Prince of Astel

The boys crouched behind the garden bushes and took shelter in the shade of one of the palm trees. From there, they could see and hear the people in the center of the courtyard clearly, without drawing anyone's attention.

Rude pointed to the young blond: "That's Prince Laugs Armud. He's the only son of King Algus." Then he pointed to the man in front of the prince: "And that's General Fleddblyt."

The general was a tall and physically strong man, with tan skin and a stern face. His eyebrows were thick over a pair of large and vigorous eyes, and he had a prominent scar that ran from his chin to near his left ear.

He might have had a fierce appearance, but he was calm as he taught swordsmanship to the young boy with long yellow hair, tied in an elegant ponytail.

In a way, the prince drew the boys' attention as much as the general. Laugs had a delicate face, and part of his good looks came from his eyes, which were dark, quick, and astute like a hawk's. He also had a playful smile that he used quite frequently during the fencing training. Furthermore, the prince had recently turned fifteen, but his behavior was that of a mature person.

The general and the prince were sparring with real swords. Although Laugs was a tall boy, his slim and seemingly fragile body seemed like a great disadvantage in a fencing match against an opponent like the general. Nevertheless, he managed to attack and defend himself without much difficulty.

"I don't like this prince," said the brown-haired boy, as soon as he could see Prince Laugs' face more clearly. On the other hand, the general quickly piqued his interest because of the strength he seemed to possess. And despite his intimidating appearance, he acted gently at every opportunity. "General Fle..." he forgot the name, so he let it go and continued, "He's really strong, isn't he, Rude?"

"You're speaking too loudly, you idiot!" Rude interrupted in the same tone of voice. Then he corrected himself before continuing, "Do you want them to discover us?"

This time, Lince only whispered, "I said he seems strong..."

"He doesn't seem strong, he is strong!" exclaimed the red-haired boy, in a low voice, then raised his finger before he continued, "Listen carefully, that's our esteemed War General. His name is Thelus Fleddblyt. Even though there hasn't been a major war in a long time, this title is still held by our kingdom today as a form of honor. He's a quite famous swordsman, and one of the strongest men on the entire continent. That's why he's highly respected, both by ordinary soldiers and by magicians."

"Oh! He's amazing! You know a lot, Rude."

"Of course, you idiot. Unlike you, I spend my days studying."

In the red-haired boy's eyes, there was much admiration for the general in particular. However, Lince only cared about the part where the man had such an important title. This should mean that he was very brave and certainly had lived many adventures and accomplished great deeds. He had never met anyone like that in the village where he lived, and that alone made the trip to the capital worthwhile.

"It must be great to be as strong as him!" he thought aloud. "Rude, when we grow up, we'll become as strong as the general, right?"

Lince wanted to become tall and strong like the general to protect his father and everyone living in Lord Micaelo's land. But he expressed this with great excitement, as always, forcing the red-haired boy to pull him roughly by the shirt sleeve and put him back in his place among the bushes.

"I got it already. Now stay quiet, idiot."

Thelus looked aside for a moment, as two noisy birds were spying on them. He ignored them, returned his gaze to the boy in front of him, and said with a demanding tone:

"This isn't good, Prince Laugs. Please take your training more seriously."

"I'm a magician," retorted the prince, with an ironic tone. "Should I really take this silly training with a piece of metal seriously?"

"Although your current level of sword control is excellent, you need a bit more enthusiasm, Prince. Put in a bit more effort; it won't kill you."

"Did my father tell you to say that?"

Thelus sighed and said seriously, "You shouldn't rely solely on your magic, Prince Laugs. As a member of the royal family, you need to have many skills. We're just doing what we think is best for your future."

"My future, you say?" Wasn't he the one who should decide what was best for his future?

Laugs wasn't the type to see an advantage in training with a sword when he could use that time to study his magic and make it even more powerful. Nevertheless, he was forced to practice every morning, all because of his father...

As he thought about it, Laugs glanced vaguely up at the top of the palace. There was no one there, only the old tower made of stones, a part of the ancient castle that had been demolished to make way for the new palace. Its name was the Tower of Kings, although everyone simply called it the "old tower." But the only good thing about it was that it offered a privileged view of almost the entire capital, Luzia.

The king used to appear there from time to time, watching the training from above. Sometimes, Laugs had the impression of seeing him smile, like the father he once had in the past, in a way he wouldn't smile anymore if they were face to face. Was it just his imagination? He couldn't say, but it wouldn't change anything in their relationship.

He still couldn't set foot in that place or gaze upon that view with his own eyes again. Laugs had promised himself that he would only climb that tower after becoming the ruler of this kingdom. For that to happen, he knew that, sooner or later, he would have to take his father's place.

"I'll make an effort..." Laugs ended up whispering those words. "Master, you know I do this only to fulfill one of his wishes. Because he is the Master of the Sword, and I am a magician..."

"Your father's wish is to see you grow strong, Prince," General Thelus said, with a gentle voice. "You must become someone capable of protecting our kingdom in the future, whether by his side or another king's. That is your father's will. And, personally, it is mine as well."

As they were only in a routine training session, they didn't mind putting the fight aside to talk. In fact, they did that a lot. On this day, Thelus even had an uncomfortable feeling every time they exchanged blows or words with the prince, although he couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason for that sensation.