Lorellia (Everlasting Legends, Book 1)

Ch. 1 - The Middle Kingdom

Journal Entry - Obtoxicullous

If the question arose in conversation as to which of the three human kingdoms was the greatest, it would stir wide debate. Cardenar, some would proudly profess, for its warhorses, textiles, and spices. Others would declare Serellia equally as grand, with its high, snowy mountains, rich with ores and danger.

But between the two lies the vast territory of the third, Lorellia. Its mild climate, rich, fertile lands, and lack of large predators make it picturesque. Its borders stretch from The Whispering Sea in the west all the way to the Central Ocean to the east, effectively forming a barrier between their Cardenian neighbors to the south and the Serellians to the north.

It takes a certain kind of country to stand boldly with enemies to her front and to her back, but Lorellians are nothing if not opportunists. They've taken advantage of their position as a hub for all trade between the other two countries and boast a massive navy, with which they've dominated the waters as well. But Lorellia's stranglehold on trade through the Merchant's Guild has been their strongest defense for nearly a century. Influencing prices and the economic market to pressure their enemies into surrender without deploying a single soldier into battle.

But, not unlike myself, the ruling class of Lorellia has a thirst for something that is nigh insatiable. Clamoring for power is practically written in the religion of their society, after all. And some have found that the very tools and weapons they'd used against their foreign enemies were equally effective against their kinsmen.

Still, one would be hard-pressed to find a better place to live.

And in those regards, the honor of my long-overdue return to Karus, and the beginning of my glorious campaign, shall fall first upon the middle kingdom...

***

Ardaik 5th, year 1179 - La'Trest, Lorellia

Excitement thrummed in Artus's chest—heart racing and nerves firing as he used every ounce of restraint not to race across the mezzanine to the south wing staircase.

He had it. He actually had it. The relic. Now, he needed only to make his way back into the grand ballroom as though he'd never been absent. A task that—given the scale of the occasion—should be simple enough. Anyone of higher standing was not only in La'Trest this evening, but they were here—in the castle.

Lorellians observed many festivals to mark the changing weather, including the coming fall and the start of the harvesting season, but few celebrations could hold a candle to the Festival of Light. Held only once every ten years when, for a few glorious moments in the late evening, the comet of Kamuhr would be visible over the capital.

Artus's great-grandfather signed The Treaty of Kings under the comet's light, which ushered in a time of peace and prosperity across the three human kingdoms. And as such, the festival celebrated this as well.

From the landing, he could hear the music and the clatter of conversation, though to Artus, the jovial ruckus was muted—dampened. However, his mood, unlike the noise of the party, was far from doused. Anticipation coiled in his stomach as he smoothed his thumb over the small object in his pocket.

Not a single one of the attendees, the courtiers, or guards had knowledge of his intent. Coveting such a secret alone made him giddy. Artus hadn't been so pleased with anything since the first time his father caved and allowed him to sail out on one of their Royal Navy's Flagships for a few days. But there was still a piece missing from his plan... Or rather, a person.

As Artus spied the guests from his vantage point, a hand landed on his shoulder, startling him out of his task.

"Good evening, your highness," Kenton stated, looking every bit the royal guard in the newly commissioned armor that adorned all the soldiers with shifts inside the castle for the festival. It wasn't uncommon at all for Kenton to be assigned to the prince personally whenever La'Trest was host to a large event, and although Artus was quite familiar with him, he still only knew the man by his surname.