The five princes

Tension emanated from the castle's throne room despite it being filled with laughter, for nervous shuffling of feet and whispers of things hidden seem to echo across the whole area. Auria surveyed the people inside the room with her. Royals, all of them. It appears that his father invited every noble not just in the kingdom but from the neighboring kingdoms as well. Gold, silver, crystal, and pearl adorned the various bodies of the men and women before her, making the whole room sparkle to her very annoyance. This wasn't a mere announcement of her getting married; it's a display of Threanas' wealth and influence.

Dominance. It's clear that his father, King Deanor wanted to show the kingdom's dominance over others, most likely to get a favorable response from his daughter's future husband. If there's one thing Auria's father hates, that is being looked down upon. Turning her gaze towards father, Auria saw a grin beneath the king's thick beard which only made his father appear malevolent. "Auria, do not ruin this affair. Whenever a prince would arrive, greet him properly, do not show any of your annoying traits," his father whispered in a commanding voice.

"Yes, father," replied Auria, biting her lower lip. This wasn't how she thought her marriage would go. She has always envisioned her marriage as a happy affair, a breaking of the chains shackling her to the castle, a chance to become free and be the princess she wants to be. She has always hoped that her father would allow her to marry any person she would like; in fact, she even tried to bargain with her father at the last minute. She pleaded for the event not to push through in exchange of her not leaving the castle and dedicating her whole life in serving the kingdom. However, such plead was only met with a steely gaze.

Still, Auria can't help but wonder what the princes look like and how they behave. Being raised in the castle in her whole life, her knowledge of the world beyond the castle walls is limited to the tales told to her by Silvia and Thenan, and the handful trips outside Threanas that she took with her father. As such, the idea of marrying a stranger whom she barely knows terrified her greatly. Auria held back her tears as she gripped Silvia's hand who stood by her side. Right now, the only ray of light which she clings onto was the thought of becoming Alea once more and walking the streets of Noir.

"The prince of Brenn Loria, Prince Frecia arrives!" shouted by the guard outside. Two rows of six men entered the room, they were all wearing a deep brown leather hood over their tunics. Their armor consisted of a black brigandine, bracers, and boots, and pauldrons the color of moss on their shoulders. As the men continued to march towards them, Auria saw varying sizes of bows and quivers hung on their backs, these clearly were the famed Forest Stalkers of Brenn Loria. Upon reaching the throne, the two rows parted, revealing a young man, clearly a peasant, carrying an elegant long wooden bow, with various golden carvings adorning its black body, and a fine white string, following the peasant was the prince.

A tree. Auria immediately thought of a tree upon seeing Prince Frecia of Brenn Loria. Despite being as tall as his guards, the green robe worn by the prince coupled with the dark brown brigandine he's wearing beneath it made him looked like a walking tree at first glance. It also didn't help that the prince was wearing a dark green metallic band on his forehead. With his light colored skin, brown eyes, and hair as red as the autumn leaves, Prince Frecia appears as if one of the fairfolk. Auria wondered if the prince has the blood of the elves or sylphs running through his veins.

"Good day, King Deanor and to you Princess Auria of Threanas. I am Prince Frecia of Brenn Loria," said the prince as he bowed before them. King Deanor glared at his daughter, on the other hand, Auria, remembering what her father told him, immediately rushed towards the prince in panic. Auria bowed infront of Frecia who then took her hand and kissed it. The princess can't help but go red in the face with the sudden gesture.

"I-I'm glad tha-that you safely arrived here in our beautiful kingdom. Me and the citizens of Threanas welcome you and hope you have a pleasant stay Prince Frecias," stuttered Auria as she felt the cold stare of her father, clearly angered by her actions. She quickly returned to the throne, embarrassed by what just happened.

Her father standing up, then received from the peasant the long bow. "I present to you a token from my kingdom, a bow made from the finest Yore tree found only in our kingdom. I hope you find my present appealing to your taste," said Frecia as he bowed once more. King Deanor merely nodded his head in return and gestured for the bow to be kept. Taking this as a sign of fervour, Frecia smiled and asked to be allowed to mingle with the people inside the room while waiting for the others.

The next prince to arrive literally appeared out of nowhere, the wizard prince of Adrana. Auria's eyes widened as she saw a glowing pentagon manifested itself on the floor of the throne room, startling the guests while eliciting only a raised eyebrow from Prince Frecia. The king in a stern voice ordered everyone to move away from the pentagon. Examining it closer, Auria saw that the pentagon was formed by a variety of runic scriptures unfamiliar to her. However, before she could utter a word to Silvia to ask her if the same was familiar to the chambermaid, a blinding light enveloped the whole room.

When the light dissipated, the runic pentagon was nowhere to be found and standing on its place were the prince's retainers with the prince in the middle. All wore a royal violet robe over teal colored silk garments, making the prince indistinguishable from the rest save for the long carved stone staff he was carrying, and the fact that he was standing in the middle of the five people in the formation of a pentagon. Auria stared for a few more moments in awe before her trance was broken by a forced cough coming from Grenwald. Staying calm this time, Auria slowly walked over to the prince and bowed.

Magic. While magic when performed is truly amazing, Auria knew better. Regaining her composure as she bowed, the princess realized that the wizard prince and his retainers must have been a mere few yards from the throne room when they teleported. After all, there's no magic powerful enough to transport a large number of people over a great distance. The prince of Adrana simply wants to showcase their kingdom's magical prowess.

Brown colored hair, light skinned, and with a nose which curves perfectly, the prince though lesser in beauty to Frecia in comparison is still handsome and possesses the usual splendour that nobles carry. "A pleasant morning to you King Deanor and to you my dear prince Auria," the prince said, bowing deeply and extending his arms, "My name is Althas of the kingdom of Adrana." King Deanor once more simply nodded his head while Auria returned to her throne. Prince Althas then procured a golden box from within his robes. The box contained two orb-like crystals within, each one having runes in silver engraved on it.

"Your majesty, I present to you a pair of enchanted orbs from Adrana. Each one of them contains a number of protective enchantments to ensure the safety of its holder. These shall make you invulnerable from most injuries and illnesses. I brought two, one for you King Deanor and for your daughter, Auria," finished Althas. For the first time in many years, Auria saw her father smiled, apparently pleased with the prince's present. Does her father favor Althas? However, Auria's thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the guards outside.

"The prince of Wyrdracona, prince Asche arrives!" Whispers increased in the room as the nobles on their own accord made way for the incoming prince. The two other princes simply stood at the side of the crowd, seemingly not amused by the attention given to the arriving guest. This time though, Auria herself can't help but stand. The prince of dragons. While a number of dragons still roam the lands of Elderone, most of them have taken their residence at the peaks of Mount Boenheim, said to be the entrance to Wyrdracona, the realm of dragons. Auria can't help but wonder what kind of prince the prince of dragons was, more importantly what he looks like given that he was not human after all. Her question was immediately answered though by the arrival of the prince's knights, if they were to be considered as knights at all.

Four persons or rather dragonoids, dragons in human form, walked into the room, their armor a glittering bronze. Looking closer, what Auria thought as armor were in truth dragonscales covering their whole body except for their faces which were of a pale hue. The four have no visible tails or wings but sport horns protruding from the sides of their faces and on their heads while their eyes glittered like that of a serpent's. Following them was Prince Asche, his scales colored like that of blood, white horns protrude from his shoulders, his nails sharp, a long-spiked tail swinging to and fro behind his back as he walked. As for his face, no horns were visible; his face was the face of a normal human except with his snake-like eyes and his unnaturally white hair. With him, he carried a fur coat colored as black as the night.

Upon arriving at the foot of the throne, King Deanor immediately stood up and deeply bowed before the dragon prince, to the surprise of everyone including Aria. "It is my greatest pleasure to have you here, o great prince of the dragons. I am King Deanor of Threanas, and this is my daughter, Prince Auria," said King Deanor, looking at Auria who also bowed in return. As for Prince Asche he merely nodded his head.

"Thank you for welcoming me and my kin to your humble abode King Deanor," said Prince Asche as he walked towards the king.

"This is a fur coat fashioned out of a black Wulforse I personally hunted. Accept this as a token of my gratitude for inviting me here today," the dragon prince smirked as he personally gave the coat to the king who uttered a cold thanks. Auria's father was clearly holding himself back from showing his displeasure at the prince's attitude. Everybody knows that besides a knight of Crusdea, only a dragonslayer can fight on par with a dragon, moreover one of royal blood.

After the exchange of formalities, Prince Asche and his fellow dragonoids proceeded with the banquet table, choosing to eat rather than interact with the nobles or the other princes. One last prince. Auria just need to endure the long conversations for the next few hours and hopefully have a chance to sneak out as Alea. Maybe she'll go to Karos' workshop to learn a little about forging a shield, she thought.

"The prince of Quirun, Prince Lophen arrives!" Quirun, known also as the thieves' paradise, is a kingdom at the far south, near the dessert of Peira. Despite being considered by some as a kingdom, most only consider it as a den of thieves, assassins, and mercenaries. Boasting unexplainable great wealth, it is also where famous thieves such as Caucascus, the dessert beetle came from. However, the notoriety of the place made the other kingdoms wary of it; it is even a wonder why the king invited the prince to participate in the gathering.

Fifteen persons all armed to the teeth, carrying various weapons of shapes and sizes entered the throne room, all having various jars and vials tied to their belts. While the guards of the other princes have an air of nobility and eloquence among them, the guards of the thief prince carry none. Some of them have tattoos all over their body, some were heavily scarred, and some even having deformities, yet all of them wore masks depicting disfigured faces of animals. These were not mere thieves; they were either mercenaries or assassins. As their group moved towards the throne, Auria started debating to herself whether she should run or not. As the so-called guards stepped aside, Prince Lophen revealed himself.

The prince just like his guards do not have the traits of a noble at all, with his medium length rugged hair, relatively trimmed beard, and an eyepatch on his left eye. Dressed in white robed covering plated armor, the prince carried with him, a large wooden chest.

"I am prince Lophen of Quirun, your majesty, I bring this small gift from our kingdom as a sign of peace," Prince Lophen said as he kneeled on one knee before Auria's father. Taking the wooden chest, King Deanor hastily opened it, as if already having an idea on its contents.

Gold, silver, and gems of diverse sizes were inside the chest, emitting almost an unearthly sparkle. King Deanor grinned widely at the sight of the treasure; he even helped the prince on his feet. However, Auria did not have the slightest pleasure upon speaking with Prince Lophen, not just because of his appearance but because of the way he held her hand to kiss it, it was a firm grip, the kind that her father possesses. Auria cannot help but breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the large group of Quirun proceed to the banquet table, to the irritation of the dragonoids. A few more hours. She just needs to keep her composure and endure the pleasantries then she can rest. Forget marrying. All she's looking forward to now is spending even a short stroll in the streets of Noir.

"T-The prince of Crusdea, pri-prince Elyse arrives!" A fifth prince? From Crusdea? Auria turned to his father for an explanation only to see him walking hastily towards the great doors, clearly shocked and…if she was right, displeased. Not knowing what to do, Auria got up as well and ran after her father. As if pulled by an unknown force, the other people within the throne room also made their way towards the door including the four other princes.

Crusdea, the hall of knights, the resting ground of heroes. Auria only heard the name through stories told to her by Silvia, stories involving gallant heroes defeating all sort of things malevolent. The kingdom's citizens are known to be the first knights, the ones who fought to end the tyranny of dragons, the ones the fair folk have entrusted the stewardship of the whole of Elderone, and most of all, the ones who vanquish evil. However, everything about the place and its people were mere legends, stories passed down generation to generation to instill chivalry in children's minds.

Explorers from all corners of the land had already traversed the peaks of Heisld and found nothing, not event any sign of a settlement. A citizen of Crusdea, moreover its prince, has decided to visit Threanas, the thought made Auria's heart raced. Arriving a few steps short of the big doors of the throne room, Auria stood by the side of his father, whose expression had turned grim, as if he had just eaten something rotten.

Wearing an armor that seemed to be made of silver, adorned with bluish engravings all over it, and a billowing azure cape behind it, the prince of Crusdea was a sight to behold, it was as if the sky itself has taken a human form. On the prince's left arm, he carried a silver shield engraved with the image of a Wulforse with its two front legs raised upwards, while a sword is tucked on his left side, its hilt also made of the same silver-like metal while its scabbard seems to be made out of a black leather-like material. The prince stood at the entrance of the room for a few seconds, as if mustering the courage to walk in.

"A pleasant day to you King Deanor and to you princess Auria, I am prince Elyse of Crusdea", said the price, bowing then looking at them in the eyes. Auria can't help but feel a bit flustered upon locking eyes with Elyse, his piercing blue eyes reminded her of the ocean while his short blonde hair brings into mind a young lion full of energy yet quite unsure with himself. However, the prince somehow appears a bit agitated, like he would prefer to be somewhere else rather than stand before them. Nonetheless, Auria's thoughts were disturbed when she noticed the prince reach out his hand towards her father. A dagger with a blue crystal-like hilt and a silver scabbard was offered by Elyse to King Deanor as a token which the King took without uttering any word of thanks and with a sullen expression on the monarch's face.

"Everyone, come now, gather around," King Deanor said as he turned his back on prince Elyse and proceeded to walk towards his throne, prompting Auria to do the same.

Clearing his throat, Deanor declared in a loud voice, "Before anything else. I would like to thank everyone especially the exalted princes of Adrana, Brenn Loria, Quirun, Wyrdracona, and Crusdea for joining us this morning. As you may have known today is my daughter's coming of age and I believe it is only proper that she gets to live a life full of happiness and prosperity. With this, I would like to announce that my daughter's hand is open for the taking by anyone of the five princes present with us here. Should they decide to marry my daughter, they must prove themselves worthy not only to her but to the kingdom as well. As such they will undergo a series of tests to show that their intentions are pure."

A brief moment of silence fell within the room followed by a thunderous applause. The nobles cheered, satisfied that their lavish lifestyle was ensured to continue for the next few years with the marriage of Auria, while most of the princes wear an expression of satisfaction mixed with contempt, seemingly trying to eye their fellow competitors for the princess' hand. It was only Elyse who didn't seem to be pleased at all, biting his lip. Auria held back her tears as the deafening clapping of hands continued. She felt like a piece of jewelry being auctioned, a mere object of prosperity. "Princess…", Auria felt the hand of Silvia holding hers but all she could return to her dear friend was a weak smile.

The banquet continued throughout the day while news of the princes' arrival and Auria's engagement spread like wildfire throughout Noir. Auria tried her best to keep her composure during the ordeal, spending much of her time sitting on the throne by her father's side to avoid having to talk with any of the nobles especially the princes. The princes on their part made every effort to converse with Auria except for Elyse who Auria noticed seemed to avoid mingling with other people, even with her. However, since custom dictates that she pays her respects to them Auria was forced to spend some time with each of the five during the celebration of her coming of age.

Auria hated the whole affair. While she found Frecia a bit flirtatious and the sorcerer prince Althas…contemplative and moody, the two are tolerable unlike Asche who's arrogant and Lophen who just like a thief carries with him an air of deception. Elyse on the other hand was a totally different matter altogether. Unlike the four, the prince of Crusdea was hard to read, not because he seldom speaks like Althas or because he seems to be hiding something like Lophen, but because he appeared to be embarrassed to be present in the throne room while at the same time excited. Throughout their short conversation, Auria barely learned anything about Elyse, not like the other four who willingly told stories about themselves. In fact, their talk only consisted on complimenting each others appearance and how great the food was, for within a few minutes, the prince excused himself, saying that he feels unwell.

Nighttime fell and the celebration ended, and with it, Auria's remaining strength left her. She quickly rushed into her room, not bothering to say goodnight to the five princes who would be living in the castle for the next few days. Auria cried the rest of the night while Silvia tried to comfort her. She wanted to run away from the castle, to run away from everything even only for a short period of time. She wanted to be Alea.

"Your Majesty, you called for me?" asked Grenwald as he bowed before Deanor. The king sat on his throne, examining the now empty and dark throne room.

"Yes. I want you to make the necessary preparations for the next few days. I don't want anyone interfering with my plans," said Deanor with a stern voice as he continued to absentmindedly look over the room, like a hawk watching over his territory, waiting for a mouse to come out.

"As you wish. But what off the prince of Crusdea? I thought that –"but Grenwald was cut off by the raised hand of Deanor.

"The prince of Crusdea, if he is indeed the prince, does not matter, but I would like you to ask that man to keep an eye on him. Whichever kingdom we form an allegiance to means continued prosperity for Threanas anyway. Brenn Loria will be able to provide us with the finest archers and a direct command over the esteemed Forest Stalkers, with their skill in warfare, victory in any conquest is assured. Adrana, on the other hand, would give us the superiority in all forms of magic and would allow our kingdom to progress further in its study of magic while Quirun with its vast riches and access to the most savage warriors will put fear into the hearts of our enemies. Most importantly, forging a pact with the royal family of Wyrdracona would make Threanas invincible, our kin will be of dragon blood and will be the zenith of humanity," declared Deanor, a malevolent grin present on his face.

"And how about of Crusdea?" asked Grenwald, who just like the king was apprehensive at the thought of an alliance with the kingdom.

"Crusdea, if it exists, and if it still exists will put Threanas into legends. People from every generation would know of the kingdom of Threanas as the new resting place of heroes, and I will make sure of that," said Deanor, his fists clenched tightly, a look of anger burning within his eyes.

"Your grand designs and glory are yours until end of time. All hail King Deanor" spoke Grenwald as he started to laugh in eager anticipation of what will happen in the months to come. King Deanor, on the other hand, merely gritted his teeth tighter. He never expected the prince of Crusdea to show up. The appearance of a fifth prince completely threw off his plans. There is no way Crusdea exists. The kingdom had fallen a long time ago.