The Boy and The Man, Offer R [ereader for textbooks .txt] 📗

had an urge to tell her the truth, thus making her the only person in the kingdom aside from the prince and him who knew. Confiding in her, he felt, would seal the bond between them. "You're right", he said. "I let him win. If he had lost it would've been quite a humiliating display, don't you think?"

"I can understand how he felt. Oh, you are such a kind heart!"

"And there's more. But this is something that nobody else in the entire kingdom knows, and before I tell you you must promise me that you will never say a word about it. You mustn't even think about it once we've said goodbye today."

"I would sooner die", she whispered in utter fascination. This was proof to The Boy that even the purest of feminine hearts is fond of a good piece of gossip. He looked around suspiciously and said it softly.

"The prince was never a very good swordsman. It's all fake."

Aphrodite's face fell. She wasn't outraged by the content of the charade, but by the fact that such a misconception had been built and nurtured for so long. "Why? Why didn't he just acknowledge it?"

"The king insisted that he should be the finest swordsman in the kingdom. The prince tried to persuade him, but you know how adamant the king can get. He'd tried to call off the duel, but the king wouldn't hear it. And after that, well, it was just too much."

"And nobody else knows?"

"Only I."

"Oh, dear! To hold in such a secret for so long… What a terrible ordeal. I could never do it."

"Me neither. To have to lie to everyone around you, even the people you love. But I pray for him, since he doesn't mean it. He has a good soul."

"Then I was right. You are not only the best of swordsmen, but the noblest one. The king must feel very safe when he has you on his Guard."

"I believe he does. But I don't feel safe at all. I feel my heart may burst out from my chest and fall into your hands at any moment."

There was a tear of joy in Aphrodite's gimlet eyes that she couldn't hide. She stayed with The Boy for no longer than an hour before she had return with haste to her father and escort him home. They would not meet again until the following week due to their respective obligations, though they would both have gladly neglected any and all of these obligations for the chance to see each other earlier. But it isn't the way of the world for people to dispose of everything in the interest of what they desire most, and so they agreed to be patient until the time came. They both knew in their hearts that love had blossomed over the valley that afternoon and would stand the test of time.

In the interim between the pair's two encounters, which were the events by which The Boy measured the passage of time in those days, two major events, or rather processes, took place. The first was the prince and The Boy's installation in the king's royal Guard. As their names preceded them in the entire kingdom, they were quite readily accepted by the other members as the new Captains. The daily processions, group training and especially mastering the art of horseback riding took up the vast majority of their time. Their thoughts, however, weren't with their fellow members of the Guard but with the same enchanting girl.

The Boy made new plans for his next encounter with her every day, then told them to the prince and consulted him. The prince, who was the older of the two and the only one with previous romantic experience, was patient in lending a friendly ear and generous in distributing sound advice. Both were equally valuable to The Boy but were of little value to the poor prince. For he, too, had long fallen under Aphrodite's spell but was never graced with the same golden opportunity that had been dropped into The Boy's lap either by a certain mischievous Cupid. But during their frequent discussions about her The Boy spoke from his heart rather than his mind, and his heart didn't want to see the prince's despondency. It didn't want to see anything but the image of him and Aphrodite together, and the prince didn't dare corrupt the joy of these images. And so it came to be that each of the two kept a secret from the other, each for his own distinct reason.

The Boy could hardly contain his excitement on the day of his scheduled meeting with Aphrodite. It was an unusually cold, cloudy day with a notably sullen sky but to him this was such a trivial detail that he didn't even notice it. To him this was the brightest day of his life and only a catastrophe to the extent of the end of the world could change it.

When Aphrodite appeared behind the bell tower, The Boy realized that he'd dreamt of this scene in a whole variety of different versions. Clad in his regal Guard uniform with the blue feather that marked his distinguished rank stuck in his hat, he couldn't afford to let loose his emotions, so he held himself back and merely smiled at the object of his dreams. But almost at once he noticed that there was something terrible in Aphrodite that was never present in any of the versions in his dreams, and he ran to her with a sunken heart and a flailing blue cape.

The passionate luster he'd expected in her face was substituted for a dull, sallow expression of distress. Almost momentarily, his own features mimicked this disagreeable condition.

"My dear Aphrodite!" He cried painfully. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Oh, something terrible has happened!" Her pain was even greater. She took his hands, noting his incredibly handsome, prince-like appearance but too distraught to comment on it.

"Tell me. Tell me now, and if there exists in this world a way to put things back in order, I shall find it."

"But I don't know if there is. You see, I was so excited last night for our meeting that father immediately noticed I wasn't my usual self. I tried to avoid him but he insisted to be informed of the reason for my behavior. So I told him. I told him about us, and he went off on a terrible fit. I've never seen him so furious before. I pleaded with him but he wouldn't hear it. He's forbidden me from every meeting you in private again. Sometimes a father can be crueler than the devil himself!"

"And yet you are here", The Boy said curiously.

"He approved it. He is a rational man, don't forget. He agreed that it would be dishonorable to simply leave you here without informing you of the developments. But it's all he agreed to, and I he will be waiting for my return. I can't bear it, believe me. But… I couldn't disobey him!"

"I have waited for this day since… it seems like forever."

"It can't have been more than half as long as my wait."

"What does your father say? Why has he made this harsh judgment?"

"It's because you come from the south. He says he won't allow his only daughter to build a relationship with a poor boy."

"A poor boy? But I'm Lieutenant of the King's Guard-"

"Yes, he's aware of your status. But he claims it doesn't change who you are. It doesn't change where you come from."

"But you worry too much, my darling. I will make an appointment to speak with your father at his earliest convenience and convince him that he's misjudged me, and that I'm a worthy contender for his daughter's golden heart. If the Lieutenant of the King's Guard can't reverse such an injustice then there is truly no future for our kingdom. I will take care of it, dearest, and we shall be together again. It'll be over quicker than you can imagine!"

Aphrodite's departure could be delayed no longer, and rather than take The Boy's hand and disappear together into the valley as she yearned to do, she said goodbye. The Boy's confidence that he would set things right did wonders to allay her distress, and so the stinging sensation in her heart as she disappeared around the tower became bearable. The Boy, however, was in a state of despair. Not only might he lose the girl he loved, but he would have to face her obstinate father and somehow convince him of- well, he wasn't sure what. His display of great aplomb before Aphrodite had been a deceptive façade meant to lull her into a false sense of security that he didn't share with her. He was, after all, just a boy from the south, and how could a boy from the south stand up to the dignified, erudite Mr. Parthons? What would he say? Fortunately there was a loyal, capable advisor waiting for him at home. And no one but the prince had the power to save The Boy's dignity and, more importantly, his love.

His meeting with Mr. Parthons came quickly, just as he'd promised Aphrodite. He arrived at the family's house, or rather mansion, armed with many hours of consultation with the prince but still very nervous. What man, let alone boy, wouldn't be nervous in the face of a verbal battle whose stakes were almost as high as the stakes on the battlefield of war? He was encouraged by the respect with which Mr. Parthons, on whose cheeks and head first signs of the white that comes naturally with old age began to sprout, regarded him. But there was a gap between showing a man respect as a dialogue partner or a warrior, and as the suitor of one's daughter. And this was the gap The Boy had to bridge, or else life would lose its sweet taste and become simply a certain span of time in which he happened to be alive.

After a customary exchange of pleasantries that meant nothing and was in fact quite a waste of time for both parties, The Boy addressed the painful matter first. He stuck to the lines he'd rehearsed with the prince, and he especially followed the general strategy the prince had suggested: honesty and confidence. He was to show his skeptic his true self and trust that his many strong points and various virtues would suffice to convince Mr. Parthons to overturn his verdict.

"If there is anyone in this kingdom worthy of the girl's love, it's you, brother", the prince had assured him without allowing any semblance of the intense pain he felt leave his afflicted heart. Few are the people who can imagine the profundity of the heartache experienced by a man instructing another how to conquer the heart of the girl they both love. The Boy had noticed that the prince always refrained from stating the Aphrodite's name, which was a curious thing but not important enough to be inquired into at the time.

Just before he set out on his fate-deciding verbal defense The Boy decided to add a sly touch to the prince's strategy by way of catering to Mr. Parthons' misguided whims.

"Mr. Parthons, you're right to question the legitimacy of a southerner's courting your daughter. It's nothing but healthy fatherly instincts and a true understanding of the kingdom's ways to challenge such an unusual occurrence. It is a great comfort to me to know that the lovely Aphrodite has such a father watching over her."

"Then you agree that it would be imprudent for me to allow her to indulge her youthful whims and answer to your inappropriate courtship", The Boy's rival said bluntly, apparently unmoved by the affected flattery. His small dark eyes didn't stray from the boy's, trying to force him to surrender by virtue of their authority alone. He was a tall man, easily taller than The Boy, and he had intentionally put on the distinct black doublet worn only by the king's