THE FORTUNIST

3. Wuxhia

"You don't find The Fortunist; The Fortunist finds you."

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Wuxhia's mother stares at him with a look anyone who is an only child can easily get sick of.

It is only him, his father and his mother that sit at the table to dine. His father is the Minister of War, a main face in the queen's court and an emblem of decisions and solicitations. His father, Lord General Xihan is always boasting of his excellence when he studied in Albenarum, a luxury which Wuxhia was too luxurious to get. Wuxhia never let on that he already knew that was a lie. If not, his mother's family would never have made the fuss they made over them getting married.

His mother, Lady Fowella is more honest. Behind Xihan's back, she would whisper to Wuxhia about how most of their influence was only possible due to the Fortunist.

The Fortunist, the biggest and most popular mystery of Albeny. It could literally be anyone in the country. Not only can whoever it is wilfully wield any of the cryfixes, they also have 'future seeing' abilities. It is common knowledge that the Fortunist visits random people to give them fortunes and show them a bit into their future.

Xihan had met the Fortunist once, as a young and heartbroken man who could not win the woman of his dreams, Fowella. The Fortunist came to him one fateful night and told him he would marry Fowella. They would even bear a son to crown their love.

It happened.

The Fortunist is not one to be searched for. So it was an outrageous decision two weeks ago when Xihan sent Wuxhia on a mission to find the Fortunist.

Fowella was so angry and refused to speak for days. It was a needless venture according to her but at the end of it all, her husband had the final say.

"If you meet the Fortunist," Xihan had told Wuxhia, "ask them what the fate of the royal crown will be."

"You would never find the Fortunist if you actually try to find them," Fowella had then told him behind Xihan's back as was usual. "You have been trapped inside our compound walls and don't even know your way around. Enjoy, be laid back and the Fortunist, whoever it is will find you."

"Son, how was the journey?" Xihan presently asks after dinner. Fowella begins supervising the clearing of the table pretending to ignore them, unbothered by men's talk.

"It was okay," Wuxhia says. Lies are better told briefly, for it was not okay at all. Wuxhia was exploited, robbed, made to work hard labor, cheated, robbed again, homeless, friendless, jobless, got another shitty laboring job, got fired unjustly. He had no idea Albeny was so messed up having lived a sheltered life for so long. And when he was just about ready to die from resignation brought on about by frustration— (Under any circumstance, Wuxhia would choose death over returning home unaccomplished) the Fortunist actually came to him. The Fortunist gave him a fortune.

Xihan had been overjoyed when Wuxhia came back with the task fulfilled. Honestly, he had not expected his son to succeed.

"What did they say?" He now asks, unable to stop the eagerness from crawling into his tone.

Wuxhia brings out a scroll and hands it over to Xihan. The General opens the scroll without hesitation and scans it. A furrow enters his brow. He looks up.

"Did you read it?"

Wuxhia nods gravely. Fowella peeks through the kitchen door before disappearing once again. Her husband would probably not let her read the scroll.

"Well, how does the Fortunist look like?"

"I am bound by the oath of common sense not to tell, Father. You don't tell anyone how your own Fortunist looked like."

"Oh, yes," Xihan murmurs, a bit disappointed.

"Apart from the scroll, the Fortunist said something else that I found rather baffling."

"What can be more baffling than this?" Xihan inquires while waving the scroll.

"Oh...um...," Wuxhia trails off. Of course, it would be baffling to him but not to his father. "It... it is about Bala. The Fortunist said that... said that Bala would die."

Xihan stays quiet, probably wondering what to say. In his private opinion, Wuxhia is too attached to the servant. If care was not taken, gossips might even spread that they were in a relationship. Xihan must not live to see that day or... Bala must not live rather, to make it happen.

"Bala is a good person and a dear friend to me," Wuxhia is saying. What he is not saying is that Bala had saved his life. Bala had left the General's compound to find and help him. What Wuxhia is not saying is that the Fortunist had come for Bala, not him. So, why did Bala have to die?

"He is just a servant," Xihan says dismissively when Wuxhia finishes speaking. "He is born to serve. He is yet to fully repay his family's debt but his brother Jahrys can always take his place. It will be a shame to lose a capable man like Bala but well, what can I do when the Fortunist already says it will happen? Even the queen can do nothing in this situation. I must retire now. I must be sited at the Palace tomorrow to see how things are going."

Glee is apparent in the General's eyes. Whatever he has read in the scroll has obviously lifted his spirits.

When Xihan has fully exited, Fowella rushes our of the kitchen and goes to shake Wuxhia's shoulders. Tears are strolling down her face. "Why?" She hisses angrily. She dares not scream for fear of alerting her husband. Anytime she has to scold someone, she always hisses, not scream or throw tantrums like other Albenian wives.

"Why did you tell him about Bala? Why did you not tell me?"

"I...I...," Wuxhia is absolutely dumbfounded.

Fowella slumps on the ground and stays there, unable to shake off her apparent shock. She loves Bala as much as she loves Wuxhia. She had always wanted children but that idiot Fortunist (if her husband really met one) had to go and fortell that she would bear a son.

Only a son.

Now, anytime she tries to bring up the child bearing issue with Xihan, he would always dismiss her. He is satisfied with 'only a son'.

"The words of a Fortunist are poison," Fowella says. "If it is not bound to happen, only their saying it will make it happen. Are you a Fortunist?"

"No."

"Then why should you speak poison?"

Fowella stumbles back to the kitchen to finish the chores with the servants.

Wuxhia begins to wonder to himself. He knows, had always known that Xihan had murderous intentions towards Bala for reasons he could not discern. He had been hoping he could deter his father by hinting that he knew. He cannot help but feel now that he has ended up achieving the exact opposite of his motivations.

But then again, he'd be confounded if he is indeed the Fortunist like his mother had just insinuated because the Fortunist in fact, is a woman.