Soliloquy Of Marthanda Part lll

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow upon the peak of the mountains, I and Henry descended down with their hearts still soaring with the triumph of conquering the uncharted mountain and its daunting height. While it took us the entire day to climb, we came down within a few hours by sliding and running with our grip on our steps.

Scarily, in our exploration, we had forgotten the passage of time. And as we descended, eager to return to the comfort and safety of our homes, we realised that fate had other plans for us.

"I am dead for sure," I said.

"Me too," replied Henry. "They didn't have to go this far."

"What were you expecting? We were gone for two and a half days."

"Yeah, right."

"It's your fault."

"No, Yours."

"Mine? How? It was your idea to climb and see what lies up there, motherfucker."

"Ohh Damn. Yes"

"Argh, no point; we are dead anyway."

"Yeah."

*Sigh* We both sighed together upon the realisation that we'd be executed by our parents soon.

As we reached the foot of the mountain, exhaustion draining upon our souls, we were met not with the warm embrace of loved ones but with the stern faces of knights, their armour glinting in the fading light. Panic gripped our hearts as we realised the gravity of our situation. Our parents, frantic with worry, had sounded the alarm, summoning the knights to search and rescue operation on us as we had vanished for two days straight.

"Take care; let's meet if we are left alive," said Henry, parting ways.

"You got it," I replied.

With hearts heavy with guilt and fear, I sprinted through the streets. The neighbourhood aunty was shouting at me.

"Your mother is worried for you. Where were you?"

"I know, I am on my way home only!!"

"Run fast; they are waiting."

"Yes, yes, sorry, I worried you all!!"

I didn't have time to stop and explain, so I kept running and just yelled out my replies.

I saw my home looming before me, like beacons of refuge. I don't feel like going there, as I don't even want to imagine their faces and what's going to happen to me. But I don't have any other place to go either.

*SLAPPP*

And here it is. As expected, the sting of a mother's slap on my cheek served as a harsh reminder of their folly.

Mother yelled, shouted, cried, and lectured me for hours and hours. And I couldn't even counter back, as I knew it was my fault to begin with. I vanished without informing anyone. To be honest, even I didn't know that it'd take this much time for us to explore. *Sigh* Ironically, Dad just sat there and listened to everything. To everything that I said in reply as per where I had gone and what I saw.

Later, Dad helped comfort my mother by saying it's okay and that children should explore things like this. Dad even came into my room the next day and asked for everything that I saw. We enjoyed our conversation together, which lasted for the next few hours.

It was exactly how I felt. Despite the turmoil, I knew that the memories forged in those mountains would forever remain etched in our hearts.

And finally, after a few days of lockdown in my own house, I was finally allowed to go out. I met up with Henry again, who faced a similar situation as mine. We both laughed at it and recalled our memories together.

"So you are alive, huh?" said Henry, smiling.

"Speak for yourself. It feels like you got more than just a slap." I replied.

"Yes. A slap plus a hit with the rolling pin."

"The heck."

"Hahah Yes."

I looked at Henry and observed him more after that. Something felt different about him. Like a new spark or something has arisen.

"Let's become strong, Marth," said Henry.

"We will."

Since that fateful day, a slight change has stirred within Henry. It wasn't that his personality changed or that he transformed into something else. But rather, his purpose in life got clarified. A kindling of something within him. He was very casual with life, but now he was burning with intensity, igniting a passion for growth and exploration. His dream of exploring Murk solidified even more with each passing day. He devoted himself to learning swordsmanship and never neglected his studies after that.

Soon, after a few months of training, climbing that mountain became our daily thing. We used to compete with each other. The one that took us an entire day now only takes us two to three hours max. Whenever we were free, we used to spend time there. We even cleaned the temple out of respect, and Henry started loving that place more than his own home. No matter what, I had to reach my house at the end of the day, but there were times when he slept there, as it was that peaceful for him, and whenever I couldn't find him, I found him at the top of the mountain. It filled him with inspiration, he said, and I could never understand him or what was going on inside his mind, even though he was way more talkative than me.

As the world around him shifted and changed, Henry remained steadfast, his resolve unyielding, and his spirit aflame with the promise of adventure. 

"Design a life that you are inspired to live."

—A life lived every day doing only what needs to be done may seem convenient, but your heart and soul don't live for convenience. They live for exploration, imagination, and the pursuit of dreams. Do what must be done, but also do what your heart and soul want to be done. 

But sometimes, the passage of time is cruel, and not all dreams come true, as what lies in our fate is beyond anyone's understanding.

Crack* THUD*

The unforeseen disaster fell upon us as the battle of the coast with the neighbouring kingdom came to its climax.

The water accumulates in the basement of the vault, where the enemy is about to advance inside. I, Henry, and Aashiya are now trapped, with no option left but to explode the entire vault, which will give away our location to twenty elite-level knights of the enemy.

We are all aware that we cannot win; we fight together, and the information in the vault and enemy plans will be put at risk, which will put the whole kingdom at risk.

The light from Henry's eyes fades as he stands in the crackling of electricity, dim light, and water below his feet.

"Aashiya, take Marthanda and fly away," said Henry, as he clenched his sword tight even though blood was dripping from his hand.

"Are you out of your mind?" I yelled.

Aashiya holds herself and cries, looking at Henry and me.

"We will win as soon as the information about the vault reaches the queen, right? You and Aashiya do it. I'll hold them."

"No..." I said, nodding my head in tears. "Please No..."

Before I could even think of any other solution, the yellow spark started igniting around Henry.

"Take care, my friend," said Henry, looking towards me with an eased gaze.

*BOOM*

The vault nukes, and its flame consumes the air around it.

As Aashiya enveloped me on her shoulders, she soared into the sky at unprecedented speed, leaving Henry behind. She held her head down, and her tears flew past mine as she controlled herself and made the right decision. My outstretched arm from over Aashiya's shoulder strained towards Henry, his figure diminishing from my sight.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" I screamed my lungs out.

I saw the enemies advancing as he firmly stood in front of them.

"HENRYYYYYY!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO...."