Her'u (Lonely) in Enarrain's Chamber

[NDak 0]

It was a warm spring evening on ch’Rihan, a subtle breeze blowing through an open window in the kitchen of the house of N’Dak. Alone at the table, the young six year old Destorie Ma’Lyn set glancing at the empty room. There was a flickering of light upon a sugary confection.

 

He’d waited an entire year for this day, and now that it was here—he rather wished it would end. Alone at the table, he blew softly, extinguishing the light and allowing a mellowed darkness to fill the room.

 

The scent of the freshly blown out candle filled his nostrils, usually this made him happy, for it reminded him of the lavish parties his parents had thrown for him when he was younger. But this was a very sad memory for the young N’Dak. Ever since his siblings had been born, what time his parents did spend with him became less and less frequent.

 

Today, his father could not be with him—he was on a trade mission; his mother was busy being an ambassador to some planet he couldn’t pronounce…where his new brother Issaha was, along with his sisters.

 

Why hadn’t they taken him too? A small tear streamed down his cheek. Sure his nanny was there to take care of him, but she had many things to do and couldn’t be troubled by the young boy’s birthday.

 

Today at school, he’d lied to his friends when they asked him if he would have a party for them. He said no, which wasn’t a lie, but he had instead said that his father was taking him to the amusement center at i’Taramu. He’d never been there before—ever—and likely never would.

 

His father was always to busy for him, too concerned with the affairs of the state, never for his family…

 

Flickering his eyes, Destorie glanced out the window of the Enarrain’s chambers. His life had been a very strange dream. Born the fortunate son of a senator, born into the life of power and luxury; his life had been far from a pleasant one. In retrospect, he always made it seem more…grand. The glorious exploits of his youth, even the showering of affection upon him by his parents.

 

His mother and father loved him, of that he was sure…but it had not been the sort of warmth he’d convinced himself it was. Perhaps it was a coping method. His sixth birthday was among the most painful memories he’d ever felt. More than death of his lover; more than being beaten by Koga and t’Rexan; more than being stripped of his rank. Yet he’d spoken so little of it…ever.

 

With the dark past behind him, and an uncertain future before him the memories of that evening had finally surfaced. At first he didn’t realize why. Why now? Why so many years later would this searing memory remerge into his conscious and waking thoughts?

 

It came to him in an epiphany, hitting him like a brick wall—because he’d never felt so powerless and alone as then. Not even now. Nothing would ever touch that feeling. As he stood watching the stars, he felt a tear run down his face, as his jaw line and lips began to tremble.

 

For all his bravado, for all of his posturing and outward strength there was an empty pit in his soul; a deep scaring sadness that seemed to consume him in its darkness.

 

Wiping the tear from his eyes, he looked into the window and saw a reflection, but not of the proud Rihan who’d finally achieved his goal of controlling the fate of the Talon and his own destiny—but of a little boy, alone at the table the smell of dying embers in his nose, a tear upon his cheek.