Maria Pia Oelker "In The East"

" Yes, I know them, but I thought ... " the prince lowered his head mortified.

" What? That you could disobey as you please, that you are above others, even more important than you, who obey without questioning my decision?”

His father stared at him sternly, he addressed him with a changed cutting voice, and he felt ever smaller and more distressed. The sun that had just warmed his heart was disappearing behind heavy black clouds.

" How come you are not answering? Come on tell me what you think. " and he shook him, grabbing the small arm left inert in his hands.

"I thought your orders did not apply to me or my mother," the child whispered.

" Your mother is exempt, but do you really think you are dispensed from obedience? It's unbelievable: a little brat who thinks he's superior to anyone!”

" No, Father, I don't believe it.”

" Thank God. What now?”

" I'm used to getting out of the castle at this time, my mother always allows me and I thought you weren't against it and besides… ." here it stuttered and couldn't continue; although he tried to control the tremor of his voice, he understood that he was too agitated to do it and was afraid his father would realize that.

" Go on " the king urged him, with a nervous tone that certainly did not help him calm down.

" Nothing, father.”

" No, it's not true that it's all and I want to know what "besides" means. Tell me, or I won't let you go.”

The prince then raised his eyes to his father's face, and he could not read any fear as he sought. Was his son so contemptuous that he didn't fear him even a little bit?

But in his eyes, there was not even a shadow of fear.

" I'm tired of playing riddles with a child. Come on, hurry up.”

" I was hoping you wouldn't mind meeting me. I am not just anybody, that is ... " he corrected himself afraid to be misunderstood " that is, I wanted to say, not for you. Will you let me go now, please?”

The king gave up his grip, but neither moved.

They remained silent for a moment, then the prince asked:

" Father, what is the punishment?”

The king set aside the troublesome thoughts that had been bothering him since he had heard those last sentences of the young prince " What? "

"What punishment awaits me?" The son repeated.

" He doesn't joke " the king thought, almost frightened by that firmness " he is not bluffing, he really wants to be punished “ And in a loud voice he said: " There is no punishment for you. Go inside to your mother.”

"Why not? If I were the gardener's son, you would have punished me; I want the same treatment.”

And he didn't move.

" Go away, I said. I don't want you around anymore. You're exasperating me.”

" Father, what is the punishment? " the prince insisted for the third time.

Then the king did what he never wanted to do, especially not now that he had begun to discover the true value of his son: he struck him twice hard against his face and shouted: " Later I will deal with you and I swear that you will never want to be arrogant with me.”

He sent him away badly and immediately regretted it. The knowledge that he was mostly in the wrong, in his whims without reason, in his inability to really speak with the child and with all those around him, angered him immensely; but he could not simply go to his son and tell him: " You are right, you are not like everyone else for me and there will be no more absurd bans for anyone.”

He went back to the castle enraged and went up to his wife's rooms.

" Your son " he said to her without many preambles " will make me crazy and in the end, he will be punished severely.”

"What did he do?" She asked quietly.

" He didn't respect my orders.”

" He was in the park, right? He always does that and probably thought that there was nothing wrong with it.”

" He knew it was forbidden to everyone.”

" He thinks he is not equal to the others in my heart and maybe he felt it was the same for this father ...”

The king made a vague gesture with his hand, as if he wanted to drive away a boring fly that buzzed in front of his face.

" Yes, that's what he said, more or less.”

" And you?”

" I didn't know what to say to him. Then he told me he wanted to be punished anyway and I hit him. I don't understand his reasoning. It overwhelms me.”

" If in his father's heart there was no special place for him, he might as well be treated like everyone else.”

"Do you understand him?" The king marveled.

" I think so. There are not many secrets between us, and we have always been so close ...”

" Yes, I'm sorry I wasn't a good father or ... "

" No " the queen interrupted " what you think just is not true. Not all of it at least.”

" Okay, we can talk about this later, but I swore that I will punish him in such a way that he will never forget it. Now I regret it, but I'm not going to go back on my word and show weakness. It is my dignity we are talking about.”

" I see " the queen smiled ironically.

" What do you mean?

" Nothing. Talk to him again. He will understand. If you want to punish him, if you really think this is right, do it. He will not love you less for this reason. Don't humiliate him however, please.”

" I'll think about it. I would like to skin it for the way he has upset me with all his absurdities.”

" Even a great gentleman can sometimes learn from a child; don't take it out on him if you're not happy with yourself.”

The king looked at her questioningly, then kissed her and left even more uncertain and nervous than before. Is it possible that she also blamed him? It had never happened before.

The prince entered his father's rooms on tiptoes because he had never been allowed to enter the room before.

He looked around curiously and recorded many details that excited him and made him ponder on the fact that his father had to be very different from what everyone thought.

For example all those paintings so different from those that were in the art-filled quarters (dark and imposing family portraits or austere bishops and epic scenes) or the colors that dominated the room, alive and warm, almost cheerful, bloody and energetic, or the golden cage near the window overlooking the park, full of colorful little birds that he had never seen anywhere else.

Despite the fear that the punishment was going to be really terrible, he could not help thinking that he would have liked his father to invite him more often to those rooms and show him his treasures and the thousand mysterious things that he was looking at in astonishment.

The king heard him walk slowly, but did not turn to him, continuing undauntedly to look out the window.

“ Father " the prince called him in a whisper " I am here.

" Come closer.”

He took a few more steps but did not have the courage to stand beside his father.

" So? " asked the king briskly.

" The master told me that I would deserve to be locked up in the tower prison alone for a week, on bread and water, and to receive ten lashes.”

" Ah! Really?”

" Yes, father.”

" Do you think that would be right?”

" As you like.”

" Yes, of course, but what would you think if someone else was to take your place?”

" I would ask you not to do it.”

" Are you scared?”

" No " but his voice was weak and uncertain.

The king urged him: " Tell the truth.”

" Yes, father. I am very afraid of being alone in the tower especially at night.”

" And the lashes? Don't those scare you?”

" Even those, but I can deal with pain better. Loneliness in the dark makes me shudder.”

The king smiled sweetly.

" Do you sleep with your mother at night?”

" No, but Antonia is in the room next to mine and I know she will come right away if I call her.”

" Then no tower " the king decided "You will stay in your room; then I will instruct the teacher to whip you and the matter is closed.”

" Yes, father. But I would like to ask you a favor, if it's allowed, since I'm still indebted to you.”

" Let’s hear it.”

" Here it is: in the cypress grove in the morning the deer and the squirrels come, and I bring them food. If I can't get out anymore, how will they get by? Could you do it for me?”

" Do you think a king should do that? " asked his father, barely restraining himself from laughing.

" I don't know, now I am not sure of anything anymore. I'm sorry. But how will they get by?”

The little voice was very anxious, almost cracked by pain. Then the king decided to give in: " I will. But only if you come with me every morning and show me how it's done.”

"Father," cried the prince, almost weeping with joy.

" Do we agree?”

" Yes.”

" And I'll tell your teacher that he deserves me to punish him for all the nonsense he has been saying.”

" No, father. I want those lashes.”

" Do not insist again.”

" Only if you promise the ban is not abolished solely for me.”

" I promise, but get out of here quickly, before I get a chance to think it over and whip you myself.”

The prince quickly moved away and, shortly after, the king saw him scampering through the garden and playing with his hunting dogs, which he had freed and now jumped around him mad with joy, affected by his unbridled joy. They did somersaults and jumps and ran over the meadows and then, suddenly, they all ended headfirst in the tank of the sea nymphs.

The king laughed heartily, while his son and his favorite animals came dripping out and the prince, harshly rebuked by one of his advisers who happened to be passing by, replied with a burlesque grimace.

" Extraordinary " he thought " priceless, I've never seen anything like it in my whole life.”

But in the following days, even the teacher and the servants as well as the queen were amazed more than once and told themselves that they had never seen anything like it in their lives.

And it was not only about the food the king and his son brought together to the wild animals to amaze them; that was only the first of many novelties, one more unexpected than the other.

The king no longer claimed that the park and the garden be completely deserted when he went down in the morning. When he walked around with the prince at his side, radiant and talkative, who showed him his secrets and his discoveries, he often stopped to talk even with the gardener and the staff at work and they were astonished that he asked his son for his opinion and let him say whatever came to his mind.

Everyone in the castle loved that child and they were happy the king showed him so much affection and that, through him, he showed so much more humanity even towards others.

Sometimes the queen watched them from the window and had a mysterious smile that was full of meaning and, above all, of the hope that her son would one day be a good and just gentleman, as great as his father, although of a different kind of greatness. The prince knew by instinct when his mother was watching him. He would look up and when he caught her glancing, he secretly sent her an accomplice greeting.