Kingdoms Divided

Chapter 19

Jiban's father and brother go to battle a few days after the meal, leaving him and Jezilina in the castle. He makes sure to get acquainted once again with the castle's staff, but it feels off. After being in the Kingdom of Lun it is weird to go back to the life he once lived before. The servants have no choice but to help him. Every soldier he is training with is a man. He is taught the different poisons that are used, even though he already knows. He learns that they have gathered enough of a couple new ones that will be added to the next battle. He shows him how they make the weapons, but sees that the swords of those that haven't been cleaned are still rusting. He thinks about saying something, but decides not to. He is told to put the poison on his own sword, but refuses. He learns how the swords are coated again and again before every battle.

Jiban takes a moment when he's alone to go over and look at the supply of poisons and herbs that the Northern Kingdom has gotten from the Kingdom of Beau's land. He sees many different things that he has never seen before. He reaches to grab one, but then realizes that he doesn't know what any of this is, some may be poisonous to the touch. The way that the Northern Kingdom is flourishing like it never has done before. He is looking around the kingdom seeing how many are getting more food than what they once had. They were a huge and growing population with little food supply due to the land they live on, but this really is an agreement that saved them. Something about it still seems weird to Jiban, but he can't figure it out.

Jiban keeps looking around for this Silvia nurse, but after a few days, he comes to the conclusion that she might've fled after being caught trying to kill him. That would be the smartest decision, or at least to not show herself around the castle ever again. He realizes how unfamiliar he's grown to his own kingdom since being away. He never saw this place as his though. It is the place he grew up, it is the place he learned to fight, it is the place where he had a mother, but it is also the place where he is unloved and unaccepted by many. It is a place where he can never be himself. His home is somewhere else- is someone else.

The days pass as Jiban gets his strength back from his days of starvation and sickness. He also spends many of the nights wanting to drown his sorrows in any alcohol he can manage to find, but he knows that won't fix it. He can't bring himself to do anything but play the role he feels he's destined to play. He is Jiban, the Prince of the Northern Kingdom, heir to the throne. Nothing can change that, not the people who hate him, not his disappearance, not him falling in love, not even him having no desire to be king.

Jiban is alone at the dinner table one night trying to go over the new poisons he learned when Jezilina joins him. She sits in silence for a moment, watching him, she looks nervous to speak. Jiban is also nervous, it is one thing with his brother here, but with just the two of them it creates an awkward atmosphere.

"Learning the new herbs of the kingdom I see." Jezilina finally speaks.

"Yeah." Jiban laughs slightly, "I've missed a lot in a year. I feel like it's not just the herbs I need to learn. Our army has grown as well, so I really need to start learning names." They look around the room nodding. "Speaking of names, do you know what you'll name the baby yet?"

"No, not yet. Jiro is in too much shock, I think, to try and have that conversation." Jezilina begins to fidget with her food.

"Well, that's no excuse to not attend to you. You are his wife after all." Jiban begins, "If I need to, just let me know, and I'll give him a good big brother talk." This allows them both to joke around, slightly uplifting the atmosphere.

"You know, I always wondered what it would've been if you were still here and I would've been married to you instead." Jezilina's giggles continue. "I guess we'll never know."

"I guess we'll never know." Jiban seconds and they start to eat once again when they hear a loud uproar from the front of the castle.

They both rush to the castle's entrance where they see many shouting for nurses. This scares Jiban and tries to get around all of the guards. 'What happened? Who's hurt?' He thinks, trying to move the guards out the way to see what is going on, but the crowd of soldiers is too big. The screams are too loud and there's too much going on. He is losing all sense of focus, seeing what looks to be every nurse in the kingdom rushing to the crowd and following a group up the castle's stairs. He looks to see a woman with blonde curly hair trying to follow along the line of nurses rushing, and breaks from the group to grab her.