Chapter 1: Desperately seeking light.
Monisha grinned as the paper in her hand turned to ash as it was slowly carried away by the evening breeze. Albert stood behind Monisha a bit wary and bothered.
"Are you sure about this milady?" He asked curiously. Monisha turned to him with a confident smile.
"It's all a gamble." She replied and walked over to her reading desk. "It's all about timing and precision," her fingers gently brushed the feathered quill on her table. "I'll win."
Albert sighed heavily, even though he pleaded for a century, Monisha's mind was already made up. "I stand by you milady till the very end." He bowed deeply.
"You seem sure of that." Monisha hummed subtly. The sounds of the chirping birds filled in the silence between them.
"A time will come where you would have to stand against me." Her words were like a knife stabbing his heart.
"I remain loyal to you milady." Albert still bowed to her.
"You still don't get it, do you?" Monisha sat slowly on the red velvet chair by her desk and sighed. "Your loyalty is to the Morale's family, not to Monisha."
There was a bit of a chill that ran down Albert's spine. It wasn't fear, it was knowing her words held an underlying of her own pain made his heart ache. "When the time comes," Albert stood straight and stared at her peachy glimmering eyes. "Don't hesitate to leave, okay!"
Tears brimmed Albert's eyes, the scene before him wasn't a lady with a meek gentle smile but was that of a child totally engulfed in darkness desperately finding light.
Cerdonia
Magnus sat on the concrete railing and stared at the city at the horizon, the setting sun gradually casting it's orange glaze on the scenery. He wore a simple white long sleeve and black pants, the evening gently brushed his face and swayed his hair in its direction.
"It's your birthday soon." He said to himself calmly flickering a flower in between his fingers. "Where do you think I should go?" His eyes dilated gently and his lips curved upward.
"Why are you here all alone sirya?" General Storm strode towards him.
"Nothing just enjoying this view." Magnus replied calmly and gestured to the scene in front of him. "Not everyone pay attention to this gift from God."
General Storm smiled warmly and sat beside him. "You might not be her son," Magnus turned to him with an oblivious look. "But you are more of Marisa than your father."
"You don't say?" Magnus chuckled lightly and turned to him. The atmosphere turned a bit serious."Why did you do it?"
General Storm had been anticipating for Magnus to ask this question. "It was nothing. I felt like it was the right thing to do at that moment."
"I'm not king material, if that's the thoughts you have." He retorted sternly and watched the last streaks of orange in the sky turn to midnight.
"Whoever did say that?" Storm questioned and turned to meet Magnus's gaze. "A chosen king doesn't always fit the job."
"Funny." Magnus rolled his eyes and gently let go of the flower in his hand. "Leif is a better man for the job. I'm not meant for the spotlight."
"And yet your words in the court cleared out the friction." His brows caressed together. He couldn't deny the words of the general. "Why do you continually put yourself under the shadow?"
"That's quite a question I find hard to answer myself." Magnus replied and clasped his hand together. "I guess it became part of my upbringing as a child."
General Storm shook his head a bit disappointed in the king. "The King truly failed in his duties as a father."
"He did what he could as a father and I'm grateful." Magnus replied calmly staring at the stars that glimmered in the sky. General Storm turned to the sky and smiled.
"I believe I understand what is going on." He started and then he pointed at one of the stars. "You're like that star." Magnus turned to the direction he was pointing. "You shine, but when the moon comes out." The crescent moon gradually came to light as the general spoke. "It's as though you aren't there to begin with."
Magnus felt a tug in his chest and gradually felt emotional. "You feel that no one see you because the moon is there to shine, to glow, to take all the glory."
"Magnus, just because that star doesn't shine the brightest doesn't mean it isn't shining. Yes many don't notice it, or even see it's worth, but the few who do cherish it's light." Magnus stared at the man a bit dumbfounded and weak to speak.
"I see you Magnus." General Storm pat his back gently and gave a reassuring smile. A tear rolled down his cheek and gradually more tears rolled. Magnus bent his head and let his tears fall to the ground.
"I believe you're wrong." General Storm could only smile sadly at his words and gently rubbed the prince's back to comfort him.
Chapter 2: The truth about a thorn.
Monisha stared at the letter that had just arrived from the king. Her eyes twitched in annoyance, on the contrary Eliana was beyond ecstatic twirling round the room with Gawain in her arms.
"A ball!!" She squealed and danced a bit. Gently placing Gawain beside Monisha, she hurried to the door. "Have to pick something beautiful for you to wear."
"Don't act so childish, I'm not attending it." Monisha folded her arm and laid straight on the huge cushion in the drawing room. Gawain crawled up Monisha's body and began to play with her hair.
Eliana glared at Monisha as she walked back and slumped on the couch besides hers. "You're more of a granny than a child." She pouted her lips and sighed. "Please go, it says you're amongst the guest of honor."
"I am always the guest of honor." Monisha retorted and rolled over for gawain to get a better portion of her hair. Albert stood aside and watched all three that were sitted. He could vividly remember when Eliana was a child. She never did change from her expressive nature.
"I believe it's good you attend the ball." Albert suggested calmly. Eliana gazed at him like a newly found hope. "Also I believe the king wants to introduce you to his son's."
Monisha rolled her eyes and sighed, "fine," Eliana jumped in joy. "And it's not because I'm interested in it. It's because Albert's words make sense."
"Finally you can have a proper heiress lifestyle." Eliana giggled and pulled Gawain away from Monisha, the little boy still had his hand outstretched, he stared at the braid he made. It was messy and had a lot of sticking out strands here and there.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Monisha's voice was bit flustered and annoyed. Eliana ignored her and ran out of the room pulling Gawain alongside her. "What a thorn I have in my flesh?"
"A thorn you should appreciate more milady," Monisha turned to Albert and stared at him blankly. She did know what to respond to his words. It wasn't a true but to some extent it was. "She has paid more attention to you than herself or anyone else. I know she's not your mother, but give her the respect for filling in for yours." He bowed deeply and left the room.
Cerdonia
Lawrence sighed heavily as he sat on the rock, his top was completely drenched in his sweat sticking to his body. Ruth had her eyes completely fixed on him, like a hawk watching it's prey.
"Could you stop acting like a pervert." Fraden groaned, he threw his shovel in annoyance and sat on the Rocky floor. Nathaniel was also resting as well, both men had their shirts drenched in sweat and sticking to their skin. Ruth's clothes were less body revealing, she did sweat but not as much as the guys.
They were at the boarder of a village, trying to make a fix an old road for easy transportation. A few passerbys were dazed by their appearance.
(just between me the author and you my readers, they were mostly women.)
"it's hard not to stare, it's almost as if his body is calling to me." Ruth's eyes trailed from his face, his deep golden hunter eyes and wet brown hair that stuck to his face and neck. Her insides tugged at the sight of Lawrence's chest, the dark round spot that signalled his nipple, running down to the six packs underneath. She unconsciously gulped in saliva and sighed in pleasure.
"You might end up wetting yourself if you keep that up." Nicholas chuckled lightly and turned to Lawrence, he sat a few feets away from them. Since the day they visited the heiress he had become gloomy and cold towards them.
"Let him be, he might feel guilty for what he did." Fraden tried to deviate their attention from the lad. "I'm glad we got through with just this as a punishment."
Both Nicholas and Ruth glared at Fraden intensely. "I'd rather help with mountain of dishes in the barracks than be here." Ruth pouted her lips and dropped her shovel. "I just pray we're forgiven before the ball."
"Ball?" Nicholas and Fraden seemed unaware of the upcoming ball.
"Of course, I'm allowed to wear a dress." She squealed and slumped on the hard ground. "Ouch!"
"Well isn't that interesting." Fraden rolled his eyes, his voice laced with sarcasm. he wasn't a fan of gatherings and socializing with people. He'd rather spend time in the library than be at a ball.
Nicholas's eyes were in one way or the other trailing towards Lawrence. To others Lawrence was quiet out of guilt but he knew better that wasn't the case. "Say Lawrence,"
Lawrence turned to him with a blank expression. "Conrad isn't a cerdonia name is it?" Fraden sighed helplessly, he knew Nicholas could sometimes be a thorn in the flesh.
"Now that you mentioned it, I haven't come across a name like that around here." Ruth nodded sharply, she was more interested in hearing his voice than getting to know him.
Lawrence rolled his eyes tiredly and sighed. "My father is cerdonian, I think." He started. "My mother is from Telkesh."
"Telkesh?" Ruth tilted her head a bit lost. "I've never heard of a place like that before."
"It was a small kingdom in the Renaissance age," Fraden was the one to speak. " it was raided down by Dracula few years before his death. The kingdom later depleted and was swallowed in by the Silion over the years."
"You are quite the scholar fraden." Ruth complimented.
"My family migrated about four hundred years ago before Dracula's raid." Lawrence continued.
"That's interesting." Nicholas stood up and picked his mallet. "That explains your skin tone. I thought you were from overseas like fraden here." He nudged fraden and pulled him up so they could get on with their punishment.
"You're a foreigner fraden." Ruth exclaimed and stood up as well. "I never knew…"
Lawrence stared at the backs of his colleagues, he contemplated the facts he had in mind but then again he felt they needed to be aware of it more than anyone else. "The child…"
Fraden passed a glance at him and then at Nicholas who was hitting the ground. Ruth was already ears open to listen to him. "The child at the heiress's mansion."
"What about the child?" Nicholas asked as though he had been waiting for him to speak up.
"I believe the child at the heiress's mansion is a rogue." The atmosphere tensed up and silence spread across the road. The wind blew pass them and the rustling leaves of trees close by followed it's howling sound.
The day of the Ball.
Magnus stood in front of the mirror in his room, he smiled warmly as he gently touched the pin on his silver jacket. It was a golden pin shaped in a rare exotic flower. The pin glimmered underneath the morning rays that peeked through his window. He could vividly remember the first time Marisa gave it to him, His very first birthday gift. "Happy birthday Magnus." He whispered to himself.
He stared at his neatly waxed hair, he felt a bit off and uncomfortable with his appearance. His hand itches to ruffle up his hair and change from the tight pants he wore. He gently pulled out a strand of his hair and a scolding came from behind him.
"Don't do it." Leif's voice cut through his urge to ruffle his hair. Leif's hair was waxed as well. He looked like an angel dressed in a blue and white russet. His skin glimmered elegantly giving off a sense of majesty and authority. "It would be a shame if you were dressed awfully on your birthday."
Magnus smiled a bit overjoyed that his brother remembered his birthday. Leif walked over to him with a red handkerchief in his hand. "Happy birthday brother."
Magnus could hold back his tears, he always got emotional when he received a gift from Leif. He took the handkerchief and slowly opened it, there was a golden badge in it. It was engraved with the pattern of the same flower as the pin he wore. "You went out of your way to do this didn't you?"
"Only the best deserves the best." Leif chuckled lightly, he glanced at his brother and smiled warmly. The expression on his brother's face was enough to melt his heart and redden his face. "Mother's gifts always had the flower engraved in them, so I took that they were your favorite flower."
Magnus wiped his tears gently and sighed. "How about you help me wear it?" He walked closer to Leif, his height towering his a bit. He placed the badge in his hand and pointed at the spot he wanted it to be. Leif shook his head and began to fix the pin.
"Done." Leif said and took a step back to take a good look at his brother. "Now you look like the celebrant."
Magnus sighed heavily and adjusted his russet "You are the reason why I am celebrating after all." There was a momentary silence between both, they had a look on thieir face that hunted a conversation that words weren't needed to be uttered for both to understand. "I love you brother and I'm glad God blessed me with you."
Leif's eyes brimmed tears but he tried to cover up. "Stop saying things like that, someone might misinterprete it." Magnus chuckled lightly.
"Ahhhhh!!!!!" The gruesome scream of a woman broke the serene moment between both brothers. They both hurried out of the room and rushed towards the entrance of the palace where the sound came from.
"What was that?" Magnus asked a bit wary and confused. Leif shook his head as they both took a turn down right.
"We're about to find out." They both got to the entrance and hurried out the door. Their feets halted and their body turned cold to the scene in front of them.
Monisha lazily stared at the woman under her mercy, she ignored the sword that was sticking into her and piercing her spine. Her eyes were glued to the woman who was gradually melting like butter underneath the sun.
Soldiers were gathered round her with their swords by the side. Everyone was completely dazed by the scene in front of them.
"All liars go to hell." Monisha hummed into the silence like a melody played on a harp.