The first step into a new adventure

The brown-haired boy observed the corridor through the slightly ajar door. His eyes were alert to any movement because he wanted to find out if he was being watched or not. As he didn't see anyone, he smiled at the opportunity to finally escape from that tedious room.

"No one's here, Rude," he whispered with an open smile that showed almost all of his teeth. At the same time, he pushed the massive palace door, as heavy as his slim body, and then took a step into the spacious corridor. This was his chance to embark on a new adventure.

The brown-haired boy's name was Lince Elliot. He had recently turned ten, and he was an enthusiastic child, always ready for another adventure. Therefore, he spent most of his time smiling, sometimes dirty or injured from his escapades. He liked to think of them as temporary scars from his adventures.

His amber eyes almost always overflowed with innocence and contagious energy. This was one of his most striking characteristics. As for the rest of his appearance, little stood out, actually. Brown hair was quite common among the common folk of that small kingdom — but that had never been a problem for him — and he didn't bother to comb it, giving his appearance a carefree air. He liked it that way.

What Lince didn't like was being bored, like on that morning. He usually spent his days playing in the fields, climbing trees to pretend to be a giant, or going to the riverbank to skip stones across the water's surface. Sometimes, he found something more exciting to occupy his time in the small village near where he lived with his father, but those special adventures were rare.

However, this time, he was forced to do something different. He wore borrowed clothes from his friend, which were elegant but very uncomfortable. They were also a bit long for him. He combed his hair in a way that he barely recognized himself when he looked in the mirror. Moreover, he had promised to behave while in the royal palace.

But it was a real palace. Where a king lived, no less. Lince had his own intentions, and all of them yearned for a true adventure in that place. After all, he was that kind of boy who liked interesting things and didn't care much about appearances or where he was, as long as he could have fun in all situations, he would be happy. And it wouldn't be any different during the visit to the splendid Palace of the Sun; he just wanted to explore every corner and have fun in any way he could.

And, as usual, Lince wasn't alone in this new adventure.

"Lince, my father told us not to walk alone in the palace," reminded the chubby red-haired boy.

"We're just taking a stroll. What's the problem?"

"You idiot, that's precisely the problem!"

Beside Lince was the red-haired boy. This peculiarity was one of the inheritances of the Aspriel family, and it was almost a guarantee that he had "noble blood" running through his veins. His name was Rudelo, but everyone affectionately called him Rude.

Rude was the only son of Lord Micaelo Aspriel. Although he wasn't spoiled by his family, he always had everything he wanted in his childhood. Over time, he became a demanding boy when it came to his clothes, hair, and food. Practically everything for Rude had to be perfect — or as close to it as possible. He also didn't appreciate adventures as much as the brown-haired boy did.

Rude preferred to prioritize people's position and appearances above their other qualities. He often clashed with someone as carefree and lacking a prestigious family lineage as Lince. But that never interfered with their friendship. Not until this moment...

"Lince, we shouldn't be here," Rude murmured, and the fear of being seen by someone made him constantly look around and hide in a corner when he heard any noise or saw any movement. "Let's go back to the room before my father returns," he whispered.

However, the brown-haired boy didn't share this fear. After all, they were in a palace; it was almost an obligation to explore the place and then tell the other village children about it. They wouldn't believe how large and amazing that place was when he told them the story of his adventure, Lince thought, already imagining their reactions and how much fun he would have with it.

After walking through several corridors, they ended up straying too far from their room. Rude followed behind his friend, trying to convince him to go back. Lince, on the other hand, darted behind each pillar, hiding from the view of the few people who wandered around. This way, they began a new adventure, one step at a time.

Two guards on duty even heard the sounds of their shoe heels on the marble floor. One of them just yawned and glanced sideways at the boys. He knew they were just the children of some palace guest playing around, so he paid no more attention and continued his monotonous conversation with his partner about how much he had drunk the night before.

"They didn't see us... This way, Rude!" Lince pointed in the direction he wanted to go.

The palace corridors were long and wide, with some smaller passages connecting to other parts, almost like a maze. Some walls also had rare paintings depicting fabulous stories from the kingdom's past. The boys ignored such things as they searched for something more interesting to experience.

They were at the end of a corridor and spotted the stairs leading down to the lower floor. They followed them, not knowing exactly where they would end up.

"This is going to get us in trouble with my father!" said the red-haired boy with a frustrated expression. "And then I'm the one who will be punished the most!"

"Why would you be punished? We're not doing anything wrong," Lince asserted.

"You fool, we're disobeying my father's orders."

Rude sighed, disappointed as if he had accepted an unfair defeat. He acted more cautiously precisely because he was in the royal palace. Being a year older than the brown-haired boy, the son of a nobleman who had received a good education from a young age, he was well aware of the consequences of their actions here. If they were caught, both of them would surely face more than just a scolding this time, Rude pondered.

Walking alone through the palace was something his father had forbidden them to do. However, Rude thought that spending the day locked in a room with no distractions could be just as bad as a punishment. He was very excited about this trip to the capital and wanted to make the most of his time.

They reached the outside. The sky was clear; after all, it was a hot summer day, but there was always a refreshing breeze. The boys looked around in amazement; they saw things that could only be found in a palace, like tall coconut trees, huge fountains gushing water, and stone statues of ancient Sword Masters in front of the palace. They were impressed in a way that only children could be.

The Palace of the Sun was the largest thing they had ever seen. Wide, long, and tall. All the walls were white, with tall towers and walls where armed soldiers and mages stood guard. They smoked cigarettes or chatted to pass the time. The servants were cheerful and well-motivated; it was hard to see any of them standing still, except for the gardeners. The peace the kingdom had enjoyed for a long time brought tranquility to everyone.

They ran to the side of the palace. Since few people passed by there, they could walk freely. Finally, they arrived at a place with a garden filled with huge palm trees and low bushes planted in flower beds. That's when Lince heard some unmistakable noises.

"Did you hear that, Rude?" They were the sounds of real swords clashing. Lince quickened his steps as some voices also caught his attention. When he turned the corner of one of the flower beds, his eyes immediately spotted a spacious courtyard. There, he also saw two people dueling with metal swords. "Look, Rude! They're in the middle of a duel... let's go see!"

"Wait, Lince!" Rude grabbed his friend by the shirt and drew his attention to a young man with blond hair. "That's Prince Laugs. And we shouldn't get near him... remember what my father told us?"

Rude spoke about the prince very seriously. Just like his father had been serious when he ordered them not to approach the prince without a good reason, although he hadn't disclosed the reason for that order. So, Rude didn't want to disobey it more than the others.

However, the brown-haired boy just said, "Let's take a closer look. Who knows, we might find out why your father doesn't want us to play with the prince."

His curiosity wasn't going to stop there, Rude pondered. Besides, it was always like that with Lince; words hardly meant anything to him. So, after taking a deep breath, he let go of his friend and took the lead.

Even though he was afraid that the brown-haired boy might cause some trouble that would get them into even more trouble, Rude was also a little interested in what was happening in that courtyard. Especially with the person who was teaching swordsmanship to the prince.

"Here is fine," Rude whispered. "Let's not get any closer than this, got it?"

The brown-haired boy nodded with a slight head tilt, his eyes and ears focused solely on the duel before him.