Five days had passed since Alex had received news of his father's illness and he had returned to Kineti as soon as he could. He had transformed into a handsome young man, with a changed posture, bigger muscles, and a neatly trimmed beard. Upon seeing his father lying in bed, he knelt down and tears began to flow down his cheeks. "I'm sorry for taking so long to come to you. I was preoccupied with work and I had no idea things were this bad," he said to his father.
Jordan tried to smile, but it was weak. Alex was shocked to see his father move. "You can move!" he exclaimed happily. Dr Collins was also surprised and began to analyze Jordan's condition. "This is the first time he has moved in a while. He must be very happy that you're here," he said.
"Really? Then I'll visit him as often as I can," replied Alex with a smile.
Jordan smiled, and the doctor noticed the improvement in his condition. "Indeed, the gods have answered our prayers. There is hope for your father," said the doctor.
Alex nodded, "I will inform the King of this immediately."
Without wasting any time, Alex rode a horse to the palace. Carmen, who was feeding a horse at the stables, noticed her friend from a distance and greeted him with a wide smile. "Alex!" she shouted excitedly, giving him a tight hug.
"My lady," said Alex calmly, but with a happy tone. "I arrived today. I meant to arrive five days ago, but I could not because of my work."
Carmen asked, "You never really told me what it is you do. Do you love that kind of work? Do they pay you enough wages?"
Alex laughed, "Not really, no. Why do you ask?"
"Well, that's because you're a good fighter," she replied.
"Thank you, but I came here for a serious matter. Where is the King? I need to speak to him about my father," said Alex.
Carmen frowned at the mention of King Cyrus, "You'll find him in his library, writing letters or whatever he does in there," she said irritably. Alex was surprised and asked, "Have you fought with your father?"
"Sort of. Yes. I hate him, to be honest," Carmen replied.
"But why? What did he do to make you this upset?" Alex inquired.
"He..." Carmen couldn't finish her sentence as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Alex comforted her and said, "I'm sorry. You don't have to speak about it now. But we will talk before I leave."
Suddenly, they heard a voice from behind them, "Alex, is that you?" It was King Cyrus.
Carmen pulled away from Alex and ran away. The king didn't speak for a while, but Alex broke the silence, "I came here because of my father's illness. Dr. Collins wanted you to know that my father has made some progress."
"Progress?" the king repeated, surprised and glad to hear the news.
"Yes. He smiled today," replied Alex.
"That's wonderful, Alex. Let's go see him," said the king.
Although Alex wanted to speak to the princess, he didn't have the time. He was too busy attending to his father and reporting the good news to the king.
Alex and the King each took a horse and rode to Jordan's house. Upon arrival, they found him in an even better condition than before. He was able to move his fingers in slow motion.
"Old friend, I see that you're improving. You're a true warrior. Stay strong for your son," said the King.
Jordan's paralysis eased when he saw his son. "You must be very important to him," said Doctor Collins to Alex.
Alex smiled with tears in his eyes. "And he's important to me too."
"We'll finally know who caused this!" said the King.
Jordan smiled.
Later that day, Alex returned to the palace to see Carmen. "My lady," he said, knocking on Carmen's door.
"You may enter."
Carmen was keeping herself occupied by knitting a dress. "I wanted to see you again. I noticed that you weren't pleased when your father approached me," said Alex.
Carmen became irritated. "If you came to discuss my father, then you're welcome to leave! It's clear that you hold him in high regard. Or is it because you feel indebted to him?"
Alex was confused. "What should I be indebted for?" he asked.
"When you were away, my father had to do what was meant to be your duty and continuously visit Jordan to check if his condition had improved," said Carmen.
Alex frowned. "You're right to be angry with me. I deserve a scolding. I didn't want to visit my father again. As much as I loved him, I also hated him."
"What would make you hate your father that much?" Carmen asked.
"I blamed him for my mother's death. She'd still be alive if he hadn't encouraged her to go to war," Alex explained.
Carmen put her knitting tools away and went to offer Alex a hug. "I understand what you're going through. I know the pain of not having a mother to talk to. Shiandra was the closest person to a mother. She taught me all she could about becoming a lady. How to eat properly, how to walk, speak, dress, and how to set the table. A skill she said all women planning on getting married one day should learn."
Alex chuckled, and Carmen pinched him on the arm. "Ouch!" he said.
"Gosh! You have strong arms," said Carmen.
Alex blushed. "I can see that you loved Shiandra. Where is she, by the way? I haven't seen her since I arrived here," said Alex.
Carmen frowned. "She left," she said in a low voice.
Alex was surprised. "But why did she leave? She must have had a good reason," he said.
"Shiandra said that I was no longer a child and that I don't need her anymore," Carmen said.
Alex covered his mouth in awe. "She said that to you?" he asked.
Carmen nodded. "We said our goodbyes, and my father and I saw the carriage she traveled with," she said.
Carmen didn't want to mention the pain that was in Shiandra's eyes when she left or the pain that was in her heart when Shiandra turned her gaze away from her as if she didn't exist. She knew Alex would ask endless questions, and that would cause problems between Jordan and him. She loved her friend a lot.
"Tell me something. How's life in Noracia?" Carmen asked cheerfully.
"Life is good, life is great! You should come with me one day and explore new places," said Alex.
Carmen smiled. She loved the idea. "I doubt my father would let us explore together. He wants me to stay here with him.
Alex was about to leave when suddenly the King caught him leaving Carmen's room."My Lord!" Alex said bowing his head quickly, embarrassed as well as afraid of what the King's reaction might be."What were you doing in my daughter's room?" The King asked."N..nothing my Lord. I only wanted to see if she was alright my Lord. We didn't stay in there for too long. I was about to leave now. I am leaving." Alex said , stuttering.The King laughed."Alex I know you would never take advantage of my daughter. Come with me. I have been meaning to speak with you." Alex sighed in relief. Then followed the king behind."Take a sit." Said the King.Alex did as he was told."Do you drink wine or do you prefer beer?" "Neither. I drink only when I want to be polite to those who invited me to their place."The King chuckled."Just like your oldman. You truly are Jordan's son. He does the exact same thing. He only touches alcohol when invited to a ceremony.""Oh." "My daughter is going to celebrate h
Alex packed his bags, eager to get back to work. King Cyrus arrived at Jordan's home and saw that the young warrior was prepared to leave."My Lord!" Said Alex, bowing his head."Where are you going?""I have to return back to Noracia. My superiors are expecting me.""And what about your father?""Doctor Collins is taking care of him. The man continues to get better than before.""And have you noticed that ever since you began to be around him, he has been healing?""Perhaps he is trying to fight because he wants to live.""That is not the real reason he is becoming better. You are the one whom he is fighting for. Your presence in Kineti is helping your father heal." Said the King."If I stay here I will starve. All I know is combat.""And what if I told you that you won't starve. I want you to come to the palace and train my men into becoming great fighters like you.""That is a nice offer but I am getting a decent pay in my current job." Alex said, telling a blunt lie. "How much do
Year's passed on, Carmen finally turned nineteen. Alex still had not revealed his feelings to the princess. He still kept everything hidden within himself. Jordan had begun to speak yet his speech was slow and still not perfect. He was also able to walk, but only at a slow pace. The portion Shiandra had given him had slowed down most of his bodily functions. Alex felt it was time he spoke to someone about his feelings."Father I need to speak with you about an important matter." He said, one day. Jordan smiled. "Speak my son." He said in a low tone. "Father do you still remember the time when you asked me to play with Carmen?" Jordan tried to laugh but he coughed instead. "Please don't try to laugh. I don't want you to hurt yourself." "You hated the idea. Why are you asking?" " I did not want to play with Carmen, not because I disliked her. I had a crush on her.""Oh! You should have told me. I would have given you advise on how to approach her." Jordan teased. Alex chuckled
King Darius immediately took the princess to Gishon. "You are finally mine. You are my wife." He said, celebrating."And you are mine!" The royal cook's dished up for both of them. When they were done eating, Darius grabbed Carmen's hand and showed her around the palace. "I have noticed that many of your statues here are all made of gold." Carmen pointed out. The king smiled. "Yes, well there is plenty of gold here in Gishon. The statues are our way of taking pride in the resources we have here to attract King's from other countries to trade with us. Carmen was quite impressed."You know a lot about trading?" She asked."Yes my dear. I was a scholar for many years and have traded with many countries." "Then you are very fortunate." "Fortunate how?" "Because you are free." "It may seem that way to you. But there is nothing free when it comes to ruling a country. A king is a King by the people as well as the law's of his country. That my dear is not freedom. It's a duty." Dar
The first three months were wonderful, Carmen enjoyed herself in bed with the King. Her confidence increased, she stopped feeling pain but rather felt excited and more open to love making. She stopped waiting for the king to make his first move, rather she made the first move and she enjoyed being dorminant rather than being submissive. Meanwhile in Kineti. Alex was still keeping his focus fixed on his work. He had managed to train over a hundred men. Kineti had strong defenses. "You have been working too hard. I suggest you take a break for a while then return again after a month." King Cyrus suggested."You want me to leave already?" "No. But I do want you to spend more time with your family. I am certain for father misses having you around the house. You are not my slave Alex, but my helper and I care about you and your father." "But my Lord. I always visit my father everyday after work." "Then you return back here instead of sleeping there with him. What if something bad happ
Meanwhile back at Gishon. Fiona was busy tidying up the Queens room, who at the time was attending other duties with the King. A thought came to her. An evil thought. "Darius belongs with me. This girl comes here and steals my Darius away from me.Who does she think she is? I will not allow their marriage to prosper. I will not! Gods forbid, I will not!" She said, in a low yet angry voice. Shiandra the witch was watching from a distance. She could hear all that the woman had said. She was quite amused." Hmmm. I think it is time, the servant and I met face to face." Said the witch. She made her into the house, flying carefully through the window. Fiona was startled, she screamed but her voice could not be heard. Shiandra mumbled a few words, whilst pointing her finger towards the maid.Fiona stood still, unable to move as well as unable to speak. "Do not worry my dear. I am not here to hurt you." Fiona began to show relief. "I have been watching you. I know exactly how you feel
The first few months proved to be difficult for Carmen. She did not enjoy the things she used to enjoy as before. She hated the smell of cooked meat, she loved it raw. She preferred to sleep with one sheet even as her entire body was freezing cold. She would have constant nightmares about losing her unborn baby and these terrified her. The King tried his best to offer her comfort but he saw that it was not enough. One night Shiandra visited Fiona in her room. The maid was surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?" She asked. "I am here to help you." Fiona became upset. "Your help is useless to me. Carmen has not seperated with King Darius!" "Do not speak what you don't know. I am a powerful witch." The maid kept silence. She was neither afraid, not willing to argue. "A Queen without a heir is a shame to the throne, a king without a heir is a fool to the people. You can have the King to yourself if you follow my instructions well." Fiona smiled"Tell me more." She said
Carmen lived in the wilderness for six months. Some of her clothes were torn. Her money all used up. She finally reached the south country, Aota. When she was not fishing for food, she would go on land then hunt for her prey. She even threw a hard rock to a rabbit and it died instantly. She continued to her hunt and killed managed to kill plenty of animals. The former Queen of Fishing, never slept hungry. Though she seemed alone, she was not completely alone. There was someone who was watching her from the distance. It was the vicious witch Shiandra. She was in the form of a bat. Meanwhile in the palace of Aota. The ruler of the country, King Stephen had been lying on bed, suffering from an unknown incurable illness that seemed to not want to leave his body. Nicholas, his half brother entered the bedroom where the King had been laying ill."Brother how do you feel today?" He asked. "I feel worse than yesterday. My body aches. I feel hot and I cannot seem to move my neck without spra