[completed & uploading weekly]
The heirs to three kingdoms inherit not only the thrones but also their parents' prejudices and wars. As Luka-the second son to the king of Arlos-struggles to decide which battles are worth fighting and which blood feu...
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The next morning, I met Kellen outside the inner gate wearing my usual hunting apparel—black pants with a leather belt, a cotton tunic beneath a thick, black cloak, studded leather vambraces, and a cowl over my bright blond hair. At my hips, I kept two daggers. My quiver rested between my shoulders. I felt their presence like a dark omen, reminding me of what I had to do.
Kellen eyed me cautiously as we walked down the ramp toward the second wall of the castle. He clearly wanted to talk about the night before, but I looked ahead, trying to ignore his stare. He got the hint and began to fiddle with his quiver instead.
Kellen was trained primarily in hand to hand combat, learning to use a sword along with other weapons such as axes and maces with precision. He knew how to shoot a bow but was unaccustomed to the feel of it on his back. I, however, was extremely comfortable with mine—it felt like extensions of my body.
"I don't know how you can climb walls and sneak around with these cumbersome arrows slowing you down!" Kellen exclaimed, annoyed.
"I don't know how you can sprint across a battlefield or ride a horse with your armor!"
Kellen shrugged. "I guess you're right. Different training and all that."
Our father had us take different paths in combat so we could make a better team when the time came. It was customary for royal children to do this. Kellen would normally have studied martial arts and healing, but since our eldest brother had been exiled years ago before our training really got started, it hadn't been so. Kellen instead trained as the eldest normally would.
My brother grinned slyly and looked over at me. "I could destroy you in a hand to hand dual though."
I laughed. "Maybe. That is if I even let you within a dozen feet of me!" I replied playfully, patting my quiver.
Kellen glared back at me, but there was still a smile on his face. We'd had the "distance versus power" debate countless times before, but it was nice to be talking about something familiar again.
Soon we approached the stables. Our footsteps turned from crunching in the dirt to a dull muffle on the hay. I walked to my horse's stable and prepared him for the ride.
"You ready Bud?" I asked as I affectionately rubbed his muzzle.
He whinnied and nodded his head. I named Bud on my tenth birthday when my parents brought him up to the castle stables for the first time. As childish as the name was, it reminded me of a being a kid. As I saddled up my horse, thoughts of happier times were more than welcome.
"We've got at least one last ride together," I whispered as I led the white and brown horse out of the stable. Kellen followed us a few seconds later. We hopped on our matching horses and trotted in silence down the hill toward the city streets.
