Fate once again

Giant with a shy smile

Segro was a beautiful country surrounded by mountains and ocean, and compared to most kingdoms on this continent, Segro's king, Feser, was a good man. He cared about his country and people. His rule brought prosperity to the Sergo. Sar'gen started negotiations as soon as he reached Segro's borders. Secretly, he knew what King Feser would propose as a condition for surrender.

- Marriage?  

-Yes.

All his generals looked at Sar'gen patiently.

King Feser had only one child, his beloved princess Effil. He married young, but his wife died shortly after giving birth to Effil. Feser was a good king and a good father. He put all his time and effort into looking after his daughter and his kingdom. It took him a lot of time to bring prosperity to Segro and look after the child without a mother. So he missed any opportunities to remarry. When Effil turned 15 years old, it was the first time that they faced an assassination attempt. There were no direct challengers to the throne; however, his extended family decided that without a crown prince, Segro's people would have no choice but to accept not-so-direct royal lineage.

King Feser tried to catch all traitors and put them in prison, but some found support in the Maron kingdom and were able to flee from Segro. Maron Queen Zahla enjoyed bringing disturbance, so she actively supported the traitors of Segro. In the next 3 years, Effil faced a lot of assassination attempts.

It was a difficult decision for Feser. However, if Zahla and the traitors were to succeed in overthrowing him, it would bring a lot of suffering to innocent people. He decided to put political marriage as a condition for surrender; it would also secure his daughter's rule as her husband from the Ilula kingdom would be able to protect her and Segro from any enemies. 

- Are you going to marry Princess Sar'gen? - asked Masari

-Me? Why me? - Sar'gen smirked at his friends

-What?

-There are 5 of ours...so why should it be me? Not like I should be bearing the responsibilities for everything that happened. It is not fair, and we are all single, so....- Sar'gen made a gesture indicating that everyone would be part of this deal.

Sar'gen sat down and looked at his surprised generals. He did not want to marry Princess Effil. No way, in his previous life, he married her. It was the decision he regretted the most. Effil was a loyal and gentle person who wanted to be loved, but Sar'gen never loved her. It was a miserable marriage for both of them.

However, he kept this secret for a different reason: Effil was very close to all his generals in his previous life. She became a good friend with Kedra, Vulal, and Solala. Effil was the person who looked after  Vulal before he died from his wounds. After the Vulal's death, Effil never recovered. Sar'gen always regretted not marrying this gentle soul to his shy brother, who was never good with women. He looked at Vulal, who was talking to his twin sister, and smiled.

Vulal was the tallest in the family, above two meters high; his huge frame scared children, women, and everyone away. He wielded two huge swords that he carried behind his back that would make him appear even bigger. However, under all these, Vulal was a very shy person who loved children and adored small animals. Effil was the only person in his life, excluding his family, who accepted him for what he was and called him "Shy Giant". 

 Princess Effil had a beautiful voice and loved to sing different Segro's songs.  Vulal was always a shield to his friends and siblings; he wanted to protect them at any cost. His terribly scarred, wounded body was proof of it. Sar'gen heard  Effil's singing for the first time when Vulal became blind. Sar'gen still remembered it vividly, as Effil's voice was touching the deepest parts of anyone's soul. Effil would sing to blind Vulal Segro's songs about the ocean and mountains and about his brave journey of uniting the kingdoms and stopping the wars while Vulal was sitting by the window. There was no hope for his recovery.