Kin had finally met with Farouk. Everything seemed to be going well.... maybe. Kin wasn't really sure what Farouks presence meant. It had been close to seven months since they last saw each other. Farouk had a lot of questions about how Kin had survived, and Kin had a lot of questions about what had really happened that night. How did Farouk miss word about an entire rebellion? How did he not save his father? And what exactly had transpired during the night of the rebellion? These were questions Kin had not received answers to, and he would love to know what happened.
After they had done some catching up and exchanged pleasantries, Kin, Farouk, and Commander Lei went to discuss in a secluded area of the temple. There was little to no time to waste. They needed to begin planning their next steps, but before that, Farouk looked at Kin and asked,
"So, Your Highness, I want to know everything that happened to you since that night. Last I heard, you were caught by Jai, and if that was true, you wouldn't be alive by now. What exactly happened?"
Kin shook his head. "I'll tell you everything about that some other time. My journey over the last seven months is of little to no importance. What's really important now is you, Farouk. How did it happen? How come my father is dead, and the man who was supposed to be his personal guard is walking alive and well? How did Jai stage a rebellion, and you entirely missed it? Who betrayed my father, and who are those that still remain our allies?" Kin asked in a heavy tone.
Farouk looked at Kin. His face didn't show any kind of emotion. It was as if he was trying to understand something about the boy he was staring at. After a while, he sighed.
"I'm sorry for failing to protect your father, my prince. But I didn't know about the rebellion before it happened, and you're right, I should have known something was wrong. I should have done my job as a protector of the king and the crown. But the reason why I didn't know was because of your father," Farouk said.
Kin frowned. "What do you mean? Are you blaming the dead for your incompetence now?"
Commander Lei wanted to react, but Farouk stopped him. This didn't escape Kin's observation, and he asked,
"Is something wrong, Commander? If he has something to say, let him say it, Farouk."
Farouk didn't respond and continued talking about the night of the rebellion.
"After our brief chat during the celebration, Your Highness, I went to see your father. Although he had told me to accompany you to the celebration, you were... you were being childish, so I went to meet your father. He was concerned for you. Just as you know, tradition states that a prince performs his first Kadi to prove himself at the age of ten. But, because of your incompetence, it was canceled. I went to meet your father to talk to him about how we can make a better ruler out of you. It was out of my place, I know, but I couldn't watch as you brought down everything your father tried to build. That's why, when I met your father, he told me something I wasn't expecting.
"When I told him about my concerns, he said things were already in motion. He said I only needed to make sure you and your mother survived.
"When I asked him what he meant, he just said a lot of people would die; I just had to make sure that you survived. He put you in my care.
"I was surprised. I had known your father for more than thirty years. I knew he had done something. That was when he told me about Jai's rebellion. Your father already knew Jai was going to take the throne for himself, even before it happened. I don't know why he didn't stop it, but he knew. He knew Jai was coming, so he asked me to take you and your mother out of the palace, and I did. When I returned to rescue your father, Jai had already killed him," Farouk said in regret.
"How?" Kin muttered. "Why? Why would he do such a thing?"
"I think he knew," Farouk said. "He knew after he died, you wouldn't last on the throne. He knew you would probably be killed by Jai or someone else."
"I know," Kin replied. "But I didn't think he would..."
Kin wanted to deny it, but he knew it was probably true. Even his mother knew his incompetence would be the death of him. But Kin didn't know how or why he was to prove himself. He felt choked with expectations and felt clustered. He just wanted some space to breathe so he could try to meet the expectations, but he didn't know his father had little faith in him.
"Are you alright?" Ashell asked.
"No," Kin replied.
He was depressed. Very depressed. He wondered why his father had to go to such lengths.
"I understand how you feel," Ashell said. "But I also understand how your father felt."
Kin was surprised. He didn't know how Ashell could understand such a thing. How could anyone understand such a thing?
"Your father... his clock was ticking. If Jai had not killed him, he would have died sooner or later. While his choice could be argued, whether it was best, it was still a choice that had to be made.
"He knew you wouldn't last. He knew they would come after you. He allowed them to come so he could save you. If he had killed Jai and stopped the rebellion, it wouldn't have helped much. More were coming. And if Jai failed, they might not, and it meant off with your head."
"Then he should have just made Jai the damned king," Kin said.
"Same thing would have happened. Your uncle would have killed you. You were the son of Ken. A lot of people respected and hated your father. If Jai is capable of killing his brother, then what do you think would happen to his nephew? You would have died either way. King Ken's method might have been a bit over the top, but he knew your only chance of survival was if you learned to survive. Your only chance of becoming a great king is if you could take the throne without it being handed to you."