Chapter 1
Avice
“Careful, you might hurt yourself”, I say to the young girl who insisted on having a fun sword fight with me in the arena.
I am Avice, the princess and heir to the kingdom of Koda. Despite my title, I may not always behave like a princess. Just like I’m here today, playing games with random kids.
I stand in the middle of a small makeshift arena, in front of a girl who reaches my shoulders. The roar of the crowd surrounding us overwhelms my senses, but I like it. It makes me feel alive, as if for a moment, all worldly affairs have come to a halt and all that exists is this match and the public all around me.
I stand there quietly as the Arbiter introduces both the opponents to the crowd. I use my time to analyse her body language. The girl seems to be confident. It’s unusual, since even the most talented kids get nervous in front of a princess. I decide to make the first move.
The arbiter gives us the signal and I run towards her, throwing my first punch. She responds better than I expected her to. We soon find a rhythm and I’m immersed completely in the fight. I love this. Finally, after I don’t know how long, I land my last hit and she hits the ground.
The adrenaline starts to drop and the crowd is all around me again. My short breaths and pain in different parts of my body becomes noticeable. I give a glance to Agnes standing beside the arena, cheering. Although she is supposed to be my best friend, I have never considered one. For me, she is no less than my sister. After the great misfortune of losing her parents fell upon us, she stays with my family, just like my sister.
The warm rays of sunshine softly land on her and make her brown eyes glow so that they almost look golden. Her light brown curls dramatically dance with the breeze. She has always effortlessly found a way to look as if she was posing for a portrait. Although I’m the blood princess here, she possesses all the traits to be recognised as a one at the first glance.
I step out from the arena after offering the girl a hand to get up and giving her a few sentences of praise. Well deserved, I would say. I move towards Agens, who is smiling at me. I return the smile and we begin to walk together.
“That was good”, she says. I shrug in response. “But you need to make sure mother and father don’t get to know about these fun games of yours. They won’t be too happy about it”
She’s right. The princess of the kingdom fighting in the arena with random kids? That’s very much against their standards and dignity. When will you understand that you are the heir to this throne? You need to learn to behave like one. My mother would speak in the most eloquent queenly manner, dramatically pointing her hand towards the throne. I almost laugh at the thought.
“Don’t worry too much about it”, I say to her.
We walk through the streets, admiring the beauty of the carnival organized in the kingdom, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of establishment of this beautiful independent kingdom and the coronation of my father, King Ludovicus. He is the first ruler of this kingdom, and one among the noblemen who came up with this idea to lay the foundations of such a civilization.
Thoughts about my father bring me back to face his current situation, a reminder that suddenly drowns my heart. He’s been ill, very ill. Lung cancer, the medics say. Very less chances of survival, they say too. Not to mention the evening gossips that run around the folks. “He has no son! Who will be the next king?” they say. “She’s not even married yet.”
I push back the thoughts. You’re here to be happy, Avice.
The noisy streets are filled with people walking, sometimes running around, glancing at the stalls. The kids are concentrated in the games section. The young fellows seem to be more interested in bull-riding, most of them trying to impress a girl by the show of their ability.
The weather seems to be celebrating too. The sunshine is warm and bright enough to create a giddy and energetic atmosphere but not too harsh to cause skin burns or immense dehydration. The clouds send soft gusts of wind here and there to elevate the mood.
It almost feels… too perfect.
My eyes land on a familiar face as we turn around a corner.
“Princess Avice and Agnes!”, Laleh exclaims as she approaches me. “Laleh”, it’s nice to see you out here. How have you been liking the carnival so far?”
She looks around with a soft smile, “It’s something I have never seen before. My eyes seem to be constantly wide in awe. Congratulations, by the way, for the 40th anniversary of His Majesty, King Ludovicus.”
“Thanks.”
She is the princess of Kingdom Lorvain, one of our only few neighbours and close friends, filled with lush resources. We trade fish and spices with them in exchange for our military strength and protection.
A sudden frown spreads across her face. “Any update on his health?”
“It’s the same”, I say quietly.
“And your mother?”
“As usual”, I try to shrug it off with a small laugh. After hearing the news of my father’s illness, Mother seems to have been shaken badly. She spends most of her time sitting by my father’s bedside chatting with him randomly, or in isolation. Even her talks with me and Agnes are very limited now. Most of the administration is controlled by Aldric, the army general and not to mention, my closest friend and mentor.
“I hope the conditions get better soon”, she says. I nod.
“I just stumbled upon a clothes stall and found a beautiful Schal”, she says, trying to change the subject. I’m grateful for it. She shows me a cream coloured schal with red linear patterns on it, which she has already draped across her shoulders.
“It’s beautiful”, I say softly.
“Hey! Have a look at this collier I stumbled upon”, Agnes says, joining the conversation.
“Oh lord, this looks so beautiful”
I eventually lose interest in their conversation and trail off. I start to observe the people around me once again. The families walking by, joking and laughing among each other. Then I observe the guards, standing firm on duty, checking for any signs of theft or violence.
My ears are a little overwhelmed, but I like the thrill. The sounds come up mingled among each other, but I try to separate and identify them. The artists are having a singing show nearby, and the people around them dance gayly to the beats. I listen to the laughs, the occasional screams of children, the clattering of windchimes, the vendors calling out to attract people, the bellowing of the bull trying to throw its rider off, the galloping of a horse, no, many horses.
But wait, there are no horses here?
I return to my senses as I check the guards positioned in the middle of the carnival. They have no horses. Then where’s the sound coming from?
“Something wrong, Avice?”, I hear Agnes ask as she observes me with a furrow in her forehead. I notice now that Laleh is gone. I wonder for how long she has been gone and for how long I have been trailed off into my thoughts.
“Do you hear that?”, I ask her.
“Hear what?” She seems to have no idea.
I close my eyes and listen again. I feel the tremors in the ground beneath me. What if this is what I fear this is? I move my eyes around, searching for anything unusual. The public seems to have no idea.
Then I focus my vision farther, to the distant hills. That’s when I see it, the source of the sound. Army. A huge army marching forward, towards us. That is when it hits me.
We’re under attack.
