War of Hearts

Prologue

The world started to change after Queen Amelia won the war against her husband, the deposed King Alexander. She spent the next thirty years both raising her three children and raising a unified kingdom she named "New Central Vrazivia", after the Old Vrazivia that was separated by the Fraternal War nearly a century ago.

After fortifying and creating the kingdom, Queen Amelia set out to form alliances with the ten other kingdoms around her. These kingdoms have existed during and after Old Vrazivia, and have been both allies and enemies to her. Now, she sought to unite all ten kingdoms, putting them under one rule: hers.

Alliances were very beneficial, as it assured protection , a growth in the economy and trade, and a richer culture from New Central Vrazivia. She married her three children off to the royals of Maya, Eden, and Geraint, and created strong ties with Sealand and her husband's kingdom, Tridor.

Upon accepting the alliance, one of the conditions was of the ruling family to lose their high standing and be demoted to Duke and Duchess, and everything underneath.

This was the reason 4 of the kingdoms--the vicious winter lands of Argus, the volcanic plains of Ashen, the ore-rich mines of Nerea, and the woodlands of Adehane--couldn't join the alliance. Losing the title of king and queen was too much, and all 4 were stubborn to the queen. Nerea and Adehane, two kingdoms who have been at war for decades on end, were most vocally opposed.

But on a cold, starless night, in the neutral village of Midtown that lay in the border of both kingdoms, two cloaked figures met under the moonlight.

One of them wore an emerald cloak, and the other wore a maroon red cloak. The former reached out a hand. "It's been a while, brother," he said in a deep, charismatic voice. The other removed his cloak, revealing a man with greying hair and sharp, handsome features. He looked at the other figure with eyes that could kill.

"Drop the act, Nicholas," he said, almost growling. "Just get straight to the point."

Nicholas removed his cloak, revealing a younger version of the other man. His dark green eyes pierced the other. "I do appreciate you coming here to see me, George," he began. "I know you must be busy, so I'll get straight to it."

He took a deep breath before starting. "You and I know how much the Great Queen Amelia—"

"Oh just call her Amelia! Why, she's just around our age, so what if she made a whole new kingdom? Ours was around before hers. Now get to it," George said, sitting down on a nearby stool outside Midtown's inn.

"Well, Amelia has been constantly sending messages and representatives to both our kingdoms, trying to see if we would agree to an alliance. Something I know we both agree on in declining," Nicholas continued. George nodded and waved a hand as if telling him to continue.

"It's easy for us to ignore her messages now, but I've had scouts and connections from allied lands telling me that if we continue to ignore her, the Queen will come to us ourselves to speak," he said.

George gasped and stood up. "Come to us?! What business does she have going all the way here?" he asked hotly.

"She'd go to any length to convince us. Well I say we don't tolerate another day of it. I have an idea, and I admit it took me a long time to even consider it. But you must at least think of it too," he said. He stood up straight. "Nerea and Adehane must unite in a marriage."

George looked as if he was just slapped. "A marriage?! With your kingdom? Impossible! Absolutely preposterous!" he exclaimed, shaking his head, his eyes wide with shock. "I don't know what mind game you're trying to play, little brother, but it's not going to work!" He began to put his cloak back up, but Nicholas held him by the arm, stopping him.

"Brother, please, at the very least hear me out," he said, quickly dropping his grip on George's arm. "If we get our children married, that would convince the Queen that we are able to take care of ourselves. You know the reason she wants us under her is because she doesn't want another war," he explained.

"Once we get our children to marry one another, we can unite our kingdoms long enough for her to leave us alone. And then she'd have no other say when we separate into our own kingdoms once again! No one will want to listen to a Queen who takes back her word," he finished, smiling triumphantly.

George sat down and looked to be in deep thought, stroking his graying beard. "She truly did nearly give us hell for the last war. But the people will be in shock and revolt. Why would they ever want to be united with their enemy?" he pointed out.

"I've had scouts go around listening to the word of my kingdom's people. Most of them, if not all, are tired of being at war with Adehane. They want peace, brother, and I assure you your people feel just the same," he replied back.

George sighed. "Our children...they are complete opposites. My son is too caught up studying and learning about medicine to even think of love, and your daughter is more like a boy than a girl..."

"Don't talk about my daughter like that. She's still your niece, in case you forget," Nicholas said. "Brother, think of it. We don't need to like each other. Our children don't need to fall in love. But they just need to make it convincing enough to the Queen," Nicholas continued on.

George was silent for a moment, and sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe I'm saying this," he began. "But you've got a point. My treasury is still bleeding from the last war. We can't afford another."

"Then do you agree with me?" Nicholas said, standing up and looking down at George. "If we do, a wedding can be arranged in two weeks time."

"Let it be in Adehane. My kingdom would love to see something happy for once," George said rather bitterly. Nicholas took out his hand, and George shook it.

The two parted ways quickly, like strangers. Upon entering his carriage, Nicholas's assistant turned to him and ask, "Has he accepted, your grace?"

"Yes, he has," Nicholas said, looking out the window. "If ever I forget, remind me to talk to my daughter. The wedding's as fake as it can get, but she has a bigger role in it than he knows," he said.

"A bigger role?" the assistant dared to ask.

"She'll infiltrate my brother's kingdom, and find their weakness. She'll report to me everything she learns, and we attack before the wedding," he said in a sinister voice, looking out at the stars.

King George's carriage ride was silent, as he mulled over everything discussed. "Isaac needs to know everything," he later on told his wife, the queen. "He needs to get her to tell him every weakness of Nerea's castle. Once he does, we attack."

"Is that not too harsh?" his wife said.

"Nothing is too harsh if it is for revenge," King George explained, looking out at the moon. He imagined his brother's downfall, and his heart swelled with pride.

Little did their own children know that their lives would never be the same again...