Two Swords and a Dagger

A short figured boy was standing by the window, opening the curtains. He loved the view from his window. You could see most of the castle, a big harbour and then open sea. The sun was blinding his one brown eye.

Kingdom of Naydawin. One of the most important kingdoms in Krens known for its big horbour and its key trading chain. The kingdom is connected with countless other kingdoms and empires around Krens and even outside Krens.

As he looked from the sea and the horbour to the main road leading to the castle's main entrance, he saw a carriage. From its side hang two blue flags with a magenta stripe across it and a white moon and a star in the middle of it. The Kingdom of Lucine must be one of our most important alliance. Rea, the only daughter of King and Queen visits the kingdom every month for a couple of days. She's my childhood friend and she still is my only friend here.

He heared a knock on his door. As he turned around it opened and a servant walked in, bowed his head a little and put a nicely folded clothes on the chair.

»The princess of The Lucine is about to enter the castle walls, may you need any help before you go see her, sir?«

»It's okay, I'll manage.« Said Tivon as he straightened his posture.

The servant bowed and exited the room. Tivon grabbed his clothes from the chair and got dressed up. Before he left, he took his journal and the coat hanging by the door. As he left his room he found himself in a big hallway filled with countless paintings, of his ancestors, cousins, grandmothers and grandfathers. Suddenly he stopped by a big painting of a podgy faced man in his fifties, with light brown hair, his roots already grey. A sudden feeling of discomfort rushed his body as he stared into his green eyes.

My father Urien, the king, ever since the... since the accident he changed. After that he never really cared for me. He looked at the painting beside it. On it was a much younger, slim, beautiful browned haired woman. Her kind brown eyes filled the room with warmth. But my mother Gyla. She is the greatest person alive. Her love for me never changed. He swiftly glanced over a smaller painting of him beside the portraits of The King and Queen, but he quickly looked away and continued walking down the hallway. I'll be 19 in a month and then I'll be crowned as King of Naydawin. I'm a smart person, I always did excellent at my studies, but never did my father teach me how to be a king and what to do when I'll become one. Ever since then he has stopped taking notice of me and my studies... And my freedom. He found himself outside looking at the sea. I want to go outside castle walls, I want to see what's beyond. Don't get me wrong, I can go outside my castle, but I want to see more. I want to see my people and I want to know what's happening outside our kingdom.

He walked down the stairs just as the carriage stopped. The carriage door shut open and a girl ran out and hug Tivon.

»Long time no see!« Said a slim girl, her blond hair tied in a ponytail flopping around.

Tivon smiled. »Welcome back Rea.« He managed to say when the pressure of Reas hug loosened.

Rea smiled. Suddenly an older woman hit her back with a fan, and almost barked at her »Maners!«.

Rea fixed her posture and as soon as the old woman turned to complain to the coachman about not arriving on time, Tivon and Rea burst out laughing.

»I'll just get into some more comfortable clothes and I'll be right back with you.«

Just before Tivon could say anything back to her, she was already hopping towards the castle. A unique one. He caught himself smiling to himself.

He looked up to one of the highest castle towers. He reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out a journal that he went nowhere without. A perfect time for a little drawing.

As he sat on his favourite spot the sun was about to set. Just when it was setting, Tivon finished yet another drawing of a map.

»I knew I'll find you here.«

He turned around and Rea was standing behind him, the setting sun coloring her long blond hair red. She sat beside him and nudged him in the hand. »Future king huh? In just a month!« Her hand moving across the sky as if she was painting something.

»Yeah... It's been on my mind a lot lately. Mostly because my father doesn't bring it up. I haven't got any studies or any directions on how to be a king.«

Tivons posture loosened, wanting to hide the embarrassment.

Rea didn't notice the disapointment on Tivons posture. »That's probably because he knows that you will be a great king.«

»I guess.« he sighed. »I'll go talk to him right now.«

»Okay. See you tomorrow.«

Tivon smiled and went to the castle's main hall where he found his mother reading a book and father talking to his best adviser.

»Father I wish to speak to you.«

The King didn't even look up from his papers. »It's late. You should be sleeping.«

»I just want to ask you something.« He was surprised to see his father look at him this time. Tivon continued. »I know I have to study about a lot of things and I'm not complaining about it, but non of them had me prepared for a rule of a king. I'll be 19 in a month and when I become a king-«

»What?«

The tone of the question startled Tivon. »I'm rightful to the throne.«

»You a king?« He started laughing and Tivon became uncomfortable. »That can't be. You can't be a king.«

Tivons voice started to shake. »W-what do you mean? I'm your only son, therefore I'll be king-«

»The only way you'll become king is when you marry Rea. We already got that arranged.« said Urien, too calmly for Tivon's likeness.

He couldn't believe what he had just heard. »But she's my friend! I-I can't marry her. I can rule here.«

»You can't rule this kingdom in the state you are in.« His voice was rumbling through castle's hall and Tivon could start to hear the anger rising in Uriens voice.

»In the state I'm in? W-who will be king then? I'm your only son.«

The King paused and looked at the Queen. »We already got that figured out.« He pointed at the belly of his pregnant wife.

My mother is pregnant? He started to feel uneasy as if the room was starting to spin around him. He started questioning himself why wouldn't his own father want him to be a king.

»I don't u-understand. I should be king.« He knew that he shouldn't push it any further and the anger of his father reminded him of that.

»YOU ARE DISABLED! You can't even see!«

It was the first time since his father talked about his nonfunctioning eye since the accident. And he could never imagine that it would hurt this much hearing those words from his own father. He couldn't stand it anymore. He turned around and ran out of the room.

»You could of said that nicer.« said Gyla.

»There was no other way.«

His room was not much. A bed, a closet, a desk with a chair and his favourite spot by the window. The room was quiet. He liked it that way. He liked to be alone, because nobody could disturb him, while he worked on his studies and drawings. But today the quiet bothered him, the silence was too loud. There was too much happening in his head and the quietness of the room didn't help. He tried to calm himself, sitting on the window still and looking at the harbour. A knock on the door interrupted the soundlessness. Tivon didn't look up when his mother entered and sat beside him. For a minute they just sat there in silence.

»Did you know?« He didn't want to look at her, or rather he didn't want her to see his face. He never wanted his mother to see him hurt, especially not today.

She sighed. »Yes... But I wasn't expecting him to tell you like that.«

»He's right. I could never be king.«

»That's not true. You are the smartest kid I know to ever exist and I'm sure that one day you will be a great king.«

»Why can't he see that?« He finally looked at her. He was surprised to see his mothers smooth, perfect face so calm.

»I'm sure he has his own reasons. Oh!« She reached into her long sleeve and pulled out a tiny box. »I've got something for you.«

She handed him a box, he opened it and inside there was a silver necklace with the sign of their kingdom. A silver lily.

»It was your grandfathers. He said to me that I should give this to the person I cherish and love the most. I was supposed to give it to you on your birthday, but I figured I could give it to you sooner.«

Tivons face blushed and he smiled. »Thank you.«

She gave the smile back. »Now go back to sleep. It's late.« She kissed him on the forehead and left the room.

Tivon put on the necklace and headed to his bed.

He dreamed of the conversation. But this time it was not only his father screaming at him. Everyone was shouting. He felt useless. He was useless. Tivon woke up in pain. The pain that he knew since he was 10. He felt it crawling from his back, through his head and where the pain was the most unbearable, his left eye, covered by hair. Tivon forced himself to sit up and reached to his bedshelf where he had his medicine. He grabbed the bottle, but it was empty. Shit, I ran out. He sighed and forced himself out of bed. I hope I can make it to the storage. It was always hard for him to do anything when he got these pain attacks. Sometimes the pain was so much that he couldn't walk. But today he managed. He came to the storage and grabbed some blue dry flower patal leaves. He crushes them and mixes them in water that he later drank. Then he sat there, body full of cold sweat, waiting for the pain to go away.

»Disabled huh?« He caught his face in a reflection of a window. He hated looking at himself. Even if his eye was covered he could still see it. He hated that. He hated himself. So he looked away.

When the pain went away he took some flower patals and put them in a bottle and left the storage room. As he was returning to his room, he passed the parants' room. The door was slightly open and he could hear talking.

»Just think about it. His disability shouldn't be a problem.«

»I will not have some crippled, disabled child be a king of my kingdom.«

Tivon stopped. The words cut him like a lightning, leaving him paralyzed.

He could hear the shock in mother's voice. »Urien! Listen to yourself. He is your son!«

»That degenerate will not be my son!«

That was enough for Tivon. That was enough to make him move. He ran to the room shaking from anger. He took a bag and put some essentials and the journal in it. Before putting everything in the bag he ripped out everything with the sign of a lily. He took off mothers necklace wanting to throw it away. But he couldn't.

He put it back on and hid it beneath his shirt. He picked up the bag and ran to the kitchen, taking as much food as he could carry.

Sneaking out of the castle was actually the easiest part because he knew the secret tunnels that even his father and the royal army didn't know off. Hours spent in the library finally proved to be useful, he thought to himself. After walking for a couple of minutes he came out from a thin, narrow road into the big harbour, which was empty and quiet at this late hour. Tivon looked around to see if any ship was about to sail and to his luck there was one. He knew that it would be sailing to the Leeside, because once his father left the papers of every merchant ship trading routes. He memorized them in a moment. Leeside would be far enough for now. He put his hood on and he sneaked behind a man who was just about to put a barrel on the ship. As he got on the ship he quickly sneaked into the lower part of it and hid behind the crates by a little wooden window.

Little time had passed and the ship set sail. He looked out of the window to a kingdom he grew up in drifting away from him.

»I want nothing to do with this kingdom anymore.«