Again and Again
As the seven princes emerged from their tents—which were immediately attached to the stage—there was no applause. The residents of Doli did not greet them warmly, and they were all busy whispering. Many cursed the king's seven sons and daughters when they saw his happy smile as if they didn't care about what the people of Doli were going through. Every day, colonization and oppression take place. The sacrifice of blood and life was in vain, yet the seven persons on the podium were beaming.
It was excruciatingly painful.
Starting with the king and queen's firstborn, Prince Lapetus. Then there were Fiorenzos, the king and queen's second sons. Next Mattias, the king's third child, and his concubine's first kid. Then came Sama'el, the king's fourth son and the king and queen's third son. After Mattias—Hestia, the king's second child with a concubine ascended. Allyson, the king's sixth child, enters. Finally, there's Prince Tybalt, the last child, and son of the last concubine.
"How are you doing, everyone?" Lapetus greeted him from his throne, which was placed between Mattias and Fiorenzo, in the middle of his other siblings.
Everyone remained silent and cast nasty glances at the crown prince Dzkarda.
"STUPID! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THE PRINCE WAS INQUIRING!"
When no Doli people responded to the prince's greeting, a red-robed fire clansman—a minister—shouted from the stage. Two Merapi soldiers in full armor stood to watch besides the thrones of Tybalt and Allyson, which were placed at the very edge. In the meantime, four ministers sat on chairs beneath the thrones of the king's children.
"DID EVERYONE HEAR?"
Even though one of the minister's voices had roared there, no one responded. The public's whispers are becoming increasingly loud. They were adamant about not submitting to the fire clan. If Lapetus didn't raise his hand—signaling him to stop speaking, the minister would scream again.
Lapetus then rose from his throne, causing everyone, including Mattias, to look at him with interest. The first child of the king and queen descended the platform steps, his feet parallel to the stage where the ministers stood. He made his way to the stage's end, hoping to get closer to the commoners.
"To be able to set foot on Doli country for the first time is an honor for me," Lapetus stated with a false smile. "And it's a privilege for me to meet every one of you and see your faces one by one."
The Doli crowd did not scream or show any enthusiasm. They just stood there in the morning brightness, hesitantly. They wouldn't bother listening to the speech or viewing the prince of the realm of fire if it weren't for the sake of their lives. Mattias was the same way; he gave Lapetus a contemptuous look and said to himself, "Father's knowledge was well passed down. This is an excellent licker."
"Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to present myself as the first child of King Michael and Queen Arinda of Dzkarda." Lapetus strolled left and right, one by one, attempting to create a positive impression on the people of Doli. "My name is Lapetus—"
When Lapetus noticed an elderly woman in the audience lifting her three fingers high, he paused his speech. Suddenly, everyone glanced at him, notably the ministers, Merapi, and the king's children. The woman raised three fingers carelessly and proudly, a symbol of revolt that can also be read as an order to remove a leader of the moment.
It didn't end there; the audience began to follow the old woman by raising their three fingers in the air one by one. The mournful expressions of those who had suffered a loss did not hesitate to raise their hands in protest of their forced slavery. Lapetus could no longer hold his rage. His face was flushed, and his disapproving gaze was directed at the residents of Doli.
"All the rebels must be burned! Until they turn into charcoal, now!" Lapetus yelled a command to all Merapi to perform their responsibilities. The king's first kid descended from the podium almost immediately.
When they witnessed a fire burning one of them, the situation got chaotic, and the throng began to scatter and flee the field. Merapi hurls flames, fireballs, and explosions upon the Doli residents without mercy. A minister who had been seated rose from his seat. When he clapped his hands together, a wall of flames erupted from the earth, encircling the gathering and preventing the Doli people from fleeing.
When Fiorenzo, Sama'el, and Allysaon observed the Doli people's bodies begin to burn to black charcoal with the sweet smell of charred meat, they laughed. Mattias and his two younger siblings, on the other hand, were agitated. When they heard the screams of parents, teenagers, and even toddlers who were slowly being eaten by the flames, they did not calm down.
When Mattias awoke, his brothers looked at him, puzzled. The king's concubine's first child got up and walked to a minister who created a fire fence so that the people of Doli couldn't escape the Merapi's hundreds of fire bullets and had no alternative but to burn to death. Mattias shoved the minister away, then stomped furiously on his face.
Mattias cursed, "You damn man!"
"What are you doing, Mattias?" Sama'el yelled at his half-brother in disapproval. Mattias had spoiled the celebration for him.
Mattias was nonchalant, oblivious to the minister's screams and distress. To shatter the fire fence created by one of the ministers, Prince Mattias spread his arms wide and violently slapped his hands together. The fire fence was destroyed, and the flames disappeared into thin air. The Doli community's remnants scattered from the area due to severe trauma.
Dysabella and Amely, on the other hand, went to follow Jonathan. When everyone had gathered in the meadow, Jonathan was hesitant. He elected to flee with his wife and daughter, hiding in a safe location until everyone returned. They strolled together, hand in hand. Jonathan walked ahead of Amely, while Amely held her daughter's hand.
They came at the edge of a barren terrain that was once a river of pure water. After walking for about ten minutes in silence through the rat's route that Jonathan knew, they arrived without encountering a Merapi. But, just as he was ready to take a seat, Dysabella noticed the scary black smoke in the sky.
"Look, Ma, Baba!" Dysabella pointed to a plume of black smoke that appeared from nowhere.
"Woe." Jonathan's eyes were wide open. He recognized the source of the black scroll that slashed the sky. "It happens once more..."
Amely slid her body limply to the broken and dry earth. He imagined what might happen if they all went to the meadow together. "Sure, if we go there..."
"We lost again," Dysabella added, taking a seat next to Amely. The girl with blue eyes hugged her mother's arm and leaned her head on it.
Because of the smoke, Jonathan was still staring up at the sky, which was a little darker than usual. His friends, neighbors, siblings, and nephews came to mind. The only thing the father could hope for was that they were all okay. Jonathan followed his wife and child with stumbling feet. He grabbed his two loved ones from behind and embraced them tightly.
They all sobbed at the same time. They were often lost, but they were grateful they were not present during the meeting.