Utapri Short Stories

The Silent Kingdom - Part 1

Music has the power to change people's hearts and make them passionate. It's capable of uniting peoples. It's responsible for bringing joyful moments. Music saves people. However... In the Kingdom of Gauken, any kind of musical manifestation was prohibited. The cause? The appearance of Prince Natsuki's evil brother.

The prince had always been a gentle and lovable man, loved by his parents and the people. His love for music was so great that he spent his free hours playing for the people in the square. Everyone respected and loved him very much. Until one day... when Satsuki appeared. The complete opposite of Natsuki. The Prince's twin brother looked like a beast ready to destroy everyone. And no one really knows how and why he appeared.

The King and Queen decided to lock the princes in the castle and forbade their people to listen or produce music. Music was said to be the cause of Satsuki's transformation, and so the kingdom fell into complete silence. Neighboring kingdoms came to know that place as the Kingdom of Silence.

The spirits of the forest liked music and were unhappy with the new laws imposed by the majesties. And as a protest, they gave a child a special gift... Along with an important mission. Haruka was a poor girl who lived in the forest with her grandmother. They lived on the edge of the kingdom, hidden, and in their hut music was played as a way of paying homage to the spirits that protected the forest.

Haruka had been gifted by the spirits of the forest with the gift of music, which was also a curse, since in that Kingdom any melody was forbidden. The girl's grandmother had managed to keep her away from the village and the castle for many years, until she fell ill and Haruka was the only one who could get her medicine.

The girl was always humming and creating melodies, even without realizing it. This worried the old lady, but before her granddaughter left, she gave her recommendations. "But why can't we sing in the kingdom?" The young girl insisted, feeling sad. "Because the law says so, my dear. Outside the forest, no singing. Understood?"

Haruka nodded and headed for the village. She needed to find the medicine store and it was close to the castle. The girl kept silent as she walked, but those people so sadly silent made her want to sing something to cheer them up. With a sigh, she continued to walk in silence. Until a noise caught her eye. A child was crying alone in an alley.

The young woman followed the child and tried to calm her, but without success. Then she took a deep breath and began to hum a song so beautiful it sounded like magic. The child opened her eyes wide, but stopped crying. When Haruka held out her hand to the child, however, something seemed to startle the child and she ran away. Haruka didn't even have time to think, as she was grabbed by strong hands that dragged her to the castle...

Haruka was dragged to the castle in a not very gentle way. Some people looked at her with pity and others simply looked away. She wanted to scream and fight, but the guards were much stronger than she was. So they dragged her until she was in front of the king and the queen. She was nervous and scared, but still tried to be polite.

"Majesties... I'm sorry for what I did. The child was crying and I just wanted to calm her down! It was not my intention to..." But the king's powerful voice interrupted her, asking her to be silent. "Music is cruel. It cursed the prince. These... Harmonious and hateful noises woke Satsuki!" The girl's eyes widened when she heard what the king was saying, and she accidentally interrupted him.

"Who is Satsuki?" Her gentle, sweet voice reached the king's ears as if it were a powerful thunder. "Satsuki is...!" But the king himself was interrupted again. "It's me." An intense voice and even more powerful than the king's voice took over the great hall. Haruka shivered, but when she noticed the owner of the voice, she couldn't believe it belonged to him. "I am Satsuki."

"My S-Son...!" The king looked terrified and this left Haruka confused. Why would he be afraid of his own son? The answer came when the boy punched the column beside him, breaking it with his strength. Haruka and the Queen gave a startled cry. The king swallowed. Satsuki approached the girl and held her by the shoulders. "Why are you here?" His voice was commanding and harsh. His look, though beautiful, was frightening.

Haruka's voice seemed to be stuck in her throat. Her legs were shaking, but somehow she couldn't look away. Who answered for her was the king. "She was singing, my son." Satsuki looked angry at the king and replied. "Then lock her in the dungeon at once." With that, he released her shoulders, causing her to fall to her knees.

"No! N-No, please! My grandmother is sick and waiting for the medicine I came to get!" She pleaded on her knees, desperate. "Think about it before you start singing around...!" The king was interrupted again, this time by the queen, asking him to let the girl buy the medicines. They could arrest her later. The King nodded after thinking for a while. Satsuki interjected.

"I will accompany you. So you don't run away." The surprise of the king and the queen was immense. The prince was already big enough to make his decisions and they wouldn't be able to keep him locked up much longer. They ended up accepting the suggestion, as long as he was disguised. Both agreed and the prince wore a cloak to cover his face. Another cloak was provided for the young woman and a horse was prepared for them when she explained that she lived in the forest.

It was the first time that Satsuki left after the incident that had banned music in the kingdom. Haruka was silent, afraid to commit another crime. Satsuki watched his people, everyone seemed sad and silent. They stopped at the store to buy the medicine and then went on to the forest, on the edge of the village. There, they stopped for a while to eat and drink. The view of the kingdom from there to the meadow was very beautiful.

...

~ Originally posted at _utapri.stories on Instagram

~ Chapter cover edited by me