The Golden Fountain

by Zuheb Alep

  “Benjamin, you’re here!” he cheered. “I knew you’d come.”

  The prince grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. Benjamin tried to act cool. He followed Prince Adam through the marvellous hall where the birthday party had taken place the previous night. It was clean and there was no mess. The tables had been put away and the aroma of food had been replaced by that of polish.

  Prince Adam led Benjamin up the red stairs and they wandered through the vast maze of corridors filled with rich furniture and tapestries on the walls. There were several paintings of royal ancestors who presided, unsmiling, like powerful deities. It made Benjamin wonder how Springhaven used to be ruled.

  “This is much better than my house,” he muttered.

  “I’m sure it isn’t,” protested Prince Adam. “I wish I had an ordinary house like yours.”

  This seemed like an odd thing for a prince to say. Benjamin was mulling over Prince Adam’s words when they stopped before a golden door bearing two large door-knockers carved in the form of a ram’s head.

  “This is my room.” Prince Adam pushed open the door and flung out his hand. “You go first,” he insisted.

  Benjamin strolled in and found the room to be as he had guessed, so large that his whole house could probably fit inside it. There were many ornate ornaments and a gigantic painting of Prince Adam, holding a book in one hand and a tabby cat in the other, covered one wall. The floor was covered with thick black carpet, soft enough to make you feel guilty for wearing shoes. As for the four-poster bed, it was so large that ten people could fit inside, and opposite the bed was a towering mahogany wardrobe with a large television standing on a high shelf. There was a black bookcase on the left, filled with thousands of books, and a comfortable armchair near the bed.

  “Do you read all those?” asked Benjamin, moving over to the bookshelves. He placed the box of baklava on the desk nearby, forgetting to present it politely.

  “Yes,” said Prince Adam, sitting on the bed. “All the time, except for the boring books; I only use those with my tutor. But let’s discuss what happened yesterday. I can’t seem to forget it. Tea starts in twenty minutes.”

  Benjamin gulped silently and nodded, walking over to sit next to the prince. They discussed everything, including the appearance of the strange trio at the party.

  “I think they were trying to get you,” said Benjamin when he’d finished.

  “I don’t think so,” said Prince Adam, shaking his head. “You’re forgetting one thing; only you can see them, no one else. They’re connected to you, not me.”

  “No, Adam,” argued Benjamin. “It’s always while you’re around. Maybe they weren’t trying to assassinate you; maybe they released the lion to kidnap you. I think I might have prevented you from becoming another missing child.”

  “In broad daylight? Unlikely.” Prince Adam shook his head, not wanting to argue any further. “Well, I’m as safe as I’ll ever be,” he reassured Benjamin. “It’s really sad. When I saw the news this morning, it reminded me of the Dream Finder, a true story that happened five years ago; there were children who disappeared then, and now the same thing’s happening all over again.”

  Benjamin nodded. “I remember. In fact I’ve met the heroine, April.”

  “April Blueberry?”

  “Goldenberry,” Benjamin corrected him. “Her name was changed when it was given to her by the evil lady, remember?”

  “But how did you meet her?” asked Prince Adam, doubting the truth of Benjamin’s tale.

  “Because of the children that went missing almost every day in Brytannia at that time. The government there asked my brother to come and help. He was a general in the Aradian army at the time, as you possibly know; he’s been promoted since. I asked him to take me along because he had taken Nadine the last time he’d gone on an expedition. When we arrived, Sebastian and I stayed in a hotel. There was a college nearby where I studied, and that’s where I met April. We had lots of fun together. I still remember the things we did; we played on the roof, we rang the bell in the tower as a prank and we also played in the great garden – the daffodils, I remember, were her favourite. I was there for almost two weeks, but before my eighth birthday, I was kidnapped. So I do know what it’s like.”

  Prince Adam raised his eyebrows. “You? Kidnapped?” he scoffed.

  Benjamin shrugged, understanding that Prince Adam might find it hard to believe. “It was scary being without my family at first, but the company of the other children made me feel safer,” he continued. “We were all taken up to some place in the Far North; it was winter and it was snowing worse than ever over there. Despite the cold, we were all warm because we were kept inside a big building. It wasn’t very long before April came to rescue us with my big brother and the army. We went home then, but April didn’t. No one knew where she’d gone. Sebastian took me straight back here and said that I was never allowed to go on another expedition with him. I was upset about that. My parents were very over-protective since we returned. I wasn’t allowed out. They always kept me in their sight. I don’t blame them, but after a few years, they started letting me out when they knew that it was safe. Right now, I’m worried. Since I saw the news this morning, I got scared, and so did they. They wouldn’t even leave to the market until I was inside the palace.”

  Prince Adam stayed silent for a moment. It was hard to accept that Benjamin had been one of the children who’d gone missing five years before. “Do you know where April might be now?” he asked.

  “No.” Benjamin shook his head sadly. “I wonder if she still remembers me.” He looked down at his knees. It had been a long time since he’d told anyone about April. Kaileena was the only person he had confided in, years ago.

  “I’m sure she still remembers you,” Prince Adam declared. “She can’t have forgotten about you that easily. You were friends for weeks.”

  All Benjamin could do was shrug.

  “Now that you have told me this, I wonder if it means that there’s some truth in the dream I had last night. Perhaps it was a message of some kind.”

  “What did you dream?” asked Benjamin.

  “I dreamt about many children being kidnapped from all over the world and brought to seven places … and I saw a beautiful Golden Fountain.”

  “Tell me about it,” urged Benjamin. He liked hearing interpretations of dreams.

  “I saw a group of children standing in front of large metallic buildings in seven different parts of the world,” Prince Adam began. “I didn’t know the places. The children seemed frightened. Then the dream shifted to a huge cliff in peaceful surroundings. The ground was smooth and made of granite, blended with dark green and orange colours. I looked up and saw the sunset turning the sky deep red. The Golden Fountain was a long, rectangular pool of dark, shimmering water. In the middle stood a golden bowl holding a statue of a dolphin, a cupid and a large leaf. Behind it all was a gigantic oak tree, its roots overflowing towards the edge of the cliff further away. It was protecting the Golden Fountain from the sun.”

  Benjamin thought that the last bit sounded hard to believe.

  “Adam,” he said, “that’s just a dream. You make it sound as if it really happened.”

  “Perhaps it did. How can we know?”

  “Then what could it possibly mean?”

  “It could be a warning.” Prince Adam scratched his head, hoping to come up with a better interpretation.

  Benjamin said nothing more. It was a strange dream, and it seemed very real from the way Prince Adam had described it. Then he remembered something. “You said you’d like to have a house like mine. Why would you want that?”

  Prince Adam sighed, finding it difficult to explain. “Well, mine’s a hundred times bigger than everybody else has in this city. It’s too much for me.”

  “But this palace is amazing!” Benjamin waved his hands around in exclamation.
“How can you not want to live here? I would love it!”

  “I haven’t even been inside all the rooms here,” Prince Adam moaned with a hint of embarrassment. “It doesn’t feel like a real home.”

  Benjamin didn’t know what to say. “It must be hard for you in some ways,” he suggested.

  Prince Adam nodded. “It is,” he admitted. “Of several royal families in various countries, mine is the most powerful, with lots of wealth and many countries, houses and clans swearing fealty to us. That puts me in the highest position in our world after my father, as I’m his eldest son. Our Aradian Empire is the largest, ruling most of Afrika, Asinia and other countries far and wide. The second biggest is the British empire of Europia, belonging to Queen Elizabeth of the house of Windsor. We’ve never waged war with them or held grudges against any other kingdom or realm. There is peace here. As the highest-ranking prince in our world, I have a lot of responsibility to keep it that way.”

  Benjamin frowned. This didn’t sound right. “From what you say,” he responded, “I gather you don’t really want to be a prince.”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Prince Adam liked the fact that Benjamin had noticed. “I have hinted as much to several people, but they don’t realise what I’m saying.”

  “You don’t want to be a prince?” Benjamin seemed shocked. It was almost like blasphemy.

  Prince Adam didn’t care. “I want to be like you,” he revealed, “an ordinary person. You saw how it was before I met you – I was sitting on that golden chair all by myself.”

  “Well, you could still be an ordinary person,” Benjamin pointed out. “In your free time, you should come and spend time with me and my friends.”

  “I rarely get free time.” Prince Adam slumped his shoulders in disappointment. “I’m usually busy studying with my tutors, and I have royal duties after that. A day like today is unusual for me.”

  He looked down sadly at his jewelled hands. There was nothing more that Benjamin could say to comfort him, so he patted him on the back, which was better than nothing. Prince Adam looked around his magnificent bedroom. His whole life had been spent sleeping on that bed, watching that TV on the wardrobe, gazing out at the stars through that window and he was no happier for it, but when he looked at Benjamin the prince smiled. He was different and interesting.

  Not long afterwards, they were startled by a sharp knock.

  “Come in!” called Prince Adam.

  The door opened slowly and in came Prince Adam’s tutor, a handsome young man called Mr. Aries, with dark stubble and hair beginning to grey. His body was toned and muscular, his veins visible through his purple shirt. He was escorting a young girl.

  “Hello, Adam,” he said. “A friend of yours has arrived.”

  It was Kaileena, wearing a red dress with dazzling red stones and a matching hair-band.

  “Hi,” she said.

  Benjamin was happy to see her. Of his group of friends, only she had come. He looked at Prince Adam, who was grinning. He seemed pleased to see her too.

  “I see you have another friend visiting also,” Mr. Aries commented, pointing at Benjamin with a slight frown.

  Prince Adam told his tutor about Benjamin, which didn’t take very long. Mr. Aries smiled vaguely and bowed before leaving. Kaileena shut the door firmly behind her and made her way towards the armchair to sit opposite them, taking in every corner of the golden chamber and marvelling at its opulence. Prince Adam thanked her for coming but she waved away his gratitude.

  “I’m delighted to be here,” she said, smiling. “There’s something I’d like to ask you, though, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Kaileena tried her best not to sound offensive when she asked her question. “Are you a lonely child?”

  Prince Adam looked down. He didn’t seem in a hurry to answer that question. It wasn’t the first time someone had brought up the subject, but it was better to talk about it than not. “Yes, I suppose so,” he muttered. “I’ve never really had friends.”

  Benjamin knew what Kaileena was trying to say. A ‘lonely child’ is a person without friends and thus with a higher chance of receiving the Inheritance of the Ifrahail on their thirteenth birthday. He knew some lonely orphans who would have had this inheritance if it hadn’t been for the Neverworld children who took them away to have a better life. The inheritance comes with a guide that steers you onto a set path of light or darkness. Most people automatically knew their paths, but some didn’t.

  Prince Adam continued. “The last time I saw them, the Neverworld children told me they were worried about me, as I could be gifted with the Inheritance of the Ifrahail. I asked them to take me away to the Neverworld so I could have a better life there, but they said that it was not allowed as I’m a prince and I’m not an orphan. I must stay behind. They have to abide by the children’s code. If I get the Inheritance of the Ifrahail, then I’ll have to be sent to the special school instead. Only orphans go to the Neverworld.”

  Benjamin bowed his head. He couldn’t imagine Prince Adam receiving this shameful inheritance. He knew that everyone would have to choose a set path for their future, but being unsure which one to choose didn’t seem like a great way to live.

  “Well, you didn’t inherit it on your birthday yesterday, so you should be safe,” Kaileena pointed out.

  “Actually, my birthday is on the thirtieth of October, so it hasn’t come yet. I’m still twelve. My birthday party took place yesterday because my parents won’t be here on my real birthday in a month’s time due to royal events that we all have to attend. I hope I won’t inherit it then. My parents tried inviting children over for me to make friends with, but they’re royal children from other countries. I want friends from my own country and I rarely see them. I don’t want to be lonely anymore.”

  Kaileena scoffed at that. “You’re not lonely,” she said. “You’re forgetting you’ve got me and Benjamin now. And we live in this city.”

  On hearing this, Prince Adam smiled. Benjamin realised that yesterday morning they hadn’t even known one another, but now they were firm friends; so much had happened in that short time to bind them together.

  “It’s strange, however,” Kaileena continued.

  “What is?” asked Benjamin.

  “Both your fathers are friends. How come they’ve never introduced you to one another?”

  *

  They had tea with Prince Adam’s siblings before going back to his room, and time passed quickly as they talked and played. Benjamin realised that it was almost five. He nudged Kaileena to remind her that Sebastian would soon be waiting for them outside.

  Prince Adam seemed disappointed that they had to leave.

  “We’ll come again if you’d like us to,” Benjamin suggested. “Here, this is our family’s telephone number; call any time when I’m not in school or sanctuarium.” He took a book that the prince had offered to lend him and began to make his way to the door. Prince Adam stopped him.

  “I’ll find a bag for you to put the book in,” he offered.

  Prince Adam hurried towards the wardrobe and came back carrying a brown satchel embroidered with rubies, emeralds and sapphires. The bag shone like the riches of heaven. Benjamin admired the bag, and Kaileena stared at it in awe.

  “Wow! That’s so beautiful!” she said.

  Prince Adam placed the book inside and led Benjamin and Kaileena out of the room.

  “Next time you come, just give your name to the guards,” he said. “They’ll let you in without questioning. I’ll make sure of that!”

  Chapter 4

  The Summoning

  If it hadn’t been for the news that Benjamin had seen on television before his visit to the royal palace, he would have found it hard to understand the announcement that most of the schools and the sanctuarium would be closed on the following day. The toll of the missing
children rose, and no one could explain it. Usually Benjamin would have been glad of the chance to stay at home and play games with his brothers, but with the situation becoming tenser every day he found it hard to enjoy himself. With nothing better to do, Benjamin helped his mother with the chores.

  When he’d arrived home from Prince Adam’s palace last night, a small party had been held to celebrate his new friendship with the prince. Now the house was in a mess and needed to be tidied. It was hard work cleaning, but it kept his mind distracted from the thoughts that plagued him. He wished that his friends and younger siblings were older so that they wouldn’t be in danger.

  Shortly afterwards, Papa stopped by from work to take Benjamin to a nearby bank. It was time to open a new account for him and transfer his winnings from the kite-fighting tournament, to be used in any future emergency or time of need. After all the documents had been sorted out and the prize money deposited, he was given a bank card. Papa bought him a wallet and explained on the way home about the necessity of budgeting money for the important things in life. Benjamin listened inattentively, thinking about his school and his sanctuarium. He wondered when they would open again.

  *

  Next day, when the house was cleaner, the older members of Benjamin’s family went to work after breakfast. They left Nadine to babysit Benjamin and the younger ones, which she clearly disliked. She’d been blessed with the same beauty as Jordanna but her personality was quite different. Cosmetics and feminine adornments were not really for her. Her lifestyle was adventurous; she liked exploring places where she wasn’t supposed to go. Once Mama had said that Kaileena reminded her of Nadine when she was younger, always skipping sewing classes and tea parties to get lost in the city. Mama would never put up with this sort of behaviour but Papa didn’t mind; he liked having two daughters with different personalities.

  Nadine stayed in her room, warning Benjamin and her brothers not to disturb her. Then Kaileena visited the house with very important news. She knocked hard on the front window.