La Nova

I

I.

I was born in the spring, with twilight slowly falling, cloaking the mountains of Alaysia in its dark embrace.

My twin brother, Gabriel was born at sunrise, the sun's golden rays bathing the dusky peaks in its brilliance.

Because of that, the mountain folk say the gods blessed me with hair black as the nighttime sky, with blue hues. My brother was sunkissed, with hair golden as the sun itself. However our eyes were both green. Green as grass, bright as the stars. Bewitching eyes.

My mother had gasped when she'd seen them. Her's are a gentler green, a seafoam green, meanwhile my father bore the grey-blue storm cloud eyes of his mother, Queen Indira.

He was the Duke d'Alaysia, second son of King Bouvard. His older brother was Kennigan De Guise, Novo of L'Illia and future king of the realm.

I, being the oldest may or may not have inherited my father's title. But my brother Gabriel had been the weak of among us. One babe is always stronger in the case of twins, even identical ones like Gabe and I.

In the womb I had received most of the nutrients, making me strong and healthy. Gabriel hadn't and from his first breath, had been sickly.

I felt guilty for that, although it hadn't been my fault. From an early age, Gabriel had been the treasure. Delicate like glass, and the only son. I had been the heir, the son my father would have wished for.

Because he was too sick to learn, my father taught me swordplay at a young age, while my mother chided him, saying they'd have a hard enough time marrying me off because of my headstrong disposition.

He taught me to be strong, and fear no one, not even the gods themselves. He taught me compassion for the weak, but to never discount them. He also taught me never to relent.

He was a good father, stern and patient, but I wanted for naught. He spoiled me to the point of indecency, and my mother resented him for it. Gabriel was her favorite, but I was my father's.

Gabriel was my best friend. He understood me. Betimes better than myself, I think.

He didn't hate me for having what he wanted; the love our father and his approval. Father, although he never discounted Gabriel, never embraced him either.

He never taught Gabriel swordplay, or political strategy. He never played analytical games with him, "Now if the army of Cunserbia was rising up against you, what would have to be strong and at the ready in order to avoid invasion?"

Gabriel didn't know. All he knew was which ailment he was suffering through, be it Delirium, Catcher's Cough, or Dedimian Fever.

I knew; I knew that a strong navy was necessary for and island country, surrounded by vast bodies of water. I knew that I was the heir, and that maybe I would one day be the Nova if the king died and Uncle never produced an heir.

It was a long shot, of course, but Uncle had no children yet, while father did, and the King, Lord Grandfather as we lovingly called him, was in his mid-seventies. Even if Uncle became king, I would inherit his title of Nova if father passed the role along to me-which he wouldn't- or died.

Looking back, I think that my father wanted to be King more than he ought to've. His brother, my Uncle was not the man for the job, rest assured. He was a gambling sort of playboy who had married three times all to Artistes D'Amour, those who practice the Art of Love.

L'Illia is a country that adores its arts: theatre, poetry, literature, dance, music, sculpting, painting, and love.

One could go to Universitie to study any of the arts, among the sciences and histories. Professeurs D'Amour taught the art of love to Scholars D'Amour, and once taught became Artistes D'Amour who practiced the art which is not quite prostitution. It is a regaled form of art that gives homage to the goddess of love and beauty Aphroditus.