Raised From The Wild-Chapter 38: My Son, My Son!

A blur of crimson purple suddenly appeared in front of King Duncan. Amaya hugged him tight.

"Grandpa, just now you looked at me like Daddy does. I am Amaya, Ibrahim’s daughter." Amaya sobbed.

Gasps were heard from the crowd. Hugging the king in public was not allowed though there was no formal law that forbade it.

King Duncan patted her hair. His granddaughter was a beauty. Up close, her eyes were like that of Ibrahim’s... bright, clear, and willful.

Soon a royal guard asked Amaya to let go of the king as she was not allowed to do that in public. Amaya let go. She looked at the guard with confusion, then at the crowd whose eyes and mouths were wide open like they were in shock.

’Am I really not allowed to hug my grandpa?’

Her gaze landed on Marx who was seated in the front row designated for the guests. He looked worried but when their gazes locked, he gave her a reassuring smile.

A female in her late twenties approached Amaya and pulled her aside.

"Hi Princess, my name is Clarissa and I am your governess. Stay beside me for now. I’ll let you know when it is time for you to go up the stage to introduce yourself."

Amaya simply nodded. She was very tired and she wanted to take a seat. She has been standing for a long time and her legs were aching.

"Can I sit down? I am very tired." She complained.

The governess glared at her. "No, you can’t. No one sits before the king does."

Thankfully the king went up the stage and sat on the throne in the middle. Crown Prince Ibrahim sat to his right. There was another chair placed farther to the left where Amaya would sit after her introduction.

A choir who stood to the right of the hall sang the Lireyan National Anthem beautifully in acapella. The crown prince and the king of Lireya gave their speeches.

The master of ceremonies gave an introduction to Amaya. A video presentation of her first two years was shown on the screen.

Amaya’s eyes were glued to the screen. She tried to search her memories for those moments but she failed. She was too young to remember. But indeed she looked like her mother.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the beloved princess of Lireya whom we lost for fifteen years, the first princess of Lireya, Princess Amaya."

Amaya walked gracefully up the stage amidst the applause of the people in the hall. She stopped right in front of the chair where she will sit later on. She was told that she should stand a little to the left so she was not blocking the two thrones in the middle.

She curtsied towards the throne and then to the people down below the stage.

"Your Majesty, King Duncan, His Highness Crown Prince Ibarra, Ministers of Council, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, a pleasant day to all of you." Amaya had memorized the greetings that the lady from the plane gave her yesterday.

"I am Amaya Rocas. I grew up on a beautiful island which I call Miraga with Daddy Ibrahim until he left me three years ago. He raised and protected me and taught me how to survive in the jungle. It was his dream to bring me back to Lireya. Unfortunately, that dream was not realized. He often told me stories about Lireya, how beautiful it is, and its proud people. I only saw a glimpse of Lireya today and Daddy was right. Lireya is beautiful." Amaya paused when the audience applauded.

"I thought that I will spend my entire life on the island." She sought Marx from the audience and gazed at him with eyes full of gratitude.

"I would like to thank a special person, Marx Skylar. He brought me out from the island at the right moment. If not for him, I will not be standing here but had perished with all the other inhabitants of Miraga."

"I look forward to knowing more about Lireya and its beautiful people. Thank you." She curtsied again before going to her designated seat.

’Ha, finally I can sit down.’ She sighed with relief.

All the ministers were introduced to her and they said a few words of welcome.

After her welcome ceremony, they moved to a smaller hall where the coffin of Ibrahim will be laid for two days. His remains will be buried in his final resting place at the Lireyan Royal mausoleum at 6:00 pm the following day.

Marx rushed to her side and whispered "You did well Aya. That was a good speech."

Amaya beamed at him when she replied with a ’Thank You.’

King Duncan and Prince Ibarra stood before Ibarahim’s coffin. The council ministers and the others were not allowed to enter the hall as that time was designated as a private time for the royal family members only.

Amaya quietly stood beside her grandfather and his daddy Ibarra. Marx and the rest of the members of the Royal Family stood at the back quietly.

"Grandpa, Daddy Ibarra." She boldly addressed them as a family would. "I can open the coffin if you like. I prepared him well. I put plant extracts that would preserve his body and the gold encasement should have kept the air and moisture out."

"I don’t think it is a good idea. It has been three years." Ibarra protested.

King Duncan however desired to see his youngest son. It did not matter if what he will see were his bones.

Amaya went to the four corners of the coffin and pushed the wooden locks that she placed to secure the lid.

Amaya nodded to the four honor guards who were standing on the side. They lifted the lid and placed them down beside the coffin.

The fragrance of potpourri and herbs filled the air.

King Duncan and Prince Ibarra were surprised to see Ibrahim’s body in perfect condition. It seemed like he died three days ago instead of three years ago.

"How is this possible?" Prince Ibarra was baffled.

King Duncan broke down. He sobbed as he looked at his son whose hair and beard were long. The corner of his lips was slightly curled up as if he was smiling. He wore clothes made from a tiger’s skin.

"My son, my son!" He cried out in anguish. His legs wobbled and he almost fell if not for Ibarra supporting him.

"Someone fetch the queen and bring her here." He commanded.

"Father?" Prince Ibarra asked in surprise.

’My grandmother is alive?’ Amaya asked silently.