THE WALLED KINGDOMS

Elpida: The Hunter

The Tribunal Hall was in deep silence. It is filled with young men and women of the whole Teichos, just like me. Everyone traveled long from their Kingdoms to be here in the Kingdom of Afi, the home of the Erminavo. All is waiting, I am waiting. A loud blow of horn was heard in the large hall, the Erminevos finished their prayers, they were ready. I watched how they walked out from their chambers, with their long brown hoods covering half of their faces. They walked in line, they moved like one, and their steps did not even make a sound. They formed a circle around the wide Tree of Myalo, with its branches that seem to be reaching the ground and leaves fully grown. Then the next horn was blown, finally, the Anagnosi. It is now the time for us to form a line and pick a leaf from the tree and face our fate. I know I should have felt anxious that time for it will decide my fate, the path I will take for the rest of my life, but I wasn't. I know myself and I know I am a child of the Kingdom of Soma and I will always be. I could never train in any other Kingdom than the Kingdom I knew since I was born, my mother Kynigos' home and Kingdom of the father I never knew. Then my turn came, "Elpida of Soma, may the God of knowledge, Myalo, bless your fate she will give you", said the Erminavo. I plucked the leaf I first saw as I glanced at the branches, it was the perfect leaf for me, or so I thought it was. It burned on the burning coals in front of the Erminevo. It burned bright and fast. Soma, I kept repeating it on my mind until the Erminevo softly spoke, "Eaftos".

Elpida of Eaftos, the Kingdom of individuality and independence. It sounded like a nightmare. I am a hunter, a born child of the kingdom of Soma, the only son of Head Hunters. How could I train in the Kingdom where the Theo Teichosi live? The living Gods, or so they call themselves, who control the whole of Teichos more than our Queens and Kings just because they have mystic abilities they got from the explosion of Pio Dynatos, the God of Gods, to win the War of Agnastos. I am a hunter, I should train how to hunt and not to be like a slave of a Theo Teichosi. If not in Soma, how could mother live without me? How could she live by herself? I wanted to resist, to pluck another leaf from the Tree of Myalo, to scream at the Erminavo, to scream at the God Myalo. But I never did, it is a sin to disobey the Erminavo, it is the same as disobeying the God Myalo. For mother, disobeying the Gods is worse than leaving her. The Erminavo gave his blessings for my fate by giving a coin from the Kingdom of Eaftos before dismissing me. Everyone received a coin from the Kingdom Myalo chose for them, it is a sign of rebirth and the passage through our fated Kingdoms. If you are lucky, God Myalo might choose your birth Kingdom as your fated Kingdom as well. Unfortunately, it was not what happened to me. The third and last horn was blown, for some it was the time to go home, but for many, the time to leave their Kingdoms and their families.

It was midnight when the carriage finally reached the wall of Soma, it was a long and heavy trip. I am home, but I do not want to go home. I do not want to see my bed that I will leave behind, the roof I climbed as a child, our horse I just learned how to ride, and mother that will live alone when I'm gone. But I should, she needs to see me before I leave. "I'll be alright Elpida", she said. But she was not alright, I heard her voice that was just trying to make me feel fine, to make herself sound fine. I did not say much, I do not want to make her cry. I packed some of my things and the coin from Eaftos, leaving the axe I used to hunt since I was a child for it will be of no use in the kingdom I should go. I held her in my arms for the last time, closed my eyes and felt her warmth. All I can hear is her breath and the sound of Soma I used to hear before I sleep. Then everything faded as she removed her arms on me and said, "Go now, the carriage to Eaftos will not wait for you." I did not even have the chance to rest or sleep, a Teichosi should come to his fated kingdom as soon as he gets his fate. I never said words of farewell, I walked straight away from her, from our house. I will go back.

It was already morning when we reached the wall of the kingdom of Eaftos. The wall was indeed spectacular and all of the walls that separate the kingdoms of Teichos, tall and firm. Nothing less to expect from the one who made it, God Diairesi, the strongest God, who built the walls as a strategy to protect the whole Teichos by making it hard for the Agnastos to penetrate the whole of the land. The walls are as young as I am, built after the greatest war in the Storm of Agnastos, where six from the Nine Gods of Teichos died including Pio Dynatos, the God of Gods. Myalo, Diairesi and the God of Soma, God of Hunters, Epizo were the only gods left protecting Teichos. It was the greatest fall of Teichos, the death of gods and many, including father. Now the Theo Teichosis rule the walled Kingdoms of Teichos, and I will train in the same Kingdom where they live, Eaftos. We headed to its gate that is much bigger than the gates of Soma, and has large red Eaftos banners on both sides with an eagle as its symbol. The guards then made us form a line and enter the gate one by one by surrendering our coins. Carriage were waiting for us again. One of the guards told us to not bring anything to our next destination, the Ekpaidefsi. "Everything will be provided", the guard said. All of our things were left in the gates of Eaftos. Luckily, I didn't bring much because don't think our things will be returned. On our way, we passed a lot of dwellings, small and away from each other. Until the carriage passed the village of the Theo Teichosi, a village that is too quiet but grand. I didn't saw any Theo Teichosi, maybe the carriage was too fast, or they were busy doing things I don't know. Not so long, we arrived at the Ekpaidefsi, the home for trainers, our home in Eaftos. The Ekpaidefsi's ground is flat and wide, dwellings for every trainer are away from each other, small but just enough for a lone trainer. We were met by a High Guard, wearing silver and gold-plated armor and a cloak with the flag of Eaftos. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Eaftos", he said. I don't know what to feel upon hearing that. I'm here in Eaftos, not in Soma, not with mother. The High Guard finished his speech and reminders including the rules we have to follow. As expected we have to leave alone with limited properties in each of our dwellings. We can't go out at night after we have been dismissed unless permitted. We should wear the same pair of red uniforms during our trainings and pair of white sleeping clothes at night. Strictly, we can't talk to anyone after our trainings, not with our friends if we do have, not with the guards, not with the Theo Teichosi, only with the Queen of Eaftos, Thysia, whom we will meet tomorrow at sunrise. With this, with everything, I'm indeed in the Kingdom of individuality and independence, or should I say the kingdom of selfishness. My first night in my dwelling was a bit harder than I thought. The bed was the softest I had but still not as comfortable than my wooden bed in Soma. There was only a single window not enough to see the night sky nor feel the breeze. This is not what I wanted, but as mother said, "A great man thinks about his country more than himself". That is what she said father used to believe as well, the reason he sacrificed his life to fight in the Storm of Anagnosi and I will never have second thoughts about doing the same in wherever kingdom I am.