The Prince of Aincrad - Beginnings

Chapter 12: Sweet, Loving Princess

Chapter 12: Sweet, Loving Princess

~The Late Afternoon of the Fourth Day of Ash Tree~

The sunlight glistened off of the golden blade of the Holy Sword of Alfheim. The green gems reflected its surroundings as Oberon held it up by the handle. Over the fifty long years he owned the sword, it still looked completely new. There wasn't a single scratch, stain of blood, or even a speck of dirt. Its edges were dangerously sharp; it could slice apart the strongest metal. Oberon used it well, only unsheathing it with "good" intentions.

For now, all he wanted to do was to admire the deadly beauty in his possession. To him, it was his way of "preparing" himself to do what he must...something either wretched or against his will. And by the Goddess, it was beyond wretched. If anything, one could (and most likely will) consider it as-

"Your Majesty?" called a voice. The Faerie King lowered Excalibur and turned his head to see his guest. There, bowing on one knee and his right hand touching his shoulder with his arm pressed against his chest, was Kuradeel. "The leader of the Laughing Coffin accepted your request for help, My King. They are on their way here."

"Will they arrive before the evening of the Seventh Day?" Oberon asked as he refocused his attention on his gleaming sword.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Oberon stood silently for a moment. "Kuradeel," he said as he tapped the stone floor with the tip of his blade and turned to the Knight. His eyes were steeled as he continued with a set frown. "Tell me, and answer me honestly, why have you joined me?"

Kuradeel bowed his head, careful to keep his expression blank as he answered. "I may have been born and raised in this country, but I cannot accept the lies that my people have been fooled to believe. King Kazune had murdered the Queen of Alfheim, Titania. Why should I follow a murderer who claims to be a king, Your Majestly?"

"You seek vengeance for the lies Kazune fed your people." Oberon restated in a simpler way. Kuradeel's nod confirmed his statement. "Do you truly believe that King Kazune deserves to die for the death of my sister?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." came the swift reply. Kuradeel answered with no hesitation and finality clear in his voice. Outside, Oberon grinned devilishly as his grip on his sword tightened, but at the back of his head, he felt an annoying nag that seemed persistent about something. He chose to ignore it as he dismissed Kuradeel with his final words.

"Good. Then we will proceed as planned. Make sure to give the King of Aincrad one...hell of a show."

._._._._._.

~The Morning of the Fifth Day of Ash Tree~

The Prince of Aincrad hated the fifth day of his ceremony and he had a pretty good reason why. Out of all the days, the fifth was always the worst. It became more tiring and terrifying each passing year. He began to fear the Fifth Day like a plague. And this year was no exception. To put it bluntly, Kazuto was about to flat out refuse to enter the Chamber of Springs when Scary and Asuna brought him to the grand doors. But, of course, he couldn't speak up. He could only plaster a convincing smile on and calmly (while internally panicking and screaming for help) entered the Chamber.

The water was cold as Kazuto knelt down to the shore of the spring. He couldn't help the shiver that crawled up his back when he settled himself in that spot. The Chamber of Springs was quite literally what its name stated. It was just a spring of water that sat in the middle of a stone-like chamber. There was not a single torch anywhere in sight. The room was lit up with the brightly glowing white light coming from the bottom of the spring. Of course, the white light was the pure energy that dwelled there.