My journey starts here. I have worked hard for the past 11 years of my life in swordsmanship, and I'm ready for the Royal Knight Academy. But first, will be the rookie competition. The rookie competition takes place in the capital, nearby the palace in an open stadium reserved for shows, but in this case, the stadium would be divided into portions and the competition will be held. There will be about 3 stages in the competition all of them will take about a week to complete. The registration opens for only a day, so the capital has a high influx of people from other towns coming in, mainly nobles but there are some commoners, like me. While nobles do have carriages and coaches, a single horse awaits me. In this town horse riding is essential, and you learn it when you're young, unlike nobles where only men who are knights or in the military learn how to ride and fight on a horse.
The horse that is shared between my mother and I is a beautiful black horse that had been in our care since young. My mother had passed onto me the ownership when she heard I was going to the capital to study. A horse is cheap in the area, so I didn't have to worry.
"Here," my mother came out of the house as I was loading up my luggages on the back of the horse, just a small bag filled with the essentials. She was rather frail and would fall sick occasionally which made me uneasy, though she had assured me that Uncle Brandharht was just next door. In her hands were a small coin sack. The same money that my birth mother gave to her. I felt my stomach churn when I see that old coin sack. All these years she didn't touch the money, but was keeping it for me? All these years she had risked her health to bring me up but she didn't even touch a single coin the 2nd queen gave her.
"Mother... I- I cannot accept it." I fought as she put the coin sack in my hands, the hefty weight has been an accumulation of my years spent in this house. Even though I've known all these years, I've never told anyone I had memories of my past life, no one would believe me.
"No, Alex, just take it. I know you'll pass the competition and continue your life in the capital... Afterall, you're meant to be there." She firmly squeezed my hand and smiled.
I've never felt motherly love, even when I spent my time as Diamandes.
"I love you, mother." My voice cracked as I fought the tears trying to come out, but I knew my mother would wipe my tears and shushed me. Whenever I would cry myself to sleep the first few years I spent in this house, she'd firmly tell me to stop crying but still lovingly wipe my tears away.
"Alexander, oh, Alex... Please take care... and don't—"
"What?"
"N-nothing, it's fine. It's okay, I believe in you, write back often, okay?"
I know she wants to tell me something about my birth mother. These 16 years, she didn't mention anything about me being another woman's son and raised me as her own, but sometimes I wonder how her daughter is doing. Another forgotten princess deep in the palace? She would be around my age, I picture her to take after her beautiful mother with flowing brown hair and green eyes. I hope she had a good childhood at least.
"Don't worry, mother." I assured her as I swung up on my horse, my sword stowed on my back. I was wearing my favorite vest along with my favorite boots for this special occasion.
"Goodbye, Alexander." She waved as the horse clopped away, a part of my heart still left behind in the house I grew up the second time in.
The journey is far and I had to take a few stops along the way for both the horse and me to rest. I would eat a packed lunch and the horse would graze the fields and go down the stream to drink water. The weather was good to me today, as the clouds blow softly above us.
Around mid afternoon, I finally arrived at the capital's gates. Even though I had lived in the capital, I've never seen these gates before, nor the palace gates.
I took out my pass, a piece of paper that allows the people of Kingdom Earl to travel around towns. The security was stricter than the other towns since it is the capital, but because of the competition, many carriages, horses are lined up at the gates for inspection.
After a few minutes, I was finally able to pass through. The capital is stunning! The countless waves of people were everywhere on the streets. Some buying goods, some window shopping, there were even people performing on the streets! The colors were like a rainbow, most of the buildings that lined the main road were shop houses, with different lights and colors that is trying to differentiate themselves from the other shops. Carriages roll slowly down the road, people strolling at the sides in a leisurely pace. A smile just breaks out on my face when I see the capital. I can't believe I was missing out on this all these years!
The view from the gate runs all the way to the end of the capital where the palace is, standing in full glory, since the ground is up to a gradual slope. I felt a shiver go down my spine as I remember the cold atmosphere in the "cage".
Well, that's the past, a past that I won't ever revisit.