CRISES AND LESSONS

It is the beginning of a new day while snowflakes descend from the sky, with everything proceeding with its daily routine in the kingdom of Nivea while the gentle chill breeze encourages them with a smile on everyone's face. The kingdom is the most prosperous in the entire land of AE, known to have a brave king Daman and his lovely queen Felicia, together they give birth to a set of lovely twins Prince Altair and princess Anita.  The kingdom of Nivea is also known for its population and known for dwelling of the greatest Sorcerers in all of the land.

     Inside a wide space with 6 golden chairs placed on a double row facing each other with each of the seats occupied by a person which mostly shows most of the occupiers to be elderly people. They were the chiefs representing each of the villages under the kingdom Nevia all focusing their attention on an old man sitting on a chair which is way more massive and ornate than theirs, the king's throne occupied by the king himself. Beside him is the Queen sitting on another seat beside the king, enclosing her young elegant face with her royal light blue crown and her crown. Each pillar had a guard staying at full alert standing in one position, at the entrance two enormous sculptures of knights standing straight with their swords drawing forward as they face each other are displayed as the first thing when entering the hall room.

          “My King, the people demand more space. They complain of the little spaces left are not enough for cultivation, and as we all know since the population in the kingdom is increasing so are our resources decreasing, foods, Woods, gold, silvers many more and without those, our entire defense system will be crippled.” a chief speaks out with the other chiefs nodding their heads to his statement. 

      The whole room is filled with whispering until the king lifts his palm which brings silence into the room, then King Daman opens his mouth exhaling softly. “I'm afraid we all have to waiter longer to see if the Age kingdom agrees to our partnership,” the king looks downwards gazing at the suns reflection echoing through the silver tiled ground, he realizes he has gone far into imagining until he was tapped on the shoulder by the queen which draws him back into reality. “I'm sorry…I was saying—saying—if the Age kingdom agrees we get to share their lands with them and both kingdoms enjoy prosperity, but if they don't. I am afraid we look for another choice.”

     “Instead we could wage war against them, my king,” a voice says from beside king Daman. Everyone turns towards the speaker to catch sight of a man with bony cheeks with his baggy eyes and mouth stache in a long robe which had a symbol of a fire-breathing dragon exemplifying the kingdom of Nivea. He had a tall stature through his sloping neck, as he climbs up the stairs on the altar where the king's throne is positioned. It was Gifec, advisor to the king. “Sorry to interrupt my King and my chiefs, but why should we leave the Age kingdom alone after refusing our offer from our great king which will benefit them?”

    The entire chiefs try to answer his question but couldn't find one, they know Gifec to be a Cunny person so no one answers him knowing he would try to manipulate their mind which he does always.

    “What are you trying to say Gifec?” the king asks gazing straight at Gifec's face with eagerness to know his motive. 

   Gifec smirk as he walks in between the space which separated the 12 seats of the chiefs with his feet footing on the red carpet placed in the middle. “We all know, the Age kingdom is just a little kingdom that is not up to Chief Buni's district. They only have 10,000 soldiers which aren't even up to one-third of our kingdom, so if their kingdom refuses our alliance then we wage war against them…my king”

     “Because the kingdom is weaker than us doesn't mean we should try scaring them” the king replies calmly. King Daman looks at his chiefs, “Instead, I and the queen would Journey across the land to Age kingdom. I think that way they would agree ”

     The chiefs began murmuring amongst themselves further as they all agree with the king's statement. Life could feel his fist fastened behind him with a false smile on his face, but turmoil flowed through his veins. 

    “My King, we all agree to your wise decision but while you are gone who is going to be in charge of the kingdom in your absence?” Another chief raises a question

     “For now—” the king ceases swiveling his head to the queen then proceeds to Gifec afterward to the Chiefs. “Gifts…would train my daughter princess Anita on how to be a leader”

          Gifts grin looking down to his feet, “This is working as I planned, fools they don't know what I'm doing. By the time they realize what they are facing they would already add be gone…all of them” he ponders in his head giggling behind his closed mouth.“After getting rid of the obstacles I go on dominating the entire kingdom”

      “—first thing before sunrise I and the queen would leave” the king announces.

   

       In the crowded Market place of the kingdom of Nivea, one is involved in buying and selling, bargaining for different goods. The voices of people wandering on the ground covered in snow and a few guards who patrolled the area all watching every odd movement.

     “Assassin!” a guard shouts chasing after a figure dressed in black with a little touch of blue cloak that coats the face of the person as he flees through the crowd. “Over there!”

   The guards patrolling the areas close by hunt after the assassin who sprints towards the wall surging upwards to the rooftop of a cottage proceeding in hopping from one rooftop to another, the sound of his breathing could be heard while he sprints towards the wall that will help him infiltrate into the garden of the palace.

   “I see the Assassin!” a soldier yells from the tower he stood watch from his post which was inside a tower before initiating blasting arrows at the fleeing assassin but none jabbed him.

     The Assassin pounces downwards vanishing into the garden filled with flowers allowing him to blend within the shadows of the flowers. The soldiers rushed into the garden teaching every spot, “He cannot have gone far, search!” a soldier exclaimed while he watched the others slash through the vines. 

           The training ground was the closest place to the garden and also the only place, the prince and Princess get oriented with their combat skills. 

      

       “When you are on the battleground you become a like a dragon with a full focus towards its task which is —” a bald man says while strolling around a female and a male dressed in brown silk attire. The commander in chief of the army, Garlin. It is known that he battled with the greatest Dragonlord, Matthias. General Garline impelled a scar on the face of the dragon sending it fleeing, and he's also a guy who knows no fun other than to war and protect the king.  “Are you listening to me, princess Anita?”

       Anita was drawn away until she comes back to her consciousness, “Yes sir Garline, I'm listening to you” she lied ending with a smile that didn't influence Garlin. “Ok, where do we start today?”

 

   Garlin breaks the conversation with a sigh, he is used to things like this. For years he has been training these two royal blood and faces problems which he learns to adapt. On one side is cess Anita who doesn't seem to be interested in fighting, but is a lovely creature. He remembers the time he got the princess imprisoned with a wild Chimera. A creature that had the appearance of a lion with a tail of a snake, he hoped princess Anita to battle thee, creature, instead, the princess subdued the wildernewildernesseature. But on the other side is Prince Altair who he likes the most among his students, Altair is a man-beast in personality who will stop at nothing until he conquers his adversaries.

     “Now imagine you both were ambushed by the enemies, what will you do?” Garlin tells afterward, that characters dressed in red silks scrambled out of every corner rushing toward Anita and Altair with their swords drawn at them. 

         Altair removes his sword from its scabbard swerving sideways as he cuts through the attire of an attacker. He heeds to the two attackers slithering closer to him quietly countering them he swings his leg booting the other then continues, using the bottom of his sword railing *against* the face of the other.

     Princess Anita summersaults backward averting the rip of a sword, then she delivers a swift blow hastily to the face of her assailant. She seizes a sword laying on the floor heaving it across to the face of the attacker, then she shoves her both in between his legs causing him to moan in discomfort continuing downwards until he finally falls inanimate on the floor.

      “Great Job” Garlin applauses while he hurls aside his saber heightening his shoulders as his bones slapped loudly. “But now imagine you want to battle a very dangerous individual”

      “So are you advising we fight you? ” princess Anita inquired opening her eyes wide with skepticism. 

     “Yes…I want you both to fight me, two against one, I think I made that a fair fight” Garlin concedes standing in between Anita and Altair. “Don't waste time, come on!”

       “A student would not raise his hands against my teacher” Anita lets out

  

    “But the teacher will” Garlin responds swaying his hands, as he whacks Princess Anita directly to her face propelling her to stumble to the floor. Hence he turned to Prince Altair, who grins at him. “What are you waiting for—”

     Before climaxing his sentence Garlin was thumped heavily on the face, dispatching a few more punches directly to Garlin's jaws finishing off with a kick to his chest urging him to step back as he tried to attain himself.

      “I have waited for this my entire life” Altair lets out trotting towards the unalerted Garlin. He lunges himself into the air with his clenched fist before him, unexpectedly his fist was clasped in mid-air by Garlin.

     “You are good but too slow to be on the battleground” Garlin delivers a force directly to Altair's abdomen, before thrusting him a few meters to the ground. “Use your teamwork as an advantage”