"The time has come, then, for power to return to those who deserve it," Abu Bakr said, speaking to Moses beside him at the table that evening. "I never wanted to be king."
"But our father chose you to be the king after him," Moses paused for a moment, surprise crossing his face before continuing, "You know, at first I was envious of you. I thought my father was wrong to make you the king instead of me. But deep down, I always knew you were the one who deserved it. You were the younger brother who excelled at everything. You studied at our university, learning from the best scholars. You fought bravely in battles when our kingdom was under attack, and I always felt proud knowing that you were my brother. You were always the dreamer, the one everyone expected to set sail and return with heartwarming news. Your name was always tied to success, to someone who never knew failure. Even my father sent you to Egypt instead of me."
Moses stopped, and for a moment, there was silence. Abu Bakr rose from his seat and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Our father didn't entrust the kingdom's coffers to you without reason," Abu Bakr said. "He believed in you as much as he believed in me, maybe even more. You were always the right person for this position, and I have seen that time and again."
He paused, walking over to a servant and whispering a few words to him. The servant quickly left and returned with the king's crown. Abu Bakr took it and approached Moses, gently placing it on his head.
"I declare you, henceforth, the king of this land," he said.
"And what will you do, Abu Bakr? What's on your mind?" Moses asked, his gaze fixed on his brother, already knowing what the answer would be.
"The time has come for me to sail to that land," Abu Bakr replied, his voice steady. "I will either reach it, or…" His words trailed off, unfinished.
Moses didn't try to change his brother's mind, even though he never believed in the existence of that land. Not during their father's obsession with it, nor now. He knew this journey was Abu Bakr's greatest desire, and when someone longs for something so deeply, life itself becomes secondary.
The next morning, Abu Bakr gathered a crew for the ships. Most of them were his old comrades from past wars, with a few volunteers, including the shipbuilder who, after years of crafting ships, felt that the sea was calling him too. Mandine, late that night, realized she had read through the pages of the book faster than ever before. The words had drawn her in, much like the tale of Nest herself. She turned off the light, the story still swirling in her mind, and drifted to sleep.
The next morning, she received another message from the blogger. This time, the message seemed even stranger than before.