The Truth Over The Wall

Chapter 1 Part IV: Another Kind of Hero

So...

We have a prince that does not want to be king, a princess that wants to run away and a knight that wants to be a scholar.

Humans are rarely ever satisfied with their lot in life. What is so new about that? Why tell this story? Why live this adventure?

Hmm...I guess it is time for another kind of story. About another kind of a person.

                                              Another Kind of Hero

Amara was three and her father bounced her up and down on his feet. She laughed every time she went up and she screamed: Again! Every time she went down.

"Tell me once more," she hugged his knees desperately, "Please?"

All he could see were Amara's large beseeching eyes, which was really too unfair.

"But you've heard it fifteen times," Amara's mother laughed, "And that's just tonight."

"Please?" Amara sunk her face lower, so that it was nothing but large dark eyes.

"Alright," Her father sighed, "You horrible little monster, alright. You know I can't say no to you anyway."

Amara clapped her chubby little hands and laughed excited, "Say it!"

"The day you were born," Her father told her putting her down, "The trees all walked up to our house and said, good evening. The birds sang all night and the stars came to see you, at your window-"

"And the snow stilled!" Amara said, "It stilled, so I could hold it in my hand!"

Saying thus Amara noticed there was no snow to be had, which meant nothing to catch.

She squeezed her eyes shut and fisted her little hands and spoke:

The language of the winds.

"Come," She whispered in a cold voice, "Come, please."

And the cold blew on the wind and came right through their window. And there was snow.

Amara danced in the snow, cheering and clapping.

Amara's father looked at Amara's mother. "What?" she asked him.

"Please?" He beseeched with Amara's dark eyes, "You know she would love it."

Amara's mother sighed and with a wave...

She made the snow still. Amara was ecstatic.

Now coming back to where we started –Dominic. There is just one last thing I would like to add.

                  *                                                            *                                                              *

"I don't understand," Dominic told his uncle after the ceremony, "Why didn't you tell them you weren't going to marry? Because they all think it now, you know. Are you?"

"I am not," Jason shook his head. He took Dominic gently by the shoulders and smiled at him, "But I said what I did because you won't live my life."

"What?" Dominic asked, very confused now.

"They didn't ask me, Dom," Jason shook his head, "They never asked me if I wanted to be king, or if I wanted to marry Claire, or if I wanted to fall in love with her.

"But two of those things went ahead and happened anyway," Jason shook his head, "And now I'm the king. I'm the king that will always be hurting because no one thought to ask.

"But you won't be that king," Jason said vehemently, "At least not right away. And if I can help it for a very, very long time. I want you to live Dominic.

"I want you to go and try out every kind of Dominic there is to be," His uncle laughed, "Until you find the one you're happy with. And I'll stay here and, and..."

"Pretend to be happy?" Dominic asked him too clearly seeing through the laughter.

"If you're happy," His uncle said firmly, "I won't have to pretend."

Dominic nodded as though completing some contract.

In three years' time, Dominic rode off with his cousin Augustus to the Royal Academy for Princes to train in every way a Prince is meant to train.

Because that, he thought must be the first thing that needed to be done to find a good Dominic.

Dominic's mother and father waved at him as long as they could see him and then kept waving even when they could not. They would not miss him.

They would just show up at the Academy unexpectedly at all times much to the delight of Dominic.

As they rode through their kingdom Dominic thought of the woods around Tafah, infested with witches. It must be horrible living there.

A little like living in that broken down looking mansion behind the gray wall.

The large gray wall had been there for a hundred and fifty years. People said it had been built to ward off the monsters in the forest.

But Dominic was in the forest right now and he did not see any monsters.

Dominic twisted on his horse to take in every bit of the old mansion hidden behind the formidable wall. The large, uninviting doors and the blind windows that saw no one.

There is something I would like you to remember for me, Dom...

What? He asked his uncle. Anything. Anything you want.

Three things actually, Jason's voice said. Always remember,

Be kind.

Be courageous.

But above all?

What? Dominic had asked.

Be curious.

Dominic was about to turn the last corner before he lost the mansion out of sight.

And one of the windows winked.

Dominic stumbled and almost fell off his horse.

"What's wrong?" Cousin Augustus asked, steadying him.

"Nothing," Dominic said, remembering his uncle in time.

Be kind.

"Thank you," He said.

Dominic thought about the window and tried to remember what he had seen. And if it was even true.

Because for a moment?

He could have sworn someone had waved.

And he remembered the other thing his uncle had said:

Be curious.

There we have it; Fate's champions. And their story is what follows...