Chapter 38: Chapter 37 – Home of the outcast

The boys removed their armor. They were stout children, but stood a little taller than me.

“Our names are Tet and Tethra, your highness!”

I restrained my laughter: ‘here and there’. What an odd pair indeed! They accompanied us to Zhunil’s home.

As we walked, we conversed much about our lives. I told them of my life in the palace, what I learned, what I did, and what I was to do. I don’t think they understood much, but I was glad that they remained attentive to my words. Zhunil, while walking ahead of us, would occasionally shift her head to the side when I spoke. She was no doubt interested, but I ignored her so as to not embarrass her.

“My!” Tet said. “That’s quite the story. But what do you mean by having already died? You surely must’ve gone to the Heavens, Hells, or the Halls of the Forefathers.”

I noticed this oddity underground. The throng seemed confused by those words. Perhaps they understood as it being something in relation to my name. The idea of the soul’s transmigration to another body seemed foreign to the people of this world. This struck me as rather odd, for the beliefs of the people here mirrored so much the beliefs of the religion I followed in the old world. I surmised that maybe they didn’t yet develop that concept, but that, nevertheless, it remained a truth. I was the proof.

“I don’t know,” I said. “All I remember is having memory of my death.”

“We don’t deny your words prince,” said Tethra. “It just seems odd and weird is all!”

“Tethra!” shouted Tet. “Mind your mouth. Don’t insult his words!”

Tethra covered his mouth and bent his head. He whacked his head against Tet’s chin.

“What did you do that for?” cried Tet.

“Stop whining Tet!” said Tethra. “’Twas a mistake!”

“Mistake as much as your head!” said Tet as he struck Tethra.

I burst into laughter. There was certainly not a more comic pair than them! Zhunil sighed. She snapped her fingers, and the two flew with cries high into the air.

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We reached Zhunil’s home near the edge of the wall. The area was still cramped. Yet the stone was less cracked and warped. There also seemed fewer people living near here. The stone of the road was mostly replaced by dirt. So much of the edges of the city were left unmaintained, with only the central roads leading to the gates kept in pristine condition.

This was unacceptable. I would have to confront the ministers and official of this on my return.

We entered through the small door of her home. There was hardly any light. It was as dark and drab as the top entrance of the meeting area.

She approached a candle and blew to it. Her breath carried the fire to grooves in the stone. All at once, the hues of the fire covered the entirety of the house. Light was abound, warm and gentle, as if the presence of the Sun visited this structure as well.

“Welcome to my home, Yurva!” she said with a smile.

I walked about the space looking to all the items and worn surfaces. The stone and metal pans were wearing toward the edges. The surface of the floor was rough to touch, as if my feet would peel were they to scrape against the surface.

I saw behind an area that looked like a kitchen. There were scarce fruits and vegetables about, and only a pot in the center that hung above a circular fire pit.

And while it was certainly more roomy than the cramped streets, I couldn’t help but feel as if the walls were about to compress the four of us. It certainly didn’t help that they slightly arched inward.

“Are all the homes in Koshapa like this?” I asked, as I trailed my hands along the walls.

She nodded. “Many of us might be poor, but our powers allow us to get by. If you go to the houses of the Yozhdar or higher, they would seem like palaces—at least to me—though of course, for you it wouldn’t be anything special.”

“The Yozhdar are the farmers and servants, right?” I asked.

“Yes farmers, but servants not to be confused with the priests and priestesses. While many aren’t as better off than I, they can at least afford to purchase or perhaps build a larger space. This house was abandoned for some time, and I revamped it to its current state. I suppose the landlord left the area to rot given the number of squatters like us that came here.”

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She laughed with pride, but I couldn’t help but feel pity.

I continued to trail my hands against the glowing walls and said. “The palace doesn’t light up like this.”

The three of them were surprised.

“Then how do you brighten up the palace?” she asked.

I pointed above. “There’s holes in the ceiling, oculus, that intensifies either the moon or sunlight. It seems they function by will of their own.”

“You mean like the ones in the temples?”

I nodded. “I think those are controlled by the Servants.”

We sat on the floor. She gave the two of us mats, while her fists to the brothers who complained about the cold floor. I refused the mat and was met with a fist likewise, so I took it for this time.

I spoke more of the specifics of the architecture of my home and my lifestyle, from its designs, pillars, paintings, to the kind of things I wore, and ate, and did in my spare time. With every passing sentence, their eyes lit with wonder and admiration.

“Why even come out?” asked Tet. “I would’ve just stayed there.”

“Yes, yes!” said Tethra. “It seems to us like the Heavens!”

I didn’t deny their claim, but given where I came from, there were certain amenities that I found quite lacking.

“Trust me,” I said, “after a while, you’ll get bored with it all.”

“I wouldn’t!” cried Zhunil. “Why cry about not leaving the palace? You have everything there. I would just stay put if I were you.”

“Luxury and wealth don’t make a person happy,” I said with melancholy. “Take it from me who’s grown in such an environment.”

She looked to me with anger. “But we haven’t been given that chance! Why don’t you trade places with us?”

“Don’t speak rudely, Zhunil,” cried the brothers.

“Quiet you lumbering pigs!” she shouted. “You wouldn’t want my fists lodged in your throats now, would you?”

“No, please, princess, not again!” they said, prostrating.

I felt sorry for them but remained silent.

“Might do you good to calm down, Zhunil,” I said. “There’s not much good in becoming angered over thing you can’t control.”

She brought her face close, seething with fury. “Don’t speak as if you know better, Prince of Death!”

Her vehemence came through with such force so as to almost force me to the ground. I closed my eyes, ready for another strike. All I heard was a sigh.

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