| Chapter Six | Solis's True Strength
Okay, so I just wanna address this since people tend to freak out when the Mianite Gang is included in a story. Jordan's Kingdom is heavily influenced by the Mianite Series, both season one and season two. But you don't need to have watched Mianite in order to understand this his kingdom at all. Any Mianite lore that this book uses will be explained in the narration of this story so no one is lost or confused. The gods; Ianite, Mianite, and Dianite do have roles in Jordan's Kingdom, they do exist in this world. But like I said, all of that will be explained when this storyline turns its attention to Jordan's Kingdom.
I've also changed the name of Jordan's kingdom. It's not called Ezalia anymore, Jordan's kingdom is now called Ianaera. The significance of the name will be explained when Jordan's kingdom is introduced in the future.
Enjoy the chapter! :)
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"Pain is inevitable...but suffering is optional."
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Trying to figure things out in the world was harder than Mitch thought. Especially since a lot happened that Crerus doesn't know about. And while Mitch was concerned for Ianaera, people were already looking for Jordan. Mitch decided he would rescue Lachlan first and deal with Ianaera once Solis was sorted.
As a precaution, Mitch sent three knights with a letter written by the prince to the Kingdom of Ylisse. Ylisse is close in proximity to Solis, very close. The prince fears that due to that proximity, Adelena will target it first. Mitch wrote a note, signing it, explaining everything to the Ylissen King. Mitch also sent two knights to head back to Crerus to explain everything to the king. Mitch knows that his father would want to act immediately in providing aid for Ianaera. Ianaera has been a strong and long-lasting ally of Crerus. Crerus supports Prince Jordan becoming the King of Ianaera. Prince Jordan is known quite well in Crerus, so his disappearance is out of character. Mitch knows Jordan would never up and leave his kingdom, not during a time when him becoming king is near. So Mitch fears that Jordan's disappearance was either a kidnapping or something sinister.
But Mitch pushed back his worries for Ianaera and focused on Solis. The kingdom was in a state of crisis. Many things have gone wrong over the last few months and they needed fixing before it's the death of the kingdom. Things may look bleak right now, but Mitch hopes that Lachlan could become a beacon of hope for his people. Lachlan is the rightful king of Solis, Princess Adelena is not fit for the throne. Even Mitch knows that and he wants to avoid her becoming Queen. No person wants a ruler who has killed their own family to get there.
But Mitch knows that getting Lachlan to the throne won't be easy. When they were coming up with the plan, a thought came across the prince. A thought that he hadn't realized until it sat in that he was going to be breaking into the capital city of Solis. Breaking into the capital could translate into attacking it. Once Prince Mitchell is associated with that crime, Crerus will become an enemy of Solis. That thought may terrify most, but it doesn't scare the prince. After working with Solis for so long, Mitch knows where most of Solis' fear factor comes from. People aren't afraid of Solis because of the king or something, it's because of Prince Lachlan. The King of Solis depends on Prince Lachlan being the main commanding force of his army. The King of Solis is old, he isn't as strong as he use to be, so during the last war, Lachlan made most of the decisions. And Lachlan led Solis to countless victories, expanding Solis' borders and squashing their enemies. People are afraid of Lachlan because of his success as a military leader. But now that Lachlan is out of the picture, the only thing terrifying about Solis is the monsters that plague it.
Mitch wasn't nervous of becoming enemies with Solis, he was nervous for a different reason. Solis' defenses are some of the best in the world. Unlike the other kingdoms, Solis has a huge monster and dark mage problem. So the capital city is well fortified against both monsters and dark mage attacks.
Mitch isn't nervous about the monster defenses, he's nervous about the dark mage defenses. He's not a dark mage, but he is still a mage. So anything they have that they use against dark mages will work against Mitch. And Mitch is afraid that Solis has anti-magic technology that works too well on him. Crerus has anti-magic in place to protect the people, it's not uncommon for kingdoms to have. But Mitch remembers the last time he went against anti-magic and it was almost the death of him.
The Dasan Kingdom is known for its advancements in technology. Well, the last time Mitch encountered them, they advanced far in anti-magic technology. The Dasanians used Mitch as a guinea pig after ambushing him to use one of their inventions on him. If Jerome hadn't gone with the prince, Mitch was sure that he would have died there. Jerome carried the injured prince all the way to the capital of Crerus. He didn't trust anyone except for Gadius since Dasan had found a way to nullify Mitch's regeneration magic. Lucky that both Gadius and Master Harvey was able to save him. Dasan achieved something that should be impossible. And like any inventor, they sold the blueprints and tech to multiple kingdoms. So now, Mitch has no idea who has the capabilities of nullification and who doesn't.
Ever since the incident at Dasan, Jerome has been more protective and Mitch can't argue against it. Mitch has never been so close to death before and he's been in two wars and multiple battles. Mitch's regeneration magic is the prince's first and last line of defense, it ensures that the prince lives. But now, those two lines of defense mean nothing and he's never felt so powerless before. He's had bad injuries before but he's never been so badly injured that he thought he was gonna die. The thought that technology was specially designed against him does scare the prince.
He knew that Jerome was thinking the same thing as he was. But there was that fear of asking in fear of revealing a weakness of the prince. And yet, knowing what they are up against is better than going in blind and having a chance of a repeat. So when they all were riding out to meet with the rest of the people that they are working with, Mitch asked.
Mitch looked at Red, who rode beside him. Both the prince and Jerome explained their concerns to Red and Nick. Dartron had to stay behind since someone needs to watch over the inn. As they explained, they left things out, not wanting to reveal everything. There was a visible surprise on their faces, even the knights and Preston who overheard everything.
Red looked at the prince. "I had no idea that Dasan had advanced so far in anti-magic technology. That's news to me," Red had admitted. Nick shook his head. "I doubt that Solis would have such technology. After all, Prince Lachlan would have told his knights about it if they had it. Sir Vikk keeps us informed about everything and he has yet to mention any changes in that field for Solis," Nick spoke honestly. Mitch looked away, nodding but Jerome didn't look convinced.
He shook his head. "I don't care if they have it or not. The prince nearly died, I'm not taking any chances," he spoke.
Nick looked at Jerome, impressed almost. "Wait, wait, it nearly killed him? It actually works?" he asked.
Mitch nods again. "Yes, yes it works, very well. I've been close to death before, but I was still able to walk and my regeneration magic saved me. But this...I was utterly useless, I couldn't even stand. It was a small weapon but once it hit me, I almost blacked out on the spot. It really screwed up my magic, it took days for me to recover," Mitch said.
Red looked ahead, thinking. "Interesting...and this was a type of sword you say?" Red asked.
Jerome nods. "It was a dagger, they stabbed the prince twice and he dropped to the ground. His self-regeneration prevents him from getting scars, and yet the dagger wounds scarred," Jerome said. Mitch bit his bottom lip. The prince has been stabbed before, after all, he has been in plenty of battles. The wounds don't usually matter to him since his self-regeneration takes care of it. But when those two stab wounds wouldn't heal like normal, it was like a slap to the face to wake up. They're burned into his mind.
Mitch gritted his teeth together. "They found a way to cripple me and it's infuriating," he said.
Red's eyes looked at the prince, seeing his frustration. "I bet it is, after all, you've been invincible for years. Now that someone has found your weakness, I bet you're scared," Red accused. Mitch shakes his head. It wasn't that Mitch was scared to say, he was more concerned and nervous. At the time of the attack, he wasn't prepared for it, and neither was Jerome. Now that he knows that such a weapon exists, he's more alert and prepared.
Mitch looked at Red. "No, not really. It's just something that evens the playing field. After all, I know I'm not invincible, but I did have somewhat of an unfair advantage over my enemies. So this only makes things interesting," Mitch said.
Jerome scoffed. "Yeah, he can only say that because he was unconscious the entire time I carried him back to the capital for living-saving treatment. He has no clue of any of the events that happened in between," Jerome said.
"Well, it would be nice to find out what the dagger is, what the dagger has on it to make it so effective. But I highly doubt that it will be sold to Crerus's allies," Nick spoke.
Red put his hand to his chin, like he was thinking and figure something out. "That's why Crerus has been so scared lately. I've been wondering why Crerus had strengthened its defenses. And why Prince Mitchell was in the capital city more often than normal," Red said before he looked at the prince. "You usually are almost always away from the capital,"
Mitch nods. "Yeah, but this has put me under house arrest. I was supposed to go to Azicia Kingdom, but Harvey went in my place instead," Mitch complained. Though he complains, he understands his parents' worries. After all, if it wasn't for Harvey's knowledge in anti-magic, Mitch wouldn't have survived. He would have died and that would be bad for the kingdom.
Before Mitch could continue, Jerome cut him off. "So whatever plan we come up with, I'm not leaving the prince's side," he said. Mitch looked at him. Mitch couldn't help but smile a bit at Jerome's determination. He knows he wouldn't be alive today without the hybrid by his side.
The prince sighed in defeat, looking away. "I would have been surprised if you did leave my side, honestly," Mitch said.
Nick smirked slightly. "Well, how about we use one of Prince Lachlan's tactics?" Nick asked the prince. Mitch paused, thinking. He liked Lachlan's tactics, they were simple but complex enough to confused the enemy.
Mitch nodded. "I like that idea, and I think I know which one you are referring too. But there is a fatal flaw in that plan. We can't use the tactics against the kingdom of the man who created them. If we are going to use Lachlan's tactics, we need to change it...Crerus style," Mitch said smirking making Jerome happy.
Jerome nodded, smiling. "I love this plan already," Jerome said.
Red glanced at Jerome, but looked at Mitch, nervously. "Alright, how crazy are you making it?" he asked.
Mitch shrugged his shoulders, thinking. "Nothing too crazy--"
Red shakes his head, pointing his finger at the prince. "Crerus's definition of crazy is different from Solis's. You Crerusians guys are insane," Red said making Mitch chuckle.
Preston looked at Red. "To clarify, it's Prince Mitchell and Lord Aceti who are the crazy ones. Prince Mitchell did lead the Crerusian army in the last war, which is where the crazy plans started from," Preston said.
Mitch arched an eyebrow up at Preston. "I use my magic to my advantage, how is that crazy?" Mitch questioned.
Preston shrug his shoulders. "Although, Prince Mitchell's and the King's magic are vital assets in the Crerusian military. Crerus utilizes the royal family's magic every chance we get. It's not crazinesses, it's efficiency," Preston pointed out.
Mitch motioned to Preston. "Exactly, thank you, Preston," he said.
Red looked over his shoulder at Preston and then back at Mitch. He shook his head at the prince. "Now wait a second, no. Preston works for Crerus, he's supposed to agree with you," Red said.
Mitch smirked. "Awww, the Solisens are afraid of a little magic. That's pathetic," Mitch mocked making Red angry.
"WHAT?! NO!" Red shouted.
Nick chuckled, looking at Mitch. "Prince, don't anger him please, he can be a loose cannon," Nick said making Mitch smile.
"I know...I'm only joking," Mitch said looking away from Red. "Sort of..." Red narrowed his eyes at Mitch but smiled. In truth, Mitch was just like Red remembered him as. And he's glad that the prince is here, they need his help if they want a chance at saving Lachlan and Solis.
Red sighed, looking away. "You know, Solis has crazier magic than Crerus does--"
"Ahhh...so now we are comparing kingdoms, eh?" Mitch said looking at Red. "In that case, Solis is stronger," he said surprising everyone.
"Prince," a knight said.
Mitch gives them a small smile. "I don't doubt the might of Crerus, but Solis is one of the strongest kingdoms in Rahan for a reason. But Solis does have a fatal weakness," Mitch said. Mitch looked at them, seeing they are looking at him. "Solis's military cannot survive without Prince Lachlan. If Crerus were to ever go to war against Solis, I can guarantee the first thing my father would do would be sending me to assassinate Lachlan," he said.
Red shakes his head. "No, no, you're wrong. Solis can survive without Prince Lachlan," Red said. Red looked at Nick, looking for backup but saw the doubt too. Red's eyes harden at Nick. "What's with that look, Nick?! Back me up here!"
Nick shakes his head at him. "But Prince Mitchell is right though. Don't you remember how weak Solis' military was before the king let Prince Lachlan take over? We almost lost a war until the prince took his father's role as the leader of the army and strengthen everything. He created the mage division, monster tamers, and so much more. If we lose Prince Lachlan, Solis will lose over half of its military strength. Adelena isn't a military leader...if she kills Prince Lachlan, she'll greatly weaken her army," Nick said.
Mitch nods, looking ahead. "The problem is that Prince Lachlan gained Solis countless victories in the previous two wars. He is a war hero who has earned the respect of his people and the Knights of Solis. Lachlan has earned the throne of Solis. He could very well be one of Solis's best Warrior Kings. Adelena is a pampered princess who knows nothing of pain and suffering. Princesses are treated very differently than how Princes are. My sister, Marley, as bright as she is, didn't know how to wield a sword because no one taught her how until I did. Unfortunately, princesses today are only expected to bare children for the next generation. They are expected to cater to her husband and have no thoughts of her own..." Mitch said. There was a silence, but Jerome broke it.
"Ahh...that explains so much..." Jerome spoke.
Mitch looked at him. "What do you mean?" Mitch asked.
Jerome looked at him. "Oh come on, you rejected Princess Mallie. One of the most beautiful princesses in Rahan. I always wondered why you did that. I thought that since you taught her archery, that you two were a thing. But you said that it wasn't the case, so why did you teach her archery if you have no feelings for her?" Jerome asked him. Mitch's eyes snapped to Jerome, his cheeks blushing red. The others listening intently, very interested in the conversation taking place.
"T-That had nothing to do with feelings! She asked me if I could teach her archery so she could better protect Azicia, her kingdom. I respect that desire so I taught her! Princess Mallie is a gorgeous girl and yes there was a chance of an arranged marriage. But she doesn't feel that way about me and I don't feel that way about her! We're just friends! She loves Azicia and is a natural-born leader. She should be heir to the throne of Azicia, not her arrogant older brother!" Mitch snapped. Red nods, agreeing while Nick looked at the prince.
"So you have no feelings for Princess Mallie?" Nick questioned.
Mitch looked at Nick. "No! I'm not having this conversation with you people!" Mitch said looking away.
Jerome snickered. "No, like Prince Lachlan, a commoner girl has caught Prince Mitch's eye," Jerome pointed out. Mitch's eyes soften as he felt like someone stabbed his heart.
"Is that so? Who is she?" Red asked.
Mitch's eyes glanced at Jerome. "It doesn't matter, Red. That can never happen...So just drop it," Mitch said not looking at any of them.
"Why not?" a knight asked.
Preston frowned, figuring it out. He may not know much about Hughes's magic, but he knows a little. "The Hughes are purebloods, meaning every member of their family is a wizard. Magic families are stronger when the family is pure of blood.This commoner girl must not be a wizardess," Preston said. Mitch nodded.
Red glanced at Preston and looked at Mitch. "That's messed up--"
"I agree...but it's for her own safety," Mitch said.
Jerome sighed. "Yeah...but look at it this way, in the months you spent with her, she changed you for the better. She brought you back to yourself, that makes her good in my book," Jerome said. Mitch smiled a bit at that and looked ahead, not wanting to talk about Jessica anymore. He agrees that Jessica has changed him. He remembers how he was before he met her and he wasn't the best person to be around. But she changed him, she brought out who he was and he'll never forget that. It is just unfortunate that nothing can happen between them.
"We're here," Red said pulling Mitch out of his thoughts. Mitch looked ahead, seeing a forest right along with the cracked earth. Islands that cast into the sea covered in green as well. Mitch loses his smile. He remembers the land that Solis had, it use to have a huge luscious forest that was perfect for training. But due to the earthquake, it's broken up into islands and destroyed.
They dismounted their horses, going into the dense forest, walking for about five minutes until they came about a camp. The camp was small, with a few tents. But Mitch was shocked by the number of people there, he was under the impression it was just Red's and Nick's friends. But no, it was more. There were Knights of Solis there as well for which made Mitch smile. 'This just got easier,' he thought to himself.
A knight looked at them. "We were wondering when you were gonna get here, Red. Sir Max and them are in the center of camp," the knight said. But they looked at Mitch, shocked. "P-Prince Mitchell! My apologies, sire, I hadn't--"
Mitch gave them a little smile as they bowed to him. Mitch shook his head. "No, that's not necessary, really. And just call me Mitch, I'm not one for formalities among friends," Mitch said.
"Than why does Jerome, Preston, and the knights call you by your title?" Nick asked him.
Mitch looked at Nick. "Because Jerome knows it annoys the heck out of me, that's literally the only reason he does that. Preston and the knights are just following the knights' code of respecting royal blood. They'll call me by my title no matter what I say," Mitch said.
Jerome shakes his head. "No, I call you by your title because I know where I stand in the Royal Court. I know my place, sire," Jerome said.
Mitch sighed before he looked at Red. "He said Max, I didn't know that Max was here. I was under the impression that he was still stationed at Azicia," Mitch said.
Red nods. "He was, but once the king established the lockdown, he got concerned. Vikk was able to get in contact with him and Max came straight back here to help us save Prince Lachlan," he said.
"Who is Max?" a Crerus knight questioned.
Mitch looked at his knights. "Sir Max is a Knight of Solis. Knights of Solis are normally restricted to noble bloods only but Max was an exception. Max is a commoner who saved Princess Susanne's life from a monster attack. Prince Lachlan trained him and he became the first commoner to be a Knight of Solis," Mitch explained as they went to the center of camp.
Max La'Plume, a knight of unparalleled skill and speed. He's one of the fastest knights, what he lacks in strength he makes up for in speed. He earned the respect of Prince Mitchell when the knight was able to withstand a sparring match longer than anyone ever has against him before. Well, he already had Mitch's respect since Prince Lachlan doesn't train just anyone. But he really impressed him since most cannot withstand the abuse of Prince Mitch's magic. The knights that Lachlan has trained personally become some of the top knights of Solis. So Max's skill and speed are the results of Lachlan's training showing their worth.
"Ahh, Prince Mitchell Hughes, I heard you were in Solis," Max said when he looked up from the table to see who entered. Mitch, Preston, Nick, Red, and Jerome entered the tent while the knights stayed outside. Inside already was Max, Kyle, and Sub as well.
Red looked at Sub. "Isn't Sub suppose to be in Ianaera looking for Prince Maron?" Red questioned.
Max nodded a bit. "Yes, but we need his help in this. No one is a better spymaster than Sub is, his expertise is needed. Besides, there are a lot of people looking for Prince Jordan, they can afford to spare him just for this mission," Max said before looking at Mitch. "So, how many Crerus knights do you have with you?"
"Two knights including Preston. And then Jerome and I. I sent three knights to Ylisse and two back to Crerus," Mitch said.
Max smiled a bit. "So, you've been brought up to speed with the terrors of the world I assume?" he asked.
Mitch nodded, crossing his arms. "Yes, Red and Nick told me everything on the way here," he said.
Max looked at the table, at the map of the capital of Solis. "Well...I would say we are at an advantage, but that would be a lie. Your presence in Solis is already known, sire," Max said surprising Mitch.
Jerome looking surprised at well, shook his head. "No way, that's not possible, we've been so careful. How?" he questioned. Mitch sighed.
"The inn, Jerome. It was packed last night. I suspected that this might happen because of the amount of people in the inn. I'm easily recognized in Solis, Jerome. I'm not exactly completely shocked that my presence here was discovered. But maybe we could use that to our advantage," he said making Max look at the prince.
"What did you have in mind, sire?"
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