Divine Intervention

A palace towered over them. It gleamed in the morning sun, an artisitcal wonder of layered sandstone and marble. It spread far in both directions as far as Harry could see and probably farther back still. It was a maze of intricate columns and domed roofs, with large windows that allowed natural lighting to freely filter in. A mesh of patterned walls were somehow bound together in synchronicity and delicate detailings of tempered gold were etched into the architecture.

It was a beast of a thing. A declaration of wealth and power. Whilst also somehow appearing warm and welcoming, though it also screamed of intimidation and the need for careful words so as to not offset its obviously powerful owner.

Harry stared in unbridled awe.

At least until Ray nudged him through the towering archway and up to a set of heavy golden doors. A match for the gates in gilded, golden details.

Ray just stood there. He did not knock. Just simply stood there in silence. Still and waiting.

And then just as Harry began to grow fidgety with nerves and the silence grew too uncomfortable to bear, the doors swung open. Gently gliding across marble floors to reveal the hidden wonders of the palace’s interior.

An Indian man dressed in a high necked white tunic and a matching turban, greeted them at the door with his hands firmly clasped behind his back. He bowed forward, lowering his head as he greeted them. “Welcome back Master Kamotsky. As always it is a pleasure to see you again. His Majesty is waiting for you in his private study.”

“It’s good to see you too again, Bharat,” Ray said jovially. He was clearly familiar with the tall, well-dressed man standing patiently in front of them.

Harry stood still and tense beside Ray. He was fighting the urge to hide and cower behind the safety of Ray’s legs when their attention turned to him.

Bharat’s eyes flickered quickly over to him before returning to Ray. But Harry felt that in that second the piercing gaze had landed on him, everything about him had been seen and taken in for later evaluation.

“Please then, if you will follow me.” Bharat bowed again and then turned succinctly around, as they followed him through a twisted maze of halls and courtyards.

They stopped outside another large wooden door burnished in dark umber. Bharat knocked on the door and waited patiently for a reply. A low voice called out from within the room beyond. “Come in.”

Bharat pushed the door open and held it as Ray and Harry passed through before him. He didn’t come in after them, just let the door close behind them and disappeared from view.

Harry became even more hesitant and nervous as it dawned on him that he was about to meet an actual king. Suddenly, he was terrified. He grabbed hold of Ray’s shirt with one hand and held firm. Trying to absorb some small comfort from the somewhat familiar man next him.

To distract himself, Harry resorted to carefully inspecting the room and did his best to ignore the man at the centre of it. The room they were in was big for a study with large east-facing windows. As it was still early in the morning, sunlight streamed into the room, bathing everything in a golden warmth.

A large stone fireplace was affixed to the left of them with a dauntingly large, ornate silver mirror hung above it. A plush sofa and a matching pair of armchairs in cream sat facing it, with a mahogany wood table in the middle. A desk in the same wood sat directly across the room from it and a chair behind. The rest of the wall was occupied by bookshelves stuffed with ancient looking tomes and texts. An emerald rug covered in patterns of silver and gold was spread out across the floor, stretching almost entirely from one end of the room to the other.

A collection of statues and other precious artefacts were placed carefully around the room and filled the mantle above the fireplace. The room was an interesting collective of austere and cosy.

The man at the centre of it all, on the other hand, stood tall and imposing. He radiated a silent strength and power. With an air about him, that demanded you look and acknowledge him.

He was handsome with a near symmetrical face. He had a long nose and a strong jaw, bronzed skin and pitch black hair with a slight wave to it. Dark, penetrating eyes glared down at a peice of paper he was holding. His lips pursed and thick eyebrows furrowed.

It was only when Ray came to stand directly in front of him, did he look up.

His face loosened immediately upon seeing Ray. A bright smile appeared. It transformed his serious face completely, like the golden sun appearing in a dark sky.

“Ray,” The Maharaja grinned. “What are you doing here? I thought you wouldn’t be back in India for another two months at least. You should have said you were coming.”

“Yeah, well…” Ray sighed, running his hands carelessly through his hair. “I was only planning on staying a couple of days so there wasn’t really time for much else. But then things… happened.”

Ishaan’s brows furrowed again. His lilting voice edged with an underlying tone of confusion and concern. “What happened? It must have been important to delay you so.”

“Yeah about that…” Ray smiled sheepishly. “So…. There’s someone I think you need to meet.”

“Who?” Ishaan asked, still confused as he stood up and began to walk around his desk towards Ray.

Rather than reply aloud, Ray stepped to the side, revealing Harry who had been cowering behind him for the majority of their conversation. Harry only briefly glanced up at Ishaan with nervous green eyes before his gaze quickly darted back to the floor, unsure of how to act in the presence of a king.

If possible, Ishaan’s eyes widened even further and he became even more visibly concerned.

“Ray,” he spoke slowly. “Did you kidnap a child?”

“What?” Ray gasped. “No! Of course not!”

“Then where did he come from?” Ishaan demanded. His shoulders straightened and his presence grew steadily more imposing the longer Ray took to answer. He was the spitting image of a true king. One who knew what they wanted and expected others to bow to their whims. “What did you do, Ray?Where is his family? You can’t honestly expect me to believe that you just picked him up off the streets or something?”

Ray appeared completely unbothered by the king’s growing wrath and accusatory tone. He just shrugged. “Actually… whether you believe it or not, that’s exactly what happened.”

Ishaan didn’t gape but he came as close to it as a King could. Eventually, he managed to pull himself together enough to say, “I see. But that still does not explain why you brought him to me.”

Ray turned his attention to Harry. “I can assure you there is a very specific reason I brought him here. Go on Kid. Do your thing.”

Harry wasn’t quite sure what Ray meant when he wiggled his fingers like that and said, ‘do your thing,’ but he took it to mean he should shift. He let the change roll over him as he felt the ripple of his scales breaking through his skin and his legs fuse together again.

Ishaan stared in wonder and bewilderment at the child before him. It was clear now why Ray had brought the foundling to him. A naga child. And a very young one from the look of him. Picked up off the streets, with presumably no proper family to care for him. It was unheard of. Unthinkable. But the proof of it was standing right in front of him.

There was a reason naga were so protective of their children and so welcoming of any who went through a creature inheritance and became a naga. The naga population was small with few children being born each year. Part of it was due to low fertility rates due to their much extended life spans. The other factor was the culling, that had occurred centuries ago, of dark creatures in Europe, that forced them to flee and almost completely abandon the continent, retreating here. It was something his people were even now-years on-still recovering from.

Their children were especially vulnerable until the age of thirteen, when their magical cores expanded and their racial gifts started to appear, including their venom. Before that, they were completely defenceless and thus meant they had to be closely watched and protected. That protection often extended into adulthood for the few submissives they had. With fewer submissives than dominants, each submissive was inherently precious. And any of a creature inheritance, even more so. As they brought new blood and a chance to revitalise old lines and gifts, as well as a higher chance of more children being born. The new-blooded did not normally go through their inheritance until their majority at seventeen.

So for a naga child as young as this to be completely unattended, it had to mean something he was unaware of, had happened to his family (which was extremely unlikely, he strived to keep abreast of all things involving the naga community) or something extraordinary had occurred, causing the child to go through an early inheritance (even more unlikely).

Ishaan opened his mouth to launch into a litany of questions, determined to get to the bottom of this new mystery, but in his shocked daze, all that came out was, “How?”

Ray just shrugged again, “No clue. That was something I hoped you would know.” He looked at Ishaan questioningly.

Ishaan brought his gaze to rest upon the extraordinary child in front of him. “What is your name child?” He asked kindly with soft tones.

“Harry Sir,” Harry quickly replied, still staring down at his feet.

“Harry?” Ishaan spoke the name slowly as if savouring it. “English, then?”

Harry nodded. “I guess.”

“Tell me Harry. How is it you came to be here? On the streets alone? And as what you are?”

Harry shuffled his feet nervously. “My Aunt and Uncle brought me on holiday with them. They didn’t want me-I guess-so they didn’t take me back with them. And as for what I am, Namira said if she bit me and I had True Kin-Naga blood, I would awaken as one.”

“They just left you here?!” Ishaan raged. His fury resonated from him in fiery waves. Harry swore he could almost see steam rising from his skin. “How could someone do that to a child?! The horror of it! To do such is unimaginable!” He lost himself in a tirade of muttered threats and shocked snarls.

Harry sidled over to Ray and looked up at him in concern. Ray still looked unbothered though, as though this was a usual occurrence. “Is he okay?” Harry asked tentatively.

“He’ll be fine.” Ray smiled gently down at him. “Ishaan has to be all proper and implacable all the time because he’s a king. He thinks he can’t show weakness except in front of family and perhaps a few close friends. Give him a few minutes and he’ll be fine. Sometimes he just needs to let off a little steam.” He shrugged.

Harry turned his worried eyes back on the man, who was now pacing quickly across the other end of the room and still muttering things under his breath, too quiet for them to hear. He shrugged to himself. He supposed if Ray said it was fine, then it must be. Harry fell back into an easy, relaxed stance, shifting his weight onto the balls of his feet and settling in to wait for the strange king’s quiet rant to be over.

Several hours later saw them settled on the seats by the fireplace. A tray of tea Bharat had brought in, was set on the table in between them and a roaring fire lit the room. It had already fallen dark outside and their prolonged visit had tired Harry out.

After he had calmed down from his ranting, Ishaan had taken them on a tour of the palace and its gardens. Or at least a small part of it.

As had been proved true, the palace was a sprawling monstrosity. It spread far in each direction, full of beautiful rooms and wonderful gardens. Peacocks patrolled stone paths and fountains tinkled quiet music in the background. It was a true marvel of splendours and luxury.

They had eaten lunch outside, under the sun and amongst the birds and flowers. The whole day had been a host of new experiences for Harry. He had also discovered that Ray and Ishaan had been closely acquainted for a number of years, and could even be considered friends.

It had all culminated in a very sleepy Harry, who had answered Morpheus’ call as soon as his head touched the cushioned sofa. His head rested on Ray’s knee, who was contently brushing his hand gently through Harry’s raven curls. And his knees were pressed tight against his chest, curled up into as small a ball as possible so as to take up as little space as possible. A leftover habit from his time at the Dursleys. Another he had yet to be completely rid of.

Ishaan sat in the opposite armchair, watching the proceedings with keen eyes. A contented silence persisted between them.

“What will you do with him?”

Ray looked up.

“I was actually hoping you would know. My life has no place for a child in it and he needs a proper family. Someone who can understand him and teach about what he is.” Ray answered, glancing down at Harry with soft eyes.

Ishaan remained quiet as his gaze stayed on Harry. “It still baffles me how it is possible a naga child could come to be so alone.”

Ray gave Ishaan a considering look, before speaking again, “From what I have managed to gather, his previous… family did not treat him well. And eventually, they abandoned him to the streets, leaving him to rot.”

Ishaan’s jaw visibly tightened. “It sickens me that people could treat a child in such a way. Especially one as precious as him.”

Ray nodded along as Ishaan spoke, in full agreement. He then, stared down at his hands, lost in thought. The silence increasing with every passing moment.

“What will you do with him then? I came to you because there was no else I could trust to properly take care of him,” Ray continued, eyes darting back up to meet Ishaan’s warm gaze.

“I am honoured by your trust in me,” Ishaan chuckled. “I am also amazed by how quickly this young one has managed to worm his way into your affections. And how easily it seems you have gained his trust.”

“He was hesitant at first. For obvious reasons. It was not as easy as you think and he still does not trust me much. Not with how little a time we have know each other at least.” Ray tentatively admitted. “When we first met, he jumped off a tree and fell onto me.”

Ishaan stared at him in shock, before bursting out into great guffaws of laughter. “How amusing a first meeting!” He cried out, flicking tears of amusement from his eyes.

“Yes, yes. Get it all out.” Ray sighed again, silently amused at the normally stoic man’s reaction. When Ishaan had finally calmed down enough to be able to speak without laughing again, Ray tried to broach the subject once more. “Have you come up with a solution then? For what you will do with him. Perhaps, you have a certain family in mind who might wish to adopt a child?”

“As a matter of fact I do.” Ishaan’s face lost some of its previous lightheartedness and his eyes turned hard and serious.

“Who?” Ray asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity and a little caution. He would, of course, need to make sure they were suitable before he would allow anyone to adopt Harry. He wanted him to be happy and would not allow Harry to go to yet another bad home, like his former one obviously was.

Ray couldn’t explain it, but over the last couple of days spent with the quiet child, he had grown rather attached. Perhaps he would be able to visit in the future? Just to make sure Harry was happy and safe and his new family was treating him well.

“Me.”

Ray just stared at Ishaan.

“What.” He said point blank. Not even bothering to phrase it as a question.

Ishaan sighed. “I know it may seem strange. But the truth is, that I do need an heir. I have no wish to marry now or ever really. Despite many thinking it my duty to do so. Which means my only other choice is adoption. Normally, as a member of the royal family, I would have adopted one of my siblings’ children. However, I am an only child with no nieces or nephews to speak of. Thus I am left with few other options.”

“But to adopt him? Thrust him into royal life. Are you sure that is wise?” Ray questioned, still shocked at his friend’s intentions.

“I am quite sure,” Ishaan nodded. “I have been considering this all day. From all I have seen, Harry is an intelligent, inquisitive child. Brave and adaptable. Also powerful, if as you say, he is able to use wandless magic voluntarily so young. His bright scales indicate a strong venom and I truly believe he will be quite a wonder when he is grown. I would be a fool to let such an opportunity slip through my fingers. Not when the answers to all my prayers have practically fallen right into my lap. Or rather, when you brought the answer right to me.” Ishaan stared at Ray earnestly, willing him to understand the great gift he believed Harry to be. “I will not lie and say I love this child. It is far too soon for that. But I can already feel the stirrings of it and if he were mine, I know I would. I will raise him properly. Love and care for him. He will want for nothing Ray. I will see to that.”

Ray stayed quiet. He stared long and hard as he considered his friend.

Finally, he spoke.

“Very well then,” he gave in. “But you will have to ask him first and explain everything that you adopting him would entail. And if he says no, you must respect that. Do not push him to accept if he does not want to and if he refuses, help find him another family willing to take him in.”

Ishaan nodded quickly. “I will. Of course, I will.”

Ray’s tensed shoulder loosened. “Alright then. That’s perfect. Be warned though. I’ll be dropping by every now and then to check up on him and make sure you’re treating him right.” He jabbed a finger directly at Ishaan’s chest.

“I would expect nothing less.” Ishaan chuckled. His eyes blazed bright with happiness and excitement as he gazed down at Harry. Hope for the future and all it may bring with this new addition to his life started stirring in his chest.

“My son.” He murmured under his breathe, still staring at Harry softly. It was as though he were tasting the words. Trying to see how they would feel on his tongue and when spoken aloud.

Ishaan smiled. It was a soft and gentle thing, filled with light and new hope. He found he very much liked the sounds of those words-indeed.