TW: Mentions of self harm.
♛
A compassionate smile graced his features, one so contagious the people around couldn’t stop their hearts from warming. There was something about his kind eyes, that demanded reverence without being authoritative. He was like a savior come to relieve them of their troubles.
A man of robust figure, tall and dignified. Though still in his mid-thirties there was gray mixed in his dark hair. Life had aged him too harshly. But it was a feature that added to the humility of his character.
The poor farmers and peasants stumbled upon each other in haste to kiss his hands. Each one more eager than the previous. Even as the imperial guards tried to stop them they fanatically rushed to him until he ordered his guards to allow them.
He smiled gently, stopping the elders from bowing their heads in front of him and instead grasping their old, dirty hands in his and kissing them in respect instead. This is why the people loved him. No other Prince or Princess gave such respect to the people.
“Mir Agha!” a few kids ran up to him, and he lowered to the ground to embrace them. Unbothered by his spotless traditional clothes staining in the mud. The smiles of his people were all that mattered to him.
He chuckled ruffling the child’s hair. For a second his eyes glistened with moisture, his smile faltering as if lost in a memory a painful one.
The villagers felt their hearts constrict with his grief.
“It’s the 5th death anniversary already." One man tutted to another.
"Poor prince. For a man so good, to have gone through such tragedies, yet he still smiles for others.” The other whispered back.
As Mir Agha wistfully returned the child to his mother, the piteous woman smiled in empathy, "Don't fret, your highness, I pray the heavens carry the Princess and the little Prince in it's softest embrace."
Agha looked at them gratefully.
A man that was others ray of luck, was the unluckiest himself. Years ago his wife and newborn had been brutally murdered by royal enemies, leaving a toddler behind. He had loved her so much he didn’t marry again despite everyone telling him to. He had decided to leave the castle and take care of his son alone.
Mir Agha was well-known for his philanthropy and empathy with the commonfolk of the state. He had directed many initiatives for welfare. From schools and orphanages, to hospitals and workhouses, there was a reason he was the nation’s famous Mir. He had always believed in serving the people as one of them instead of ruling over them. So when he’d heard the rumor of him as a candidate for the next Crown Prince he couldn’t be more in disbelief.
“You’re like an angel sent to rescue us.” An elderly woman applauded with tears in her eyes as his servants distributed hundreds of gifts and rations among them.
He shook his head, “I’m only fulfilling my duty.”
“We all pray that His Majesty chooses our Mir as his heir." A man chanted.
Mir Agha’s smile faltered, reprimanding gently, “My brothers are more able than me. They’ll lead the nation far better than I ever could. Dare I ask you to pray for them instead.”
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