Two Halves of a World

Lessons

Chapter 2

Six Years Later

"Echo dear, please give that back." Echo was waving around her mother's wand. Of course, Wanda doesn't need her wand anymore. Only beginner witches need wands but it was of great sentimental value, her own mother hand crafted that wand.

"Yes mum, but when will I get my wand?"

"Is she getting a wand?" Left chirped in on his way out.

"Well of course! She is part witch after all, it would be a shame to let her abilities go to waste." Left shrugged, he was slightly uncomfortable with magic still but trusted that Wanda wouldn't let things get too out of hand. He didn't want the whole world to be ruled by magic one day. Even if Left could become comfortable with magic mixing with politics, he knew there are people who would never be. There are still people in his kingdom who would still like witches to burn at the stake even though that practice ended hundreds of years ago and that type of discrimination isn't tolerated anymore.

"Daddy, when are you coming home?" Left frowned he always hated this question and often avoided answering it.

"I'll be home before bedtime. Okay, princess?" Echo looked disappointed and went to sit on her mother's lap. She watched her father leave like she did every morning. Throughout the day, she would colour pictures or write short poems for him but he always came home too tired to thank her for the works of art. Wanda was worried this was going to happen so she quit her old job as a potion brewer to stay at home with her child. She loved the fun she had over her large cauldron splashing in different coloured liquids, making strange smells and then pouring them in rose glass jars. But she loved Echo more and was proud of herself for being there for her. She promised herself that Echo would never have a nanny, besides she could still make potions at home.

....

"Lucas are you up?" Willow shook her son's bed gently, when he didn't wake right away she began to tickle him. Lucas woke up violently laughing begging his mother to stop. "Get dressed Lucas, you're dad wants to take you on a trip with you today."

"Another trip? We went on one yesterday!"

"Yes but this one is on a boat. You're lucky some people have never been on a boat."

"Well, that's sort of cool... But I wanna go exploring by myself." Willow chuckled to herself and groomed Lucas's hair.

"You are just like me. Anyway, there's no way you can go exploring by yourself you're only six you could get hurt or get lost and what would do without you?" Lucas was disappointed being part of the royal family meant he could never be alone, he craved just a single moment of solitude.

It seemed like in only a matter of minutes he was in a carriage with his father heading to the docks. Lucas liked the docks, sometimes his mother would take him there and they would play games by the beach, usually tag or eye spy. He also liked watching the big ships slowly pass by, he would wave eagerly at them hoping someone could see him and was waving back too.

"Dad where are we going?"

"To the docks, didn't your mother tell you? "

"No, she said we were going on a boat, where's the boat taking us?" His father laughed a hardy laugh.

"Well son, you'll see. Won't you?" Another disadvantage of being part of the royal family Lucas noticed was no one told you anything, and there was so much to know.

As soon as the boys got to the docks Right was offered a glass of wine by one of the sailors.

"It's only the A.M, save your liquor, plus I got my boy with me today." Right was a very casual king, he was never too strict on formalities and he was a very forgiving man. Right held on to his son's hand and together they walked down a long, wide wooden dock. Lucas looked through in between the planks of wood and saw a large silhouette of a grey fish slowly swimming under the shade of the dock. When they reached the end of the dock there was a large ship tied to the wooden planks with several thick yellow ropes. Way up high on the very top of the sail was the word LEFT in large black letters. Right wondered what the sails would say the two halves of the world came together. We worried that too much was going to change. He knew it would be good  for the world to be undivided but there was something unsettling about it, a certain kind of unsettling that only came with great change.

"Left? This ship is from the other half of the world?"

"Good job son, yes it is. Just came in yesterday, we buy their wheat."

"Are we going on this ship, are we going to Left!?" Lucas was nervous he knew how rough oceans could be but at the same time, there was a strange urge in him to travel.

"One day you can go there if you'd like... There might be a someone special waiting for you there." Lucas cocked his head up at Right.

"Who?" All of sudden Right became serious and knelt down next to his son.

"When you get older Lucas there's going to be a lot of things people will say you have to do. But I want you to know that if it doesn't feel right in your heart then you shouldn't do it. Only do what feels right. Do you understand Lucas?"

"I think so." It was in that moment that Right realized he didn't want this life for Lucas. He loved Lucas too much to put all this reasonability on him. Lucas was too kind for this work, he was too simple for the complexity of a kingdom. He loved his son, he had to have faith him. "If we aren't going on the ship, then what are we doing here?"

"I just wanted to show you a cool looking boat. Isn't it cool looking?"

"You're silly, dad."

"You wanna see silly?" Right picked up his son and held him off the edge of the dock and Lucas begged him not to drop him in the water but they were both were laughing.

....

Left came early and found Echo sleeping on the bench outside on the balcony, she had fallen asleep drawing the purple sunset. She was turning into a talented artist, she could spend hours with one piece of paper. Left's crown fell off while bending down to look at the drawing of the sunset the noise woke up Echo.

"I like your drawing." Echo sleepily smiled up at her father and threw her short arms around his neck. After a few moments of embrace, she let go and showed him a drawing of him. In the drawing he had a large head, small but long body, his skin was forest green and his crown floated inches above his head. He loved the drawing, he loved the artist.

"Wow, this looks just like me." Echo beamed in his praise. "You didn't use any magic on this did you?" Echo laughed and shook her head no. "Come one princess time for bed." Left carried his princess to bed.  

"Can you stay home tomorrow?"

"You know there's a way that I can always be with you?"

"Really?! How?!" Echo always wished that her father could be with her all the time. Left told his daughter to close her eyes and he put a necklace around her neck. The necklace was a small silver chain with a small sky blue gem at the end. Echo open her eyes and touch the gem. Left had it made because he felt bad for never being around.

"Echo... when you love someone never give up on them." Echo nodded and kissed her father on the cheek. Left laughed lightly feeling silly for worrying that his own daughter would give up on him, he knew now that she would never do that and in return, he would never give up on her.