4 The History of Old Loumotiem

THE BOOK WAS coated in a heavy layer of dust, a title that obviously hadn't been touched in way too long. When Elixane peeled her fingers away from the cover, marks were left on the book, a sign of her presence.

"Yuck," she muttered in distaste under her breath.

Ultimately, Elixane decided to use her shawl to clean up the layer of dust, swiping the precious silk fabric over the grubby book until the cover practically shone. The grimy layer flew up as a cloud into Elixane's face, causing her to cough and sneeze as she frantically swiped her hand through the air back and forth in front of her face. Under the beams of moonlight that streamed in through the glass windows, the dust particles shimmered as if they were stars that fell from the sky.

"Let's see what's in here that old Argonton is leaving out in the classes," Elixane hummed under her breath.

With a skip in her step, she hopped over to the couch that was positioned right in front of the glass window. Even the lamp in her hand wasn't a rival for the moonlight's silver brilliance. It acted as the perfect reading light after night fell, a soft glow that no one would suspect.

Landing on the couch, Elixane held her breath when a puff of smoke emerged from the cushions due to her actions. Like the rest of the room, the couch was just another piece of furniture that hadn't been cleaned for possibly years. However, it still served its purpose.

"The Great War of Old Loumotiem," Elixane read out loud, flipping to the page right after the contents page.

Her eyes trailed after the words on the old, yellowing parchment, scanning through the sentences and paragraphs with intrigue. Following every few paragraphs, there would be an illustration that depicted a scene from history. However, the more Elixane flipped through the pages, the more her smile and delight fell. Her expression darkened, eyebrows furrowed as her throat started to clog up, lips turned dry.

That wasn't the history she had been taught nor told.

'Old Loumotiem was a slow but peaceful era that was behind many other neighboring kingdoms in regards to technological advances. In 753OL, the great General Archibald Tatiane II launched a full-frontal attack on the Kingdom of Old Loumotiem. The war lasted a total of only 2 days. The General's army easily annihilated the royal soldiers of Old Loumotiem, led by Old Loumotiem's crown prince, Prince Percival Everard Arton, and infiltrated the royal palace within the first twenty-four hours of the war. The estimated number of casualties amounted to 20,000, nearly half the kingdom's population. Many historians argue that this number was just the minimum.'

With trembling hands, Elixane flipped the page. The illustration of General Archibald Tatiane slaying Prince Percival Arton seared into her brain, an image that lingered in her sight even after she had replaced it with words. With shaky breaths, Elixane began to read again, completely absorbed by the tales history had to tell.

'On the second day, General Tatiane captured the remaining surviving members of the royal family, including His Majesty King Bartholomew Percival Arton IV, Queen Honora Winifred Arton nee Tybalt, Prince Godric Bartholomew Arton, and Princess Guinevere Honora Arton. The king and queen were forty-two and thirty-eight respectively at the time of death. Prince Percival was twenty-one. Prince Godric and Princess Guinevere were seven and four respectively.'

Elixane's eyes were fixated on the ages of the youngest prince and princess. They were mere children when they were executed, killed just because they were born in a family they hadn't requested to be in.

The text was followed by a portrait of the royal family, the smiles on their faces innocent and carefree, not knowing yet of the horrors that would soon arrive.

'The sole possible survivor of the Great War was the second prince, Prince Sebastian Florian Arton, then aged sixteen. He was out of the country at the time of the war, abroad in the Kingdom of Fervilium as a student in their academy. When news of the Great War broke out, followed by the assassination of the Old Loumotiem royal family, Prince Sebastian quickly disappeared. Many thought that he would soon return to rival the throne and avenge his family. However, decades soon passed and there was no news of Prince Sebastian. Just like that, the last member of the royal family was pronounced dead.'

'As the winners of the war, General Archibald Tatiane II rose to the throne as the king of New Loumotiem, better known simply as Loumotiem. He led the country into a golden age, allowing the kingdom to prosper and grow as a whole. However, in the eyes of many peasants and commonfolk, King Archibald was just another tyrannical ruler that had no tolerance for imperfection. He slaughtered and killed many citizens who made protests― both violent and peaceful.'

Elixane was unable to read on any further, closing the book shut, she shoved it under the couch she was sitting on before springing away from the cushioned seats as if they were hot coal.

All her life, she had thought that her family had well-deserved the place and title of royalty. However, the position was actually stolen, not earned. Learning that fact was a horrible splash of reality.

Elixane left the library and headed back towards her room shortly after. She could no longer sit around in that dusty old library and read about the horrible feats her ancestor had accomplished. True, she lived a brilliant life of wealth and luxury because of that man's actions. However, many more also lost their lives that fateful day he became king.

When Elixane passed by the royal portrait on her way back, she couldn't help but stare at the image of her family. Her mother and father stood proud and tall, no smiles on their faces but their pride could be seen in their eyes. On the contrary, she and her older brother were just children. Their heartfelt laughter couldn't be contained.

Tearing her eyes away, Elixane continued walking forward.

Tonight's adventure wasn't any bit fun. However much Elixane wished she hadn't learned what she did, a part of her was still glad that someone today still knew the tragic history behind what people now thought was the golden age of her beloved kingdom.