I quickly threw on my training cloak and headed out to the square. The training square was a rugged patch of land where princes and noble soldiers honed their battle skills.
In the training square, warriors practiced everything from archery to swordsmanship, wrestling, torture resistance...you name it. Essentially, it was a place dedicated to mastering the art of ending another person's life.
Not exactly my idea of a good time. I like to consider myself a gentleman—training to kill someone else would never ever be my thing. But killing a beast? Well, that's different. That's why I'm here.
My trainer was Einar aka the Battle Axe. As his nickname suggests, he was notorious across the kingdom for his brutal skills with an axe and also swords. I'd heard all sorts of gossip around the palace about him—how he was a legendary fighter before an accident ruined him.
Apparently, he'd gotten into a brawl with another man over the right to marry his daughter. Not exactly the best decision, and now he walked with a limp, his glory days behind him.
Frankly, my father is quite a poor judge of character for letting such a person be my trainer. But, as the old folks say, "Bite the good part of the apple and throw the rest away." So, I guess I'm stuck with him for now.
As I approached the square, I noticed Einar twist his face in disappointment. His lip curled slightly and I could feel his disgust. But I'm a prince and he dare not express his disgust out loud.
"Late again, you pig arse," he spat, barely glancing in my direction.
Oh! I guess I didn't command the same respect as my older brothers. My older brothers; Duncan, Baird, Archie, Alfie and Leo could literally walk through the streets, and even the chickens would scurry out of their way in fear.
Once, Duncan, my eldest brother, slaughtered a dog just because it peed on his boots. Honestly, that was dog pee behavior, but try telling him that.
"Ehn… I just had a lot to do this morning," I offered weakly, trying to excuse my tardiness.
"Yeah, like what? jerking off to some palace maid?" Trainer Einar mocked, sending the entire training squad into fits of laughter. I cursed under my breath, feeling the heat rise in my face.
"If I come back victorious and become the King of Akrifous, I'll make sure all of you eat pig arses for the rest of your lives!" I snapped, glaring at them.
"Yeah, right," one of the soldiers chuckled. "Bet you won't make it a mile past the gates."
The laughter only grew louder, and I clenched my fists.
When the training started, Einar was determined to break me down. With every turn, every strike, he effortlessly countered my clumsy attacks. I barely had time to react before his wooden training sword landed on my chest, my side, or my neck. It was humiliating.
"Am I dead again?" I panted, gasping for breath as sweat dripped down my face.
"Yeah, you're dead again," Einar said with a smirk, his forehead barely glistening, while I was drenched in sweat.
"I still have so much to learn," I admitted, clutching my wooden sword, feeling utterly defeated.
"More like everything to learn," Einar scoffed. "Training you is harder than teaching a praying mantis to wield a sword."
My blood boiled. First, Lady Eleanor compared me to a grasshopper. Now, Einar was comparing me to a praying mantis? Enough was enough. With renewed determination, I gripped my sword and swung it at him, only for him to easily block my attack and land his own blow squarely on my head.
Pain exploded behind my eyes, and I collapsed onto the ground. For a moment, everything went black.
"Long live King Gario!" an announcer's voice boomed in the distance.
I opened my eyes slowly, blinking away the fog in my mind. My father, King Gario, strode into the training square, regal as ever. His eyes fell on me, still lying in the dirt. He stopped right in front of me, his shadow loomed over my body.
"Get up, young man!" he barked, his voice sharp.
"Uhn..." I groaned, struggling to push myself off the ground. Sand stuck to my sweat-soaked skin, and I felt bits of debris clinging to my hair and clothes.
"Go clean up and rest," he commanded, his tone softer now. "You'll need all the strength you can gather for your journey."
I inwardly cheered, thankful for the break. "Yes, Father!" I said, eager to leave the training square. I turned to walk away when Trainer Einar called out, his head bowed low.
"Your Majesty, Prince Damian is not ready," he said, his voice filled with faux concern.
My father's face hardened, worry evident in his eyes. "I know," he sighed, "but you can't turn him into a warrior in just three days."
"Yes, Your Highness," Einar said, retreating into silence.
With my father's intervention, I was free for the rest of the afternoon. I spent it in the courtyard playing catapults with my younger brother, Eden.
We shot pebbles at birds, trying to knock them down from the trees. It was much more fun than sword training, and we laughed until our sides ached.
As the sun began to set, I flopped down onto the grass, exhausted.
"Ahhhh…" I let out a contented groan, my pulse still racing from all the fun.
"I'll miss you, Brother Damian," Eden said softly, sitting beside me.
"What?" I laughed, ruffling his hair. "Don't be silly."
"I mean it," he insisted, pushing my hand away. His eyes were serious.
"Everyone in the castle is saying you'll die... either by the beast or by something else in the Northern Forest."
I paused to look at him.
"They're just teasing," I said, trying to brush it off. But the truth gnawed at me. I wasn't ready. Not for the beast, not for the journey, and certainly not for what everyone expected of me.
Eden's wide eyes were fixed on me, hanging onto every word.
"I would not let you down. I would not let Akrifous, my people, down." I swallowed hard, forcing myself to say what I didn't fully believe. "This journey is dangerous, but I promise you, I'll come back. I'll find the sorcerer, and I'll defeat the creature."
Eden's face softened, and he wrapped his arms around my torso, burying his head in my chest.
"I trust you, Brother Damian."
I hugged him back, feeling a mix of sadness and determination well up inside me. Eden was the youngest of all my siblings, born to Father's third wife, but he was the closest to me. He wasn't just my little brother; he was my best friend.
"Father is calling everyone for dinner!" Jasmine's voice rang out from a castle window.
I gave Eden one last squeeze before standing up.
"Come on, let's go eat."
♤ ♤ ♤
The remaining three days passed in a blur, mostly filled with me hanging out with Eden and Jasmine. It was comforting just doing anything I wanted. Even Lady Eleanor became nicer towards me.
On the morning of the journey, I woke up early—before Lady Eleanor had a chance to march into my room and drag me out of bed. When she entered, I noticed her eyes were red and swollen. She had been crying.
"Lady Eleanor, did you cry?" I teased her lightly as she began dressing me for the road.
"No," she shook her head, but her voice wavered. It was an obvious lie.
I decided not to push it, though. She was scared for me—everyone in the palace was.
When I reached the courtyard, I found my father waiting for me. His face, normally a mask of strength and authority, was lined with worry. The gray in his hair seemed to have spread, making him look far older than I remembered. I guess the weight of the kingdom had been heavier on him lately. "Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown," as they say.
"Damian, my son," he called out in that deep rich voice of his.
My siblings and I always nicknamed him Father Zeus because of his thundering voice and his god-like presence. But today, Father Zeus didn't look all that godly. He looked... tired.
When I approached him, he wrapped his strong arms around me. I hugged him back, breathing in his familiar scent of mint and lye.
Losing my mother, Queen Susanna, had been hard on him—everyone knew she was his favorite wife. And now, watching me go, it must be tearing him apart. I felt special.
"Please, Damian," he whispered in my ear, his voice hoarse, "just try to survive."
"I will, Father," I replied, doing my best to sound confident, even though my chest felt tight.
Looking around, I saw tears in the eyes of Jasmine, Eden, and even Lady Eleanor. It made me want to cry too, but in Akrifous, warriors don't cry—not in public, at least. We're taught to keep our emotions in check. So I swallowed it down, trying to stay stoic.
"I've personally selected these warriors to accompany you to the Northern Forest," my father announced, motioning toward a group of five heavily built soldiers.
These men were intimidating, to say the least. Their bodies were covered in tattooed dots, each representing a life they had taken. These were true warriors, exactly how I imagined warriors to be – super cool. Typical badasses.
"It's time to leave," my eldest brother Duncan said. "They must depart at sunrise to cover most of the journey by day. The beast only hunts at night."
"Yes, yes," my father agreed.
As I mounted my horse, my brothers and the soldiers formed a procession around me as we began to leave the castle grounds.
As me and my accompanying warriors rode, my older brothers started a warrior chant, shouting praises and hyping me up for the journey ahead.
It felt good.
I could feel the energy surging through me. Their voices reverberated around me, growing louder and more intense. I couldn't help but feel a rush of pride.
For the first time, I felt like... a warrior.
With that sudden surge of pride, I lifted my sword to the sky, and they all roared.