Kingdom Rivalry

Prologue: Rival Kingdoms

There were two kingdoms that weren't exactly friendly with each other, but their trading systems were so interlocked, they could not afford to separate. They tolerated the other's existence as long as they got their goods, which they never failed to do. They understood their situation, and they accepted it.

One kingdom was the Cosmic Kingdom, which you could say was filled with good citizens or Light Numbers and good Astral Beings. They were lovely people with light-colored skin, like blue and pink, and white eyes mostly; although, there were some genetic mutations just like with humans, and they liked doing things for others, but don't be fooled. As in every place, there were certainly rude and lazy people there! They were just a small percentage of the total population, so people who heard of them put them in the "nice" stereotype. The king was a fair king by the name of Zoro with a lovely wife by the name of Sora and three children. They were triplets with the oldest of the three named Julie, the second oldest named Lina, and the youngest named Roku. They covered the production of farmed goods, meats, and raw material for themselves and the other kingdom.

The other kingdom was the Obscure Kingdom, riddled with criminals of Dark Numbers, Barians and the bad Astral Beings, devious in their everyday lives but very skilled in their craft. The ones who worked in the black smith trade were hardened and toned by their work to produce weapons and building material for themselves and the Cosmic Kingdoms from the raw metals and jewels they received. Those that worked in carpentry took the wood they harvested and made tables and chairs from them. They were more of a manufacturing kingdom, run by the devious King Jupiter and his wife Mana. They had one son by the name of Yoru. They were mainly characterized by the dark tones of their skins, from maroon to jet black, and the evil glints in their eyes. However, they were still able to love, just like the ones from the Cosmic Kingdom, but one could say that their love lasted more since their trust, once earned that is, ran deep.

Now, at this point in time, the Cosmic Kingdom was having some trouble with raising animals and growing crops due to harsh weather conditions, which normally didn't happen often. Their crops and animals grew in any weather, but something was killing them off.

"Father, do you think it could be the doing of those people in the Obscure Kingdom?" Julie, who was walking around town with her father, asked.

King Zoro looked down at his teenaged daughter with a sigh. "Julie, my daughter, I have told you countless times that their survival also depends on us and vice versa. If they sabotage our crops, they sabotage their chances to live."

Julie sighed. She was not a fan of the Obscure Kingdom and found many reasons to blame them for their struggles. King Zoro, however, put no blame on them, as they lived miles apart. There was no way they could do something like this!

Zoro stopped to greet one of the farmers, who seemed in distress. "What do you think could have caused this?" he asked the anxious farmer.

"Probably something in the air," the farmer sighed, twisting his hat in his hands. "What if we can't deliver the stock to the other kingdom, my king?"

"Well, we can only hope that they do not cause any sort of danger."

~.Obscure Kingdom.~

"My king," a citizen of the Obscure Kingdom said, kneeling on one knee in front of his dark king. "The Cosmic slugs are late with getting to the meeting point, and they have failed to bring the supplies that we need to manufacture."

King Jupiter glared at the messenger. "Has at least some arrived?"

"Only a messenger, my king."

"Well, what did that piece of slime want?"

"He said that the king said that they have produced no harvest this season. What shall we do about it?"

Queen Mana entered the room with her usual sway of the hips. She was a gorgeous woman, so any man would want her for himself; however, if anyone were to lay a finger on her, Jupiter would slay them then and there! That goes to show you how deep his love runs for his queen!

Or maybe it was just his overprotectiveness.

"Jupiter, I hear that they have failed to bring their promised goods," she purred.

"Yes, my dear," he sighed. "Well, it seems that they do not get their stock of our manufactured goods either. If they will not uphold their end of the bargain, they should not expect us to. Besides, how are we supposed to produce when we have no materials to work with?"

This led to a vicious cycle. Since the Obscure Kingdom withheld their promised goods, the Cosmic Kingdom, no matter how nice they may have been, stopped sending their crops to the other kingdom when they sent theirs when their harvest was rich. If there was one thing they hated, that was not holding up a promise. They got no manufactured goods in return, and the two kingdoms were slowly deteriorating.

~.Cosmic Kingdom.~

King Zoro slammed his hands down on the meeting table in fury. "I have had it with those wretched beings!" he ranted. "I will not have this trade between us broken in such a way!"

"Father, please calm down," Roku, the only prince, pleaded. "Why don't we just send a messenger with an apology letter?"

Zoro thought about this. "Well, we have to be the ones to stop this, so yes. That may be a good idea. Thank you, Roku."

The young prince beamed. He liked it when his father congratulated him for thinking of something brilliant. The king beckoned one of the messengers over while writing on a piece of paper.

"Yes, my king?" the messeger asked.

"I want you to travel to the Obscure Kingdom and deliver a message to the king himself," King Zoro instructed, slipping the letter into an envelope. "Come straight back as soon as he reads it. Make sure he himself has it in his hands."

"Yes, King Zoro." The messenger seemed a little dubious about it, but he decided that he should do what the king told him since he knew what was best for the kingdom. He sped off into the Obscure Kingdom.

As soon as he made it to the actual castle, guards blocked his way with swords crossing together over the door. They were tall and menacing, assuring that no one got past these two without some broken bones or a dead body. The guards glared down at the messenger.

"What brings you here?" one growled.

The messenger was unfazed. "I have a letter from King Zoro, and I am to deliver it to your king personally."

The guards shared a glance, then they turned back to the messenger. "We'll deliver it."

"As I said, I have to deliver it personally."

"Well, can we trust that it isn't a threatening letter?"

"What? Why would King Zoro send that kind of letter?"

"Just go, but if the king does not like what is in the letter, we will not hesitate to take the measures he wants us to take."

The messenger nodded, and the guards let him pass. He wondered what kind of measures this king would take, but he didn't wonder for long. Soon, he was in the throne room, where the king and queen were having a chat. Their son was hanging back when he saw the messenger.

"Mother, Father," he droned. "We have a visitor."

King Jupiter looked over with a dull look. "Oh, look at that." He walked over, placing his hand on the handle of the sword on his hip. "What do you want?"

The messenger took out the envelope. "I have a message from King Zoro." He handed it to Jupiter.

Jupiter took the letter and turned his back on the messenger as he read. His expression darkend. "An apology letter?"

Queen Mana sneered. "Does he think that will fix this?"

"Apparently so." He turned to the messenger, keeping his hand on his sword. "This is not going to fix anything. They have broken their promise to us, so we will not be forgiving." He unsheathed his sword and sliced the head off of the messenger.

"Father, that may have started a war," Yoru said in a very bored tone.

"Well, what's done is done."

Longest prologue I've written . 3.