“We're all going to be subjected to the same demand to leave the orchard,” Kiki asserted as soon as she lets Anakin into her workspace. Like a sharp blow somewhere between his pelvis and his throat, Anakin couldn't pinpoint the exact location of his physical pain. He knew deep down that permission to occupy the neutral lands of the orchard was only an implicit agreement. But hadn't he been taught that traditions are stronger than words on paper?
Kiki takes the time to make him aware that what she's saying is, for the moment, nothing but rumors and unspoken words. But where does all this gossip about the subjects who have deliberately chosen to live in the orchard of His Majesty Scotty's little kingdom come from, and more importantly, who utters it? As Anakin pondered this fundamental question, he felt a kind of vertigo; far from fainting, his soul nonetheless seems to detach itself from his person. A localized squeeze, as if between his two lungs, causes him to lose his mind, and Anakin sees himself projected out of his person, feeling as if he is now detached from himself. He doesn't lose his footing; his body remains in control of a substance that seems unknown to him; yes, his body is still in place and doesn't move, standing firm, but Anakin no longer inhabits this body. It could just as easily collapse, this body, while Anakin no longer feels he has any control over it. Kiki no longer speaks. She looks at Anakin without showing any concern. Clearly, she is unaware of the changes taking place in this body, now dispossessed of her friend.
As if by magic, Anakin comes to his senses and regains his body. At last, he can feel his feet firmly planted on the ground. It must be said that he had lost his footing, carried away as he was by the validation of what he had been sensing for some time. Kiki has a point; he's been feeling the backbiting himself. He's tested the waters several times, gathering snippets of information from His Grandissime's inner circle and his council of ministers; he also rubs shoulders with the orchard's ten neighboring principalities. His intuition is strong. He tries to ignore this premonition because it hurts too much. His home, in this orchard, in his orchard; to take it away from him: the cruelest thing imaginable. If the intuitions are powerful, the quest for truth is total. Anakin has to go back to the source of these rumors and find the person responsible for any discontent.
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The one who works in supplies for His Majesty Scotty's little kingdom isn't going to give up just yet. Anakin has just walked three hours to meet Kiki, and doesn't intend to linger in the area any longer; he'd be stirring up dust that should be left to settle. On his way back, a germ of hope dawned on him as a rainbow appeared in front of him. His mind was still so confused that he hadn't even felt the drizzle of rain before he perceived the glare of a clear sky. This surge of hope grew within him at the very moment when a pure light dazzled him. Surely the effect of rays on an overflow of droplets within so much surrounding greenery.
Thinking about Kiki's revelation, Anakin realizes that his emotion was virulent; he forgives himself for taking it so emotionally. Someone is attacking what he holds most dear in the world. He wants to let go because he knows he has nothing to fear. He feels this almost celestial truth deep inside, like an essence of himself that reveals that everything in life works out for the best. More than ever, Anakin wants to rid himself of his false beliefs. Too often, he has seen himself as illegitimate in front of his orchard, with its modest house. Yet, as he traces his ancestry, he realizes that his lineage has always inhabited the small kingdom now occupied by His Excellency d'Alba and his new inner circle; this journey back into ancient memories makes him realize that he has a full reason for being in both the city and the orchard; the two are complementary to him, and no feelings of guilt need inhabit him; he feels only love in the face of so much beauty all around him. Anakin sees more clearly now. A deep understanding of who he is and what he's worth has infused him with a particle of happiness, like that cherished light breath that settles somewhere between his heart and throat. He breathes much better, and it seems to him that his soul has never been so anchored to his body. He's confident he'll be able to maintain his presence in the orchard.