In The East. Maria Pia Oelker

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СКАЧАТЬ if the words said were to be heard by an invisible being that only the king saw and heard.

      Finally, they came to the first floor of the tower and the king opened the window: a flood of light hit them, and they narrowed their eyes for a moment.

      The first to reopen them was the young prince who, despite being busy more than anything else to look around with his usual curiosity, did not miss the fact that his father had an odd look that he had never seen on anyone.

      Not the teacher when he was angry and scolded him almost turning his face purple, nor the advisers when they listened to the king's orders submissively and unhappy, or to the servants when they were tired or came to implore help from the queen crying from the daily worries and troubles. His father had a similar appearance: his face was almost twisted in a grimace of pain and slightly beaded with sweat, his eyes closed, and his mouth half open as if short of breath, his head rather tilted forward.

      The prince's gaze ran to his hands and he noticed that one of them was open and rested on the panting chest of the king and the other, clenched in a fist, had not yet left the bolt of the shutters, as if glued to it.

      " Father " the child asked in a faint voice " are you fine?”

      The king did not answer, and the prince was frightened to see that his face was getting paler and that two tears were now flowing silently, sliding down his cheeks until they were lost in the thick of his beard.

      " Father, please, don't you feel well? Should I call someone?”

      He was about to turn around and go down, despite the fear of retracing the dark stairs by himself.

      " No " the king finally answered " just a moment.”

      He opened his eyes again, breathed deeply two, three times, the painful grimace disappeared from his face, the hand that clawed the window handle relaxed and he turned to his son, still dominated by the fear that his father might be ill.

      "I'm fine," he said. "You don't need to be dismayed."

      " Excuse me, but I thought something similar to what happened to the old gardener last year was happening to you.”

      " Hey, take it easy! I'm not yet at that point" grumbled the king" And then what do you know about these things?”

      " I was with him when he felt sick and his face turned grey with pain, and he squeezed my hand so hard it made my fingers bleed. Forgive me, father, but you looked sick a little while ago.”

      " It's true I was sick, but not in the sense that you think.”

      " And how then?”

      " I was thinking of an old friend of mine who died a long time ago. Do you know what dead means?”

      "Yes," the prince nodded.

      " For a long time, we lived in this old tower and shared food, hopes and dreams. We talked and sometimes fought and some other quarrel. We once fought and didn't look at each other for two or three days. He then withdrew up there " he pointed to the floor above their heads which was accessed by a trapdoor " and it was I who finally called him. At the same time, he had decided to reopen the trap door and come down. We laughed, I remember, and we were no longer able to stop ...”

      " Why did you fight, father?”

      " He insisted that I should ask the king for a pardon and I accused him of being a traitor.”

      " Why did you have to ask for a pardon? Isn't that what those sentenced to death do? And you are the king.”

      " Not then; my father was the king and I was the condemned person, not to death, but to remain shut in here for many months and then perhaps in exile. That was because I had stated the sovereign was not just and surrounded himself with incapable citizens, cruel to the people, only to feel flattered.”

      " Was it true?”

      " Sure, do you doubt my words?”

      " No, but ... It is serious to say such things to a king, it could cause your head to come off.”

      "Yes, but I did, and at first some of the king's advisors encouraged me, then they all left me except my friend, who wanted to follow me here.”

      " And then?”

      " My mother interceded for us and we left safely, with our head still in place. There was no exile in a foreign country, but only in the castle where you now live with your mother.”

      "In the tower cell?" The child asked, startled.

      " No " the king laughed, amused, despite everything, by the terrified face" No; we were in the castle and could not return to the city, but we were free to go hunting and receive some visits. It wasn't bad after all. The tower was worse. Then my father forgave us, and we were let back into the court.”

      " Father, can I ask you something I shouldn't?”

      " Have you thought about it? If it is a question that you know is forbidden, you could be punished.”

      " I know, but I need to do it.”

      " If this is the case ... a man's duty is more important than anything else and we must also face the risk of being punished.”

      " I think so too and you too have been condemned by the king because you thought it was fair to say certain things ...”

      " Exactly " the king went along, keeping a straight face despite the desire to smile at the solemn tone of the child " So?”

      " Why, father, can't my mother and I leave the castle? Perhaps we are prisoners too for offending you?”

      The king turned his face so that his son could not see his sudden blush. He wasn't angry about his question, but when he was taken by surprise. He didn't know what to say to him, being put on the spot like that.

      He tried to compose himself quickly so would not think that he was angry or offended by his words.

      "You are not prisoners," he replied, trying to gain some time.

      " But we're not even free.”

      " What does that mean? If you asked me to come to the city, for example, I would say yes.”

      " It is not the same thing. I wanted to say that if my mother and I wanted to go to the sea alone we could not and if the queen wanted to come all the way here to see the river and the mountains up close you would forbid it. Why, father? Maybe we did things that upset you and now you punish us like that?”

      The king was seized with panic, as if he were standing in front of an enemy army. How could he talk to a child of betrayal and wounded honor, of pride and jealousy? Where would he find the words to reassure him that his love for him and his mother was not in question?

      " Do you trust me? ". he asked.

      " Yes, father.”

      " Then listen to me well: your mother is a good and beautiful queen and I love her. I married her for these reasons, and I haven't changed my mind. She never did anything wrong, nor did she offend me, just as you СКАЧАТЬ