Cody sat crosslegged on the forest floor, a large leather-bound book opened in his lap. His dark hair swept across his forehead as it wrinkled with concentration. The four year old was reading, yes reading, a lengthy page before him. Although their were pictures, they were not the child friendly ones that people were used to seeing in children's books. They were photos, paintings.
Cody propped his elbow on his knee, his chin in his hand as he studied the text before him.
'Xerxes was son of Darius the Great and Atossa. After his accession in October 485 BC, he suppressed the revolts in Egypt and Babylon that had broken out the year before and appointed his brother Achaemenes as governor or satrap over Egypt. In 484 BC, he took away from Babylon the golden statue of Bel, the hands of which the rightful king of Babylon had to take a hold of on the first day of each year, and killed the priest who tried to get in his way. Therefore Xerxes does not bear the title of King in the Babylonian documents dated from his reign, but King of Persia and Media or simply King of countries (i.e. of the world).'
A small smile grew upon Cody's pale face. This was the man he was named for? King of the World?
Interesting.
Cody knew that names had much bearing. Some people never told their true names, doing so gave others power over them. Some could afford that small amount of power. Most couldn't.
The Fallen boy looked up, seemingly at the trees, but his eyes were distant as he thought.
King of the World?
Fallen Prince.
What was this?
Names, ideas, Kings, Princes.
His father.
His uncle...
Xences, was his name?
Xaver and Xences?
X names, yes, but given as such because of the power of twins?
Twins?
Heracles and Iphicles? Or more like Artemis and Apollo?
Opposites, representing the dualstic nature of the universe?
But weren't such things dependent of a person's choices? Surely it could go anyway? Mind over matter? Why was his uncle so dangerous? Why was he so...evil?
And what made Xaver so diffrent? Was he really so diffrent?
Cody knew of his father's impulses. He felt them. He knew of the underlying nature? But was that really nature, or simply a creation...something embedded in Xaver Xian from childhood?
Because he was the Fallen Prince?
What did that make Cody at this age?
He was only the Prince by title. He had done nothing to earn this.
But he was the firstborn in his family. And he sensed not the last.
It was quite possible that somewhere along the road, maybe not the next but possibly the next after that, that there would be twins in his family. Would the twins be such as Xaver and his brother?
Or would they be like his mother\s brothers? Closer beyond belief, even after the death of one of them?
That play...Blood Brothers?
What was it that was said?
'If twins separated at birth learn that they were once one of a pair they will both immediately die.'
Twins separated? What about twins kept together? Was it possible that both could live? Or must one die eventually? Long before the other?
Must they be separated by cruel nature, even after such nature granted them togetherness?
Such thoughts couldn't be heard, or even guessed by looking at the child's face. He simply looked in intense thought. He bit his lip, his ice blue eyes surveying the area around him. With a sigh, he closed the book and placed it beside him. He flopped onto his back and looked up into the sky. Large clouds dotted the deep blue. It would rain later in the day...a nice cleansing rain.
Cody rubbed his eyes, letting his thoughts continue in their almost endless cycle.
