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  Humming merrily, the wisper left the suite she shared with the advisor and headed directly to the king's suite. Tarent being as open and peaceful as it was, there was not even a guard outside the king's suite. The wisper opened the door and entered without knocking. King Eugeon was still in bed. He looked towards the door to see who had entered, but his eyes returned to staring up at the ceiling when he recognized the wisper.

  "Good morning to you, too, Your Highness," mocked the wisper. "You would think that the king would welcome company. Not many people bother to come and visit you any more."

  "I don't relish company," retorted the king. "Go away and leave me alone."

  Naveena walked across the room and stood next to the bed. She concentrated as she stared at the king's eyes. The king shut his eyes, but it did not matter to the spell. Focusing on the victim's eyes was just a form of concentration, and Eugeon did not represent much of a challenge. Within minutes the king's demeanor changed dramatically. His eyes popped open, and he smiled as he gazed up at the wisper. He struggled to sit up in bed, and Naveena smiled as she helped him.

  "Good morning, Naveena," the king said cheerily. "How nice of you to visit."

  "It is always a pleasure to visit my king," smiled Naveena. "I bring good news today. It is about the princes."

  "The princes?" echoed the king. "It has been so long since I have seen them. Are they well?"

  "Exceptionally well," nodded the wisper. "They are growing so fast. You would be proud of how much they have matured in the last year alone. I should bring them up to visit."

  "I would enjoy that," the king nodded eagerly. "What is the good news that you bring?"

  "Both boys are doing exceptionally well in their studies," answered Naveena, "and I think they are ready to start taking over some of the duties of running the kingdom. It should only be small things at first, you understand, but the responsibility will do wonders for them."

  "Responsibilities?" frowned the king. "They are a bit young for that yet, aren't they?"

  "You have not seen them in years," sighed Naveena. "They are almost men now."

  "I suppose that I lose track of the years up here," frowned the king. "Grown men already? Will Garrick make a good king?"

  "An excellent king, Your Highness," smiled Naveena, "and Zinan will make an excellent king's advisor to his cousin. Lavitor and I have been training them daily for years now. You really must meet them soon."

  "Yes, yes," nodded King Eugeon. "I must indeed. Can you send them up today? I want to see how they have grown up."

  "Of course," nodded the wisper.

  "Excellent," replied King Eugeon. "I will have to get a bath and be properly dressed. It would not do for the boys to see me in bed. Give me a few hours before you send them up."

  "Certainly," agreed Naveena, "but there is another matter that is also pressing."

  "Oh," frowned the king. "What is it that Lavitor cannot handle?"

  "There is the matter of your will," declared Naveena. "Lavitor has told me that you have refused to issue one. Now, while Prince Garrick is quite capable of working with you to record your will, I would not want to embarrass you by telling your son that you have not safeguarded his inheritance. I thought that I should talk to you about working with Lavitor this morning to complete your will before I sent the boys up. The last thing I want to do is embarrass my king in front of his son."

  "Safeguarding his inheritance?" murmured the king. "I guess I have never looked at it quite that way. Whenever Lavitor brought up the issue, I figured that he was trying to hurry along my death. I never thought about it from Garrick's perspective."

  "I thought that might be the case," smiled the wisper as she prepared to leave. "I am glad that I stopped by this morning. I will send Lavitor up as soon as I see him."

  "Thank you," nodded the king. "Would you also order me a bath as you leave?"

  "It would be my pleasure," bowed the wisper. "Oh, there is one more thing. I almost forgot. This is not something that Garrick has requested, but it is something that I think should be done. There is the issue of naming a regent should something happen to the king before Garrick reaches the age of majority. I strongly feel that Garrick is now old enough to have a say in the selection of the regent. I know that he would never state so himself, but I know the prince well and it would mean a great deal to him."

  "Regency?" the king's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "It is my right to name a regent in my will. I will choose the person to guide my child, not Garrick."

  "Oh, of course," smiled Naveena. "I never meant to suggest otherwise. I was merely speaking of the rare case where the person chosen in your will no longer lives. In that case, the assembly will be called upon to choose a regent. I think in such a case, Garrick's desires should be strongly considered. Don't you?"

  "Oh," smiled Eugeon. "I misunderstood. You are extremely well versed in the dealings of the court. Not many citizens would ever have thought so far ahead. How have you become so adept at such things?"

  "It is my task to ensure that the princes have the best education in Borunda," grinned Naveena. "How could I possibly ensure that without learning everything myself? I take my job of raising the princes very seriously, Your Highness. Garrick will stand out as the finest king in the world when his reign begins. Of course, he will be following in his father's footsteps."

  "You have a gift for words," chuckled the monarch, "but I am more impressed with your attitude towards my son. I shall make the requested stipulation in my will. Now order me a bath."

  "At once, Your Highness," grinned the wisper as she backed out of the suite and closed the door.

  Naveena knew that the spell would only last for about an hour before the king reverted to the haze he normally existed in. She ignored his request for a bath and proceeded straight to Lavitor's office.

  "The king is quite lucid this morning," Naveena stated as she stood in the doorway. "I told him that you would be up promptly to write his will."

  "You did?" gasped the advisor. "How do you do it, Naveena? Everyone seems to want to make you happy."

  "Making me happy makes others happy," laughed the wisper. "Arrange for a bath for him when you are done. He needs it."

  She was gone before he could reply. Once again humming to herself, Naveena went looking for the boys. After an extensive search, she finally spied Zinan out by the stables. He saw her coming and tried to sneak away, but one harsh bark brought the lad screeching to a halt. She waved him away from the stables and led him into the garden to a quiet spot. Zinan knew that he was in for an unpleasant conversation, but he would rather be at the stables dreaming of faraway places than sitting in the king's advisor's office learning about protocol.

  "I heard discouraging reports about you this morning," Naveena began. "Do you wish to explain yourself?"

  "I just don't want to learn any more about the palace," the lad replied assertively. "I don't understand why I should have to. Garrick is going to be the king, not me. Why do I have to learn all that junk?"

  "You are smarter than Garrick," noted the wisper. "While he may someday be the king, it will be your advice that he listens to. In reality, you will be the true power of Borunda. You must learn all that you can to fulfill your destiny."

  "My destiny?" balked Zinan. "Why are you so interested in my destiny. You are not even my real mother."

  "Who told you that?" scowled the wisper.

  "Lots of people say it," replied the boy. "They say that I am the son of Princess Orenda. Why have you let me think that you are my mother?"

  "Because I am the only mother you ever had," snapped Naveena. "You truly were the son of Princess Orenda, but only for an hour. She threw you into my arms and ran away. If you would rather consider her your mother, I am sure that I can find another boy to be the mother of. I thought you loved me?"

  Naveena rose to leave, but Zinan quickly wrapped his arms around her to stop her.

  "No," he shouted. "Don't leave. I'm sorry. I do love you."

/>   Naveena purposely hesitated as if weighing a difficult decision before sitting back down on the bench.

  "Did she really abandon me like that?" Zinan asked softly.

  "Exactly as I told you," nodded Naveena. "Orenda was a strange creature. She was the king's sister, but she was not even allowed into the palace. I guess she did not place a very high value on family. I, on the other hand, have raised you as my own from the second hour of your life. For ten years I have thought of nothing but your well-being."

  "I am really sorry," vowed the prince. "I will never doubt you again. I promise."

  "Then you will study hard and learn everything that Lavitor has to teach you?" pushed the wisper.

  "Do I have to?" pouted Zinan. "I really don't like to learn that stuff."

  "You don't like to travel?" posed the wisper. "You wouldn't want to lead great armies into battle? You have no desire to be the greatest spy the world has ever known?"

  "What?" gasped Zinan. "I would love to do any of those things, but what does that have to do with Lavitor? Those are not things that he is willing to teach me."

  "Yet that is exactly what I see in your future," smiled Naveena. "I am trying to make all of these things possible for you, but first you must learn a few mundane things, yet you refuse to learn."

  "I don't understand," admitted the prince. "How does learning from Lavitor make those other things possible?"

  "You will just have to trust me in some areas," declared Naveena. "I know more about your future than you can imagine. I have planned your entire life, and each and every one of those adventures is guaranteed to you if you follow my instructions."

  "I will do what you tell me," vowed Zinan. "How long do I have to study before my first adventure?"

  "I think your adventures can begin immediately if I can trust you to keep a secret," offered the wisper. "The secret must be solely between you and me. Not another soul can know, or you may die. Do you understand?"

  "Die?" Zinan asked nervously. "How would I die?"

  "Do you promise?" Naveena asked stubbornly.

  "I promise," vowed the lad.

  "You have a power within you that is extremely rare," explained the wisper as she rose and plucked a flower and returned to the bench. "You have the power to make things happen with just your thoughts. Stare at this flower. Do not let your eyes waver from it, but rather try to look inside the bud. Concentrate your mind on the very center of the flower."

  Naveena let the boy concentrate for a moment until she felt a slight tingling of the air. She grinned broadly.

  "Picture the center of the flower as a flame," instructed the wisper. "Imagine the flame as a small…"

  The flower burst into flames, and Naveena had to drop it to avoid being burned. She laughed as her foot stomped on the burning flower to extinguish the flames.

  "I was going to say a small flame," she chuckled, "but your power is already stronger than I thought."

  "I did that?" Zinan asked in amazement.

  "You did that," nodded Naveena, "and you did it quite well."

  "Wow," grinned Zinan, "I can't wait to …"

  "Remember your promise," Naveena said sternly. "One word of your powers and people will be calling for your death."

  "That's not fair," pouted Zinan. "Everyone fawns all over Garrick because he is the Crown Prince. Now that I can do something that he cannot do, I can't even talk about it."

  "Does it bother you that Garrick will become king?" asked Naveena. "I thought you two got along fairly well."

  "We do get along well," shrugged Zinan, "but he always has to lord it over me that he is the chosen one. Sometimes I hate him for it."

  "And how would you feel about yourself if Garrick were the king, but he had to do whatever you told him to," asked the wisper.

  "Had to?" questioned the prince. "If he really had to do whatever I wanted, I think that would be great."

  "Well," grinned Naveena, "that is what your future shall be."

  "How do you know these things?" asked Zinan.

  "I know everything," Naveena said with a straight face. "Remember that the next time you try to hide something from me."

  The prince swallowed hard as he realized the implications of what Naveena was saying.

  "How will I make Garrick do what I want?" he asked, anxious to change the direction of the conversation.

  Naveena did not answer. Instead she merely stared at Zinan. The lad looked at her glazed over eyes with concern and then suddenly jumped off the bench. He knelt before Naveena and kissed her feet. The wisper laughed heartily and Zinan looked up with an embarrassed expression.

  "Why did I do that?" he asked.

  "Because I told you to," smiled Naveena.

  "But you didn't say anything at all," Zinan shook his head. "I didn't hear you say anything."

  "My mind spoke directly to your mind," explained Naveena. "I can teach you to do the same thing to Garrick and others."

  "And they won't even know why they are doing what I told them to do?" questioned the boy.

  "Exactly," nodded the wisper. "You can let Garrick think that he is the king while you tell him exactly what to do. Now do you understand why you must learn everything you can?"

  "I think so," Zinan nodded eagerly.

  "And when playing with Garrick becomes boring," added Naveena, "you can get rid of him and take the crown for yourself."

  "Could I really do that?" asked the prince.

  "You are a prince in your own right," nodded Naveena. "The only things that stand in your way of the crown are Garrick and his father, but do not be in a hurry. If your moves are clumsy, you will be discovered and killed for it. I will let you know when the time is right."

  "I suspect it will be a long time from now, won't it?" inquired the lad.

  "It will be years before your wear the crown," nodded Naveena, "but do not be impatient. The intervening years will be more fun than you can imagine. In fact, getting the crown will be more fun than wearing it."

  "I don't understand that," admitted the boy.

  "While you are just a prince," explained Naveena, "you will be able to travel the world freely. You will be treated as visiting royalty if you wish, or you can travel anonymously if you do not wish to be noticed. You could never do that as king."

  "Why would I want to travel anonymously?" he asked.

  "How else does a spy travel?" chuckled Naveena. "You did say that you wanted to be a spy, didn't you?"

  "You are great!" exclaimed Zinan.

  "There is only one thing that we must be wary of," cautioned the wisper. "Garrick must never be allowed to spawn a child. If he does, your right to wear the crown will be forfeited. As his advisor, you will always be in a position to know when that danger is near. I will teach you how to handle such occasions."

  "I want to learn everything that you can teach me," Zinan declared eagerly.

  "And everything that Lavitor can teach you," Naveena pointed out. "What the king's advisor knows, you must know. You must never be in the position of trusting anyone other than me, and that means that you must know how to handle every occasion. Do you understand?"

  "Perfectly," beamed the prince. "I will learn it all. Ask Lavitor about my studies any time in the future. You will be proud of my progress."

  Chapter 4 - End of an Era

  End of an Era

  Naveena pushed Lavitor hard to wake him. The king's advisor groaned and rolled over in bed, but the wisper merely pushed harder.

  "Are you going to sleep all day?" snapped Naveena. "The boys' lessons are scheduled to begin within the hour. You must learn to get to bed earlier. What were you doing last night that kept you away? Why weren't you in bed where you belong?"

  Lavitor groaned again and struggled to sit up. He rubbed his eyes and avoided looking towards the bright summer sunlight streaming into the window.

  "It was Zinan," moaned the advisor. "His appetite for knowledge is insatiable. He has devoured everything that I can teach him, and yet he
demands still more. We ended up in the library researching ancient scrolls to determine the origins of some of our more arcane traditions. I have never known a person with a more curious nature."

  "He must learn if he is to advise Prince Garrick," smiled Naveena.

  "Well he is ready," Lavitor shook his head. "At the young age of fifteen, I would already rank him as one of the most learned men in the kingdom. Whatever you said to him five years ago, it has changed his whole life. The lad is so eager to learn that I can no longer please him."

  The grin that spread across Naveena's face spoke volumes as to her thoughts on the boy's progress.

  "And what of Garrick?" probed the wisper. "Is he also ready to assume his mantle?"

  "He is too young," Lavitor shook his head. "He is nothing more than a boy, Naveena. Let him enjoy his youth."

  "I asked if he was sufficiently prepared to hold office?" snapped Naveena. "I did not ask your opinion on raising children."

  Lavitor looked as if he had been slapped hard. His lips curled down in sorrow and his gaze fell to the floor.

  "Garrick knows barely a fraction of what Zinan knows," he answered obediently, "but that is hardly a fair assessment. Zinan is an exceptional student. As you suggested last year, I have been assigning small responsibilities to Garrick in order to prepare him for the time when Eugeon is no longer fit to serve."

  "And how has he performed with those responsibilities?" asked the wisper.

  "Exceedingly well," frowned the king's advisor, "although I cannot understand why."

  "Explain yourself," demanded Naveena. "You sound as if you are contradicting yourself."

  "I know," sighed Lavitor. "Garrick has performed every task to my satisfaction, but he does not understand the basic concepts underlying the tasks that I have assigned to him."

  "How can that be?" asked Naveena. "Give me an example."

  "Very well," agreed Lavitor as his eyes rose once again to make eye contact with the wisper. "Last week I asked him to devise a new duty roster for the palace guards. Now, from my review of his lessons, I know that he fails to understand the importance of rank among the guards. The concept just escapes him, or he is too lazy to care. I can't determine which. To my amazement, he not only came up with a new duty roster, but the officers were aglow with its perfection. He went beyond the mere task and actually eliminated some assignments that were no longer necessary. I just don't understand it."