"Come on now, young prince! You can do better than that," chided Caedric, Zion's instructor and captain of the king's personal guards as he flicked the prince's practice sword out of his hand and pointed his own wooden sword at the prince's throat. The captain of the famed Crimson Drakes was a talented swordsman and had dedicated his entire life to mastering the blade, compared to his years of experience, Prince Zion did not stand even a sliver of a chance. "This is unfair and you know it, Caedric!" the prince replied indignantly as he bent down to pick up his practice sword. "Fair fights only exist in fairy tales, my prince. Should you ever find yourself in a field of battle, you'll face enemies whose skills may far surpass your own. Best to start preparing you for that starting from now," Caedric replied as he lightly thwacked the prince's exposed backside with the flat of his blade.
"Ouch! Stop that!" the prince yelled back as he winced from the sudden blow.
"Make me, young prince!" Caedric challenged as he once again took up a defensive stance.
The prince once again charged at his instructor, hoping to at least land a blow on his body. Caedric sighed and shook his head at Zion's clumsy attempt, he then sidestepped the blow at the last second and gave the prince a good kick as he stumbled past. The combined force of the kick as well as the momentum which Zion had built up thanks to the charge, set him off balance. He stumbled and nearly tumbled onto the dirt, though thankfully he was able to regain his balance at the last second and readjusted his footing accordingly. "You have good balance! We'll make a swordsman out of you yet!" said Caedric. Looking at the dirt on the ground, an idea suddenly came to mind and Prince Zion smiled slyly. Pretending to inspect his feet, he scooped up some dirt. Caedric, being the experienced fighter that he was, noticed the action immediately, but decided to play along. The prince turned around suddenly and hurled the dirt at Caedric, hoping that it would distract him as he ducked under and tried to take advantage of the distraction to strike Caedric. It did not work. Caedric countered the blow and in a split second, Zion found the tip of Caedric's blade pointing at his throat yet again.
"Bold move, Prince Zion. If you were facing any lesser swordsman, it might have worked. But unfortunately, petty tricks like those won't work on me," Caedric said with a grin. "You are improving, but you are still a long way from mastering the sword. But do not worry, you'll get there eventually."
Zion offered his instructor a smile. "Thanks for the lesson, Caedric. I can see why my father tells me we have nothing to fear as long as you are with us."
"I am flattered, my prince. By the way, I noticed you've gotten a new sword, may I have a look at it?"
"Of course, it was a gift from Mr Jelric, for my coming of age," replied Zion as he grabbed his scimitar from where he left it and handed it over to Caedric.
Caedric's eyes widened as he drew the scimitar from its scabbard. "This is Prugallian treated steel… It must have costed a small fortune. You're lucky to have such a generous lecturer. I would have killed for one of these when I was your age…, do remember to take good care of it. I am certain that it will serve you well," he said as he sheathed the scimitar and returned it to Zion. "Now, off you go to the stables, Stablemaster Callum is expecting you."
At the stables, a black stallion was being led around in circles inside a paddock by the stablemaster. The beast appeared restless, neighing and bucking constantly. "Calm down boy, he'll be here soon…" Stablemaster Callum whispered to the horse as he slowed down and looked the horse in its eyes as he slowly stroked its black mane, the horse calmed down a little but its eyes were still darting left and right, as if looking for something. "Ashrunner! Sorry I'm late!" yelled Prince Zion as he ran towards the paddock. The black stallion, now known as Ashrunner, whinnied and tossed his head cheerfully as Zion arrived. "Ah… Prince Zion! Perfect timing! He was getting really restless," said Callum as he handed Ashrunner's reins over to the prince.
"Thanks for taking such good care of him, Callum. I'm sure he's been itching to go outside… Isn't that right, Ash?" Zion asked the stallion as it nuzzled against his face. "There, there boy… I'm here now… Where do you want to go today?"
"My prince, we'll be riding to the volcano and back today, I would like to get you familiarized with the location before your rite of passage."
"You ok with that, Ash?" Zion asked the horse, who whinnied happily in reply. "My rite of passage would be when I get my first drake egg, correct?" he asked the stablemaster.
"Indeed, but the paths up the volcano are treacherous and it would be better for you to get a good grasp of the area before your rite of passage. I have already discussed this with your archery instructor and she has agreed to let you off for the day so that we would have enough time to get to the volcano and back. Now, saddle up!" said Callum as he led his own horse out of the stables and got into the saddle.
"Alright!" replied Zion as he mounted Ashrunner and rode him out the castle and towards the volcano.
As Zion and Callum rode out of the capital and across the countryside, massive fields of crops growing out of the black, ash-covered ground came into view. "Looks like there'll be a good harvest again this year, Prince Zion," Callum commented as he gestured towards the expansive fields of greenery. Zion nodded as he took in the scenery- the blue skies, black soil and green crops all combined to form the unique landscape of Xaevural. Mount Xaevural could be seen getting closer and closer as time goes by. The gigantic volcano was the epitome of magnificence, it's peak obscured by the clouds that were hanging overhead. The sides of the volcano were lined with green shrubs and small trees, adding some greenery to an otherwise lifeless landscape. At the base of the volcano, miners could be seen going about their daily businesses. Carts filled with gemstones of all kinds could be seen being dragged by pairs of horses out of the mines to be transported back to the capital. The small mining town underneath the mountain was rather primitive when compared to the capital. Wooden and stone huts could be seen all around the town and a small tavern was present near what appears to be the town square.
Callum led the young prince to the edge of the town where a path leading up the volcano can be found. "Here we are, my prince," said Callum. "This is the path that you will be taking during your rite of passage. The drakes often make their nests above the halfway point of the volcano, and though the occasional drake may accidentally wander down to the lower parts in search of food, it is still relatively safe. However, one must still be wary of other creatures that make their homes here."
"How exactly would the rite of passage work?" asked the prince.
"You would have to climb up to the top half of the volcano and search for a drake nest, that is the easy part. The hard part is dealing with the drake guarding the nest. The drakes are very aggressive and territorial by nature, so you will have to be very careful. Of course, there will usually be a guide accompanying you to ensure your safety. After you retrieve the egg, your guide will protect you as you descend the mountain with your egg. The female drake will often stop chasing you after some time as it would not want to leave its other eggs unattended for too long. But do not take it for granted, there have cases where a female drake chased someone all the way down the volcano and mauled on them after they've let their guard down. You shouldn't be too worried though, considering Captain Caedric has volunteered to be your guide and escort," explained Callum.
Callum then proceeded to lead Zion up the path to get him familiar with the route. Fortunately, they did not encounter any wandering drakes or other predators. It was evening by the time they were done and as they prepared to ride back to the capital, Zion took one last look at the magnificent volcano- now covered in the orange glow of the evening sun. The volcano was the lifeblood of their kingdom, its ash fertilized their crops while the gems found there sustained their economy. It was the sole reason that their kingdom was still thriving despite the hostile terrain.
The ride back was uneventful and the sun had already set by the time they reached the castle stables. "I'll see you again soon, Ash," whispered Zion as he handed the reins over to Callum. The horse whinnied and nuzzled it's face against Zion's once more before letting Callum lead it away.
It took around half an hour for Zion to wash off all the dirt and sweat that clung on to his body after the trip to the volcano. After which, he put on some more appropriate clothing and headed straight for the dining hall where his father awaits him.