H̶e̶l̶l̶ Hail King || ONC 2021(Longlister)

XXIII. The backstory

Without a preamble, Edward walked in long strides toward Jupiter and smacked his lips on hers. A shocked muffled noise escaped her throat before his lips coaxed her into submission. With a vigor matching his, she kissed back.

"What was that for?" Jupiter panted as they unlinked.

"You are irresistible." Edward felt a sense of accomplishment fill him as Jupiter blushed prettily. He almost lunged at her when she shyly combed her nimble fingers through her perfectly styled hair.

"Are we going to discuss more?"

"Yes. After you tell me your story."

"But you said–"

"I remember what I said. Have I no right to change my mind?"

"You do."

"Come, join me." Edward detected the obvious surprise in Jupiter's eyes when he grasped her wrist and pulled her to his bed, giving her shoulder a light push to make her sit. "I am all ears."

Jupiter had to count to ten in between deep breaths before retelling her life-altering tale. And people still wonder where the math comes to use in real life. 

"My father's dream was to serve the kingdom. He wished to be the best soldier in the army, or better – lead them if possible. One day during his practice session, he got severely injured. No matter how much he begged or cried, the commanders sent him home with the parting gift of agonizing words — You cannot join the army with this injury. We wish you luck in whatever other job you choose to do in the future. A year later, he met my mother who turned out to be his saving grace. A few years after that I was born and he was ecstatic as he found a way to live his dream in me. He trained me. He used to call me his little soldier. Despite the best of his efforts, he was not able to erase the bitterness in his heart. It was not bothersome for my mother or me, Dad did not let it affect his love and responsibilities towards us."

Jupiter stopped speaking abruptly, making a choking sound, emotions causing her throat to clog. Edward gathered her in his arms, caressing her hair and kissing her forehead with an unusual — for him — gentleness. Even when she calmed down, he did not release her from the sanctuary of his arms. Instead, he tugged her closer with a movement of his arms and cautiously informed her — "You do not have to continue. We can talk about this later. Look at you. You appear like you will fall apart anytime, any instance."

"I am already in pieces, it is just a matter of dropping the mask and showing them to you sooner or later."

"Ok. Okay. Shh...," he soothed her and squeezed her sides gently to make his presence known. "What happened then?"

"My mother died. Epidemic got to her." Another choking sound, this time accompanied by gut-wrenching sobs. When the sobs leveled down to mere whimpers, Jupiter continued. "I was six at that time. Things took a turn for the worse. My father's heart got broken into a million pieces. All that was left was his mind. In that messed-up mind of his, the notion of women being weak stuck. Post her death, the only word that comes to the forefront of my mind to describe my father is 'relentless.' I don't even remember my real name because he changed it to one that was common for both men and women. In my heart, I pretend that he did not give me a fully masculine name because he was subconsciously aware of his wrongdoings. Anyway, it was then the real training began. He brutally trained me to be the leader one day. However, I failed his expectations as I was not physically very strong. My introduction changed to He is my son and his name is Jupiter. And this is my story."

Jupiter was a mass of negative energy and a broken heart. Edward can feel the blonde beauty in his arms emit waves of pain. She was not hysterical like earlier but was letting out pitiful whimpers that spoke volumes about pent-up hurt from years. Having no words to offer, he offered comfort.

They sat in the same position for a long time, maybe one or two hours; his legs had lost sensation after half an hour. When the clock hit five in the evening, Jupiter got off him and started to lovingly massage his legs and thighs upon noticing his slight wince.

"Jupiter?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you want me to call you for now?"

Jupiter was confused. What was Edward trying to ask or was the question simply a taunt?

"What...do you mean?"

"He? She?"

"Oh." For a minute, Jupiter was quiet. Well, stupefied would be a better word choice. "I-I don't know. He, I guess?"

"Hey, it isn't forever. I said now. We can work on finding your identity at a pace that suits you. We can find who you are together."

"He." Tears brimmed those brown eyes as Jupiter gave a firm decision in a shaky voice. He himself did not know that he needed to hear the words Edward spoke with great understanding. He believed he was the happiest person on earth at that moment. However, there was one more thing he wanted Ed to understand. "Will you please do me a favor?"

"Ask me."

"Can you honestly try to really read into the problems your people are facing or may face in the future?"

"For you?"

"For your people."

"Only if you promise to help me."

"I promise."

As he saw the will to be better shine bright on Edward's face and gave him his word, the famous quote by Rumi crossed his mind — "Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."