Ever since what happened on Mon's 'execution', even though no one remembered a thing, Doctor Bai had asked the king to stop any form of literature in the kingdom. From books to tiny strips of paper as long as it contains a letter or two were burned down to ashes, allowing to legalize it only for the castle's own use.
"My books! Please don't do this to my store, sire!" cried an old woman to a soldier who was gathering all the books that she was selling in an open area, preparing to get them burned. She was doing her best to stop them from ransacking her store.
"No, sire! Please! I feed my family through this!"
"We're just doing what we're told to do, ma'am."
Although the soldiers' faces showed how much they're against on the king's order, they can't do anything abou
"Your highness, where are we going?" asked the story teller, almost in a whisper as he leaned closer to the prince. The rest of the soldiers were getting ready to ride on their horses back to the palace. Prince Zaeius just hissed at him, giving a meaningful look or else he might accidentally gave out his identity without him realizing. "Do you think you'll live if someone might find out?" 'Isn't it obvious that I'm bringing him to the castle? This guy must really have a death wish.' It's better that he took the story teller with him. Who knows someone from his troops might betray him? At least if that happens, no one would have the guts to threaten the story teller's life. "But I'm not used to riding hor
'Do you still remember that legend your mother used to tell us when we were just kids?' 'I'm not sure if you're going to believe me now because I did the same when Ferlah told me this. But I'm telling you the truth whether you believe me or not. Ferlah...is here to stop the history from repeating itself. Everything from that legend was real.' Keir's voice echoed in his head again. But no matter how many times he played it in his mind, he saw no connection from that legend and what Keir had told him. Was Keir trying to fool him? Or was it Faz? He's just wasting his time for this. He even dragged Faz into it. "At least you tried your best. You did well. Don't worry." Prince Zaeius couldn't hide his disappointment anymore. &nb
It's been a week since Bek and Meah stayed at the abandoned barn in the middle of Fallen County's boundless forest. And it's been a week since Bek last saw the three of them–Ferlah, Keir, and the prince. One long week. One long week since he and Méah struggled from feeding themselves with wild berries and drinking from the collected dews on the leaves of wild taro plants growing from the back of the abandoned barn. So long that they couldn't even remember the taste of meats tenderness and the savoury flavor and the aromatic smell of the freshly cooked rib soup. No one came back for them. Though Bek didn't feel abandoned neither held a grudge on them. Because he understood. But now, he decided to get out of this unfortunate place. He wanted to escape from this place to an
"Sweet candies for sale!" "Beautiful ladies, I have here every amazing jewelries that you're looking for!" "Everyone, I'm selling boiled eggs and roasted peanuts here!" "Here! Here! Here! I got all herbs and medicines that you want for the cheapest price!" "Eyes here! We make personalized toys for your kids, sire!" "Fresh crocodile meat and whole chickens here! Madam, would you like to buy some?" Bek was mesmerized by how lively this place was. Everyone was wearing fancy silk clothes except for the striving vendors. However, their clothes were more decent and more presentable compared to his despite having a hard life. &nb
"Why didn't you told me about this, your highness?" King Astius was now on the verge of exploding into anger again. In front of him was the jade bracelet laid carefully above a soft, purple cloth. "If the eastern troop didn't find this, I would have no idea that this heirloom has been gone because of your carelessness! Do you still regard yourself as a member of this family and the kingdom's only heir?" "Your majesty, I have no plan of hiding this from you," Prince Zaeius lowered his head out of embarrassment. But he had to lie. "I was planning to let you know though. I was just waiting for the right time. You're busy and have lots to do. When did you ever spend a bit of time about my concerns?" In fact, Prince Zaeius already forgot that he didn't have the bracelet anymore; that he had lost it somewhere he couldn't remember. But he can't just blame himself for forgetti
When the morning came, which was the day of the trial, Prince Zaeius woke up by the sound of drum rolls soaring inside his ears. As he rose up with curiosity, he suddenly felt empty like he was missing something. Although, he couldn't remember what is it. He quickly fixed himself and followed the source of the bothering noise, hoping that an idea would come to him so that he could remember that missing part of his memory. His feet brought him in front of a massive gate where Mon was executed. His heartbeat quickly raced, pounding inside his rib cage wildly, sensing that something bad might happen, especially that he heard tortured screams and gasps of astonished and scared crowds as though they're watching something unbearable and gruesome. He dashed through the gate past the soldiers who were guarding steadily on their feet along each side of the entrance. When he finally entered t
A week had passed and the prrince's wound has partially healed; three days from it were spent on the bed–asleep as the wound was a serious one. Although, Prince Zaeius is still wearing a huge bandage on it. "How are they?" Prince Zaeius asked the physician which the king had appointed to take care of him everyday. "They're doing fine, your highness. Well, except the young lady. Her wounds had gotten so much infection and..." the physician paused, hesitating to say the next word but the prince's stare was too intense for him to handle and so he forced himself to say regardless of hesitation, "unfortunately, the infection was crawling everywhere on the healthy part of her skin. I'm afraid the rotting will continue and would become fatal to her." "Just do everything you can to heal her. And I promise you a hug
The next morning, Prince Zaeius woke up without carrying any weight in his heart and mind. It was the first time he woke up like this–with a light mood. He and the king had just reconciled with each other. His friends were already in his care and Keir had just returned safe and sound, well, not really that sound. The first thing that Prince Zaeius thought after fixing himself was the queen. It has been a long time since he had last seen her. It's true that he arrived last week but he never had the time to pay a visit to her as he didn't want the queen to worry about him. He thought that maybe he should present himself in front of her without any scratches on him or the queen will worry too much. When he arrived at the queen's chamber, the maidservants bowed before his presence and opened the door for him. He quickly rushed insid