Guardian of The Rose

Remnants of Wayan Humanity

(The follow chapter introduces Boril Leif Vahn Wayan, Crown Prince of the Wayan Empire. Mature Content Warning)

"Curiosity killed the cat." This is an expression often used to deter children or adults from acting out on their curiosity in the attempt to prevent said child or adult from injuring themselves; however, the expression above isn't finished. The entire expression is, "Curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back." By adding just a few more words, we change the entire meaning of the expression.

"Blood is thicker than water." This expression was used to express that family, blood relations, are more important than water, other relations; however, if you ask a child abused by a family member, you'll find that the child will want to stay away. This brings upon the realization that this expression has been misquoted. The original goes: "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." The phrase in its true form is now expressing the exact opposite nature as the one before.

I use these examples to bring upon a new understanding and hope that Boril will have a chance despite his high birth.

Boril Leif Vahn Wayan was born into royalty. From the very beginning of his life, he chewed on a polished silver spoon as a pacifier and ate caviar instead of oatmeal. From the get go, Boril got a head start in life. He sat in high chairs made from gold sifted from the Coil River, rode Arabian stallions from the Far East, and danced to symphonies comprised of musical geniuses. While Boril never knew what a sunburn was, his future kingdom starved under his childish and naive nose. But let's not forget the different sides to his story.

While he was born into royalty, he was born to King Augustas Leif Vahn Wayan of the Wayan Empire. While he sucked on silver spoons and chewed on expensive fruits, he still cried human tears when his father killed his mother in a drunken stupor. While he wore shimmery jewels, Boril had to become accustomed to the metallic taste of blood. While he rode Arabian stallions, he was punished for simply existing.

Like thousands of people before Boril, he too suffered greatly under his father's rule. There were many times that Boril could recall hiding under his bed when he recognized his father's footsteps ringing down the stone halls. While many Wayan citizens believed that paradise was living inside the castle walls, Boril wanted to get out. Boril tried many times. The first time he tried to sneak out of the castle was at the age of eight. He had gotten caught at the front gate. The second time was just a few days later. The third time was right after that. Boril's drive to get away from his father and out of the castle walls grew with each failed attempt.

Then, when Boril was almost ten years old, he succeeded. By crawling out of his window at night, sliding across the edge of the stone wall, and eventually climbing down, Boril discovered freedom. It brought great joy and great pride that his two years of hard work and labor paid off at least this much. So, with this triumph in hand, Boril wasted no time.

With the moon high in the sky, and the starved and ill citizens asleep in their beds, it made for an easy adventure. No one stirred and the lanterns lining the streets were puffed out by the breeze. Boril had always been a timid boy despite his terrible father and although he was taught to be brave, Boril always found that the dark was his biggest weakness. So when Boril stood in the dark streets, with the wind whistling between the buildings, he found himself unnerved. He was just about to turn back for the castle walls when he came upon a church that still had a light on.

With quiet and small steps, Boril crept up to the door of the church. The large wooden door was cracked open as if the last person to leave didn't shut it completely on their way out. This made a perfect gap for Boril to peer through. What he saw was shocking. The head priest of the little run down church was standing a few feet in front of the alter. Boril watched as the priest leaned down to a long red rug that spread across the stone floor and used a free hand to grab its edge. The priest tossed some of the rug to the side and revealed a large stone trapdoor. With a small taste of adventure, even Boril found his ancestral greed building inside him.