Changing Times

The next day the kingdom was already abuzz with what happened at the Crown Prince's birthday banquet. Various rumours started to spread, the main being a plot to change the line of succession to the throne. It wasn't known what happened behind closed doors within the castle but it was no secret that the second prince was treated differently. Being the son of the Hayon kingdom's Princess made many wary of them both, especially since the King never gave Amelia an official title. Some referred to her as the King's concubine, some as the second prince's mother but never as the King's wife. The fact that she was never given an official title made it harder for many to accept her as being a part of their kingdom especially since she didn't seem to be accepted by the King.

The Hayon kingdom had previously been at war with Ancilly for decades. It was due to them that the kingdom almost came to ruin. While Hayon didn't have many powerful magic users or mages, they had a strong naval force. The kingdom of Ancilly, being an island, was vulnerable to attacks from all sides. The only thing that protected them was a magical wall that encircled the kingdom, however, even with that they still sustained some damage. The records of who built the wall or how it was constructed had never been recorded so there was also a lack of information on how to restore the structure. The King of Ancilly at the time, had no choice but to send their own vessels and mages to reduce the impact. Many lives were lost on Ancilly's side. The clear water that once surrounded their Kingdom was often clouded by blood. The King of Ancilly would make pleas for aid from other kingdoms but no one dared to intervene, as at the time, Hayon was the most powerful country.

It wasn't clear why Hayon had targeted Ancilly but their attacks continued for many years. The Ancillian King tried many times to have peace negotiations but the King of Hayon always refused. Their assault finally ceased with the help of the first Blossom, Tisiphone. Her appearance on the battlefield was a great shock to the Hayens,the people of Hayon, and led to their downfall. Almost all their soldiers and mages died that day. All the Ancillian warriors remained inside as the Blossom stepped forth. At first there was a blinding light coming from the Blossom's direction. After the light disappeared it 'went dark' for many of the Hayen soldiers. The soldiers had been blinded. The Blossom then used a combination of nature magics. Monstrous winds and furious flames destroyed their boats, colossal waves swallowed them and the earth beneath them pierced their bodies in the form of spikes. The devastation caused was unimaginable. It was like the heaven's retribution. Luckily for the Hayen King, he wasn't present at the battle that day. Following their crushing defeat, the Hayen King had his few remaining soldiers retreat. They went back to their Kingdom with their tail between their legs. The news spread to all the other kingdoms of Ancilly's victory and the presence of a new powerful force that supported them.

After the war came to an end, Ancilly started to rebuild. Things were made easier with the Blossom's aid. Tisiphone first infused her magic into the barrier resulting in it becoming even stronger than before. She used earth magic to enrich the soil and cleared the blood, corpses and other debris from the sea using water and fire magic. Tisiphone's magic also caused the formation of many caves on the island. Within these caves was a large source of various magical stones and crystals. Ancilly gradually became more developed and the people prospered. Ancillians enjoyed a few years of peace thanks to the continued support of the Blossom. Once it was time for the Blossom to leave, the Elder - Mahee, helped the Ancillians to establish the first temple, which would train priests to summon Blossoms. The Elders were beings similar to Blossoms but more powerful and stable. Unlike Blossoms, which were grown, the Elders were inhabitants of the Celestial Sphere that had lived there for centuries. The Elders wouldn't normally interfere with mortal affairs but as thanks to the Crown Prince at the time for saving her daughter, Mahee made an exception. As per their agreement, the Elders would ensure that Ancilly would be protected and continue to prosper through the ability of the Blossoms. After the Blossom and Elder left, the citizens began to worship them as their Gods.

A few years later, King Albert Louhen III, Amelia's father, tried to pick up where his grandfather left off. Although he was aware of the Ancillian's ability to summon a Blossom, he felt that his plan had a great chance of success. Through a spy that was implanted within Ancilly, he gained much information about Blossoms. He was informed of when the current Blossom would return and was able to prepare a force to lie in wait. On the day of the Blossom's return, a purple smoke signal was used to indicate when it would be time to strike. At the sight of the signal the Hayen soldiers infiltrated Ancilly through an underwater passage. The passage took them to an opening in the castle's dungeon.Their aim was to capture the young prince, William, and use him to force the King to concede to them. It was a force of ten men. They discreetly made their way towards the Prince's room. Once they opened the door they were startled. Castle guards were waiting for them inside and more guards suddenly rushed out and surrounded them. It was a trap. They tried to fight their way out but it was useless. They were easily defeated and restrained. The King then entered the room.

"How the mighty have fallen… This is truly disappointing," said the King as he looked down at the soldiers.

The soldiers' eyes were filled with hatred and rage. The King laughed as he looked at them. At the same time, one of the soldiers broke free and tried to attack the King. The King burned him using his fire magic. He continued until the soldiers' screams were no more and his body turned to ash. The other soldiers looked on in horror.

"How about we send a few gifts to your King," he said as he smirked.

Following the incident, the King informed the kingdom of the attempt made by the Hayon kingdom and their success over them. The Queen held William in her arms as she stood beside the King. The Ancillians cheered with pride. The news soon spread to the various kingdoms.

Upon hearing the news, King Albert was infuriated, he couldn't sit still. A servant soon came to inform the King that several chests had arrived from Ancilly with a letter addressed to him. The letter had the royal seal on it. King Albert ripped the letter open. Inside it was a piece of paper that read "Your spy was my spy". The King angrily tore the paper to shreds. He opened one of the chests and saw the head of one of the soldiers that were sent on the mission. One after another he opened each chest and saw the same thing. His face turned red, you could almost see smoke coming from his nose. The veins on his forehead were protruding. He had never felt such an anger before. He grabbed his chest and fell to the floor. The servants sent for the royal physician immediately. It was determined that he had a stroke. The King was now in a coma and the palace was in chaos. Princess Amelia stayed with her father to care for him while the Crown Prince took the throne in the interim. After discussing it with his ministers, the Crown Prince decided to submit a peace treaty to Ancilly.They feared that Ancilly would retaliate. It was also decided to send the Princess to Ancilly as well. The Princess was known to be a great beauty so they were confident that the Ancillian King would not refuse. Within a few weeks the treaty was settled and the Princess was sent to Ancilly. After about a month the King woke up from his coma late one night. His personal servant was by his side. King Albert pressed him for information on what had happened while he was unconscious. The servant was reluctant but had to comply. He informed him of everything, including the Princess being sent away. He had lost his wife long ago and only had his two children. He couldn't believe that Chillian would send his sister away. He got up and headed for the door. The servant sent someone to get the royal physician and tried to get the King to calm down. The King could not be restrained, he managed to leave his room but fell to his knees due to his weak legs. He, however, could not be stopped. He crawled to the Princess's room. His personal servant opened the door for him and he went inside. Dust had already accumulated on the Princess's things. He began to cry.

"No, I was a fool... it wasn't her fault, it was my fault, it was my fault…," repeated the King. He pounded his fists on the floor. He kept crying until he felt a sharp pain in his chest. His heart couldn't take the stress. He had another stroke.

Upon hearing the King had woken up the Crown Prince ran to see his father. Once he got to his father's room he saw his body on the bed covered by a sheet. The royal physician informed him that the King had passed away. The Crown Prince was devastated. He went over to his father's body but couldn't bear to look under the sheet. He then fainted. News spread to all kingdoms of King Albert's passing and Prince Chillian becoming the new King. Amelia was also told of her father's passing but could only mourn in silence. Years had passed since his death and since the peace treaty was formed, but Ancilly never forgot what King Albert tried to do.

While in his study, the King reviewed various reports sent. One of the reports mentioned a rumour that someone tried to assasinate the Crown Prince. The King angrily crumpled the document and threw it to the floor. Someone entered the room and retrieved the crumpled paper. The King was shocked to see his brother, Hayden Froth, who had left the kingdom years ago.

"It seems we have some things to discuss," said Hayden.