The Karivaayis lived a different life. They were more in tune with the nature. They have thick vegetation and animals roamed around free. Eloy was in his element. Hawa seemed to love it once they reached Karivaayi. There were people on all sides to see them.
They reached the palace and were welcomed in. They were shown a suite to freshen up. The tales about the lack of civilisation among Karivaayi's might have come from their life style depending on nature.
They freshened up and were ready to step out when they saw someone storm past the main hall. He was huge and looked to be around Apaa's age. Yagni shrinked into himself in the face of the wrath for a second but then stood his ground.
"Yag, I told you numerous times to not leave without sufficient number of guards, anywhere. What were you thinking? And why was I not informed of this attack?," asked the furious man, presumably Prince Ekalavya.
"I am fine brother as you can see. Father thought it best that you stay in the palace till coronation. The threat from Ujjvali and their hired hands are high. We know you are one of the finest warriors, but brother, the fate of our Kingdom is at stake every time you step out there recklessly," said Yagni.
Ekalavya just looked at him for a moment and then placed an arm around him. Yagni smiled.
"You worry too much. I am not a little boy anymore for you to protect and carry around. You made me capable of fighting my battles. I am your chief warrior. Now, Guess whom I met in the woods? Behave yourself with them, the Emperors and the High King is here," said Yagni. Then he caught sight of them.
"Here they are," said Yagni with a small smile. Ekalavya turned. He looked at the three of them. Yagni introduced all three and then Ekalavya's eyes fell on Eloy, properly seeing him. His eyes widened.
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If they weren't observing the soon to be King well, they wouldn't have noticed it. The shock was evident on his face.
"What do your parents do, High King Eloy?" asked Ekalavya.
"They are no more, Prince Ekalavya but what a curious question," said Adharva.
There was a strange silence which was stretched and filled with tension.
"I was left at the doors of the King's quarters in Mahereya when I was barely two. Do I remind you of someone Prince Ekalavya? The Chief healer and Fayavan froze for a moment when they met me," said Eloy, perceptive as always. He tried to keep the hope out of his voice.
"I- I must take you three to meet the King. Before that let me give you a tour of the palace," said Ekalavya. Yagni was staring at Eloy and finally it dawned on him.
"Let me go get father," said Yagni and left.
The party of four then walked past the corridor.
"Karivaayis were on a war with Ujjwali for long 15 years before we gained some semblance of peace. That was more than a decade ago. There are still many war affected men in the Kingdom," said Ekalavya.
"I was 7 and Yagni was two when our mother was killed by the queen of Ujjwali. Then, father lived like a warlord for the duration of the war. We were both away from him, living here, secure and safe. That was when he met the daughter of tribal chief of the Hayati tribe. After six years of living alone, he took a liking to her. They got married as per the tribal rituals. The war was at its peak then. The forces were clashing. Her name is Jamani. She was pregnant when father left for the final stand, to end it once and for all. When he returned from the war that lasted over seven months, she was in labour. She died giving birth," said Ekalavya as he led them inside.
He knew all three were listening. His mind was reeling even as he led them through the stairs and the next set of corridors.
"He took the child and was on way back home. He was broken, having lost the second woman in his life so tragically. He heard our common soldiers talking. The thing about Karivaayi's is that, our people like to pretend they are better than others- socially. They were calling the child, my brother illegitimate and low breed. One that is only half royal. My father was worried. In all the confusion, he did not see an attack coming. When it did, the returning party was in a pub at the end of the woods. Father handed over the child to the man who was next to him. He had told the man to wait for him a couple of hours and if he was not back by then, to get the child to safety. He also gave the royal tag for safekeeping. Father found his way back one whole day later to find that the man was not at the pub. He knew the man followed his suggestion. For twenty seven years we looked for him, to no avail," said Ekalavya coming to an abrupt halt. This is a picture that was gifted to father by the Hayati's as a parting gift. It was a portrait hung on the wall, covered by silk sheets.
"He gets sad when he looks at it," said Ekalavya and then pulled the rope up, revealing the picture. The emperors looked at the portrait. Their hands came up to support Eloy who was looking at what was definitely the picture of his parents. Eloy resembled Avdeyu Ilnaya in many ways. However, what will stop anyone from calling out the obvious alikeness is the nose and the intense black eyes and his luscious locks which he inherited from his mother.
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Eloy looked at his husbands.
"Call Guardioni. He is the first person I want to see," said Eloy and walked blindly to the rooms they were given.
Mithraos nodded to Adharva and rushed out to meet one of the messengers. Adharva looked at Ekalavya.
"We both know it is him. He does too. You should understand that he is going through a rather improbable scenario. A picture might not be enough to convince him without doubt. Guardioni is the best option," said Adharva.
"Who is Guardioni?" asked Ekalavya.
"He is the old warrior chief of Mahereya and is now in charge of security. He is the only one privy to the letter that was found with Eloy when he was taken in as a baby," said Adharva.
Ekalavya nodded.
"I am informing father now," said Ekalavya. Adharva nodded and turned and left.
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Eloy was sitting on the bed. Mithraos walked in and then Eloy looked at him.
"El, love it's okay," said Mithraos, placing a gentle hand on him. Eloy hugged him tight and stayed like that for sometime.
"What if they are not? Any hope would be for naught. I don't want to feel pain like that," said Eloy.
"Understandable," said Adharva from the door. He stepped in and sat behind Eloy who looked at him from Mithraos' shoulder.
"I am being silly, aren't I?" asked Eloy.
"No, you are not. It is okay to worry about this. We will wait for Guardioni," said Mithraos.
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Basically, Eloy cannot be called a 'royal' in the true sense of the word at least according to the traditional Karivaayis. Hope you are all still enjoying this. Now, I have a few surprises in store.
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The Warrior And His Emperors
Fantasy#1 in Kings (Earlier) #1 in Threesome He was a warrior. He was meant to protect the King and the Kingdom. His name brought the fear for life in warriors across the world. What he never thought he would become was the High King of two Emperors. Their...
