To The East

Everyone referred to him as the "strong and wise king." Alaric, the youngest monarch at the time, rose to prominence as the spitting image of his father, who adored his realm and its people. In the blink of an eye, he could accomplish anything for his realm. He had been cheery from childhood, whilst his younger brother Ezekiel spent the majority of his time playing with puppets and reading story books. As a single parent of two, King Timothy did an excellent job raising Alaric and Ezekiel. On the one hand, Alaric was the most physically active and engaging. Ezekiel, on the other hand, was a shy young man with a sharp mind. Alaric grew up to be a stunning young man who could captivate any girl in the realm with a single glance. King Timothy desired to formalize his connection with King Larson, but Alaric refused. He was confident in his abilities at the time. However, King Timothy's untimely death thrust the young and energetic boy into the world of politics. Alaric inherited the responsibilities of the king at a relatively young age. And, with the adversaries circling the country like hawks, he was persuaded to marry. It would be an understatement to say he was disappointed. He didn't want to marry so soon, so he took a leave of absence, ceased any courtroom proceedings, and walked off without anyone knowing. Only his brother and personal advisor were aware of his absence, and they covered for him. All Alaric needed was to get his mind off things, so he rode away on his horse with no particular destination in mind. "What should I do?" "Do I need to marry anyone?" These thoughts continued to race through his mind as he journeyed far away from his realm into an unknown and disowned area. The setting was lovely, with all the trees and a river running beside. Alaric rode off to sip some fresh river water. While drinking, he noticed the rustle of bushes. The unexpected sound caused chills on his skin, and he immediately got up. A slight scent of flowers drew his attention a moment later. Alaric, now on high alert, drew his sword and marched towards the odor. As he approached the larger trees, he noticed movement behind the fat and tall tree. He approached the tree with gentle, steady steps and took a glance around.

"Who are you?" he inquired, glancing at a girl carrying a rabbit. She wore a brown hooded cloak that completely concealed her face. Even when King Alaric's sword was levelled at her, she rose up and extended her hands to show the rabbit.

"Diona." "I came here after the rabbit," she explained.

"Alone in a desolate land?" Alaric was unconvinced by her responses, wondering what a woman was doing alone in this place. "What made you flee and hide?"

"I mistook you for a hunter." She responded while continuing stroking the rabbit.

"Where do you live?"

Diona pointed to her right, her hood sliding and displaying her gorgeous face, which showed no fear despite the blade being pointed at her. She turned to face Alaric and pushed the sword away from her face gently. "You're frightening the little thing." She said this while looking straight at Alaric, who was taken aback by her bravery.

"Aren't you scared?" Alaric smirked as Diona shook her head in denial. "Are you aware of who I am?" He inquired. Diona nodded her head once more, this time with a yes. Alaric was taken aback by her response, but as he opened his mouth to say anything, a few voices approached, seeking for the woman and calling her name.

"Diona." It appeared as though someone had taken her soul from her body as the sounds got louder and clearer. For the first time since he first met her, Alaric could see panic in her eyes. Alaric tried to speak again, but was startled when Diona bolted off with the rabbit. The voices of those looking silenced shortly. He regained consciousness and raced in the same direction as Diona had just gone. Until he arrived to the local market, he sprinted as hard as he could everyone was staring at him as he was breathing heavily and holding his knees, and that's when he caught a sight of her. He observed the monogram embroidered on the back of her hood after she had climbed aboard a horse. It wasn't ordinary embroidery, but it bore a royal symbol. His eyes widened in astonishment since he was familiar with his neighboring and even hostile lands, but he had never heard of the name Diona.

"Who are you?" He murmured to himself, and as if she heard him, Diona turned around to face him, knowing he would follow her, and smiled. She vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye. He began dragging his feet back to where he had come from, but the rabbit caught his sight, the rabbit Diona had before. He was becoming increasingly interested in Diona. He dragged his feet over to the little girl playing with the rabbit and knelt at her level. The young lady quickly bowed to him.

"Who gave you this rabbit?" he asked, smiling.

"Princess."

"Princess?" He wondered aloud, mystified, and the girl nodded.

"It went towards the forgotten land, where we are not permitted to enter, so she sneaked in to find the rabbit." The girl responded.

Alaric returned to his kingdom, surprising both his brother and the royal advisor by returning with an unidentified expression plastered across his face, as if he were physically there but mentally elsewhere. Alaric limped slowly inside the castle while dodging his brother's and advisor's interrogative looks.

"You returned soon?" His brother enquired. But instead of saying anything, he kept walking towards his room as if he hadn't heard anything. Ezekiel was taken aback by his brother's silence. "What happened to him?" The advisor overheard him murmuring, and because he was a concerned advisor, he said something that added to Ezekiel's worries.

"What if he's under hypnosis?" The adviser exclaimed.

Ezekiel hurried inside Alaric's room, listening to the advisors' comments and found him staring at the ceiling without blinking. When Ezekiel slammed the door shut, Alaric didn't even flinch. He approached his brother and inquired, picturing the worst-case scenario. "What happened outside?" When he didn't get a reaction, he shook Alaric slightly, causing him to sit up abruptly.

"Oh, it's you." Alaric exclaimed as he clutched his heart.

"What happened outside?"

"Nothing." Ezekiel narrowed his eyes. "I was simply thinking something."

"Marriage?"

"No," Alaric replied swiftly. "Have you heard of the Forgotten Land?" He inquired, and Ezekiel nodded and waited for him to proceed. "Do you know if there are any royals to the east?"

"Not to my knowledge." Maybe the advisor knows." Ezekiel halted for a moment, perplexed as to why Alaric was suddenly interested in the forbidden land and any royals surrounding it. "Why? "Do you intend to start a war?"

"What? "No." Alaric removed his blankets and slipped himself within. "I'll see you tomorrow." Ezekiel left the room, perplexed, by his behavior.

The following morning, Alaric got up early and began looking through several maps, doing his best to gather any information on the nearby royals and the forbidden land. The maps, however, didn't have any information on it because they were old. He sat down on the chair, heaved in shock, and shut his eyes. He couldn't believe he had spent the entire night thinking about that woman and the unidentified land. He couldn't get the image of her out of his head because of the way her hair fluttered in the wind as she rode her horse and the way she smiled. Only my advisor can help me right now. He muttered and made his way downstairs to the courtroom, where he eagerly awaited everyone's arrival because he had arrived early.

A little while later, Ezekiel and the royal advisor entered the courtroom where they observed the monarch pacing back and forth. From the corner of his eyes, Alaric saw them and motioned for them to come. Although they were both shocked to find the monarch in such a precarious position, they remained silent. The king then spoke after a little pause. "Gladios, I want some information about the forbidden land."

"What about that? Your Majesty"

"Everything, as well as the royals that live nearby."

I can tell you, sir, that the area is off constraints because there are reports of a spellcaster and his family residing somewhere in the forest. The king responded by nodding.

What about the areas close by?

"In the east, there happens to be a royal family. To pose a threat, the kingdom is far too small."

"I wish to join forces with them." The king asked. The news reached the tiniest kingdom where Diona resided and spread like wildfire. Everyone was surprised by the suddenness of the news. King Larson was upset when the news eventually made it to the north, but Alaric was determined.

What's on your mind, exactly? Ezekiel enquired. Alaric merely grinned while remaining silent.

King Paulson, who oversaw a small town in the eastern region, began to worry when he received the royal scroll from the Josen kingdom in the west. Even though it was strange to get a request from one of the most powerful kingdoms—the Josen Kingdom—they nonetheless invited them to supper. King Paulson prepared his men for anything and requested assistance from his neighboring countries if necessary. But it was needed because the Josen family had already come with a ton of gifts.

"We are overjoyed that you have entered our modest kingdom." King Paulson bowed before Alaric, the king. They were greeted with great hostility, and King Paulson lavished them with fine food while they exchanged light conversation. King Paulson was still perplexed by their coming. The tension in the halls increased, and Alaric recognized it but opted not to speak up. Instead, he kept looking for Diona, the woman he had seen that day. Alaric's searching glance was seen by Ezekiel and his advisor, who prodded him.

"Where is Diona, the girl I saw last month?" King Alaric inquired to break the tense silence.

"Your Majesty, what did my daughter do?" When he heard his daughter's name, King Paulson became terrified and ordered one of his attendants to bring her in. "Please excuse her nonsense; she's a tad impulsive." In front of them, King Paulson clasped hands. Alaric opened his mouth to speak, but the same scent of flowers distracted him. The smell intensified, followed by quiet footsteps, and Alaric's gaze was drawn to the woman he wished to see. "Diona, apologize for whatever you've done," King Paulson murmured, following his gaze.

"I did nothing. He should instead apologize for following me."

The guardsmen from the Josen kingdom were fast to remove their swords from their scabbards, pointing at the woman who didn't even flinch. Alaric motioned with his hand for his soldiers to move away from the woman and her father. Alaric rose and approached Diona, who didn't look away for a second.

"Please accept my apologies." Alaric said. Everyone was taken aback and stared at them with wide eyes.

"Why did you follow me?" Diona questioned, not breaking the eye contact?

"King Paulson." Alaric turned. King Paulson waited for the king to move on as fresh droplets of perspiration formed on his head. "I want to marry your daughter," Alaric demanded. As the floor slipped beneath their feet, Ezekiel and the advisor glanced at each other, mouths gaping and eyes opened wider, if that's possible.

Even though Diona was shocked, she responded confidently after observing the king's steely gaze and her father's troubled expression.

"I accept."