The Prince of Thius

Prologue

Authors note: This is an unedited version of a story that I have been writing for a while but never had the courage to post until now. It is rough around the edges and the grammar is not great. I do hope you enjoy it and any comments made are welcomed.

The Kingdom of Thius had not always been great. This kingdom was one that arose from chaos, from the ashes of fire and torment. Under the rule of the eight insane kings the kind citizens were tormented, starved and plunged into war after war. It was only when the insane king, Marion Fury, was overthrown by his cousin, Xavier Richard in one of the worst civil wars the world had seen at the time did Thius begin it's road to restoration. Buildings were slowly rebuilt, citizens often working hard, long and for free to re-establish their town. King Xavier is said to have helped rebuild the palace with his own two hands. Thus, the Richard line began their rule.

Lucian stopped reading there with a sigh. He had always hated history and this was yet another book about the Richard line. Every book was the same. But he guessed that it was to be expected considering they had ruled for more than 100 years. He looked around him, taking in the library's magnificence. He spent a lot of time in here. Growing up in the palace, this was a place of refuge. The ceilings were decorated with images of war and love seamlessly blending together in the beauty of art. They told a story of a land plagued with selfish rulers. There were no heroes, only the land's people triumphantly fighting back. It was a part of the story of Thius that Lucian seemed the most drawn to. The gold pillars supported the ceiling in such a way as to not obstruct the images. Book shelves lined the place, creating walkways and small corners to snuggle in and read.

"Why are you hiding in here again brother," asked a sweet voice, causing Lucian to lose his train of thought. Lucian turned his head slightly to see his elegant sister walking towards him. Selena had always been a graceful girl, her voice could sway any man and her body drove those same men mad. Her deadliness was always just under the surface giving her a dangerous edge that attracted too many people as far as her brother was concerned.

"You know why," Lucian answered in his usual monotone voice.

"Indeed I do, however, father will be furious if you miss anymore lessons," she said sitting next to him.

"True, but I can no longer tolerate those brats. I expect the prince to act entitled, not the lesser bunch that are beneath even us. Our dear father, the second most powerful man in the kingdom expects me to go along with such nonsense.

Selena looked into her brother's eyes. She saw the struggle better than most. He kept to himself for good reason. Unfortunately their father was strong willed and expected a certain conduct from his children. "I am inclined to agree but I would rather not have father yelling that his only son is a disappointment."

"Good point. Selena Florente, my sister, my sanity. You should have been born first, you would have made a fine heir,' he said speaking truth.

"You are a fine enough heir. Now let us accompany each other to lessons," she answered standing. Being a gentleman by nature, Lucian stood and offered his arm to his sister to escort her to the practice ground for lessons with the sword master. He was dressed in breeches and a tunic with fine boots, which was customary for these lessons. Selena, however, refused to dress "appropriately" claiming that if she ever had to use these lessons she probably wouldn't be dressed in breeches and a tunic. As a female that would not be acceptable for daily wear. Today she wore a long light blue dress with no sleeves, and Lucian would guess she wore her favorite boots underneath.