Part 1
This story has been hidden away in a forgotten corner of my mind for so long that parts of it have begun to fade. Perhaps it is incomplete, perhaps worn down by time, but it is filled with memories I was never able to tell(not even to myself). So I write down what remains before it slips away forever.
I no longer remember exactly where or when this tale takes place. Yet I remember enough.
The story follows the son of an emperor, a prince raised amidst endless war. His father lives for conquest, forever chasing new lands, willing to spill rivers of blood for even the smallest gain. While nobles and generals see him as the future ruler of the empire, the prince himself feels lost among their ambitions.
When the emperor launches another campaign toward the East, the prince rides with the army. Together they march through burning fields and shattered villages. With every battle, another piece of his heart grows colder.
At last they arrive before the great eastern stronghold known as Light Castle, the heart of the region. Siege engines are assembled, soldiers prepare for war, and plans for conquest fill every tent.
Yet for the first time in his life, the prince begins to question everything.
Were they truly bringing peace, as his father claimed?
Were they teaching civilization to lesser kingdoms?
Or were they simply destroying lives in the name of glory?
Unable to silence these thoughts, he slips away from camp and enters the city in secret.
What he finds there changes him forever.
The streets are filled with suffering. Buildings lie in ruins from the bombardment. Families search desperately for loved ones among the rubble. Children cry beside the bodies of the dead.
And among the chaos, he notices a young woman.
She moves tirelessly through the streets, helping the wounded, comforting frightened children, carrying supplies wherever they are needed. Her brown dress is stained with dust and ash, yet a gentle smile never leaves her face.
The prince approaches her.
"Is there anyone injured nearby?" she asks.
"No."
"Then why are you standing there? Help someone."
Without waiting for an answer, she hurries away.
To his own surprise, the prince follows.
Together they spend the day aiding the people of Light Castle. They carry water, tend wounds, and rebuild what little they can. For the first time, the prince sees the war through the eyes of those forced to endure it.
As evening falls, the girl finally turns to him.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"I would."
She leads him to a small treehouse hidden behind the castle walls. During their conversation, he learns that she was born in Light Castle and has lived there all her life.
"You're not from here, are you?" she asks.
"Is it that obvious?"
"You walk like a traveler. Besides, I know every stone in this city."
The prince hesitates before asking the question that has troubled him all day.
"If the empire wins tomorrow, this city will fall. Why don't you leave?"
The girl laughs softly.
"Leave? This is my home. My family lives here. If I must die somewhere, I'd rather die protecting the people I love than spend my life as a slave to some distant emperor."
Her words strike deeper than any sword.
Throughout the night she tells him stories about her homeland, its people, and the world beyond the walls of the imperial court. The prince listens, captivated. For years he had been taught what the world was supposed to be.
Now, for the first time, he sees what it truly is.
That night, before falling asleep, he makes a decision.
Something must change.
The next morning the girl is gone.
The prince returns to the siege camp. By evening, leaders from both sides gather to discuss the final terms before battle.
There he discovers the girl's true identity.
She is the daughter of the lord who rules Light Castle.
The negotiations fail.
War becomes inevitable.
Finding a moment alone, the prince seeks her out.
"Neither of us was entirely honest," she says.
"I came as a prince."
"And I came as a lord's daughter."
She lowers her gaze.
"When the battle begins, please... leave my people out of it if you can."
"I'll try."
The next day, war erupts.
The prince rides into battle, but his mind is no longer on victory.
It is on her.
When he finally reaches the castle gates, he finds her fighting alongside her people. Together they turn against the madness consuming the battlefield. Steel clashes against steel as the prince defends the very people he was sent to conquer.
At last the fighting around them subsides.
The girl looks at him.
"The city is starving. The wells are empty. Look at what this war has done."
Then she takes his hand.
"Come with me. Leave all of this behind. We can go somewhere far away."
Before he can answer, an arrow strikes her.
The prince catches her as she falls.
"Why?" he whispers.
Tears fill his eyes.
She smiles despite the pain.
"Because, Eric... your destiny doesn't belong to these blood-soaked lands. You can choose a different path."
(We don't know how the girl knew the prince's name.)
(The story has always been told this way.)
And then she is gone.
The war ends, but victory brings no joy.
The prince returns to the imperial palace carrying only grief.
His father speaks endlessly of glory, conquest, and the future of the empire.
For the first time, the prince sees him clearly.
That night he enters the throne room.
When dawn rises over the empire, a new emperor awakens with it.
And the age of darkness dies beside the old one.
