Prologue (2/2)
*Afraid that his son would be poisoned again, Gaian decided to kill the child who, unlike his sisters, was growing fast and strong under his father's worried eyes. As he searched for his sword beneath the ever-shifting earth, Gaian found something he hadn't expected: a sixth baby, already dead.
The little girl barely fit in his palm. Gaian lifted her to the heavens and mourned her loss. He was going to bury her again, when he noticed something: Fury was calm, with his eyes fixed on his dead sister and was crawling in the dirt, trying to get closer.
It was then that Gaian realized that Nuay, the little dead goddess, was salvation for his poisoned son. By the old ritual of the gods, Gaian sacrificed his life in the name of Nuay, so that she could live alongside her brothers. He gave his blood to drink to the little goddess who came back to life and developed as her father died and his body was transformed into earth. She became the goddess of Life, Death and Balance.
Nuay became the only adult goddess and raised her sisters and brother, who worshiped and obeyed her without question. She taught Fury to control his anger and desire for war, just as she taught her sisters to control their divine gifts with mastery.
When they were all grown up and strong, Nuay took them to the Realm of the Gods, where they could repopulate the place marked by the blood of their ancestors.
So that life would never lack on the land of their parents' bodies, the six gods created humans to populate the sacred land and care for what they had created there: every plant, every animal, every river, the wisdom in the stones and the wind; everything was divine and should be taken care of by the Luavynian people.*
I close the story before its mystical, complex and extremely religious ending. I can tell by the scared looks on some people's faces and the mocking looks on others' faces that my audience wasn't understanding the message. I remind myself that these people aren't in love with Luavyn like I am.
So, I dedicated myself to explaining it more simply:
-See, this story says a lot about Luavyn and her people. Every child in the kingdom knows it by heart and what it means: we are a people blessed by the gods and we must take care of the earth. Every Luavynian knows, from an early age, that they must honor every plant, animal, river, stone, wind and rain that passes by. No other country or kingdom in the world has this perception of itself. No other people feel like they are a product of their land like mine - I smile before giving a controversial example - Think of you, Europeans. Your ancestors went out to sea looking for other lands to colonize. The people of Luavyn would never do that. Why would we dominate other lands, when we were chosen for this one? Why control the lives of other human beings, if we have a much greater mission on Earth?
- So, basically, your people are deluded by baseless mysticism? Is this the truth about Luavyn? - a young man asks, a mocking tone in his voice.
He looks at me boredly and I look at him seriously. I figured that kind of statement would come. How can we expect more from men who live in a land without faith, love or purpose?
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Well, I don't think you study humanities, am I right? - I don't wait for your answer to continue - Because if you studied, you would know that the words and beliefs of a people create feelings and life narratives. Even the most atheistic Lauvynian will demonstrate a unique love for the land. Because that's how we are raised. The mystical, the playful, is just a means for a much greater message.
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So, basically, the Luavynians have a blind love for their homeland? - another young man asks.
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I wouldn't say blind - I explain - The Luavynians have a series of social movements. The feminist movement, which I study, is an example. These social movements constantly demand changes from the King and the Regional Councils and, I guarantee, we see and understand the problems in our country. And we want to improve it, because we have love for our land, for our people.
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Is charging the King a possibility? - another asks, from further back in the room.
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Yes, as long as it is done following the rules. You can propose laws, too. The notion of monarchy in Luavyn is different from the European one, in several ways. It's almost an evolution of the government regime we had before colonization.
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So why the name monarchy? - someone asks, but I can't identify the face.
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After-effects of colonization. A series of commercial establishments, foods, objects and bureaucracies ended up with European names. However, in the case of the monarchy, I dare say that maintaining the name also came to facilitate relations and understandings with the outside world.
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You should definitely know this, since you will be the next Queen of Luavyn - a man in front of me says, with a joking tone.
I take a deep breath, because I was also expecting that comment. And my answer cannot be acidic, rude or biased. After all, he's not completely wrong. I try my best to respond to the unfortunate comment without damaging my image.
- I had the honor of being chosen as one of Prince Nikcolai's suitors, yes. But I don't know if I will be the next Queen. However, I appreciate his comment, because it offers me a hook to continue the class: how can Europe claim to know so little about us, but it continues to have privileged information, like the one this guy just said?
Silence answers me and I smile. I pick up a chalk from the table and go to the blackboard to continue my class, telling those men, and the five brave women, everything I could about my country - our language, our culture, our people and, of course, our politics. My closeness to the Royal Family is never questioned again. The questions become increasingly objective and I even see a few people writing down my speeches.
And even though the class was a success, with a long round of applause for me at the end, only one thing didn't leave my mind for the next few days. A mocking phrase that was repeated without pause, bringing up feelings that I try to suffocate:
You should definitely know this, since you will be the next Queen of Luavyn…