1 Prologue: Ahma
"Hangko of Saquiro, your kingdom will perish unless it is done."
The man closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.
"It shall be done. For my kingdom.
For my family."
-----
"Long ago, the continent of Theros was reigned by King Terano and his beloved, Queen Andalaya. The Queen was known for her beauty and kindness and the King for his bravery and intelligence. The people loved the King and Queen and was delighted when they heard about the Queen bearing a child.
The King, elated, almost never left the Queen's side. He had to do most of his work in their quarters just so he could look after his Queen more.
Few months had passed by, and King Terano had just noticed something strange about the Queen's pregnancy. The Queen's belly was abnormally huge. He seeks help from the greatest shaman, Pina, to check on his wife and child-to-be.
His men searched almost every corner of the kingdom and still no sign of the shaman. To their surprise, the shaman herself showed up at the palace doors.
"You seek for me, My King?" asked the shaman and the King nodded.
"I am worried about My wife and child. Help me find answers," answered the King and he led the shaman to his wife.
The shaman stepped closer to the Queen who was sound asleep. She laid her right hand on the Queen's stomach and her pupils turned white. As if burnt, the shaman removed her hand from the Queen's belly and chanted a prayer that only she could decipher.
"What? What is it?! What is wrong with My wife and child?" asked the King as he helped the shaman from falling.
"Children, my King. Children."
Shocked, the King looked at his wife and smiled with happiness. They were having twins!
"Four of them," whispered the Shaman that made the King's smile falter.
"Four?" asked the King, his eyes bigger than ever.
"Yes, my King. Four. Four perfectly healthy children. Children that will change this kingdom," announced the shaman and the King shouted in joy.
Faltering, he asked, "My wife. What about my wife? Will she be fine carrying and birthing four children?" the King was suddenly filled with worry. Maybe that was the reason for the shaman's reaction earlier.
"She will be fine, my King. She will birth all children safely."
The King offered the shaman a hefty load of gold as payment but the shaman refused to take it. The King, knowing he couldn't change the shaman's decision, humbly thanked her and bid her good bye. He went to his Queen's side and felt assured that all was well.
Few months had passed by and the Queen finally birth four healthy babies; three sons and a daughter.
The eldest, a boy, was named Landis. The second, also a boy, was named Teronos. The third, a girl, was named Zamir. The fourth and youngest, a boy, was named Saquiro.
The Kingdom, delighted with the news of the birth of their princes and princess, celebrated for days.
But nothing compared to the happiness the King and Queen felt.
Years passed and the children grew, ready to take over the throne.
Landis, intelligent, brave and kind-hearted just like his father and mother. Always mindful of the people and had solved a lot of problems in the kingdom.
Teronos, was courageous with his sword and fists. And he was also known for his intelligence, recklessness and for being ambitious. Every woman wanted to be with him despite his cold nature. He was a man of few words and whenever he spoke, woman would swoon. And so, ironically, he earned the nickname, "Sweet Tongue".
Zamir, known for her beauty, was more beautiful than her mother but was as kind as her. She was the most intelligent among the four but, kept it to herself. The King knew about this, though. He once found some of her notes about solutions to the kingdom's problems. Since then, he often seeked for her advice. She is a very independent woman, hence, why she kept rejecting marriage proposals here and there.
Saquiro, the mischievous one. He was known as prankster, loves to tease people especially his sister but, regardless, he was jack-of-all-trades. He might not be able to beat his siblings when it comes to their strengths but he was known to be good at everything he does.
The King and Queen loved all of their children and so couldn't just let the eldest take the throne. Both thought they all deserve it. And so, they split the continent into four kingdoms and named the kingdoms after them.
Kingdom of Landis, the South Kingdom.
Kingdom of Teronos, the North Kingdom.
Kingdom of Saquiro, the West Kingdom.
Kingdom of Zamir, the East Kingdom.
And so, that is how our Kingdoms came to be," Ingko Liro of Saquiro finished the story with a smile.
"Ahma, tell us more! I'm not that sleepy yet!" the princess said with a yawn.
The King laughed and kissed his daughter's forehead. "Now, now. It's time for you to sleep. It's late, my star."
"Yeah, it's time to sleep, Mara. Ahma has duties to attend to tomorrow! He's the Hangko! He needs some sleep, too!" the prince exclaimed and giggled. "And I'm gonna be Hangko someday," he added sitting, arms crossed and chest puffed.
"Yeah, yeah, we know already! You don't have to tell us over and over!" the princess scrunched her nose in annoyance.
"Now, now, my stars, no need to fight over small things. What I need you to do is always have each other's backs and love each other. Will you be able to do that?" the King asked.
"Ew, no!" the prince exclaimed.
"Why not? I always cared for you, Kugo!" the princess shouted with a sob.
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! You know I love you, baby sis! And as your big brother, I will protect you against all evil!" the prince proclaimed, now standing with both hands on his waist and head held high. He walked closer to his sister and patted her head. "Don't you worry. Ahma and I will protect you and Yna. We promise. Right, Ahma?" the prince asked his father.
"Of course, I will do everything and anything for my star. And for my moon," the King said with a soft smile.
"Now, say your prayers and go to sleep," the King tucked the prince and kissed his forehead.
The King watched his children say their prayers.
"Good night, my stars," the King left his children to sleep.
"Why are you sleeping in my chambers tonight, Kugo?" the little princess whispered to the prince.
"I don't know. Ahma asked if I could look after you tonight and I said yes," the prince answered.
"Oh, okay. Good night!"
"Good night."
Outside, the King headed to his and his Queen's chambers.
"What took you so long? Were our stars having a hard time sleeping?" The Queen asked as the King climbed to bed.
"Yeah, I don't think bedtime stories work on them anymore," he chuckled and kissed her temple.
"Maybe, your stories bore them," the Queen teased and the King fake glared.
He embraced his Queen tightly and said, "I love you," the Queen smiled and kissed him, "I love you more," the King kissed her back, "I love you the most."
Hours passed that night and in came dawn. The prince was sound asleep but, the princess was having a nightmare.
The prince, awoken by the princess' grunts and cries, shook his sister awake.
"Mara, wake up! It's just a dream! I'm here, I'm here. I'll protect you," He said repeatedly until the princess woke up.
"Kugo, I'm scared! It was the monster, again. It was trying to take me away!" cried the princess. The prince knew he couldn't console his sister.
"Do you want to see Ahma and Yna? I'll take you to them," the prince suggested.
"You will?" the princess whispered. "I will," he answered.
"Alright. Let's go," she sniffled and climbed down her bed.
Hand in hand, both navigated through the dimly-lit corridor out of the west wing where their chambers were. The prince wondered why it was so empty.
/Where are all the guards and maids?
He shook his head and focused on her sister.
Once outside, the prince realized that they forgot to wear slippers and was worried that her sister might step on something.
"Here, climb on my back," he suggested, "Are you sure?" his sister asked, "Yes, hop on. I don't want you stepping on something and hurt yourself," he insisted and so she climbed.
As they were almost out of the west wing, the siblings heard something. And saw what seemed like flames heading towards the south wing.
"Kugo, what is that? What is happening?" scared, the princess tightened her hold around her brother.
"I don't know, Mara. Let's find out," the prince started heading towards where the flames were.
"What? No! I'm scared!" the princess exclaimed trying to climb down his brother. "Stop! You'll fall! Besides, we're in the palace! We're safe!" he assured her. "Trust me," he added.
"Okay, I trust you."
As they were nearing where the flames were coming from, they started to hear voices.
Alarmed, the prince hid behind a column and put his sister down. "Shhh, I think something is wrong. Be very quiet," he whispered to his sister who was very confused.
"The high and mighty Hangko of Saquiro? Bowing to me? What an experience!" Shouted a boisterous voice. "Not so high and mighty now, are we?" He added with a booming laugh.
"Just kill me and leave the palace. That's what you originally came for, isn't it? Kill me and leave the palace," Said the King with power in his voice.
"Soon to die and you still managed to act so big," The man spat and threw a punch at the King. "Behold, my friends! The Hangko of Saquiro is at the mercy of my fists!" The man laughed and threw more punches at the King.
It was then the siblings realized that there were quite a number of men inside the quarters, together with the one who was torturing their father.
Pained and angered to see his father in that kind of state, the prince tried to think of a plan to save his father. The princess, scared, was starting to cry.
"No, no. Shhhh. Don't cry, I'm here. I'll do something. I'll save father," he tried to reassure her. "Don't make any noises or we're all dead!"
The princess tried to calm herself down, at a very young age, they both understand what was happening.
Another sound of punch was heard and their attention was back to their father who was almost unconscious. Beaten and battered.
/What do I do?! What do I do?!
The prince was starting to panic but, remembered what his father told him earlier. To protect his sister. And it clicked, this is why his father kept insisting on him protecting his sister.
He looked at his sister who was now sitting on the ground, eyes closed and hands on her ears.
"Stand up! I'm not done with you!" the prince's attention was back on the man who was now punching his father endless.
Angered by this, without thinking, he ran towards them shouting.
"Let my Ahma go! You bad men! I'm gonna kill you all!" as soon as he got where they were, he was throwing punches at the man who was unaffected by them. His attention was now on him.
"My, my. What do we have here?" letting go of the King, he grabbed the prince by his shirt and threw him aside. "A little pest! Friends, see this little pest? The little Ingko! He's the future Hangko! What a fucking joke!" He exclaimed with a laugh. Leaning down, he grabbed the prince again.
"No. Don't! Leave him alone! It's me you want. Kugo! Leave. Now!" the King shouted and tried to stand up but to no avail.
"Tell me, Hangko, do you love your son?" the man asked and smiled evilly at the King.
"Yes. Yes, with all my heart and soul. Please, let him go. It's me you have business with!" He shouted with difficulty.
The man, disgusted by this, kicked the King in the gut and the King spluttered blood from his mouth.
"No! Ahma, no!" the prince cried and tried to get out of the man's grasp.
The man threw him on the ground and walked towards the King.
"Alright, then. Time to end this. It's getting boring, anyway," the man grabbed something from under his clothes. A knife shined under the light of the moon.
"No!" shouted the princess, out of where she was hiding and was now running towards her father. One of the men kicked her away and she was out cold.
"Mara!" the prince and King shouted. The prince was beside the princess in an instant.
"This is your payment. Your life. Saquiro has always treated us like rats. And it's all because of you! Saquiro will weep for a few days but, will despise you. I'm going to make sure you die with a tainted name. The Hangko of Saquiro, a traitor to his Kingdom!" the man was ready to stab the King. "I'm still merciful, go and say your last words," the man spat.
The King looked at his daughter with tears flowing down his cheeks and then at his son, "Son, my Ingko, I love you. You and your sister. My stars. My precious stars. I love you both. Tell your Yna that I'm very sorry. That I love her, only loved her. Protect them for me," He reached out to his son and daughter.
The prince tried to move closer to their father with his sister in his arms. "Ahma! I love you! Please, please, don't leave us! Fight! Fight them! Please, Ahma. I love you, I love you! Please, don't die!" He cried still trying hard to grab his father's hand.
But, it was too late. The man, both his hands on the knife, pushed it down and stabbed the King. And stabbed and kept stabbing him like a lunatic.
"Ahmaaaaaaaaaa!" the prince shouted.
In the distance, he could hear people coming their way.
"Let's go!" the man shouted and they retreated.
The prince put his sister down and ran towards his father.
"Ahma, Ahma! No, no, no! Please, Ahma! Please!"
"My star. My precious Ingko. You were really brave tonight. I'm so sorry you had to see this. Know that this happened for a reason. You are now the man of the palace. Protect your mother and sister. I leave them to you," the King tried hard to say and coughed out more blood.
"No, Ahma..." the prince wept, hugging her father's head. "I'll get help!" he shouted.
"No, it is done. It shall be done," he whispered.
"Over there! It's the Hangko! Move! Move!" they heard from the distance along with footsteps.
"Liro?!" shouted someone. The prince turned to find his mother, the Queen, with a distraught look on her face. "Liro! No, no! Liro, what happened?!" the Queen ran to her husband's side and started crying.
"Doctor! Get a doctor!" she shouted.
"Liro, my sun. Don't die, please. Don't leave me! Don't leave me here! Please, my sun," She hugged him and cradled his head. "Get the doctor, now!"
"Mirana.. my.. moon..," whispered the dying King.
"Yes? Don't close your eyes! Stay with me. Stay, damn it!" the Queen shouted, her face now full of tears.
"I.. love..," and the King took his last breath.
The Queen's cry of despair was heard throughout the palace.
The Moon lost her Sun.
And where does the Moon get her light?
