Princess of Valkier

Chapter One

I wasn't used to seeing blood, cruelty, or death; not the way I did here.

Long before I'd applied for the chance to study abroad, I'd seen photos and videos of the violence circulating on the internet, but nothing compares to seeing the merciless brutality in person.

I, unlike everyone surrounding me, am from the New Continent of Salus. Four hundred years ago, before the Great Eastern war, the few ships that sailed to the newly found continent only contained those explorers who were brave enough to cross dangerous waters in search of treasure. After the war, when the Moran king ruled, escapees fled in droves to the new continent in whatever vessel they could manage.

They named the new country Salus, honoring the salvation those who managed to build a life there had. I have always lived there, a rare, beautiful place; a place where public punishment is unheard of.

Of course, we punish criminals, but in more humane ways. We see time in prison or community service as a worthy punishment, because it gives the opportunity for reformation. We believe in second chances, unlike the government in Morah, who deliver public beatings and executions daily without a fair trial, and sometimes, with no trial at all.

The way these beatings are handed out is unusual to me, as well.

If you were caught stealing, you would be hauled off to whatever spot in town was a focal point, and were delivered whatever punishment the head guard on duty thought was fit.

Sometimes, it was twenty lashes; others, fifty.

If the head guard is having a particularly bad day, or worse, a good one, the punishment for even a small offense can be hanging. The guards in this country are known for their cruelty, and it is best to never catch their attention. 

We Salusians, as we called ourselves, couldn't understand why the people from Morah continued in such a violent way. We weren't in primitive or even medieval days, we lived in the age of technological advance, a new age for people everywhere. Even though cruelty was never right, we were long past the time for it to be remotely acceptable.

Diplomats from other countries have tried speaking reason with the leaders in Morah, but they won't budge. They believe that their way, the way of ruling their people with oppressive cruelty, is the only way. 

In the past, countries in the Western continent have attempted to free Morah from their oppression, but their attempts have never gone far. Morah has a powerful army and, if legend is believed to be true, still posses the lethal weapon they used to destroy two countries in the Great Eastern war that led to them possessing all they have. There seems to be a great unspoken rule: do not interfere with the Moran government, and they will not destroy you.

There have been whispers in recent years that Salus may try to begin a war with Morah, freeing their distant relatives who fell captive and freeing the lands, but that's all it will ever be. A whisper, a wish. Because, even though we are upset by the atrocities they commit, we are afraid; afraid that they will unleash whatever weapon they keep locked away on those who threaten their way of life. If a war breaks out now and we lose, there is no land of salvation for people to run to, there would only be slavery and imprisonment.  

Thankfully, I wasn't born in Morah, and I'm only here for a month.

Morah may be wicked and vile, but the landscape and history is breathtaking. That is the beauty about land that has been inhabited for thousands of years, it is rich with information on those who came before us.

I have always been fascinated with the history of the Great War, which is what I decided to study in university. Four hundred years ago, the Eastern Continent was shared between three kingdoms. Valkier, Caycean, and Morah. They didn't live in harmony, but things were much better than they are today.