Kingdom of Arzialla by Marilyn Arias (story reading txt) 📕

“Well, I’m sorry for the sins that I’ve committed. I’ve long been sorry for drinking and I proved how much I regretted it by stopping. But up until now, I’m apologetic for straying so far from the people.”

In a whispered tone, he then said some things, probably a prayer. I couldn’t really tell, he was that quiet. After a moment, he fell silent, as if he was waiting for something. I suppose an answer or a sign. A minute or two passed before he finally said, “Syveria has forgiven you, my child.”

I sat there silently, unsure if I should just leave or wait for him to say anything else. And then I remembered that only I can end the confession.

“Thank you, Syveria” I whispered, loud enough for the priest to hear.

I heard the priest step out of his booth and I followed suit. My eyes got used to the darkness so stepping out into the light of the temple was uncomfortable at first.

“Ready to head for the springs?” the priest asked me.

The priest lead me back to the halls and we opened another door, in which was at the end of the corridor. We entered a ginormous room that didn’t have a ceiling and most of the walls were hidden behind trees, bushes, vines, and other plant life. Flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes spread across the place, including into the pool. The pool was covered with flower pedals and I noticed the water to be cloudy—not in a bad way, though.

“I’m guessing it’s not safe to swim in it?” I joked.

The priest walked ahead of me—being sure that he rolled his eyes at my question as he did—and went up to a closet. He opened it and found it to be full of robes and towels. He handed me a towel, a key, and a robe—silk. It had small golden patterns that somehow camouflaged to look white from afar.

“This spring is used to cleanse the soul. The water is mixed with Syveria’s sand and various spiritual herbs. Normally, I’d ask the person to jump out within an hour but since you’re the only one here and you’re of royal heir, you may stay for however long as you wish. You, however, must not leave the pool within one hour. When you’re done, you must dress in this robe. You may not redress yourself in the clothes that you came in with.”

I dismissed the fact that he called me “of royal heir” and nodded in understanding. Knowing how anybody without background knowledge would react, they probably would’ve thought that he saw of them as a filthy being. Well, no, not really. It’s just a sense of keeping that purity with you after the bath without redressing yourself with the sins that you burdened yourself with before.

He was about to leave when he paused before he opened the door to exit. “And also, this is a bath not a swim.”

I was confused at first until I remembered what others told me about this part of the ceremony—I’m basically supposed to skinny dip. Yay…

I nodded again to let him know that I recognized the meaning behind his words. He left me alone after telling me to just lock the door behind him if I feel more comfortable that way. I found the lock and used the key to lock it. I kept the key in the keyhole and started taking off my clothes. It felt odd being in a place like this with my body bare but I had to keep reminding myself that this was mandatory for graduation.

I sat next to the ledge of the pool and dipped my foot in it. It was cool but not warm. Nothing that I can’t manage, though. I looked at the water closer and found it to sparkle with purple and green glitter as grains of Syveria’s sand swirled within it. I stood back up and dove in. Bad idea. The water was colder than it seemed. Even worse, I dove deeper than I should have so it took longer to swim back to the surface. When I did, I gasped for air and breathed deeply, looking for warmth within myself. After a few minutes of just floating in the spring, I got used to the chilly temperature and decided to just enjoy myself for the hour. I glanced up at the sky and found the sun to be the only thing to keep the room warm. The sky was so blue and clear, no clouds in sight. I appreciated the heavens just the way they were. The heavens… I wondered, if there was such a thing as an afterlife at all, how my family and Mila were. Sometimes I wished I just died with them. I didn’t feel like I should’ve survived in either Gavril invasions.

I sighed and sank into the water. I let myself descend deeper and deeper into the water, staring at the light of the surface as I did. Soon, I started feeling a… a rather desirable feeling. I just feel a mix of hot and cold all throughout my body and a sense of freshness. A sense of… renew. It was hard to explain.

Never feel desperate to blame yourself… said a woman’s voice. Because even when you feel like you’re in deep waters, I’ll always be there to keep you under the safety of my wings.

I didn’t realize that I had my eyes closed until my lids fluttered open to find my surroundings to be darker than it was when I was closer to the surface. I didn't have to look around very much in order to find a statue of Syveria to be standing in front of me. The statue had to be 50 feet tall, I wasn’t sure since I was at eye level with her chest. Her arms were extended out welcomingly, ready to give a warm embrace. Only thing I’ve never seen her with were angel wings. Her wings stretched out wide and strong, as if they were capable of blowing away the evil or lift up all your worries with her. Her posture was sturdy and confident with her shoulders back, spine straight, and her hair blown remarkably like the wind was with her. She wore a small smile in which the more you stared at it, the happier they seemed. The statue seemed to be made out of nothing but gold and ivory, except for her eyes. Since her eyes were green, the sculptor made her eyes out of emerald or garnet. They shone brightly and genuinely, looking at me with a sense of ethos. Strangely, they didn’t just plainly look at me. They stared deeper into me, probably my soul, as if she can understand me with just one glance.

Even as a sculpture, I couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was. Or maybe that’s just how talented the sculptor was.

I glanced away, feeling a bit shy and remembered how my breath is escaping in bubbles underwater. I swam up to the surface and gasped for air. Suddenly, I felt silly at myself for feeling bashful at a plain old statue.

From there, the bath was a blur. I ended up falling asleep on the ledge with my arms crossed under my head and the rest of my body underwater. I had no clue how long I’ve been asleep but when I awoke, it was almost dark. Very sure it’s been more than an hour, I hopped out of the pool and dried myself up with the towel that the priest gave me. I draped myself with the robe, finding it to be as light as a feather. Walking to the door felt like I was still awkwardly walking naked.

When I approached the door, I turned the key and opened it. I walked down the hall and was about to open the door that lead to the altar when the priest’s voice put me to a halt.

“Zelimir? I’m in the library,” he said. I looked back down the hall and found one of the doors to be open just a crack. I opened the door to find a room full of books and desks. It wasn’t as big as the king’s libraries but it was filled with books. There were even books stacked on top of each other in corners and on desks. The priest was sitting in one of the desks, writing on paper with his feather pen. He wrote a sentence or two more before putting his pen back into its ink jar and looking up at me. “Seems like you enjoyed the springs.”

I didn’t reply, not wanting to admit how I probably did indeed like the springs. He escorted me out of the library and up a flight of stairs. When we got to the second floor, he unlocked a door in which turned out to be a bedroom. The walls were made of stone, the floor were of wood, and the bed was covered in white silk sheets.

“This will be the room that we will lend you for the night. The clothes that you must wear while you sleep are nicely folded on the bed. We expect you to be ready for service tomorrow morning and then you shall continue on with the rest of the day.”

He left me alone and I decided to change into the sleepwear that he gave me. It was camouflaged with the white sheets since it was also white. I slipped them on and found there to be a wardrobe at a corner of the room that I didn’t notice before. I opened it to find the outfit that I must wear tomorrow in prayer—red tunics, black hose, white belt, and red cloaks—hung in a hanger.

In the door of the wardrobe, there was a full sized mirror. I looked at my reflection and found my blond hair to be curled in damp waves. I admired my muscles as I remembered there to be none a few years ago, showing how much I've progressed since living in Arzialla. My eyes were white with a ring of royal blue—full of purity and cleanliness, along with spirituality and peace. I did have to admit, I did feel at peace in the springs.

I shut the wardrobe closed and looked out the window. The sky was already dark and the kingdom was full of last minute errands. I put my head down, closed my eyes, and listened to the voices of the people and all the other background sounds that they made. I was very close to falling asleep with my head down on the windowsill, but something in the back of my mind screamed at me to lie down in the bed. In the knighting ceremony, you're supposed to sleep in white sheets—a way to put your soul at peace while you slumber. I lied down, surprised to find beds even in a monastery to be comfortable. I fell asleep just as fast as I rested my head down.

A bath never failed to make me feel exhausted, even after taking a nap in it. On the bright side, it makes me wide awake and chipper in the morning. I quickly dressed up and headed downstairs to the altar where the service will take place. I found it to be full already, regardless that it’s too early to start. Most of the people were old and middle aged but I would catch a few children here and there. I’ve gone to mass with Mila before and she always seemed most at peace whenever she’d step foot into here. And I do have to admit, I do have a sense of