3

•Chapter 3•
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A young man steadily placed his two hands on the edge of the balcony. His mesmerizing light brown eyes seemed to lay focus on the servants that paced back and forth in various directions. His dark eyebrows were knitted in concentration, his dark full lips closed tightly together as he hadn't spoken a word for a moment. All sorts of negative thoughts came across his mind, and he could not think of a single solution.

Cold wind blew from the north side past him, and his soft hands loosened their tight grip on the railing of the balcony.
His eyes steadily closed, and he inhaled the cool fresh wind through his nostrils, and he then exhaled out loudly through his nostrils. All his thousands and thousands of thoughts had come to a halt for a moment. He longed for the moment to last and mostly longed for his father's return.

"Leo," a sweet voice called him.

"You haven't eaten all day. I brought you something to eat." A sweet tone spoke from behind him. For a while, there was silence between the two. His gaze was well focused on the ground that was below him with the servants that looked like scattered little ants migrating from place to place. He steadily inhaled the cool, fresh air that surrounded them and then turned to face her.

He took several steps towards her and placed his metallic hands on her soft, smooth, pale skin as he gazed into her eyes that were a dark shade of blue.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of his heart racing in his chest. Her wavy dark chocolate hair made her more alluring. Her features were distinctively beautiful, and many were drawn to her by her beauty, but her heart only belonged to Leon. She had longed for this moment to happen - she often imagined herself with him each second. Her heart longed for him.

Her wishes had been granted.

His eyes gazed into hers, and his inching closer to hers. He could feel her hot breath on him. He moved his hands up her face. For a moment, they locked eyes , once again, silence fell between the two. Her cheeks flushed red, and she slowly closed her eyes and stood on her tip-toes.

Leon slowly slid his hands down to her waist - not to pull her closer to him but to shove her aside. He reached for the golden door nob, twisted it, and marched out without saying a single word to her.

The girl's eyes widened, and her rosy cheeks turned red. Time seems to have come to a halt as her mind couldn't register the situation. She began fidgeting and before she could know it. She was clenching her fists while staring at the doorway with her glossy eyes for a moment. A tear ran down on her cheek, she bite her lip, and marched out of the room.

The doors of the hallway burst open, and there, his sister Alethea rushed inside and grabbed his metallic hand. Her damp hair fell on her shoulders. She placed her other hand on her knee as she gasped out loudly for air. Each breath she took was heavier than the one before. With pleading eyes, she stared at him.

"Leon... Leon!" She called out to him. "Save me... from them... ." She spoke as she pointed towards the two open doors that lead into the hallway.

"Who?" Leon asked in a flabbergasted manner. Two maidens quickly rushed inside and stood by Alethea.

"Forgive us, Prince Leon." One of the tall maidens spoke as they both bowed their heads at him. "She's under good care. There's no need to worry."

"Come on, Princess, we have a lot more to practice. Your father requested we teach you the healing arts."

Leon sauntered to his little sister and leaned towards her. He whispered something in her ear, and she nodded at him. Her scrown was replaced by a cheerful look on her.

"We must get going, Prince Leon." The maiden who gently held her Alethea's left arm spoke, and they carefully escorted her outside, leaving him alone in the dark hallways. The walls of the hallway havored with richness of various pictures that hung on the wall. Each tells a different story from the other.

Only one potrait carried more gold than the previous one. A simple portrait that reminded him of his past. There, a large portrait hung on the wall. His eyes then focused on a woman who was dressed in a ravishing purple dress. Her hands gently held his younger self's shoulders , her lips curved upwards, and her eyes sparkled as they smiled along with her mouth. His chest ached, and he raised his hand to reach out to the portrait of the woman, and a small smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Mother... ." The word escaped barely above a whisper. He rested his head against the portrait, and a tear ran down his cheek.

"Prince Leon?" A voice cut his thoughts. "Are you alright?" The maiden questioned him with concern in her tone.

His grey eyes cold and distant shifted to stare at the maiden that stood before him.

"I'm fine." He responded in a sharp tone, and he turned on his heel, stroded away out of the hall, and made his way to the training yard.

"Hmmm... very well then." She spoke to herself and chuckled in her throat. "This might be your last moments in this Kingdom." The maiden spoke ,and a sinister smile appeared on her.

••••••••••

Tik, Tak.

The sound of his boots made as his foot stepped on the weak dusty-ball like particles with dry and cracking soil.
On both sides of the roads were yellow, dried grass. No trees except for small little hills that stood in the midst of the grass.

His thoughts were all over his thoughts were all over his mind, but one thought bothered him. No matter how hard he tried to brush it off.

Soon enough, he found himself standing inside the gates of the training yard.

Hundreds and hundreds of young youths swayed their wooden swords in all various directions at different paces. Some who were a year older or two were more physical and quick as lightning as they moved their wooden swords. The other ones had trouble moving at a fast pace and often stumbled and fell on the ground dusty ground with a thud.

On some parts of the ground were full of yells and commands from training partners.

"ONE, TWO, THREE. STRIKE!" They yelled, and the sound of wood cracking would fill the air as their fists made collided with the wooden board. A few others ounces back as they shook their paining, red hand in the air and often needed a few more tries to break the wood.

A familiar voice broke his thoughts, snapping him back to the present. There stood the girl from before, holding a small wooden box in her hands.

"Leon!"

How? Had she been following him all along?

Leon's expression took a turn. The moment he felt as if the air had been spoiled. He exhaled out loud as he stared at her with anger in his eyes. He began sauntering away,  making his way to the other trainers.

"I made these for you! These cookies!" She spoke with a hopeless look on her, trying to get his attention and trying to overpower her voice over the cracking of boards and thuds of trainers falling.

He ceased in his footsteps for a moment, then shifted his direction and began sauntering towards her. He stared deeply into her mesmerizing blue eyes once again. He brought himself so close to her that his face was an inch away.

"Even if the world was to end the very next day, I would never agree to you." He spoke in a very low tone.

She felt a knife in her heart, and she gulped to moisten her throat. Her feet dragged her out of the training yard and led her back into her home.

Leo took part with others who were in a small wooden house. Now, a few youths practiced their combat skills with a so-called dummy.
He was one of the greatest young trainers in the training even though he wouldn't become a ruler of the great kingdom.

He promised never to leave his sister's side and would stand by her side. Day. Afternoon. Night.

Soon enough, dusk time was overshadowed by the darkness. A dark shade of blue spread across the sky and tiny, thousands of twinkling stars spread across the sky miles and miles away, all scattered in the sky. The surrounding area had become silent, and only the yells from the training yard replaced the silence.

A man who rode on his horse pulled the reins, which were attached to the sides of the horses as he examined the pupils.

Without any time to waste, the pupils quickly halted their activities and gathered as they stood in multiple lines. They stood there breathless with sweat dripping from every inch of their body. Sticky and sweaty, exhausted from all of that, and all they wished for was a nine lettered word.

"Dismissed." He spoke as he seemed to have hoped off his horse and stood in front of the young youths and waited for him to leave the training yard.

"Yes, finally! A break!" A young youth yelled.

The silence was then overpowered with the chit-chattering among the youths as they existed the yard and made their way home. This only occurs after three-to-four months going back home and most times there be sleeping in the readily made beds.

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