A Soul For Tomorrow

Chapter 2: Welcome Home

When the whole army had entered the room, the three royals stood up in unison and gently bowed their heads towards the brave warriors of Bright Spendia. In return, the soldiers all bent down on one knee and showed their honour and respect towards their leaders.

With a wide smile on her face, Queen Lucia stepped forward and ordered them to rise. Immediately, the soldiers obeyed and did as they were requested, standing straight at attention. As Lucas rose, he took a quick glimpse at the beautiful princess dressed in red, the one that he loved, Princess Lorien. When their eyes met, her eyes bright and smiling, Lucas quickly darted his gaze away from her and approached the Queen.

“I must say, this is a wonderful day for Bright Splendia. I welcome you all back warmly. Welcome home, our heroes,” Queen Lucia said, her smile unwavering. The soldiers cheered and applauded, proud. But Queen Lucia held up her hand for silence.

“But I also grieve for those we have lost. They died protecting this kingdom and I am grateful for their sacrifices. May they continue to protect this kingdom from above and may the memories of them live on. I assure you all your names will be written in the history of this kingdom,” Lucia said gravely and everyone, even Samuel, the Prince from Translutia, bowed their heads in honour of the brave soldiers that had died for Bright Splendia. The throne room suddenly filled with the sound of a mournful tune from the silver trumpets as everyone gave their silent prayers for the soldiers who gave their lives.

Lucas held on tightly to the hilts of the 2 swords at his belt, though one wasn’t his. He closed his eyes tight and said a silent prayer for the ones he had lost. The princess, on the other hand, could not hide her concern. She raised her head slightly and gazed at Lucas, his head still lowered. Although she could not see his eyes, she could feel somehow feel his pain. With this, she bowed her head once more and dedicated a prayer just for him.

When the music had finally stopped, the Queen raised her head and gave a nod of thanks to musicians who played the solemn piece. They returned their gratitude with a bow of respect and with that, Lucia began to speak. “For those we have loved and lost, may their sacrifices never be in vain. Let us rejoice, for this is not a day for mourning. The war is finished and our kingdom is peaceful once again. Now, let us celebrate with our fellow citizens, for Bright Splendia is now free,” Lucia said, smiling at Lucas, her eyes giving him a silent order to lead.

Lucas nodded once to show his understanding before turning to his comrades and raising his own sword. “To freedom!” he yelled, and throne room erupted with excitement with the soldiers applause and loud cheering. As the pride in her was rekindled, Lucia turned to look at her kingdom's guest, Prince Samuel. This was her army, her country and she was proud to be leading them. The gleaming smile on her face was enough to attest to this. Samuel nodded his head once out of respect for both the Queen, her soldiers and indeed, the kingdom under her rule. It truly was splendid.

As the cheering died down after a few moments, Lucia raised her hand once again for attention and abruptly, the soldiers all took to formation once again. Lucia smiled at the unquestionable obedience of her army and admittedly, Samuel was quite impressed. He admired that the soldiers had so much respect for their reigning leaders and more so, he admired the idea that the Queen had been able to gain their respect all on her own, ruling the kingdom without a husband to guide and support her. Samuel affirmed then that she was more than just a joyous queen, she was an honourable one. He turned to look at the princess standing on the other side of the throne, wondering to himself whether she would be the same. Surely there was more to Lorien than just her apparent beauty.

Before Samuel could contemplate any further, his thoughts were interrupted by the Queen “Now, before I forget,” Lucia said, still addressing her soldiers. She turned toward Samuel and nodded for him to come forward. He smiled and obeyed, facing the army before them and taking a step. “This is his Royal Highness Prince Samuel, from the kingdom of Translutia. I would like you all to welcome him.” Lucia was smiling broadly at her guest as she waved her hand gracefully in his direction. Samuel bowed to his armored hosts and again, the throne room was filled with a loud applause. The prince immediately felt greatly overjoyed for such a warm welcome.

As the soldier's continued to cheer, Lucas took this opportunity to take a quick glimpse at Lorien but she had turned her head deliberately to avoid his gaze. Lucas frowned slightly, unsure of whether she was evading him because of shame or guilt. Although this worried him, he decided not to dwell on it too long for after all, this was a happy occassion.

When the applause died down, all the soldiers were ordered into a single line formation so that they could all be congratulated individually. This process was long and tedious for everyone, more so for the royals. The ceremony had begun a few hours after day break and the line of soldiers had not even reached halfway before it was an hour past noon. Thankfully, everyone upheld their patience as each warrior told his story. Lorien loved to hear war stories so she always enjoyed listening, able to do so for hours without ever getting bored. Lucia was impressed to see that Samuel was the same.

Lucas had placed himself last and did not grow weary as he waited. His brothers in arms deserved their audience with their royals and he was happy to see them take that opportunity. It was hours before it was finally Lucas’ turn. He stepped up to the three golden-framed chairs and loosely shook hands with Samuel.

“Welcome home,” Samuel said politely and Lucas just nodded silently as he forced a smile on his face. Samuel was aware that his smile was less than genuine but he understood. It had been a long journey for the captain, and seemingly an even longer wait. Lucas continued across and faced Queen Lucia, who looked at him sympathetically as he greeted her with a bow. 

She placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled, signalling for him to rise. “I truly am sorry about your brother, Lucas. I'm sure you will lead your comrades well, just as he had done. Welcome home,” Queen Lucia whispered sadly.

Lucas bowed once again in gratitude. "Thank you Your Majesty, I hope to serve you well." the captain said with conviction, his voice deep and slightly rough like it was full of strength even though he felt weak. The queen's smile quickly returned to her face, for she could think of no one better to lead her army. She continued to watch him as he moved across to her daughter.

When Lucas came to face Princess Lorien, he too her hand and kissed it gently, just as all his other comrades had done before him. As he did so, he heard her hand tightly and subtly slipped a note into her palm. From the corner of his eye, Lucas saw that Samuel was staring at him strangely.

“Welcome home Lucas,” Lorien said with a warm smile. The edge of Lucas' lips raised only slightly, enough for only Lorien to see. He gave her one last bow and nodded his head once slightly before he walked away. 

Lorien tightened her grip on the note that was handed to her, keeping it out of sight. The smile remained on her face as she watched Lucas walking away. She could tell that he too, could no longer contain his joy. Any observer would have grown suspicious of Lorien's gaze on the Captain, but she no longer cared if anyone was watching. She felt completely mesmerized by him.

Lucia looked at her daughter and a frown creased her forehead. The princess' love for that soldier was no secret to her but as any other queen, she did not approve. However, she didn't want anyone else knowing as well. Queen Lucia could see that Samuel was keeping Lucas under observation, so she decided to distract him for the sake of her daughter. 

"Prince Samuel, if it's alright with you, I would like it if you made the closing address. I am sure they would enjoy it also," the queen suggested and Samuel agreed without hesitation. As he stepped forward, the soldiers once again aligned into formation for the closing remarks. Samuel began to address the soldiers in dignified admiration, but the Queen could not concentrate. Lorien will marry Samuel, I’ll make sure of it, Lucia thought to herself. It will be my dying wish.