A Kingdom in Chaos

The sun shone brightly and the sky was without a cloud. Even though the weather was hotter than usual, in the west part of the Noa Kingdom, the market was livelier than ever.

The streets were decorated with colorful flags. There were small stalls set up at the side of the road and the street was crowded with people that it was hard for people to walk through without bumping into each other.

Once in a while, officers in their uniform would walk around, monitoring the activities in the market.

Prince Laif of Hase walked around among the people with his most trusted man, Kain, trailing closer to him. The two men tried to keep their presence low from the people around them.

"I don't get it. Most men would rather stay in the palace, living in luxury," Kain complained as he tried to evade bumping into another man's shoulder. He chased after his friend and spoke in a lower voice. "And you, Your Highness, you decided to let go of your position as the future king for this."

Laif merely gave him a slight glance. "Would you like to return to the Palace then? I could always write a recommendation letter for you and let them assign you to some important department."

"And let you travel without a companion? No," Kain shook his head and chuckled. "I don't think so. You may no longer be a crown prince, Prince Laif. But you're still a prince. Your parents would murder me for leaving you unprotected."

"I could always ask them to send someone else to take your place."

"You wouldn't do that. You don't trust anyone other than me. I'm your most trusted bodyguard slash comrade."

Prince Laif chuckled. "You're quite full of yourself."

Kain shrugged. "I thought that I could live in peace and luxury when I decided to follow you. But then, you decided to step down from your throne to see the world. I just don't get what were you thinking."

"I had enough of palace politic and those people who won't stop fawning over me for their benefits," Prince Laif told him. "I've been dealing with politics ever since I was five. I want to break away from it. And there was a lot more I can do to my people when I'm out here instead of staying in the palace."

"And you're okay with your half-brother taking over the throne?" Kain tested. "You're not jealous that he has a lot more power than you have?"

"I wouldn't trade my freedom for power." Prince Laif said, grinning. "Besides, I think Prince Erhan is more suitable as the king. And you, Kain, you should be careful of the way you address me out here. I don't want to get into trouble later."

"Understood… Laif." Kain let out a long, deep sigh. It was still uncomfortable for him to address someone from the royal family by his name.

Kain thought of his fate after he had followed this man to leave the palace. The two of them have been going here and there, doing odd jobs and traveling around to see the world.

It was during their travel that the Prince had heard stories about the long lost magic tools that once belonged to a long lost tribe. Words were circulating in the dark world that the last descendant of the healer tribe had come to the Noa Kingdom more than twenty years ago.

With his interest piqued, Prince Laif decided to visit this kingdom in search of more information.

The two men delve further into the market and noticed that something seemed wrong with everything around them. The people would stop at a stall and whisper. Upon closer observation, they noticed that the panic in the public's eyes.

The same situation had occurred while they went past the small town a few days ago, and it seemed that the situation was more chaotic in the city.

"What do you think happened to this country?" Kain asked as he stared at a few men who stopped to gossip. "Noa Kingdom is supposed to be a peaceful place. But I noticed that something was not right with their citizen. They were anxious and the situation is much worse in the city. Do you think we came at a bad time?"

"I don't know. I guess something big must have happened," Laif said with a shrug. He turned around to watch people in the city making noises—discussing something that seemed important. "Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't interfere with our plan."

"Perhaps I should ask someone what happen here," Kain announced. He looked around and stopped at a young girl a few feet away from him. Seeing that she was alone, Kain decided to target her. He took a few steps forward and tapped his fingers on the girl's shoulder slowly. "Excuse me, miss"

Rae spun around. Her eyes widened at the sight of the stranger in front of her. "Yes?"

Kain paused to touch the tip of his nose. "You see, my friend and I are newcomers in this city. We were wondering if you could tell us what happened here. Why is everyone panicking?"

Rae scrutinized the man before her cautiously and noticed his attire. "You're not from here."

"I'm not," Kain admitted. "I just got into town. So I was wondering—"

"I see," she cleared her throat. "The people were anxious because of what happened with the royal family."

Kain frowned as he heard her words. "What happened?"

Rae turned around and pointed towards the notice plastered on the wall. Earlier, she was reading the news on the notice board when the stranger came to ask her questions.

"You see, two days ago, Princess Amelia ascended the throne as the King's substitute," Rae said as she looked at the stranger. "The people do not trust her to rule over a kingdom."

Kain turned to the prince. He caught his signal and asked the girl. "What happened to the King? Did he pass away?"

"No. The King is still alive. We hope that he is still alive." Rae spoke. Her eyes and tone were firm. Then, she quickly looked away. "It was just that the king has been missing for weeks."

"What?" Kain blinked.

"I should be going," Rae announced abruptly, remembering that she had to be in the palace soon. "I hope you'll enjoy your stay here," she said, bowing a curtsy before she sped away and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Kain agape.

"Well," Laif said, breaking Kain from his trance as he patted him on his shoulder. "What did the girl say?"

Kain cleared his throat and turned to Laif. "You're right. Something big did happen. I believe that the girl just told me that the king went missing..."

Laif raised a brow. "Missing?"

"... and the princess is ruling the country in the king's stead," he chuckled. "I've never heard anything about a princess ruling the country. It's no wonder that the kingdom is in chaos."

"What's wrong with a woman ruling a kingdom?" Laif raised a brow. "There's nothing wrong with woman ruling as long as she had the capability in doing so."

"I know that. But people won't have much confidence with a woman as a ruler. I think that's why the people were panicking. That's why the country is in chaos."

Laif nodded. "They were scared of what will become of them after the Princess take control. If she did not handle things well, she will be pressured by both her people and the neighboring kingdom. Right now, she needs to gain supporters of the nobles and the confidence of her people. Only then will the country be able to move on."

A frown appeared on his face as he imagined the power struggle that the Princess will have to face.