"Lian, Lian, look at me, I'm here again" Navah waved his hand enthusiastically.
Lian's face wrinkled at the print of five fingers on Navah's milky cheeks. He is sent by Esah to the faraway estate again.
He helped Navah to settle down and silently caressed the injury with some cotton and spirit.
"Ah" Navah wailed in pain.
"If you know it hurts why do you do that?" Lian questioned seriously, a hit of annoyance at his helpless situation.
"Of course, I had to teach a lesson to that fourth prince, how dare he harass those innocent girls, if you were me you'd do the same as well, I know" Navah smiled.
Lian shook his head in silence.
"Why are you like that?" Navah observed that Lian is more silent than usual.
"Outerwater has been captured by Nives, now it is not a part of Mortland anymore, we conquered it" he dazed into an empty space.
"Really? that quick? it is good news for us, why do you look like that?" Navah questioned.
"Our forces captured hundreds of Mortland civilians and prisoned them in outerwater. We are medical exercisers Navah, fighting with the forces is another thing but do you think it is right of us to harm civilians?" anger, sadness and helplessness can be clearly seen in Lian's words.
"True, but Mortlanders started it all, they started to mine in our territories without permission" Navah voiced out the conflict which started the war.
Though Navah knows what Lian said is right, he can't blame his father's decisions as well. As the king of Nives he did what he has to do. Mortland forces first pillaged Nives civilian households on the borders and killed many. In the end, both sides lost a lot and suffered a lot. From the inn lady at Sgon village to Sene's incident with the Nives soldier, the consequences of the war were clearly visible to Navah later in his life.
Navah patted Lian's shoulder empathetically. To brighten up the mood Navah changed the topic "Lian, let's go to the back forest at the night, we shall hunt some deer? shall we?"
"Not today, Navah. The commander in charge of the imprisoned Mortland civilians at outerwater is gravely injured. All others are still fighting at Sgon. Though the prisoners are kept at a very secretive hideout and there shouldn't be any problem, father wants me to keep an eye tonight until he comes there tomorrow morning, so I shall leave now" said Lian.
'Secretive place? is there any place that can this Navah Nives can't find? Let me surprise you tomorrow first thing in the morning Lian' thought Navah and he found the secretive hideout to give a surprise to Lian.
But he never could imagine when he went to the secretive place at outerwater he saw Lian fighting for his life. Mortland troops surrounded their camp. If only Lian had never gone there that night, he wouldn't have been caught up in the outer water massacre and Navah wouldn't have summoned his sixth sense and their ill fate hadn't begun.
Back then Navah didn't understand why Fyn wanted Lian personally to take care of the prisoners. But he knows now that princess Sene was one in that group of civilians and probably Fyn knows that and wanted to keep her as a bargaining chip.
He also understood if he steps onto the throne one day he cannot escape from creating blood baths for Nives. Countless bodies at the outerwater massacre stood witness to the blood on his hands. It is enough. He didn't want anymore.
"Master Nara?" an instructor's voice from the other side of the red curtain brought Navah back as he fell into the well of the past yet once again.
"We are leaving for outerwater with the apprentices interested in agricultural and elemental exercising," the instructor informed respectfully.
BINABASA MO ANG
Prince's Identity Vol. 2
FantasyI destroyed his life. Not once but twice. He probably will hate me for what he became because of me. But I have to stay close to him, protect him, care for him even he hates me. Because there was a time where for every single mistake I made, he paid...
