In The East. Maria Pia Oelker

and talk to me man to man?”

      He nodded affirmatively.

      The king got up and left him alone.

      After a few minutes, the prince decided to go down to face him: he would not return to the castle, he would rather throw himself into the river.

      His father was at the foot of the ladder still leaning against the trapdoor.

      “ Father “ said the child, trying to keep his voice steady “ put me in prison for the rest of my life and have me whipped if you want, but don't send me back to the castle. Please.”

      “ Why did you run away? Where did you think you were going? “ asked the king.

      “ Past the border.”

      “And what would you have done?”

      “ I do not know. Maybe I would have become a stable boy. I don't want to go back to the castle anymore. “

      “ You already said that; yet it seemed to me that you had revealed to me one day that you could not live far from your mother.”

      "She no longer loves me as she once did," the prince noted bitterly.

      “ She was upset by your escape.”

      “ She didn't have to betray me .“ He fell silent for a few seconds, then concluded

      “ You didn't have to betray me either.”

      “ I never did it,” observed the king.

      " Oh yes! You promised you'd be back soon and instead you forgot about me immediately. You left me alone with the teacher and my mother did the same thing.”

      " You're too old for these whims.”

      " They are not tantrums, but nobody understands me. Everyone thinks I am just a little fool who doesn't want to study and who can make fun of himself. I ... I won't explain to you, father, but if you send me back to the castle I will escape again and again and eventually throw myself into the river.”

      There was no trace of tears in his eyes, nor any emotion in his voice.

      He was tired, exhausted, as if he had no soul.

      The king began to worry about that unnatural tone.

      " You decide where to go. Calm down now. I didn't come here to punish you. I want you to stay with me. Take it easy.”

      He held him in his arms and felt him stiffen as a statue. He cradled him for a long time, talking to him in a whisper, caressing his head and shoulders, until he felt his tension loosen a little.

      " Do you want to come with me to the city? " he asked then.

      " I don’t know.”

      " So?”

      "I don't want to go home," the child repeated, for the umpteenth time.

      " Do you know what you running away means?”

      " Disobedience to you, my mother, and the teacher.”

      " Exactly. I left everything to look for you and this is serious, don't you think?”

      " Yes.”

      " You were bad, and you made your mother and Antonia suffer; she cried like a cut vine, and many other people did as well.”

      " You too?”

      "Me too.”

      "I'm sorry," the child remarked flatly without any emotional inflection.

      " Now you will come with me and you will no longer discuss my orders.”

      The king took his hand and started to walk away. He clearly felt that his son at first opposed a certain resistance, then, suddenly, he gave up, as if he had no will or life.

      He looked at him and saw that his face had suddenly become completely expressionless, with his eyes fixed into emptiness and his mouth half open.

      Then he looked out the window and shouted to his entourage to return to the castle and spread the news that the prince had been found and that he would stay with him alone for a few days more, there in the fortress. Someone objected that it was not possible, but the king silenced him impatiently. He ordered his personal servants return with the necessary supplies. For the rest he didn't want to be disturbed by anyone.

      They were left all alone.

      The king took the prince's inert hand again and made him sit beside him on the narrow wooden bench near the window.

      " A king does not tell lies " he reminded him " and you must believe me if I assure you that I have never betrayed our friendship. The affairs of state are long and complicated and have not given me time to come back to you or write to you.”

      "Yes, father," said the prince in a flat tone, after a long time.

      " You don't believe it, do you? But now I'm here and I'll stay with you for as long as you want. We'll ride to the pass and if you want to go there, I'll leave you free. We'll talk again like we used to and ... everything else. You decide when it's time to come back.”

      He felt the boy’s body shake.

      " And if you don't want to go home, I'll take you with me to town. All right?”

      " Yes, yes, father. Please. " He almost clung to his arm.

      The king let him do it and he gradually relaxed.

      Why all that sudden hatred, that exaggerated repulsion for what until yesterday had been his home, his golden kingdom?

      He would find out, but not immediately.