Mikhail stared at Xander's wide back as he felt a burning gaze directed in his direction. He turned towards it to find a hooded young man who looked about his height glaring at him. He couldn't see the man's face but could tell from the way his jaw was stiffened that he was hostile towards him.
Mikhail shifted uncomfortably at the door as he tried to avert his gaze from the man. Suddenly, Xander called out to the man as he watched the man turn towards Xander, his demeanor shifting completely.
William...? that name sounds a little familiar... but I'm not so sure... It is a pretty common name... But why is he wearing a hood in the evening? Also... his gaze was pretty intense... Mikhail thought as he watched Xander riding off into the distance, the young man following suit, not sparing another glance his way.
"Then, I'll be leaving as well. It seemed the Ki... erm... It seemed that My Lord had a pleasant evening, I'll be sure to send you a gift for your hospitality as we did arrive empty handed." a man with dark green hair said as Mikhail turned his head to meet the owner of the voice.
"... Oh, sure. It's fine even if you don't though. We had a pleasant evening as well. And... I'm not really certain that our hospitality was sufficient."
"Nonsense. I insist. I'll be sending some things over in a few days. Then... farewell." the man said as he bowed, leaving Mikhail perplexed about how he was supposed to react.
"Erm... Thank you?" Mikhail said as he bowed rather stiffly, garnering a light laugh from the other party.
"Pardon me. There was no need to bow... But sure. It's no problem at all. I hope you had a great time bonding." the man said as he wiped the tear from his eyes, he had been laughing till his eyes watered.
"..."
The man who went by the name Louis bowed once more as he left to get a horse which he had apparently tied far off in the distance. Mikhail then stared at the man as he watched him get onto his horse, waving goodbye to him as the man raised his hand with a slight wave before riding off into the distance.
"Mikhail..." Diane called out to him as Mikhail slowly turned to face his mother, pulling his gaze away from the now dark view.
"Yes?"
"... Bags... We should pack them."
"Huh... What... Why?" Mikhail questioned with a perplexed expression on his face.
"... He... has found us. I... don't think we're safe here anymore. We better... No... It is for the safety of the villagers and us... that we leave."
Mikhail stared at his mother who seemed small and conflicted in her emotions, wondering why she would suddenly talk about leaving the village he had grown up in for the sixteen years of his life.
"... Why? Is it... because of Xander?"
"..."
"He didn't seem like a bad person... Why would we..."
"It... doesn't matter. Pack your things. This is final... Please... listen to your mother." Diane said with a pleading voice as she lowered her gaze, standing up slowly as she made her way to her bedroom, not saying another word.
Mikhail fell silent as he watched the back of his mother seem small and fragile. A back he always deemed strong and somewhat of a fortress for him, now seemed like a distant memory as she looked broken.
He then sighed and ruffled a hand through his hair as he made his way to his bedroom located beside hers, opening the door as he walked over to his wardrobe and rifled through his clothes. Mikhail frowned at his lack of clothes variety as he grabbed them out of the wardrobe and proceeded to folding them neatly as he stacked them inside his spare suitcases. He glanced at the white shirts and black pants he had placed inside the suitcases before turning his gaze to a small bookcase where he bent to pick out some books.
His eyes rested upon a history book that his mother gifted to him on his 14th birthday. He had been pestering her about learning the history of their kingdom since he was 12 years old and she had finally given in. The book was worn and slightly shabby albeit a little old but that did not put him off, instead it drew him towards it.
Apparently, the book had been a gift to her by his father which he never got to know. Books after all, were hard to come by in a village this small and secluded. Purchasing one would be at a cost of walking the great distance to Archen Menoch, the capital city, and returning all in a few days' journey. It wasn't far by horse, but not many villagers could afford one, let alone ride it.
Mikhail flipped through the pages of the book as it stopped on a page where a bookmark was left. It had a flower pressed onto a light purple paper with the emblem of the kingdom. The flower was similar to the one his mother kept on their windowsill.
Brushing his fingers lightly over the pressed flower, a sudden voice caused Mikhail to jump. The book slipped from his hands as it fell to the floor, the pages fluttered about as they scattered across the wooden parquet floor.
"Ah..." Mikhail stared at the book that was now a mess of papers, his mouth turning into a frown as he furrowed his brows.
"... I'm sorry, Mikhail. I just wanted to tell you that we'll be leaving at first light."
"... Okay." Mikhail replied curtly as he bent to pick up the scattered pages on the floor. Diane stared at her son as her eyes then caught sight of the bookmark.
Her eyes widened as she gritted her teeth, swivelling to leave the room as her expression blackened.
"... Why is she acting that way?" Mikhail mumbled as his fingers brushed the bookmark. He then brought it up towards his eye level as he noticed a small indent on the bookmark. He cocked his head in curiosity as he positioned the bookmark in the light in such a way that he could see what was originally written.
"X ♡ D forever", Mikhail stared at the lettering for a moment before he placed it onto his desk. He sucked in a short breath before bending down to pick up the remaining scattered pages, placing them by order once more as he thought of the bookmark.
This is a short introduction on the Kingdom of Enoch and neighbouring countries.The Kingdom of Enoch is a vast kingdom that is centered in the middle of three neighbouring countries which are at war.The nation in the North consists of the Kingdom of Lestria where Lilith originates from. The current King of the country is Valjean Sinclair, a bastard son who purged his tyrannical father from the throne. The country has always been raged by war, hence, there is limited fertile soil. The current King of the country decided to make a peace treaty by offering Lilith, who is the daughter of a prestigious ducal household to marry into royalty as well as halting all war against Enoch.This is to build a peaceful relationship between the two nations as well as to gain food for their citizens. They exchange the vast minerals they have with the grains and weapons from Enoch.The relationship between the Southern country
"Mikhail... get up... time... leave..." a woman's voice rang through Mikhail's ears as he groaned and shifted sleepily in his wooden bed. The words broken as he was more focused on staying asleep."Just a... few... minutes..." Mikhail mumbled as he wrapped his blanket tightly around his body. He had slept late the day before and wanted some much needed rest.Silence filled the room for a short moment before the cold air surrounded Mikhail. He curled in a ball before groggily getting up, as his hazy eyes blinked stupidly, trying to clarify his vision."Wha... where's the blanket... Mom?!" Mikhail gasped as his vision cleared and he saw Diane wrapped in a black cloak which came with a hood, holding onto his blanket as she stared at him with a fierce look."I told you to get up before dawn. Now the sun is nearly in the sky. We can't stay here any longer.""... It... huh... It's just dawn...?" Mikhail s
Everytime I go to sleep I see the same things. A wide hall with draping red cloth hanging from the ceilings.A soft whisper of my name echoes as I chase after the source of the voice. When I reach my hand and pull on the draping cloth, I find a throne before a dark blue banner or tapestry of some sort. It had the image of a tiger that seemed to glow a certain gold whenever I walked towards it.I felt as if it called out to me. But whenever I reached out to touch it, a voice would call for me in a seemingly distant voice. I would turn around to find the previous red drapings gone and replaced with a regal throne room.As I glanced around, people with undiscerning features would appear; almost as if they had always been there. They would be bowing lowly with their head towards the ground in a respectful manner.Soft whisperings would then call me towards another location. I would then tip toe around them as I head tow
Xander pulls on his street wear as he glances back at his room. No one should be able to freely enter nor exit his chambers. Plus, the layered padding underneath the blanket should serve well as a camouflage.He wanted to visit Diane and ask her regarding the past. About why she decided to up and leave. And to ask whether Mikhail really was his son. No, that's not right, Mikhail is his son. There shouldn't be any mistake. With silver hair like his... The thought of Diane with another person was inconceivable.Xander shook his head to clear his thoughts as he then opened his window. He stared at the ground which was ways below him before nimbly hopping onto a tree that grew close to his window in silence. The leap was far but with his abilities, it was nothing but a breeze.The best time to sneak out was either early morning, before the break of dawn or deep into the night when everyone was deep in slumber. It's not that the su
As soon as Xander returned to the castle, he left his horse with a knight that happened to be patrolling the area. The knight was confused as he had not been notified of the King's prior departure from the castle and had no idea when or where the horse came from as well as why the King was dressed as a commoner. He however, simply saluted and obliged to the King's demands and led the horse back to the stable with a dazed expression.Xander then took long strides back to his chambers, not bothering to hide the fact that he had left the castle in secret. He had bigger fish to fry after all. His mind was filled with one thing and one thing alone. Finding Diane and his son.His jaw was clenched and his expression grim. He couldn't let this situation happen again. With thoughts of finding Diane flooding his mind, he changed into his formal wear and headed straight to the barracks."Guys, did any of you do something wrong?"
Word of the mobilisation of the King's soldiers were whispered around the secluded town of Tefflander. Mikhail furrowed his brows as he cocked his head quizzically. How did they receive the news when the official city was miles behind him?Who could the people the King was looking for possibly look like? For him to mobilise such a large troop just to track them down... Mikhail pondered on the question as his mother tapped onto his shoulder, telling him to pull to a halt."Stop. We're here. I'll talk to the village head.""...? Okay..."Mikhail pulled the reins, bringing Brownie to a halt as he watched his mother jump off the cart. It was now evening, they had only stopped for that short break during breakfast. Whatever his mother was thinking about was unclear to him, except for the fact that she was willing to cast everything in the wind, just to leave Vogrant far behind her.He then turned h
A woman ran down the palace hallway as her expression scrunched into a worry filled one. Her long red hair billowing in the wind as she clung tightly onto the cloak that was snugly wrapped around her body.Surprised expressions were displayed on the faces of the people she had passed by. They genuflected in reverence as she passed them without sparing a second glance.Xander stood in his study, holding a book gingerly in his palm. His eyes boring a hole through the middle of the book. He had a stern and firm look on his face, jaws clenched as he emitted an ominous aura.Suddenly, the doors of his study flew open. The sound it made when it hit the walls was loud and garnered his unamused attention."... This had better be good news..." Xander said below his breath, his eyes still focused on the book."Xa...nder... haah... haah... is it true...?" a woman's raspy voice filled the now morbidly silent ro
A few months had passed since Diane left without any trace. Xander had been in deep distress due to the fact.He watched his quill dance between his fingers as the nib wandered across the paper. The white feather seemed to be lulling him to sleep, yet, his eyes remained open.For the past few months, sleep had been aversive and Xander had forgotten what the calm blanket of oblivion felt like. His mind wandered from time to time, but he could never properly rest. Today was supposed to be no different."Your Highness! I have good news! And well bad news..." Louis' muffled voice rang from behind the heavy wooden door.Xander whipped his head up from the news as the quill slipped from his fingers, ink splattering across the papers. It had been documents pertaining business between the nations, but the sound of "good news", was all that he could care to be bothered with. Especially if there was a small glimmer of h