Sovereign Servants - The Sending (VIRGIN EARTH Book 1)

by W. C. Jasper

  But Prince Jared continued, “Suika clearly demonstrated the passion required to be an extraordinary scientist, so we will be paying closer attention to her and grooming her to accomplish that. And while Kensu has not the slightest clue about this yet, he is clearly someone who needs to apply himself in philosophy. And Hinata from the second-years…” Thaymas’ confusion swam around on the surface of his eyes as the Prince continued, “well, it is very rare that we haven’t already picked someone out by the time they are in the second year of second-degree school. But it appears she is a late bloomer.” Thaymas interjected, “But no one from the second-years seemed to stand out… I certainly did not notice anyone remarkable.” “Hmmm…” said King Jeraash who was walking in front of them, “Maybe that is why you are the student and we are the masters.” As Thaymas opened his mouth, he was interrupted by King Jeraash, “Don’t apologise, silly brother. I was jesting.”

  As King Jeraash stopped speaking, Prince Jared recognised his cue and spoke, “Thaymas, my brother. As I always say, your raw talent for observation is marvellous. But, your observational prowess will develop to its maximum potential when you gain wisdom and INTENTIONALLY hone your skills and sharpen your intellect. While intellect is something one is born with, in order to unlock it to its maximum capacity, one needs to study thought processes in general, and also analyse their own thought process and intentionally work on it. As it happens, that is exactly what this young girl, Hinata seems to have done. There is no doubt that she was born with considerable talent too, but it seems that she escaped our notice until now because she had not deliberately worked on it. But she is a different person now. As for how exactly we noticed her even though she did not speak anything, that’s a story for another day.”

  Thaymas enquired, “Well, you said that you plan to apply the first-years to philosophy and science. What about Hinata?”

  Prince Jared answered thoughtfully, “Hmm… that is in fact a tricky one. You see, we believe she possesses tremendous overall intellectual prowess. Which means that she will be a wonderful asset no matter what field we apply her to. I mean… that too has certain exceptions of course. For example, things such as philosophy and religion require a certain aptitude. But, I think this girl will excel in most things including any branch of science. So as of now, we will reach out to her and try to understand her likes and passions, if any. And then we can decide how we proceed based on her personal likings, ambitions, and the current needs of the Kingdom.”

  As the sound of the perfectly synchronised footsteps of the King and Prince rang like a drum in the hands of an expert drummer, Thaymas’ own footsteps stood out sharply like a beat out of time in his ears. As he marched to this imperfect beat, Thaymas wondered if he too would ever achieve such intellect and wisdom.

  That afternoon, King Jeraash joined Prince Jared in his lessons for Akini and Thaymas. Prince Jared was reading the newspaper as Akini and Thaymas were engaged in a study assignment about politics and sociology when King Jeraash arrived.

  King Jeraash: “How are their lessons going?”

  “Going well,” said Prince Jared, continuing to read the newspaper, “Thaymas could do considerably better. But I will keep an eye on his progress.”

  Akini and Thaymas sat on the floor, as it made more sense since they needed to refer to numerous books and it made quite a mess. Prince Jared lay on his stomach and held his shoulders up resting on his elbows and held the newspaper in his hands as he read it. King Jeraash sat on the floor near the three of them and observed them.

  Akini: “So these dictatorships… Wouldn’t it be true that a monarchy like ours would be the most susceptible to falling into it?”

  “Yes,” answered King Jeraash.

  Prince Jared folded his newspaper and sat up and spoke with a very calm and centred flavour of jest as his face danced about animatedly, “If you don’t mind… they are still my students, Brother.”

  King Jeraash put up his hands and laughed gently, “He he, sure, sure. Forgive me. Go on.”

  Prince Jared added, “Generally speaking, my brother’s answer is correct. In fact, generally speaking, monarchies would be the most dangerous form of government. However, you said, ‘a monarchy like ours’, and our monarchy is the one furthest away from being susceptible to a dictatorship. You see, apart from the fact that we have rulers who are as noble as can be, our system has very little resemblance to a traditional monarchy. Think about it. Even though the final power lies with the king or queen who holds the sceptre of power, decisions are seldom made that way in our Kingdom. Given my brother’s intellect, wisdom, and the fact that he holds the sceptre of power; he would be completely justified in making decisions on his own. And no one would be more suited than him to have unfettered power. Yet, he depends on advice from others more than any king in history. And of course, in actuality, the Council of Elders holds the power to even declare a call of no-confidence in the reigning king/queen and consequently choose a new king. The reason it never feels like it is that our kings have usually been of such character that they have been beyond the reach of any sort of blame. And there is also the well-defined delegation and distribution of power and responsibility and the decentralised system of government we follow.”

  “Hmm…” said Akini, “But that seems to be a very… um… you know…”

  “It doesn’t sound like a very feasible plan, does it?” said King Jeraash and looked over at the Prince. Prince Jared signalled him to continue, at which he responded, “No. We both know that the way you would speak about this and the way I would speak about it will be quite different. And these are your pupils after all. You should be doing this.”

  Prince Jared continued, “Yes, a monarchy is a problematic concept because it depends heavily on the moral fortitude of the ruler. And even if a ruler is morally secure, it is almost impossible for anyone to enforce such strong moral values throughout a government. In this sense, democratic and constitutional republic models are better options.”

  He looked over at Thaymas and continued, “I hope you have a firm grasp of all different forms of government by now, Thaymas.”

  Thaymas nodded in affirmation.

  Prince Jared acknowledged his nod and continued, “This is the reason that I forced you both to start off your lessons with a heavy emphasis on history and politics despite the fact that they are my most hated subjects. Anyway, as I was saying - In one sense, a democracy or a constitutional republic are better options. Unfortunately, this form of government too fails eventually because of the greatest problem on the Earth - humans.”

  King Jeraash smiled as faintly as he could. Prince Jared looked over at him and quickly returned to his conversation, “The corruptibility of human beings is the greatest foe to the Earth and it is also the greatest challenge to a good government. After all, Devaar has been claiming to follow some form of a democratic-republic model, and yet it does not yield the results that are expected from such a model. Gessold has claimed to be the same for over four centuries now, and the current state of their empire does not feel like it at all. What sounds great as a concept does not always work in reality. Remember how I said that even if a ruler is morally secure, it is almost impossible for them to enforce good moral values in the government? That stands true for a democracy as well. In fact, it stands true for every form of government. Because one by one, individuals in the system inevitably get corrupted and eventually the entire system becomes unrecognisably tainted. You two have studied the history of the country of Balaan. Balaan followed a democratic system starting in SHAR 2761. And while it started out great and proved to be a wonderful form of governance at first, their country started to eventually crumble in SHAR 2912. And when the corruption of their government came to light, the magnitude of the corruption and the depth of its infection was shocking to the core. The number of people inside the government who were complicit in enabling crime was enormous and even the number of people inside the government who created the criminal organisations was sh
ocking. Because that’s how humans are. When human progress moves forward in a wrong direction such as unnatural industrialisation and unnecessary government intervention in personal lives, that is when human corruption peaks. And when human corruption peaks, it infects a democratic system from the inside and destroys it. For example, when human progress led to industrialisation in Balaan and eventually to a ridiculous gap in the balance of power and wealth between the rich and the poor, that is when the problems birthed. Once humans get a taste for tremendous power and wealth, 99.99 % of humans are sure to turn into demons… speaking loosely… metaphorically. That is also one of the reasons that we have been able to maintain a noble monarchy in Jerudia. Apart from the fact that the House of Rash-Yaph believes in forming themselves into ultimate instruments of service to mankind and to the Kingdom by becoming the best in all knowledge, wisdom, and war; we have also been able to keep away from the wrong forms of progress. We never intervened in personal lives and liberties and we never promoted or even allowed unnatural industrialisation.”

  Thaymas and Akini’s eyes widened slightly and they took a deep breath to internalise all of it. However, Thaymas was better suited for this stuff and he was already forming his own opinions around the matter while Akini was still internalising all of it.

  King Jeraash: “You two will soon be exposed to some of these concepts first-hand. You will see some of these things with your own eyes. That is when all of this will become real to you. However, you still need to be studying all of this deeply and internalise all different aspects of politics, sociology, as well as history very well. Are we clear?”

  Thaymas and Akini nodded with an earnest sincerity on their faces.

  The next morning, Prince Jared, King Jeraash, Queen Maomi, and General Thayman gathered at the beginning of the twelfth hour of the day for a very important conversation. Every door and window in the room was closed for the conversation and no guard was allowed to witness the conversation either.

  General Thayman began, “Does anyone know why I called this meeting together?”

  Prince Jared frowned and lightly shook his head, indicating he had no clue. King Jeraash and Queen Maomi however, very clearly knew what it was about. King Jeraash spoke with a voice that very sharply expressed his lack of enthusiasm in the matter, “I know what one part of it is. And based on what I can read on your face as I speak, I now know what the other one is as well. Yup, and based on what I can read on your face now, I can see that those two are the only things you wish to speak about.”

  Prince Jared’s face and shoulders displayed his acceptance of defeat regarding the matter and he spoke out, “Okay. Can someone allow me into the knowing as well?”

  General Thayman began, “Well, no point in holding this one back. And this is something you yourself are eager about, Jared.” Prince Jared’s confusion could be seen on his large forehead. General Thayman continued, “Apart from the fact that you are desperately eager to have a nephew,” Prince Jared’s face lit up like a mini star as General Thayman continued, “it is also simply unacceptable for the Crowned King of Jerudia to remain childless. So, despite the fact that Jeraash has already told us he wishes to wait longer, I needed to bring this matter up right now. I would not be at peace if I did not bring this up now. So tell me, how much longer?”

  King Jeraash sighed faintly and turned away and started walking back and forth slowly with his hands tied behind his back. Prince Jared’s face was now as grey as General Thayman’s hair.

  General Thayman added, “It’s a shame that while the one woman in Jerudia who could have fixed your condition was still alive, we did not realise that this problem even existed. And as it is, Wardiela’s loss will never fully wash away. But now that Wardiela is not with us anymore, it is time that we reach out to the people who can help us.”

  Continuing his back-and-forth walk, with his head low, King Jeraash spoke, “As I said before, Uncle. Given that they are not in Jerudia, we have to wait. You know the circumstances better than anyone. We do not have a choice.”

  General Thayman responded with a rather serious voice, “Well, Wardiela might have been the only one in Jerudia who could actually do it. But she was not the only one with the potential power to do it.”

  Prince Jared’s face, which was already hanging low, now fell completely. His eyes carried great shame and guilt that he did not want anyone to see. But King Jeraash and Queen Maomi did not need to see it to know it. Queen Maomi quickly rushed over and embraced him tightly and held his face on her chest and comforted him.

  No words were spoken for a while. Even the biggest cry-baby, Prince Jared did not shed a tear as King Jeraash’s silent tears escaped undetected, thanks to his cleverness in facing away from everyone. Queen Maomi comforted the depressed Prince as King Jeraash waited for the right moment for him to wipe away his silent tears without anyone noticing.

  General Thayman apologised to Queen Maomi, “I’m sorry, my dear. I know how cruel it is to watch one’s child in pain. But someone needed to have this conversation, and so… I did it.”

  King Jeraash used the opportunity and wiped his face without anyone noticing it.

  General Thayman continued, “I apologise to everyone. But it needed to be talked about. Do remember that Sasha and Gabi also need to be treated. While the general public might not know their true ordeal, it is still very real. Those girls are still struggling with the suffering. So it—” when he was cut off sternly and violently by King Jeraash, “I know!”

  Along with all the low-hung heads in that dark room that faced different directions, General Thayman’s head too lowered now. It was truly rare for King Jeraash to have an outburst.

  King Jeraash took a deep breath and continued in a calmer, but heavy and cracking voice, “I know it better than anyone, Uncle. We were the ones who rescued those girls. We were the ones who had to witness the monstrosity that day with our own eyes. My 12-year-old brother had to witness that unspeakable monstrosity. We shielded Jerudia from the truth of that day, but my little brother was not spared from it. The scars he carries from that day are more than just of someone hearing about a horror story. He was present in that house. He lived through it. My kid brother lived through it at the tender age of 12. Don’t you think that what we witnessed that day could have something to do with the fact of Jared not being able to use his potential and help us with this situation?”

  The supremely wise Noble Lord Thayman Riasmas’ infinitesimally rare instance of ludicrous stupidity suddenly hit him like crashing into a boulder at a smashing speed. He had missed something so plain. And this was one of the wisest men in history. But humans are humans after all. General Thayman hung his head low and shook it gently as a failed and shattered voice departed from this throat, “I don’t know how I could be so incredibly stupid. No one has been this flagrantly foolish.” He moved forward and Queen Maomi moved aside as he took Prince Jared’s hands, “Forgive me, Son. I have been disgraceful and foolish.” He hugged the Prince and kissed his temple and patted the back of his head. The cry-baby Prince’s eyes did not tear up this time, but his tears were definitely raging like an ocean inside his heart. But his guilt and shame did not allow them to come out in the presence of others, for he knew that it would then receive the comfort of his loved ones. And his guilt and shame had convinced him that he did not deserve that comfort.

  King Jeraash turned around and spoke, “We are all humans, Uncle. People may call us gods; but we are, after all, humans. Given your legendary heroics and numerous noble deeds, I’m sure that you are allowed a thousand mistakes. And this was, after all, only one. In any case, I think this meeting has subsisted longer than its rightful time. Let’s go. In time, we will all find what we seek.”

  Chapter Nine

  Grave Briefings And Grieving Reunions

  The King and Queen called a meeting with the Council of Elders, the Generals, Captain Yaakub, Akini, Thaymas, and the former Generals - Lord Eraami and Lord Feniro. Queen Maomi commenced the procee
dings, “This meeting has been called regarding the threat of a full-scale war from Gessold. Anything and everything that will be spoken of in this meeting will be strictly confidential. I will be diving right in. It is common knowledge that Emperor Thon has strong commercial relationships with both Devaar and Ketaar. While it is unlikely that they will be joining forces with Gessold to attack us, we cannot be sure of it. Everyone knows that Ketaar keeps its political matters private due to its religious fanaticism. And with the old feud between the two, it is highly unlikely for them to join forces with Gessold. Even so, we cannot be sure that they will not take up arms against us. Which is why the King, the Prince, and I have decided to visit these lands as travellers and investigate the land to gain as much information as possible. After which we will visit the rulers of the land and try to negotiate with them about their position in the war. Based on the information that the King, the Prince, and I are privy to, we have calculated that Gessold will not be attacking us in the next three years. This operation will be one of patience. We are not sure how long it will take. As much as possible, we will be staying in disguise. But as I said, eventually we will be meeting the rulers of the land to try and reach a formal understanding. The party will include the Crowned King Jeraash Ehbed, Crowned Prince Jared Ehbed, Noble Lord Thayman Riasmas, Prince Thaymas Riasmas, General Hana Zivaala, Miss Akini Swaasam, and Queen Maomi Otama. We will first be travelling to Devaar, and then to Ketaar. We hope to return soon, but we have no expected timeline. Any questions you all may have are to be presented now.”