To Save a Kingdom

Chapter 5

Joseph walked through the halls of his new home. Although this was his new home he felt like he was snooping around. Whenever he heard a voice he would panic it was difficult to walk as if he weren't a criminal in his own home. He knew he looked suspicious but he wanted to explore and get to know his new home. Everything seemed normal like a castle should.

Joseph hadn't seen Saphrine since the day before. When he passed her in a hallway she lifted her nose in the air and flounced away. To say that she was cold was an understatement. Joseph didn't know what he had done to make her act this way. Maybe she was angry about the arranged marriage and that was why she was behaving as such. But that wasn't Joseph's fault. Joseph hadn't done anything to deserve this kind of treatment. He hoped what King Theo had said was right that hopefully she would come around eventually.

Joseph jumped as a door in front of him opened and a woman carrying a basket walked out. Every now and then he saw a servant doing their chores. They would stop what they were doing and bow their heads to him as a sign as respect. To Joseph it was awkward the few servants that had been in his house had been friends of his. They shared a close relationship that didn't call for bowing to royalty. Instead of bowing they had smiled or nodded at each other. Back home Joseph knew all of the servants by name there were so few of them. Here they were all over Joseph hadn't seen the same face twice. There were servants taking care of bedrooms, halls, closets, kitchen, dining rooms, the throne room, as well as any other nook or cranny that had been forgotten. Outside there were people all over the grounds taking care of the animals in the pastures or in the stable. Everywhere Joseph looked was spotless. The castle was clean and well cared for. Joseph was expecting something to be amiss. Surely there was some truth to the stories he had heard about king Theo. One in particular stood out in his mind.

It was about Theo when he was a young man. Theo was the youngest boy in his family with one older brother in line for the throne and a younger sister. As Theo got older he became jealous of his older brother and wanted to be the king. Theo tried many different things to kill his brother. He trained with a sword for years but his brother couldn't be beaten. He hired assassins to kill his brother but the assassins were thwarted. Theo searched for new ways to end his brothers life. It was said that he killed his older brother with a poisonous plant. That while his brother was on his death bed prince Theo had taken the crown for himself. A few days after Theo killed his brother the king died of a broken heart -or so they say- and Prince Theo was granted his wish. Once he was king Theo revealed his selfish nature and nearly drove the kingdom into debt. When the debt had nearly destroyed his family Theo married a wealthy princess. The money Theo gained from marrying the princess saved his kingdom. He pulled himself out of debt then use the extra money to gain other kingdoms. Theo would save them then he would own them.

There had never been any proof to the story of King Theo's reign just old rumors. To say that he poisoned his family was ridiculous but one couldn't help but wonder what had really happened to them. Joseph knew that there had to be something King Theo was hiding. The stories couldn't be completely false. If he could find something to reveal the king's guilt he would do it.

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Jared's sword crashed down against mine and I struggled to keep my blade from shaking underneath his strength. He leaned in a few inches from my face and looked me straight in the eye forcing me to go lower. I glared at him.

He had a smug smile on his face because he knew I couldn't beat him but I would try my best anyway. My blade quaked back and forth as a droplet of sweat rolled down my forehead. I blinked it out of my eyes as I held his eye contact. We had done this many times over the years and each ended worse than the time before. Bruises, cuts, and broken limbs were a common occurrence when Jared and I decided to fight like this. It was for training purposes we would say then we would agree to a fight. I heard a chuckle behind me as two servants placed bets.

"He's got this." One servant stated as he swung his leg over the fence that marked the edge of the practice field. They had taken a break from the planting.

"I don't know Robert, she's got a lot of rage." They chuckled and shook hands as they placed their wagers. I had had enough. With a twist of my blade I deflected and spun to the side raising my sword to block my left shoulder. With quick strikes back and forth we pushed each other to the edge of the ring. My determination was mirrored in Jared's eyes. This was what we lived for. Aching muscles and wounds that needed mending. It was a skill and a great way to relieve stress.

Neither of us knew who started the sparing but both of us knew who we wanted to finish it.

"You're going to lose." Jared hissed between his teeth at me.

I laughed straight in his face earning a rapid attack that I had to fight off. Jared wasn't holding anything back and I had to get crafty. He would fight with everything once he became angry enough. I danced back away  from him gaining a little space. He stalked towards me swinging his blade as he walked. 

"Are you ready to accept defeat?" He asked smirking. 

"Are you?" I asked him in reply then dove to the side and swung my sword towards his shoulder. He raised his sword in the nick of time and blocked my attack. His smile never faltered because he was positive I would be beaten. He was wrong. Or so I thought. Somehow he managed to knock my sword out of my hand and it fell to the ground. I looked at him with wide eyes feeling my anger grow. The servant sitting on the fence cheered his support as the other forked over the money from the bet while shooting me an angry glare. 

Jared cheered throwing his arms in the air and strutting in a circle. When his back was turned I launched myself at him crashing into his back. We tumbled to the ground. I held my sword at his throat and shouted my victory while he grumbled.

"You never fight fair." He claimed.

"Sore loser. Never turn your back on your enemy didn't Joseph teach you anything?" I asked as I scrambled up then offered him a hand. He took it then yanked me off my feet throwing me above his head. I crashed down as he jumped to his feet and whooped his victory. 

"Who's turning their back now?" He asked and I shook my head at him. The servants on the fence were trying to decide who won the fight as they passed their coins back and forth between each other. 

"I should have slit your throat when I had the chance." I grumbled as I got up to my feet earning a laugh from Jared.