CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 9

"Alora!" Eva called her out in the hallway. "Is anything bothering you, sister?" Alora faced her and asked back. "Where you've been?" this time Eva sounded serious. Alora looked up deciding whether to tell her or not. "Sister Eva.... Um I.... I'm tired. Some other time." Alora turned avoiding her intense gaze to her room and entered with a long sigh. Of course she had alot to hide from her in order to save her sources.

The King and Magicain Xacka started an investigation for the leak of Alora's secrets. It was sure someone tried to escape from the fact that if someone manipulated the kingdom's confidential information then they were punished mercilessly. The King secretly taking an search action suspected many royal ministers who worked for many years under the King's reign and even had criminal record but non of the case was found solved. It boosted that somewhere someone is trying to forge ahead and betray the kingdom. The investigation continued for days and deepen the King's doubts about the particular persons. Even Alora personally investigated the case from her side. She started collecting the proofs against the activities and the some information about the ministers who were under the surveillance secretly. She used disguises to keep herself away from the danger and investigated the suspescts. But it seemed something else was being forecasted under other circumstances.

There was all routine inside the castle, except for the few. All the secret committee members with the King and Alora and Magicain Xacka assembled in the meeting room with all the evidences they were assigned to collect. "Your Majesty, as you asked me to do, I've brought this information that whatever you assumed was true. The for relief is the underhand conspiracies are much slower now but they still are trying to catch up. It can be dangerous in near future. Thanks to our Princess Alora who delayed the activity but the project hasn't eliminated entirely. We need to be more alert and we have to activate more spies." the Royal General spoke with his evidences. Hearing that all the people assembled gasped. Even though the things were about Alora, non other than the King and the Magician knew about the real mission. After thinking for a while, Alora stood up with an glory on her face. "Can I say something?" she asked. "Of course princess." the King permitted. "I have a thing that why are we planning for war when we have peace between us. As per my opinion war can cause alot of destruction and loss of resources. Even though we won we won't be in a good health to think to see further of development. It would take time to recover and of course we'd lose many of our soilders and a generation in low time, that's impossible so, war should be the last option. Firstly we should start with talking and we should consider there reasons first." everyone including the King saw with mixed reactions. "Are you sure, Your Highness?" General Minister Shawks asked in resentment. Alora looked at that old wrinkly face trying to find meaning behind his question. But was took aback when the Cabinet Minister Hodges took initiative to accept the idea. "....but Your Highness how are we supposed to talk when we don't what exactly they're up to?" Alora sat down and thought for any idea. "Should we have a meet with them or just call them here?" the King's eyes sparkled sinsterly.

"Your Majesty King Xander, there's an assembly in few moments later so should I help you with...." the King Xander shot a hot gaze towards his assistant. "I guess, I'm the King of Torreniel, ain't I?" the assistant lowered his eyes sunking in deep silence. "Where are my Princes?" the King asked suppressing the disdain. "Your Majesty, they are in the training wing." the assistant answered still looking down. "Hmmp."

Clink! Clank! The blades clunked together heavily with power the swordsmen applied on it. Everyone in the big training hall cheered for two men with the royal atire fought with their mights with each other. The other men circled the two of them and the round begun with two hot gazes penetrating each in the middle of the circle. "You won the previous round, brother Eldrick. Now that's my turn."

"Brother Ethan, win on your own skills. I'm not gonna do anymore favors. Everyone's watching." the two of them initiated there showdown with a loud clank. Everyone present was fascinated to see there aggression turning towards each other and every move becoming more ruthless. Suddenly, the Prince Ethan lost his balance when fell off the ground and finding this a chance Prince Eldrick made a last move by circling his blade around his and pulling it off from Ethan's hands making it fall on floor. Gasps of everyone echoed the room but suddenly the matured, deeper voice of the King Xander rolled over and hearing the King to be pissed off everyone got back to what they were supposed to do. Even the Princes stopped there showdown and bowed respectfully in front of the King. "My sons, what was going on?" the King sounded too cold that made every other men to shudder in there place. But both the prince didn't even moved. "Your Majesty, we were learning new combat techniques, weren't we brother Ethan?" Eldrick answered softly but Ethan's face was sunk deep due to previous humiliation. "Son Eldrick please be careful with Ethan. He's no matter strong enough, but still he's your younger brother." Eldrick stroked his back of the neck awkwardly. "Anyways we have matters to be sort out. I'm expecting you both in the assembly hall. See you there."

The assembly hall was filled with all important ministers of the kingdom with the King Xander and the second queen, Queen Dressella with both the princes. "Your Majesty and Your Highnesses. We have an important subject matter to be discussed in this assembly. That is, the Majesty, the King of Drayceland, King Derrek had sent an invite for winter vacation in Drayceland. It's an invite for the family time as a peace treaty between both the kingdoms as for His Majesty mentions it for old times sake." hearing about a invite every face bloomed with mixed reactions as after hearing about old times sake, the King excited. It was a time when Prince Derrek and Prince Xander were best friends in Royal school but due to increasing competition between the monarchies these friends got seperate. But still somewhere King Xander still believed and nourished his relations with King Derrek. It was a chance for the Torreniel kingdom to expand his monarch with the help of it's powerful friend kingdom. So without giving a further doubt the invitation was accepted and the kingdoms started preparing for there vacation.

Under the dim light of fire torches, Prince Ethan looked pretty excited about the invite. "Mr Gongsmith, I'm expecting you heard about today's?" Ethan hold onto his excitement and masked himself with his unusual cold aura. "Yes Your Highness. I did. It seems like they themselves want to destroy their lives." the sarcastic comment was pretty offensive that Ethan paced toe to toe with Gongsmith. "Use your words wisely."