BOOK II OF III: The Reign of the Sultan (47 page)

Two hours later, a dozen-armed escort, six
personal servants, and the queen were ready in the throne
room—Baltor and Chelsea joined them there at that time.

There, Baltor visualized his bedroom in his
mind’s eye, and traced the runes he saw into the air. Instantly a
portal opened up, causing just about everyone to become slightly
alarmed.

With Chelsea in the lead, the group
suspiciously walked through the portal entering his bedroom back in
Pavelus. Once Baltor had stepped through, the portal shut.

Without delay, he called aloud, “Guards,
enter.”

The guards opened up the bedroom doors, and
their mouths dropped open in shock to see the large group of people
standing around.

The guard-in-charge asked, “What’s going on,
my Sultan?”

Baltor answered, “Long story that I don’t
feel like getting into right now, soldier. For now, I want you to
have our servants prepare the royal guest bedroom for Queen Calitta
of the Kingdom of Thorium, as well another adjacent bedroom for her
servants. Understood?”

The guard snapped, “Yes, my Sultan!” He then
hastily retrieved the servants, who then began to prep the guest
bedrooms.

Meanwhile, Baltor turned to face Calitta and
asked, “Are you hungry, Queen Calitta? If you are, we can arrange
for a late night snack.”

Calitta thought about his question for a
couple seconds before replying, “No thank you, Sultan Baltor. Would
it be possible for us to get a tour of your city tomorrow
morning?”

“Absolutely,” Baltor answered with a wink of
his left eye. “Most likely it will be my wife, Brishava, who will
give you the tour, as I sleep during the day. Speaking of my wife,
I’d really like you to meet her.”

“Yes,” Calitta said with a pleased smile upon
her face, “I’ve heard so much about both her and you from
Ambassador Chelsea.”

“Well, let’s go see if we can find her.”

Calitta said, “Splendid.”

“Your guards won’t be needed within the
palace. I can assure you that you’ll be quite safe here. Would you
like me to have a room arranged for them?” Baltor asked.

“Sure.”

Baltor walked over to the door of his
bedroom, and opened it.

One of the guards on the other side of the
door asked, “Yes, my Sultan?”

Baltor said, “I want you to locate the
servants and have them prepare another room for Queen Calitta’s
guards. But before you go, do you know where the Sultaness is?”

“No my Sultan, I do not know where she is at
the moment, but I can find out after I have informed the servants
of your first command,” the guard answered.

“Don’t worry about it—just ensure that the
room is prepared for the queen’s guards,” Baltor said. Turning to
look back at Calitta, he asked, “Queen Calitta, would you like a
tour of the palace right now?”

Calitta answered, “Sure!”

With a hand gesture toward the doors, Baltor
said with a smile, “Let’s go.”

Along with Chelsea, Baltor gave Calitta a
sightseeing tour of the palace—over the next hour, he showed the
queen the throne room, the dining hall, the courtyard, and finally,
the lush and beautiful gardens outside. Of course, Calitta enjoyed
every second of it.

It was while they were traversing the gardens
that Brishava first received the report that Baltor, Chelsea, and
Calitta were currently strolling through the gardens looking for
her.

Immediately after ordering another servant to
set up a late night snack, she headed out to the gardens, saw the
group walking the opposite direction, and hurriedly began to
approach.

As she neared them, Brishava called out, “Hey
Baltor and Chelsea—this must be Queen Calitta—hi guys!”

The group turned around to look over at
Brishava.

Chelsea was the first to greet with a bow,
“Greetings, my Sultaness.”

Chelsea and Brishava gave each other a light
hug.

Once they had released from the hug, Baltor
then said with a smile, “Hey.”

He then introduced the other two women to
each other, “Queen Calitta, this is my wife, Sultaness
Brishava.”

With a bow of her head, Calitta said
excitedly, “Greetings, Sultaness Brishava. It is a pleasure to meet
you, especially after all the wonderful things I heard about you
from Ambassador Chelsea! She’s become like the sister I never
had.”

Just as excitedly, Brishava replied, “And it
is a wonderful pleasure to meet you, Queen Calitta! The ambassador
is like my sister also. So, do you like the palace?”

Calitta replied, “It is simply
breathtaking.”

Brishava said, “Thank you! Are you guys
hungry? I’ve already arranged a late night snack.”

“After all this walking,” Calitta sighed, “I
am actually a bit hungry now.”

Brishava said, “Great—follow me!”

She then led the way back to the royal dining
hall, where plates, silverware, goblets, and trays of food had
already been set up and neatly arranged—recently the room had been
remodeled and perfected by Jamar!

Inside this square-shaped room, whose length
and width both bore one hundred feet with a forty-foot high
ceiling, the floors, walls, and ceiling had been entirely
constructed of “grade A” mahogany. Covering three-quarters of the
floor was a beautiful white rug, which had embroidered into it
golden-colored flowers; covering about a third of these walls and
ceiling were abstractly-sized-and-shaped, yet very strategically
placed, mirrors.

Located in the very center of this room was a
thirty-foot round table, which had a tablecloth on it that
perfectly matched the carpet; on the far side of this room near the
lit-up fireplace, there were four large plushy couches, whose
material perfectly matched the tablecloth.

Over the course of the next half an hour,
they shared a very pleasant snack, as well an even more pleasant
conversation.

Though there were many topics of discussion,
one of the most important came from Brishava as she relayed the
information that Humonus’s funeral would be performed precisely an
hour before sunrise the following morning, and that Baltor would
personally deliver the eulogy. She also mentioned that the whole of
the city would be in attendance.

Following conversation, they escorted Calitta
to her room. Chelsea headed to her room, and Brishava and Baltor
finally went to theirs.

Other than Baltor, everyone else fell fast
asleep. He spent most of the night preparing the eulogy he would
deliver.

An hour before sunrise, and with the whole of
the city in attendance—royalty, nobles, troops, and
citizens—Humonus was given his “funeral rites” outside the city
walls, which rites began with a twenty-one sword salute.

By the hardcore-vocalized commands of
Stormea, seven soldiers simultaneously drew his or her sword from
his or her sheath three times, which caused a “loud ringing noise”
to occur each and every time!

Following, two trumpeters began blowing a sad
ballad, while four other soldiers crisply took the flag of the
Sharia Empire off the coffin and neatly folded it up. Once it was
folded up into a small triangle, one of those soldiers immediately
marched over—with flag in hand—to his Sultan’s position and handed
it over.

As soon as Baltor held the flag in both of
his hands, he did an about face, marched over to Chelsea, went to
the position of attention, handed her the flag, and snapped his
sharpest salute, all the while Humonus’s coffin was ever-so-slowly
lowered into the ground.

After the trumpeters had completed and
silence reigned in the area, nearly a minute later, Baltor finally
released his salute, did another about face to face the crowds and
the coffin, which was now completely in the hole.

He declared loudly to all, “I am not a man of
many words, so I shall make my eulogy of Ruling-General Humonus
brief. I have known this great and noble man since I was a young
boy of twelve. Not only did he teach me all the martial arts I
know, and not only did he teach me how to be the man I am today,
yet, most especially, he taught me how to be a great leader and a
caring friend! For the rest of my life, I shall miss him greatly
until I join him in death…that is all I have to say.”

With a single tear that flowed unabashedly
out her right eye and down her cheek, Brishava—who was standing
right next to her husband—added right away with both pride and
love, “Ruling-General Humonus is a man who will be never forgotten
for his valiant sacrifice to the Sharia Empire, as well the world!
No doubt that he is one of the greatest warriors ever.”

After taking a deep breath through her nose,
she added, “It took great courage to single handedly battle it out
against a dragon the size of a mountain and almost winning, per the
reports and firsthand accounts I’ve heard, and know to be true with
my heart, mind, and soul!

“And one more thing I need to say about
Humonus: all that knew this man…loved him. Therefore, we shall
build a statue to commemorate in the very center of the city, so
that he will be remembered for all time to come.”

Almost right away two trumpeters began to
blow out another short and sad ballad. Chelsea continued to sob
quietly, while tightly clutching the flag in between her arms and
chest.

For support, Calitta and Cheo sat on a chair
on each side of her, and Yaush and Jimnee stood right behind. All
had their hands gently resting on her shoulders or hands,
comforting the new widow.

The trumpeters finished blowing their tune
about thirty seconds later. Baltor next called out,
“Attention!”

The troops instantaneously snapped to the
position of attention. Out of respect, most of the nobles and
citizens did as well, although many were clumsy and/or slow in
assuming this position. Of course, Chelsea and her closest
companions remained where they were and did not move.

Thirty-or-so seconds later, Baltor next
called out, “Present arms!”

Those soldiers who possessed a weapon drew it
out of his or her sheath and beat it against the chest plate of his
or her armor—those soldiers not possessing a weapon snapped his or
her sharpest salute. Again, the nobles and citizens did their best
to imitate the salutes.

A minute later, Baltor called out, “Forces,
Nobles, and Citizens of the Sharia Empire—dismissed.”

Most of the troops, nobles, and citizens
began to slowly-but-surely disperse back into the city. Baltor and
Brishava, on the other hand, joined up with Chelsea, Calitta, Cheo,
Yaush, and Jimnee.

The group of seven shared a tight hug that
lasted for many-a-minutes—spent in complete silence.

Once that hug had been released, they just as
silently entered their royal carriages, which chauffeurs snapped
the reins of their horses, so they could trot their way back to the
palace. One battalion of guards led and another followed.

Once inside the palace itself, nearly twenty
minutes later, Baltor quickly bid his farewells to everyone, and
headed off to bed … sunrise was only minutes away.

Once night had arrived, and Baltor woken up
and bathed, assistants dressed and prepared he and Brishava for
“the victory celebration,” once again in separate rooms.

Tonight, he was dressed in a pair of silky
white pants, a violet colored tunic bearing the golden emblem of
the Sharia Empire sewn into the front, and of course, his Sultan’s
crown—in his unspoken opinion, he looked “sharp as a blade!”

It was only when he was having his white
leathery boots slid on his feet that he observed—through the
mirror—the doors open, and in walked Cheo.

Baltor instantly noticed that his kingly
friend’s attire was a black and red tunic, red cotton pants, black
boots, and a golden crown imbedded with tiny jewels of all
colors—the king looked “royally stylish” in Baltor’s opinion!

Cheo, with a warm smile upon his face,
signed, “Greetings Baltor!”

With a nod, Baltor replied just as
enthusiastically, “Greetings Cheo!”

“Where is your beautiful wife, Brishava?”

“She’s still getting dressed in the other
room, I’m sure…you know women,” Baltor said with a laugh.

Cheo laughed in return, and then he signed,
“Yes, I do.”

At that moment, the assistants finished, and
so they bowed—the lead asked, “Are you pleased with the way you
look today, my Sultan?”

“Yes,” Baltor answered, “Thank you very much.
Have a great night, gentlemen.”

“You are most welcome, my Sultan,” the lead
assistant replied with a smile. After another bow, he and his other
assistants left the room with the closet on wheels.

Baltor turned around. With a serious look now
on his face, he asked, “I’m not sure about how you want to go about
it, but what can we do to reestablish the Kingdom of
Chao-chu-sha-maen?”

Cheo sighed, and then signed, “One day soon
but not sure when just now, the villagers and I will head back
home—and start over.”

Baltor asked, “Just you and the other
survivors?”

“Well, what other ways are there?”

Baltor answered the question with another
question, “What if I was to send a division of my soldiers with
you, as well two thousand stonemasons to help you design a new city
with fortified walls, and then you’ll at least have a lot more
protection than if you go alone?”

With a very surprised look on his face, Cheo
asked, “You’d do all that for me?”

“Without hesitation, my brother,” Baltor
replied with a smile.

“I’ll agree to your suggestion, if the new
city of Chao-chu-sha-maen falls under the banners of the Sharia
Empire,” Cheo answered.

Baltor countered, “I don’t want you to serve
under me, King Cheo—you’re royalty and you’re family—you’re my
brother-brother!

“Trust me that I never forgot about that time
when we were in your palace, shortly before I left for the tower,
and we exchanged a single teardrop with each other, which meant by
your culture that we were now ‘official brothers!’ And thus, I was
forever after a Prince of the Chao-chu-sha-maen nation!