Princes In Hiding

Three Kingdoms

History. The third class I had today. I sat once again on the seat near the window. The teacher began teaching about the past and how it affects us today. A large map of the world hangs in the background. Four colors marks the different areas of the world.

"As we all know, there are four major parts of our world," the teacher said gesturing to the large map around the world. He always had exaggerated movements but today he seemed excited teaching this lesson. "These four parts were created at the end of our Great War, which was a long long time ago and very drastic," he said, "Most people argued that these four regions shouldn't be established since division is what caused the war to happen," he paused then smiled, "but I say those people are idiot." That statement received laughter from the crowed.

The teacher put his hands together, "Did they honestly believe that people, the whole world, will settle to have only one ruler?" He shook his head, "You see people will have different ideas, different opinions, different suggestion, so it's nearly impossible for us to agree with one another." He points at the map, the area with the green markings, "This is us. This is Jenerae. We are the only region that is run by a government. Like the past, before the war, we change our president every four years through voting. We also have the largest portion of the world."

He points at the next area with the blue markings, "The next one is Idya. They are run by a monarchy just like the other two. What distinguishes Idya from the others is the rankings of their people. The lower you are in the map, the lower you are financially. They also have a taste in old technology so they have museums and libraries built across the region."

He points at the red marking. "The next is Dewnal. It is slightly smaller than Idya. Unlike Idya, Dewnal specializes in creating new items. Their educational system is the best in the world and they remain the top in exports. They are the land of factories as well. Despite this, they have clean air due to their advancement in technology."

He moves and points at the last portion of the map, the one with the white marker. "The last but not the least is Elpis. Elpis, unlike the two neighboring kingdoms, does not specialize in anything. Elpis is like a balance between the two. A mixture of old and new. It is also the most independent kingdom in this world." The teacher sits on the table and looked at us intently. "It's honestly troubling for the world," he said, "The fact that they are isolating themselves in the world. How are we suppose to know what they're planning, thinking, or even wha-" He was stopped when he sees a hand raise, "Uh yes Mr. Xavier."

"Why do you think they're planning something?" I hear Vincent ask, "You speak as if they're secretly evil."

"It's not that I think they're evil," the teacher smiled, "I just think that they should open up more to the others. According to statistics, they have the lowest number of planes and boats that leave their country. Not only for their products but for their people."

"Are you saying that they're imprisoning people in their own kingdom?"

"No, it's not that I just think that-" the teacher was interrupted again when there was a sudden knock on the door. I looked back at Vincent and saw him exhale as if he was stressed out with the debate against his teacher.

The assistant principal opened the door and smiled at the class. "I'm sorry to interrupt but I would like to excuse Mr. Xavier for a moment," she sweetly said. Vincent stood up, gathered his things and left the room.

The teacher clapped his hands, "Alright enough interruptions and let's get back to the lesson." The teacher continued with his previous discussion about History, how our world came to this.

The day went by like any other day but something was off. I noticed Vincent was nowhere to be seen after he was excused. The atmosphere in the halls slightly changed. I noticed some people were frantic and some were looked lifeless. I shook my head, "Why would I care what's going on with others," I asked myself. After fixing my things, I immediately went straight home.