The sword master

First, King Algus took a brief look around, and it didn't take long for his eyes to fill with understanding. Then, with a face as expressionless as if he were wearing a mask from the Gamuur cultists, he gazed at Prince Laugs once again. Algus was nearly as tall as General Thelus, only his body was slightly slimmer. He had a short beard and neatly trimmed blond hair, with all strands seemingly the same length. His face was graced with beauty as much as the prince's. The similarities between them were noticeable, especially in their thin and astute eyes. At that moment, Algus was wearing a long white cloak with the symbol of a golden sun emblazoned on his back, and a thin golden crown rested atop his head. This was the official attire for the king to wear on missions in service of the kingdom, which he rarely used.

Thelus stared at the figure of his king in astonishment. Then he cleared his throat to wet his dry throat and began to speak:

"Your Majesty... this..."

"The Sword brought me here," King Algus interrupted, and his voice was so cold that it made General Thelus fall silent and clear his throat once more. "Now I understand the reason."

"That's King Algus," thought the brown-haired boy, and his almond-shaped eyes shone with fascination.

Lince had been looking at the king from the moment he saw him and couldn't take his eyes off him. It was as if he were in the presence of a hero like those described in ancient fables, and his arrival in that courtyard seemed to illuminate the surroundings, causing everyone to stop and admire him. He was a king as a king should be, thought the boy.

The king's name was Algus Armud, the ninth ruler of Asterl. Lince knew a little about him because Rude had told him before on many occasions. However, now that he saw him with his own eyes, he could perceive things that had previously only existed in his fanciful imagination. Like the sight of the long cloak billowing in the wind, his noble features radiating an imposing aura. His voice was powerful yet gentle at the same time. The thin crown on his head might have seemed like a mere decoration, but it was also an undeniable symbol of his duty as the ruler of a people. Everything about the king filled the boy's heart with admiration.

Algus looked back when he noticed the little brown-haired boy staring at him, then smiled at him:

"Are you okay, young man?"

Lince nodded slightly in response to the king's question, and his voice only came after a moment:

"Yes! I'm fine!"

It seemed that, thanks to King Algus's appearance, his legs were no longer trembling as they had been, and he no longer felt afraid. Thus, his admiration for the king only grew.

"You were very brave in what you did, young man," the king said. "I'm proud to have someone with your courage as a citizen of this kingdom."

"I... I just did what I thought was right," Lince replied. And although he wanted to pretend to have a natural expression, he felt somewhat elated to hear the king's praise.

However, King Algus soon changed to a more reprimanding tone:

"But that was a very reckless thing to do, you know? You could have died. What on earth were you thinking?" After looking into the boy's eyes and seeing something he could no longer possess, Algus added, with an indifferent tone, "Believe me, my general is not someone so easily killed..."

Although he had a serious expression, the king's words didn't intimidate the boy because he believed he had done the right thing. On the other hand, they made General Thelus lower his head. It was shameful to admit, but he needed to disagree with his king at that moment because his life had been saved precisely by the lack of sense of an innocent child.

"By the way, who would you be?" the king inquired, his face turning to look at the boy once again. "I've never seen you in our palace."

"Lince..." He remembered Lord Micaelo's words demanding that he act more formally, so he began his introduction again. "My name is Lince Elliot, Your Majesty. I am your humble subject, and I am here with Lord Micaelo."

King Algus smiled gently. "Well, what does my humble subject, Elliot, think happened here?" he asked, with a more serious expression, as he turned to gaze at the prince.

Although taken by surprise by the king's question, Lince thought it would be better if he didn't refuse to answer or say anything foolish, so he thought for a moment about what to say.

"The prince..." He looked at Prince Laugs before continuing. "I think he tried to hurt the general... My friend and I just tried to help, but..." As he was nervous about speaking to the king about something so important, the boy pointed his trembling finger in the direction of each person while his voice timidly came out. Then he lowered his head, afraid of the response he had given. But he preferred this to lying.

The king's silence increased the tense atmosphere around the boy. But perhaps if someone explained the situation better, there would be no misunderstanding. Thinking this, Lince pointed to where the red-haired boy was hiding, nervously biting his nails.

"Rude can explain it better, Your Majesty..."

"You did this on your own, you idiot!" Rude exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear his frightened voice. "Don't drag me into this mess... you idiot, idiot..."

Rude could hardly believe what was happening before his eyes. He bitterly regretted listening to the brown-haired boy and leaving the room. Now, his father would certainly not go easy on him with just a lecture... no, this time, he would receive much more than a mere lecture, Rude pondered.

"I'm in trouble... I'm in trouble..." The red-haired boy continued to mutter while biting his nails.

"You don't need to," the king said. "I liked your answer."

Lince smiled, relieved.

For a moment, the boys' naivety managed to dispel the heavy atmosphere in that courtyard, but it wouldn't last long. Thinking so, Thelus took the initiative.

"This is all my fault, Algus. I'm sorry, but I'll fix this situation..."

The general was interrupted again by King Algus:

"If there's anyone to blame here, that person is in front of me." Algus moderated his voice when he interrupted his general. Addressing the prince with more authority, he asked, "Laugs, have you been practicing witchcraft?"

"And if the answer is yes, father, what will you do?" the prince asked, with an indifferent expression.

King Algus maintained an unwavering face as he continued:

"You know the reason these spells are forbidden. As long as I'm here, I won't allow another calamity to occur in this world."

Laugs shrugged, as if finally backing down. Then he smiled apathetically, took a step forward, and raised his enchanted sword.

"Because let's find out what's more powerful now, father... your precious relic or my magic?"

"Stop this nonsense, prince," Thelus intervened. "This has gone too far, don't you think?"

"Thelus," called Algus, with an indifferent tone. "Take the boys somewhere else. And then go take care of that arm. This is a serious wound."

It was true that the wound was killing him ruthlessly, and he should be concerned about it, Thelus pondered. But at that moment, he believed he had more important matters to attend to.

"Algus, we can still resolve this in a..." Thelus searched for an appropriate word to say at that moment because he knew his friend well. Despite being a little stubborn, he was also a kind person with great discernment.

However, Algus didn't give him time to continue:

"This is an order," he said impassively.

For a moment, Thelus lowered his head so no one could see his dismayed expression. When he raised it again, his face already showed more resignation.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Thelus finally replied. Then he grabbed the brown-haired boy with his still-good hand and placed him under his arm. And before leaving that courtyard, he looked into the prince's eyes. "Prince Laugs, I always thought of you as a special child... but I never imagined seeing you act like this one day..."

The prince didn't even look in the general's direction because he was focused solely on his father's presence, with a confident yet villainous look. But maybe that was a crazed confidence, Thelus thought, something created in the prince's mind by the sinister effect of that spell.

"Put me down. I can walk on my own." The brown-haired boy fidgeted a lot, trying to get rid of the general. The smell of sweat was strongly assaulting his nostrils.

"Stay still, boy," Thelus requested. "I may be grateful for what you did for me back there, but you'll still be reprimanded for it." He looked toward the bushes under a palm tree and added, "You too, red-haired one. Come with me."

Rude stopped biting his nails when he heard the general's call. Although his fear continued, he left the bushes and headed inside the palace, glancing back at the king and the prince in the courtyard.

"What will happen to the prince?" the brown-haired boy asked.

"Nothing," Thelus whispered. "It will just be a conversation between father and son. One that should have happened a long time ago..."

Deep down, Thelus didn't believe his own words that much. After all, he left that courtyard unable to imagine how things would end between the king and the prince. He was only sure of one thing: that their lives would change forever after that day. And perhaps it would change the lives of everyone in this kingdom as well... He just prayed to the heavens that this change would be a positive one.