The Red Prince (1)

by Stephen Lucas Lacroix

  Evangeline could not stop her tears from falling. The diplomat was right. It would be hard for her to accept their deaths. It would never be easy. But as long as she remembered them and kept on loving them, even though they were gone, they will live on in her memories and her heart.

  It took awhile before she was able to compose herself. Evangeline finally calmed down as her head rested on a pillow, while Moselei sat outside the balcony. Evangeline sat up and walked towards the balcony. She saw him looking over the night sky. She gazed upon it as well and was instantly captured by its beauty.

  Moselei noticed the princess and smiled as she saw her captivated by the stars.

  “You know, Princess, Samau, despite its very cloudy days, has a very beautiful and clear night sky. As you can see,” Moselei said.

  Evangeline only beamed at the diplomat as she continued to gaze upon the night’s horizon. After a moment’s notice, she looked at the diplomat.

  “Why are you so nice to me?” she curiously asked.

  “Well, for starters. It is my duty as the emissary of the Empire that the heir to the Sanctum Throne is safe and secure. Not to mention in a good state of well being, and also the fact that you remind me of my daughter,” he said as he gazed upon the princess and she looked back at the diplomat. “She is in Tamara living with her mother.”

  Evangeline did not expect that answer. She blushed a bit as she looked back at the diplomat. Evangeline listened to her companion and asked him to tell her more about his daughter.

  “She has the same hair as you, the same charm as you. She even has the same disposition as you. That’s why every time I see you, every time I look at you, all you remind me is my daughter back home.”

  The Princess was quite flattered. Then a thought suddenly struck her and she smiled at the diplomat. “No wonder you cared for me so much,” she said as both laughed at the thought.

  “Well, I haven’t seen her for several months now. I really miss my daughter. She should be the same age as you actually,” Moselei said as he sighed.

  Evangeline could see that Moselei really missed his daughter. She reached for his hand and held it. “Thank you,” Evangeline smiled.

  “You are most certainly welcome, Princess,” Moselei answered back as he held Evangeline’s hand back. Both of them let go and continued to gaze upon the night sky a bit longer.

  After a while, Evangeline yawned and Moselei took this as his signal. He stood up and so did the princess.

  “I believe you are fine now. I must go to my own room and rest. We still have a big day tomorrow,” Moselei said and Evangeline went with him to the door.

  “Good night, good Sir,” said Evangeline.

  “Good night, Princess,” he answered. He bowed down and went on his way.

  Evangeline had not closed the door yet and after a moment’s notice, decided to chase the diplomat and gave him a tight hug. “Thank you again,” Evangeline repeated, before running back to her room.

  Moselei could not help but smile and went inside his room to sleep for the night.

  Evangeline already lied on her bed, stared at the ceiling of her room, sighed deeply then went on to sleep.

  Next morning, Evangeline was done preparing her things for the road. She walked to the balcony of the room and looked outside as the sunlight shone throughout the early buzzing town. The kids played early on the streets and the escorts prepared the carriage that they would use.

  Still recovering from her loss, a teardrop fell from her eyes but tried to be strong for she knew she should not be weak at this time. She breathed, “Mother, Father. I’m fine now.” She wiped her tears and closed her eyes.

  One of their escorts knocked on the door. “Come in,” said Evangeline while looking at the door. The escort entered the room along with two others.

  “Princess, we are going to bring your things down,” The princess entered the main room once more and closed the balcony doors.

  She pointed out the ones that were going to be brought down. The escorts then picked up the last baggage and they all went down except for one. “Is there anything else, Princess?” the escort eagerly asked.

  The Princess only replied with a smile. The escort bowed down and left the room. Evangeline admired the town’s scenery. It reminded her of her home. She was only away for a day but she felt as if she left years ago.

  Moselei knocked on the door but Evangeline was busy enjoying the view and the fresh air. Moselei let himself in and found Evangeline by the balcony. Moselei smiled and walked towards her slowly. “My Princess, are you alright?” Moselei asked as he noticed the uneasiness surrounding the princess.

  “Yes, I’m feeling alright, good Sir. Just a little bit uneasy because this is my first time to sleep beyond the walls of my bed chamber and in a foreign land as well,” she answered.

  “Well, we all have something precious to us to protect. I strongly believe that we are doing the right thing,” Moselei said as he enjoyed the sunlight. “Your Highness, I must go now. We will be waiting downstairs for you. Please hurry up.”

  Both of them chuckled and Evangeline said, “I’ll be there. I’ll just change clothes.” Moselei nodded and closed the door.

  Evangeline prepared her clothes and changed into it. She went down to the carriage. She looked around her to remember it and the short time she spent there.

  “Soon you will be back here in Samau, Princess. Don’t worry,” he said as he looked outside the window.

  Evangeline was satisfied and replied, “I’ll make sure of it.” Smiling both to each other, she entered the carriage and commenced to their destination.

  As they entered the country side again, Evangeline sat quietly still thinking about something from last night. Moselei noticed this and looked at the princess.

  “Is something bothering you, Your Highness?” he asked.

  Evangeline just looked out the window, “I’m still wondering about why Tamiron want me and my family dead.”

  Moselei was caught off guard about this.

  “Are we that strong of a threat? Why would he come after us?” she pondered calmly while holding her hands tightly.

  He couldn’t begin to imagine what was going through her mind right now. He took a deep breath and answered, “With all honesty Your Highness, all of the kingdoms here in Unibeltrasia will try to take you out of the picture first.” Evangeline turned to meet his gaze.“Especially you. You are too powerful if you ask me.”

  “But why? We have been a loyal ally to the Empire. A friend,” Evangeline said.

  “I can’t tell exactly, Princess,” he said plainly. He then took Evangeline’s hand and held it firmly. “But I must ask you this for both our questions to be answered. I want you, with the best of your abilities, to spare Tamiron’s life.”

  The Princess did not know what to say.

  “I know, I know. It is against the Prime Minister’s wishes and the Imperial Council, but —” he quickly turned to glance on the driver and leaned a bit closer to Evangeline, “something is really not right here. I know the Prince personally. This is not how he behaves, even in battle. So as a friend, please spare his life and find out what happened back in the plains. Please,” he pleaded.

  She saw in his eyes the genuine worry that you could see in a father.

  “I will. I promise. I’ll do whatever it takes,” she answered warmly.

  Moselei painted a smile on his face, “Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you so much.”

  Evangeline then noticed a tower from afar. Moselei noticed the princess and followed Evangeline’s gaze. He sat back and grabbed a book from the top closet in the carriage. He opened it, searching for something.

  Evangeline went back to the diplomat and asked, “What are you looking for, Sir?” Moselei just continued looking and finally found it. He smiled at the princess and handed the book to her.

  The princess looked at the picture drawn in the book. She compared it with the one outside. The diplomat then answered Evangeline’s question,
“That Your Highness, is the Eldemenster Temple.”

  Evangeline looked at the diplomat with awe, “It exists?” she asked.

  “We were quite surprised that it appeared, Your Highness. You will be gathering with the others there. We will be leaving you in the path leading there,” Moselei said.

  Evangeline looked at him again, this time without the smile, “You are not going to accompany me to Tamara once we are complete?” she asked.

  “I’m afraid I can’t, Princess. I’m sorry. I need to head on to acquire another warrior. Another one of your companions,” he explained.

  Evangeline took a deep breath as she looked at the temple. The very sight of it brought every bit of her attention. The problem at hand was indeed of great importance. She would make sure that her parents would not have died in vain. She would help out however she can to make things right.

  Arriving at the path towards the temple, the carriage stopped. Evangeline hurriedly got off of the carriage, bringing only a bag full of clothes and food.

  “Are you sure you will be alright with what you are bringing, Princess?” Moselei asked again.

  “Yes, this is enough. Thank you your grace,” she politely said.

  “As soon as I’m done with my other tasks, we will bring everything we brought along with us to Tamara. I’ll be waiting,” Moselei bid farewell without a moment to waste.

  Evangeline beamed a smile to them as they headed on their way. As soon as the carriage disappeared from her sight, she faced the path leading towards the temple. She took a deep breath first and began walking her first steps towards the Eldemenster’s Temple.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  It was a dark and horrid night as it rained heavily somewhere within the imperial southern territories. Thunder echoed throughout the night and lightning lit up the sky. In a large passage way between two enormous cliffs, Prince Tamiron led his restored Xerxecian army. He marched alongside his men before he jumped on top of a big rock in the middle of the passage. The army continued to march as he observed the path onwards. He noticed something and slowly raised his fists, prompting the army to halt.

  He jumped from the rock and slowly walked forward to the front of the army and stopped in front of two enormous rock pillars attached to the rocky side of the gorge. He observed the two pillars from left to right, top to bottom and then he breathed heavily. He looked up once more and saw above them an observer scout owl flying as it shadowed the Red Prince’s army, moving along the wide corridors. The Prince, aware of the owl’s presence, looked at it with his glowing red eyes as it glided over them. He grinned deviously and walked back, prompting the army to walk back as well. He released a harrowing growl and his right gauntlets turned into an enormous iron fist that glowed bright red. He stepped his right foot back and held his enormous fist behind to gain momentum. He hurled a punch towards the space between the two stone pillars and surprisingly, it hit a maroon colored force field that quickly shattered to pieces. The sound and wave of the impact echoed throughout the passage. Rocks started to fall from the sides while the earth shook in frailty.

  The force field was no more after one punch from Tamiron. He retracted his iron fist. Tamiron looked again at the deep pinkish owl that flew above and showed another sinister grin. He signaled his army to face the other way and continued to march. One of his soldiers brought his horse as he continued to look at the owl then went to follow behind his army.

  At the joint Imperial-Order Defense Ministry, the generals of both the Imperial and Orderian armies watched the renegade prince with one observer owl projecting what the other saw. They were petrified by what they had witnessed. Others were shaken while the others stared in silence at the map the owl projected.

  Then two Orderian generals talked to each other, “This is a not a good news to deliver back to Tamara and to Sanctum.”

  “That is our strongest barrier spell. Nothing should be able to destroy that. Nothing!” one pointed out.

  A Trasidar general then hastily added one of his own, “What’s the point of those shields up in Barceneim if he can easily punch his way through?” Hushed chatter began between the generals.

  “That look of his gave me chills. I feel sorry for the region of Go’Renhor,” another general pointed out.

  But the oldest general in the room, the one who sat across the table, was more horrified of the prince. The other generals took notice of this.

  “The Prince’s armor, I haven’t seen that armor since I was a foot soldier in the old war,” he pointed to the hologram the owl was producing. Everyone looks at it while the general continued, “That armor is an ancient one.” Everyone looked at the general.

  They saw him weep. The generals were surprised. He was the bravest and toughest in the room. But to see him in such a state, knew now how powerful the Prince was, more than they had ever realized.

  End of chapter VI

  VII: COMING AND GOING

  IN THE MIDDLE OF THE Arumar continent, the vast Plains of Thromasda was located. And in the endless sea of grass, hills and trees, the Middle Kingdom of the Tigris settled. Versatile and agile people, the Tigris ruled the heart of the continent. With the four great rivers of Anemone, Ongrun, Condrad and Jasmier meeting at one point, this huge grassland was a haven to most of the world’s creatures.

  After defeating the Pridron people of the Pantheria Kingdom or the “Pride”, they settled in this land long after the old war had ended. A flat, featureless terrain of greens and low trees with a few hills and mountains, few roads crossed to connect some kingdoms through its lands. In the Kingdom’s center was the great capital of Tigeria. They said the city was not on land but under it, in a large burrow. There was a hole atop the city where the sun shined through and onto the underground city. The rivers of the land met at the middle and came down as four glorious waterfalls.

  The Tigris people were friendly and lived in harmony with the other kingdoms of the land. The Lamenreise family, ruler of the Tigris, was led by Mistrell Agamanu Lamenreise, Queen of the Tigris and her daughter and only heir, Princess Kaira Lamenreise.

  The imperial diplomat that was sent by the Prime Minister, Moselei Maktu, was escorted by two Tigris guards marked with tiger stripes on their arms and their eyes were like those of tigers that roamed their kingdom. As they rode their own horses, they escorted him to the location of Tigeria to meet their council in call for their help. They were running on the grass and off the road as they followed the great river of Ongrun that lead to the city.

  It was early that day. The mist of the morning sun still loomed the lands and the winds blew through the field while the grass waved along with it. The sky was blue and not that cloudy. They came across a family of large mammals with long trunks and four horns coming out of its head. The elefantres was truly a remarkable beast.

  “Is it still far?” Moselei asked.

  “We are almost there, Your Highness,” answered one of his escorts.

  They hastened their pace upon his inquiry. After a short while, the ride got a little bumpy and made the diplomat feel uncomfortable. The sun was in the middle of the sky when they finally reached their destination. The carriage halted and the diplomat then decided to go out. He was astonished by the city gates of Tigeria.

  “Welcome, My Liege, to Tigeria,” said the escort.

  Moselei’s eyes widen as he was in awe to have seen an enormous hole were the river roared down with them. “Sire, get on your carriage now, we will now enter the city,” the guard added.

  Moselei stood up and caught a few breaths, before boarding his carriage once more. The carriage then followed the guards as they slowly descended to the city below.

  The city entrance was nothing compared to those of Tamara. It was decorated with the emblem of the Kingdom. They finally entered the city and were on their way to the palace when he saw the full scale of it. The arches supporting the underground city transformed ordinary streets into a maze-like structure. He was incredibly fascinated with the scale
of the city. It was like he was in a trance. The houses were built on the cave wall with paths along it, circling down to the center castle. The houses were lit up all the way down. The four waterfalls glittered like stars as they dropped to the center where a castle is seemingly being shielded by them. Moselei was so amazed he remained speechless.

  The guard quickly informed Moselei, “This burrow was originally dug up by the Race of Men. After the Viris Elves eradicated them, they occupied this not so long before the Pridrons took over and claimed it.”

  They were nearing the city palace when Moselei came to ask, “How did you manage to build the houses on the cave walls?”

  The guard turned to the diplomat and answered, “It was originally here from the start, Sire. We just fixed a few and added the trees and plants which you are now seeing.”

  Moselei was still fascinated and pointed to a platform being raised from the palace and into the surface. “What is that?”

  The guard answered quickly, “Only the kingdom’s army can use it, My Liege. After all, soldiers are protecting the palace and they are based there as well.”

  Moselei was confused about that and asked, “Then why didn’t we just use that platform then?”

  “Because we are not allowed to, Sire.”

  They were moving along the center road to the palace when they were greeted by the people. Almost everyone there was delighted to have him. Not far from the castle, a little girl ran towards the carriage and held up a piece of flower. Moselei took the flower and said his thanks to the girl. She smiled back when she stopped chasing them, waving at the carriage before running off.

  Finally entering the city palace, they stopped in front of the gates and were greeted with servants and guards.