Chronicle of the Returned King

Harsh Training

After a sleepless night, Salieri woke up with a mixed feeling. Alex’s words still occupied his mind. He got to admit that indeed his physique was not the best in the team, but as a Bard, he didn’t have to worry about that. Or so he thought.

Opening the door of his room, Salieri headed towards the dining area. First thing first, his belly needed to be fed. When he arrived there, he found nobody else around.

“A healthy mind comes from a nutritious foods,” mumbled Salieri as his hands reached a toast of bread and soft cheese, along with fresh grapes and apples. But before that, he decided to quench his thirst by gulping a glass of orange juice.

“So light, is that all you’re having?” commented Alex who appeared out of nowhere, surprising Salieri in process. “Are you on a diet or something?”

“Mamma mia! Before your prophecy of me dying in battle comes true, I suspect I will die first thanks to your sneaky behaviour, Senor!” protested Salieri after he finished coughing up the orange juice he choked on. “And I’m not on a diet, this is a regular breakfast from the region I was born!”

“Whoa, calm down, Sal. This is unlike you. What happened to your usual carefree, happy-go-lucky attitude?” chuckled Alex, trying to calm the Bard down.

“Well Senor, to be frank, I’m still upset about what you told me last night,” replied Salieri. “Your words disrupted my beauty sleep! You owe an apology to my fair skin!”

“Ah, sleep deprivation, huh? That explains your cranky mood,” concluded Alex. “But still, my statements remain firm. You need to strengthen your base.”

“Well, if you insist, I guess I have no choice, right?” agreed Saliery half-heartedly.

“Yup, glad I could have your consent. I was about to take the hard way if you refuse, though,” grinned Alex meaningfully. “So, as a starter, add this to your breakfast, pronto!”

Saliery could only watch when Alex gave him a plate of meat, eggs, and all other stuffs he found so grotesque he couldn’t afford to see, let alone stomach it.

“Senor, this is breakfast. Hell, even if it’s a fancy dinner or something, I couldn’t finish it all!” refused Salieri. “And I am not used to eat red meat. It’s disgusting!”

“Oh, and you don’t have to finish it all in one go. It takes time to get used to it, so just eat as you see fit,” said Alex as he left the room. “We don’t want you to overeat and unable to move now, do we? I’ll be waiting on the training ground when you’re done with it.”

It was hard to take a bite at first, and even harder the next time. As expected, he couldn’t finish it all. But he started to get familiarized with the exquisite taste of protein in his meal.

“Now that you’re here, I assume that you finished your hearty breakfast?” asked Alex when Salieri finally joined him for training. “Because you will need more energy for the upcoming training,”

“So, what I want you to do is some regular basic training that anyone can do,” explained Alex. “For starter, you can give me 10 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 10 squats, finished by 1 km run.”

Salieri unconsciously opened his mouth to hear Alex’s order. It’s not that big of a number, but for non-fighter like him, that’s quite a rigorous exercise.

“I know you’re surprised by how light the training is. But as a beginner, I need you to start with this. We don’t want to risk your body shocked by the sudden intensity of the drill,” continued Alex. “Don’t worry, that’s just for a set. Your goal today is 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, closed by 10 km run, divided into 10 sets. But since I was such an understanding person, there will be like 10 minutes break in between each set.”

Salieri’s jaw gaped even wider to hear that hellish programme which sounded more like a punishment in his ears.

“Senor, do you want to kill me slowly?” asked Salieri. “There’s no way I could finish all of that in a day! Even just thinking about that makes me feel like I’m going bald!”

“Sal, chill. Just like the breakfast I served you, just try first and see for yourself how far can you go,” reasoned Alexl. “We can pick up from that point. I will be back like around breaktime or even later. Good luck until then!”

Although he felt it was impossible, but still Salieri decided to start the training. He could feel sore as his muscles started to tear as a side effect of working out for the first time in a while. Yet he kept on going. He channelled all of his anger into energy used for the training. One set felt like forever.

After his 5th run, Salieri laid down on the ground and took a well-deserved rest. That’s it, I quit, he thought. I didn’t sign up to be a hero for this, all I wanted to do was to play music, if I could save some folks while doing it, then that’s no skin off my nose, pondered Salieri.

An arrow suddenly passed through the blue sky which Salieri gazed at.

“Oi musician, you’re in the way. Move!” shouted Stella from the distance.

That’s right, who would protect my cute Stella if I’m not around, thought Salieri. Though it’s hard, but I will press forward for her sake, or at least until the song I specially composed for her is finished, decided Salieri in his heart.

“Sal, you look exhausted and lonely. Perhaps you need a company,” said Alex who, as always, made his appearance as quiet as possible. “How about you joining him, Stella?”

“I’m alright with my bow and arrow, thank you!” refused Stella. “I’m confident with my agility, so close-combat training like this isn’t my priority!”

“True, but one hit from an enemy and you’re a goner,” commented Alex. “And we can’t afford to lose our trustworthy marksman.”

“Hmph, fine if you insist!” agreed Stella brashly, trying to hide her fluttering heart who took Alex’s words as compliment. “Sally, let’s go!”

“At your service, Mi Senora!” shouted Salieri who seemed to have his soul revived from the brink of death just by hearing his beloved elf would join him in training.

“Hey, what’s the ruckus all about?” yelled a loud voice owned by someone with the same attire as Commander Tristan. “Entry is restricted to authorized personnel only. Who allowed you to be here?”

“I did, Troy,” replied Tristan who came joining them. Seemed like he was witnessing everything from the start. “The lads are here for the sake of national security, and as we all know, national security is our top priority!”

“Hmph, if you said so,” responded Troy while leaving the ground. “As long as that so-called hero wouldn’t stain this honourable ground with his ill manner like what he displayed before to His Majesty!”

Hearing that remark, Alex realized that he still had a long way to go to unite this kingdom into one banner. But at least Tristan could be relied on, hopefully followed by the others as well.