know. I think any snake could’ve written this,’ Yaş said, scratching his head with a nervous laugh. ‘How did you know Cuma became a snake? He never said he could do stuff like this.’

‘The baby didn’t have bite marks anywhere on his body, and the snake was moving him towards us.’

‘The possibility didn’t even cross my mind… guess you should’ve told me the extent of your abilities, huh, co-King!’ Yaş said, looking at Cuma’s orange eyes, followed with a cheeky smirk.

‘Lucille, the baby’s name is Igniculus. Let it be heard,’ Cek ordered.

‘You m-mean, to the whole city?’

‘Yes.’

‘No way!’ Lucille said, blushing as she ran away from the scene.

‘Still as timid as always,’ Yaş said.

‘Useless.’

‘She’s just like her mom was. Be happy you don’t have another clone of yourself,’ Yaş said.

‘Unk, return the snakes.’

‘As you wish,’ Unk said, taking the snakes off the chain line.

Cek walked back to his office with Cuma still in his hand. When Yaş looked around him, he realized all the citizens had halted their work, spectating the event.

‘Show’s over chumps, get back to work!’ Yaş ordered his people, making his way to the second house near the castle’s western entrance.

Being one of the first made, together with the haste they created it in, left the house with an unfinished, crooked aesthetic. Before entering, Yaş could already hear the grunts of a man coming from within.

‘That’s my soldier. How are you doing, Su (Soo)?’ Yaş asked. The interior seemed nothing like a house. Weights lay scattered all around, some made of ice, some of metal, some of stone, all in different shapes and sizes, like a private gym.

‘Master Yaş,’ he said, slowly lowering two humongous sacks of rocks. A dark-skinned fellow with broad shoulders and swollen arms, his height a few inches shorter than his master’s, but only if you don’t count his impressive afro.

‘You didn’t come outside.’

‘I wasn’t called,’ he said, stretching his arms.

‘Weren’t you curious at all?’

‘I won’t allow myself to be distracted, not when I’m training,’ Su said, with his brows sloping inwards.

‘Take a break for now, let me show you the newest member of our family.’