Chapter 20
Part 1
Rajaf answered the door to find Kol standing there. “My king.” He smiled. “Please, come in. Kessa and I are eating. Will you join us?”
“Forgive me. I wasn’t thinking about the time.”
“No harm.” The old man smiled.
When Kol entered the small kitchen, Kessa retrieved a bowl for him. Serving up some soup. Bread, fruit, and cheese were already on the table. “Thank you.”
“What brings you this way, my king?” Kessa smiled.
Kol leaned over the bowl taking a deep breath, “this smells amazing.”
Rajaf laughed, “wait till you taste it, my king.”
He was right, the soup was amazing. “Do you care if we eat and talk?” Kol asked.
“I encourage it.” Rajaf laughed.
Kol smiled. “Would you care if I ask what you have kept from Kessa’s childhood?” Kessa grinned. “What?” He questioned.
“What hasn’t he kept?” Kessa answered.
Rajaf rubbed his hands together, “let me show him?”
Kessa thought for a moment, “I will make you a trade. Eat half of your bowl of soup and I will let him show you, my king.”
Kol gasped, “you would bribe your king?”
“If it means getting food in his stomach, yes. Brazingly so.”
Rajaf laughed. Kol liked the old man’s laugh. It caused a smile to curl his lips.
“Dad has kept everything I have ever done.”
“Not true.” He shook his spoon at Kessa. “All the pottery you have made and gave away. I’m pretty sure General Marcus has some of your maps.” They sat and talked like this for at least half an hour.
When Kol looked at Kessa, she was smiling so big that her eyes were shining. He felt embarrassed. “What?”
“You ate all your soup.” She winked.
Rajaf patted Kol on the shoulder, “come with me.” Rajaf was excited. It was easy to see.
The first room you entered when you came into Rajaf’s house was the workshop. Behind it was the kitchen. He led them back through the workshop to a small hall with three doors. They went to the right. This room was light and airy, with a pleasing smell. It was a bedroom. The walls were covered with medallions, weapons, ribbons, pictures. Some of the pictures it was clear a child drew them. But some, no child did these. Rajaf led them back to the hall and the door on the left. This too was a bedroom. It was darker, the smell heavyer but pleasant. Again, the walls were covered.
Rajaf looked at Kessa with a questioning glance.
Kol asked, “you did all of this?”
“At different stages in life, yes.”
He turned to Rajaf, “why keep it?”
“She’s my child, why wouldn’t I, my king?”
Kessa asked, “what do you see when you see all of this?”
“I’m not sure.. Thank you for sharing with me.” Kol left more confused than when he arrived. Three rooms in Rajaf’s house were a mess. These two bedrooms and his workshop were littered with stuff. It wasn’t chaos though. It seemed to him that even though there was a lot of stuff; it was with a purpose.
Kol sent a porter to get Abraham.
When he arrived, Abraham looked concerned, “sire is everything alright?”
“My memory isn’t what it should be. What do you remember of my childhood?”
Abraham smiled a big smile, “if you will allow me, I will be right back.”
Kol nodded yes.
When he returned, Max was carrying a heavy box. “Where shall Max put this, sire?”
“There is fine Max.”
“Thank you Max,” Abraham smiled.
He bowed his head, “you are welcome.” And left the room.
Abraham looked at Kol, “sire.” He bent opening the lid to the box. Kol walked toward it with great caution. But when he saw it he was astonished. It wasn’t Rajaf’s walls. But here was stuff that represented part of Kol’s life. “I don’t know what some of this stuff is. I saved a lot of it from the purges.”
“Purges?”
“Yes, your mother would go every month or so while you were at the barracks and clean out your quarters of anything that was deemed worthless.”
“Will you share with me what you know?”
“Of course, sire.”
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