CHAPTER 1

The sun shone as it began to set gradually. It was almost winter, which made the atmosphere damp, the sound of birds chirping softly. It is the 18th century in the kingdom of Linerdo, the great land of peace and equality. The sounds of galloping horses rode into the realm, heading towards the palace.

They got closer to the palace, their horses moving in order as they galloped into the court; the sound of their feet attracted servants who turned their heads, staring at the strangers in dismay. The atmosphere in the palace, filled with life and activities as servants, was seen around, moving from one direction to another.

Among the men who marched in, a hefty black man got down from his horse, glaring around with a stern face. He had an eye patch on one eye, making him look sternly. He gazed back at his men, who stood apart waiting for his order. He turned his head, his gaze fixed on the palace door which stood feet away. He looked up at the magnificent building before him and walked towards the building, his men following behind.

They got into the palace; its beautiful designs, displayed graciously, adorned with flowers and lovely layouts. Servants walked around carrying baskets of fruits entering into a room; some placed the baskets on each seat as different maids stood at a spot made for the king as they adorned the throne with bouquets.

The strangers walked past the large hall and entered a room; lights stunned brightly, filling the room. Seated at the end of the room was a young prince in royal clothing, his eyes fixed on the men who walked into the room coming closer to him.

"Your lordship," the hefty man greeted, bowing slightly, gently raising his head, and glancing at the young prince who glared at him with intense eyes.

"The plans for your coronation tomorrow have been made ready." The black man notifies, his eyes fixed on the prince as his men stood a few feet away. 

Prince Robert glared at the men one after the other and back to the man who stood before him, "Nicholas." he called out, his hands placed on the wooden area of the seat he sat on. "You should protect the kingdom during the coronation. You and your men should be alert and make sure that no intruder passes through the gates. Nobles from neighboring kingdoms will visit to witness my coronation, and as you can see," Prince Robert looked around, his hand swaying around, "Preparations are taking place as I speak; my servants beautifully decorate the palace, so, I want you to play your role diligently." Prince Robert instructed, raising a finger at the men.

Nicholas bowed gently towards the prince, "You have my word, your lordship, my men, and I will make sure that the kingdom is safe." he said.

Prince Robert nodded with a happy face, "That's good; you and your men can leave now," he ordered.

Nicholas and his men bowed slightly and exited the room one after the other.

Exhaling deeply, The handsome prince sat with heavy thoughts. He is the finest among men in the kingdom. His long black hair, adorned and stood graciously, adding more elegance to his face. His eyebrows, full and dark as night, have sparkling Hazel eyes that bring intense feelings to anyone his gaze falls on no matter how big or small the person is. His chin, smooth without a trace of a beard, his lips, red as blood. He has a tall figure that added more splendor when he walked or went out on battles. He is the dream of every young lady in the kingdom; even the female servants look at him with lusty eyes whenever he passes by.

Tomorrow, he will be made king because of his father's departure a few days ago. The idea of being king was never his dream; he hoped for more, exploring life outside the kingdom, but his plans will only remain as goals, nothing else.

Footsteps approaching alerted him; he looked up and saw his mother. She had a basket of fruits in her hands as she walked closer to where Robert sat, with smiles all over her face.

"Mother," Robert called out; he stood and walked towards her attempting to help her with the basket.

Queen Arundel stopped him by holding his hand, "Son, I can't let you." she remarked, smiling as she touched his face, "You are going to be the next King of this kingdom; you should not do things like this anymore." she said with a laugh. 

Robert came closer to her, "Mother, being a king will never change that I am your son, never." He affirmed as he tried to help her again.

"No, my son, don't bother about it." Queen Arundel stopped him again; she glared at her son, her smile fading, "What is wrong, my son? You don't look cheerful; talk to me." She whispered, staring at him.

Prince Robert managed to smile, his mind filled with unspoken words, the sounds of the night filling the room.

"I am fine, mother; I am tired due to the coronation arrangements; a little sleep will fix everything, I assure you that" He smiled at her.

Holding the basket, she had his face, "Alright, my son, the king of Gladion, will be here very soon. You know he was friends with your father, so he can't miss out on your coronation." She announced. 

"Alright, mother, I will be expecting his visit, but right now, I have to return to my privy chamber; my servants will inform me when he comes." Saying this, Prince Robert walked out of the hall; his eyes fixed on the walls as he headed out.

As he walked through the large halls, two maidens passed, bowing their heads slightly as a sign of respect. Prince Robert walked past them, not saying a word, his exhausted mind filled with elaborate impressions he couldn't detect. He got to his chamber, his servant guiding the door, opened as he walked into the room, the door closing after him.

He sauntered towards his bed, sat on it as he removed his outer cloak with tired eyes. Slowly, he laid on the bed; his eyes fixed on the ceilings, he ran his fingers through his dark hair as he sighed out in frustration. 

Being a king won't be easy, but he should get used to it; it's his destiny and right to rule after his father's dismissal. His father, King Harrison, was a tough man who led the people of Linerdo with a stern hand. He was fierce, and the people who he ruled feared him. He was a powerful king who created fear in the heart of his subjects. He never takes no for an answer and executes anyone who dares to come his way. The kings of the neighboring kingdoms could not match up to his strength, and the number of wars King Harrison fought and won easily was uncountable.

Robert tossed around his bed, his eyes fixed out the window. A loud cry of wild birds reminded him of the night he dreaded, a night filled with bad memories, the night of the persecution of the last witch, her screams piercing his heart as she burned on the stake. That night was a terrible memory to him; his eyes fixed on the burning body of the witch. He glanced at his father, who smiled, looking pleased as he watched the dying witch. 

He watched his father's blazing eyes filled with rage as he ordered his soldiers to go into the woods and get more witches to get assassinated. This incident happened five years ago, but the memory laid fresh on his mind—he couldn't forget the furious look on his father's face when the guards reported the escape of the surviving witches. The King's outrage surprised him and brought a feeling of unsettledness in him, which he couldn't assert. 

Deep inside him, he knows that he is nothing like his father. He never wants war but peace, although it's his responsibility to protect his subjects and go to war with his soldiers, and he is willing to do that as long as it keeps the kingdom safe. Killing never runs through his veins, but as the next king, killing is part of his duties.

Prince Robert got down from his bed; he couldn't sleep with all these on his mind. He paced around, brushing his hair uneasily; his knees grew weak as beads of sweats formed on his forehead. 

A gentle knock at his door brought him back into reality; he looked up, his eyes fixed on the door.

The door opened, his mother walked in, her eyes on her son.

"My son," Queen Arundel called out with worry written on her face, "You don't look good" she narrowed her eyes, staring at him, her black hair resting on her shoulder. Her beauty showed forth elegantly; her full eyebrows and lashes made her blue eyes sparkled in delight. She had a white gown with pink laces, which added more beauty to her.

"The king of Gladion has arrived; he seeks to see you," she announced, staring at him.

Prince Robert glanced at his bed and back at her, "Alright, mother, I will be there soon; give me time to change," he replied and walked towards his bed.

Queen Arundel glared at her son with softened eyes; deep inside, she knows she is worried about something she couldn't detect. 

"My son," she called out softly, walking towards him.

Robert turned his gaze at her, his eyes tensed.

Getting close to him, she held his face as she managed to smile, "What borders you?" She inquired softly.

Robert stared at her, "Mother, you know this isn't my dream," he let out, his eyes still fixed on her.

Queen Arundel let out a sigh, "I know, but this is your responsibility, you can't run from it, you are the first son of your father. The first son of his legal wife, and you know that".

" That is the problem, mother!" Prince Robert let out moving away from her, his fingers on his hair again; he turned to his mother, who looked confused.

"Being a king comes with a lot of responsibilities. I have to go on wars, hunt down witches and even get married to my father's wives except for my mother; that is such an absurd mother!" He spoke out with anger in his eyes. Prince Robert walked closer to his mother, his face hardened in resentment, "This is not how I want my life to be, bound by laws and walls of this kingdom, I have hopes of exploring not ruling," he spat out, walking away from his mother.

Queen Arundel sighed with a quiet expression; she walked up to him, held his hand as he turned to look at her, "I understand how you feel, but it is your duty, Robert. Apart from the normal wars, the hunt of witches stopped five years ago after your father killed the last witch; we all witnessed it. You know that humans and witches have nothing in common, and we can never relate; witches and humans are sworn enemies right in the days of our past kings. The surviving ones can never think of returning after they ran into extinction," she explained, staring at him, "You don't have to worry about that son. Your other duty of getting married to your father's wives is a tradition you should keep, but that doesn't stop you from getting married to your wife, who will produce your heir. Your father did that before he got married to me, and gradually, he married more wives; this is part of what makes you a king; I know you will do better than your father," she concludes with a smile on her face, "Now hurry up, the king awaits you" Queen Arundel said walking out of his chamber.

Quickly, Prince Robert wore his cloak, called his servants, who promptly came in and dressed his hair. Making sure he looks presentable, Robert walked out of the room, his servants behind him; when he got to the door of the hall in which his visitors waited, he dismissed his servants and walked in. 

King Williams, the king of Gladion, sat in the dining room already served with food and fruits of all kinds. The servants cleaned the long table, which stood, arranged with adorned chairs made for the royals. The old jumpy king stood up with a smile on his face; he walked closer to Robert, who came into the room, hugged the young prince, and gently pats him on his shoulder; he wore a red doublet with broad wings, matching full breeches with soft pleats. 

"It is good to see you, Robert, I know you can't wait to be king, and we all can't wait either. I know you will do an excellent job just like your father," he let out, his face filled with smiles.

Robert nods as he manages to smile at the old king before him, "I will try my best," he replied.

The King's wife, Queen Clara, who sat before her husband, stood up with smiles on her face. She wore a long green gown with sleeveless tunics that matched her green eyes. Her servants beautifully adorned Queen Clara's blonde hair placing a pink rose on it. She smiled beautifully, revealing her deep dimples, "It is a pleasure seeing you, Prince Robert," she acknowledged.

Queen Arundel sat staring at them with a happy expression.

"It's good seeing you too, Queen Clara," Robert asserted, glaring at the woman.

He walked up to his seat, which stood at the center and perfectly made for Kings, "You all may sit," he said to the King and Queen, turned to his mother, who nodded calmly.

They all sat down, the servants serving the meal to them. Prince Robert glanced at this mother and back at the old king who began to munch his meal.

"So Robert," King William said, breaking the silence, "Tomorrow, you will ascend the throne as king of this mighty kingdom; what do you intend to do immediately after your coronation?" He asked as he placed a full spoon of food in his mouth, chewing slowly.

Robert looked up at him rolling his eyes, "I intend to attend to issues concerning the system of trade in my kingdom; there are certain issues in that aspect that need great caution and attention with immediate effect," He responded.

"Hmm," King Williams looked up at him, dropping his spoon, "That's good, but what do you intend to do about that? I just want to be aware of your plans. You know that your father and I were good friends, but I know you will do better than he did" he commented, placing his attention back on the food as the women present glared at the two men.

A smile appeared on Robert's lips; he looked at the man, "It is great having you here. Well, the rate of trade isn't good enough for business. When my father was alive, he wanted to set strategies concerning this issue, but unfortunately, he couldn't due to his illness which took his life. But as his son, I will help him achieve those plans he didn't get to execute. First of all, I will reduce the price of certain goods to enable the villagers, both the nobles and the poor, to purchase those goods. And also, I think the rate of tax-paying is too high, that should be cut low…..".

The sounds of spoons drop on plates cut Robert; he looked up to see eyes glaring at him in shock.

" That is outrageous!" King Williams burst out, staring at him with bulging eyes, "You can't reduce the rate of tax; your kingdom, my kingdom, and other neighboring kingdom need it for the expansion of our total revenue," he said aloud, his eyes still fixed on Robert.

Robert frowned, "The rate of tax-paying is high; only the nobles can afford it; you don't expect the poor to provide such an amount of money," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

King Williams picked up a napkin and gently wiped his mouth; he placed it on the table beside his plate and look up at Robert, "It is not your responsibility to worry about how they afford it; it is a law which they have to abide no matter the amount charged on them" he asserted returning his attention to his food, "I know that if your father were alive, he wouldn't think of doing something like this" he mumbled.

Robert stared at the older man, anger rising in him. Queen Arundel looked at Robert and noticed his expression change; gently, she placed a hand on him. Robert turned to her, his eyes locking with hers. Queen Arundel nods, signaling him to keep cool. He bounced back and faced his meal, eating quietly. 

The rest of the dinner went by quietly; after his meal, Prince Robert excused himself and walked out of the dining hall. His servants tried following him, but he stopped them and walked alone. Getting into his room, Prince Robert removed his cloak and undershirt. He entered a small but beautiful adorned bathroom, slowly undressed his inner clothes, and sat in the bathtub, the warm water touching his skin tenderly. The bath was prepared by the maiden's, and they did it according to his taste.

He stayed there for a while, relaxing his mind. The event of what happened at the dining with King Williams flashed through his mind. How greedy can he be? The poor are also his subjects, and he can't throw an enormous tax rate on them.

Exhaling deeply, he got out of the tub, cleaned his body, and walked out into his room. Slowly he dressed up, walked towards his bed, and laid on it, different thoughts running through his mind. Gradually, his tired eyes began to close, tossing around; he rested his head looking out through his window. A few minutes later, he drifted off; a cold air filled the room.