Chapter 1: A New King

The news that his father was once Royalty had taken its toll on both Arbel and his friends; no matter how many times he listened to the words play in his head, he could not believe it. How could he believe it? His father had died a villager of this village, and yet, he was once Royalty. He sat there in his room; his friends beside him. How would this affect their friendship? Would they be able to trust him, any longer?

As these questions flooded his mind, the two knights, who had followed the young friends to Arbel’s home, entered the house; one of them was holding a small piece of paper. “Here. This will explain everything I have told you, and likely more,” said one of the knights, as he placed the piece of paper next to Arbel. Slowly picking it up, he turned it over, and began to read the words upon the paper, in his mind.

“My dear son,

If you are reading this letter, then I, and my brother are no longer in the world of the living, and my trusted friend, Pallio, stands before you. I’m sorry I never told you of what heritage you came from, but you must understand that I resigned my role as King of LeQuill for one single reason. That reason was because of you and your mother.

Out of love for my family, I could not allow you to follow the same path I had, and so, I handed the crown over to my brother, and fled the castle. You will not remember this, for you were barely a few months old.

However, seeing as you are reading this, my worst fears are to be realized… Arbel, as my only son, you must take to the throne of LeQuill, for the Kingdom will surely collapse, should it fall under anyone else’s rule. Promise me that you shall not exploit those close to you, nor those living in the Kingdom, and set forth, to live your life as I did.

Your father, Morgan Kerth”

“I… promise,” mumbled Arbel, as tears began to swell in his eyes. He quickly wiped away the tears, as he looked to his friends. “Guys… can I count on your support with this? I’ll need all I can get,” he asked, as Karen and Loki nodded, with smiles upon their faces. “Naturally, you can count on us, Arbel,” said Karen. A sincere smile fell upon Arbel’s face, as he turned to the knights, whom sat there, awaiting his answer. “Shall we get going, then?” Arbel asked the knights, as they smiled and nodded.

Their journey took them through many places, including numerous villages, and many more forests, until, on the fourth afternoon; the three friends arrived in the main city of the LeQuill Empire. A huge palace stood at the far edge of the city, while the city, itself seemed very small, in comparison. The tallest building merely only reaching a maximum of three floors, as far as Arbel would tell.

One of the two knights paused then signalled for his comrade to approach the guards, whom stood at the gate. After a few seconds of waiting, the guards approached the three friends then suddenly stopped in front of Arbel. They bowed, and said, “Welcome to LeQuill, young Lord; the heart of the LeQuill Empire.” Those words put butterflies in Arbel’s stomach, as he nodded towards the guards.

Moments later, he and the two knights who had accompanied them to the city advanced towards the palace; the palace of the Empire he was required to succeed. He nervously stepped further towards the palace, as the palace gates slowly opened. The courtyard, filled with knights who had joined the Knight’s Order of LeQuill, were training, as well as the new recruits being briefed about their duties.

Arbel was amazed by what he was seeing. He had no idea that his uncle, of whom he had never met, had so many followers. Much like Arbel had no idea that his father was once the king of LeQuill. A new world had opened up to Arbel. One he knew he could not take for granted.

“My Lord, why don’t you and your friends take the time to rest? We’ve travelled for quite a long time, and I’m sure you would like to recover your strength, before the coronation,” said the knight, known as Pallio. Arbel nodded, as the knights escorted them towards the entrance of the palace. The huge brown doors stood, as if like a giant, protecting its most prized possession of sorts. Strange and complex patterns littered the door, as the doors slowly opened, showing the insides of the palace to Arbel and his two friends.

Arbel could think of nothing, other than the amazing décor of the palace. A red carpet was spread across a pearl-white marble floor, and upon the walls, pillars protruded, made of a similar, darker colouring of marble. The base and tops of these pillars was entirely different, as it seemed to be of a dark aqua colour. This was merely the corridor at the entrance of the palace, as well. They had only seen a very small segment of this beautifully crafted palace, and yet, despite seeing this, Arbel was still pulled into remembering what he had truly come to do, at this palace. He was to live in it, as the ruler of the LeQuill Empire.

As the knights had suggested, the three friends were directed to their rooms. The long trip they had undergone was exhausting, and each investigated where they would be living, for what they saw as the rest of their lives. Each of their rooms stood next to each other, hidden behind beautifully decorated solid oak doors.

Arbel entered his room, and was immediately surprised to see how decorative it was. Pure blue curtains were strung back by rope, allowing the natural sunlight to filter through, into the room, shining onto the small desk, which stood close to the window. The bed was no different from what Arbel had secretly imagined. It was neatly prepared with a dark blue marble-like design on the fabric which, to the touch, felt like velvet.

His wildest dreams had come true… but for Arbel, would this mean his rising as a king, or his falling as a suspected tyrant? Neither thought were in the mind of the young soon-to-be king, as the hours counted down for his coronation to begin. A knock on the door signified the fact that his trusted friends were now awaiting his presence. It had finally boiled down to it. He was so close to becoming a king, as he left the room, where his two trusted friends stood, awaiting him to arrive.

“Hey, took you long enough, Arbel!” said Loki, who was now dressed in a fully modified knights’ suit, which many called the Knights’ Valour. A suit linked with numerous plates of armour, which seemed very different to the armour the other knights used. It was based solely on manoeuvring, rather than defence, however, there were plates of armour covering vital points on the body. The fabric was dark blue, with the metal plates being linked by small leather straps.

“Its about that time, right, Arbel? Let’s get to the throne room, okay?” said Karen, who seemed to be wearing another unique piece of clothing. Karen had been told this collection of clothing was named the Maiden’s Virtue, which was much like Loki’s new attire, however, customized for her. The armour was merely links of metal, connected together with secure, but flexible chains, with a top being able to be worn underneath the armour. It covered her chest, stomach, and back.

Her legs were now covered by a battle skirt, which, rather than permanently covering the legs, could be customized for close-range combat. However, this would not be a problem, due to the fact that Karen much preferred to battle at range, using a bow.

As they travelled through the hallways, they began to hear finely played music, which could have eased any unnerved soul. The sound echoed through the hallways, the beautiful sound drawing closer to them, as if it was dragging them closer to the harmonious notes. Soon, they stumbled upon the throne room, as they soon realized they had followed the music all the way to their destination, as it soon turned into quietness, as all eyes seemed to glare directly towards Arbel.

His destiny had taken one step closer to its true intent, as the coronation of Arbel soon took place.