• Meanwhile, Ro was hastily making his way towards Dúneatorah, the royal city. While the rest of the nation was stricken with poverty and famine, Dúneatorah shined like a golden beacon, overflowing with food, wine, and the most scared pleasures that one man could go his whole life without ever seeing. By the time he reached the craved golden gates, he knew that he probably should have brought Eliza with him. Knowing how the high council worked, they would use every bribe that they could think of to make him stay. Of course, that would be after they got over the shock that he was not dead.
    Now Ro stood only a few yards away from the city’s grand entrance. All at once Ro thought of the last time he had seen the magnificent city that had once been his home. Coincidentally, it was also the last time he had seen his father alive…

    The hour was late when Ro was violently shaken awake by a palace servant.
    “Our great king requests your audience,” the slave girl who couldn’t be older than fourteen whispered as she lit the candles in Ro’s room.
    “If this is about what happened at the banquet, then I don’t want to talk about it,” thirteen year-old Ro grumbled as the slave offered to dress him to greet his father.
    “Master says if you refuse, then he will bring you before him with force,” she whispered as she pulled Ro’s shirt over his head and handed him a fine blue silk one.
    Force huh? That wasn’t the first time his father had threatened to send guards to break down his bedroom door and drag his son before his feet. Shoving her hands away, Ro climbed out of bed with the shirt in his hands, “Tell your master that I will be with him in a moment.”
    Bowing before him, the girl rushed out his room and into the dark hallways of the palace. Deciding to test his father’s patience, Ro took his time changing into proper attire necessary to wear when before the king. He knew exactly what his father wanted to talk about. Earlier that evening, his father had been having a banquet with his high council who were visiting from Nazareth. While sitting quietly at his father’s side, one of the members had brought up Nazareth. “I say my lord, isn’t your son at the age required for boys to travel to our wondrous city ?”
    Then all the men at the table turned and gazed at him. Clearing his throat, the king got to his feet and walked over to stand besides Ro. Placing a hand on his head, the king held the other up for silence, “My friend on the council has brought up a good point and now I’d like to announce that I am planning my son’s first trip to Nazareth,” the room erupted into applause.
    That was when Ro made the mistake of speaking.
    Standing up the room quickly fell silent, anxious to hear what their beloved prince had to say. Ro glanced around at each member of the council before taking a long look at his father who had never smiled at him so proudly, “I’m not going.”
    Either his father hadn’t heard him or he had simply chosen to ignore him.
    “Dad, I said I’m not going. I refuse to travel to Nazareth.”
    That was when all hell broke loose.
    Now as Ro stood before the grand doors that led into the throne room, he knew that he probably shouldn’t have said anything at all, that his response had brought upon his father an unneeded amount of shame. Even the guards at the doors refused to look him in the eye.
    He had done it this time. Of course this wasn’t the first time he publicly embarrassed his father. There was the time when he was nine, stood up in front of his father and pardoned a man sentenced to die just because he had refused to beat his wife. Or the time when he was eleven, and released all of the servants working within the palace on one of the Dúnedins holiest days. Taking a deep breath, Ro pushed the doors opened and bravely walked into the room.
    The council was present, all sitting on their appointed cushions. In the middle of them, sitting upon the highly decorated throne was his father. If the council was here, then whatever his punishment was, it was going to be bad.
    “Well, well if it isn’t my ungrateful excuse of a son,” his father sneered as he ran his fingers through his beard.
    Ro waited for his father to give him permission to sit but the order never came.
    “Tell me, where did you come up with the idea that it was alright to openly disagree with me in public?” His father roared. The other men in the room trembled but Ro stood his ground.
    “I am sorry if I have offended you, but my decision remains the same, I refuse to go to Nazareth,” Ro replied flatly.
    His father’s face turned red, as he stood up, “Do you have any idea what your little decision has done?” His father stormed down the steps and marched towards him, “You have brought shame upon my name, upon your country. What will the people think when they learn that their future king refuses to go our most cherished place?”
    “I don’t want to be king either,” Ro muttered.
    “Is that so?” His father yelled, veins throbbing on the side of his head, “Well luckily, you don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Turning around he climbed back up the steps towards this throne.
    “I have discussed the matter with my council and we have reached a decision.” Sitting down upon the throne, he snapped his fingers and two guards appeared and seized Ro. “From this moment forward you are stripped of your title and are here by banished. You will never inherit the crown, whether you want it or not.”
    Ro gazed at the floor for a long time before lifting his head to meet his father’s eyes, “Unfortunately my lord,” he sneered, “thanks to those tutors you hired to help me with Dúnedin law, I know for a fact that there is nothing you can do to stop me from receiving that crown.”
    Glancing at his council, his father clenched his fists together, “Is that true?” The council said nothing. “Answer me you good for nothing bastards!”
    Finally one spoke. In a small feeble voice he turned and answered the king, “Ye…yes, it’s true. Th…the first king set that law and made it one of the few that can’t be abolished,” he stammered.
    Ro picked up where the man had left off, “Upon your death father, I automatically receive the crown.”
    Ordering the guards to take Ro away and throw him out of the city, he shouted his final words to the boy who was once his son, “I’ll make sure you never inherit that crown, you hear me? I’m going to live forever!”
    As soon as doors closed behind the guards, the king sat down on his thrown, messaging his temples. Turning to his most trusted member of the council before handing him a bag of coins, “Make sure the next time I see that boy, it’s as a corpse.”

    Once inside the glorious city, he jumped of his horse and walked the rest of the way to his former home. Since the city was still in the stages of mourning, he had no problem getting past the royal gate that separated the palace even further from the awful truth that its nation was slowly crumbling to pieces. After all the years he had been away, the palace hadn’t changed one bit. It was still outrageously decorated with gold, silver, and precious jewels. All the money that could have been used to help the poor had been wasted in making the palace the grandest spectacle in all the land.
    The palace gardens were empty, with the exception of the occasional servant running across the great lawn carrying a tray of food or a vase of flowers. Every person he saw beyond the royal gate was clothed in black.
    “Excuse me sir, visitors are forbidden fro entering the palace during times of mourning,” a guard standing outside the grand entrance said without blinking.
    Of course, any other way and it would have been too easy.
    “Listen, I don’t want to cause a fuss, I just need five minutes alone with the high council.”
    The guard continued to stare straight ahead, “Such a request cannot be filled at this time. The high council is deep in mourning the loss of the beloved king.”
    That was perhaps the only time in his life that he had heard the words ‘beloved’ used to describe his dad. Sighing Ro understood that his only way into the palace was if he told the truth.
    “Ok, what if I told you that the prince is requesting an audience with the council? What would you say to that?”
    For the first time since his arrival the guard broke rank and gazed at Ro as if he had said something completely ridiculous.
    “I would dismiss it as nonsense. The prince is dead.”
    Now he was getting angry, “No he is not, that was a lie the king made up,” Ro began but was instantly silenced.
    “How dare you denounce the king in such a manner,” the guard fumed.
    At that very moment an elderly man appeared at the gate carrying a large scroll. Ro recognized the man on the spot. Tangi, the royal astronomer. It was Tangi’s job to watch the night skies and predict the future. As a boy, Ro used to taunt the man by sneaking into the observatory and wreck havoc by disorganizing scrolls, spilling ink on the floor, and stealing the glass that enabled Tangi to see at great distances.
    Knowing that this could be his only chance, Ro started calling Tangi every nickname he had ever used to taunt the feeble old man. At first Tangi didn’t hear him but after calling him a rather rude name, Tangi stopped in his tracks.
    “In all my life, only one person ever called me such a name,” he hobbled over to Ro, “tell me young man, where did you hear that name?”
    Ro smiled, “I made it up after you told dad about the star formation that resembled a donkey’s backside.”
    “”Bless the king’s soul! I cannot believe my eyes,” Tangi exclaimed as he rushed past the guard before throwing his boney arms around Ro.
    As the guard reluctantly let Ro pass through the gate with Tangi, he shot the irritated man a haughty look.
    As they walked, Tangi talked constantly about how wonderful it was that Ro had finally returned. Turning to a lowly servant girl, Tangi snapped his fingers to get her attention before ordering her down onto her knee, “Did your parents teach you nothing? One must bow when before royalty.”
    Tugging on Tangi’s sleeve, Ro whispered harshly, “Did I ask you to announce my presence?” Tangi shook his head meekly, “Then don’t!” Ro hissed.
    Despite his orders, people still fell to their knees when he and Tangi walked by.
    Soon the high council appeared, a collection of eleven men who had long since been hiding behind their power and abused it so they could control others. Back when he had been a child, Ro had always thought that the men on the high council resembled rats. After all, each man was tall and thin, despite the hearty amount of rich food that they ate almost daily. If their appearance wasn’t like a rat, then their attitude sure was. Each man had, at one point in his careers, swiped away land from an unsuspecting farmer. Once on their newly acquired land, they would order that a large house be built and over time, they would extend their greedy hands over the remaining land, uprooting other families in their ongoing quest to amass the largest fortune possible.
    Now they stood before him, each cowering at his presence. Each understanding that their days of unmeasured greed had reached its end. Eventually one of them summoned enough courage and meekly stepped forward to great Ro, “I am Ashradi, I speak for the council and the king,” he gave a sweeping bow.
    “Let me start by saying that his majesty, the prince, it’s been so long,” he said with a benevolent air of pure innocence. Though his voice sounded his calm, his face told another story.
    He didn’t blame those dirty rats for being frightened, he would have been too if he were to meet up with someone that he had ordered to kill.
    “Don’t bother trying to win my good favor, I already despise the sheer sight of you.” It had to be clear to them that he wasn’t interested in dealing with any royal business.
    “But your majesty, do not think that we are, as you say ‘winning your favor’, we are your humble servants who must serve the king,” the Ashradi sneered.
    Ro walked past the council and towards the throne. Shoving the crown aside, he sat down listlessly, “Well today’s your lucky day, I have come here to tell you that there is not going to be another king. If everything runs smoothly, you guys should be out of the job by the end of the week.”
    At first the council members said nothing, clearly believing that Ro was just joking with them.
    “Surely you jest with us?” Asked one of the older council members.
    Reaching over to the table next to the throne, Ro picked a grape off the plate and popped it into his mouth, “Nope, I hereby renounce my succession to the throne. I refuse to be king.”
    That’s when they realized that he wasn’t joking.
    “Pardon my words your majesty but you are mad. Perhaps the loss of your father has clouded your judgment”
    Ro shot Ashradi a glare. He wasn’t mad, no; he was doing what should have been done a long time ago.
    “The loss of my father has not done anything to cloud my judgment,” Ro snapped as he snatched the crown and threw it down. The men instantly all jumped to grab it before it smashed against the ornate tile floor.
    “But if you want me to play king, than as my first order, I declare to have that crown melted down into a plate.”
    “You cannot do this,” another man cried, “without a king to lead them, these foolish people will send our way of life into the ground.”
    “What are you talking about? Our people are doing just fine without our help,” Ro said sarcastically.
    Ashradi stepped forward again and bowed, “Please my lord, why are you being so difficult. We are just doing our jobs. Perhaps your father, bless his mighty soul, should have exiled you before you were old enough to walk,” he yelled, forgetting whom he was talking to. “Maybe then we would not have to deal with such a spoiled little brat.”
    Ro sat up, ready to order Ashradi to be carted away in chains but before he could, one of the councilmen yelled for silence.
    The man that stepped forward was the oldest and wisest on the council. Ro knew him, he had been on his grandfather’s council and he, unlike the others, understood the problems that their people were facing.
    “Perhaps we can strike a bargain,” he spoke slowly, taking time to choose his words carefully.
    “You stay here and remain our king for a few months and arrange the government the way you see fit. In that time you do whatever you want, issue and abolish the laws that you want. Once that’s done, you are free to leave.”
    It was a good offer; perhaps the best offer Ro he would ever hear. Even though he didn’t trust the men who had ordered him to be killed after leaving the place, he knew that they were right. Without a king, the Dúnedin people would destroy their world from the inside out. As much has he hated to do it, he accepted the offer.
    “One thing,” he said after the deal had been made, “you are prohibited from referring to me as ‘king’ and I’m not wearing that disgusting crown.” The councilmen nodded as he went on, “Also, allow me to leave so I can fetch my wife, I don’t want her being by herself any longer than necessary.”
    The moment the word ‘wife’ left his mouth the men rushed towards him and began asking him question after question.
    “Tell us, is she with child?”
    “How long have you been with her?”
    “Enough!” Ro ordered them away from him, “I want as little to do with you as possible,” he snapped.
    “Excuse me, lord Rohan?” Turning around, Ro watched Ashradi hold out his hand for him, “Even if you refuse to wear the crown, by law you must wear the royal ring, the ring of the first king.”
    Truthfully, Ro had forgotten about the ring. Glancing at Ashradi’s hand he saw the royal insignia of the Dúnedin, a falcon clutching in its claws the royal crown.
    Sighing, he relented and took the ring and placed it upon his finger, “There, I’m wearing the damn ring. Now leave me alone.”
    As he stormed out of the room, he could hear the Ashradi complaining about his rudeness.
    To his amazement, his old room had not changed one bit over the years. Everything was as he left it. Obviously, no one had been inside of it since they day he was forcibly removed from the palace. His bed was still unmade, dressers opened, revealing the clothes he had refused to wear back when he was a child. Walking over to a corner, he picked up one of his old toys, a dusty jeweled elephant with sapphire eyes. He didn’t feel any regrets for being exiled. If he hadn’t worked on his father’s nerves, then he was sure that he would have ended up plotting to murder the man. Placing the elephant back among the other dusty toys, he walked over to his bed before lying down on the soft blankets. He missed Eliza. How he wished that he had brought her with him instead of leaving her behind to wait miserably for his return. Even if he left before sunrise, it would be at least a week and a half before he saw the familiar wall. He wondered what she was doing at that very moment. Probably sitting down to eat a simple meal, he thought. Sighing he closed his eyes and let himself be overcome by the exhaustion from the journey. By the time the servants came to offer him dinner, he was already fast asleep.
    Had he had it his way, he would have left well before sunrise and by himself. Unfortunately, as he was sneaking out, a servant spotted him and alerted the council.
    “It is not respectable to have the king travel unprotected. What if you are attacked by bandits in the middle of the night?” Ashradi asked as he shook his finger at Ro, as if he was some unruly child.
    Looking away, Ro had half a mind to tell them that the only time he was ever attacked was when the bandits that they hired found him.
    “Now give us some time to assemble a royal escort to go with you. Ten men should suffice.”
    That was going too far, “I’m doing this on my own.”
    For an hour, Ro wasted his time arguing with Ashradi. In the end they compromised: two guards would accompany him back home. They would stay as far away from his possible and would not interfere with his life.
    At first it seemed like a good deal but after a few days of traveling, Ro quickly realized that he had been tricked. No matter how far ahead he stayed from them, he felt like the guards where watching his every move. At night, he found it eerie knowing that there would be people watching him while he slept. If this was what life was like while living in the palace, then he was glad that didn’t remember it.
    Finally, they reached wall.
    “You two, secure the perimeter or something, just don’t follow me,” Ro said. The last thing he wanted was for people to fall onto their knees when in his presence.
    Once alone, he took off towards his home eager to see Eliza again. He had it all planned out. First, he would throw his arms around her and hold and kiss her for hours on end. Then he would tell her everything that had happened, before telling her about living in the palace. It wouldn’t be all that bad he would say. She would be able to wear beautiful dresses again, wear jewelry, and eat fine food. But most importantly, she would be able to send word to her family. She would be able to tell them that she would be coming home in a few months. The knowledge of seeing her family again was sure to make her smile.
    “My friend, my friend.”
    Ro turned around to see Jesseb running towards him. Jumping from his horse, Ro smiled as Jesseb reached him. Something’s never changed.
    Expect something was wrong. Instead of his usual jolly demeanor, Jesseb looked frightened and serious.
    “Is something wrong? Please don’t tell me that something terrible happened to your wife and child.”
    But Jesseb shook his head, “It is not me that has had a tragedy befallen him,” he spoke hurriedly, his voice sounded like he was about to break into tears at any moment.
    Ro stepped forward and put an arm around his friend, “What happened?”
    Jesseb closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “Your wife…”
    Then Ro was running, racing towards his home. He hadn’t given Jesseb a chance to explain what had happened. It couldn’t be true, she had been fine when he had left her unless…unless she had contracted one of the many diseases of the desert. If so, then he would have the royal doctors heal her, they could do anything, or so they said.
    “Eliza!” Ro yelled as he reached his home and threw the door opened. The place was a mess. The table was knocked over and split in two. The chairs were smashed and the bags had been ripped to shreds. Rotting food littered the floor along with shreds of fabric that looked like they had come from Eliza’s dress.
    “Eliza!” Ro yelled again as he ran into the bedroom. It was in the same condition as the other room.
    This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t possibly be happening. Running outside, Ro seized Jesseb by the front of his shirt and pulled him close. “Where is she?” He asked, his voice burning with rage.
    It was then that Jesseb finally broke into tears, “I’m sorry, I could not save her,” he sobbed.
    “Save her from what?”