The Prince and The Parvenu (Completed)

Flair Delvin

On our reign we pledge. The maxim of our Kingdom. It has always been duty over whimsy things relating to anything else that is synonymous to the word 'fun'. My father, King Rouge Delton De Loughrey, religiously believed in this. He was a man of honour. He built the Kingdom of El Suelo from ruins. A wealthy traveler and businessman that discovered one of the hidden passages and settled in this country. A country that have always been my home, no matter how different we were from the locals.

"Beneath these lands, is life that sprouts from within." The mentor assigned to lecture me stood near his pale green board, with a chalk on one hand which I assume is from the outside world, and his small rectangular glasses on the other hand. He knows my mind is drifting onto a different path yet he still continued.

It's a much effort to remain my eyes on the board, my mind swirling on the challenge that my father have arranged for tonight. A duel against my brother Aiken. Father have always set certain challenges for me and my other siblings. Urging us to practice our skills at swordplay, archery and even hand combat. It's a nuisance. I don't like the feeling of sweat on my skin, the deep hard breaths that I would have to take, the strength I would need to exert, and even the idea of fighting itself. But I never back down, I don't like the feeling of not having the upper hand.

Aiken is only three years younger than me. Bond not by blood but of the law. Father took him in after their Kingdom was conquered by ours. I remember the memory of my father, the King of El Suelo looking shaken and wary, carrying a little boy in his arms. I never knew what really happened that particular night. No one in the Kingdom ever spoke of it after time buried it deep within the secrets of this country. I used to feel pity and sympathy towards Aiken, not that I don't now, but we're not kids anymore. And Aiken have made it his personal job to annoy me.

Without quite thinking about it, I stood up and head straight for the door. I heard my mentor call for my name but I raised my hand, implying that I do not wish to attend and listen to his class anymore. I feel agitated. I suddenly want to secure my victory for tonight's battle, my reason still unsure. Aiken may be younger than me but he trains as hard as Adkins does, and studies war and strategy as well as Ives.

"Ku.man.ta. Kumanta" I heard Ives' mentor says, drawling out the words when I passed by her study.

"Ku.man.ta. Kamata" I stifled back my laughter when I heard her mirror what her mentor said. She lifts her eyes to see if anyone is watching her make a fool out of herself and I immediately hid myself on the other side of the wall. She has been really busy working out on her tagalog lectures. It seems like the language won a place in her heart. As for me, I do understand the language. I just don't use it as much as they do.

I continued my walk and head for my own personal training room. It is dark and cold, torches lit up the moment I closed the bronze heavy doors. The entire room is filled with training equipments from the outside world and weapons of my choice forged from our armory. I saw Ekkier in his deep slumber right by the weights. He must have sensed my arrival since he woke up and immediately stood at attention, eyes still swollen and reddish.

"You've been busy" I said while taking off my coat. He bowed his head and said,

"Pardons my Prince, this incident shall happen no more" I raised my brow, showing my curiosity with a smile as I sat on the couch, leaning back while carefully placing a muscle tape on my arm.

"What? The fact that you're sleeping while on duty or the fact that you've been caught?" I saw how his fist clenched. Tsk. This guy is always on the edge. He's one of the guards assigned to keep an eye on Ives, and I often hear rumours about his temper. I stood up and grabbed my sword. A heavy forged silver steel engraved with the De Loughrey words on the bottom part, it is well balanced as I lift it with my arm.