Deep inside the woods of Gacia, which was located in the northeast of the Kingdom Mudour, About ten horses were tied to the tall towering trees. Though the moon was full and the night was lightened up by the moon, Not a single beam of light seeped into the dark forest, The tresses were so packed making it impossible to see, even in broad daylight. The rope around the horses was long, allowing them to graze around freely. The wind was howling through hollow tree trunks, making the woods look even more gloomy, there were sounds of men laughing from not very far away. The spooky woods became a little lively because of them. The men had made a fire, they were roasting the wild rabbits for dinner. They seemed to be royal knights, they wore long-chain mails with off-white breeches. Swords were hanging down their waist, while their scarlet shields that had a Lion engraved into it with gold, rested beside the logs.
"I have heard great news today!!" A guy with a clean haircut spoke in a mysterious tone.
"What?" Another asked.
"It's about the Princess of the Selina Empire," he spoke.
"Selina!! What is it?" The one who seemed as if he was the leader jumped up.
"King Jude of Selina has announced, that whoever can catch Savax by the third night of winter festival, will be able to marry Princess Pamela—"
"Marry the princess?! The princess of Selina?!"
There were three overly excited knights, the rest of them were busy with their small jobs, They knew for sure that it was an impossible thing, so they concentrated on sharpening their swords, while the others were setting up a camp.
"Princess Pamela!! I have heard great things about her, they say she is a goddess!" A guy jumped up with excitement.
"Me too!! I have heard that she has black hair, as dark as night—" he was still speaking when another guy jumped into the conversation.
"And they say, she has eyes more beautiful than the most expensive emeralds," he spoke in a dreamy tone.
"I have heard that her skin is as white as freshly fallen snow!!" Said the first guy.
The knights were out of their cool, everyone was busy chanting about how beautiful the princess was, though none of them had ever seen her.
"Tsk— pathetic people, You know what? I have already set up traps in the forest, and I will soon Be able to catch the Savax… I will become the next ruler of the Selina Empire after marrying the princess," the knight who had started the conversation scoffed, his name was Stark.
"Pfft!! Hahahaha! Look at yourself! You think the princess will marry a turnip face like you?" Another knight got up and made fun of him. The confrontation made Stark angry and he rose.
"You think you are better than me?!" Stark stood before Fredric, he was of the same height as him so their eyes glared into each other.
"Think? I know that I'm better than you," Fredric smirked, he was provoking Stark.
"I would love to crush that petty mouth of yours and show you who the real deal is!" Stark replied.
"What are you waiting for? Let's test it out shall we?" Fredric slowly moved his hand towards the sword. Stark was already holding onto it. It was just that they were waiting for the other to pull out the weapon first.
"What is going on here?!" A loud and clear voice came from behind them, suddenly the two knights jolted with fear and they turned around simultaneously, they glanced at the trees from where the voice came,
"Our apologies, Your Highness." They fell to their knees and lowered their heads.
A guy in a green hunting outfit and tan breeches came into vision. The firelight touched his sharp features softly, The blue of his eyes scanned the surrounding like a predator, while the golden color of his hair reflected the warm light of the fire, his hair looked like strings of gold, it gave him a very prestigious look.
The guy stepped out of the darkness, his boots cracked the twigs beneath his feet, his hand was resting on the sword that was hanging down his waist. His serious experience made the knights go numb, they quickly got up and greeted him.
"Welcome back, Your Highness!!"
"What is all this commotion about?" He asked In a stern voice.
"The knights got excited after hearing the gossip of the town," a silent guy spoke up, he was a serious guy with an expressionless face.
"What kind of news led the highest-ranking knights to get into a fight?" The prince stepped towards the fire and asked.
"It is said that the King of Selina has given the citizen a chance to become a part of the royal family," the knight spoke with a respectful tone.
The prince glanced at the knight while lifting an eyebrow as if asking to continue.
"King Jude has given a task. It's that, whoever can catch The Savax before the third night of the winter festival. Will be able to get married to Princess Pamela," he completed and looked down.
The prince sat on the log beside the fire and reached out his hand to the fire, he warmed up his cold palms as he deeply pondered.
"Savax, A symbol of Eternal Love," he mumbled under his breath.
"But it's just a trick of the king, he doesn't want to marry off his precious daughter to some countryman," another knight added.
"Why do you think?" The prince asked.
"Because the Savax is a mythical creature, nobody has ever seen it before." The knight replied.
The prince smirked as his gaze stared into the fire, the burning flames reflected in his deep blue eyes like a desire.
"Have you heard how King Jude married Queen Selina?" The prince asked.
"It was an arrangement," the knight answered quickly.
"Tsk-" the prince clicked his tongue and shook his head sideways. "He caught the Savax to show his eternal love for the queen," The prince replied. "It exists," he completed.
"Gasp-" suddenly there was a deep silence, the knights didn't know that the creature truly existed.
"The king is looking for a man as loyal as himself," The prince mumbled, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "Princess Pamela Carlisle-Calix, The only princess of Kingdom Selina, who rules the hearts of the nation,"
The PRince retreated his hands and rubbed them together, he got up slowly and marched towards his camp, but before he got into the tent, he looked around and spoke to Sir Luther,
"Tomorrow we will march towards the north,"
With those brief words, he vanished into the tent. leaving the knights in a deep shock because to the north were the woods of Estral, the home of Savax the Winter Stag.