~Sun-World, Argaria~
The smell of blood and ash filled the air as large crimson flames burned brightly around the Argarian village.
People ran in random directions, being chased by soldiers who bore the Valtorian emblem on their breast plates.
These soldiers went after women, and men, killing as they pleased and without mercy.
The cries of children and women rose into the air with the roaring flames.
A shadowy figure sat on a wooden throne at the entrance to the village.
It was a young man with black hair and dark purple eyes that looked dead.
He wore dark silver armour and a red cape, carrying the same emblem as the soldiers that terrorised the people.
He was one of the princes of Valtoria─the youngest one.
He watched silently with emotionless eyes as this village burnt to the ground.
“My lord, these are the farmers who attacked our camp the night before.
All fourteen of them,” A soldier said loudly, dragging a group of men into his view.
The Valtorian soldiers who brought the farmers pushed all fourteen of them to their knees and drew out their swords.
The prince’s eyes moved toward the farmers who knelt on the ground without an ounce of regret on their faces.
He felt disgusted.
“We were just passing by, and decided to camp nearby.
But you people decided to look for trouble.
You destroyed our food supplies with fancy fire works and this is what you get in return,” The prince said with a blank expression on his face.
“Liar, we knew why you were here, and that’s why we decided to attack first.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to cause enough damage to your supplies,” one of the farmers mouthed with anger in his voice.
The prince just stared at him silently as if he didn’t hear all he had just said.
“Lord Damian, what should we do with them?” A young lady, who stood beside his throne, asked with a smile on their face.
She also wore armour, and tied her hair in a pony tail.
She looked older than the prince, but was willing to follow the prince’s every order, no matter what it was.
Her name was Moriah.
The prince let out a sigh, then got up from his throne.
“They destroyed our food supplies, so we’ll be taking all seven of the Argarian fields to compensate for it.
Kill these men and enslave whoever is left in this village and the other six Argarian villages.
Once that’s done, we’ll return to Valtoria; father is returning from his wedding and we need to be there to welcome him,” Damian said, his tone, low and cold as he walked toward the sunset with a group of soldiers following behind him.
“As you wish your highness,” Moriah replied, bowing slightly.
The soldiers who stood behind the farmers began slitting their throats one by one after Moriah gave them the order.
I stood silently among a crowd in the eastern city of Andreia, watching as my father and his knights marched through a street in the city.
The crowd cheered loudly and clapped to welcome their brave knights, and my eyes brightened up at the sight of their shining armour and swords.
I was only a twelve-year-old, and I was always mesmerised by my father’s courage.
Every time he went to war with an enemy, he always came back victorious, and the casualties he would suffer would be nothing compared to what that enemy had lost.
This time, though… this time was different.
Something was amiss from the group of soldiers that marched through the city… someone wasn’t with them.
I followed the train of Knights all the way back to our mansion, searching for that one person, but my search was to no avail.
After a while, I gave up and snuck back into the building
Later that day, after my father was done with all his meetings and had retired to his room, I walked to his door and knocked gently.
My father, who laid alone on his large bed, staring at the ceiling, sat up immediately.
“Who’s there?” he asked.
“Father, it’s me, Celene,” I replied softly.
My father pushed out a soft breath, got up from his bed and walked to the door.
He pulled it open with his left hand, and smiled as his eyes met mine.
He took my hand and walked with me into the room, and we both sat on his bed.
“How was your expedition,” I asked softly, swinging my feet back and forth while staring at the ground.
“It went smoothly, Celene.
We were able to track down and beat the monster that always terrorized our farms.
It took a little bit of time, but after figuring out its weak spots, bringing down and taking out its heart was as easy as eating apple pie,” My father replied with a smile.
I let out a short giggle, placing my right palm over my lips.
“Speaking of Apple pie,” he continued, then got up from his bed and walked toward a cupboard in his room.
“I picked up a gift for you on my way back.
I know how much you love apple pie, so I stopped at one of the best bakeries in a neighbouring village to get this,” he said, pulling out a tray of apple pie from his cupboard.
He was right, I did love apple pie, it was my favourite meal; so much so that I was nicknamed the apple princess among maids that I was close to.