Arthur stood mesmerized before that view, his eyes barely blinking.
The waves crashed calmly against the distant rocks, while the sunlight reflected over the sea’s surface like thousands of glinting fragments.
The sea breeze gently touched his face, carrying with it the scent of salt and the sound of seagulls soaring in the sky.
He took a small step forward, then said in a low voice filled with wonder:
“It’s…
so beautiful.”
Adrian smiled as he watched his brother’s expressions, then approached and stood beside him.
“You know?”
He gestured with his hand toward the distant horizon.
“I used to stand here a lot when I was your age.”
Arthur turned his head to him with interest.
Adrian continued as he looked at the sea:
“Whenever I felt confused…
or wanted to sort out my thoughts, I would come to this place.”
Adrian fixed his gaze on the sea, and the smile gradually faded from his face.
Silence fell between him and Arthur, while the waves kept breaking calmly against the distant rocks.
Then he whispered as if speaking to himself:
“I remember…
the first time I came to this place with my father.”
The sounds around him gradually faded away, and memories carried him years back…
********
Young Adrian stood beside his father, King Leon Baldor, in that same place.
Leon’s hand held his young son’s small hand firmly, while his gaze remained fixed on the sea stretching before him.
He wasn’t looking at it with admiration…
but with buried sorrow.
The wind stirred his royal cloak, but he paid it no attention, and remained silent for several moments, as if gathering the words that had weighed on his heart for years.
Then he said in a calm voice:
“When my father died…
the previous king of the kingdom of Baldoria…”
He paused briefly.
“…he left the throne, and all his possessions, to me and my older brother…
Caesar.”
Leon tightened his fingers slightly around Adrian’s hand, then continued in a tone mixing nostalgia with pain:
“That was…
my father’s final will.”
A short silence fell, and he didn’t lift his eyes from the sea.
he didn’t grant rule to my older brother alone.”
A sad smile formed on his face.
“Rather, he wanted us to share the responsibility together, because his will said that brotherhood was more important than any throne…
and more precious than any fortune.”
He lowered his head slightly.
“But Caesar…
exploited my young age and lack of experience at the time.”
He clenched his fist silently.
“And took all the rule for himself.”
He lowered his head for a moment, then continued in a voice weighted by memories:
“At first…
I didn’t notice what had happened.”
“But when I grew up, I realized the truth.”
He sighed slowly.
“That title they used to call me by…
King…
was nothing but a name.”
“I had no authority to make laws…
no right to issue orders…
nor the influence my brother enjoyed.”
Silence fell, and only the sound of the waves could be heard.
Then Leon said calmly:
“And since that day…
I left the main royal palace.”
“And left all authority behind, and chose to reside in this palace.”
He raised his head slightly, and smiled a smile mixing gratitude with pride.
“But I never expected…
that some soldiers, and servants, and even a number of the common people…”
“…would refuse to leave me.”
“Rather, they volunteered to accompany me, and serve me, and protect this place.”
He looked at the palace behind him for a moment, then returned his gaze to the sea.
“And these people…
are the ones who became today the servants and guards of this palace.”
Silence fell once more.
Then Leon gently gripped his young son’s hand, and said in a steady tone:
“And that’s why…”
“As long as I live…”
Arthur’s eyes widened slowly, and he remained silent for a few moments as he stared at the sea, trying to absorb what he’d heard.
He hadn’t expected that calm place to hold such a painful memory.
He lowered his head slightly, and felt a strange heaviness in his chest.
“…That’s…
sad.”
He whispered it in a barely audible voice, then raised his gaze toward his older brother.
As for Adrian…
his features weren’t as they had been moments before.
The calm smile that had formed on his face had vanished, replaced by heavy silence.
His eyes were still fixed on the distant horizon, but the look in them carried something of anger and bitterness, as if that memory hadn’t healed no matter how many years had passed.
He clenched his hand slightly without realizing it, then let out a long breath.
Arthur noticed this, and his sadness grew.
He looked at his brother, then returned his gaze to the sea as he murmured:
“So…
that’s why my father was so happy when they told him uncle Caesar was about to die…”
Silence fell.
Adrian neither denied his words, nor confirmed them.
He only closed his eyes for a moment, as if those words had brought back a memory he wished he wouldn’t hear again.
Adrian smiled a calm smile, then extended his hand toward Arthur and held it gently.
“Come on…
let’s continue on our way.”
Arthur looked at him in silence, the traces of sadness still showing on his face after the story he’d just heard.
Adrian squeezed his hand lightly, then said with a reassuring smile:
“And let’s forget what happened…
it doesn’t matter anymore now.”
He turned his gaze toward the distant horizon, where the sea shimmered under the sun’s rays, then continued in a calmer tone:
“The past…
we can’t change it.
What happened, happened.”
He turned to his brother again, warmth having returned to his features.
“But what we can do…
is not let it steal our present from us.”
Arthur kept looking at him for a few seconds, then nodded slowly.
“Alright…
brother.”
A satisfied smile formed on Adrian’s face, then the two began walking again, side by side, while the sea breezes caressed their hair.