Chapter 4 Second prince

"Sir, please hear me out!!" Edmond's panicked voice called out to his captain that seemed to be in deep thought. Hearing his desperate call and quivering voice, Eric snapped back and looked at him questioningly with and impatient expression.

"The second prince and his army, they... they've surrounded us..." he stammered as the last words came out as a whisper with his head hung low. He had been commanded to go check out the validity of the information they had obtained but ran into the second Prince's army and with that ,he rushed back to report the situation.

Eric felt the hairs on his body stand on an end. Knowing the reason for the invasion against them, he feared for his wife and children, looking at his composed wife who was cuddling his son that he had just got to know of he felt an unsettling feeling surge from the depth of his soul. The maids and other house helpers had too gathered in the room, looking up at him for guidance, some were shivering in fear when they heard the second prince.

He was not some intimidating giagantic man with muscled chest and beards, no! He was not that type of a man but rather a cunning, devious, heartless and bloodlust youth. He had joined the army to help curb down his temper through strict army training only to realise that they had found a jem. The king, realising his second son's abilities, he pushed the boy beyond limits to fulfill his selfish desires and that was to unite all the lands and have an empire for himself

The eastern lands had not survived the second Prince's wrath and he conqured lands and had faced no defeat. This earned him respect from the elders from his homeland, loyalty from the army he leads, a title that came to be know to lands and beyond as the notorious bloodlust second prince. His charm had captured hearts of ladies and they awaited him to mature so that they could throw themselves at him not caring about his heartless demeanor and personality. A youth at his age had his own army that he had meticulously hand picked, trained and organised to serve him and command. The power and authority he possessed was too terrifying for his slim small frame.

The only person in all wars he had encountered that had managed to be on par with him was captain Eric. The young prince was on his venture to conquer other lands for his greedy father who was obsessed with the flaming woods in the west as legends of mythical creature being present in those woods fascinated him. However the second prince didn't receive the challenge from Eric very well. He didn't want anybody to be even a mile close to his strength and if such a person existed, he had to be working for him....if not, that person had to be six feet in the ground, however this man had challenged him, and now he wanted to talk. Being the control freak he had turned out to be, he needed to tame Eric in all ways possible. They had fought for two days and two nights, one on one, sword and hand to hand combat ending up on a draw.

They needed to talk!!!

"Your Highness, the perimeter has been secured and no one has managed to leave the mansion." A young man around the same age as the prince reported. He had a robust body and fine features. "What should we do your highness?"

"We wait." his reply was lazy and laid back. He was seated cross legged on the bear skin in his tent.

"Yes." The youngman replied

"Quin, get the boys to rest." He spoke and stared at the youngman named Quin with a laser gaze. Quin tried his best not to roll hi eyes at the second prince. 'They were not boys!!!' He resisted the urge to pout to show his displeasure.

"Yes!" He replied sternly. The robust youngman named Quin went out of the tent to join his comrades and relay their commander's message.

Lazily relaxing on his bear hide bed, the second prince closed his eyes to take a nap. It had been a very long journey and he was dead tired. After a short while before he succumbed to nature's call, he heard movements in his tent, they were sneaky and light steps which were headed towards him.

Back in the mansion, Eric thought things through, he'd not act rashly as he was not really aware of what had truthfully happened in the capital since his home was miles away from the capital on the village side. He had to have some people go and check out the authenticity of the so rumoured besieged palace but being encircled was no good as he was sure that no man was to survive reaching the city.

Calling onto all the men on the house, he decided to discuss strategies with them as the ladies and children were led to a safe place. Hastened steps interrupted their heated discussion as the gardener Clinton almost sprinted towards Eric. "Master, a messenger from the second prince is here to see you."

Hearing this, Eric frowned slightly but soon composed himself and was walked out by Clinton. Reaching the entrance, he came into contact with a face that he was pretty familiar with. "Roland!" He was surprised.

"Eric." the middle aged man called out to him. With him were two other men who were super scary with their disheveled state.

"Clinton, prepare refreshments for the guests." Eric commanded but had his eyes on the three men. Seeing that Clinton had left, Eric urshered them to a garden where there were a few seats and sat across them with a table between them. "May I know what's going on Roland?"

"The second prince instructed me to come and invite you to meet with him."

"And why should I do that? Roland, our kingdom has been besieged and you have the nerve to side with the enemy. Now, you come before me inviting me to him?!!"

"Eric....,get a hold of your emotions. And what besieging are you talking about...?" Roland was confused.

"Don't play games Roland!"

"If it were the battlefield then I'd gladly play games.....the second prince personally travelled miles to you and....."

"I never asked him to do so."

"Don't turn down my offer Eric! You could regret this. This is for the well-being of every living soul in out lands!!"

"If it's peace you seek, you would have gone to the king and not me...."

"The..."

Clinton returned with the refreshments and offered them to the guests before leaving. The three men gulped down the drinks greedily and let out sighs of relief.

"Your prince killed our king..."

"What?!!!!" Roland almost chocked on his drink that he was gulping down. What nonsense was Eric speaking. The other two men also had a bewildered expression on their faces.

Killed the king?

When?!!!

They were with the prince all along

His Highness was on his ventures to various lands and the reason he dropped by was because he was 'friends' with Eric from the battle field.

"Eric who passed on this information to you?" Roland asked carefully

"Roland....." Eric roared.

"I didn't know you became so stupid!"

"Watch your words."

"I won't, knowing you for so long, you actually believed such baseless rumours?" This made Eric frown.

Lots of love from litto-ways ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️