ATHENA

SIX

The Kingdom of Thestoria, The White Territory

The Royal Palace

Jason whispered beneath the merry. "Go on, son."

Reluctantly, Leonard raised his glass. "A toast."

Over fifty people filled the dinning table and they all raised their glasses.

"A toast to a brand new year, filled possibilities and prosperity, filled with laughter and merry, filled with power and wealth. A toast to my twenty second birthday. And many more birthdays to come."

They room echoed. "And many more birthdays to come."

Leo clinked his father's glass with his. "Cheers."

Everyone did the same and drank. Convivial discussion and mellifluous music filled the room over luscious and abundant food.

Leo glanced at his time-piece. It was almost nine post meridiem. He had to get going.

When his father laughed out loud at a joke one of the Earls made, Leonard unnoticeably held him by the thigh and mumbled. "I have to go now."

"So soon?"

"It's almost nine. The hide-out's far away."

"Are you sober enough to ride your horse by yourself? Why don't you let Theodore follow you."

"It's called a hide-out for a reason, Father. It's meant to be secret. Don't worry about me, I'll be back in three days. And don't you think about changing your mind, because you promised. And you always say, a Thestorian never breaks his promises."

"Fine, fine, Leonard. But you must not exceed those three days, or the men would be forced to come looking for you? "

Leonard stood, scoffing beneath his breath. Not a chance would they find his hide-out.

When he left the dining hall, his father made an excuse for him. "The birthday boy needs to be out for his retreat, so he won't be present for the rest of the night."

Murmurs bubbled among the nobles.

The king grinned widely. "But that doesn't mean the merry has to come to an end, eh. Bring in more wine!"

Everyone at the table hollered in joy.

A servant had already prepared Hunter for him across Thestoria's gates. The only thing he needed was his sword and a bottle of water. Everything to survive for the next two days in serenity and loneness was already at the cottage at the South of Thestoria, way into the thick forest, where anyone could barely find it.

Two years ago, as he and the other knights paraded Thestoria for security purposes, Leonard had wandered deep into the forests with his horse, he had detached himself from the other knights, and went so far, that he came face to face with an abandoned cottage in the middle of overly grown flowers, with a lake in front of it.

The cottage appeared to not have inhabited anyone for over a decade, but it was built on a sturdy ground. It had a small living room with a chimney, two small cozy bedrooms, a small kitchen, a river at the back and a well at the side.

The environment looked so surreal, so peaceful. Leonard had wandered into it. Everywhere was accumulated with dirt and cobwebs, but it still looked promising.

As he grew older, his duties as the prince was getting heavier. And sometimes he craved solitude, revival.

And so Leonard cleaned. Not something he thought he would do, but he needed to. To make a second home out of the hidden abandoned cottage. Bit by bit, he moved raw foods into the cottage, and thank God he knew how to start a fire and make a meal-all he had been taught at the knights' survival training. He moved in some of his clothes months after, much to his father's unawareness.

Later did he find the courage to tell his father that he had a secret hide-out, and if he was not willing to see his son emotionally breakdown from all the workload, he would love to visit there once in a while to revive himself.

His father had bombarded him with many questions, and after months of convincing him, the permission to go to his hide-out was granted. But once every two months.

And what was a better birthday request than to visit his place of solitude, free from a prince's duties, knight's duties, the job of killing the Blacks who broke the law, and the pressure to find a wife all too quickly.

As Leonard rode past the villages into the mass of green forest, his mind drifted to the couple of Blacks who had not been killed yet. They were bait to attract their loved ones. To attract more of them over so more of them could get killed-his father's devious plan all along. And you began to wonder why these Black people still snuck into Thestoria despite the dangers of death by guillotine.

Leonard knew his father was hell-bent on destroying them, but Leo needed to be away from the smell of blood for at least three days.

As he rode deeper into the forest, Hunter began to slow down, so Leonard got down by the nearest river so the horse could hydrate. He knew they were closer to the cottage.

He was stroking Hunter when he heard the slice of a blade.

Instinctively, he reached for his sword and turned, ready for defence.

A blond middle-aged man was facing him with a knife. The man smiled in a sickly manner. "Happy Birthday, Prince."

Leonard knew for one thing that he was not a Thestorian. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Who I am doesn't matter, your royal highness." His voice was laced with so much derision. "It's what I want that matters." His grin was dangerous. "And that is the news of your death, young prince."

Leonard took a stance, ready to fight.

But the man took out a handful of some powdery substance from his pouch and blew it across to him.

Leonard was confused at first, until the next minute, his vision tripled and his balance faltered. He began to stagger, holding on to his horse for support. Before he could hold on to whatever consciousness he had left and fight for his life, the man stabbed him at the side of his stomach and whispered into his ears. "If you survive this, young prince, thank your gods." And he pulled the knife out, grabbed Leonard's bottle of water, and fled away into the bushes.

Groaning in excruciating pain, Leonard held his bleeding side. He could barely see anything clearly and he was losing blood fast. He rested his head on his horse, gripping his side as his blood dripped on the yellow dried leaves on the soil.

He knew with the way a fever shot through him, there was a substance on the knife the man used. Something poisonous, venomous.

Leonard tried so hard to stand straight, but his knees were as good as jelly. Unable to hold himself any longer, he grunted and fell on his knees.

That was when he heard a horse behind him.

A horse that was not his.

Feeling another presence, he turned and his eyes depicted a blurry, drunk image of a woman on a horse.

The woman was Black, and he knew he was doomed.

~🌹~

Athena is a work of fiction. All elements of the novel are drawn from the author's imagination.

Copyright © 2022

Please vote and drop your thoughts in the comment section.