Friend approaches the door of the School.
The doorkeeper summons the man in charge, who takes him into a room and says: "Wait here."
Friend looks with great admiration upon the great stone structure he has entered. The huge stones, perfectly laid upon each other, worked so as to fit together without leaving the faintest cleft. What a difference from his own village houses, made of wood and mud! Everything gives an impression of majesty, of power, of eternal solidity. Until the fifth creation would last, Friend thinks, also this severe and majestic building will last. His bundle at his feet, staff upon it, presentation letter in his hand, Friend awaits.
A man, with a red skirt, woven with the sun symbol, a thin gold collar with the jaguar symbol at its centre and a small wooden box and some sheets of paper in his hand, enters.
He asks Friend to be seated, reads the letter with care; putting it under the sheets then says:
"Well, to be admitted, for this year, you also need to pass a test. Now, I will ask you five questions: you will write them, one at the top of each sheet, then you have to answer them. If you answer at least three of them correctly, you will be admitted to the school. If not, you will have to go back to your village."
Friend, who didn't know about the test, nods a little worried, but says nothing.
The man hands him the small wooden box, containing colors and brushes; then, in the most elegant "flourish language" dictates to him, some classics passages. The test is, in the continuation of those passages, an explanation of which books they came from, then an explanation of their meaning.
Friend, copying the dictation, uses just the black brush to be faster. He recognizes the passages that he learned at the temple. This test is not at all difficult, he thinks, relaxing, as the man dictates. The dictation ends. While Friend applies the colors, he thinks about the answers. Then he draws them with care, one sheet after the other. Just one of the five passages, he doesn't know, but it has the shape and structure of a speech of the civic ideals and so he defines it, even if he cannot continue it. Then he hands the five sheets to the man.
Watching Friend in silence while the boy was writing, he takes the sheets, closes the box of the inks, stands up and tells him to wait. Who knows why; but as the man was leaving, Friends thinks of even better answers, more beautiful than he wrote. He asks himself, if what he did write, and how he wrote it, will be judged sufficient. But now, what's done is done.
Another man, older, enters: he wears the same skirt as the other, but a wider golden collar, with the fish symbol on it.
"Friend of Resonant, I've read your tests: the calligraphy can improve, but it is fairly good, you didn't make any language mistakes, even if you used a very plain style, and the answers are right, so you are admitted to the Imperial School. The letter of introduction gives you honor. If you commit yourself, we will make you a good student. Now you will be shown your cell, you will receive the white skirt of the postulants and writing tools. The Courses start in five days: if you like, you can use this time to visit the Capital. I presume it is the first time you are here. The important thing is that you have to be back before sunset, or else you risk sleeping on the street. For food, you can eat here in the School, or outside, if you have money. Anyway, the School will not give you money." he says, then adds other explanations, and takes him to the person responsible for the dormitories and leaves him there.
He, first shows Friend his cell: a small room on the second floor, looking out on the wide courtyard, with a stone platform where his bed is, a small table and a stool, and a wooden hanging closet for his belongings. Then he shows him where are the toilets, the bathroom and explains to him how to use them. He shows him the refectory, the five wide classrooms, finally, the supply room, here gives him his white skirt, a box of colored ink, a bundle of sheets, and a lamp with an oil jar. Then, after the boy brings everything back to his cell and wears his white skirt, the man takes him into the other cells already occupied and introduces him to his fellows students, some postulants like him, other of the first, second and third year.
Those of the first year have embroidered on the white skirt a yellow sun with eyes and mouth closed, those of the second year an orange sun with eyes open but the mouth still closed, those of the third year a red sun with eyes and mouth open. A fellow of the third year explains him the symbology:
"Those like you have still to be born, they are nothing. Then, at the first year, they must just listen, without speaking. At the second, you may ask, that is see, but not yet speak, not express opinions. At the third, you can start to express your opinions, you can talk. After the third year, the final test and a destination." Then the boy asks him: "Do you have a Protector?"
"A protector? What's that?"
"Who, not what, animal! An aristocrat giving you money, taking care of you, protecting you, in one word. Without a protector, as good as you might be, you will never be successful in your career."
"And how does one manage, to get a Protector?"
"Every year, we students are invited to the four Sun Festivals. If somebody takes a liking to you, he will offer to be your protector. Do you see this armband? There is the Falcon symbol, because my protector is the grand priest of the Falcon God."
"And what does a student do for his protector?"
"That depends on the protector: escort him to the festivals, serve him, flatter him, compose poems or speeches for him, be ready to do what he is requesting, in your free time from School. And to give him honor at the competitions at the year's end."
Friend nods.
The other says: "The first Festival will be in a few days, the Festival of the Growing Day, that is the Spring Equinox, also called the New Year. Try to be noticed by some aristocrat or priest, to be appreciated, if you can. Without a protector, you will always be a subject to everybody, here in the School, and I don't wish that, even on the most disagreeable of the students; and you seems to me, to be a likable boy."
Friend start to go out. First he visits the great Sun Temple, the Imperial temple par excellence. On the top, he turns admiringly, between other visitors, looking a little at the stone multicoloured bas-relief, a little at the panorama. From here, there is a complete vision of the Imperial Palace, with its gardens, and of all the town sloping down to the port.
Suddenly a young aristocrat, wearing a red skirt woven with the eagle symbol, a golden collar and a feathered headgear, approaches him, brushes his chest and asks with a smile:
"Ah, a postulant. What's your name?"
"I'm Friend-Of-The-Moon, lord." Friend answers, astounded: he is the young aristocrats that by a hair's breadth had almost killed him in the forest, and now is practically caressing him in front of everybody.
Friend feels pleasure at the contact and blushes. The other withdraws his hand, but continues to look at him with a curious mix of desire, satisfaction and humour. Then looks at him from head to toe and says:
"I've the faint impression, I've already met you." Friend asks himself, if the other is pulling his leg: is it possible that he didn't remember their meeting in the forest, just five days before?
Without knowing the reason, Friend answers: "It is my first day here in the Capital..."
"Ah, then for sure I'm wrong. It has been a pleasure meeting you, Friend. I don't think you are called Moon, right? You are a very attractive boy. Good-bye." and he leaves, rapidly going down the flight of steps.
Friend quivers, feeling a sense of regret, and asks himself, why he didn't tell the young man of their first encounter? But then, he tells himself that probably he did right: perhaps the aristocrat doesn't want to remember it. He looks around, afraid all the people's eyes are on him, but with relief he notices that nobody is looking at him. He ends his visit, then goes down to the city.
Five days later, there is the Festival of the Growing Day. The school courtyard is crowded with all the students, the teachers, and aristocrats, warriors and priests. All around, on a dais, a profusion of food and drinks. After the ceremony, everybody starts to eat and to chat. Friend, apart from a few other students, doesn't know anybody and feels quite a stranger, an intruder in that place. He feels a light sense of embarrassment, of shame. But he decides to go get something to eat. When he turns, with food in his hands, in front of him is that beautiful young man, with the wide shoulders and the narrow waist, with the eagle woven on his skirt and inserted in the centre of his collar.
"Friend!" the youth greets him, with a wide smile, and the boy is pleased to see that the other remembers his name. "Come, come with me, I want to introduce you to some friends of mine." and he takes the boy by an arm and leads him through the crowd.
"See, Gazelle, this is Friend, the boy I met on the top of the Sun Temple." then he turns towards Friend, ands says: "I've missed you these five days. I was near coming to look for you here in the school."
He continues to hold him by his arm, with a quite possessive grasp, that Friend is not sure he likes, but which feels he cannot resist.
"Control yourself, Sky!" Gazelle scolds the young man, then addresses Friend: "You just cannot guess the impression you made on Sky: all these days, he did nothing but fancy about you."
Friend, with a shy smile, answers to the girl: "I can say the same about myself, even if we met just for a moment."
Another young woman nearby, says cheerfully: "Normally, a moment is enough, no?" then adds: "Anyway I am Flower, Radiant-Flower-Of-Winter. Happy to meet you, Friend. And he..." she says pointing to another young man, rather sturdy, with a frowning air, "... is Morning. First-Morning-Of-The-Cock-Month. He is of the lesser aristocracy, as you can see, he has the lightning as an emblem."
Morning simply says: "Hello."
"He is elsewhere, take no account of him."
"Elsewhere? What do you mean?" Friend confused asks.
"He has been cheated on by his lover, and he thinks of nothing else. We had to drag him by force here to the Festival, to make him amuse himself, but it seems that we are not able. If you want to try..." Gazelle says.
"No, Friend is a postulant, and he needs protection himself. Don't you see that he still hasn't an arm band?" Sky says noticing the lost look of the boy.
"Right! Why don't you offer him to become his protector?" Gazelle asks.
"I don't know if he wants that, he possibly, can find a more important protector, beautiful as he is." Sky says caressing the boy with his eyes.
Friend feels excited: sure he would like to have this splendid young aristocrat man as a protector.
Gazelle asks him: "Friend, would you like to have Calm-Sky-Of-Autumn as your protector? Would you like to have the eagle on your arm band?"
"Such a direct question, you embarrass him!" Flower says.
Then Friend says: "I will be deeply honoured. What do I have to do to earn such precious attention?"
"Listen, how nicely he speaks! So, Sky, what has he to do to please you?" Gazelle asks.
Sky looks Friend in his eyes: "Nothing. Being my friend, as his name says."
"Do you accept, Friend?"
"With immense pleasure and gratitude." the boy says, feeling a knot in his throat
"Then soon, I will come to bring you the arm band with the eagle, Friend." Sky says in a low and warm tone that arouses quivers in the boy.
The courses start. Writing, reading, diction and etiquette. Then the thorough study of the Five Books. Really each book is composed of several volumes.
The Book Of Gods, with the cosmogony, the mythology, the divination calendar, and the stories of the Five Creations.
The Book Of Chronicles, with the history of the various populations of the Empire, then the Sun People Annals with the history, from the first Emperor to the actual one: Powerful-Hymn-Sung-To-The-Eternal-Sun-God, Sixty Third Descendant Of The Sun, Light Of The World And Of The Peoples, Inebriating Flower Never Withering.
The Book Of Hymns, with the texts of the religious ceremonies, the texts for the songs and the music with the sacred drums, and the prescriptions for the civil and religious festivals.
The Book Of Poetry, with the war songs, the flower songs, the nuptial songs, the love songs, the mourning songs and so on.
The Book Of Speeches, with the civil speeches, the moral speeches, the book of proverbs, the book of advises, the speeches of the ancients, and the book of the eloquence contests.
Friend follows with a passion, the various lessons, and spends all his free time practicing, both calligraphy and memorizing all the texts; learning to give the explanations of them in a clear, exhaustive and pleasant way. He also practices composition and diction. But now and then he also finds the time to stroll downtown. He met a colours miller, who likes Friend, and gave him a nice writing box, rich in the purest colours and refined brushes.
One evening, Sky comes to fetch him at School and invites him to follow him. Friends objects that soon it will be sunset and that they wouldn't have much time.
"You will sleep out, I will talk to the doorkeeper. And tomorrow morning, I will bring you back here to school in time for your first lesson. Now, out there are our friends waiting for you." Sky resolute says.
Friend happily nods at the idea and, obtaining the authorization, follows Sky. Out there are Gazelle, Flower and Morning. The two girls take Friend between them and all together go toward the high town.
"Here, this is my home." Gazelle says pointing at a small but beautiful stone building. "It is comfortable: as you see in front, we have the cooked turkey seller, so I don't have even to pay a servant to cook."
"About food," Sky says cheerfully, "you go inside, while I buy some food. You come with me, Friend."
The other three agree, and enter the house. Sky takes Friend into the shop, where there are delicious aromas. The boy watches the women, busy cooking on wide hearths, while Sky orders from the owner. The man carefully puts the food on big leaves, which he folds and carefully ties. Sky pays; hands some of the warm bundles to Friend, taking the rest, they go to Gazelle's house. A slave greets them at the door. Sky leads Friend through rooms, each lit by a lantern, until they reach the room where the three friends are waiting for them; sitting on soft wide blue cushions, all around a low table. In that room, there are five lanterns, so the light is bright.
Gazelle is orating a love poem. Sky, without interrupting her, puts the food bundles on the table. Morning stands up, and in a while, is back with some amphorae. Friend notices that one of these has a bent tree for an handle; under which leans a naked man, whose enormous erect penis acts as a spout.
Gazelle, interrupts and laughs: "Morning, I have to give you that amphora. I see that you like it very much. You know, Friend, he doesn't drink from it like everybody... he is a really lewd man, our dear Morning!"
"He takes comfort, as he can." Flower says laughing too, "show Friend how you drink from it!"
Morning smiles, puts his lips on the big ceramic penis and sucks a sip of liqueur. All the others laugh again.
"Do you want to try too, Friend?" Morning proposes.
"What does it contain?"
"Maize beer, of course."
"We can't drink it; students are forbidden."
"But here, nobody sees you." Morning says.
"No thank you." Friend insists, with a smile.
The two girls, open the bundles from which soon comes a perfumed and inviting steam, and start to serve the food. They all start to eat, merrily, chatting, laughing, and drinking, Sky, Morning and Flower, the Maize beer; Gazelle and Friend water or matè.
"Your home is spacious, Gazelle, full of rooms. Where do you intend that we sleep?" Sky asks.
"Each of you, is free to choose the room, he prefers. Flower and I, anyway, will use the room here in the back, as always. We two alone."
Friend then has the intuition that the two women must be lovers. At first, he thought that one of them, probably Flower, could be Sky's girlfriend.
Morning says: "I'll sleep in the room near the larder. And you two? In the room near the bath?" he then asks Sky with a cunning smile.
"Morning is always shrewd, Friend, take no account of his innuendoes, pretend not to understand."
"I don't need to pretend, I really don't understand." Friend says in confusion, asking himself what hidden meaning there could be in Morning's question.
"So much better, innocence is the best defence, Friend." Gazelle says with satisfaction.
"But what are you talking about?" Flower asks with an air of false innocence.
And suddenly all becomes clear to Friend: he recalls a love poem, where is written: "after love nothing is sweet as sinking in the perfumed bath's waters..." so he quotes the first lines of that poem:
"When the night is so deep
that even white is black,
when silence all wraps
of mystery..."
Sky looks at him, with a satisfied smile, put down the food he is eating, nods and continues:
"... in my chest
gentle a song resounds
and deep echoes excites
in my beloved one..."
"You see that, Friend is not an artless boy. Yes, give me your arm, Friend, here is the arm band I promised to you..." Sky says and girds the boy's arm with the band with the eagle insignia.
"Thank you, Sky."
"Thank you for having accepted it." Sky says with a shy smile, that surprises the boy: normally Sky seems very self confident, he didn't expect that slight embarrassed expression in the young man.
After eating, a slave brings warm water for washing their hands, and clears the leftovers from the table. Then Gazelle orders the beds to be spread. She decides that Sky and Friend will sleep in the room opening onto the small internal garden. Sky doesn't object. Later, Morning is the first to say good night and goes off to sleep, slightly drunk, bringing with him the amphora that Gazelle gave to him. Then Sky stand up and takes Friend to the room assigned to them.
Here two mattress are laid down, one next to the other, in front of the wide door opening onto the moonlit garden. Sky puts out the lantern, pulls off his collar, his headgear and his skirt. Friend pulls off his skirt, while he admires the beautiful body of his protector. Sky lays on one of the mattress and Friend on the other.
"I'm happy." Sky says after a while.
Friend waits for him to say more, but Sky is silent. It is too late to say: I too, so Friend prefers to keep silent. He feels terribly attracted by the man's body, there next to him, at hand's reach. But he can't move, he quite can't breath. Excited, he waits, hoping that Sky will make the first move. For a long while, nothing happens, he just hears the light breath of the young man. He would like to turn on his side, to admire him, but he doesn't dare.
Then he feels Sky's hand lying on his chest, light, without moving. He waits.
"Now sleep, Friend. And your dreams be beautiful." Sky whispers.
Friend, slightly disappointed, murmurs: "They will certainly be..."
"Yes, sure." Sky answers.
Friend feels the desire to caress that hand, still lying on his chest, to bring it at his lips, to kiss it; but the fact that the young man doesn't move, doesn't caress him, makes him think that to Sky, that light contact is enough, so he does nothing.
The following morning, very early, while everybody still sleeps, Sky accompanies him to School. At the door, they say good-bye.
"We will meet soon. Thank you, Friend."
"Thank you, Sky."
They don't need to say more, Friend feels that perfectly. He waves a greeting and goes rapidly to his cell, to fetch everything he needs for his morning lessons, while the other students are also preparing.
The day of the announced Emperor's visit to the school arrives. The students line up in the courtyard, early in the morning, in course order, each formation perfectly ordered, sided by the teachers and by the instructors, wearing their formal attires. The students receive a band to put on their head, with the short coloured feathers, showing the prizes each won in the annual competitions. Friend and his fellows, not having yet participated at the competitions, wear just a white band without feathers.
In front of them, has been prepared the Imperial stand, completely covered in flowers, composing the Sun symbol, and surmounted by a feather curtain covering the small wooden throne plated with gold leaves. A drum roll announces the young Emperor's entrance. All prostrate themselves on the ground, without looking at the stand. Friend is excited: at last he could see the Emperor, he could hear his voice. It was said that, notwithstanding his twenty four years of age, he was one of the most accomplished poets ever born.
At the dean's order, everybody stands up on his knees, then prostrate again three times. Friend has a quick glimpse of the Emperor, a slender young man, strong, fiercely straight, with the tall feather crown and the spring feathers mantle, a wide golden collar, the white and gold skirt, gold armbands and ankle bands and the feather sandals. And Friend is completely fascinated.
The Emperor makes a slight and elegant gesture with his hand, that means to be at ease, and all stand up in the position of respectful listening. Then the Emperor stands up from the throne, a dignitary unties his mantle, the Emperor comes forward one step, in a sign of kind regard, then starts his speech.
He uses the flowery language with elegance, modulating his voice, using appropriate terms, with sentences short but full of poetry. He speaks about the Empire's future: "The Empire", he says, "is defended by its weapons, but is built upon its culture. It is consolidated, with reciprocal solidarity and fidelity. You, who will be the culture depositories, are called to stand by me, to built an Empire shining like the Sun that we worship. I count on you..." he says with a clear voice and with a captivating smile, then, to everybody amazement, he recites the full names of all the students, without reading them. When he starts to say: "... on you, Last-Friend-Of-The-Moon," Friend feels an incredibly strong emotion, and feels to be totally in love with the Emperor. His beauty, his voice, his eyes, the aura emanating from him, completely conquers the boy.
Inside his heart, Friend swears: "You can certainly count on me, Powerful-Hymn-Sung To-The-Eternal-God-Sun, Sun-God-On-Earth." With difficulty, he holds back emotional tears, while the Emperor ends reciting the almost two hundred names of the students. A long shout of joy, spontaneously burst out from all the throats, when the Emperor takes a step back and the dignitary puts again on his shoulders the feather mantle. Everybody deeply prostrates while the Emperors leaves.
All are deeply impressed by the fact that the Emperor recited by heart, all their names; but Friend, more than that, broods in his heart on that sentence: "I count on you". In the following days, Friend commits himself to his studies even more. With doubled eagerness, so that at a certain point, the warden has to insist that he go outside, to take some rest.
Friend goes down towards the port, he strolls in the warm summer afternoon, rehearsing in his mind the days lessons, when he hears his name called. He turns back and sees in front of him, Finedear. He had quite forgotten him. The youth wears the light blue skirt of the soldiers, has a sword on his side and a bright copper breast band.
"Friend! I didn't hope to see you again. You never came to look for me." he says to Friend in a reproaching tone.
"You neither." Friend quickly retorts, "...and studies take all my time and energies."
"Yes, for me too, our training. But I already have become a foreman. You too are free, on the mouse day afternoons?"
"Yes."
"Very good, so we can meet. But come, now, let's go to the tavern. It's on me, I just got paid."
"But we students are forbidden to drink alcohol." Friend defends himself. He feels terribly attracted by the soldier. Just being near the youth, arouses the boy terribly; and yet he knows that he is not the right man for him.
"I'll drink alone. Come. There they have a room I can rent. Or better, I will book it for all the mouse day afternoons, so I will just wait for you there, all the time."
"I don't know if I'll be able to came always." Friend says, following him.
"Sure you can!" the other says, self confidently.
Finedear talks briefly to the innkeeper, then, a decanter of beer in his hand, he takes Friend upstairs. They enter a small room, where there is just a bed, filling it almost completely. He put down the decanter, quickly put away his sword, breast band, his skirt and embraces Friend, clasping with both hands, his buttocks. The boy is terribly aroused. Finedear notices, and unties the boy's skirt and the loincloth that slip to the ground.
"Pull off my loincloth." He orders.
Friend promptly obeys: he feels hungry, thirsty for that sensual and strong body. It's more than a month, that he has had no sex, he needs it. Finedear lifts him bodily and deposes him on the bed, then climbs on top of him:
"I like you too much. You are the hottest boy I ever met, and I had lots of boys. You adore making love, right?"
Friend finds the youth particularly loquacious, evidently happy to have met him again, to be able to enjoy him again. The soldier swings and rocks on him, with passion, and that sets Friend on fire; who, without thinking, reciprocates with the same passion. Finedear grasps the boy's legs, and pulls them to his shoulders; then, with strong and skilled moves, sticks inside him, and starts to move inside him, with powerful strokes. Friend moans, prey to his strong pleasure, and answers his companion's pushes; making his ass oscillate, and his sphincter throb. The soldier smiles satisfied, and increases the rhythm of his powerful thrusts. It is a long, strong embrace, culminating in a violent orgasm that leaves them both worn out but sated. Finedear seems to recall his beer, and picking up the decanter, he let some jets spring into his throat.
Friend suddenly feels a very strong urge to leave. Now that all is over, he again feels Finedear as a stranger. With whom, it is really pleasurable to have sex; but with whom, he will never have anything in common.
"I... have to go..."
"I want to offer you something to eat. Now, we go downstairs, the food is very good here. It's on me, as I said. I know that you students don't have any money. I've had the occasion to bring some of your fellows here." he says with pride, underlining that he had had other students in his bed.
They put back on their clothes. Go downstairs, and Finedear orders the food. While they eat, Finedear, puts his hand under the table, and touches the boy intimately, arousing his excitation again.
"Hey, why we don't go upstairs again? I'm ready for an encore." the soldier says, with an excited voice.
"No, really, I have to go." Friend says.
"Never mind! So, we meet here next mouse day, in the afternoon. I'll wait for you, here." Finedear answers, and says good-bye, as if nothing were the matter.
Friend is grateful he doesn't insist, because he knows that he wouldn't be able to tell him no. He rapidly goes back to the school, just in time for supper. Even if he had just eaten with Finedear, he wolfs it down with a great appetite, quite as if, eating, he could forget about Finedear. "No", he tells himself, "I will not go with him another time... If rather... if rather Sky would decide... I'm sure he likes me, he feels attracted towards me. Who knows, why does he never make the slightest move?"
When he is in his cell, after studying for a while, he lies down to sleep. Putting out the lantern, he looks at the silvery rectangle that the moon light projects on the wall and thinks. The Emperor's image, his words, come back to his mind while he grows drowsy, like in a dream. But in the dream, there is the Emperor, and he is prostrate in front of him, and in the courtyard they are alone. And when the Emperor lets his rich multicoloured feather mantle slip away from him, he remains completely naked, and his beauty is dazzling like the sun light, so that Friend has to close his eyes, and then he feels the Emperor's hand on him, caressing his hair, and his voice tells him: "Friend, I count on you."
He wakes up suddenly, excited and trembling, his heart drumming like a mad horse at full gallop. Almost disappointed, realizing it was just a dream, the vision has vanished. Just the moon light, now has moved, and laps his body making his skin the colour of gold.
He falls asleep again, thinking that, for his Emperor, he would become the best student of the school: yes the Emperor can really count on him, one hundred per cent.