Of Men And Castles

Chapter III

ACERI

"Old Wasmin is mine! Tonight we feast!"

My father ordered a grand feast right away. He was so proud and happy about his most recent conquest that he even invited me along. Wasmin, the name of this kingdom, now belonged to him. What made him really happy was how he only needed 6 days to complete this victory. Some of his battles would stretch to a month or even half a year. This one was probably one of the swiftest victories of all.

We were all crammed in the palace's grand hall.

A giant soldier with the longest beard I had ever seen stood up and raised his mug. "A toast to King Ultima!" Some of the foam from his beer spilled on the hair of the soldier seated beside him. The man did not seem to mind.

The crowd obliged. "Long live the king! Long live the king! Long live the king!" Each phrase louder than the last.

The king spared no expense for this feast. Food and drinks flowed almost non-stop. Everyone was happy. I cannot even hear my own thoughts because all throughout the grand hall, soldiers were laughing and singing and talking as if no one could hear them.

Seated on the royal table were Father, my brothers Athres and Gilam, Lord Stefan, the army's commander, and Lord Maros, the King's most trusted adviser, which also happened to be my uncle. The seat next to father was empty, he liked to keep it that way as a memory of my mother, his queen.

I did not sit on the royal table. I never do. And my father doesn't even complain. I was seated amongst the other members of the family, my father's extended family.

The grand hall was, in fact, grand. A big rectangular room with ceilings as high as trees from the forest. Housing almost 500 senior soldiers was no problem for the massive dining area.

Outside the castle, my father's other 50,000 soldiers were celebrating too, in tents and bonfires of their own.

"Aceri, my dear boy, why are you not eating?" Uncle Olvar asked me with a worried look. He was always kind to me. I can relate to him the most because he was the youngest among father's siblings. Of course, my father was the eldest by birth, making him inherit the kingdom from his late father.

I eyed the food on the table. Platters after platters of gigantic prawns and crabs, roasted fish and squid. I could also see plates of different pies scattered on each table. "I'm fine, Uncle, just not that hungry."

"Don't like any seafood, eh?" I don't like everything, really. "No wonder you're awfully skinny!"

"Oh, don't mind him, Aceri." His daughter, Vinca, interrupted. "He's just jealous because he's fat!"

The three of us laughed at her joke. Out of all our relatives, Uncle Olvar's family was closest to me. Vinca and I grew up together. Uncle Olvar always checked on me whenever he had the time. His wife, Aunt Vel, was equally kind.

But since our kingdom was expanding at an exponential rate, my father ordered Uncle Olvar to rule on his behalf a particular land he formerly conquered. This meant that Vinca and the rest of their household would stay on that land.

I was not much of a conversation starter but I just missed them so much. I had not seen them in months.

"How is your new home, Uncle?" I had not visited Larzos yet but I heard their gardens were magnificent.

Uncle Olvar was chewing his food and reaching for a goblet of wine so Vinca answered for him. "Oh, the palace is beautiful! Smaller than this one but definitely prettier." She studied the walls of the grand hall. Her hazel eyes did an unapologetic roll. "This one looks very sad to me. Not much color. Not much life."

She was right. The colors of the palace walls were much darker and sadder than our old palace. Only the library was filled with vibrancy. But I knew only few could appreciate that.

"You should come visit us sometime." Uncle Olvar said after a hefty swallow.

"I would love to!" I smiled at the idea. Then I remembered. "But I think my father wouldn't approve."

"He has a lot of battling and conquering to do!" Uncle Olvar said while reaching for yet another batch of gigantic prawns. "You should be around boys and girls your age!"

"Right! If I'm stuck here in this bland castle, I would definitely lose my mind." Vinca rested her hand on my shoulder. "I've missed you, dear cousin."

"I've missed you too, Vinca." She was the sister I never had. She was my only friend. Well, except for Naih Hessa and Teacher Rem, of course.

"Promise me you'll visit?" Her look was full of concern. She can feel something was up to me lately.

I most certainly was not sure about visiting. But I said, "I promise."