The Child of Nature

I am flying.

Based on my shadow, I am a majestic, beautiful bird flying above our mainland. The weather is wonderful this morning; the four countries on our mainland seem to be very similar from up here. We basically live on an island with the lush blue-green sea surrounding the mainland. Still flying, I can see rich ranges. Clear rivers and brooks flow, brimming with fish swimming inside them. There is a flavour of solace and peace in the wind. The forests contain young and old trees alike, with most of their trunks standing sturdy and tall, giving the forest a look of densely green foliage. All four countries possess some resources that are unique and native to each. Our country particularly is famous for its delicious wines.

My people live in the southwest side of the mainland. Our ally country is up northwest; they are rich in iron ores. Our relationship with the eastern countries isn’t cordial because of certain religious differences. All four countries are linked to a beautiful, dense Central Forest rich in wildlife, which is at the heart of the mainland. All the four Capitals are built close to the Central Forest, and deliberately so that the rulers aren’t far from each other. The Central Forest is almost as large as a country. The borders are marked with a moderately wide and shallow river that streams through the Central Forest.

I am happy and free… but it all changes in a second.

I raise my head up, and I see a huge black cloud threateningly inching towards me. I try to escape, but the cloud follows and devours me. The last thing I see is complete darkness.

I woke up with a start, in cold sweat, panting heavily. The window to my room was open, the night was peeking in, and the blinds were wavering. I was clutching my bedsheets and realised that my childhood nightmare was haunting me again.

I took a deep breath, put my robe on and went to the balcony of my apartment. Bean got up immediately and followed me with his tongue out. Bean was a brown-coloured, mixed breed, large dog that I had found on the riverside a few years ago, abandoned. He was only a puppy back then.

I saw the well-kept garden of my parents’ castle from the balcony, where many royal guards were walking next to the torches. The garden always provided me sight for sore eyes, especially after this kind of awakening.

This nightmare had been haunting me since my childhood. My remedy was a potion from Master Larus that always helped me drown this nightmare out. Over the years, I have had to receive stronger potions to keep the dream at bay. Tomorrow I’d need to get a stronger one if I want to sleep again, I thought.

I went back to my room and, after some time, fell asleep again. I couldn’t sleep as well and as deep as I had before the nightmare began.

I woke up very early in the morning, took a bath, and got dressed before going over to Master Larus with my dog, Bean.

I was one of the heirs to the throne. My apartment was equipped luxuriously, with orange colours dominant all around since that was the colour of my family. I always paid attention to my clothing, always wearing the most expensive clothes, ensuring I looked immaculate. In my opinion, this was a basic requirement for someone belonging to the Royal Family.

Two guards always stood in front of my door, and as soon as I left my apartment, they followed me obediently. I walked down the decorated corridors with statues and paintings of my family and other nobles or artists, with the guards behind me.

These corridors were guarded by other guards, also dressed in orange. The servants passing by bowed to me respectfully. I was en route to Master Larus’ laboratory across the castle.

Master Larus was our royal herbalist. When I opened his door, it was not surprising to see that he was already standing next to his pots and mixing something. In the laboratory, tables stood with pots connected to pipes everywhere.

Master Larus was a short man with a long beard. He barely reached my chest. Master Larus looked up from his work and bowed to me as soon as I entered. My guards waited outside the gate.

‘Good morning, Prince Varian,’ he smiled at me, ‘How can I help you?’

‘I had a nightmare again,’ I said, eyeing his fascinating laboratory, ‘I need a stronger potion.’

Master Larus moved to one of his stations and searched for the potion. ‘For now, I can, but soon, I will not be able to give you any stronger potion,’ he said. ‘Please bethink of another solution, Your Majesty.’

‘What kind of other solution?’ I asked angrily with my eyes on the short man now. ‘Should I quit sleeping?’

‘No, Your Majesty,’ he said apologetically, ‘but maybe you should consider asking the child for advice.’

‘I won’t seek any advice from a religious belief,’ I said angrily, ‘and definitely not from a child.’

‘As you wish, Your Majesty,’ he said and bowed to me, procuring multiple bottles and jars from his collection. ‘I’ll start brewing the potion. It will be waiting for you in your apartment tonight.’

‘Thank you, Master Larus,’ I said.

I left Master Larus’ laboratory and walked to our royal diner to have breakfast with my family like every day.

The guards stationed along the corridor saluted me while I walked. I almost reached the entrance of the diner when I saw my reflection walk towards me.

‘Don’t you want to get rid of this silly habit of having guards inside the castle?’ my twin brother, Darven, asked teasingly, ‘they make you look ridiculous.’

‘A Prince should carry authority,’ I said, with solemnity laced in my voice.

My twin brother and I looked alike. Both of us were tall, handsome and with developed broad shoulders. Our dark eyes and hair made us indistinguishable from anyone else around. Up to this day, we kept the same hairstyle; we didn’t mind looking fully identical. Like every other pair of twins, in our childhood, we teased our parents by impersonating each other. Our main difference was, which our parents used to distinguish us with, that Darven was right-handed and I used my left hand.

None of us knew who the older one was. Our parents’ plan was to give the throne over to both of us. Following their plans, in the last few years, we studied separately to be good at different things, and we met only sometimes for a week or two. Darven dressed more casually than me; he never buttoned up his jacket properly and never bothered maintaining the stylishness of a Prince. We soon finished our studies, and both of us were now members of our father’s Royal Council.

‘I doubt that the guards will give you authority,’ he chuckled, ‘are you ready to meet your wife today?’

‘We’ll meet your wife,’ I teased him.

‘We’ll see about that,’ he answered.

We entered the royal diner, deluxe as always. Our parents were sitting on one side of the table, and our little sister, Valita, was sitting on the other side of the table, waiting for us. Valita was much younger than us. She had just learned how to read and write. She had beautiful, long dark hair and big, dark eyes. She looked like a perfect little Princess and was the apple of everyone’s eye.

Both of my parents were tall, but they were shorter than us brothers. They also had dark hair and eyes, just like everyone else in our ancestry, since we were born in the southern regions. My mother had a fine head of dark hair while my father kept a small beard.

Bean, who had been following me, sat down on the corner, and the servants gave him breakfast.

‘Just on time,’ my mother smiled at us. Valita mirrored her.

‘Good morning,’ we said, joining them by the table and sitting down next to Valita. As the servants served us breakfast, we helped Valita use the knife from both sides of her plate.

‘The future Queen will arrive today,’ my father said cheerily. Darven and I eyed each other.

‘Do we really have to do this, father?’ I asked, ‘neither Darven nor I want to get married.’

‘I’m sorry, my son,’ my father answered, ‘the eastern countries united their forces; we must do the same. The wedding with our northern neighbour is the best choice. You are lucky because it’s up to Princess Amarila’s choice which one of you can stay happily free,’ he chuckled.

‘Great,’ I said sarcastically, ‘can we not come to peace with the eastern countries?’

‘Your grandfather had already tried,’ he said, ‘until they came to tread on everything we believe in, there is no hope. The conflicts in our beliefs are a serious matter.’

‘We believe in a dream,’ I snapped, ‘in a legend about some kind of child,’ I stressed upon the last word sarcastically.

‘What child?’ Valita asked agape.

My mother put down her knife and fork and smiled at her daughter.

’In every generation, a child is born, and thanks to this child, the ranges are rich, the soils have enough crops that can be harvested, and the rivers are rich in fish. The child takes care of the balance of nature, the sunshine and the rain, and watches over life and helps people.

‘Where does this child live?’ Valita asked next.

‘In the joint, Central Forest,’ my mother said.

‘Interestingly,’ I interrupted my mother, ‘nobody ever saw any child during the last centuries. We don’t even know how old the current child is.’

‘We don’t know,’ Darven said, ‘but someone else might know.’

‘Maybe this child isn’t even alive now because he died and will be born only after ten years,’ I said.

‘Nature would indicate that,’ my father said confidently.

‘What is our eastern neighbours’ problem with this child?’ Valita asked again. She visibly liked this child theory.

‘They would like to know who this child is, and they want to dispossess this child to work only for them,’ my mother answered.

My mother was very polite because the eastern kingdoms had hunted the child for many years to kill him. Master Larus used to live in the east when he was young. It was only when they tried to kill him that he took refuge with us. He helped people with his potions, and everyone thought that he was the child. The eastern rulers think that the child blows the coal between the countries and provides fake dreams about health and well-being.

‘Can I visit this child in the Central Forest?’ Valita asked curiously.

‘It’s impossible to get into that forest,’ I said, ‘there is nothing inside. No castle, no tower, nothing. Whenever I rode into this forest, I always got lost. Believe me, Valita, there is no child in that forest. Probably some deer here and there and similar animals, but no child. I can imagine an old man sitting under a tree getting wet in the rain, staying there as that tree is his home,’ I laughed loudly.

Darven was thinking for a while and laughed.

‘Varian,’ my father said to me, ‘talk with more respect. You are here because the child helped your mother.’

‘Did you see him, Mother?’ Valita asked excitedly.

‘No,’ my mother answered, ‘I left a letter next to the forest, and on the next day, a bag of tea leaves was waiting for me in my room. You brothers were born afterwards.’

‘That’s indeed a proof for the existence of this child,’ I said sardonically, ‘as it could not be done by Master Larus or any other mage.’

‘Enough, Varian,’ my father said, ‘your unbelieving behaviour is unacceptable here.’

‘Do I really have to get married because of this nonsense theory?’ I snapped, ‘this child does not exist; we are simply lucky with the position of our mainland.’

‘Enough,’ my father stood up, ‘leave the diner and until our guests arrive, think over what you dare to talk about.’

I stood up and stormed out of the diner to the stable. I had a beautiful, black stallion. I called him Sundown. I kept him saddled with a stable boy and rode out with my two guards and Bean.

I was angry as it wasn’t fair that I had to pay the price for something that the older generations believed in, which did not even exist.

The Central Forest, where nobody ever entered, lay north from the castle, and it only took an hour-long ride to get there. I wanted to enter the forest to prove that nothing lived there except for deer and other animals.

On a meadow near the forest and the border river, there was a royal guard post where the guards paid attention to the eastern side. We traded with our northern neighbour, but only very few people could come over from the east. The forest was respected by everyone; all the traders made sure to bypass it carefully.

We entered the forest. The sun perfused the forest with light between the branches. Everything was peaceful and harmless. A wooden tray lay next to a huge tree trunk, where people could leave their letters to the child. Currently, the tray was empty.

I walked straight ahead, with my dog and my guards following me. Close to us, bunnies were playing and deer were pasturing. I correlated the sun’s direction to me, always having it on the same side of myself as I was taught, and went deeper into the forest. As always, I didn’t see any castle or tower. I saw nothing. I already started to think that I had made it into the forest when I noticed our royal guards’ post.

‘I got lost again,’ I said to myself.

‘According to hearsay, Your Majesty,’ one of my guards said, ‘the forest discharges everyone who wants its secrets.’

‘Certainly,’ I said sarcastically.

I rode back to the castle; the stable boys helped me get off the horse and unsaddled Sundown.

‘Your wife will arrive soon,’ my brother teased me, waiting for me at the stable door.

‘I’m pretty sure she’ll choose you,’ I chuckled.

‘Have you been in the Central Forest again?’ Darven asked me.

‘Yes,’ I said fretfully, ‘but nothing is there. Why don’t you side with me relating to this child theory?’

‘Because I already told you that I don’t agree with you,’ he answered calmly, ‘during the years when I studied in the north, I saw a lot of evidence for the existence of the child.’

‘Tell me one,’ I asked, my arms folded.

‘I already told you,’ he laughed, ‘the countries are flourishing; everyone has enough food. There are the drawings, the things that help us to stay healthy. Tell me that these are not enough evidence,’ he indicated to his leather strap with a wooden medallion on his neck. It contained some lines without real configuration, ‘the children taught these drawings for our people and us, in times of centuries gone by. These work, just like the potions.’

‘So, you think that you are healthy because of this medallion?’ I pointed towards it with my finger.

‘Yes,’ he answered confidently, ‘and I know that you are wearing your medallion, the one I gave you, during your encounters to avoid having any unwanted baby.’

‘The drawings can work without the child, just like Master Larus is successful with his potions.’ I said, ‘if the child existed, he wouldn’t be helping the eastern people, that I should remind you, want to kill him.’

‘The child is responsible for the balance of the mainland, not for the happiness of given rulers,’ my brother said, ‘a few generations ago, the child was loved and celebrated everywhere. Maybe things will be the same once again.’

‘Why is this child not showing himself?’ I asked.

‘From what I know, a few generations ago, everyone knew the child,’ Darven said, ‘in many cities, statues were erected for him. His true identity is a secret since he is hunted. If I were him, I’d take care of myself too.’

‘If you get to know this child, please introduce me to him.’ I said, and my brother laughed.

‘I don’t think that he wants to meet you,’ he teased me, ‘you didn’t have any nice word about the child.’

‘If I meet him, I’ll think about what to say,’ I said.

‘Good idea,’ he laughed and left me alone.