《Into the Woods》 Chapter 1 Bandits huddled on the outskirts of Tlaxoa planning their next raid while a nearby farmer was attending to his usual duties: ploughing and preparing the soil for next year¡¯s crops. The farmer had shaky knees, a built upper body, dark wiry hair that looked dead, and leathery skin. As the farmer hunched over to pick apart the weeds from the soil, he heard a loud shriek. Nearby a woman screamed ¡°Help!¡± and then it went silent. His eyes shot up. The farmer looked back at the brownish yellow straw roofing of his clay house. He paused for a minute, then darted into the skyline of tall greenish-red pine trees, where he encountered a group of eight men encircling a girl. The girl was gagged with a piece of clothing torn from her own simple linen dress. The group was smelling her body as she was passed around. They were enjoying her fresh marigold scent. It had been a long time since the men smelled the arousing scent of a woman. Each bandit was distinct. One wore a faded leather loincloth and a diagonal line of red paint across his right eye that reached his lower lip. Another¡¯s face was completely masked in black paint. But they all wore brownish fiber sandals with a loop around the foot¡¯s heel, allowing them to run with haste during raids. However, one bandit in particular stood out- he had a jaguar skin cape draping over his shoulders. The oblong obsidian sword that hung at his hip was decorated with red gems on the upper handle that illuminated under the moonlight, and a thin chain of red rose petals hung on the bottom handle, swinging gracefully beneath. One bandit looked over his shoulder as the old farmer said ¡°Stop!¡± The group of men looked at each other puzzled and then laughed. Who was this guy that so foolishly thought he could protect this woman, despite being outnumbered? The leader with the decorative jaguar cape lifted his sword, pointed it at Haldwin, and said something indistinguishable to Haldwin, but was understood by his minions. A pair of minions leapt from their positions, and headed towards Haldwin, who, unfazed, was waiting until the bandits were within arm¡¯s length before grabbing an arm that was nearing his face. He quickly twisted the arm backwards, and snapped it like a plant¡¯s stem. The minion dropped his unshapely wooden club next to his body, howling in pain, like a wolf at the moon. He began clutching his arm. The other minion became hesitant with fear and started creeping backwards. Haldwin picked up the club from the ground and started swinging it in the air to get accustomed to the weight. The commander, standing on a rock above his subordinates, again repeated ¡°Get him!¡±, to the rest of his men. A lowly minion released the girl- who ran off hysterically towards the farm, which happened to be the direction of Tlaxoa-, before charging Halwadin and mustering all the courage he could conjure tried to swing his short, narrow, dark obsidian blade at Haldwin. The blade was blocked and stuck intoHaldwin¡¯s club. Both men were tangled in a struggle, as the minions looked onwards observing the warrior-like farmer. The minion flew backwards as Haldwin kicked his uneven wooden shield, causing it to drop. Haldwin was now equipped with a shield and a club. Scared, the attacker retreated to his leader. ¡°Leave now or there¡¯ll be consequences,¡± said Haldwin with great authority. The group of attackers traded looks of confusion, unsure of their next move. As the group was coming to a consensus, the jaguar man replied ¡°We came here expecting fun and games, and yet this is an even greater surprise- a farmer that can fight. You must have been a warrior before becoming a farming peasant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But it is of no concern to you,¡± replied Haldwin. Unbeknownst to the bandits, Haldwin, had once been a famous commander and an heir to the Tlaxoa throne, helping repel the advancement of the Queztil kingdom from invading Tlaxoa during the great War of Famine. But now, age crept upon his body and wore him down like a pile of sand on his shoulders. He was hardly able to move without some form of ache. After fighting for many moons, and declining a noble post, he opted for a life among the common class, becoming a peaceful farmer- living out his days creating life and maintaining them instead of acting as a destroyer. ¡°Tell me, do you want to fight us?¡± The jaguar-caped bandit said. ¡°No, I want you to leave me and Tlaxoa¡¯s citizens free from your violence.¡± ¡°Violence? No- this is entertainment,¡± the leader restated. ¡°Why don¡¯t we make this more interesting? My soldiers are too afraid to fight you, so how about we fight?¡± Suddenly and in staggering unison the men responded ¡°No sir, don¡¯t- we will,¡± they said unconvincingly. ¡°Shut up you useless fools!¡±, he scorned. The men instantly burrowed their chins into their chests and avoided their commander¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. I always have to do everything myself.¡± Haldwin thought wiser to fight one warrior instead of eight, for strenuous exercise was not a friend of an old man that was more worn out than the cattle that helped plow the fields every sunrise. Although Haldwin noticed the jaguar man¡¯s tone of displeasure and attire were obviously different, he still decided to take the risk, hoping that killing the leader would take off the head of the beast, and as a result, dissipate and scatter the rest of the body. ¡°Fine,¡± Haldwin said as he stepped over the two warriors lying in pain, closing the distance between the himself and the jaguar warrior. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want.¡± The two fighters eyed each other, trying to assess their adversary. The colorful leader wore a grim smile as he surveyed the old farmer¡¯s tired and shaky body, then ran towards Haldwin. Not having the strength that he once held in his prime, Haldwin decided it wise to avoid the charge. At the last second he sidestepped. Haldwin breathed a sigh of relief as the black obsidian blade in the leader¡¯s right hand, sparkling in the moonlight, was inches from descending on his face. Following through his miss, the leader spun and swung the sharp blade in a circle. This time Haldwin was unable to evade or block the attack with his shield. The sword hit its mark. Blood started to seep through a thin gash on Haldwin¡¯s upper left shoulder and bled through his outer garment. The leader finished his circular twirl and saw over his left shoulder that his swing, hit his opponent. The leader, for the first time, flashed his teeth. He could not contain his enjoyment. The leader laughed. Haldwin stepped back and observed his wound. It wasn¡¯t serious, but he was worried. Haldwin¡¯s previous injuries were much worse, contributing to the subpar performance his body was giving. Haldwin was beginning to believe this was probably going to be the last moon he¡¯d ever see. He hesitated to look over his shoulder in fear that his opponent might jump on him, but did so anyways. He spotted his farm in the distance, sitting quietly in the misty fog, the piney smell of the forest with the thick moist air made Haldwin reminisce of the previous battles he fought in the forests. Haldwin needed to protect his farm. One thing in particular Haldwin was worried about was his son- Nestor. Haldwin remembered he was in a battle, and turned his head back to face his opponent. But it was too late. The jaguar-skinned warrior was mid-air lunging at him. The sword pierced through the front of Haldwin¡¯s leathery flesh and missed the spine as it penetrated his upper back. What seemed like an eternity, but was merely a couple seconds, time froze. Haldwin lowered his eyes, removing any doubt that the blade thrusted through his body. The two men stared at each other. Haldwin noticed how beautiful the red rose petals were that dangled aside the bedazzled re gem blade handle. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Well, what fun I had,¡± the jaguar warrior said. ¡°You don¡¯t know how much I¡¯ve enjoyed this. With all the war preparations underway at Queztil, this really gave my nerves a vacation.¡± Haldwin began to flex his abs, trying to push the words from his mouth. ¡°What is Queztil doing now?¡± The jaguar soldier¡¯s annoying grin came back.¡°King Deumus believes it wise to expand the empire for his people. Which means Tlaxoa and Itoaxa will eventually be subjugated by our kingdom. But don¡¯t worry your people will be fine. We¡¯ll need your people to please our nobles and gods, mostly the gods though.¡± Haldwin was furious, leaving behind the people he loved, especially the one back at the farm. Since King Deumus took over the throne of the Queztil empire, he has continued his parade of non- stop raids on the surrounding kingdoms and tribes. King Deumus is an evil man, killing his father at the age of sixteen, in order to take over the kingdom. Queztil was once part of the Triple Alliance between three kingdoms, but now each kingdom has lost some sense of stability and became independent from each other. King Deumus claimed his attacks were to obtain more sacrificial victims to please the gods, but the encroachment and breaking of formality had proven otherwise. Life was slowly leaving Haldwin¡¯s body. He mentally started praying to the gods, hoping to be reincarnated into an animal or insect and become part of the the world again. In an attempt to display courage, he grabbed the gemmed handle and pushed it further into himself as he whispered in the man¡¯s ear. ¡°Death does not go unnoticed.¡± The leader¡¯s eyes were beady and his body began to shiver from the eerie words. The ragtag bandits behind him asked what was said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he responded. The men from Tlaxoa, although few, were known to be brave. The sword was pulled out of the lifeless body that was already becoming turning ghost-like. Blood continued to drip out the of the body¡¯s orifices. He then shook his wrist to shake off the blood from his blade, splashing the dirt and fallen leaves. Bringing up his head, the jaguar leader walked towards Tlaxoa and the farm. The leader pointed his sword at the farm and said ¡°Do what we came here to do and raid the farm. Find anything valuable and bring it back. Don¡¯t try taking anything for yourself or I¡¯ll cut your hands off, you useless fools.¡± The group of bandits ran to the farm. Inside the old farm house was a teenager, Haldwin¡¯s son. Nestor, had a slim face, dark eyes, and was quite big compared to the other kids his age. He had developed strong bulging arms, a thick back, and oak like legs that gave him impeccable balance- all things useful for a fighter. However, Nestor was gentle, and prefered to keep his hands down and to his side instead of raising them to people. Nestor, having royal blood, albeit diluted, led a commoner¡¯s life. Because of Nestor¡¯s big stature, it was too much for his mother to handle, when giving birth. She died that same day. It was said by his father that he had inherited his mother¡¯s kindness and at times known to be too soft. Haldwin, was content with his son¡¯s personality. It reminded him of his deceased wife. Haldwin knew to toughen Nestor he needed to attend a school where fighting was taught. Nestor attended school with all the other people of his class- other children of farmers, tailors, artisans, and low-level priests. As Nestor turned the gentle age of 15, the school had taught him, and other similarly aged students, how to become a warrior. Nestor was already at the top of his class and was shown to be a promising warrior of the state thanks to his father¡¯s idea of extracurricular- fighting, and his stature. There was another school that was available, but only for upper class children. The school had a more diverse agenda, which included intellectual studies to supplement warrior training. The nobles school was known to be tougher on their students because the upper class was held to a higher standard than the commoners. But Nestor was happy in the commoner school since it was more lax and free, and his best friend Olena was there. Although, Haldwin had proper training in fighting, he knew as the men approached the farm that his only choices was to fight or hide. Suddenly, a the cracked wooden door bursted open, and the group of warriors flooded into the room, fully prepared that someone inside would resist their pillaging. They were wrong. Nestor decided to hide on the straw roof, where he could view the pillagers. Peeking through the straw, he saw the men arguing with each other and pointing at objects inside the house. The men¡¯s stomachs began grumbling after their traveling and their mouths began to salivate as they began to pick up the leftover food that Nestor and Haldwin ate earlier that day. Fresh vegetables- corn, beans, and squash sat around the floor in woven fiber baskets. The pillagers started to eat the food, enjoying the crunchiness and the sound of corns between their teeth before they swallowed it. It had been some time since they ate proper food. Life in the military for the lowly soldiers was horrible when it came to food. Military food consisted usually of flat bread with little vegetables. As they finished gobbling the leftovers, one of the robbers said to the other ¡°I doubt we will find anything worthy in a farmer¡¯s house.¡± ¡°That was no plain farmer. There must be something here,¡± the short, beefy robber said, seemingly taking charge of the group as the jaguar skin man stayed behind, waiting in the skyline of trees. The men became anxious as they continued to search the room. They started to become scared, knowing if they could not find anything their upset leader would punish them. Being berating was more than enough for the minions. One of the unimportant warriors flipped over a blanket, and his eyes began to grow. ¡°Come here, I found something!¡± The short beefy robber headed over and peeked under the blanket, ¡°Wow, what a great find. This will be enough.¡± Nestor watched in disappointment. The robbers found Haldwin¡¯s sword- a gift that had been in the family for generations and was suppose to be passed down to him after he had proved himself in battle. The sword, like the jaguar man¡¯s, was decorated. It contained green gems around the handle, the blade had perfectly cut obsidian, and white feathers dangled from the handle- this was a classic sword of the King¡¯s guard. Nestor was jealous the pillagers were able to hold the sword in their hand. Haldwin disallowed Nestor from touching it until he was ready. He was anxious as the men began packing the sword in the blanket they found it in. Getting into a leaping position, Nestor was ready to pounce on the men. He did not want to admit to himself that he was scared, but he was. His training was insufficient. He needed more. Nestor froze. He could not bring himself to fight. Nestor felt a sense of defeat from within. He lacked the courage to fight against injustice. He put his head down on the straw roofing in shame, while thick salt water dripped from the corner of his eyes. ¡°Our work here is done,¡± the self- appointed second in command said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Together the men left through the front door and disappeared into the thick alpine forest. They presented the sword to their leader, who was pleased, very pleased- so much so that he wore the sword on the vacant side of his hip. Chapter 2 In the center of Tlaxoa city stood a giant pyramid with hundreds of rising steps that led to four giant doorways. Inside the entrance were a labyrinth of rooms, used for different occasions. This was the royal palace. The place was decorated with different war glyphs, finely woven decorative blankets, and weapons. The walls were littered with etchings depicting the Great Wars and famous warriors that honorably fell in battle. The palace¡¯s residents varied: slaves, priests, advisors, and the king and queen all lived under the same roof. The king and queen stood out amongst the rest. ¡°There is a great disparity of wealth between the people of Tlaxoa- we need to close the gap and help the commoners,¡± King Ademar said as he drank his exclusive hot cocoa. ¡°What are our options?¡± Nazim, the king¡¯s bald and stubby advisor, lingered over the king¡¯s shoulders ¡°Yes we need to help the poor. More importantly though, my king, we need to worry about sustaining the royal kingdom and preventing outside forces from taking over.¡± The king, stopped drinking and began to think, bringing his ear closer to his trusty advisor. Nazim had to move his head to avoid being swatted by the king¡¯s white feathered headdress. ¡°What about the poor people though?¡± King Ademar said. ¡°We can¡¯t have our brothers and sisters dying of hunger.¡± ¡°My sire, your last deed was enough. The commoners were happy to be fed and-¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough, we need a permanent solution, Nazim.¡± ¡° If we¡­ take over Itoaxa, we can get more tribute.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m tired of the fighting going on in this land. We need to learn to work together in order to achieve peace.¡± ¡°Sir, peace won¡¯t-¡± ¡°Peace won¡¯t what!¡± the king said as his face was starting to turn red from the lack of interest Nazim was taking towards helping people. ¡°It won¡¯t help anyone- we need more tribute in the form of food and currency, and bodies to sacrifice for the gods,¡± Nazim rebuttaled ¡°You don¡¯t want another famine that will cause a great war again, do you?¡± ¡°Of course not, but I don¡¯t believe we need to fight anymore. We need to try to build an alliance with the other two kingdoms in the surrounding area. And look at you, you¡¯ve almost become fat with greed.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t work. I have heard from our messengers that King Deumus has started to think about attacking our kingdom. Sir, I only think and want to do what¡¯s best for us.¡± ¡°Nazim, we know that won¡¯t happen. As long as Itoaxa is still there to the south of Queztil, we know he can¡¯t attack us. Do you remember what happened last time?¡± ¡°Yes, I kn-¡± ¡°We were doing a good job defending the kingdom and Deumus had to tell his men to retreat because, when word got out they were attacking us, they got attacked by Itoaxa,¡± the King Ademar said with pleasure. ¡°We need to focus on the poor, not ourselves Nazim, we need to-¡± King Ademar¡¯s lecture to Nazim was interrupted by his beautiful wife, the queen Ece. She was of fair skin, supple body, and she walked with grace. Her face never aged. The sun hardly shown on her face. Growing up she was groomed to become a queen. Her father was a great warrior that captured many soldiers in battle, and got promoted into the noble class. The promotion put the possibility of Ece becoming queen into motion. From birth Ece¡¯s father knew she was become a queen. Growing up she maintained her elegance and never strayed into destructive paths. Her only flaw was she took interest in about very little. As queen, her activities were only considered leisure and never labor. She was never interested in the dealings of politics, social justice, or the public welfare. Ece wasn¡¯t a bad queen but she wasn¡¯t a great one either. She was almost invisible if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that she, similar to her husband, the king, wore golden clothing, and were covered with necklaces and earrings that outshone all the peoples¡¯ outfits. Anything and everything she did in the eye of public was carefully crafted by Nazim. He was the the puller of strings, who always tried to get his way. ¡°What are you two boys talking about,¡± the Queen said as she sat at the long table, moving bowls and plates away from her to make room for a plate in front of her, and joining her husband for breakfast. ¡°Your highness,¡± the advisor said. ¡°I was trying to tell the King that we need to protect our own interests and the interest of the city before we try to help the common-,¡± ¡°Let me interrupt you right there, Nazim. You know I don¡¯t like political talk at the table.¡± Nazim let out a sigh. ¡°Sorry.¡± The king looked at the both of them ¡°What will you being doing today my love?¡± Ece replied ¡°I was going to take away around the city with the maids and then visit the temple.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the king said in between bites.¡°Why don¡¯t you take some food with you to feed some people will you are doing that?¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer not to. They swarm all around me with their dirty bodies.¡± Nazim was getting anxious standing in the background of the room, waiting to get his thoughts heard. Knowing that the kings and queen had no heirs, he thought that one day he would beable to rule the kingdom. He knew all the players, was in a respectable post, and the commoners believed that he was working in their interests. He only have to wait for the king or the queen to die. But how long would that take? They were both middle-age adults and healthy from the best access to food and medicine the area could provide. Nazim knew he could do a better job running the kingdom. He¡¯d please the gods, and become the riches king to ever rule with the most land that had ever been amassed. Interrupting Nazim¡¯s thoughts with himself, the king remembered to tell his wife the news. ¡°Haldwin is dead.¡± Ece¡¯s eyes opened wider than before and her utensil paused as it neared her mouth, and after a second finished the action of eating. ¡°What happened,¡± Ece said in somewhat genuine interest; she loved drama. The king put down his utensils, a sure sign that he was finished eating. ¡°From what was told, a group of bandits on the outskirts of the city were raiding over there. They happened grabbed a girl. Haldwin heard the noise and went to see what all the commotion was about. When he arrived there the men let go of the girl, who ran back into the city to tell a guard what had happened and to be prepared if they were to visit the tow. Haldwin was able to take a couple of the men down, but was ultimately fallen.¡± ¡°My god, that is terrible. He was a good man.¡± ¡°Indeed he was. More importantly, he left his son to us now.¡± ¡°Nestor?¡± The king nodded. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Nestor since he was a boy,¡± Ece said. ¡° I know Haldwin didnt want him hanging around the palace and getting lazy like the other nobles do. My brother was a good man, and one of high virtue.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. In unison they nodded in silence for their fallen brother. ¡°When will he be here?¡± ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Ademar said. Ademar watched Ece continue to eat her food. Once she had her last bite, she got up and left the room with the king, following closing behind was Nazim. They each went their separate ways fulfilling their task for the day. The yellowish orange sun in the sky peaked above the horizon as Nestor move throughout his messy farm house bending over and picking up what valuables were left to him by the robbers, that he would bring to his new location. Nestor had some idea of where he was going. It had to be the royal palace because of the the two guards that stood outside, where the door to the farmhouse use to be. They stood dressed in their finely decorated clothes. The two men had jaguar skin capes, and decorated blades marked with the symbol of the royal kingdom. Nestor finished putting what was left of his valuables into a sack and left through the door. As he walked ten yards outside, he turned around to view what was left of his farm house. The door was missing, and the inside in a mess, despite Nestory taking things to go. ¡°What will become of the plants and livestock?¡± Nestor said. A guard to his left side said ¡°Someone else will adopt your land and take care of it. If you want to come back, you will be able to once you get older. The royal kingdom is renting it out for tribute.¡± Satisfied with the answer, Nestor continued walking. After a couple of hours they arrived at Tlaxoa. It had been a long time since Nestor had seen Tlaxoa. He did not even have a full set of hair when he last visited with his father. The kingdom had expanded since he was last there. Its territory had expanded by miles and was now almost 4 miles wide and 2 miles long. The position of the buildings showed their importance to the kingdom. On the radius of the kingdom sat the commoner¡¯s houses. They were similar to Haldwin¡¯s house except they had red clay walls, were bigger, but straws still covered the rooms. Closer to the center were the nobles houses. The nobles houses were bigger than the commoner¡¯s, and they were some decoration on the walls and in forms of objects. Around the center building was the second most important building in the kingdom. This is was the temple. Tlaxoa was highly religious. The temples had hundreds of steps that led to their entrance. Inside, the temple walls were covered with blood that had crusted from the last sacrifice. A body lay lifeless on the floor. Walking around were the cities priests, who performed the ceremony to sacrifice to the bodies to the gods for good fortune. Lastly, in the center of the kingdom sat the royal kingdom. The place Nestor was heading to now live permanently. Nestor liked the kingdom. there was always activity going on. He passed by the market on his way to the kingdom and saw men selling animals, jewels, and weapons. Nearby sat the women who were selling clothes, as they so often did because of their profession. Each cloth was handmade, and had a unique design, with rich and vibrant colors, some were made of cotton and others were made out of plant fibers. As Nestor walked through the crowded marketplace, he was distracted by some of the swords and jewelry he had not seen before. Haldwin had tried to give Nestor a modest life- a life without luxury and greed. Nestor accidently bumped into a slave. The slave was crouching on the floor only wearing a loincloth. His his looked tired, and his body was almost ready to give out. The slaves wrist were bound by rope as he put his hands palm up and said ¡° Please sir, spare some food?¡± Nestor saw the man and felt a sense of pity strike his heart. As Nestor was about to reach for something in his sack to give the man, the soldiers kicked the half-squatting man in the shoulder, which caused him to fall to his side and for a second squirm like a fish out of sea. ¡°If you feed one, then they will all start putting their hands out,¡± a deep voice from Nestor¡¯s right side said. ¡°It¡¯s better if you just keep moving and avoid them.¡± This was the first time Nestor had heard the man talk. He figured that soldiers never really had that much to say in the first place. When the group of three men stood at the edge of the stairs, the two quiet men pulled to the side, pointed up, and said in unison ¡°up those stairs and through the first door on the right.¡± Nestor, at first confused, looked left and right before heading up the daunting steps to the palace. As Nestor walked up the stairs with his head down, avoiding what seemed like an endless set of stairs, he began to sweat profusely from the exercise and the sun glaring down on his back. As he was about to give up, he looked up and saw the last step and the king standing there waiting for him. King Ademar stood mightily tall, with hands on his hip. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you Nestor,¡± King Ademar said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you since you were as tall as my hip. I¡¯m sorry to hear about your father. My brother was a good man, and I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t die effortlessly. You look fit and healthy though.¡± Nestor said ¡°Thanks King Ademar¡± and followed his wing-shaped back into the room. Nestor eyes shifted around the room. He could not recall what the decor looked like when he was a kid. But now the pure beauty and abundance of the palace greatly impressed and overwhelmed him. After making a couple lefts and rights turns through the labyrinth, the couple arrived at a room. ¡°This will be your new bedroom,¡± Nestor did not refuse. Peeking into the room Nestor walked to the center of the room and laid his sack on the ground. He began to unpack what little possessions he had brought. The bedroom was equal in size to the farmhouse, but everything was more grandeur: the bedsheets were made of cotton and the there was an abundance of food and clothes for Nestor. The room was bright as a window gave a view worth a hundred cattles. Nestor headed to the gap in the wall and looked through it. He could see the marketplace from where he was standing, and the edge of the kingdom. Past the edge of the kingdom, the skyline of trees reminded reminded him of the robbers, and soon he had a soft pain in his heart again and the small drop of saline water dropped from the corner of his right away and ran down his cheek. He was quickly able to wipe it away before King Ademar told Nestor to sit on the bed. ¡°Nestor we need to have a chat about your future.¡± The king said, leaning on the door frame, overlooking Nestor. Knowing he couldn¡¯t refuse an order from the king, sat on the bed, Nestor put his hands on his lap, his chin to his chest, and waited for his royal uncle to continue. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you know this but I am infertile. It means I can¡¯t have a son. Thus you will be the next king when you are ready.¡± After uncle Ademar said those words, Nestor¡¯s head raised to match eye level. Nestor tried to say something but only a slight breath of air came out of his mouth. He was speechless. ¡°I know you are surprised by this. You are feeling overwhelmed. But don¡¯t worry I will teach you everything you need to know to run a kingdom.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± is all that Nestor could muster up. ¡°No, thank you. After your training, I know you¡¯ll be a good ruler. The first thing about a good ruler is understanding how other people feel. If you do that then you know how to help them and please them. In return they will love you back.¡± Nestor classed his eyes and tried to store the piece of wisdom in a little storage in his head. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°I know you will,¡± King Ademar said in his proudest uncle voice. Then his tone became stern as he said ¡°There is also one more thing. Because of your new importance of future duty. We must limit where you go. You are not allowed to leave the kingdom, even if you are supervised. Now that you are will become the future king, there will be a target on your back. An assassination could come from anymore. We need to keep you safe. And we can¡¯t do that unless you are under our watch.¡± Nestor was a little disappointed because his friend Olena lived near the border of the kingdom, and after commoner school the two played together in the woods. Olena lived on the farm a couple miles east of Nestor¡¯s farm, and their fathers traded with each other. Olena was a few seasons younger than Nestor. Her hands were small, her hands were smooth even though her skin was constantly burnt from the sun, and she had spaghetti dark hair that shone as she brushed it out of her eyes. She had a lively spirit and was just as adventurous as Nestor. Her teeth never stopped showing and her laugh never died. Never had her eyes leaked. Everyone that met her, complimented her beautiful spirit. She had many suitors from different states and classes, but she remained single because of her father. Now that Nestor was in succession for the throne, he would be moved into the school for nobles where he¡¯d learn more than just fighting. The school taught the nobles and royal members leadership in fighting, writing, reading, philosophy, and most importantly religion. Nestor knew that Olena worried about him since he didn¡¯t get to say goodbye to her, and if Nestor was honest with himself, he missed playing hide and seek with her, but most importantly he longed for her. Although Nestor did not want his uncle mad, he wanted to visit her, and decided instantly that he would when the sun next rose from the horizon. The king said ¡°Goodnight¡± and left the room, leaving Nestor to settle in and plan out his escapade. Little did he know that his adventure was to be longer and different than he expect.