She was crying uncontrollably on the ground- tears streaming down her face and falling onto the rough tiles. The room was dark and no sound but her sobbing could be heard.
"Please don't cry, sister." Masin said sadly breaking the silence. Out of everyone in the room, only these two people seemed to actually be grieving. The ministers shifted uncomfortably at the sight of the exhausted woman but they made no other comment.
"Azil...is he okay?" The crying woman asked pointlessly. Whether her question was to god, Masin or the ministers- no one could tell.
'Good heavens, she isn't even his birth mother.' Was the general thought of all the ministers in the room.
The crying woman was Jia who had been a close friend of Azil's birth mother. They were so close that when his mother died of illness, it was Jia who took up the responsibility of raising him. She was kind and generous but as oblivious as Azil and had spoiled him too much.
On a similar vein, Azil was a good kid but incredibly naive beyond anyone's help. His father had instructed him in the art of diplomacy many times but he could never register that someone would want to harm him. Though he was good, he was also a 'fool' and his nickname wasn't mockery but the truth.
Suddenly, the door swung open. A gust of cold air blew into the heated room and Jia raised her head slowly from her curled up position.
The person who had opened the door was a messenger. The messenger surveyed the room for a second and then inhaled deeply and shouted- "The young master is awake!!!"
Instantly, the room fell silent. Jia's eyes widened and she nearly fell back onto the floor. Her sister, Masin, was as shocked and stood up from her seat amazed. The family doctor had told them there was no treatment at present for the poison that had been used against him. They had given him all sorts of medicinal herbs but the only possible cure was miles away from them. Yet he had lived...it was truly a miracle.
A minister started coughing and a slow murmur filled the room. Masin rushed to her sister and helped her up. "He's alive." She whispered in awe.
Time seemed to stop and in the midst of the chaos, Jia slowly recollected herself. "Go and inform his father." She said hoarsely. "I'll go and see him now." Though her voice was rough from crying so much, her face had brightened from a ghastly white to a bright red hue. She looked as if she had been reborn.
The excited atmosphere was broken when the messenger shook his head. The messenger was typically bold but looked meek. "I'm very sorry, my lady." He started anxiously, "But Azil said he doesn't want to see anyone right now."
"What?" One of the ministers finally spoke up.
At this point, it is important to note that Azil's father was the lord of a large expanse of land which covered fourteen towns and numerous small villages. As such, he had appointed an assembly of advisors who were also called ministers among which there were primarily two blocks vying for power.
The first block were those who wanted to take over control and start trading with outsiders more freely and the second who wanted to maintain the present system of control and to improve the local economy.
Both blocks were however- trash.
Regardless of their ideals, they were willing to use any means to achieve their goals and had for the first time come together to plot against the present lord with an aim to quietly get rid of his incompetent son. The lord's brother or Azil's uncle was the primary force in all this and his right hand man was Curil- the minister who just spoke up.
Albeit it wasn't just Curil who was confused. Everyone including Jia and Masin couldn't process what they were hearing.
There was a good reason for this.
Azil- the pinnacle of innocence and honesty- disliked making people worry. Once as a child, he had fallen from a height and injured his head badly. When he woke up, rather than complaining about the pain or being in shock, he had first requested the servants to call for his family. He not only asked that they not blame anyone for his fall but also apologized for being careless and then told them he would be fine.
Some would call such gestures unnecessary but it was just a part of his character. Azil considered avoiding people to be causing them just as much trouble as constantly being around them. As such, he would always talk to people upfront.
"He...he really said that? He doesn't want to see anyone?"
"Yes." The messenger shifted uncomfortably. "He said he wants some time to accept everything. He has only allowed his personal servant in his room."
For a long time, only whispering could be heard. Some of the bits of conversation were serious including questions like 'Would he really say that?' to 'How can this be?' while others were markedly less serious questions such as 'He has a personal servant?'.
Then, the gossip came to a halt with a single line- "It is understandable."
The one who spoke was Masin. Her tone was firm and powerful amidst all the tension. "He almost died so it is natural for him to want to be alone."
Azil's actions suddenly appeared reasonable.
Masin then looked back at the messenger, "Go and inform his father now."
"Yes, my lady." The messenger left in a rush, eager to escape the room that was filled with an aura of inescapable darkness and small pricks of light. The small pricks of light in question left the room soon after to have their own conversation and only the assembly of advisors were left.
"Did the fool really live?"
"It appears so."
"What do we do now?"
"Curil, go and tell 'him' before the lord finds out."
"You covered all the traces properly, right?"
Curil frowned as the ministers continued their back and forth. He remained subservient because he thought it was his duty but what had happened was unbelievable. Someone had gotten in their way. The only question was who.