LIAM
"There is no freaking way in the hell that I am going to Oblivara." The third prince of the kingdom of Solaryn, Liam Von Sylvyran, I seethe furiously, veins bulging on my smooth pale forehead, and my jaw tight. I grip the edge of the polished desk as I stare down at the gray-haired upright man who has the same eyes as me.
The tall, majestic man sitting behind a large, wooden desk doesn't wane at his youngest child's— in short— my rebellion. "This is not a request from a father but a royal order from the king, Liam." He holds my angry gaze evenly.
The third king of Solaryn, Roy Von Sylvyran III, is still the mighty and overpowering ruler of Solaryn even in his sixties. He doesn't show any weakness before me, his youngest one, the commander of the imperial army of Sylvyran, sixth on the line to claim the throne.
I hold my ground and stare right into my father's eyes. "I am not going to Oblivara, Father," I grind out through my gritted teeth. "They are the enemies, and I do not want to spare them for what they are."
"Liam, I am the ruler of this kingdom," Roy speaks calmly, but each word carries immense weight. "Do you really think I am oblivious to what I am putting my child through? But, the only one I can turn to right now is you. Oliver is still unreachable, and we need information. So, I will put you to the task of taking over your older brother's job."
"Oliver is dead, Father," I state firmly. "The sooner you accept the truth, the better it will be for the royal family and the kingdom. And I have zero desire to invite my own death like Oliver did."
"Oliver is a capable guy," Roy shakes his head, his arms folded on the desk as he leans forward and looks at me with commendable authority. "He knows what he is doing. I just need you to go to Oblivara and seek out what he is up to."
"And you know well enough that if I step foot on that land, death will be inevitable for me," I state. "I am not willing to sacrifice my life for someone already dead, Father."
"Oliver is not dead, Liam," Roy states. "And you don't have any idea of what you are capable of doing, Liam. I know that you can do better than sacrificing yourself for a bizarre reason like this. I have faith in you. You are just as capable as Vivana. You are just the right person for the job."
I can't help but scoff. Comparing Vivana and me is like comparing the earth and the sky. Both are vastly different from each other.
"If I am that capable, then why don't you assign Vivana for this job?" I frown, deep inside knowing the answer to this question but unwilling to back down from this conversation so easily.
"She is the crown princess of Solaryn, Liam." Roy appears nonchalant to my stupid reasoning. "Her coronation is in two years. She cannot leave the capital during this time. I would have sent her otherwise."
I pause. After a moment of contemplation, I lower my head slightly and speak in a lower voice than before, "What if I disobey the royal order, Father?"
"You will be executed for treason." The words come out of the king's mouth almost immediately as if he were just waiting for me to ask about this. "So, I hope to see you leave the palace by tomorrow's dawn, prince. Any further reasoning, and I will force you to leave."
I bite my lower lip and stare at my unbudging father for a beat before nodding firmly. "Understood, Your Majesty."
I salute my father and then leave the enormous office room, stepping into the long hallway. Sunlight filters through the closed windows, creating ominous shadows across the space.
No matter how much I reason with my father, I know the outcome will be the same. Roy is a stubborn man. If he wants something, he is hell-bent on that. He is not cruel or heartless. He just has a very strong sense of duty, from which his children suffer from time to time.
Now it's my turn to suffer.
The first prince of Solaryn, Olivar Sylvyran, was set up on a mission to go to our neighbor and enemy kingdom, Oblivara, and gather information about the seemingly upcoming war. The event occurred nearly six months ago, but the prince still hasn't returned to the capital. And so, I am assigned to go to Oblivara and look for my brother.
And I dearly despise the whole thing.
I was never close to my older brother. We never actually interacted all that much. We were particularly invisible to each other. Or more like, I was and still am invisble to him. There are many reasons behind that but I do not wish to drag our past through the mud, at least not now. So I don't really care about whether my brother dies or lives. I have my own business to attend to. And other than that, Oblivara is an enemy kingdom. Solaryn's people hate Oblivara's just as much as Oblivara's people hate Solaryn's.
No one actually knows when the animosity began between these two powerhouses, but everyone knows how to keep the fire alive. And so do I. Honestly, I think that it is childish to fight like this all the time. But I'm too stubborn to let it go. Just like my old man. I inherited this trait from him.
But the king has other plans for me. He wants me to step into the shadow my older brother stepped in six months ago and seek out my brother or get killed.
If anyone from Oblivara knows that I'm from Solaryn, they will flay me alive, let alone that I'm the prince. Well, I can't blame them for that because I'd do the same if I were in their shoes.
I sigh as I take off my cap and run my fingers through my shiny brown hair, frustration evident in my action.
I know way too well that the way I am now, it will be extremely hard for me to survive in enemy territory, let alone do the task I've been given. I'm not Vivana, after all…
I push open the curved door of my room. The room is huge but kind of shady and smells of rich wood and luxury. My mind is pooled with various thoughts, and my chest is heavy with frustration and anxiety. As my mind is hazy and my eyes unfocused, I fail to notice the tall figure standing across my luxurious room. The woman's dark brown hair is flowing around her, and her shiny brown eyes are sharp and focused. She is wearing royal attire that is not quite feminine.
Vivana's arms are folded across her chest, and she is leaning against a wall beside the enormous window as she watches me enter the room. She then hurls a rucksack my way, which I catch reflexively.
"What the hell, Vivana?" I gasp.
"I packed your sack." Vivana crosses the room and approaches me. "Be thankful."
I roll my eyes. "Thank you, Your Highness." I don't even try to hide the sarcasm in my words.
"You're welcome." Vivana acknowledges simply, not minding the subtle sarcasm in my tone. "So, when are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow." I throw aside the sack and collapse on my bed, which is way too big for me to sleep alone. "At dawn."
"Pretty early." Vivana comments and drops beside me. "Good luck. And give Oliver a good smack when you find him."
"Say, Vivana, do you really think that I will be able to find Oliver?" I am staring at the golden ceiling absentmindedly as I wonder out loud. "If Oliver has gone missing, then I will be dead before I even know."
Vivana pauses as she studies my expression. "Liam, you don't have any idea what you can do if you are serious. You are even more capable than me. You will be just fine. Don't worry about it too much and just believe in yourself."
I scoff. "As if. I can't even control my magic properly. How am I better than you? I don't even stand a chance against you."
"This is nonsense." She scoffs. "Look at you. You are the best fighter Solaryn ever had. And you will be able to use magic just fine. You just need a little confidence."
I look at Vivana and then chuckle. Vivana joins me with my laughter.
Guess, for this time, I will listen to my elder sister and have a little faith in myself. Well, maybe it will kill me, but even so, I will try since there is no other option aside from it. I better have a little hope in myself than dying like a soulless corpse.