5. Steadfast

Gupra didn’t even do Ashorra the honor of telling it himself. The moment he and Marili returned to the capital, side by side, tiger Mero led them to a different place.

He was madly in love and just followed Mero blindly, dear reader. Marili smiled and gave him kisses. But he couldn’t read if Marili truly felt the same for him; a recurring issue that he never gave the attention it deserved.

Thousands of elephants stood ready to depart, under the command of Alixader the Giant. Most still had a ghost, but it was far away. Still he heard a thousand voices screaming in his head. He shut his eyes and waited until silence returned.

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked Alixader.

The giant spit on the ground and marched on. “Gupra gave us five thousand elephants on the condition that we get out of Schola and never return. You are part of the gift too.”

His nickname had rapidly changed to Ashorra the Insanely in Love. He had changed from a boy with a sickness in his head to the cute center of jokes.

“Excuse me? Did everyone forget I am the prince and Gupra’s successor?”

“Calm down, sweety,” Marili said. “Didn’t you just say you never liked the palace anyway?”

She was right. This was his chance to get away. Live somewhere else with the girl of his dreams—which she was, now, officially. They could fight together in a place where the king actually wanted to fight, instead of hide like his weak and cowardly grandfather.

How many Gupramils had died? How many subjects had died of hunger due to the Tamli actions?

They turned around and walked with Alixander’s army back to Preza. They hoped to climb the Himamountains and also ask Kina to join the First Conflict—on the side of the gods, of course. If that succeeded, the Pricecats would be completely surrounded, just like the choke point of the last battle.

Still Ashorra didn’t drop the subject for the entire journey.

“I saved everyone!” he repeated endlessly. “Why doesn’t Gupra see that?”

“Not to be unkind, sweety,” Marili then said. “But you also nearly killed everyone.”

She gave him a kiss, twisted her trunk around his, and everything was alright with the world. Until the ghosts drew closer again and the voices in his head multiplied once more.

They traveled from city to city in Schola.

Ashorra realized now they could only do that because his family had united all of this. Gates were open. Animals all spoke the same language. Culture was shared, so there were no misunderstandings or uncertainties. Whereas the Sumiseri wanted to attack and conquer each other’s cities, everyone in Schola understood they were on the same side.

If grandfather could add the Tamli kings, Schola would become the best civilization in the world.

But he’d never succeed, not like this.

“It is obvious, isn’t it?” he repeated. “Gupra secretly went to Beeris. He betrayed the mission and negotiated peace, which is what almost made Schola fall! Only because he’d rather stop any war than win.”

“Is it that obvious?” Marili then asked, seemingly never content with just nodding and agreeing. “Would he bring his own army and grandson in such danger?”

Ashorra sighed and just hoped the voices in his head would stop, so he could think. Saying the thoughts out loud was the only thing that seemed to help.

Sometimes Marili’s ghost came very close. Then he’d suddenly wave his trunk behind her, or smash the air just past her ears. He scared her each time, but he insisted that he was keeping ghosts away. Nobody would hurt her, nobody.

They arrived at the final city. It had been under siege from the Pricecats to the north multiple times. The hunger, the garbage, the dark atmosphere of dead and fear hung over these streets like nowhere else.

Not even the climate had been fortunate since his grandfather assumed power. Many droughts. Thunderstorms and inexplicable snow storms right after.

They were free. They were united. But what was the price of that unity?

The road was long, but they had each other. Now they were at the border, ready to enter Kina and ask for help. Gupra had been smart, that Ashorra could admit. These elephants would be crucial in both crossing the inhospitable mountains and looking intimidating.

Ardex, however, had other plans.

He ran through the elephant hoard as if they weren’t there. Fireballs shot from his paws with each step.

“Ashorra, I bring terrible news.”

“Of course you do. You’re also the God of Bad News, aren’t you?”

Ardex blew a hot flame barely away from Ashorra’s face. “Gupra has retreated into the palace to fast. He refuses to eat until all mouths in his kingdom have eaten. He refuses to drink until everyone has clean drinking water. He only cries and says he failed his country.”

“So? So? So?” Ashorra turned around. “He had no qualms sending me away like a toy that fell out of favor.”

Marili cuddled up to him. “Come on, sweety. We have to go back. If Gupra dies, you instantly become king.”

She wants your throne. Don’t give her an inch. Don’t be weak now.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You already assume he died?” He shook Marili left and right. “I am onto you. You just want the throne for yourself! Yes. Yes, that’s it.”

“Oh drown yourself in dirt,” Marili replied in exasperation. “No, sorry, that was mean. I promise I—”

“I don’t work on promises.”

“Ashorra!” Ardex roared. “Leave Marili out of this. You want to be strong and disprove the rumors about you? Be strong and disprove them.”

“Well if I die, then she would instantly become queen of Schola! I can’t leave Marili out of this!”

Marili tried to give him a kiss. “Sweety. I never, ever, thought about that.”

“Of course. I would say the same. Do you even love me? Or do you just play along? You said yes rather quickly.”

Now her face flushed red and she stepped away. “It’s not like I had a choice, did I? If I’d said no, then everyone would be dead now!”

“Aaaaah!” Ashorra crashed his tusks into the dirt. So many voices. So many opinions. Did Marili love him? He couldn’t trust anything anymore. Gupra … Gupra fasted to death for the country, and he just walked away?

He steeled himself and made a decision.

“We go back. Marili, you’re my princess, you’re at my side. Don’t speak out against me, certainly not once we’re back.”

Awkwardly, they walked back, side by side again.

“We are at each other’s side,” she corrected him softly. “Because we want that and we love each other.”

“Tell yourself what you want,” he mumbled. He ran after Ardex.

The journey back felt even longer.

Ardex often took Marili to the side. He heard the two of them whisper. About how she shouldn’t be mad, because Ardex merely appearing close to you made most creatures angry and frustrated. About how there was a good chance they’d be king and queen of Schola soon. And that was a little easier if you still talked to each other.

So when they reached the gates of the capital, lit by torches and moonlight, they looked each other in the eyes. They cuddled up against each other for warmth, while Ashorra—without thinking—stroke her cheeks with his trunk.

“No,” Marili whispered. “I didn’t love you when I became your wife. I didn’t know you! Ashorra the Insane, they said. But you’re not insane. If you allow it, you’re the sweetest elephant I know. An elephant I could be with.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered back, butterflies returned to his stomach. “I see ghosts everywhere. Voices in my head, always. And then the Tamli seem to have the favor of the gods, all the luck in the world, and drive my grandfather into death …”

Marili clenched her jaws. She wanted to defend her Tamli, who did nothing but take revenge for earlier attacks by Gupramils, but let it go this time.

The three of them were noticed. The gates opened. Commander Mero walked up to them. His ghost was incredibly close, almost floating inside him.

His ghost was happy; Mero had tears in his eyes.

“Gupra has died. Yesterday, from hunger. His own choice, in solidarity with his suffering subjects.”

Ashorra’s world froze for many heartbeats.

“Given your … condition and young age,” Mero said, sounding dull in his ears. “It has been decided that I will succeed the king instead of you.”

He’s a tiger, hungry for power. You’ll be cast aside as a weakling. Kill him.

“Aaaaah!” He stormed at the tiger. Mero was too surprised to defend himself against the tusks in time. Ashorra delivered multiple deep wounds before Mero fought back. But the tiger’s blows were already weakened and uncertain.

“How could this happen!? Why did nobody do something!?”

Ardex pulled them apart. Mero crawled back through the gates.

“That’s freedom too,” Ardex said with overwhelming sadness in his voice. “The freedom to make your own, possibly wrong, choices.”

All inhabitants of the city had gone to the streets. They carried candles and sang as they walked to Gupra’s place of death in the gardens. Once there, they left behind a flower or candle.

Ashorra cried until his breath caught. His grandfather. Dead. Their final moment together a fight. He loved that man. All he had was thanks to him. His protection and belief in him, even after his parent’s early death.

His subjects now turned and looked at him. What were they thinking? That he was emotional too, a crybaby? The voices in his head told him all of it. He forcefully wiped the tears away and toughened up.

With eyes closed, he drifted left and right in front of the gate. His limbs and trunk hit in all directions, caught in a fight with invisible enemies.

“Go away! Be gone, ghosts! Be silent!”

One ghost disappeared.

It was Mero’s ghost.

Bystanders whispered the tiger died of his wounds.

So …. so …

So that’s what the ghosts were. Death. And the closer they came …

Buffaloes and rhinos looked at him, scared and uncertain. Their ghosts were confident women sitting on their shoulders or taunting Ashorra.

“What,” one of them spoke softly. “What now, oh royal highness?”

They didn’t want him as king? They called him insane? All he ever desired was the love and acceptance of his folk. He would do anything to prove he was worthy of it.

But as you probably know, dear reader, people who are willing to do anything are unlikely to listen to somebody who says “no”. They’d sooner share their dreams with ghosts.