Armedien: Childhood memories

“Wake up” Someone jerked his arm harshly, pulling him out of bed.1

Dien looked up groggily to see Mr.Croyden looking at him angrily. It was always like this. Mr.Croyden hated having to wake up so early in the morning to bath him and for that he blamed Dien. It was Dien’s grandfather’s order to Mr.Croyden to bath him twice a day. One would wonder why a ten year old boy needs to be bathed by someone else. Dien himself wished he could bath on his own but he actually needed someone to help him. 2

He had an acute skin disorder that made layers of skin grow on him when he slept. He couldn’t sleep more that five hours in a stretch due to the discomfort caused by the hard, tight skin. So, when he took the bath the extra skin needed to be scrubbed away. It was extremely painful. But then Dien was kind of used to the pain.3

Dien was no ordinary boy. He was born one of the most special hybrids ever and to complicate matters further he was the next in line to the throne of Plutonia. Plutonia’s citizens were all hybrids. Some of them were bird like dragons called “neferati”, some wolves and some snake and dragon combination called “zalz”. 4

They used to have a race named “lycos” too for unusually beautiful humans. The lycos had very strong healing powers but they were also renowned for having too soft hearts. For that reason, Dien’s grandfather who was also the present king of Plutonia had ordered that all lycos get married to a stronger race. Now, there wasn’t a single pure lycos left except for him of course. 5

Dien was a combination of zalz, neferati, wolf and lycos. He was told the strongest element in him was lycos. Dien thought it was a cruel joke that he was a lycos. Lycos were meant to inspire awe and love but instead people screamed “monster” when they saw him. He knew his past didn’t help him. The first thing he had supposedly done when he came out of his mother’s womb was kill her. For that reason, he was kept in a prison like room in a tower apart from the castle. 6

Everyone believed he was too dangerous to be kept unsupervised. Some had even believed that he ought to be killed for murdering his mother. According to what he knew, his mother died of a heart attack when he tried hugging her. It didn’t help that she had already lost too much blood in giving birth to Dien’s twin. It was his mother who called him “monster” first and it was her wish that his twin be kept away from him. 7

That was why everyone thought they were entitled to call him “monster”. Everyone, except his grandfather. His grandfather believed there was good in him. He believed Dien’s powers could be used to defend Plutonia. But, even his grandfather didn’t show any affection towards him. 8

“Get up brat.” Mr.Croyden growled at him. Dien got to his feet trying to control the turmoil in him. There was a part of him that wanted to kill the servant but he wouldn’t give in to the darkness lurking in him. He needed to think that there was good. He needed to hope that there would be love and acceptance for him. He needed it if he were to keep the darkness in him at bay. 9

“Don’t be a lazy ass boy. Take off your clothes and get in the tub. I don’t want to heat the water again just because you dawdled. Now, make it fast.” He ordered.10

Dien did as he was told and got into the scalding hot water with a grimace. Instinctively, he wanted to get up as soon as he got in, but Mr. Croyden yanked him down.11

“Now don’t you start standing up again or I’ll tell your grandfather how disobedient you have been. You don’t want to miss your first day of school today now do you?” The old man sneered running a brush very roughly down his back. 12

Dien cringed at the callous treatment. Tears streamed down his eyes as he bit his lips to stop crying. He was not going to sob, he kept repeating to himself. He was used to this. He could control himself. He pulled his head between his knees and closed his eyes tightly shut. He didn’t want to see his blood darken the water. 13

He couldn’t do that for long. His arm was tugged away from his knees. Dien couldn’t stand it anymore.14

“Please, let me do this part on my own.” He begged Mr. Croyden.15

“Well, do you think I am doing this because I enjoy it? Stupid freak. The last time you washed yourself you looked like a mummy in three hours. Be grateful I am doing this disgusting thing for you, ungrateful brat.” He sneered being deliberately harsher than before. Dien whimpered. 16

Suddenly the floor started shaking and the lights in the room started flickering. Mr. Croyden stopped scrubbing his arms and chest and glared at him. This was nothing new to him. He knew it was Dien’s psychic powers playing havoc around the place. 17

“Stop it, wretched boy. Stop that right now.” He shook his skinny body harshly by the shoulders. Dien stopped it as he was ordered. He was scared of his own powers too. Hopelessly he wished he could just run away and not have to face the pain everyday. He tried to think of something to look forward to. Then he remembered it was his first day at school. He could make friends. He tried to focus his mind completely on that, as Mr.Croyden scraped his body less harshly, fearful that Dien might collapse the ceiling on his head like he did once. 18

Dien was utterly relieved when the bath was over but was already fretting that he had to have the same torturous bath in eight hours again. Toweling his smarting skin as gently as possible he sat on the bed when his grandfather came in. Mr.Croyden left with a sneer at Dien. 19

His grandfather looked at Dien reprovingly and said “Make it fast boy. Put on your clothes. I thought you were excited about going to school.”20

Dien tried to cheer up but wondered how he could do that when his day even started so badly. He looked at the scratch marks on his arms. They looked bloody. Complying with his grandfather’s order he pulled on his school uniform and the bag he had enthusiastically packed last night. Now that the time had come he was very anxious about meeting other children. 21

“Now listen up boy. No weird stuff at school, meaning no changing into a zalz, neferati or wolf and do not get too much attention to yourself either. Do you get me?” His grandfather asked him sternly.22

He nodded mutely his anxious, huge violet eyes looking at his grandfather for some reassurance that other students would welcome him, but no reassurances or kindness was forthcoming as usual. His grandfather started leaving, asking him to follow him. When they were out in the garden he saw a shiny brand new black flying bolter wait for them. His grandfather went inside showing no expression of being impressed by the grandeur of the bolter. Dien, having never seen anything grand except his sparse jail like room with grey walls, was awe-struck. 23

He started believing that things were looking good for him. He looked up at the sky he didn’t see clearly from his room. A group of white swan like birds flew straight into the fountain pond that was on the left side of the garden. The garden itself had a large collection of different kinds of beautiful flowers arranged in rows or circles. If he had a choice he would never go back into his room again. 24

Even when he was in the bolter, he kept looking through the glass amazed at the beauty of the kingdom of Plutonia. It was a combination of green and multi coloured flower parks, sparkling blue small ponds and rivers, grand white mansions and tall glass buildings of different structures in the business centre. Soon enough the bolter landed on a grass green field. When he came out of the bolter with his grandfather he saw lots of children of his age running around in the field. 25

He could hardly contain the excitement. Finally, he was in school. He looked at the grand buildings sprawling across the green fields, its vast magnificent castle like buildings looking magnificent in the early morning sunlight. There were sculptures of two past kings of Plutonia on the sides of the stairs that led to the buildings. One a beautiful “Neferati” fairy and the other a “zalz” snake dragon. 26

Smiling he looked around as he ignored his grandfather greeting a man in white robes that looked very much like the ancient roman robes. In Plutonia the robes named “zulsi” were the official dress for men on formal occasions. 27

Dien didn’t want to know who his grandfather was talking to, though. In his excitement he wandered further from his grandfather and saw lots of really beautiful boys and girls. He was more attracted to the girls of course, him being a lycos. He was especially arrested by a red haired girl who was playing with a doll on the bridge above a small clean pond.28

He wondered if she wouldn’t mind being his friend. He started walking towards her hoping to introduce him self but stopped mid stride, suddenly shy. Then there was a rush of movement and one boy came and grabbed the red haired girl’s doll from her hands. He teased her with the doll making her jump to grab the doll. Finally, tired of the game the boy threw the doll over the bridge into the pond.29

Dien didn’t wait to watch. He flew over to the bridge and jumped into the pond. In a while, he found the wet doll and flew up to the girl. The whole drama got everyone’s attention. Dien saw the other boy still grabbing the girl’s hair. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He just meant to push the boy away but the boy went flying and fell in an incongruous heap. The girl gasped “Andy” and ran after the boy. Dien looked horrified at what he had done. As usual he had forgotten how strong he was. 30

A group of students gathered around Andy. He heard one girl whisper “Is he dead?”31

“He is unconscious.” An older boy said and glared at Dien. “You did this to my brother you ugly monster.” He growled and ran at him.32

Dien flinched at the word “monster” and said “I could heal him.” His offer went unheard and he got a kick in his stomach instead. He doubled over, looking at the big boy. The big boy’s gang joined in as well. Someone hit his head with a rock and he was pummeled all over. The pain was unbearable especially because his skin was already sensitive from the bath he had in the morning. He heard the girl yell “Stop that. Leave him alone.” 33

There were too many boys and they were much bigger and heavier than him that Dien couldn’t fight in his human form. He changed into his neferati form and fought back. What he didn’t realize was the boys were knocked back so easily like rag dolls when he hit them. 34

There were gasps of shock when the children gathered around saw that he was in his full neferati dragon form. To change from human form to dragon form required a mastering of power that could not be fully achieved before you were seventeen years old. But Dien had mastered that when he was four. He could change to wolf, neferati or zalz in the blink of an eye. 35

He looked at everyone now, his body bloody from the fight because the scrapings on his body were now bleeding. Suddenly he saw his grandfather coming towards the crowd with a condemning look on his face and his mouth went dry. The other man who was with his grandfather checked the boys who were moaning on the ground and said “Bring the healers. The boys’ ribs are broken.”36

He knew he was dead meat then. His grandfather grabbed his arm and hissed “We need to talk” as he dragged Dien beside him. Dien still had the doll in his hand. He saw the girl look at him with fear. He stretched his arms to offer her the doll but she didn’t come to get it. She stood there terrified, with tears in her eyes.37

His grandfather shoved him into the bolter again and Dien watched in dismay as the door of the bolter closed automatically. He felt trapped. No words were said until he was again back in his room.38

“No more school for you Stephanos Armedien. It didn’t even take an hour since you stepped on the school grounds for you to break all school laws and wreak havoc. From now on, I’ll arrange personal tutors to come and teach you in your room. Maybe everyone else is right. You still need a lot more time before you face a civilized society.” His grandfather reprimanded him sternly and left him alone in the room, the heavy metal door bolting automatically, locking him inside his room. 39

In despair he sat on the floor, his back to his bed and cried earnestly, giving way to the flood of tears and sobs that wrecked his small body. He looked at the wet doll in his hands and then at the picture he had drawn of his family. It showed childlike drawing of his twin, his parents and his grandfather with him in the middle. He had never seen his twin but he knew that his twin was very handsome. 40

Mr.Croyden never fails to tell him how different he was from his perfect twin, Prince Magnus. He wondered if his twin wanted to know him. Did he even know he existed? He knew his father knew he existed. He also knew that his father lived but he didn’t know his father either. His father was very upset and grief-stricken over his mother’s death. But, Dien had hoped his father would forgive him after all these years and at least come to see him once, after all he was his blood too. 41

No one cared that he lived and no one would ever see past his face to the beautiful soul inside, he realized desolately. Maybe he should give up all hope too. Maybe that way he wouldn’t feel the excruciating pain of rejection every single day. 42