Journey to Kingdom

Chapter 1 (The Foolish Prince)

The sun was beginning to set in the west as the day progressed ever closer to the night. There were few clouds in the sky, because it was almost always sunny in the land of Solaris. Although the more rural areas, where agriculture was prevalent, saw plenty of rain, it was not the case for the capital in which I resided. Perhaps that was why the economy here depended primarily on the export of artisan goods and the import of food and animal by-products such as leather and wool. The training grounds were beginning to darken with the setting of the sun, long shadows cast from every tree, rock and other obstacle. My instructor had called me here quite early for an intense training session, and although I wasn't quite sure why, our session had dragged on for an unusually long time. I had no problem spending almost the entire day training, especially since he was such a sociable and kind man that it was never a chore. I felt that I had learned so much from the giant of a man who stood before me, wooden sword in hand. The chirping of birds overhead nearly distracted me as they made their way to their respective nests, but I maintained focus on the task at hand. After all, there would be no room for distractions in a real battle. Taking my eyes off my opponent, or allowing my mind to idle, for even a second could very well spell my doom. The point of these many years of intense training was, after all, to make sure that I could handle myself against a serious opponent.

"Remember, push your body weight forward with your back leg! You must put your entire body into the strike, and the timing is critical. Your attack must be timed perfectly with your step." my instructor, Leonard Knight, lectured me just before he lunged forward to strike at me with the wooden sword. I quickly dropped to a defensive position, bringing my own wooden sword forward to block the blow. "Excellent parry!" he remarked, as he pulled back into a defensive position himself. "Well, I have an excellent teacher." I replied with a smile. Leonard was the kind of man who towered over others, standing at well over six feet in height. His skin was a much darker shade than many in the kingdom, due to having been born from foreign parents who'd migrated here long before his birth. His hair was short, yet course, with hazel eyes that glimmered with compassion despite his otherwise intimidating appearance. His face was well defined, with a wide and protruding jaw. His clothing clung tightly to his robust and muscle-bound body, showing just how much time he'd invested in his physical abilities. After all, he was the top general of the queendom and my mother trusted him far more than perhaps any other confidant. Even though he had such an important duty, he still happily took the time to ensure that I could handle myself in battle when the time came. I always thought I could read people's intentions rather well, but I'd never sensed any hint of hostility or impatience from him in the many years that he'd trained me.

It seemed that he took our instructions seriously and genuinely cared about me and my ability to defend myself. At times he was harsh, and even relentless when sparring, but I understood well that he only did so because he cared. At times, I'd even wished that he was my father simply because he was far less apathetic than my own. It was almost hard to tell that he'd been through many harsh battles and witnessed the things that he had. Even though I didn't quite understand why, my mother had insisted that I undergo strict swordsmanship training every day since the age of five. She'd said that a crown prince should be capable of defending himself, because it was a king's duty to lead the army into battle. I had no sisters, so the responsibility of carrying on the royal bloodline rested on my shoulders. Even though I didn't understand why a king had to be first into battle, I'd taken her words to heart and trained hard to better myself as a warrior. I squared my shoulders and quickly lunged forward to strike at the neck of my instructor with precision. My right foot was planted forward, with my left foot pushing my body weight into the strike. Even though Leonard had brought his own sword up to block the blow, he was still knocked back ever so slightly. "Impressive strike, prince Lux!" he complimented me, which brought a flattered grin to my face. I felt it unnecessary, however, I continued to work tirelessly to improve my form and abilities with a blade simply because my wise mother had instructed me to do so. After all, she was the reigning queen of a thriving matriarchal society. Even if at first it was simply because I trusted my mother, I'd begun to understood the importance my training as I'd aged.