King Arthur, the greatest Emperor of Insignia who conquered empires and united all the continents, had a right-hand man named Julius Bedwyr FitzChivalry.
At such a young age, the two of them were like brothers. King Arthur was a noble with privileges, while Julius was an orphan born on the streets.
The two had separate worlds but had one thing in common, the thirst for the sword.
The two developed rapidly, and at some point, King Arthur became a crown prince. He took Julius as his right-hand man.
The two achieved feats higher than anyone's expectations of the duo. King Arthur rose in political power until he took his father's throne with Julius beside him.
The two went on wars separately only to come back home victorious. Everyone cheered for their achievements and flooded them with praises.
But at some point, the companion's brotherhood weakened. King Arthur grew more greedy and prideful. Yet still, Julius remained faithful towards him.
Everyone started to compare the two of them. King Arthur was reckless and merciless when conquering, while Julius FitzChivalry was analytic, forgiving, and wise.
Sooner or later, Arthur's ears started getting influenced by the rumours. At that point, King Arthur, who developed greediness and laze, became rusty towards the sword, hindering his growth with the sword.
On the other hand, Julius, who remained faithful to both his sword and Arthur, grew endlessly.
Rusted, Arthur's swordsmanship was now and will never be on par with Julius's.
King Arthur started growing paranoid, thinking he needed to make Julius bow down to him. Julius FitzChivalry, incredulous of the idea, left Arthur behind to venture out for another war.
But after his notorious victory, King Arthur plotted to kill Julius and reclaim his glory.
When Julius returned, Arthur sent a messenger to give him an invitation to a cabin that King Arthur enjoyed when he was yet ungreedy and proactive.
Naive Julius thought King Arthur was finally back to his true self.
But his loyalty?
Led to his demise.
The cabin had bombs that awaited Julius's presence.
And when Julius entered the plotted scene, the explosion devoured the whole cabin.
Before his whole body exploded to pieces, he realized it was absurd to think Arthur would return.
So he swore...
He swore on his name to never allow himself to be loyal to anyone. That his next life..., he may flourish, and grow strong alone.
Then his eyes slowly closed..., without knowing when will he open them again, or if he will be able to again.
His consciousness fell asleep for the longest of time...
The longest of time...
Before realizing he was opening them again.
There he was, in another life,
"No! Viola! Please don't leave." he heard someone's voice.
His eyes tired and hard to open, like the first time he had entered the battlefield and won.
He saw a glimpse of a man beside a bed, holding the woman who glanced at him, smiling with her weak, pink pupils. Her face and body, pale as snow, until finally shutting her eyes.
Around him were unfamiliar faces.
His body felt too tired, so he closed his eyes once again. This time, before sleeping, he heard a faint, angelic voice. And others.
"My prince Lawrence..." gentle..., she called. "I will take care of you. So..., please be brave." the angelic voice whispered to him.
Then other voices swarmed his ears.
...A voice, "He's a silent one."
...Another, "He's a devil."
...Another, "He has his mother's appearance."
...Another, "A disgrace."
...And another, "The poor Emperor."
...Then silence.
Footsteps...?
It seemed someone walk in. "That child shall live in St. Apple Villa, far northwest," a rough yet pained voice?
"Your Majesty. Who will care for that child?" one asked.
"Your Majesty. Please allow me to care for the child." the beautiful, endearing voice interrupted spoke.
"Arch Countess St. Claire of Juvinile. You may take your leave and bring the prince along with you." the cold, authoritative voice declared.
Then the steps of someone leaving sounded, everyone started whispering.
"Will she drop out of the position and become a nanny?"
"She shames her family!"
"Wasn't she someone close to the first concubine?"
"She's the lackey of the concubine."
"She's a perfect fit of a disgraced nanny."
"I never liked her anyway."
"I heard her majesty will soon birth to his majesty's child!"
"This child brings horror and bad luck."
"Look at her leave."
"Shame on her."
"That prince will be titled lesser."
"He will not ascend the throne."
FitzChivalry groans at the endless whispers.
The lady with the charming voice whispered at Fitz, "Please stay strong, Lawrence."
"I will raise you and protect you from harm." her voice made him feel safe, assured. As each step they take away from the room, the whispers start to fade.
Then, silence came.
.
.
.
Copyright © 2020-2021 "Noc_Tristan" All rights reserved.
All rights reserved: No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information story and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author except where permitted by law.