Fallen Kingdom ✔️

First Night

I was sitting by the fire, silently eating when Prince Bowan started telling stories. "Hey Vic, I know you don't really talk, but would you mind If I told you something? I want you to be able to trust me." I nodded, agreeing to his attempt at peace. Something I admired. "I heard that Wyverna has female warriors as well as male. And that the royals never put themselves above the people. I realize that you might not know since you've probably never been, but could you imagine what that would be like? I have a sister and all she does all day is read and write and do schooling. She does that so she can find a husband. If I were looking for a woman, I would go to Wyverna, after we save it. I just hope that the royal children are still alive. Maybe they can make it the way it was before. Thinking about that reminds me of someone I met from Wyverna seven years ago. She had just come from the fall. She didn't talk much and when she did, she was quite. She asked for help from my parents but was only herself given shelter from the outside world. I can't help wonder what happened to her. She probably would have grown up to be one of those female warriors. I wouldn't mind female warriors either. My father is just too stubborn to think anything else. That makes me think about the royal family. I know the King and Queen were slaughtered, but the girl told me the royal children were enslaved. Do you think they're alive still?"

I stood up, burning the leftovers in the fire. "You never shut up, do you Prince Bowan? Look, if it will get you to stop talking for a bit, I'll answer once question."

He nodded in agreement. "Okay, another deal. I am liking it. You're mysterious so why don't you tell me something about yourself instead?"

"Fine." I told him, taking my hood off. My hair tumbled down my shoulders. "You thought I was a male. I was afraid you wouldn't have me if I was a female so I never told you my real gender. Not that it matters, it seems like you don't care about genders either. Strange coming from a prince of those flat minded royal family."

His jaw dropped. "So, Vic stands for what?"

"Victoria. I perfer Vic though. That's your one question answered. Now I don't have to hide either. Making my life easier every minute since I started talking. I should talk more often. Ask me another question and see if I'm correct."

"Do you think the royal family is alive? I heard the sons were still alive, but the daughter of King Arion went missing. She hasn't been found yet, so she still could be alive. What do you think?"

"You answered the first question for me. There's nothing more important then family. If the brothers are still alive, the sister would fight for her brothers. Wouldn't you fight for your siblings?"

"Of course I would."

I yawned. "Well, Prince Bowan, it's getting late. We'll need some rest before tomorrow. We need to make it to Valeir before the day is over. We'll be able to get some supplies there for the trip. They have some of the best weapons in the kingdom. There's no way we will be able to stop Iserval without weapons. He has an entire army. Right now there's only the two of us."

He stood up, chasing after me. "Hey, wait! Why did you want to come with anyway? There has to be a reason. It's a death wish otherwise."

"It's a death wish either way. If I hadn't gone with you, I would have gone by myself. I have my own reason for going and I'd rather not talk about it. Goodnight, Prince Bowan."

I laid in my tent silently. I slept horrible. I couldn't close my eyes without seeing those scenes again. The blood and body parts covering my beautiful city. They must have had to use the bodies as plant food when I left. There was no other space for that many bodies. Or maybe the burned their bodies and let them fly away in the wind so they could be free. There was a number of things that could have happened. I couldn't even imagine the death count now. Irseval is really the embodiment of evil and nobody could tell me otherwise. I woke to a cold sweat int the morning. It was the worst night's sleep I have had in years. I got out of the tent only to find Prince Bowan cooking food.

"Good morning. Looks like you didn't sleep that well either."

I sat next to him. "Why are you really going to Wyverna?" I asked out of the blue.

"I feel like I should fix my familiy's mistake of not helping."

I remembered years ago when I was in the bush, listening to his and his brother's conversation. His brother told him if he didn't like it, he could get his own kingdom. I jumped up. "You're going to kill Irseval in order to gain your own kingdom!"

Prince Bowan burst out into laughter. "That's the silliest thing I have ever heard. My brother used to tell me that If I didn't like something, I could get my own. I might not like my father's ways, but I would never take over King Arion's kingdom. It belongs to his family. I told you last night, there was a girl I met from Wyverna right after the fall of the kingdom. She was terrified and asked for help. If my father had have gone through with his promise to the kindest man I had ever met, King Arion, she would have had a home to go back to. I am old enough to fight for real so I will fight for those who lost their lives due to my father and his horrible ways. I will one day become King of Servania and when I do, I will create the same deal with Wyverna that was before the fall. I will keep the promise though. I will be a good king."

"I'm sure you will. Thanks for making breakfast."

I still wasn't sure about Prince Bowan or his words, but I was happy enough with what he was saying. It felt like he was speaking from the heart. Even if I don't like him or his familiy, it doesn't mean that I can't trust him a little bit. I should give him a chance. It's the only choice I have if I want to save my family and my kingdom.