21 years earlier
It has often been said that the land of Talus was the firstborn of the world, coming into existence during an era of great darkness. But as people began to cultivate the ground and build cities, terrible monsters suddenly appeared from beyond the void, threatening to kill everything in their path. Pirates and invaders destroyed whatever remained, as they too sought fame and fortune from the land that lay beyond the black sea. Realizing that death was imminent, one man stood up to change what some already considered to be their fate. Using materials harnessed from a fallen star, he created a weapon that has now been lost to the sands of time. With its power, he chased away both man and beast, setting the land free from fear.
Yet, such powerful knowledge would lead to the people’s own demise. Only a few survived the fallout, leaving just four great House names remaining. They were Basileos, Castillo, Ivarson, and Pellanoire. Together, they discarded the ancient weapons that had caused such chaos and formed a treaty between them, so that nothing of this sort would ever happen again.
Of the four main Houses of power, Basileos grew swiftly and became the strongest among them. Their leader turned his region of Luxo into a thriving land of commerce. Pellanoire was not far behind, as they excelled in many forms of trade and built up a reputation of masterful guildsmen. Castillo focused their attention of military power and setup strong barricades around every perimeter, ensuring the safety of its subjects and land. Lastly there was Ivarson, who, over the course of time, retreated to the highest parts of the mountains of the North, where they lived quietly and without much contact or disturbance from the outside world.
Many years passed after that, and it became tradition for the House of Basileos to hold a grand celebration for the birth of the next heir to the throne. Unfortunately for Princess Xenovia, this day did not come with rejoicing for her father, or her mother.
*****
“My lord?” The servant whispered.
Willow gazed up at the man wearily. “Yes?”
“Sire, it is very late into the evening, yet I am told that you have not eaten since yesterday?”
“Yes, I think you must be right,” he replied, sensing the hunger in his belly.
“Here, I brought you some bread and water from the kitchen. Eat and regain your strength, your majesty.”
Willow looked at the plate of food with disdain. Nothing could seem to tempt his appetite as of late.
“No, take it away.”
“But Sire!”
“Do not argue with me, Reynold. Please.”
His servant quickly bowed, though he could tell it was not done willingly. “As you wish.”
After the man left, Willow decided to take a moment to stretch his legs. As he stepped away from his desk, the sound of crying soon came from the direction of the nursery in his bedroom.
It was Xenovia.
He took a quiet peek inside the room. He could see his young daughter, the Princess of Luxo, lying in her cradle. However, instead of his wife sitting at her side, there were three hired nursemaids caring for the child. They managed to shush her cries with gentle words of comfort, bringing a silent calm over the air once more.
Willow held back the urge to cry at such a sight. Xeena, his most dearest, had been taken from this world just days ago. Though the two of them had been looking forward to welcoming their firstborn, in a tragic twist of fate she died while giving birth. No amount of comfort could seem ease the pain he felt, as even the sight of Xenovia only managed to remind him of the hefty loss paid in order to bring her into existence.
With a heavy sigh, Willow returned to his desk. It was no secret that every man in this world was destined to face hardships in his life. Even he was no stranger to adversity, despite ruling as an all-powerful king for many years. Uprisings and war were becoming common place, with loyalty scarce even among his own nobles. If things continued like this, the same would be true in Xenovia’s day as well. And no matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to shield her from all the threats that abounded during this time of unrest and chaos.
The king shook his head with irritation, thinking of his innocent and precious daughter. As a princess and the future queen, Xenovia would be expected to learn how to rule and manage the kingdom on her own. Yet as her father, all he wanted was to keep her safe and ensure her protection. And in a sense, that was still very much possible, though this path would indeed come at a price. It was a price that he knew Xeena would never have approved of, were she still alive. Even so, Willow could not let fear or worry stop him. Xenovia was all that remained of late wife’s legacy, and soon enough, she would be all that remained of his own. He picked up his quill and returned his attention to the papers he had been reading earlier.
“Forgive me, my dearest,” he whispered, finally adding his signature to the bottom of the parchment.
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