The Asters of Ogaza

19

          Princess Haile showed up for their sword fighting class. Master Poja had paired them as usual, and they were sparring with waster swords when she came in unnoticed.

          “Stop!” she commanded, and they all turned, surprised to see her. “You’re used to each other’s tact, so you’re comfortable. Proud, even. You think you know how to work your sword so well. Let’s see how you do with new partners. Switch.”

          The Asters scanned themselves for a while, and then slowly began to pick new partners.

          “Go to Zina,” Amare whispered to Angel.

          “Who are you going to spar with?” Angel replied in the same hushed tone.

          “Watch,” he said, and then went to stand beside Jael. “Looks like we're partners now.” Jael's face went hot as Amare stood beside her. She was good with the sword, but Amare was exceptional. He and Marjani were the only ones who sparred like they’ve done this their whole lives.

          “Spar!” Princess Haile yelled, and the Asters began attacking and parrying.

          Amare wasted no time to cane Jael's sides after blocking her attack and displacing her sword. She winced and picked her sword back. They sparred and Amare displaced her sword again, then struck her neck.  They kept on like that for about twenty minutes before Master Poja dismissed them.

          “You’re lucky we didn’t use actual swords today. You would have kissed your sorry life goodbye,” Amare jeered at Jael, before grabbing her shoulders and throwing her out of his way.

          Marjani ran to Princess Haile the minute they were dismissed. “Your Majesty!” she bowed, panting. “You’re back. Welcome.”

          Princess Haile promised to catch up with Master Poja and he excused himself. “Thank you. Catch your breath, you don’t look so good.”

          Marjani bit her cheek and nodded. “I was worried, Princess. What happened?”

          The Princess kept her expression grim and unmoved. “I’m human. I'm allowed to get tired and take breaks. No need to worry about me.”

          Marjani looked at her like she knew she was lying. “Are you well rested now?”

          “I am. Thank you for your concern, Marjani.”

          Her heartbeat tripled and she blinked in surprise. This was the first time, the first time she heard her name in the Princess's voice, excluding the day Angel and her were announced as Captains. And it sounded like . . .paradise. Marjani didn’t hold back her excitement. Her lips curved into a smile. Then she raised her eyes back to the Princess’s.

          “About that day, before you stopped coming for trainings. You looked unhappy about the conversation with the Crown Prince. And I—”

          “Marjani,” The Princess called her name with an intensity that made her almost jump. “You were not supposed to listen to us. Unfortunately, my brother spoke in your presence, so I can’t say I blame you for that. But boundaries, are important. And you should learn it, especially when it involves the Royal family. Understood?” Marjani nodded, already feeling anger rising within her. She just wanted to help.

          “Also,” the Princess turned; she had started walking away. “You never heard anything. If I hear any rumors of the Crown Prince not wanting to get married, you’d be in trouble.” She left and Marjani wondered what she did wrong. She was sure this would be good, to try to sympathize with her after seeing her look vulnerable.

          “She talked to Zina, but is refusing to talk to me,” Marjani said, knowing that she may always remain second option, or no option at all. That Zina would always be the one to make the Princess’s stern face soften. She knew this, but she wasn’t willing to come to terms with it.

                                                                             **** 

          Master Poja and Angel sat on a bench in the small garden closest to the Royal Residence. None of the Asters really came towards that part of the Palace. Angel's hands were clasped and placed on his laps.

          “This hasn’t happened before. At least, since I’ve been mentor of the Asters, I’ve never had any Captain who decided to step down. Are you sure this is what you want?”

          Angel’s mind replayed what Zina had said. How he wasn’t unseen, and an amazing Captain. But he was scared that he would hold back, he would be too cautious in his leadership because Marjani and Jael had hurt him. Belittled him.

          “I may be acting purely on my emotions, and may regret my decisions later. But, right now, I don’t know if I’m still good enough to be a leader.”

          “Why?” Master Poja shifted his body to face Angel, his arms folded. “Because things with Jael went haywire?”

          Angel heaved and looked at his clasped hands. Maybe it was time to . . .let it out. “Yes, and no. Marjani, she already hurt me before Jael did. All my life, I tried . . .to live, to forget that I was born with a limp. Even though that is the first thing people notice when they look at me. I tried to be strong, to be happy despite been called ‘rickety Angel’ for most of my life. there were games my teachers didn’t let me play because they were scared that I was too weak. I never went hiking, or participated in relay races even though I loved running so much. I told Marjani I wanted to help her if she was going through something and she asked me to fix my limp first, Jael said I was an irregular object.” He chuckled, but tears were staining his cheeks and slipping into his mouth.

          “I don’t know if I’d ever be as confident as I was to face the Asters. To address them. I don’t know if I’d ever be courageous enough to see myself beyond my limp anymore.”

          Master Poja sat still, as though he was processing all that Angel just said. “You see, I wasn’t always this way. I wasn’t always calm and calculated. I used to be angry at myself, at the world. I was tinier than most people my age, like half their size. I used to get mocked for it, beat up sometimes. And I couldn’t defend myself. So, I befriended the adults and acted like a proper kid. Because when the adults in your neighbourhood notice you, they begin to talk about you, and your chances of being an Aster increases.” He paused as if that was the end of the story.

          “When I became an Aster, I was 18 and I swore to get out and hurt every single person who taunted me. But . . . I lost the passion to do that when I got to be Captain. If I, who still looked like a 14-year-old even though I was 18, could be chosen as Captain, then I was doing something right. And I was determined to keep doing it right.” He squeezed Angel's shoulder once and took his hands off.

          “You think I didn’t see the limp before calling you Captain? You think I considered the limp for even a second? I don’t care about it, because it doesn’t define you. You shouldn’t let people use it to define you. Think over it for tonight, and if by tomorrow you still want to step down, I wouldn’t question you.”

          Angel stared at the man seated with him, who had trained them for nearly two months now, who rarely smiled big, always walked like his life was perfectly in order, like he had zero worry in the world and he was created and purposed to train Asters. He wouldn’t have guessed that life wasn’t always easy for Master Poja.

          “So,” Angel wiped his face. “What you’re saying is, my chances of becoming Master Poja later in life are high?”

          Master Poja laughed, Angel hadn’t really seen him laugh. He always gave a small smile instead. “I can’t say that’s impossible. What I can say though, is that you’re Angel Cairone, excellent and unique. I only chase after value, and that is what I saw in you. I still see it.” He got up, gave Angel a single nod, and exited.

          Amare had climbed a tree with Zina. And they sat there watching squirrels run out of trees, to the ground and back up. It was windy up there, and since it was evening, the sun had become orange and was preparing to go to sleep for the day. Amare plucked a prune and Zina slapped it out of his hands.

          “Vulture!” He gaped at her in shock.

          “What?!” Zina eyed him. “Do you think I have the strength to carry you all the way to the Palace?”

          He sighed. “I’m not allergic to prunes, vulture. That was the only ripe prune here.”

          “Oh,” Zina said, smiling big so he could forgive her. “I wanted to be careful.”

          “I know, I know. Do you ever feel . . .like crossing the Obsidian is going to change our lives, completely?”

          Zina nodded. “It is.”

          “Are you ready for it?” He looked at her.

          “Are you about to change your mind?”

          He licked his lips and looked away. “I’m never going to change my mind. My body is still in the North, but my mind is all the way in the South.”

          Zina hugged her knees. “If our lives are going to change, then it will be for the better.”

          “Tomorrow, we’d take on Point 4, and then we have just 3 more points before we get there.”

          They looked at each other, and Zina smiled, then Amare giggled, then they burst out laughing so loud, that the two love birds on the next tree took off into the skies. They laughed because it was so close, they could almost feel it. Because they had both been face to face with death, that the Obsidian didn’t quite scare them anymore. They laughed because whatever lay on the other side had to be good. It just had to be.