THE PAINFUL PAST

King's chamber

Both brothers drink and laugh loudly not minding their social status, they reminisce on the past, funny ones, sad moments, awkward times etc, happy and funny memory like when they were signing contract seal with their respective animal affiliate, and Raymond was shouting and running about when his dragon set him on fire, the sad one, like when they lost roland to a mysterious illness which they later discover to be cancer, that day the family of de balon mourn for roland, being the most jovial and funny one, he was the favourite and losing him was such a big blow to the kingdom, they cried like never before

{before you can sign a contract seal with a creature, mostly for the stubborn and proud one, you have to defeat them in a battle}

Still in the middle of their little reminiscing, a guard badge into the king's chamber, sir we are under attack!! , the guard yelled as he tried to escort the two brothers out to a secret room

"""wait, the magic energy in my body have been inching me since to use it, but I don't think that is an attack, the palace castle is still as peaceful as ever if not for the litter rumbling I hear from the west part of the palace, let take a look out side """" prince Richard replied, waving the tensed up guard, moving outside, to the balcony of the Raymond chamber, the king's chamber being the highest part of the castle, they need not go outside to see the cause of the commotion but simply climb the balcony and observe everything that is happening

""" wow, wow, wow, who is that girl, taking out the guards I pay, as if it were a piece of trash """ king raymond asked no one in particular, while prince Richard just watch the drama unfold like a gladiator ring

""so small, and beautiful, ray, who is that girl??""

"" I don't know, this is the first time am seeing her... so small yet the damage, she cause is way bigger than her""

""" I don't know why beautiful girls are the most deadly, she have practically knock down four of your guards...….. let place a bet ray"""

""" ok what is the bet??""" getting more interested, Raymond adjusted himself, waiting his brother to state the condition of the bet

""""she will still win the two remaining guards engaging her right now...….. and then it will done on you that, you got toy as soldiers """ laughing real hard at his brother's facial expression

"""" alright fine, my guard will not let me down completely, they are just going soft on her because she is a girl... what is at stake for the bets??"""" king Richard asked putting all his hope on the last guard because apparently, the other guard is doing little to nothing

""" hmmm, ok if you win, I will give you an elixir, you know it is a rare gem, that hardly comes by and if I win you w.......arhh!!!!!!""" prince Richard scream like a baby while king Raymond jump up in jubilation "" I won!! I won!! I won!!""

""" hmm, you are one lucky fellow, you know??, right from child hood you always win any bet we take, even when I let you chose first and I take your choice, you still end up winning...hey!!!, you!!!, bring me that girl, I won to see who she is, for she to make me lose my bet, I don't think she knows how much elixir cost "" prince Richard shouted on top of his voiced from the top of balcony

"" let go inside ray"" Richard ordered his younger brother around, and the king just smiled ( it feels good to be ordered around, I have been sitting on that throne for a very long time)

Inside the throne room, the guard that caught Celina along sight with the knocked out guards who are till recovering from the impact of the attack was already waiting for the arrival of the king and his brother

""who are you pretty damsel??"" prince Richard kick start the interrogation, while king Raymond just stare at the whole proceeding

"" am Celina, your majesty"" greeting prince Richard as the king, instead of the real king

"""and what are you doing here, fighting the palace guard""" king Raymond took over the interrogation

"""" with all due respect, sir who is the king""

""" I am and this is my brother prince Richard "" going to sit down on the throne to justify his statement "" so tell me what is the meaning of this commotion """

"""" your majesty, your son, prince...…"""

""" release her at once and leave us """on hearing the prince from her lips, the two brothers stared at each other and echoed the same other order simultaneously

""""have a seat, my dear...… forgive the way, the guards treat you miss Celina, now if you will be kind enough to tell us everything, we are all listening"""" prince Richard lead her to a seat in the big hall, as they all get ready to hear the situation on ground

""" am Celina, an orphan, i lost my parent in a deadly war and end up growing up with my grand mother, she was my everything, even when we don't have enough we were still happy and contend until one day, there was a raid in the village, some group of bandit called the red lotus attacked the village, everybody was captured, some people manage to escape and I am among them, but I can't go any where without my grand mother, so I went to the leader of the red lotus, and offer my buy my grand mother as a slave, since he was going to sell the villagers as slaves even when, slave trade had been abolished in the kingdom, """"" half way through her sad story, Celina couldn't hold it anymore, as she broke down in tears, while the two brother, sat down quietly listening to the sad tale with all concentration

( for the first time, I am able to tell someone my story, its strange how I feel comfortable enough in their presence to tell them my story) Celina thought to herself and stare at the two men sitting before her.

""" go on my dear, don't be shy, you story is safe with us""" both brothers eager to know the whole story, urged her to continue.(using the same choice of words, is as if they are actually twins, they have been doing it since I came inside here, I guess they must be twins after all)

"""""" 20 pieces of gold coin, the leader of the group asked me to bring 20 pieces of gold coin, where on earth will a girl of 12 get 20 gold coin, but I was willing to do anything for my mother, so I embark on a journey to gold vein mine to borrow money from a shark lord, and fortunately I met him at inner community, and we sign a contract, the content I was less worried about, when I got to the village with the money, they have set the village on fire, made away with the young vibrant and able people, while old people like my grand mother were all killed;"""" getting to the climax of her story, she stopped to sniff her nose, even her audience were all moved to tears too, but held themselve

"""" devastated, I used the money to try and track the them but I couldn't, time slowly creep by and revenge was gradually leaving my mind until one day I heard that the red lotus are going to sell their slaves at a nearby market, but I was unable to hunt them down, because a night for me to snick into the inn they were lodging, I was whisked away by the private guards of the lord of gold vein mine, I latter got to know that, I will be a slave till I offset my debt, for the past three years now I have been working all manner of work just to pay an endless debt, I got to me the prince in a contest ring, where I usually fight just to raise money to pay my debt, but I lost the fight to him and back to debtor prison I was sent and he showed up again, claiming to have the paper that shows he Is my new owner, before I could make a run for it, of the soldiers tracking down the prince trapped me in a dark cage and when I saw the light again, I saw myself in the palace, even when he assured me that he have no even intentions toward me and wish to have a friendship relationship, instead of a master-slave relationship, I find it too hard to be true and I have been planning my escape of which it was almost successful until, the guard caught me and here I am now telling you my story