Maia looked at Grandpa Winks with a concerned look on her face. The man had been laughing nonstop for about thirty seconds straight. She was wondering whether the formerly intelligent man had lost his mind, and his wits.
"What's happening to the old man Reiki?" she whispered softly to the eternal throne. It seems she had also been affected by the old man's crazy antics, for she chose to whisper whilst she could just communicate with the throne telepathically. Reiki glowed softly in reply, "Hush, he can hear you, you know. Whenever he gets like this that means that something good is coming our way. He's probably about to drop a huge spoiler." Maia had barely registered Reiki's words when the emperor and her great grandfather regained his sanity.
"There's nothing happening to me, little one. I'm just a bit excited, that's all. Do forgive me." He apologised for his earlier behaviour as he went on to say, "Let me ask you something". Maia gave her ancestor the go ahead, to which he obliged willingly, "What is the difference between you and all other rulers out there?"
Maia wasn't sure where her predecessor was going with this, but it wasn't a difficult question to answer. Although it sounded irrelevant to the issue at hand, she still replied, "They are all men. I'm the only ruling female monarch on Kelan." She was now curious. The answer didn't seem germane to the topic they were discussing. She waited for her father's grandfather to clear the fog of confusion that had comfortably taken up its position in her pretty head.
"Hehe. Don't look so eager", the older gentleman orated. "I'm getting there", he continued, as he poured himself a cup of water. Maia waited patiently for him to finish his 'beverage', not like she had any other choice but.
"Every kingdom has an heir, every monarch a successor. Tell me, if you had a brother, would you still be chosen to rule?" Grandpa Winks asked with a genial smile on his face. Maia had a bitter smile on her face. How was she to tell her ancestor that she did have a brother, but he was burned by the Usurper, just like her cousins and other external family members? Notwithstanding the unfortunate circumstances, was she to tell him that she become the Eternal Monarch by rebelling against the rebel? Though to be fair, if her brother had indeed survived, all this pressure would have fallen to him instead. She would have been free of the burden of a tedious rule if her brother had made it. It was saddening that fate deemed her a more worthy successor, not even giving her brother the chance to live.
"He would have been made Emperor", still she had to answer the question. And that she did. She was being honest. With or without the rebellion, if her brother was alive, there was no way she would have become the 'King of the South'.
"Yes. Although there are races that practice matriarchy, they are just a handful. They can literally be counted with our fingers. Patriarchy is the main practice of our cosmos. That means if a ruler has seven children, all girls, and the eighth kid comes along as a boy, the issue of age is disregarded and the new born prince is chosen as heir. The universe is no different."
"With Monarchs who had only been blessed with girls, they will only choose their heir when they feel that death is close. Only when they feel the cold hands of the grim reaper gently pat them on the shoulder, do they pick an heir. Some even die without making such a choice, hoping that fortune could finally smile on them and gift them a son. In such a scenario, the eldest daughter of the queen is enthroned. If there are concubines, and I reckon there always will be, the only way they can have their child on the throne is if he is a boy, or the queen is barren."
Maia nodded her head at Grandpa Winks' explanation. This wasn't any new information. Every citizen of Kelan was aware of the simple politics that surrounded a ruling monarchy. For rulers and authorities who were lucky to have more than one son, they didn't really choose an heir. Automatically, the heir is the first born boy- whether he was born to a concubine or a queen. But once another male child was born, this position was no longer stable, especially if the new boy was born to the queen. Both princes would have to prove themselves worthy of the throne, with the common occurrence being the son of the queen coming out on top. No surprise there since it all boils down to how many nobles you can get to support your cause. And queens usually had stronger and better contacts than the concubines. But Maia still didn't understand what that had to do with the conversation.
"You see, all the previous Supremes were women. Unlike us mortals, the universe would always remain. It is older than everything it houses, and its concept of time is different. To us, a million years is quite the number, but to the Universe, it is but a year. Now let's liken the universe to a king seeking an heir. Every few 'years', he hears that his queen has conceived. He welcomes the child with expectation, thinking he finally has an heir. But when he visits the seers, they only foresee the birth of a princess, not a prince. His excitement is dampened, but not extinguished. So he celebrates the birth of his princess, promising her a sheltered and protected life. He holds celebrations, awaiting her birth. And when she is finally born, holds the grandest festival of all. For many years this has been his legacy. A line of princesses, with no prince within sight. But he is faithful and loyal to his queen. He takes in no concubine, believing that one day she would give him an heir. So everyone knows that once the first prince is born, the kingdom is his."
"The King is the Universe; the queen, Destiny. The princesses are the Supremes; the eternals, the ones tasked with providing this sheltered life; and the seer, Fate. Do you understand what I'm saying now?" Grandpa Winks asked.
Maia had an enlightened look on her face. She stuttered with a bit of disbelief, "Are you saying…" Grandpa Winks laughed boisterously, "You sure are slow to join the party." Maia blushed at his words. She was usually very sharp and critically analytical. But in the presence of her family, her sharp brain turned dull, choosing to rest from its constant state of alertness and enjoy their company. She had never met her great grandfather before this, but she still felt close to the free and gleeful older man. In his presence, she was just like she was a decade ago- a child.
"The King promised to give his heir the world. Yet he knew that he could not pamper his heir for who knew when he would ever get another boy. Getting one was already so difficult, he would rather make sure that when he did, he would be the best of all. One that would be incomparable to anyone, even those that came after. So he waited, and his patience was rewarded. He held the grandest celebration, announcing to the world that he finally had an heir. For months he celebrated, his joy spread to all- and drawing the attention of his enemies. He cursed his folly, blaming himself for losing his wisdom in his excitement and revealing his boy to his enemies. So when the boy was finally born, he gave him up and hid him. Afraid not for himself, but for the boy. As for where the boy is hidden, nobody knows. Even seers cannot see, and diviners cannot hear, where he lays. For although his father couldn't protect him in person, he could blind the senses of all who sought him. And that he did, from everyone, even the eternals."
Grandpa Winks knelt before her and looked into her beautiful black eyes. He lovingly held her cheeks and said, "But one thing is for sure. The Universe has an heir. The one true king. One who will live forever. He is our destiny. And even more so yours. Go now. Your time is up. Goodbye little one."
Almost on cue, the forces that governed the memory scape rushed at the beautiful king once Grandpa Winks was done speaking, intent on driving her out. Once she lost the protection of her predecessor, the impatient laws came running, intent on succeeding where they had once failed. The winds howled furiously as the natural laws sought to rid their realm of the unruly intruder.
"No wait! I still have some…" Maia disappeared from the eternal throne before she could even get out her last statement. The furious winds drowned out her voice and 'tossed' her out of the realm. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was trying to get across. Our pretty queen was obviously not done with her questions. Unfortunately, that mattered very little now, especially since she was already gone.