Weight of the Crown

Journey 01

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Inevitable Destiny 

Preparation for Prince Aciel's coronation next week took over the royal palace. Rooms were being decorated for the faction leaders' arrival and top military officials had already arrived to provide additional security.

Eden walked across the stone courtyard towards the sound of sparring swords. Down below, Aciel Koi-Longwa struggled to defend himself against his opponent. The sword was easily knocked out of his hands and the crown prince found himself on the floor with a sword pointed towards his chin.

"Welcome back, General."

Eden turned to see her aunt stand beside her, watching the sparring match resume. "Thank you Aunt Asari. Are you done meeting with the King?"

"Yes, we will resume later tonight. Eden, it's almost time for you oath renewal isn't it?"

"Yes, I'm scheduled to head to Wukong Temple to pledge my loyalty next week."

"Did you decide yet? Will you continue in the military or will you be the prince's champion?"

"Why the sudden interest?" Her aunt was one of the king's personal advisors so their limited time was usually spent on family matters and not political ones.

"As a citizen, I have the right to be worried."

"Mhmm." Eden wasn't convinced.

"There hasn't been a shift in power like this in eight years since the war and Queen Atian's passing. The faction leaders accepted Consort Sen's temporary accession to king until the prince became of age, but whether or not they accepted the prince is a different story."

"He," Eden glaced at the prince who got knocked on the floor again, "needs a lot of work."

The two looked down at the training grounds where the prince struggled in his spar. Even an amateur could tell that his form was off. In fact, even an amateur could beat the prince by the way he poorly gripped his sword and left his sides unguarded.

"There are many who, while not directly, oppose the prince taking up the throne. So there would be a high chance a rebellion could break out. When that happens, there's no guarantee that the Koi-Longwa House will continue to sit on the throne."

"Isn't that why we have Lady Zula?" Eden asked, turning her attention to the other end of the training grounds.

Completely opposite to her fiancée, Lady Zula of the Ruruji House easily won her spar against three opponents. Zula sensed the new gaze on her and made eye contact with her partner before turning back to her opponent. A fourth man was making his attack but Zula was unfazed, in fact she almost smiled.

As he approached, Zula switched to a gentler grip. Taking a light step, she used her sword to stop his motion and brought her left hand to the hilt. Sliding through the clashing swords, Zula made them spin one and a half revolutions before her opponent's sword flew into the air.

While everyone stopped to watch where the flying sword would land, Eden already knew what Zula wanted.

"The courtyard preparations finished this morning, I would rather not have to fix it." Advisor Asari said as she caught on.

Unable to say no to her aunt or the future queen, Eden leaped to catch the sword before it embedded itself into the stone. A second after she caught it, she landed on the ledge one foot then the other. Eden nodded goodbye to her aunt and jumped down, accepting Zula's request for a spar.