《To be a king》 Prologue Approximately one-hundred-ninety years ago, Reginald Lucious, a middle-aged Pantheran farmer, was tired of his mundane life. He lived alone in a small house , scraping by with bare essentials. His short, spotted fur stayed matted from sweat and dirt, as he worked daily for only a small profit off of his crops. He wanted to change the way he lived, as he lead a life befitting a peasant; waking up everyday just to plow the land and harvest the crops. He had to hide his beliefs and his feelings about the religion of his people, as he worshipped a lower god named Modais; a crime punishable by death. Modais is a militant god, this alone doesn''t make his worship illegal. During the second fracture, Modais fought against is brothers and sisters over the enslavement of the human race. The god believed the human race were merely a lower race that only deserved to serve. This caused a war between the gods and Modais was forced to the lower plains and imprisoned. Worshipping lower gods isn''t illegal everywhere but in the Kingdom of Lilistone, it was expected that the religion of Upper gods such as Kat¨¦, the creator of the Pantheran species, was followed. After a truly horrid harvest that barely turned out profit, Reginald couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. He¡¯d had it with the monotony, struggling to make ends meet, and hiding his beliefs¡ªdrastic times called for drastic measures, and this thought swirled in his head as he descended into his damp cellar. While it normally held seeds, tools, and anything else he may need for work, the space would also be useful for the ritual that was no longer unthinkable. He moved everything to the edges of the room, cleaned off the floor, and drew a knife from the sheathe on his side, cutting his palm with a wince. As the crimson drops fell to the floor, he shakily began drawing the symbol of Modais¡ªthree inverted triangles arranged in a longer triangle¡ªand the symbol started to glow as he spoke an ancient chant to beseech his god. ¡°With this blood I sacrifice, My immortal soul I presentSupport the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Yours to take for eternity¡± With these words said, a slow mist began to form around him. ¡°My child, why have you called upon me?¡± The voice in his head is smooth and deep, and the conversation it initiates causes Reginald to tremble in awe, fear, and excitement. ¡°I request your help, my lord. I want power, wealth, and glory over my people.¡± He pleads, and a soft chuckle rings through his psyche. He knows that he is going to have to make a better deal than his soul. ¡°Why do you deserve this power?¡± Modais asks, and there¡¯s a trace of humor in his voice. ¡°My lord, I shall rule these lands, and everyone will know you and praise your name.¡± Though broken and trembling, Reginald¡¯s pride comes out in full force. He is not one to be made a fool of, and the taunting of his god is quite¡­uncomfortable. Laughter from Modais hits him, and another offer is ripped from his core. ¡°Modais, please! Take my soul, and the souls of every son born for the next twenty generations.¡± ¡°Those are not yours to give.¡± The voice is cool in its reply, no trace of laughter now. The conversation has taken a darker turn than before¡ªand he had been offering his own soul. Although his body wanted to shiver, he stood firm before the symbol. He had to have pride that matched Modais¡¯ own for this to go his way. ¡°Then, then I''ll make them offer you their souls.¡± Reginald wants to curse himself for the stammer. ¡°How might you plan to do that?¡± ¡°When I rule Lilistone, I will make every son of mine give you their soul when they turn sixteen. As¡­ As an offering.¡± When the last syllable leaves Reginald''s lips, a loud boom erupts in the distance, shaking the ground around him. Simultaneously, a shimmering sword, six foot in length, appears on the floor in front of him. His stammer must have added to his charm, he thinks to himself. ¡°This is the weapon of my champions. Take it. Save your people from the tragedy befalling them, from their God.¡± The voice is menacing, but Reginald no longer fears it. He rises to his feet, lifting the sword. It feels much lighter in his hands than it should be, but it felt like his. With this, he is left with one phrase slowly echoing in his mind: ¡°The deal is made.¡± Chapter 1: Lilistone Mid-day in a cool room, halfway up a black spire in a castle in the middle of a large city. Three people stand around a woman lying on a bed. On this day, two children were born to the queen of Lestillim. The first boy to come into the world was healthy and strong; a lionkin with dark fur and short mane, not a cry rang out when the child was born. However, when the second boy was born, the chamber rang out in its cries. Pure white fur covered his body, electric yellow eyes adorned his brow. As the boy cried, his body wrenched in agony. The midwife, the king, and guardian of the kingdom all watched in shocked silence. His fur began to slowly darken as he cried. Beginning at the point on his chest where his heart beat, his fur shifted and flowed outward around him. The cries calmed as his fur showed that of a pitch black darkness. The boy lay there in peaceful serenity following the transformation. The king stared at the boy, confused anger in his eyes. "We will never speak of this." The king stated matter of factly, as he turned and walked out of the chambers. "Clean the children. It is time we announce their birth to the kingdom." "Let me hold them, please." Pleads the woman that birthed the boys. As she lies there on her bed, cradling her children she looks up to her kingdoms guardian. "He had a strong soul." The man nodes slightly, letting the placid look on his face slip with a small smile. "He is going to be special." "Yes ma''am. The stronger the soul, the stronger the pact." The midwife still baffled by what she had witnessed, turns and looks at the stalwart man standing by. "What do you mean pact? What was that?" "My queen?" The man questions looking over to the new mother. With a wave of her hand, the queen waves away the statement. "You can kill her Deyton." "WHAT!" The lady begins to back away from the large man slowly. With a practiced ease, the "shing" of his blade leaving his scabbard is the only thing heard before two small thuds. One, from a head hitting the floor, the other from a body. "I''ll have someone clean this up my queen." "Thank you Deyton, now let me be with my children." Deyton bows slightly and begins to walk away. Putting his sword back into its rightful place. "Congratulations." Is the last thing the man says as he leaves the room. Twenty minute later, the body was removed and blood cleaned by four servants in the empty room. The woman already having left with her children. What no one in attendance of the birth knew then was that the pieces of an old war had begun to move again. The bright golden eyes of the boy had never changed or dimmed in the slightest. A magical blessing had been stowed upon him, and held strong through the loss of his soul. *** In a classroom large enough for ten people to sit comfortably, there are two ten-year-old boys and a man. The man stands before them, weaving a story of their world, teaching them about the land they live in as the map stretches and morphs with his words. The smaller of the two sits comfortably in his chair, legs on top of the table in front of him. The larger one watches solemnly, taking notes when he believes it¡¯s important. ¡°In the world of Celindal, on the continent Sheyso, there are many powerful kingdoms." With these words the maps pans inward showing a large landmass. "With Sheyso being the most magically inclined continent in Celindal, there are also many wars. Most say there hasn¡¯t been a period in time that there wasn¡¯t a war being waged for land. Every kingdom is always trying to control more or become the most powerful." The man looks at the boys with a grin. "Except one, the kingdom of Lestillim." The map zooms in more to show a single piece of land in the most northern point on this continent, slightly to the east. "Lestillim is secluded from the rest of the world, and shrouded by a magical barrier that makes it invisible to anyone outside of it." The map spins slowly around the land, showing a few small towns and an abundance of empty land. It pans in again on a large piece of wooded land at the only entrance to this kingdom. "To get here, one would have to take a three day journey through the Briar Woods, which in and of itself is hard enough. The Briar Woods is the home to many terrifying monsters, and is said to house a vampire family as old as time." The map zooms out slightly and coming to a view from the eye level of a traveller. "After getting through the woods, it¡¯s another day''s journey through open fields and rolling hills, most of which yield crops. Then, you would reach the town of Kilead. It¡¯s a small village, with ten or so buildings scattered here and there. A blacksmith is usually hammering away on his anvil. A barkeep likely cleans the glasses, and spends time tidying up the rooms. Farmers and guards mill about, taking care of crops or tending to their animals, while the other maintains general peace. This is the Lestillim the rest of the world sees." The map shows ghostly images of everything the teacher says as it spies on the world at large. "Only a mile past the last building would you walk through a bubble and uncover the city of Lestillim." The map slowly shimmers as it shows a massive wall. Panning around, it shows the city from a top view. "With a population of merely 119,647 people, it is a small kingdom.¡± ¡°Excuse me, teacher.¡± Cuts in a small Pantheran cub. His fur is dark as night, with eyes as gold as the sun. He is lean with a muscular frame, but small in size. ¡°We are more than people, are we not sir? We are Pantheran. A warrior race, known by few, and feared by many.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Exclaims the slightly larger boy sitting next to him. Brilliantly blue eyes glisten in the light, offset by his short, dull, black mane and thin, dark brown fur. His fur fades from dark to white at the palms. The teacher clears his throat. His brushed back mane grays on the sides, accenting his age. He continues while pointing at a map of Lestillim. ¡°With a population of only 119,647 Pantherans, it¡¯s a relatively small kingdom. There are only four known towns in the kingdom." The view on the map pans out again, showing the whole of the lands. As the teacher speaks each town¡¯s name glows slightly with a blue tinge. "Due north, only a half mile from Lestillim, is the town of Wallowdale. It is what the rest of the world considers the capital of Lestillim. To the north-west is the town of Cabol. There is never much traffic through here, due to it being surrounded by sheer cliffs on the outskirts of it. In the north-east of Lestillim is the town of Nessus, it¡¯s much the same as Cabol, except it¡¯s slightly further from the cliffs." "We have the majority of our farmers in these towns. Guards are sent to them to make sure they are kept civil. Not much happens in these towns, other than the occasional scrimish with small beasts." The map shrinks back to the top view of the capital. "As you know, the capital is divided into three sections,with a wall around each. These walls are referred to as rings. The three sections are?¡± All three of them recite the rings together as the teacher points at each, the larger boy reciting with a nonchalant attitude. ¡°The royal grounds, the market sector, and the living quarters.¡± ¡°Exactly, but these names don¡¯t cover everything in their corresponding areas.¡± The teacher continues his lecture while pointing at the middle ring. Though older, his lean, muscular physique appears to not have aged with him. ¡°The royal grounds hold the palace where?¡± ¡°Where we live, yes. We already know that.¡± The larger boy states, a bored expression plastered on his face. ¡°Exactly, Lushen. It is also in the very center of the kingdom, standing tall watching over the lands." The teacher does his best to keep his temper calm and respectable. "Just to the west of the palace is where the temple to Modais is, this is where most all of the clerics are located. The grounds of the temple is the gathering spot for our ceremonies. Although the palace isn''t open to the whole of the kingdom, the temple is." The temple and the grounds around it begin to glow on the map. "The military is gathered in the eastern most part of the royal grounds where the barracks are and where the warriors are trained to protect the city. In this area, there are various training grounds, which you should be going to after class today." "The best part of the day." Lushen smirks. Though young, his body is already fit and rippling with muscles. "Of course sir." Nodding, the elder continues his explanation. "All the many weapons magical and otherwise for the military are stored here. Active duty soldiers stay here as well.¡± The glow of the stated area begins to fade as the teacher continues with his lesson. ¡°In the market quarters, goods, services, and various other things that can be bought or sold can be obtained here. There are actually two markets.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yeah. One for food and one for items.¡± Lushen states, bored. Quietly to the side, the smaller boy takes notes, looking up periodically and drawing a smaller version of the map in his book. ¡°Precisely, and not only that! This is where the jail is and where people go to work with their tradecraft. There are also many shops between the two markets. In the second ring of the market sector, on the eastern side, is the food market. This is where people go to buy and sell crops and meats. You can also find the notice board for any jobs that people need done, such as animals eating the crops in the field or rats in someone''s basement." The map begins to spin, and the teacher drones on. Lushen, nonplussed, begins to close his eyes out of boredom. The smaller boy flips to another page, still scrawling notes in his book, intent on retaining the knowledge being passed down to him. "Moving clockwise around the ring, you can find different tanners and tailors. Continuing on, you will find mages and blacksmiths. There are many shops between the two, ranging from mages that excel in making potions to blacksmiths that specialise in shields and everything in between." The teacher looks over to the resting boy. With a small hand gesture and a mumble of a few words, two pops sound out next to the boys face. The boy shoots up straight, slamming forward towards the table. Politely, with a gentle tone to his voice the older man says, "No sleeping in class, sir." The boy snarls and leans his head on his hand as he glares at the older man. "We make the bulk of our capital through the export of magical items that the mages craft in tandem with the blacksmith. They work tirelessly to craft these weapons and items. After these buildings, you will reach the material market. In this part of the market sector, you will find fine clothing stalls, merchants selling the wares of the mages and blacksmiths, and mercenaries selling their services. Moving further around the circle,¡± The map turns slightly, and the glow traces further around the map. ¡°You will find the shops of the carpenters, schools, and the jailhouse.¡± The map stops, and a larger building than the rest glows alone. ¡°This building isn¡¯t used much, but is necessary to have. Some people think they are above the law, and need to be set back on the right course.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget the statues, in the east market there is a statue of Sir Reginald, and in the western market there is a statue of Modais.¡± Lushen cuts in as if to prove he was listening, even a little. ¡°Yes, these statues are here to remind everyone of our founder, Sir Reginald Lucious, and our God, Modais. Next, we have the living quarters. This is where everyone inside the city lives--excluding royalty.¡± The teacher explains while the outer ring glows softly. The smaller boy raises his hand. ¡°Dyandale?¡± ¡°Yes, Leon?¡± ¡°This and the other villages are where all the king''s subjects reside, right? The people that our father takes, protect?¡± ¡°That is sort of right, but everyone except the king himself is considered one of the king''s subjects.¡± ¡°So that means even though we are his children, we are still his subjects as well?¡± asks Lushen. ¡°Correct.¡± Affirms Dyandale. ¡°Not only that, but we are also the charges of the kingdoms guardian, Deyton.¡± ¡°What does that mean, sir?¡± Asked Leon with a confused expression, while continuing to jot down notes. ¡°It means your uncle Deyton is supposed to protect us. The king leads everyone, and his brother protects them. It¡¯s the way it has been since the first Blade Ritual.¡± Explains Dyandale. ¡°When you two turn sixteen, you get to take on your own Blade Ritual to find out which of you will become the next king, and which of you will become the next guardian.¡± "When Lushen becomes king and I the guardian, we will protect the people of Lestillim.¡± Leon interrupts. ¡°Yeah, when we are in charge we will be the strongest team ever!¡± Exclaims Lushen. ¡°Nevertheless, that''s a lesson for another day.¡± Dyandale cuts in. ¡°Today, we are learning about the kingdom.¡± ¡°Aaaww!¡± The two boys pout, fussing in tandem. ¡°Can¡¯t we learn about the kingdom some other day?¡± Asked Lushen. ¡°As important as it is to know about the place we are going to rule over, learning about the royal arms is much cooler.¡± Leon adds. ¡°Boys, these lessons are important and we will go over it another day!¡± Scolds Dyandale. ¡°Now then, the living quarters is also separated. There are four sections. From the northernmost point to the easternmost point, there are the Kingdom¡¯s warriors and their families. These homes are some of the nicest places to live in the living quarters. From there, following clockwise around the circle,¡± Dyandale says while the map spins slightly, lightning up the next section of the outer ring. ¡°This area is reserved for merchants and storehouses. All of the crafters keep their excess wares and components here, usually close to their homes. The houses here range from little more than shacks to large mansions, depending on how successful the merchant is.¡± While the map is still turning, it stops on the next area. ¡°Much the same size as the Warrior classes living area, the farmers and laborers that live in the capital stay here, in public quarters. This is the least lavish place to live, but without these people we wouldn¡¯t have many of our buildings or the amazing palace we are in right now. One half of them live their lives to grow crops and raise animals. The other half of them maintain our buildings and houses to make sure our people can live comfortably. Without all the individual parts working efficiently, the kingdom could easily crumble. This is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. Our race works together as one larger unit to maintain each other." "Yeah, we know. Pantherans are a superior race. Can you teach us something new?" Lushen rudely gripes. "We aren''t a superior race Lushen, we just work in a hierarchy that wouldn''t work for other races." Dyandale scolds, growing tired of the many interruptions for what was one of the most important things he needed to teach his young charges. Leon chimes in. "As much as I hate to say it, he is right. This lesson is kinda boring. We know most of it already." "We will be going over it every year, too. This is important information for a future king to have." Dyandale snaps. "So now we know it. Let''s go to combat training or even magic practice now." Lushen demands through a yawn. ¡°Do either of you know about the city of Lilistone?¡± Asked Dyandale with a sly grin. Leons right ear twitches. ¡°Yeah, a city of Pantheran people that would explore Celindal in search of dangerous monsters to kill and bring back to gloat about.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right in your own way. Lilistone was a city of peace and prosperity. People would come from all around the world to visit. Adventurers would go out of their way to get to Lilistone, to try exotic foods, and train with the martially inclined Pantheran warriors. Much like our kingdom, Lilistone produced magical items, the best the world had seen. They have expertly stitched clothes made of the finest linens. The Pantherans that lived there would often go out and explore the world yes, but they didn¡¯t just go out for monsters. They explored caves and abandoned lands to find ancient relics and artifacts. They would bring these back to Lilistone and show them to the world. They would spread the word of all the adventures and things they found on their journeys. In the taverns, people would write songs and books about these daring escapades. Small temples to many Gods dotted the landscape of this city. But in the middle of it all stood The Grand Library.¡± ¡°Oh, what''s that?¡± Leon asked, perking up to the sound of something interesting. ¡°The Grand Library was where all the stories of the Pantherans that lived there were kept. All the artifacts and relics were stored there as well, and anyone could come in and read and learn at any time of day. This is where the governing parties lived, too. The seven of them and their families would live on top of the Grand Library. Whenever a meeting needed to take place, they would gather in the lower levels. Lastly in this library, there was a temple to Kat¨¦, where Pantheran and any other race that decided to follow her would gather and commune.¡± ¡°Kat¨¦ is evil though, why would anyone worship her?¡± Lushen questioned offhandedly. ¡°Well, in those days, no one knew what Kat¨¦ was planning and only knew her to be a kind God that lent herself to the good of the Pantheran.¡± The aged man answered. ¡°Well, I''m sure glad we know better. I''d hate to have been one of them during the Cataclysm.¡± ¡°How much do you know of the Cataclysm, Sir Lushen?¡± ¡°Well, not much really, only what Leon has told me. The angels of Kat¨¦ burst out of the ground and destroyed the whole town and all the people in it, then went out in search of the rest of the Pantheran race. But, my six times great grandfather came in and killed them all!¡± Lushen roars excitedly. ¡°Well first of all, they came from the sky and blew up The Great Library as they descended. I just didn¡¯t know that¡¯s what it was called.¡± Leon hurries to interject. ¡°Again, you are both correct in your own way. The angels did come down from the sky, but it was Kat¨¦ herself that blew up the Great Library. With a few words, she destroyed the hearts of every resident of Lilistone. ¡®You have forsaken me,¡¯ is all she said. There is no record of what the people could have done to deserve this torture, though. Then, mayhem came down on Lilistone. Meteors fell from the sky at her whim and devastated Lilistone. Her angels brutally murdered Pantherans in the thousands, and the city and the surrounding land was razed to little more than a heap of ashes.¡± Dyandale explains solemnly. ¡°But, yes, your six times great grandfather was there. Sir Reginald Lucious, with the help of Modais, used Liesema, the sword given to him by our lord, to cleave the angels in two and fight off the enemy. He wasn''t successful in saving the city, but he did save many lives that day. Through this battle an evil corrupted the land, and in doing so flourished the Briar woods. There was a large landmass that crumbled part of this land into the oceans, creating the sheer cliffs around the outer towns. So that brings us to present day. Through the ashes, our great kingdom arose. The kingdom of Lestillim.¡± Concludes the teacher. ¡°Why am I just now learning about this?¡± Questions Leon. ¡°This isn¡¯t common knowledge, Sir. This part of our history is kept for royalty alone. This information isn¡¯t useful to the general populous, so it doesn¡¯t need to be put out into it.¡± Responds Dyandale. ¡°Common gossip isn¡¯t useful information, but the common populous spreads it like wildfire.¡± Suggests Leon. ¡°You¡¯re naive if you believe gossip is not useful information. Just because the commoners can¡¯t come into the palace, doesn¡¯t mean the palace residents can¡¯t go into the market and housing sectors." Scolds Dyandale "Gossip is one of the best ways to keep the people in line with what you need them to believe. We use it so that panic doesn¡¯t spread among people when we have a bad harvest or some monster wonder out of the Briar Woods. If the king falls ill, or something were to happen to either of you two, I¡¯m sure someone would be sent out to spread the word that what they heard isn¡¯t true or twist the truth just enough to make it believable in a way that benefits the greater good¡± Explains Dyandale. ¡°Who chooses what the greater good is? Who decides what the people should know and what they shouldn''t?¡± Leon asked. ¡°That is the king or the guardian, Sir. One day, it will be your all¡¯s jobs. Like I said, when you turn sixteen, you will go through the blade ceremony. When you do and your positions are confirmed, you will learn more about this. The jobs of the king and guardian are more than fighting and making laws. The king has to make sure his people feel safe.¡± Leon interrupts Dyandale. ¡°But how does that make us any different than any other kingdom lying to our people and making them believe only what we need them to?¡± ¡°Well you are quite smart for your age aren¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you ask your father or uncle about this. For now, our class is over and it¡¯s time for you to head to the training grounds.¡± Concludes Dyandale. Leon looks at Lushen with an unease that does seemed shared. Lushen gets up slowly, stretches his legs and starts for the door. ¡°Guess we will find out in six years, but for now I don''t feel like worrying about it. It isn¡¯t my problem to handle, so I don''t see a reason to stress over it, Leon.¡± Lushen says softly. As Leon stands, he listens to Lushen. Under his breath, he sneers. ¡°How could the future king care so little for his people?¡± Lushen sends a sidelong glare at Leon, and while showing his fangs he snarls, ¡°They aren¡¯t my people yet. They are no more than peasants to me right now. This is why I''ll be king, because I know when to lead and when to rule.¡± Leon collects his notebook and parts as Lushen heads for the training grounds. As they head out of the room, Dyandale shouts after them. "Tomorrow we are going over the abyssal language more in depth and arcane hand gestures!" Chapter 2 As Leon begins to walk to the training grounds at a leisurely pace, he plans out the rest of his day. After today¡¯s physical training, he will most likely bathe. ¡°What will I do after, though?¡± He wonders to himself. ¡°Food is always a good idea, but I don¡¯t want to ruin my appetite for dinner. Maybe i¡¯ll go see Ale¡¯ron later¡± Opening a door, leading into a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel it opens into a courtyard.The high walls seem titanic to the small boy. As he walks out he feels the dirt ground under foot. A small breezes falls into the grounds from the west softly blowing against his thin fur. Scanning around the grounds, he sights dummies constructed from hay. They range in different sizes, It seems like the ones towards the ends are for him and his brother. They are much smaller and stand about four feet tall. Approximately the same size as the boys. Standing in the exit of the tunnel, directly to his left he sights a large bench. Two tower shields leaning up against the wall next to the table and larger polearm esc weapons lean nearby. Leon sees his brother slowly looking over the weapons, hesitant to actually touch anything. A pair of guardsmen walked out of one of the side tunnels. They wear a solidly made set of scale mail. Their head¡¯s aren''t covered, showing off their tigerlike features. The orange and white of there fur shines slightly in the sun. Neither of them are armed, as they walk towards the boys with an air of confidence. ¡°Today is the last day of your training with us.¡± States the guard on the left. ¡°So we will be doing training in the actual training grounds. No more classrooms, or learning about how weapons work in any given situation.¡± Continues the guard on the right. ¡°When you get back after the winter season, you will be training with Calendale.¡± ¡°Why Calendale?¡± asked Lushen. The first guard laughs chestedly. ¡°Calendale is the man that helps the Guardian train the soldiers. Training with him only makes sense since you are getting older.¡± ¡°Training will be increasingly difficult when he begins to train you.¡± Says the second guard. ¡°Well, bring it on!¡± Exclaims Lushen with a vigor that he did have just moments ago. ¡°So what are we doing today?¡± questions Leon as he walks up closer to the guards. ¡°Today you will be sent through Hell!¡± The two guards say together. Twenty minutes later the boys are always dripping with sweat. Leon is on his knee¡¯s dry heaving onto the ground. Lushen leans up against the wall panting, hands on his thighs. ¡°You two aren¡¯t done are you?¡± ¡°That was the warm-up.¡± one guards says as the other is buckling in laughter, Thirty laps around the training ground with an extra hundred pounds of weight on them, was finished in record time. Doing so it pushed both boys to there limits. The second guard walks up with two vials full of a glistening orange liquid. ¡°Drink these and get ready.¡± ¡°I''m not sure I could do that again.¡± Leon says between heaves. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, We are going into weapon training.¡± Replies the guard. Lushen jumps forward, pulling the vial from his hand. The thought of finally training with real weapons gives him a second wind. As he guzzles the contents of the vial, his stomach wrenches. ¡°What is this?!¡± He shouts as he crushes the vial in his hand. Leon grabs towards the other vial, slowly drinking the liquid. Both boys feel it surge through their veins. Their bodies filled with an electric energy. Blood pumping faster, thoughts racing, as they begin to shake in anticipation to release this new found energy. ¡°Those were stamina rejuvenating elixirs.¡± A guard chuckles out, as he starts to notice the boys to jitter. The other guard points towards the large bench. ¡°Go ahead and grab a weapon. Any one that you want.¡± The boys rush over to the table. Lushen without hesitating this time reaches out and dons a greatsword. As he does, the blade begins to grow heavy in his hand. It ultimately lands tip first on the ground. ¡°Maybe something smaller.¡± shouts over a man. Lushen tosses the sword back on the table and grabs a shortsword. He twirls it in his hand giving it a practice slash. Leon however, is having a harder time picking out a weapon. He glances over them, believing them all to be too heavy for him. ¡°Something wrong, sir?¡± A guard asked as he walked up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to grab. I¡¯m sure most of them are too heavy for me to even lift.¡± Leon says with a bit of a downed tone in his voice. When the guard reaches the table he pulls a few weapons forward. ¡°Well, there are a few different size and shaped daggers.¡± As the man pulls them forward Leon examines them. One dagger has a straight blade on it, another is slightly curved towards the end with a serrated edge. The one that catches his attention the most, has two thin blades attached to the handle. They are only centimeters away from touching each other. The blades come from slender at the handle and curve outward to a tick width. ¡°I see you eyeing this one.¡± The guards states as he lifts the blade in his hand. ¡°If you are looking for small blades, these are fun.¡± The other guard says as he pulls out a pair of katar. The thick blades come to a sharp point, but the handle isn¡¯t that of a normal dagger. The blades are attached to a full fist grip. There¡¯s a hand guard over the handle with a large pearl embedded in it. ¡°These are katar, also referred to as punching daggers.¡± States the guard. ¡°I think I¡¯ll use these¡± says Leon softly. He grabs the weapons and begins to turn away. As he walks he looks back over his shoulder at the other dagger with a questioning glance. Turning back, he follows the two men to the other side of the arena towards the hay dummies. After a short lesson on how to hold their blades the boys are given free range to whale on the dummies. Lushen swings his longsword with feral vigor attacking recklessly on the dummy. The guards watch in amazement how he endlessly attacks. Leon on the other hand is making short jabs and slices trying to learn to control the blades he holds. As the boys begin to tire from the unskilled swordplay the two trainers step in. "Now how would you like to learn how to properly use these weapons?" One asked. "How do you mean?" Leon replies in turn. "We will pair off, to show you basic of these weapons." After an hour of being shown how there chosen weapons are to be wielded and used, the boys were dismissed. They were told they are free to come back and practice sword play at any point in time during the winter break. However, they would not be made to, and there won''t always be someone around to answer any questions. Weight training would be expected to be kept up regularly. Once given this information they two were dismissed and told to have a joyous solstice. Stolen novel; please report. After a hot shower Leon dressed in simple clothes and began walking slowly towards the garden near the temple. When he entered the gate leading into the garden he made an immediate left and continued forward. A guard patrolling around the garden made eye contact with the boy and gave him a rye smile, with a small nod of his head he greeted. ¡°Sir. Good day for a walk huh?¡± Leon smirked and looked around ¡°I like the flowers honestly. There are some that no one even knows are here.¡± The guard turned as he walked past Leon and began to walk with him. Leon casually looked around and asked. ¡°Is anyone around today?¡± ¡°There is one other guard on the other side of the garden. You should be fine though. His shift is almost over and he is just ready to get home.¡± As he spoke the man pulled a rolled up cloak from a sack on his side and gave it to Leon. ¡°Thanks Jean.¡± Leon began to unroll the cloak and put it on fastening it around his neck. As the two walked forward the turned past a hedge at the edge of the garden. ¡°Ahem.¡± A throat cleared as the two walked around the corner. The guard looked up and jumped back and terrified look on his face. ¡°Queen Keerah!¡± With a knowing look on her face Queen Keerah looked towards Leon ¡°What are you two getting up to this fine day?¡± ¡°Hey mom. Just going on a walk. Figured I would have a guard keep me company. You know, just in case.¡± Leon recited this in an almost rehearsed manner. Keerah raised an eyebrow in question at the boy. ¡°Really? That¡¯s what you¡¯re going with?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the last day of physical training until after the winter months. Might be the last time we have a nice day for a walk.¡± She looked at him for a long second not saying anything. Then with a large smile an a caress of his face she said ¡°Just be careful darling and enjoy your walk.¡± Keerah walked past the two giving the boy a rub on the shoulder as she picked a flower and continued on. With a sign both Jean and Leon released a breathe that they didn¡¯t realize they were holding. ¡°That could''ve went worse.¡± Leon laughed as he pulled the hood over his head and to walk again. They walked up to the wall separating the Royal ground from the market and a large hedge stood in adjacent to the wall. ¡°Try and be back before dark sir. My shift ends in four hours.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡± Leon shooed off the comment with a wave of his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be a good boy and all that.¡± He gave the man a few coins and began to push the hedge to the side. Pushing through he met a solid surface. He pushed hard and it gave way. Exiting the other side of the wall he pushes a large crate back in front of the hole he came through. Covering his face as much as possible without looking too suspicious, he began to walk out from behind the building in front of him into an alleyway. As he walked between the two buildings the sound of western market came alive. The clanging of the forges rang through the air. The beckoning of all the vendors imploring people to browse there wares. The tents and stalls occasionally being checked out by the guards and passerbys. ¡°The finest clothes in all Lestillim sold here. Cheapest prices you can find¡± ¡°Five silver a day to begin an apprenticeship in smithing.¡± The shouts of the people around him brought a smile to his face. An angry shouts burst out to his left. ¡°This price is outrageous! You¡¯re trying to get away with robbery in broad daylight.¡± Leon laughed softly and began forward. Blending into the crows easily enough, he began to flow through the people. He knew all he had to do was pull his hood back and everyone would move aside to make way for him. He preferred it this way though, it felt natural. As he pushed through the busy streets he started making his way to the left side of the street. He stopped in front of a nondescript building. The only things that made it stand out from any other building was a small sign over the door. Gold filigree flowed around the letters on the sign and the letters looked as if they were made from pure silver, glistening in the afternoon sun. He looked up to the sign and with a scoff and a shake of his head he read it. ¡°The Sewing Serpent¡± He pushed open the door to the building and stepped in. He looked around and saw various well crafted outfits on headless mannequins. The owner of the shop was a masterful tailor and such had extremely well made and unique clothing hanging around. The shop seemed completely void of life. This shop was unique in that people didn¡¯t stay long. You would come in, give the owner your order and come back when it was done. The price tags on these items were outrageous to most people, so the only people that were ever seen here were royalty or high ranking guardsmen. There was a rustling in the back of the building when the bell on the door jiggled as Leon stepped in. ¡°One moment please.¡± A disembodied voice rang out. The voice sounded weathered and youthful at the same time. With a sly grin Leon tried to make his voice as deep as he could. ¡°I hope you have something of better quality than this trash back there.¡± To anyone else the thought of talking bad about Ale-ron¡¯s tailoring skill was unheard of. This being said the long silence that followed his comment wasn¡¯t unexpected. ¡°I did.¡± Ale-ron replied slowly still from the back of the shop. As he began to walk through a door in the back he continued. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you that I sold it all to a brat though. Pretty sure he was part of that royal family or something.¡± As the two made eye contact they both smiled and Ale-ron spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. ¡°Ale-ron!¡± Leon chuckled, faining insult he held his heart ¡°That was harsh. I¡¯m hurt my friend.¡± The two embraced in a hug. ¡°Does your father know you snuck out again?¡± ¡°You know technically you¡¯re supposed to call me sir or even prince.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no them.¡± Ale-ron said with a laugh holding the boy at an arm''s length looking him up and down. ¡°Mom saw me leave.¡± Ale-ron raised an eyebrow ¡°Was she mad?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t seem to be. I think she has gotten used to me sneaking out now. She won¡¯t tell though.¡± ¡°So why did you come see me today?¡± Leon looks around conspiratorially and leaned in. ¡°I want a nice suit for the winter ball.¡± ¡°But I already made your suit for the ball. It was picked up yesterday.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I want mine to be something people won¡¯t forget. Obviously i want it fitted, but I want the material to shine a dark blue in the light.¡± Ale-ron shrugged and with a thoughtful look said. ¡°So a black fitted suit that shines blue. You didn¡¯t have to sneak out to ask for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not done yet.¡± With a devilish grin on his face he continued to explain what he wanted. Twenty minutes later after some laughs and measurements the boy put his cloak back on and stepped out of the shop. Leon walked around the marker for another thirty or so minutes. He browsed different stalls and vendors an even bought some bread. He walked back to the alleyway he had entered the market. Instead of heading back through the hole behind the crate he climbed the building and sat on the roof watching the people as they went on with there day. No one ever looked up he thought. He had snuck away or hid around the castle countless times just by going up. He had gotten into trouble more than his brother and need a way to get sneak off while mother calmed father down. Mother would defend him by saying he was just adventurous. Apparently, Adventurous wasn¡¯t a trait of Pantheran royalty. In Leon¡¯s mind this had always led him to believe that father liked Lushen the most. Father never loved anything. Nothing was ever good enough for him. Leon wondered if he had ever loved mother, but she was the queen and had children with the man so there was some kind of connection there. As he sat on the roof eating the bread and watching the roaming people, he absently wonder what it would be like to be them. They were free to do what they wanted. They could go anywhere or do anything. He understood that Patherans stayed together, but why not explore some. The lands around the kingdom hadn¡¯t even been completely mapped out to his knowledge. Seemed like a waste of a life to stay trapped in one area. ¡°The prince needs to know how to act like proper royalty, not run among the commonwealth¡± Leon said in his best impression of Dyandale. Making his way back into the garden he was lost on what to do for the rest of his day. ¡°Suppose I could practice my magic before bed. It¡¯s getting dark though.¡± He said absently to himself. Leon shrugged and started making his way back inside when he heard a group of guard to his right laughing appearing to be on a break. With another sly grin he whispered. ¡°On second thought I could definitely use the magic practice.¡± Leon didn¡¯t know alot of magic but what he did know focused around making small sounds and moving small objects. This mixed with his favorite pastime of playing pranks on people gave him plenty of utensils to really scared the piss out of people. He started by following some of the guards as they got back to work and magically skipping a rock across the ground by them. When they turn to see where it had come from he hid deftly. As the night progressed he began created in the sounds of distant whispers and lightly echoing laughter around the guards. waiting until they were in an exceptionally dark area. He was eventually caught and scolded by Dyandale and another guard that Leon was sure he had made actually piss himself from fear. Winding down from the long day Leon lay in his bed excited to see the outfit being made for him and what would happen in the coming days of the winter solstice and in turn the winter ball. Chapter 3 The sound of screaming echos through the air. Fire roars on all sides as people run past. A deep laugh roars through the city. Looking down Leon sees an overly large sword in his hand. Bigger than his own body it extends out six foot from the hilt. He bisects a woman as she runs by. No feelings of remorse or thoughts of why he would do such a thing. His other hand reached out, and a beam of crackling energy erupts from him. The blast slams into the chest of a man five foot away. The body erupts from the inside, turning into a fine mist. A voice comes from Leon''s mouth, but it''s not his own. "I''m here to save you, don''t worry." His body begins to walk fast until he is in a sprint. Effortlessly he slams the blade into any within range, ravishing their bodies. Beast fly through the air screaming and laughing while carrying people off and tearing into their bodies with claws and teeth. The large bat like wings flap loudly. There skinless bodies have razor sharp claws and talons. Horns protruding from the forehead. Leon''s strange voices calls out "Make sure no one escapes. They will need to be made to understand their wrong doings." A group of four of the beast behind him nod and fly off. Standing in the middle of a burning city, he raises his arms up and out and in a voice akin to laughter, shouts out. "Your king has arrived." Leon burst up from his bed, panting and looking around his room. He runs to the window and looks out over the city. Nothing has changed from the days before. He slumps back against the wall and falls to the floor still breathing heavy. He can hear birds chirping outside and the distance sounds of the people below. "must''ve just been a dream." A delicate female voices softly speaks in his mind. "No my child. It was the truth." Leon jumps to his feet with a shout. "Who''s there? Make yourself seen." A guard burst into the room from his position outside. "Sir, who''s here? Where are they?" "I..I don''t know. I heard them though." The guards looks under the bed and behind the door. There isn''t much in the room but the guard search through it all. "There''s no one here sir." "I...I guess it was just a bad dream. Thank you." Leon looks away slightly embarrassed and begins to walk out of the room. As he leaves he looks behind him surveying the room a final time and heading down the hall. "I could of sworn¡­" As the weather began to change so did the city of Lestillim. The tents in the markets were decorated in fluffy spolls of tinsel and the banners around the kingdom were replaced with more brightly colored blues and purple versions. During the winter solstice the kingdom of Lestillim gathers together and celebrates life and growth. This is the time of year when children are conceived and they thank Modais for the harvest and supplies them with enough food to survive. Two weeks of celebration and parties transformed the kingdom from a militaristic uniform controlled environment into a gnome city where parties rage every night and no one has regardless for standards. Despite all of this the days leading up to this transformation were much like usual. Although, the scene was changing slowly with the colder wind and weather coming in the brighter colors started to turn up just as fast. Leon made his way to the library, coming to the large metal studded double doors. As he pushed them open, Dyandale was on the other side. ¡°I heard you had a nightmare, sir.¡± To himself as Leon could wonder was how he could¡¯ve found this out in the time it took him to reach the library. ¡°My job is to know what is happening with you and your brother. Lushen is in the weight room as we speak.¡± ¡°Not a surprise.¡± Leon muttered under his breath. ¡°Now, would you like to talk about this nightmare?¡± ¡°Not really¡± Leon last away as he replies. ¡°The royal family doesn¡¯t have nightmares Prince Leon. This is something we should really talk about. ¡°It was nothing, really. Just a bad dream.¡± Dyandale stares at the boy without a twitch of his face. ¡°Look at me.¡± ¡°No. You may be able to fool Lushen. but I know what kind of magic you have. Enchantment is a major focus of yours.¡± ¡°You may know some of the magic I use but I can assure you enchantment is not what my focus is. I¡¯m just very talented if I do say so myself.¡± Leon looks up at Cyandale with an expression of sarcastic doubt. ¡°Really¡­¡± As Leon begins to talk is eyes glass and expression goes lax. At the same time Dyandale lets out a word of power after blindly fast movement of his left hand by his side. With direct eye contact Dyandale smirks. ¡°Now, as I was saying, why don¡¯t you tell me what your dream was about.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Leons eye¡¯s began to deepen in color and turn almost pitch black. ¡°No.¡± A shocked expression starting growing on Dyandale¡¯s face as he stammers. ¡°W-what do you mean no?¡± Leon blinks twice and his eyes clear up to there natural gold he crosses his arms behind his head and answers. ¡°I mean I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I just came here to look for some books for study.¡± ¡°What just happened?¡± Dyandale says not believing his eyes. ¡°What do you mean? Why do you have that look on your face?¡± Dyandale begins to whisper to himself. ¡°The spell obviously connected.¡± Leon interrupts his musing. ¡°You cast a spell on me? What did you do?¡± Leon begins to look across is himself and patting on his body. ¡°I cast a weak command spell on you, you should already know that.¡± ¡°Is my dream really important enough to cast a command spell on me? Why would you do that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my job Leon, do you really not remember the spell connecting?¡± Leon¡¯s eyes flash black for a fraction of a second as he says. ¡°No, but don¡¯t cast magic on me ever again.¡± Dyandale¡¯s reply snapped out of him faster than either of them would have expected. ¡°Yes my lord.¡± Leon¡¯s expression shifts from mere confusions to under bafflement. ¡°What! You know you aren¡¯t aloud to call anyone lord except Moddy.¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± Questions Dyandale and then realizes what he said and with a growl. ¡°Our lord¡¯s name is Modais, Leon.¡± ¡°We¡¯re close I call him Moddy, alright? And how did I do what?¡± ¡°Prince Leon¡­ Please take a seat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kinda why I came here. You¡¯re being weird can I get to what I was doing?¡± ¡°I need to figure this out.¡± replies Dyandale. ¡°Figure what out?¡± Dyandale looks over to Leon and twist his hand but when he tries to speak nothing comes out. He continues to stare at him. Leon glares back. ¡°Did you just try to cast a spell on me again?¡± ¡°Try was the operative word there prince. Something stopped me. That is what I need to figure out.¡± Leon rolls his eyes. At the same time Dyandale closes his eyes and starts whispering. ¡°Sir, I may need your assistance in the library. I am here with Prince Leon.¡± Leon¡¯s jaw drops and gives the older man an unbelieving look. ¡°Really? Why are you calling Deyton? I literally did nothing wrong. I came here to study.¡± Small sparks begin to appear in different parts of the room slowly making there way to the door. A loud tear sounds in the hallway about twenty feet from the outside of the chamber¡¯s door. Deyton¡¯s large body appeared coming out of the tear with a weary look on his face. ¡°What was that? Dyandale looked at him and with a questioning look. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Deyton walked into the rom and looked between the two. ¡°My message couldn¡¯t connect with you and when I tried to to come to you the portal wouldn¡¯t attach anywhere.¡± Dyandale looked at Leon, then back at to Deyton. Leon cut in before Dyandale could say anything. ¡°I think Dyandale is going crazy.¡± ¡°What seems to be the issue?¡± Deyton asked with a confused look on his face. As these words slipped from his mouth another tear appeared in the air behind Leon. A sharp pain radiated from his neck and his vision went black as he crumbled to the ground. Everyone still conscious in the room looked at the new resident. ¡°I felt an unfamiliar presence in the castle.¡± Duran said looking down at his child. ¡°I think the connection is trying to be made.¡± The two men looked at their king. Deyton spoke first. ¡°Seems a few years early doesn¡¯t it?¡± With an expressionless face Duran spoke ago. ¡°It¡¯s not heard of for the connection to be made earlier if the vessel is strong, I just expected it to happen to Lushen first. If you remember our connections came early as well.¡± Deyton cocked his head slightly. ¡°Yeah, but we were only a few months early.¡± Dyandale gave an understanding nod finally catching up with the conversation. He looked towards his liege. Duran eyed the man and sighed. ¡°I guess they are stronger than we were then huh?¡± Duran said with an annoyed air. ¡°I suppose we should get them the rings now. They just have to wear them for a few years instead of months like us.¡± Deyton nodded and disappeared. While they waited Dyandle questioned his king. ¡°Will these rings keep there magic in check?¡± Duran slowly turned his head towards the man, then looked back to his child. Shaking his head he said. ¡°No, they will stop Modias from embedding in them before their bodies can contain him.¡± The expression on the teachers face wasn¡¯t surprised but more along the lines akin to ignorance. Duran took it as an invite to explain further. ¡°Modias doesn¡¯t see time like we do. He takes the soul at birth and gives them the magic of substantial value to the strength of their soul. This magic lies mostly dormant until Modias embeds a small bit of himself into the holder of his magic to give them control over it. It has to be done this way because he can¡¯t have the soul until they agree to it.¡± Deyton returned at this point with a small dark metal box in his hand cutting in on the conversation. ¡°This is why we have the blade ritual. They give their soul over willingly and get control over the magic they have in them.¡± Dyandale nodded slowly looking at the boy on the floor, then looked back up. ¡°That explains the blade ritual but what was this about? Also, does that mean we already know who the next king is since the magic is already in them?¡± Duran chuckled slightly to himself then opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Well. Since Modias doesn¡¯t see time like we do he doesn¡¯t know when to give them control over the power they have until he is summoned. This is where the rules are bent though. Whenever one of his vessels are in extreme duress he will loosen the grip on his magic so that they could defend themselves.¡± This is when Deyton interrupted. ¡°There¡¯s no use in investing so much into something if it¡¯s going to die. The amount of power the host gets correlates to how much they have in them. Seeing as there was an antimagic dome around him, I''d say he has an abundance of magic in him.¡± Deyton held out the box and opened it slowly. Two rings were placed inside of it. Duran grabbed one and placed it on the ring middle finger of his sons hand. He looked slightly confused as he stood back up. ¡°Why was worried or scared though?¡± Deyton laughed heartily. leaning slightly back and then propping himself on the wall. ¡°Remember when you threw a fireball at the guards during training when we were younger because they said we had eighty more laps to run.¡± Wiping a tear from his eye and calming down a bit he continued. ¡°You said you thought you were going to die.¡± Duran scowled at his brother, and growled slightly. Dyandale looked at them with a concerned look on his face. Before any further argument could break out he spoke. ¡°He¡­ He said he had a nightmare.¡± The room got deadly quiet. The two leaders of the kingdom stared at the man. With a serious note of worry in his voice he replied. ¡°We don¡¯t have nightmares. We can¡¯t even dream. We don¡¯t have souls¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware sir.¡± With that being said Dyandale relayed the events before they had shown up. Chapter 4 Slowly, leon opens his eyes. He blinked slowly and realized he was staring at the ceiling, feeling around he could feel a bed under him. ¡°Where am I?¡± He croaked out from a dry throat. ¡°You¡¯re in the infirmary sir, you fainted.¡± a soft voice said to his right. Leon looked towards the voice. A thin fit body with orange and blue stripes wearing a solid white sleeveless dress that cut off at the knee. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the nurse on duty to watch you.¡± ¡°You seem young.¡± The also very young prince replied. ¡°I¡¯m not much older than you are.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I am in training though, and I assure you I can help with most any problem you may have.¡± Leon hmm¡¯d. Looking around he noticed they were alone. ¡°Where is Dyandale? I was on my way to the library when I saw him.¡± ¡°He was the one that brought you here sir. He said he had some other things to take care of and he would be back.¡± Leon stared at her, then began to sit up. ¡°So what¡¯s your name?¡± The lady looked at him worriedly moving to stop him until she noticed that he was trying to get out of bed. She smiled at him and replied. ¡°My name is Kah-Ri.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you Kah-Ri, it¡¯s a nice name.¡± Leon began to move to get out of bed. Kah-Ri put her hand on his chest and with a small blush spoke. ¡°You should rest a little longer sir. You¡¯ve been here for six hours.¡± ¡°What!¡± Leon panicked. ¡°When you fainted you hit your head. This could lead to problems if rushing away too fast after waking up.¡± Leon eyed the lady and sat back. ¡°May I have some water then?¡± The lady nodded and turned away while leon looked out across the room. ¡°I know i saw Dyandale. But¡­ What happened after that?¡± he said to himself. Leon looked over and saw a glass of water in front of him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re fast.¡± He said to the young lady occompaning him. The lady gave a slight laugh and nodded to the table with a pitched of water on it behind her. ¡°Not that fast. You must have really hit hard when you fainted.¡± After another hour or so of talking, Leon was aloud to leave. He couldn¡¯t remember why he was going to the library so he went to get some food. As he thought through what happened today he felt his head to see if he could tell where he hit when he say Dyandale walking up. ¡°Hey! What happened earlier?¡± Leon said when he felt something pull on the fur on his head as he pulled his hand away. ¡°OUCH!¡± He gasped as he flinched away from himself and saw the ring on his hand. When Leon reached to pull it off Dyandale held out his hand. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that sir.¡± ¡°Why not? I don¡¯t even know where it came from. It¡¯s not mine, I''m sure of that.¡± Leon said while rubbing his head with his other hand. ¡°Actually, it is yours. When you came looking for me you had said your head was hurting. Then you started unconsciously start casting spells. We believe the inherent power from your royal blood manifested and was too much for you to handle. ¡°I thought that wasn¡¯t supposed to happen for another few years.¡± Leon questioned. ¡°Yes, well sometimes it happens early. The ring suppresses your power.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that affect my training and studies?¡± ¡°It should be fine sir. It¡¯s there to help you not hurt yourself or others around you. It won¡¯t hinder your studies at all.¡± Dyandale said with an air of practiced speech. ¡°Alright, well at least it looks cool.¡± Leon said looking at the ring. A finely cut sapphire adorned the top of the golden band. Runes were etched into the ring, tracing around it. As leon lowered his hand back to his side Dyandale spoke up. ¡°Have you studied up on the cultures of the people coming to the ball?¡± ¡°My plan is to just not talk to anyone honestly. I¡¯ll probably slip up and start some kind of war without knowing it.¡± Leon chuckled. ¡°You will have to talk to people Prince Leon.¡± Dyandale put extra emphasis on the words Prince Leon. ¡°We should head to the library to go over the basics again.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather study psychology or misdirection, for Moddy¡¯s sake i¡¯d rather learn more Abyssal.¡± he complained, and that language was dreadful to learn, too many consonants and not enough vowels he thought. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. * * * Over the following days he studied what was appropriate in the races cultures. It was engraved into the heads of the boys. Leon did very little in the way of physical training and continued to terrorize the guards. The day before the ball Leon snuck out once again. No one was in the garden this time though. When he made it out into the market he was pleasantly surprised that accommodating the normal hustle of the area there was music. Up and down the road he spotted various people playing instruments and others passing them coins or dancing. There were even some singing and clapping along with the music. When he made his way to Ale-rons store he stopped and listened to the musician that was playing about twenty feet away. He gave a big toothy smile at the sight and headed inside. ¡°Ale-ron, you sleeping on the job again?¡± A small laugh could be heard from the back. Then a soft, smooth voice rose. It was evident from the authority and care in the voice they had some power. ¡°We are back here love. Why don¡¯t you come see your suit.¡± As soon as he heard the voice panic rose in his gut. He thought maybe I should leave and pretend I was never here. How did she know it was me? Finally he settled on acceptance. ¡°Coming mother. How did you know I would be here?¡± Queen Keerah peaked her head around the frame of the door in the back of the building and replied. ¡°My sweet child.¡± Her smile could be heard in her voice. ¡°I am the queen of a kingdom. There isn¡¯t much I don¡¯t know about the goings on about here. Plus, you¡¯re my child. Why wouldn¡¯t I come see what you had picked out yourself?¡± Leon scoffed. ¡°You ratted on me didn¡¯t you Ale-ron.?¡± A smooth laugh was heard and through the chuckling Ale-ron replied. ¡°Actually, she came in right after you left to see why you had come.¡± ¡°They grow up so fast don¡¯t they?¡± Keerah questioned, feigning worry throwing the back of her hand to her head and closing her eyes. Ale-ron began to laugh harder. Leon made it to the room they were in and stared at the two then gave his mother a questioning look. ¡°You aren¡¯t mad?¡± ¡°Mad? Oh dear, why would I be mad?¡± Queen Keerah replied while ushering her son through the door. ¡°Wearing this you¡¯ll be as much the center of attention as I. I¡¯m not mad at all, this is wonderful.¡± With a smile he turned to look at his custom tailor suit. The exact suit he has imagined was there hanging on a mannequin. The jacket ran down to the mid thigh with seven radiant cut garnet buttons off set two and a half inches from the center of the chest. There was an excess amount of material that folded back over on itself at the collar. The sleeves came to a point on the back of the hand. The pants were fitted as any other suit pants would be. This is when Leon noticed it, as he looked back and forth over it the suit shifted and changed. It shifted from black to a glistening dark cobalt with purple stitching. Keerah laughed as he swayed back and forth. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly what I envisioned.¡± Leon said baffled then looking to Ale-ron. ¡°I had to have it enchanted to make the stitching change, but i believe it was worth it.¡± Ale-ron stated proudly. Keerah clapped slightly with a big smile on her face and said. ¡°I loved it so much when I saw it I had to see both of my sons in it. I had Ale-ron make one for Lushen as well. His is red though.¡± She said off-handedly. Leon looked slightly to the right and saw a perfect replica of his suit, albeit fitted to a larger frame and shifting to a dark crimson red. He lowered his head. ¡°Yeah, it should be nice.¡± Leon said. As Leon stood in his room he wondered how many people would actually show up to the ball. The Winter Ball was more of a day of cease fire and social event than a ball. Kings, Queens and even army generals came from around the country for one night. They would all talk and some would dance, enemies would even act like they weren¡¯t at war. The reason everyone came to Lestillim was because no one knew the castle actually was. To get here everyone would meet a group of patheran mages on the far side of the Briar woods. The mages were escorted by over forty well armed soldiers, the King, Queen, and Guardian. The three royals were there to greet the balls attendees. The guest were teleported straight to the castle via a set of circles that were constructed just for the occasion. For the circles to work at least one of the three mentioned royals had to accompany them. If they weren¡¯t in the circle when it activated all passengers would immediately be teleported to a random spot in the middle of the continent. This being said, the guest never came alone. The guards that would accompany them on their journey had to be left behind. When the civilians found out there was an untapped market nearby every year a plea was issued to the King. The merchants asked him to be able to sell their goods to them. Now every year for the day before, during, and after the ball there was small tent city set up outside the woods. The merchants would get teleported safely to the area for a small fine, a tax was put on everything that the merchants sold too. This wasn¡¯t an issue because the merchants would sell their goods and skills at an extreme mark-up seeing as they couldn¡¯t be bought anywhere else. Pantheran items were looked upon as extremely valuable items since they couldn¡¯t be found or replicated anywhere else. Leon made his way to the ballroom. The ¡°party¡± had been going for about an hour so it was time to make is entrance. As he got to the doors that lead into the ballroom he met his mother and brother. ¡°Don¡¯t you look stunning!¡± His mother cried out in joy wrapping him in a big hug. Lushen scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°My boys look perfect in there suits.¡± she said with a tear in her eye. Lushen looked at Leon and asked. ¡°When did you have time to come up with this?¡± ¡°It just popped into my head one day. Figured I''d be the only one wearing it though, until mom found out.¡± Lushen gave him a small smile. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. I like it more than a normal suit for sure. We will definitely stick out.¡± He said while looking at his suit again. Queen Keerah took a step back and raised her arms up turn slightly from side to side. ¡°How do I look?¡± she asked. A blue and red marbled dress adorned her. Small sapphire and garnet gems could spotted all across the dress with a small train following behind her. Both of the boys said practically the same thing, telling her she looked beautiful. She smiled and had both of the boys take an arm and said. ¡°Well, let''s go boys. It¡¯s time to make our entrance.¡± The door in front of them opened from the otherside. A man whose voice was louder than everyone else''s began to announce their appearance to the crowd. Everyone went quiet. As soon as they stepped through Leon could feel something was wrong and the ring on his finger began to glow warm. ¡°Now entering Queen Keerah Lucious, escorted by her two sons¡­¡± As the man spoke Leon huredly glanced around the room. To their sides and lined all the way down the stairs was a guard dressed in shining well kept armour. ¡°Prince Lushen¡± the man continued speaking. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, while his ring went from warm to hot. At the bottom of the stairs stood Deyton and Duran watching them come down. ¡°Lucious and Prince¡­¡± The man¡¯s voice echoed through his mind. His heart pounded loudly once again. When he looked over the crowd, one woman began to rise above everyone else while moving her hands as faster than Leon thought was possible. in the time it took Leon to wonder how she was doing this she was already three feet over the crowd with one arm stretched out. ¡°Leon Lucious.¡± The man finally finished his announcement. ¡°No¡­¡± Was the only thing Leon could whisper out before three rays of fire lanced towards them. It looked as if each of them had a ray aimed towards them. He barely had time to notice what looked like a black lighting bolt following the one aimed for his mother. At that moment everything went black, and a sheet of warmth covered his entire body.