Thief of Twilight

Part Two: Chapter 41

Eight hundred years ago, gods and demons ruled over humans. While gods resided in the heavenly realm, humans worshipped them from the temples and monoliths scattered across the continent. The gods adored both humans and demons alike. But felt it was time to leave the mortal realm as they had governed over man long enough.

During this time, the continents of Iyeth and Alall were thriving. Trade was abundant and war was nonexistent. There had not been a conflict in years between the two. There was peaceful trade between all of the major port cities.

When Atolan Grische was crowned king, he was known as the Stabilizer of Jurza and Knight of Compassion. Many followed him effortlessly as he overthrew the previous king, Eldin Witsch who had thrown the country into chaos through his tyrannical rule.

King Grische had many children, but he felt that neither of them was suitable to sit upon the throne and rule the country. Through arrogance and greed, he knew that the country would struggle and suffer financially.

His youngest son, Prince Vayser, has been very promising since he was a child. Excelling in swordsmanship, an excellent tactician, and a compassionate leader. King Atolan believed that Prince Vayser possessed the precise qualities necessary for one to be king. It wasn't until his eighteenth birthday, that he eagerly crowned Prince Vayser Grische as King of Jurza.

But Prince Vayser felt that he was not worthy of the throne for he had done nothing to prove his worth. He believed that a king or queen should not be crowned as the next ruler due to birth but through their actions. King Atolan agreed as well as respected his son's wishes. He waited until the right time had come for his son to prove his worth not only to himself but to the people of Jurza as well.

Five years later the king of Batoise, Marian Dubost, invaded the gold mines near the border of Jurza. King Atolan asked for the reason behind his actions.

"If you needed gold, you could have simply asked. We would have been happy to give you some if necessary." King Atolan thought that he had done well with forming some sort of bond or friendship between Jurza and Batoise. The two countries signed a trading agreement shortly after he was crowned king.

"I want to expand my kingdom!" King Marian was eager to control all of Iyeth.

"It is not wise for a king to rule a whole continent. There is no way that you can oversee every aspect without-."

"I will rule all if Iyeth! Your land will be mine! Your resources will be mine!"

King Atolan did not want to go to war with King Marian, but he soon realized that he had no other choice. If he did not fight for his country, his citizens would be attacked through raids. All trade would come to a stop as Batoise is one of the main producers of medicine, agriculture, and textiles.

King Atolan proposed that his son, Prince Vayser, lead the army and put an end to this war. Prince Vayser eagerly took on the task and led his men to victory after a war that lasted a total of seven years. Prince Vayser returned victorious, bringing honor to all of Jurza. Four days after his return, he was crowned King Vayser Grische of Jurza.

Shortly after he was crowned king, Vayser Grische proposed to a woman named Raisa Ytzer, the daughter of a nobleman who supported the king and offered financial aid throughout the war. King Vayser and Raisa Ytzer married the following spring. Everyone thought that the two were the perfect match, complimenting one another beautifully. But their happiness soon came to an end when the queen could not bear a child. Suffering stillbirths and miscarriages, many believed that the queen and king were cursed. They believed that it would spell the downfall of the country.

King Vayser asked his most trusted advisors to search the land for remedies that would help his wife. The advisors searched high and low only to return to the castle empty-handed. But one of the advisors, Lord Vern Cwiixe was approached by a woman. A woman who spoke of the queen's difficulties to produce an heir. Lord Vern arrested the woman and questioned her about the words she spoke.