I awoke the next morning to feel my face hitting the dirt on the wooden floorboards and coughing it back out. I saw the boots of Demni and rose from the ground, dusting myself off.
"A simple, 'Can you get up?' would do, Demni," I said tiredly.
He just chuckled. "Some things will never change."
I smiled. I had warmed up to Demni three years in the barracks. Perhaps I had during the two years at war as well, but I wasn't sure. I still was remembering all that had happened in the last two years.
"What do you need?" I asked.
"The king has asked for a private meeting with you," he said.
I gulped, looking down at my clothes.
"Your clothes do not matter. Take your horse and ride straight past the oasis. He will be a short ways away from there."
What was all the secrecy about? Was the king planning to kill me because he secretly blamed me for Neo's death?
"Go," said Demni.
I walked out of the hut and saddled my horse before riding past the oasis as Demni had instructed. I soon saw the king and dismounted bowing. He dismounted as well and had me sit with him in the sand. By this time I was curious and worried about what was going to happen.
"We need to have a talk, Jaspen, and I warn you now it's not a pretty story."
I gulped.
"Did I do something wrong, my king?" I asked worriedly.
"No. This is something I did wrong."
I sat quietly and waited for him to talk. He told me the story of who my real father was and my mother and I listened quietly until he was done. No reason Hassan was so bitter towards me.
"So... so you're my true father?" I asked when he was done.
"Aye," he answered after a few moments.
His voice was wavering. This had to be the reason he always watched me intently. "So Neo was my half-brother..." I said.
This was all a shock. I was the Raksheesh son of the king.
"Aye..." he said quietly. "My wife doesn't know."
I sat quietly for a minute.
"Jaspen, you do not have to claim my blood. If you wish to live as you are now, I am giving you that choice. I will warn you this will not be an easy road if you decide to claim me as your father and begin to be trained as a prince."
I looked at Ginfried. He was "Gi" that Hassan had slipped and told me about. I could see I had some of Ginfried's features and it made sense.
"I will claim my blood. You need an heir," I said quietly.
"Jaspen..."
"Were you ashamed of me?" I asked. "Is that why you never told me?"
"No. It was to protect you," he said.
"And you," I whispered.
"Jaspen, I understand you are bitter about this, but it would have put you in danger," he said. "And, yes, it was to protect myself as well from looking weak."
I nodded. "I will claim to be your son, but I am doing it for Neo and also for the other Raksheesh."
"I can understand that."