Mellisent and the Dwarf Siblings

While Demitri and the dwarf king were preoccupied with their discussion, a little far away from them, Mellisent and the three dwarf teenagers were having their own war of wits.

The four were in the centre of the woodlands, surrounded by thick foliage where even the sun's rays could not correctly penetrate the dense canopy.

"Ahh!!! As expected, the halberd Uncle Fabain crafted for you, Darius, is of the topmost quality," exclaimed Mellisent, with her orbs twinkling as she rotated the weapon in her firm grip.

The dwarf prince Darius, whose halberd Mellisent was spinning in her hand, came to stand beside her. The second of the three triplets, Prince Darius, was righteous and the most rational one among the three of them.

Though his height only managed to reach Mellisent's bosom, due to his sturdy body and keen senses, he was skilled in handling halberd and several other weapons, even longer than his height.

Sensing the prince had come to stand beside her, Mellisent promptly veered around and returned his weapon to him while commenting.

"It is true that none can surpass Uncle Fabain's craftsmanship in creating impeccable weaponaries."

"Of course, the weapons created by our father are well-praised in all the realms for their calibre and capacities to inflict severe damage," announced Prince Dextor, the youngest of the three siblings, who was seated upon a tree branch while swinging his legs and twirling a long knife in between his fingers.

The youngest prince was one with the shortest temper among the dwarf siblings.

Prince Dexter frequently managed to engage in conflicts with the other dwarfs his age, and it was his elder brother who often came to escalate and mediate the situation.

On the other hand, at the same time, their eldest sister generally stood on the sidelines taking merriment in their shenanigans.

"The swords our father personally created for you, Melli, till this day remain one of his greatest works," remarked Princess Drusilla, who was the eldest of the three triplets, dressed in a pair of shirt and pants while standing on a massive rock with her hands on her waist.

The dwarf princess Drusilla was not a warrior like her brothers; she could only learn a bit of archery and swing a few small knives due to her petite frame and weak arms.

Though princess Drusilla could not master hefty weaponry like her other two siblings; instead, she trained her tongue enough to manipulate others to tie them in the webs of her words in order to counter any difficulties on her path.

The three siblings were almost identical, with the same red hair, short height and freckles on their pale skin. The brothers had curly hair, while the sister had straight, long hair, often tied in two side braids.

Ever since Mellisent encountered them in the woodlands with her father when he saved King Fabain and the dwarf siblings seven years ago, the four formed an unbreakable bond, and the three siblings treated Mellisent like one of their own.

They usually accompanied their father whenever he visited Mellisent's father through the secret route between the mountain range separating the two realms.

The dwarf siblings, along with their father, generally came to the forest grounds early in the dawn when the sun was yet to grace the surroundings and departed when the time stretched towards noon.

Mellisent grew up spending her time with the three of them, and jointly they taught each other the mastership they conquered, with Mellisent teaching them her battle skills and them educating her about their culture.

Though she never stepped foot in their kingdom or crossed the mystery route through the peaks, she was well acquainted with happenings in their domain as the three were blabbermouth.

Even King Fabain cherished Mellisent to the point that he ended up creating formidable swords for her, which were one of his extraordinary inventions.

During the past twelve years, Mellisent formed good relations with her fellow villagers.

Though She was respected and adored by most of them for her kind nature, eloquent speech, knowledge and insight, the three dwarfs, along with their father, occupied a prominent space in her heart.

Till now, life was simple and fulfilling for Mellisent with her father, King Fabain and the three dwarf triplets.

"That's because Melli's swords are made up from the rarest metal, the onyx argentum, only found in the metal veins located deep inside our ancestral vault," remarked Prince Darius.

"I am forever grateful to Uncle Fabain, who had given me this precious present," expressed Mellisent her gratitude.

Prince Dexter jumped off the branch he had been dwelling on so far and trudged in the direction of his brother and Mellisent.

"Of course, you should be thankful to Father, who gave you these swords; they are the sharpest, lightest and strongest to sustain innumerable strains. They even can not be thawed in an ordinary fire."

"To think of it, he never made a sword for me; Sighhhhhh!! Father loves you more than me, Melli," expressed Dexter, his grievances.

"As if you can handle one," snorted Drusilla from the sidelines.

"Whattttt???? How can you be so cruel towards your younger brother, eldest sissterrrr?? I know I am not tall, but that does not mean I can not wield a single sword!!! Exclaimed Prince Dexter.

Princess Drusilla, too, came down from the rock and remarked.

"You should express your gratitude to God that he provided you with the skills to handle weapons because if not, you would've been a stain to our family's name with your coconut brain."

Dexter grunted and began again, "At least I am well-versed in battle prowess, unlike you, who always escape finding shelter to save her life, each time we are surrounded by trouble."

Princess Drusilla chuckled, "My dear little brother, I use my brain instead of fists. As I said before, you are a coconut brain."

"Youuu!! Youuu!! Yelled Dexter. And their banter continued.

Prince Darius shook his head in resignation and arched his neck to glance at Mellisent. The two exchanged a knowing smile as Drusilla's and Dexter's jesting was routine for the two of them.

Eventually, when their fight became physical, with Dexter pulling Drusilla's braids and her fisting his curly hair in between her fingers, Mellisent took it upon herself to calm the situation between them.

She grasped the collars of their shirts and pulled them apart.

"You both are already seventeen; when will you two grow up?" moaned Mellisent.

Prince Darius came to them with his hands folded at his back and intoned with his lips curved up in amusement.

"That's not going to happen any time soon."

"That's okay; I'll be the generous one to back down, as I can not waste my energy putting some conscience in his bird brain," groaned Princess Drusilla as she moved away from Mellisent's grip.

"You still!!!... Hissed the youngest prince as he, too, came out from the tight grip on his collar.

Enough!!!!

The two of them became silent at once when their brother Prince Darius used his authority as the Crown Prince.

Prince Darius Hillock was the most competent among the three siblings as he was wise, virtuous and proficient in warfare strategies, rightfully deserving the claim.

Therefore, he was crowned as the crown prince of the only country 'Kirall' of dwarves.

The nation Kirall was situated inside the mountain range at the border separating the realms of Develtos and Travanos.

The Mountain range was known as 'The Kafe' in Develtos and was the sole residing place for dwarfs, unlike their elves counterparts who occupied the entirety of the plains.

Drusilla and Dexter threw daggers at each other with their eyes though they never uttered a single word. But that did not mean they quickly let the other take the upper hand. Both of them silently continued to grumble at each other as they strolled away from Mellisent and Darius.

Crown Prince Darius released a deep breath and beckoned for Mellisent to follow him as they both sat against a massive tree trunk.

Mellisent put down the swords by her side and peeked at the Crown Prince.

"How have you been since the last month, Darius?"

"From the moment I took the role of the Crown Prince, my life has been changed remarkably. All the official duties.... Ahhhhh!!!! Sometimes I feel... am I capable enough to handle this position given to me?" Darius said as his face turned gloomy.

Mellisent put a comforting hand on his small shoulder and spoke firmly while gazing into his dark brown eyes.

"Trust me, you are the most deserving of the power given to you, my friend. I cannot fathom anyone else apart from you becoming the crown prince of Kirall, Darius. You will do well and soon become an eminent ruler of your country. Dexter and Drusilla both respect you and look up to you in admiration. And we...we all will always have your back."

"I am honoured to be your friend, Mellisent," said Darius with a small smile.

"The pleasure is all mine," smirked Mellisent.

Suddenly, Darius slapped his forehead lightly as he lamented at his ignorance.

"What happened?" inquired Mellisent with confusion apparent on her alluring face.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you about the pressing subject for which I asked you to sit with me," grumbled Darius.

"What matter?" asked Mellisent.

Crown Prince Darius sighed as he spun his head to catch sight of his siblings, who were still sneering at each other.

"Father lately informed me that all three of us would be vacating for the Valhalla Academe and will reside there for the coming four years."

"Valhalla Academe? Where is that place?" asked Mellisent with curiosity, who was unaware that the said place would be the one to veer the course of her life completely.