Untitled Document
"What do you mean my daughter is gone?!" the King roared,
sending his harsh voice echoing throughout the castle.
Three nervous Acara guards bowed before him,
beads of sweat falling off their faces. "W-We're sorry, your majesty! W-We haven't
seen your daughter anywhere!" one of them whined.
"H-He's telling the truth, y-your majesty! We've
looked everywhere!!" he said, standing up for his brother.
"She is nowhere to be found..." the third added.
The King growled and stomped his foot. "How could
you just let her slip out of your fingers?! YOU'RE HER GUARDS!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED
TO GUARD HER!! IT'S YOUR JOB!" he roared again.
"W-We're soooo sorry!!!" the guards whined.
One started to cry. The King sighed. It seemed like everything was falling apart.
Afterall, this was the biggest crisis in the history of Kashi-Tara since Prince
Garo had run away. The King had to force himself to talk straight after the
thought of Garo ran through his mind. He remembered the scene so clearly. That
one night...
*11 Years Ago*
"Grandfather, please! It won't happen again,
I swear!" a sea blue Aisha stood in front of a younger King, blood red tiger-stripes
robed around his back, four similar scars on his face. Tears clouded his eyes
and his mouth hung slightly open, his bright white lower canine teeth showing
as he panted heavily. The disappointed emperor glared down at him with a stern
look painted on his face.
"Have I not told you about this? This is the
third time you've disobeyed my orders!!" the King roared, stomping his foot
on the castle floors.
The striped Aisha trembled. "But, grandfather...
I said I was sorry... I just can't help it!" He fought as hard as he could to
keep the tears from flowing out.
"SILENCE!!" his grandfather roared. A tear hit
the floor, invisible to the King.
"You've disobeyed my orders for the last time!
How dare you wander off without my permission and go after that, that riffraff!
You are the Prince, Garo Kashi-Tara!! You have no business wandering the streets,
let alone trying to kill that Tron woman!"
Each word dug itself deep into Garo's mind. He
didn't care that he was the Prince. He didn't care that it wasn't proper to
hunt for bounties. All he wanted was to get out of the castle and get some adventure.
He had a thirst for the hunt, and for the money. So what if he belonged to the
richest kingdom in the lost desert -- he wanted to see how the poor people made
their living. The fire burning in his heart leapt into his eyes.
"Grandfather! Don't you understand!? I'm not
content staying cooped up in the castle! I want to see the world from the eyes
of a peasant! My great-grandfather knew how those people felt! How could you--"
he was cut off once again.
"How dare you talk to the King that way!! Curse
you, boy! Bringing up your great-grandfather in this conversation! He was too
kind and too connected to those slobs wandering the streets, those peasants!
He never knew the difference between good and evil! He was too assuming-- isn't
that why he was murdered!? That blasted woman! She went after his cash and assassinated
him! How could you bring up such a fool in the presence of the King!?" he roared
and stomped again.
Tears fell in a steady stream from Garo's eyes.
"Y-you..!! I can't believe that you would curse your own son! My great-grandfather
was a caring person and I want to get revenge for his assassination! You wouldn't
understand-- you're blinded by your authority!" Garo screamed at his grandfather.
"How DARE you speak to me like that!! You will
be punished severely!! You will not be allowed out of the castle at all, unless
by my orders, and even then you must be accompanied by twenty-five guards, and
myself! You are not allowed to listen to music or anything else that might fill
your head with these ridiculous ideas! You are not allowed to see anyone except
your family and the royal guards, especially not peasants! Now go to your room
and do not come out until I allow it!" he thrust his finger towards Garo's room,
glaring at the young prince with frustration and a small touch of hatred. But
Garo didn't move an inch. He just stared into the eyes of his grandfather.
"A caring grandfather would never do this to
his son..." he whispered, choking on each word as they left his lips. His tears
prevented him from talking straight and his shock prevented him from moving.
Suddenly, he snapped. He felt as if he was just thrown into a void of darkness,
nothing but pitch black wherever he looked. His ice blue eyes stared straight
ahead in reality, emotionless and tear-filled. His scars glowed a bright red
and the fur on his neck stood up as chills went down his spine. He was pulled
back to reality by his grandfather's voice.
"What did you say to me!?" the King shouted.
Garo's eyes slowly lifted and pierced the eyes
of his grandfather. The King's jaw dropped slightly. He realized that his anger
had taken control of himself and caused him to say such harsh words. Garo's
passionate fire turned into a fire of hatred and his eyes narrowed as he glared
at his grandfather.
"A caring grandfather would..." he said while
he choked as hot tears slid down his cheek. "A caring grandfather could NEVER
do this to his own SON!!!" Garo screamed at his grandfather, turning and running
from the room.
A four year old Karen stood in the doorway, trying
not to let herself cry. She backed into the shadows as her brother ran past,
and into his room. She stared at the ground for a few minutes. She knew it would
come to this. She knew that one day, her grandfather would be too harsh. She
knew, even at her young age, that something like this would happen. She turned
and ran away to her own room, not wanting to see anyone right now. A tear wobbled
on the cool stone floor and slowly disappeared. Little did Karen know, that
night would be the last night she would see Garo alive. . .
*Present*
"...You are dismissed," the King mumbled. The
guards left immediately, leaving the King by himself. "I know that blasted woman
is behind this mess... if only I could do something about it... it's her fault
that Garo disappeared, and now Karen... Oh, how could I let this happen to them..?"
His eyes darted towards the balcony. It was just across from his throne. The
balcony was where the King gave speeches to the people of Kashi-Tara. Somehow
he felt calm when he looked at the balcony. He was reminded of his people. But
he was also reminded that out of the entire kingdom, he had let his own children
down. He sighed and closed his eyes, stroking his fluffy white beard. "Curse
you, Tron. I hope something horrible happens to you..."
To be continued...
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