Chapter 5 Chapter Four

"Are you a girl with no brains and no memory, who listens without understanding the meaning? Has the only king talked to you all night, and his words are not as echoing as a coca leaf leaves between your fingers? " It has been hours and the wise man Vera Omar keeps asking these same questions.And she just kept lowering her head and repeating the same answer. "I don't know, my lord, I don't remember anything. I can't understand...he kept talking! I can't understand what he said. I don't want to forget, but the puma stared at me, So I forgot all about..."

"That cougar stared right at you, so you forgot about it!" There was a lot of bitter sarcasm and accusation in this sneer, so Anna Maya turned her head away. "Calm down, Vera Omar!" Atahualpa said harshly. Vera Omar thumped the golden breastplate on his body with his fist, and then walked to the side, this action seemed to ease his anger a little. In the dimly lit room, furnished only for a bed and a huge empty crock, the atmosphere became unbearable.Vera Omar pulled the cloak vigorously, then turned around, his hands trembling with anger. "Lord Almighty Atahualpa, my dear noble brother!" he said, "I have always respected you, but you do not seem to understand the seriousness of the matter. Your father, Vanya Capac, has been dead for a year. It's been a month, but it's a pity that he didn't designate an heir to the throne before he left. But maybe during the critical period before his death, he once conveyed his last wish to this little girl, but look! She only remembers staring at the picture of America eyes in the lion's hide, and forget all else!"

Vera Omar stared at Anna Maya silently for a long time.The latter felt his knees go limp and his chest filled with shame. "So," said the wise man coldly, "so the empire will perish, because no Incas dares to put a turban on their head. From then on, the Quartet Empire will have no leader, and the descendants of Emperor Andi will no longer be able to rule the people! If we go on, do you think it is possible that the world we live in will not fall apart? Atahualpa! Atahualpa! You could have become the only king..." "You know why I refused, Vera Omar, don't mention it again."

"Your reason is not a reason at all! Your refusal made King Wanya Kapac, who was seriously ill at the time and died of old age, make such an unwise decision as a last resort." "Vera Omar, please save some morals!" "Isn't the truth as simple as that? Did he appoint someone to succeed you? His youngest son is only one month old! A young boy! Besides, the results of divination are all bad. Draw the lottery. The shamans agreed that this was a wrong choice. Alas, he was seriously ill, which is why your father is so stubborn..." "What you say is nothing new, Vera Omar. You're always repeating old stories, which is tiresome!"

"Then let me tell you a real news, it happened early this morning..." "Say." "Since the little baby is now the king's appointed heir to the throne, when the priests went to Dumen Bangba this morning to tie the turban on him, the little baby had already passed away like his father for a long time." Silence suddenly blows towards them like a cold wind.Anna Maya forgot her own situation and listened intently.As quietly as she could, she guessed atahualpa's slow breathing and the rattling of Vila Omar's sage's teeth, who asked: "What to do now? Tell me, Atahualpa, you know!"

"Those powerful tribes in Cusco will not hesitate to tie the Borla turban on my brother Huascar's head," Atahualpa said sadly, "He is the one who is designated as the second heir... ..." "That's right! It's a pity that the oracle is not good for that newborn! Besides, even if they all agree to such an arrangement, you and I are as clear as I am about Huascar's character. He doesn't play by the rules. At this stage, he pretends to be willing." Under the command of those Uncles and Aunts of Cuzco. These people have always wanted to rule only dictatorship, and have a grudge against all the northern tribes. No one knows how he will rule the Four Square Empire, but One thing is certain: he will wash the country with blood. He likes to put people in misery, and he will see us as enemies! This is the fate of the future. Do you think this is reasonable? Now I tell you everything .I am really afraid that Heavenly Father Andi will be angry, Virgin Kira will shed tears, and Lightning God Irapa will be furious! Atahualpa, only you can make the empire united and strong!"

Atahualpa replied simply, in a subdued tone: "No. Huascal should wear the Borla turban, as it was my father Vanya Capac's wish." Vera Omar stomped his foot on the ground angrily, causing Anna Maya to jump from the ground, and then he pointed a ruthless finger like a sharp javelin at her.In the dimness, the lips and teeth of the wise man's face, which were dyed green by coca leaves, turned black, making his mouth look terrible, and he uttered a series of rumbling words: "You know what? He told this little girl all the truth! All night! We must find out what he said to her. Just restore her memory!  … Ah, Atahualpa! Leave her to me, and I'll skin her if necessary! I promise you tonight—"

"No, Vera Omar," Atahualpa interrupted firmly. "You absolutely must not do that." The two men stared at each other for a moment.When the wise man finally left and walked towards a small door in the house, Anna Maya nearly fainted.With a simple order, Atahualpa called him back. "Please listen clearly, brother Vera Omar! I know that what you just said is for my own good, and I will never forget it. But I would rather respect my father's decision, even if it is unwilling. If he thinks the moon god sent this girl to him, he must have his reasons. If he has told her about the future and doesn't want her to remember it now, he must have his reasons."

Vera Omar sighed.After hesitating for a while, he came back and asked: "what do you want me to do?" "Do as you please. You and I have heard my father say: 'Daughter of Annamaya! Daughter of the lake, daughter of Kira! May you live long in this world...' He designated her To be the patron saint of his 'twin brother' idol, so be it." Vera Omar shook his head, with a serious face, as if admonishing a disobedient child, he said: "It doesn't work. No twin god ever had a wife." "Then, there will be in the future. I want you to tell all the priests this matter yourself: this girl will be the Kamaken Keya of the twin idols."

"They won't agree! Let me throw her in the cougar's den, and she'll remember." "No! The one and only King, Wanya Kapac, wants her to stay here, by his side. All the kings who saw him go to another world heard it as clearly as you and I." "This little girl is just a savage!" Vera Omar retorted. "She doesn't know what Kamaken Keya is. She has never seen the statue of the twin brothers!" "It's up to you to tell her everything she needs to know, and fast!" "Atahuallpa! She is not a real Inca, why should we tell her our secret? Doing so is totally against tradition and the laws of heaven... If you make a mistake, do you know what the consequences will be?"

"It's my father's behest and I can't make a mistake." "God knows? If we make a big mistake, the sun will never rise in the east again! Do you want the day to be as dark as hell forever? Time stands still forever and nations perish?" These words hit Anna Maya's heart like a stick.But Atahualpa ordered in a calm voice: "Stop complaining, Vera Omar, and do as I say." After closing his eyes and contemplating for a while, the wise man finally gave in and stopped refuting.Then, he rushed forward with a stride, grabbed Anna Maya's chin with his fingers as hard as a branch, lifted her face, and looked at her gloomyly: "Little girl Anamaya! Do you hear me? From now on you must obey me. This is the order of my brother Atahualpa. I promise you that if you dare to tell you what the only king told you before he died If you tell anyone other than me what you said, I will chop your heart into mincemeat!" He slammed her face down hard, as if he had slapped her.When the wise man left Atahualpa without looking back, she squatted on her feet and fell onto the narrow bed.She couldn't cheer up anymore, she was out of breath with fear, she sobbed, and let out a scream with her mouth wide open.Prince Atahualpa stared at her for a while, and after hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward, knelt down, then touched her shoulder lightly with his fingertips, and stroked her tenderly with the back of his hand. "Look at me, little girl," he ordered softly. Although the quarrel with the wise man had turned the whites of his eyes extraordinarily blood red, there was still a faint smile on his pretty lips. "Don't cry, Ana Maya," he said softly, "be brave and strong, and don't be afraid of the wise man. Although he often yells, he is not as tough as he looks. He is doing it for us..." He continued to stare at her, as if hoping to find some answer in her enigmatic blue eyes.After he stopped smiling, he stretched his face and announced: "Don't be afraid of anyone. I will protect you well according to my father's last wish." "Anamaya, sister..." After Atahualpa left, Anti Panla slipped into the room quietly, knelt down beside Ana Maya, and gently took her hand.Her fingertips slid across the bracelet inlaid with a snake pattern, her eyes were full of curiosity. "Are all the rumors outside true?" She asked in a low voice. Anna Maya looked at her puzzled. "You don't remember anything!" Anti Panla continued blinking her eyelids intentionally, "Forgot everything the only king said to you..." Anna Maya wondered if she should answer.The threat of the Wise Vera Omar still lingered in her mind, but she did not want to arouse the suspicion of her new friend. "The only king said something to me about myself," she said carefully. "But you don't remember?" Princess Antipanla repeated, clutching her wrist tightly. "If the only king wills, I will remember..." Anti Panla sighed, but what she saw in Anna Maya's blue eyes made her dare not continue to ask.She let go of her fingers, changed to a light touch, and an unfriendly smile appeared on her lips. "Forget it, if you don't want to trust me..." "Anti Panla, it's not that I don't want to, I can't!" With a shrug, the young princess readjusted the gold pin on her cape.In an instant, she was arrogant again, showing a look of contempt that Annamaya had not seen in her for a long time. "It's okay," she said casually, "I'm here to tell you some important news. Since you haven't stepped out of this room since the death of the only king, you must not know..." "I can't go out." Anamaya glanced at the curtain angrily and murmured. "It's all right by me!" Anti Panla resumed the topic. "Although I can't stay here for too long, it's better to tell you. As soon as the fasting period of the sole king is over, I will become the concubine of Prince Atahualpa!" "Oh!" "Yes...surprised?" "No! You are so beautiful, I know..." "That's right," said Antti Panla with a satisfied smile, "I think he must think I'm beautiful. So you know, it doesn't really matter if you don't tell me, anyway, I can tell you through other things. How to find out. Usually these princes always look unattainable and tight-lipped, but once they lie in the arms of the concubine, it will be completely different!" Andy Panla put on her fine woolen blouse and left with a grin and a laugh. "Don't take her word for it!" said a low voice she knew well. "Anti Panla is a liar and a cruel man!" The dwarf stretched out his shoulders from an earthen urn, then exposed his chest and feet, his thick hair covered with corn kernels.He sat nimbly on the edge of the urn, looking gravely at Ana Maya. "Lying and evil like a wounded snake," he said, shaking the corn from his head. "When she saw me for the first time, she punched and kicked me. She only bullies the good and fears the evil. If you believe her words, you will definitely suffer." The dwarf's whole head was a Christmas tree sprinkled with rain of gold, and Annamaya, far from being surprised, burst out laughing at this advice bursting out of the urn.However, she frowned seriously after all, with a look of seriousness. "Why are you meddling? What are you doing there?" "I'm protecting you, princess." "I don't need you to tell me who my friends are." "Oh? Are you so sure?" The dwarf sneered.He dexterously got out of the urn with his whole body, jumped down to the ground, and knelt down to salute to Anna Maya, who was barely holding back her laughter. "Princess!" "Stop messing around!" "I'm not messing around, princess," the dwarf retorted bitterly earnestly. "On the contrary. My master has passed away, and I now officially declare my service to you." "Serve me, me? I'm ugly and..." "Have you ever looked at me carefully, princess?" After emerging from the dwarf, Anna Maya's suppressed laughter finally broke out—a kind of laughter that came from the deepest part of her heart and completely liberated her.It had been a long time since she had laughed, she had been in pain and fear for so long, and she couldn't help herself anymore.Now the dwarf stood upright before her again, looking sacrosanct. "I'm sorry," she stammered when she finally calmed down, "I don't even know who you are..." "Didn't you hear that the only king called me his adopted son?" "Yes, but..." "...but you thought the patient must have been delirious at the time, didn't you?" "I don't know. I was scared to death, maybe I didn't—" "Don't be afraid," the dwarf interrupted her not on purpose, "you don't have to be afraid of my title..." She looked out through the curtain blown by the breeze, and saw the shadow of the palace moving before her eyes.The dwarf knew she was uneasy, and made a gesture to reassure her. "No one will come," he whispered thoughtfully. "how do you know?" "These things are very clear to me," he said with humorous certainty. After they were silent for a while, they turned to face each other. Annamaya finally got used to the existence of this strange man. His head was larger than the average person, and his height only reached her chest. The tassels of the red robe on his body were dragged on the ground, stained dust and dirt.From day one, when she saw him at the bedside of the One and Only King, she had been impressed with him. "Do you wear this robe forever?" "From the day King Vanya Kapac caught me and adopted me as his adopted son..." "I do not understand." "I originally belonged to the Canaris tribe, and they always liked to attack the Incas. One day, King Vanya Capac chased my tribe, and when he arrived at the shore of Yagurgocha Lake, he wanted to destroy the houses. At that time, I was scared all over my body. Trembling, quickly hid, hiding under layers of woolen blankets..." The dwarf's expression changes with the tone of his voice, just like the sky in the rainy season, and his eyes show extreme fear and shrewdness from time to time. "I heard him yelling in anger, every word was like a dark cloud before a storm. At last I was really scared to death. It was a kind of fear that I didn't understand. When I felt a hand reach into the blanket to search , really thought I was done." "You must quickly kneel down and beg for mercy!" "No, princess. I don't know why I would ask absurdly: 'Who found me? I hope you let me die!' I said several times, then stood up yawning, as if from a deep sleep Waking up, standing on the pile of blankets and saying, 'I hope you let me die!'” Anna Maya laughed again, feeling a lot more relaxed. "What did the one king say to you?" "Same as you, princess. He was laughing. Even his entourage, including some generals, warriors and princes with fierce eyes, all bowed down laughing, just because their master was laughing. The only one who didn't laugh It is his blood-red-eyed son." "Atahuallpa? ​​Why?" The dwarf was silent. "I know why, and I know some other things, but trust me, it's better not to know..." "So you, too, hold a dangerous secret?" He raised his hand in a throat-slitting gesture. "That's all my life is worth—nothing else. After all, I would not have been honored if King Vanya Kapac hadn't declared me his adopted son. That's why I still The reason for living, but now he has returned to the west..." The dwarf suddenly fell silent.Anna Maya stopped laughing too. "I lost my father," he repeated gravely, a touch of sadness driving all the amusement out of his face. Anna Maya's heartbeat increased.The dwarf continued in his low, seemingly emotionless voice: "They hate me as much as they hate you!" "You're as lonely as I am, aren't you?" Anamaya whispered, finally understanding why he had come. "probably." In silence, Anna Maya no longer worries about being a little girl.Feelings that she had never tried to understand before made her throb.A gentle wave churned in her belly, burning her eyes, words choked in her throat.She really wanted to confide in him, tell him her fears and those fragmented memories.But she could only utter some unwritten words after all.When she broke down in sobs, the dwarf took hers in his knuckle-knuckle hand very tenderly. "Don't say anything, princess! Don't say anything, everything will be all right." "I really want to... I really want to..." But just can't speak.She leaned against the dwarf, and suddenly she felt very small, very small, smaller than him, more helpless, more flustered! She finally found a friend. Whenever there is a sound or a visitor, the dwarf must hide. When night fell, he would lie on the straw mat beside her and chat. She told him of the war in the village, of her mother's death, of Captain Sikanshara, of Anti Panla, who hated her somehow, and of the secret Vanya Capac had told her, which everyone wanted to know. He told her about the situation and conspiracy in the palace, the grievances and hatred among the concubines in the harem, and the cruel behavior of the princes.He also told her the secret of Atahualpa's heart, the real reason why he didn't want to be an Inca.He told her not to trust anyone, but to trust the secret she knew, the secret that the only king told her and wanted her to keep in her heart. They admit to being terrified of being separated.Now that they know each other well, they vow to protect each other as best they can. He made her giggle, and she called him "my prince," and he called her "princess."In the lonely night, they throw away the dreadful cloak of loneliness and the layers of fear that have accumulated over time. At dawn, the dwarf told Anna Maya that he knew someone was about to kill him. As if drowning, she hugged him with all her strength, begging him not to die, not to abandon her.

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