Kylaf City. Kylaf

The capital of Kylaf Kingdom was bustling as usual. The people of the city were going about their business merrily. Some of the guards were slacking off, while others were strictly checking each and every traveller who was lined up to be allowed entry into the city.

The children were playing in the streets and the hawkers were hawking their goods by the side. Carriages were passing over the main roads while the coachmen were tending to their rides.

Occasionally, one or two supposedly famous awakened would pass by and everybody would clamour around them. The taverns were open for a few hours, and women were peeking out from their houses, waiting for something fun to happen.

All in all, it was a busy city with everyone engaged in whatever their work was at the moment. There was no sign to be found about the impending war or that their kingdom had launched an expedition against another kingdom.

However, there were a few hushed discussions about the war and the rumours about their crown prince, Troy Kylaf.

“Did you hear about the crown prince?” One particularly tall guard with a red cap on his head spoke in a low voice to his friends.

They were stationed on the ramparts to thwart the enemy forces in case of a siege or a surprise attack on their city.

The defences of the city were overlooked by the special forces of awakened and magic warriors. Though they had never been attacked, after all, who would dare attack the capital of Kylaf Kingdom, one of the pillars of the Tibal Alliance, the defences had to be maintained and had to be well drilled, just in case.

Kylaf City was special in that case, that the defence force, not the usual guards who were not part of the army, was directly under the command of the crown prince. It was one of the many unique ways this kingdom and in particular, this city was governed.

The stone wall and the giant metal gate were one of the points of pride of the city and were kept especially clean and well maintained. One couldn’t find any gaps in them. As were the main roads, clean that is. The yellow stone houses and the grey shops gave life to the city.

“What about the crown prince?” One of the listening guards asked the guard with a red cap on his head.

“I want to know, too, what you have to say about the crown prince...”

All of a sudden, there was a pin drop silence on the ramparts. Then in unison, everybody present saluted the newcomer.

“Commander!”

He was a boorish man, the captain was, one could tell by his looks and his voice. He was tall, too tall to be called normal, and was muscular all over. A long cut ran across his left eye, and it made him look even more fierce. His black skin was shining in the sun and his shaved head had numerous battle scars. He had a wide chest and an equally unusual broadsword behind his back.

“Let me hear as well, I want to know what news has eluded me!”

“Commander Zark! I was just- just...”

Zark hummed and glared at the guard with the red cap. “Aren’t you a gossip, Mr. Lyle!”

Lyle was the name of the tall guard with the red cap on his head. He was a Decurion, meaning he had ten men under his command. He was famous in the city for his love of gossip. However, today was not a good day for him to be caught slacking on his duty.

Zark's glare turned more and more fierce and under the pressure, Lyle's knees buckled and his mouth foamed.

Zark harrumphed and took away the pressure. This display of his power and strength, it was enough to deter anyone else from gossiping about things they shouldn’t talk about or go slacking off on their duty, at least it would serve well for a period of time.

Insubordination was viewed as a serious crime in the army, however, like un-killable weeds, it would sprout up after some time passed. Moreover, you can’t actually punish anyone too seriously as that would affect the morale of the forces.

Zark inspected the forces once again and warned them off with his gaze before taking off. He thought that making an example of the famous Decurion Lyle would keep the others’ mouths shut.

On any other day, this would not be such a big deal, and a big shot like Zark wouldn’t deem it worthy enough to make an appearance. After all, he was a high level awakened, in charge of the troops, and answered only to one man; he had better things to do than going on a surprise inspection.

Today was special because today was the meeting of commanders of the Tibal Alliance and also the official ceremony for choosing the next crown prince.

The first thing was important for him but not as important as the second thing. It would directly impact his future prospects, the second thing would. So, he was slightly on edge. Moreover, he was under orders to quash any rumours regarding the death of the previous crown prince or the Hero Mikhail.

He was told that they, the crown prince Troy and the Hero Mikhail, were killed off by assassins from the Frito Empire, but he didn’t believe that.

How could it be possible to kill off Hero Mikhail by use of mere assassins, he was not named Hero Mikhail for nothing... regardless, it didn’t matter to him, what mattered to him was that his patron, the one whose orders he was under right now, got chosen successfully as the next crown prince.

And that’s where he was headed to right now.

...

“Long live the crown prince, long live the princess!”

Zark bowed respectfully and greeted the couple standing ahead of him.

It was a private room where care was taken to make it soundproof, at the same time though it was incredibly lavish and picturesque. The golden walls and the mithril carvings pointed to the grandness and the will to splurge. It also highlighted the wealth and the strength of the owner, for mithril was a very expensive and rare metal. It was so because it was an extremely good conductor of mana, much more than iron.

The room wasn’t very big, about the size of a private study, and it was exactly that. It was the study of Prince Leroy, the third prince of the Kylaf kingdom.

Light through the large window illuminated the otherwise gloomy room. The wooden table and the few chairs kept around it weren’t occupied at the moment. They were not occupied because the three people inside the room were yet standing up.

“Commander Zark.”

An effeminate voice resounded in the room. It was the voice of Leroy, the third prince.

He was wearing golden-coloured garb and had a small crowd adorned on his head. He was a slight man both in stature and aura. It looked weird that the muscular and fierce warrior was kneeling to this guy.

“Your highness! Give me your orders...”

“Relax, Commander Zark. Have a seat first.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Zark waited patiently for Leroy and the princess to sit before he took his seat.

“Ha-ha, you are always too polite, Commander Zark!”

“It’s my duty!” Zark replied in a submissive manner. In his mind though, he let out curses. What the fuck do I do other than be polite, won’t you go crazy and have my head!

Leroy, the third prince, was famous for being extremely vengeful. It would have been fine if it was only that, however, he was also very short-tempered and was known to get upset over trivial things.

“What news do you bring? Is it really that important that you sought an urgent audience with us?”

Zark stole a glance towards the princess who had been keeping silent. The princess, wife of Leroy, had a veil covering her face which made it difficult for Zark to make out her expression.

“Yes, it was urgent your highness!” Zark spoke in a flattering voice. He continued in the same tone when he saw that Leroy was listening intently. “There are a few rumours going around about the cause of death of Hero Mikhail and the previous crown prince, but none of them have any support of evidence. It’s just speculation.”

“Hmmm...” Leroy hummed as he ran his fingers through his long hair. “And what of the selection of the new crown prince?”

“... rest assured your highness; everything is going according to the plan. We have enough people backing your candidacy and I have taken measures against the ones who don’t support you... it won’t be a problem to snatch the position of crown prince from the second prince...”

“Good! Very good! You have done well, Commander Zark!”

“I was just obeying your orders, your highness.”

“Here, this is your reward!” Leroy took one of the many pearl necklaces he was wearing and threw it towards an eager Zark.

“Thank you, your highness, for your great generosity.” Zark stood up and bowed, his voice full of joy.

“Ha-ha, you are too polite, too polite...”Leroy seemed to be in a good mood as he laughed deliriously.

“If there’s nothing else, I shall take my leave, your highness...”Zark, happy because of the reward he got, bowed to show his respect and prepared to retreat away from the room.

“Wait a minute, Commander Zark!”

All of a sudden, the princess with her face hidden behind the veil, spoke towards Zark. Her voice was soft and melodious however her intent was anything but...

“You have some orders for me, your highness?” Zark asked cautiously. And I was almost out of the study too, he thought to himself.

Zark had a long history of collaboration with the third prince. Even when Troy was alive, he acted as a kind of spy for the third prince. He did this because of the extravagant rewards promised to him and because the third prince never asked him to do anything that would have endangered his life or his position.

It was a coming together of two like-minded people, where both were using each other for their own different means. Both were happy and satisfied by it.

However, when news broke that Crown Prince Troy was no more, Zark cast his lot with the third prince and pledged his loyalty to him. It was an easy choice for him at the time.

One of the reasons behind it was that they had been in contact for a long time, so he knew the prince and what he liked, it was comfortable for him. Nevertheless, the main reason for it was because the wind was blowing on Leroy’s side. He had the momentum and was the front runner to be the next crown prince.

Zark was a selfish man and his first priority in life was to further his own life and position. All the actions he took were for that same goal.

“The rumours? What did they say?” The princess asked from behind her veil.

“No need to worry my sweet wife, nothing can stop us from being the crown prince.” Leroy turned towards her and commented with an intoxicated look on his face.

“You’re right, my dear husband, still we should have a listen, nothing’s wrong with that, is it? I know I’m overstepping my bounds and am being hasty, yet...”

“Ha-ha! As you wish, as you wish...” Leroy conceded as if pacifying a child.

“Yes, your highness, the rumours are just speculation for the cause of death of the Hero Mikhail and the previous crown prince... there’s nothing to them...”

“See! We have nothing to worry about, everything is going just as I had planned and we will be the crown prince!”

“Yes, your highness, it’s going just as you’ve planned.” Zark flattered. However, that was not the thought inside his mind.