"I came to this kingdom when I was little.
My parents fled with me from the Demordius Empire because of poverty and the horrible way people are treated.
Teo, have you wondered why chocolate is so hard to find?"
"Yes, but I haven't asked anyone why."
"I'll tell you. The cocoa tree only grows in the Demordius Empire, and the emperor sells the chocolate at an extremely high price, even though he makes a lot of money selling the chocolate, he doesn't care about the people.
All people working on cocoa farms are treated like slaves."
Hendi tries to hide her right hand with which she scratches the bench she's sitting on.
I didn't think the world could be so unfair and cruel.
"Every day we got a slice of bread and had to steal from the water that was used to water the trees, because the empire is largely desert we had nowhere to find water.
If the guards catch you stealing water they will kill you instantly, and if you steal even a cocoa bean you and your family will end up being tortured to death in the middle of the farm so that all the workers can see what happens to those who dare to steal."
I hope we don't do something like that with our people.
"Even us, children, were forced to watch that hell.
After they died, the guards forced the children to take pieces of the corpses to the cocoa trees as fertilizer, and anyone who refused to do so was beaten so badly that they could not get up off the ground.
My father couldn't resist seeing me and my mother die of hunger and thirst, so he made a plan to flee the empire.
The day before the cocoa beans were to be harvested my father hid a wagon with roof and a horse near the farm.
At nightfall the three of us went and stole as many cocoa beans as we could carry, took them to the wagon and left.
We were lucky that near our village there was a riot and most of the guards went there.
That day I ate chocolate for the first time."
"But how did you end up in our kingdom?"
"It took us 17 days to get out of the Demordius Empire, another 6 to get through the kingdom of Klakus and 2 to get to the capital of your kingdom.
If we hadn't stolen the cocoa beans, we wouldn't have made it this far."
"But why didn't you stay in Klakus Kingdom?"
"The Klakus Kingdom is on good terms with the Demordius Empire.
If we had stayed there in the end we would have been caught and killed."
"What was the reason you became a soldier?"
"When we got here, my parents were afraid that we would be sent back.
That's why I was sent to Knight School and my father opened a tavern with the money he made after sold the remaining beans."
"How did you know our language?
Why did he open a tavern and you went to Knight School?
Wasn't it a better idea to stay hidden?"
"We prepared for a while before leaving the empire.
Dad said it's better to make friends to help you when you need it, and the best place to meet new people is in a tavern.
And I chose to go to Knight School for several reasons.
First of all, to meet new people, to be able to protect my family, myself and the kingdom that gave me a life what is worth living."
Hendi grabs my hands and holds them tightly.
"I owe my life to the King for everything he has done for us .
And Teo, my husband and I are convinced that you will become an even greater leader than your father, the king."
That took me by surprise, it's the first time someone has said those words to me.
"I'm glad to hear that Hendi. But who is your husband?"
"Oh, we forgot to tell you. Andersen and I are married."
"I'm happy for you.
I take it that you two met at the Knights School?"
"Yes. Hendi was and still is a person who doesn't give up, always wants to climb as high as possible, and that's what I liked about her."
"Why did you choose to become a knight?"
"My dad's a soldier, and I got passionate about it.
Teo, we've reached the woods."
"Finally!" I get up from the bench, stretch my body and jump off the wagon.
It's time to try the sword.
"Before you go Teo. We're here to gather what you hunt, but be careful.
In the forest you can run into creatures that are capable of killing you with one blow.
In case you get lost try to find the road we are on, go through the whole forest.
Ok?"
"Okay Andersen." I'm going straight ahead on the road that go to the woods.
When I get to the forest the first thing I do is look through the trees at the baby birds chirping in their nests and the squirrels looking for acorns.
"Aaaah! No, no, nooo!" That dream again! Everything is in fire!
I give myself two slaps and my mind instantly comes back to reality.
"Auuu!" It seems like I can also recover if I do that, but I still prefer meditating.
I eat a candy and get over the pain.
A rustle? Maybe I'll get lucky and find a wild boar.
Without making a sound, I take the sword out of its sheath and walk towards the noise.
I see the bush where the noise is coming from, hide behind a tree and wait to see what animal it is.
He pulled his tail out of the bush!
It's short and thin, most likely a wild boar.
Boars have pretty tough skeletons and skin, there's no way I can take him down if I attack his head.
I can see his legs, I can cut off one leg if I hit it with all my strength.
With small steps, I'm getting closer and closer to the bush.
He hasn't felt me yet, this is my opportunity.
I tighten the hilt of the sword, raise it above my head, and use all my strength to cut off his leg in one shot.
"Oinkkkk!!!."