Chapter 17: Arya
"Maybe you should try smiling a bit?"
I turned towards Çağın. He had stopped the horse-drawn carriage at the end of the forest path, not yet entering the street where the people lived. He turned his body towards me, starting to look at me disapprovingly.
I curled my lips for a few seconds and then returned them to their usual state. After looking at his face with my usual expression for a while, I turned back to the front.
"Snap out of it already..." he said, with the last remnants of his patience. "It's just a duel you lost, and you've been depressed for four days."
"Do you realize the duel you're referring to would have won me the crown to rule?"
"Are you aware of the smoke scent coming from the miniature for the past four days while you've been depressed?"
I turned my body towards him and spread my hands wide, "What do you want me to do!?" I shouted.
Blinking at me, he seemed to be trying to understand the reason for my reaction. "I want you to know what you need to do, to snap out of this mood and return to your usual self. If you're going to get stuck like this at every failure, you're in for a tough time!"
I raised my eyebrows, surprised by his tone. He had raised his voice, essentially scolding me! After furrowing my brows, I rolled my eyes. "As if I don't have enough problems on my head, now you're adding to them..." I grumbled. "You begrudge me the few days I've taken to pull myself together."
"If you were in your right mind, you'd account for every second. Suddenly you've let everything go..." Shaking his head while pressing his lips together, he was contemplating the reason for my depressive state. What he didn't know was that I hadn't been wallowing in depression behind closed doors for four days. I had been planning how to get my sisters out of my way. Everyone thought the soul of the late king was lost, but my father had sacrificed his soul for me. I would use the soul my father gave me in such a way that I wouldn't need approval from anyone nor have to fight anyone. I just had to wait until all their cards were played. They would execute their plans, thinking they had defeated me, and I would rise victoriously from where I had purposely fallen.
Oblivious to my thoughts, Çağın squeezed my shoulders and continued his advice with a smile. "Instead of facing what you complain about, every one of those things is an excuse you save for a possible failure. Shake it off and come back to yourself."
I nodded affirmatively and smiled. I would reward him for taking care of me and being by my side under all circumstances the moment I ascended the throne. Even though I had considered suspecting him when Eva tried to hit me through those closest to me, I couldn't. Of course, I had secrets from him, but still, my trust in him was boundless.
"Okay, but why did we come here?"
He extended his hand to help me out of the carriage. "Why we came..." he said, rolling his eyes. "To show yourself to the people and talk to them, don't you really smell the smoke?"
I took his hand and got out. I could smell the sharp scent of smoke, but this wasn't a priority issue to dwell on yet. Probably another forest fire had broken out in the World, and the miniature was warning us.
Foolish humans... They become sensitive when a forest burns but pollute nature with their waste before the fire. And oddly enough, they continue to pollute after the fire. Even more bizarre is that most of the time, they are the ones who start the fires. As one of the immortals of the World once said; the best human is a dead human.*
*George Orwell – Animal Farm
While Çağın commented that it was nice our visit coincided with the time the people tied their dreams to Ravi, I walked silently beside him. The sky had been painted a deep blue before dusk settled. Clouds obscured both the Moon and the Sun. The yellow, orange, and green leaves of the trees swayed with the gentle wind.
Before entering the street with houses, we headed towards the wide meadow. Standing in all its glory in the middle, Ravi in front of the people who had tied rags to their wrists placed their hands over their hearts, gazing at the tree. They closed their eyes and simultaneously lifted their heads. Simultaneously, their lips released sentences in the same tune:
"Accept my dreams, Ravi!"
"My wishes are yours, Ravi!"
"Grant me my dreams, Ravi!"
"My dreams are entrusted to you, Ravi!"
"My dreams are my only possessions, Ravi!"
"Protect my dreams, Ravi!"
They stopped speaking at the same time and simultaneously knelt down. Ravi gifted the kneeling people around it with a strong wind. The wind untied the knots, sealed the rags, and stamped the same seal onto the hearts of the dream owners. Taking a deep breath and standing up, the people approached Ravi in groups of seventeen, tied their rags, and headed home.
"Isn't it wonderful?" Çağın asked, his eyes not leaving the ongoing ceremony.
"Yes..." I murmured in admiration. The Sacred Spirits enchanted us with both what they gave and accepted. Praise be for inspiring and accepting our dreams.
We watched the people and their rags fluttering in the wind for a long time. They would return to their homes and visit Ravi again with the first light of day. If their rags were gone, their dreams would come true. Dreams realized here would also come true in the World.
If the rag remained, they would understand that the time for their dreams to come true hadn't come yet and would come to Ravi every morning to pray until their rag disappeared. Meanwhile, people in the World who shared the same dream would also chase their dreams. If someone from the people stopped coming to Ravi, then a few would give up on their dreams.
When Çağın suggested, "Shall we visit the houses?" no one was left around Ravi. I nodded my head affirmatively and stepped onto the stone paths of the street.
The night had enveloped us, swallowing our shadows in the dark blue sky. The smoky smell mixed with the always fresh forest air of the streets was disheartening. The fog created by the clouds leaning over the houses was depressing.
We found our way with the light filtering through the chandeliers from the houses' windows. When we stopped in front of a random house, Çağın stepped forward and knocked on the door. His short hair was again braided back, and he looked quite charming in his khaki, collarless shirt and brown pants with a bronze belt. The small boy who opened the door was stunned for a few seconds by this charming appearance.
"Greetings, young master..." Çağın said warmly. "If it's convenient, our heir would like to visit you at your home."
The boy's surprised gaze shifted from Çağın, who was just behind me, to me. I didn't want to enter the houses; it would take too long. So, before the boy could invite us
in, I asked, "Can you please call the elders of your family?"
The boy pushed back his golden hair that ended under his chin and nodded, then ran into the house without saying a word.
Çağın looked back at me over his shoulder, "Why didn't we enter?"
"We don't have time to enter every house individually."
He raised his eyebrows, and his forehead wrinkled. The feelings rippling in his amber eyes were hidden by the darkness. But his tone indicated he found my attitude absurd when he said, "Could we not continue from where we left off tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow, I have to meet with Bilun." I murmured. There were more important matters to attend to. It was just a waste of time to engage with the people before I was officially recognized as the ruler. I could prioritize them after I had ascended the throne.
"I hope the reason for this attitude isn't some haughty notion of 'would the heir enter the home of a commoner?'"
I interrupted his serious tone with my mocking laughter. "Don't be ridiculous, Çağın..." I continued laughing. "I'm not that bad, I'm not Eva."
He couldn't respond to me because the door was opened by an elderly woman holding a small oil lamp. Çağın again started with a warm smile, "Greetings..." "The heir wishes to visit you."
The woman looked at us both skeptically. Pushing back the child trying to peek from behind her, she held him back. "Why?" she asked. "Did we do something wrong?"
I raised my eyebrows at Çağın. He did the same. We hadn't expected such a reaction from the old woman, whose face was illuminated by the orange light of the oil lamp. "No, we just wanted to know if the young master is satisfied with the education he's receiving from the sophists," I said, conveying my respect for every hardship etched on her face as wrinkles.
It seemed my absence had made the people fear the government. Gaining their trust might be hard, but once won, they wouldn't be able to detach from me easily. They would feel indebted to the king who healed their wounds and thus would be obligated to obey. Although this thought made me want to smile internally, I restrained myself and kept my expression unchanged.
My explanation somewhat eased the tension on the woman. Nodding her head affirmatively, she prayed, "May the Sacred Spirits always be with you, may Elysian never leave us without you."
Even though her words flattered me, I decided to cut the visit short to avoid alarming and tiring the elderly woman further. "If you ever have any issues, do not hesitate to come to the palace and meet with me. Have a good night." After exchanging smiles, the woman closed the door.
"She was nervous..." Çağın murmured.
"She was old, probably a child during the war times, so she has a distrustful nature." He nodded, agreeing with my comment as we stood in front of the next house.
When Çağın knocked again, I asked, "Did you also prepare supplies to distribute to the houses?"
Nodding his head affirmatively, he added verbally: "Instructions were given to the little folk. They will leave supplies at the doors tomorrow morning while everyone is asleep. I thought it might hurt their pride if we handed it over directly."
To me, receiving supplies directly from the heir would have increased their trust and loyalty to the authority. I couldn't share this thought with Çağın because the door opened.
The young man who opened the door, his skin as black as the night shining with bright blue eyes on Çağın, said, "Come in…" when he saw me. Raising his eyebrows and saying with surprise, "My lord," made me smile.
"We apologize for disturbing you at night," I said in a soft voice.
"I hope there's no problem?" he asked, his voice laced with worry. It was a familiar worry. When I was a student in the World, even though I hadn't cheated on an exam, I would feel as if I was about to be accused of cheating and carry this paranoid worry with me. In fact, it was the fear of being accused even though you know you're innocent.
"Actually, we're here to ask the same. We hope everything is fine in your life and that you know you can come to the palace and meet with us if you have any issues."
The man's expression changed instantly. I saw a fleeting look of relief, but then a sneer spread across his face. "Actually, I did have a problem and tried everything to express myself, but I couldn't find anyone to address it to, my lord."
My gaze immediately shifted to Çağın. He looked back at me, realizing I was at a loss. I had assumed Çağın had managed everything while I had been secluded these past few days.
Since I had been unaware of the happenings in the palace recently, Çağın responded to the man: "Let us make it up to you. The palace has been very busy lately, but that's no excuse for not attending to you. I will be waiting for you at the palace with the first light of tomorrow, and I will personally take care of you."
After sweet-talking the man a bit more, we moved on to another house. We continued like this, visiting the homes of those who loved and those who didn't, the old and the young, having brief conversations with everyone.
We walked back in silence. When my steps halted as my gaze briefly turned to Ravi, Çağın, a few steps ahead, turned to me. "What happened?"
Hesna, after smiling and touching Arya's shoulder, stepped back and disappeared within seconds. I barely caught her lips moving. During this, Çağın, who had turned his head towards where I was looking, asked, "Is that Arya?"
He hadn't noticed Hesna, so I exhaled with relief. Smiling, I said, "Yes." "You go ahead to the carriage and return to the palace. I'll get some information about Ravi from Arya and teleport myself to the palace."
Perhaps because he thought I finally wanted to do something willingly, his lips curved with a large desire, shining with happiness. He nodded, approvingly walked towards the forest path.
Once Çağın was out of sight, I stepped into the wide meadow. Arya, noticing someone approaching in the dark, turned her body fully towards me. I slithered through the meadow like a snake. The grass beneath my feet, not wanting me to lose my way, had bowed their heads to the ground as if in submission.
Finally, when I reached her, the candlestick in her hand illuminated my face, and she recognized me. She curtsied, saying, "My lord," which made me smile, and I greeted her in kind. "Arya, the guardian of Ravi."
"Do we have a problem, coming all the way here?" she asked, to which I smiled. Instead of answering immediately, I chose to let her wait. I observed her silver armor, ponytail, and stern face.
"A moment ago..." I said, locking my gaze with hers. "Hesna was here too, I believe, did you ask her why she came?"
Her eyebrows
rose for a few moments as she thought about what to say. Then, in a very natural tone, she said, "Hesna often comes to tie her dreams."
My eyebrows shot up: "To watch the people?"
"No, she comes after the people's ceremony is over and ties her own dreams."
I couldn't help but let my lips part slightly in surprise. A joyful laugh escaped through the door that astonishment had opened. Now, I would find out what she was up to.
Extending my hand towards Arya, I spoke in a tone that brooked no objection. "I want Hesna's tied rags."
"What do you mean?" she asked immediately. Shock had raised her voice a notch. Her facial features tensed, and her pupils shrank.
I shrugged. "I want the dreams Hesna tied to be given to me."
"You're asking me to break the seal that the Sacred Spirits tied, do you realize that?"
I nodded affirmatively. "If I remember correctly, only you and the monarch could do this. Since I'm not yet a monarch, yes, I want you to do this."
I made her feel as if I was pressing the dull side of a knife to her throat. The choice to slowly pull it away or turn it sharp side and cut her throat was in her hands. I knew which one she would choose because Arya supported the noble Eva. Even Eva wouldn't trust these nobles supporting her.
Smiling, I said softly, "Look... I don't forget the good done to me, and I consider it my duty to reward it." I touched her shoulder, first gently caressing it, then firmly squeezing it. I shadowed my smile with my seriousness. "I also don't forget when things are done that I don't like." After pushing her away from her shoulder, I took a few steps back. Before teleporting myself, the last thing I said was, "You have two days, either be my friend or my enemy."
