Purpleland: Chapter 16

It was exactly six months from the day they left that I received a message from Shay. I almost tore it up unread and I had done with the last three before she left the capital. But the fact that she had not tried to contact me in the six months intervening made me curious. The note read as follows:

Kail,

My sister is ill and not expected to live. She gave birth to a daughter two days ago and has been failing since. I thought you should know and Marcus would not send you word.

Shay

Everything reeled about me and I had to read the note four or five times before it sunk in. Alena was dying. In the same way Aria had. I felt as though I was punished for what I had done to Aria. That losing Alena in the same way was somehow justice and that I was cursed.

That same day I rode out to the north, taking one of the court physicians with me. I did not tell him all of what was happening only that I had a friend who was sick. Ever since my father’s long illness it had not been very hard to find physicians hanging about the court in various states of favor. This one was a young man who was no longer allowed to treat my father because he did not look sufficiently venerable, but I never-the-less trusted his judgement as he had cured several minor ailments of mine.

I pushed us harder than I ever had before. It was usually four days journey to Marcus’s castle. We did it in two and a half. As soon as I reached the castle town I knew that I was too late. Everyone in sight was wearing black, all the shops windows were draped in black and further up I could see that the castle flew a black flag. I still had a vague hope that perhaps it was Alena’s new daughter they were mourning for so I ask a tradesman why they were all wearing mourning.

“Do yee not know? The lady of the castle took sick and died yesterday and the lord is almost mad with grief.”

I felt hot tears flowing down my face as I dismissed him and turned to the physician. “Return home. My friend is dead. I will pay for your trouble.”

He nodded and turned to ride away. 

I motioned to my servants, I had only brought two and one guard but their number seemed impossibly large now. “Go with him, all of you, go now.”

The two servant boys turned and followed the doctor, but the guard demurred. “My lord I cannot leave you.”

“I am your lord and I command you go.”

“My lord is your father and he has commanded me stay with you.”

“Stay with me then,” I said, angry. “But say one word and I will cut out your tough.”

I sat there on my horse in the center of the square. Tears were pouring down my face and I did not care who saw them. Roland, the guard, took matters into his own hands and without saying a word, led both our horses to a nearby inn. None of what was happening seemed real. I had the feeling of being underwater and even the simplest motions took all my strength. It was as though my body was physically rejecting the news as it would a toxin. I collapsed into the bed and fell into a death-like sleep.

Purpleland: Chapter 15

I returned to my father’s court. The next day and threw myself into anything that could distract me. Fortunately for the country some of these distractions were useful and I learned much about politics, warfare, and administration during that year.       

               Just when I began to feel something like my old self Marcus came to court. It should not have been a surprise, Marcus had not been to court since his father’s death and politically a man as powerful as he was needed to spend at least some time in the capital to ensure that the interests of the Northern lords were not ignored. When I first heard them announced at a ball everything seemed to take on a nightmarish quality and I left as soon as I could. They did not avoid me. I avoided them. It was incredibly painful to see them looking so happy together and everyone spoke well of them. It is, I suppose, a rather sad thing for the state of marriage when the fact that a couple actually seems attached to each other is a subject of gossip, but so it was.

               I hated seeing them, I hated hearing about them, but I realized what it was to drink the dregs when I saw them with their son. He was about a year older than you and somehow I blamed on Marcus the fact that I was deprived of both wife and child. In my mind it should have been me with Alena raising you instead of John. Perhaps I need to accept that even if I had married Alena our children would not be you, that I could never have had both you and Alena. But I am a dying man and I will not shatter my dream world where you are my son and Alena my queen.

Shay came to court too; the gossips, at least, said it was to find another husband. She tried to see me and sent me messages, but I responded simply, saying it hurt too much to be reminded of Alena. That was true but at the same time something about Shay made me uneasy and I decided it was best to forget as much of my childhood as I could. But forget I could not and I spent the nights writhing in my bed, torturing myself with visions of Alena. This state of affairs could have gone on indefinitely but mercifully for me Marcus and Alena returned home after only a few months. According to the gossips this was due to Alena’s “delicate condition”. I hated Marcus with all the fires of the under and over worlds.

Now that everything has ended for me I wonder if I could have made my peace with Marcus and Alena. If perhaps I did not have to lose Alena totally, if I could have had her for a friend. Perhaps seeing her change from the sixteen year old I had loved to a wife and mother would have softened my love to the point that I could let it go. Or perhaps I would have simply spent my days and nights burning with passion for another man’s wife, causing all three of us unendurable pain. 

Purpleland: Chapter 14

I cannot describe to you what I felt. I recognized that I had loved her, not as I loved Alena, but she was my friend, my partner, the mother of my son. I felt intense grief and pain at her loss but that was not all. In the early days of our marriage I had recognized that I had been wrong to marry her, to use her, to violate in every way the trust she had in me. I had comforted myself that at least she had not been unduly harmed and would enjoy the benefits of marriage to a King’s son. Perhaps I had prevented her from finding another husband who would love her better, but who knew if such a husband existed. Her death brought all the ugliness of my crime to the open. I had drawn her away from friends and family, brought her to a remote section off the country, and planted in her a child for which she had died. All of this I had done for petty spite. Whenever Grief let go guilt would surge up and submerge me again in despair.

               When I knew that she was gone I felt that I could not be in that place where we had lived together, where I had lied to her again and again, where she had died. I wandered aimlessly. My thoughts were wild; I cried out for death and wondered if Alena would grieve my passing. I do not know how long I wandered, it could have been one day perhaps it was longer. When I returned the servants, under the instruction of a very industrious housekeeper, had constructed a coffin and laid your mother in it. The customary wailing was going on at full force with various servants taking turns so that the full twenty hours would be fulfilled. The sound grated on me like a thousand accusations. The housekeeper informed me that she had sent word to Aria’s family what had happened and I contemplated running again. To face the people I had so wronged would be like drowning myself in boiling oil. However, as the housekeeper pointed out, something had to be done about you.

               I did not want to be parted from you; it tore at my soul to think of you gone from me. But I also felt that in my state of grief I could not face the anger of my father, the gossip of the court, and most of all Alena knowing what I had done. So when Aria’s brother, a tall kind man with red hair like his sister, obviously grief-stricken by her death, appeared, I approached the subject of you with him. He seemed to understand my situation and said that since his wife had lost a baby several weeks ago it would be easy to pass this child off as his own. He already had a son so if he were to die suddenly the problem of inheritance would not arise. 

               I should have gone back with him. I should have met his wife. I should have faced anything rather than let you go. The should-haves pound in my head daily, but do not change what I did. I said my goodbyes when you were one month old and handed you, small, helpless, my son, to a wet-nurse and sent you on your way. I sent my body-guard to ensure your journey was a safe one, but did not even think to do anything to ensure that your childhood was a happy one. I now know it was not. For that I beg on my knees, if I could still kneel, for your forgiveness.

Purpleland: Chapter 13

I apologized to Aria the next day. I told her that I had known Marcus and that he had wronged me in some way. That she was to have nothing to do with them. She was much subdued. That night had shaken her and afterwards her pregnancy was harder on her. A few days later I was told that a lady had come to see me. For a second my heart skipped a beat thinking it might be Alena. It was not. Shay stood in my sitting room wearing a long elegant dress of black, though her time of mourning must have been long over. She embraced me as a brother and asked after my family. I told her briefly that I was married but some reserve stopped me from mentioning the child.

Shay had changed. I always remembered her as reserved and shy. But the Shay I met that day was confident and assertive. It was nothing she said to me exactly but it was written in her movements and he tones. Perhaps as a rich widow she had found in herself more scope for independence.

I stopped her when she tried to tell me about Alena and Marcus. I did not want to hear about their son or their happiness. The look of compassion she gave me said it all. I was glad to see her mostly because no one else could sympathize with my anger against Marcus. Their party left a week or so later and my relief at not having to face Marcus was palpable.

My relationship with your mother began to mend as the time for your birth drew near. It was not quite the same, but we were both eagerly anticipating your arrival. I remember how she sewed your clothes with her own hand, and sang as she did it. I remember how we danced on the roof at midnight and talked of your future. I remember the dreams we had of a life together.

You were born early in the morning. The birth was hard but not harder, I was told, that was usual for a first child. When I first held you I felt that for once I had found one person I could call my own. Someone I could start fresh with, no secrets, as with your mother, no memories of pain, as with my father and Marcus, and no lack of love as with Alena. The week after you were born was happy. I will not say it was happier than my time with Alena. Loves that different cannot always be compared and the heady draft of youthful passion is not the rich and grounding fatherhood I was then experiencing. Your mother’s joy was even greater for it was not tempered by memories of an unhappy childhood. She would sing to you with a clear voice that reached up to the clouds.

Your mother fell ill nine days after you were born. She had begun to be up and about again but that day she stayed in her bed. We did not think much of it but tried to let her rest. The next day she was worse. She could eat nothing, a fever burned her from the inside and I watched as she wasted away. Every doctor remotely near was sent for but all shook their heads and said vague things about the dangers of childbirth. I got down on my knees and begged them to save her, one cried with me and said he too had lost his wife, but none could do anything to revive her. When you were thirteen days old she died. 

Guide to OrangeLandese people

There are three major people groups in Orangeland. The Sundese of the Axe who live in the central desert. The Naomi of the Bow who live in the eastern desert. And the Panthis of the Horse who live in the western desert.

The Sundese of the Axe

The Sundese of the Axe live in the central desert and are a warlike people. The monarchy of Orangeland is descended from this tribe.

History

The Sundese were a small low level tribe until the warlord Dashga became their leader. Dashga revolutionized ancient Orangelandese war. The Sundese took control of the entire central desert but were blocked from expanding beyond by the Panthis of the Horse. After the founders Blueland took control of all of Orangeland. Blueland had a treaty with the Sundese and a Bluelandese princess was married to their chief. Time passed and soon the chief and the princess had a child named Alvin. Much later Alvin took control of the Sundese and led them in a rebellion. After many battles and raids Alvin finally united Orangeland under one banner. From him on the kings of Orangeland were descended.

Men

The Sundese men are some of the most fearsome warriors in Orangeland. Men start training for battle at the age of five. Those who become weapon smiths, history keeper, or some other trade are chosen at a young age that they may start training in that craft early. Despite Sundese warrior’s reputation for being unbeatable their weakness is cavalry. The Panthis of the horse plagued the Sundese for many years.

Women

While the men hunt, train, and fight Sundese women do all the farming and household work. There are a great variety of Sundese women due to the men capturing many from different tribes. Daughters hold a treasured place in society. Having a daughter is considered great fortune for a Sundese man because a beautiful daughter can bring great honor to a man. A daughter however, can bring great shame if she is captured because that is shown as a failure to protect her.

Weapons and crafts

The Sundese weapon of choice is a massive double headed battle axe but they will use anything from a slingshot to a scimitar if necessary. The most available metal to the Sundese is bronze so almost all of their metal crafts use bronze. The Sundese also use glass and wood for crafts. The Sundese were master sculptors but also practice music and even invented glass flutes and an early form of the violin.

Agriculture and Animals

Sundese agriculture is mostly handled by the women. The Sundese grow Oranges, and wheat while they herd sheep and a type of desert bull called a Cumba. Cumbas are also used as pack animals but can be very unruly and pack a big punch.

The Naomi of the Bow

The Naomi live in the eastern desert and the surrounding area. They are great architects and are even said to have built Artarian, the Orangelandese capital.

History

The history of the Naomi starts with the dwarves and the town that would become Artarian. The dwarves built a city for themselves ruled by a king named Artorious. Several stories that have nothing to do with the Naomi took place there but in the end the dwarven civilization was brought down in an epic battle against the demons. Eventually the Naomi migrated into the area and learned from surviving dwarves the art of architecture. Naomi were never known as much as the Sundese or the Panthis but to quote Emily Eernor who wrote a complete history of Orangeland “On the backs of the Naomi were the buildings of Orangeland built”.

Men

The Naomi men are taught from an early age to shoot a bow but they do not devote their lives to war the way the Sundese do. Instead they spend more time on building and crafting. Naomi men also spend much of their time hunting and farming.

Women

Naomi women have much time to spend so they spend time on many different arts. Many even embrace martial arts. The women gather together in the market square to discuss matters of society while the men build and hunt.

Weapons and Crafts

The Naomi did not use many metals except gold which they had an abundance of, instead they embraced stone and wood to make their bows and buildings. The long bow is the Naomi weapon of choice but they will use staffs at close range and slings or other ranged weapons if they do not have their bow. The Naomi loved the security of a solid stone building therefore solid stone was one of their most precious materials.

Agriculture and Animals

The Naomi raise sheep, camels, and deer while they grow wheat, oranges, and dates.

The Panthis of the Horse

The Panthis live in the western desert and are the closest tribe to Greenland therefore they have inherited many Greenlandese customs. The Panthis were the most cultured and organized of the Orangelandese tribes.

History

The Panthis were started when a group of outcasts from other tribes caught horses and used them as their secret weapon against the other tribes until they were the uncontested rulers of the western desert. The Panthis’s only longstanding enemies are the Sundese and the Verandi’s. The Panthis wars with the Sundese were interrupted when Blueland took control of Orangeland. The Panthis finally joined the Sundese to defeat Blueland. The Panthis war against the Verandi’s was more complicated but was brought to an end when the Panthis defeated the Verandi’s at the battle of Ticheb. The Panthis beheaded the chief of the Verandi’s and his son, then they took all five of the chiefs daughters back to Orangeland forever humiliating the Verandi’s.

Men

The Panthis men like those of Greenland follow a strict code of chivalry. Panthis men are trained from birth to ride a horse and shoot a bow but only the best boys join battle school at fifteen and become a Deshant, the Panthis form of a knight. Boys who do not achieve this form a middle class of skilled workers who will be called upon in time of war to make the legendary Panthis mobile archer units. The farming is done by a collection of slaves taken from other tribes.

Women

While Sundese women are known for farming and Naomi women are known for martial arts Panthis women are known for nothing but being beautiful. Of all the tribes the Panthis prize beauty the most. Panthis women take on the Greenlandese tradition of the damsel in distress. Panthis women are often belittled by other Orangelandese women for being weak.

Weapons and Crafts

The Panthis were the only tribe to embrace iron until the unification of Orangeland. The Panthis use recurve bows which can be easily maneuvered from horseback, the Panthis also use ten foot lances and broadswords. The Panthis embrace painting and have made several massive paintings on cliff faces.

Agriculture and Animals

The Panthis grow many rare fruits and grain in the western desert. The Panthis use horses as a pack animal and eat deer.

Purpleland: Chapter 12

We took a small hunting lodge in the southwest and lived together as man and wife. I choose your mother for a single misguided reason, but during those days I began to see that there was so much more to her. She was impulsive, but I think the years could have cooled her blood and accentuated the qualities already strongly marked in her. She was generous, kind, and there was a sort of nobility about her that I was never able to quite describe. The beginning was hard. When two people who do not know each other try to make their lives one there will always be conflicts and my love for her was certainly not what it should have been. But I set to the task of marriage. Marcus and Alena were far away and my rage was now only small embers in the deep recesses of my heart. Her generosity carried us through.  So that when she told me she was with child I began to think that I could be happy with her. I did not forget Alena and there was not a day when I did not long for her but a fondness for Aria was growing in me and I knew that I loved her child. I dared hope that I could sooth my father’s anger and that someday we could rule together, companions if not lovers.

               I thought it best to wait until after the birth of the child to face my father. If it was an heir that might sooth him, and it would be easier to travel once she was recovered. Aria was relieved that I was finally making plans to present her at court as my many delays had pained her. Those were good days. We walked together every day and sometime rode. We would read to each other and talk about the child we both already loved. My tenderness for the child translated to Aria and I treated her as I should have all along.

               In the 5^th month of her pregnancy Aria heard that a lord and his wife had taken a lodge only a few miles from where we were. She was beginning to feel the loneliness of our extended honeymoon and so she determined on visiting them. I had a cold that day so I sent her off with two of my men servants and went to bed. She returned full of happiness and news about the young couple and their new baby. I was only half listening as the cold had given me a fierce headache when I heard the name I had for years been holding closer than anything else.

               “Who is Alena?” I said sharply.

               “The wife. Haven’t you been listening?”

               “And her husband’s name is?”

               “Marcus and their son is John.” She saw the anger in my eyes. “What is it Kail?”

               I did not lay a hand on her but I came close. She left sobbing. I almost smashed the bottle of wine she had brought back but in the end I had a servant take it away. The rage I had been holding back was unleased that night on everyone I saw and it was a terrible thing to behold.

Purpleland: Chapter 11

I held on to my anger as a drowning man will clutch at a piece of sail cloth. I was determined to revenge myself on Marcus and immediately my mind was occupied with how best to do that. I was the son of the king so you would think that I could take away his lands or throw him in a dungeon. But as prince I had very little direct power and Marcus was one of the most powerful of the northern lords. In fact he was descended from It was then that fate took a hand in my affairs. By merest chance at one of the countless formal functions I had to attend I met the woman who had rejected Marcus years ago. Her name was Aria el Jamus. She was very beautiful and very different from Alena. She had grown up in the southern country and was impulsive, robust, and with long red hair very beautiful. The outdoors was her love and I have never known a better rider.

It is hard for me to write this next part for, of everything I have done, I believe this to be the worst. You will already have realized that this Aria was your mother. How she became such was my worst folly and blackest sin.

At the time when I met her I was like a man imprisoned deep within his anger. I thought only of my hatred for Marcus and was blind to everything else.  And so the idea came to me that if Marcus had taken my first love from me I should take his first love from him. I did not stop to think that he had clearly moved on. I did not think how cruel it would be to marry for revenge. I did not think at all.

Aria was, as I have said, Impulsive. I convinced her that I loved her and I think she fell for me in earnest. I knew my father would not approve a marriage to her as she had no connections to any of the major lords, who I needed on my side once I became king. I convinced her to marry me secretly and two weeks after we met again we were married.

As I came to myself I began to see what a fool I had been. It was doubtful that my marriage to Aria would have any effect on Marcus other than an admission of weakness. I was desperately ashamed and terrified that either my father or Alena would find out. I decided to take Aria somewhere we would not be known or recognized to make what I could of our ill started marriage.