Chapter Seven

I take to using my staff as a cane to help me keep balance along the narrow path I walk along, vegetation and tree roots making the path uneven and hard to transverse for someone of my physical health.

As I venture deeper into the forest, trying to catch a glimpse of Ludwig's black cloak, I can not help but think back to my time playing with the other prince and princesses as a child. I have long forgotten their names, faces, and kingdoms of birth, but I do recall the insults and comments they made either right in front of me or behind my back once I began to display difficulty doing simple, everyday tasks, such as walking as my physical state gradually weakened.

Eventually, I was bound to my room and the king and queen- who I thought were my parents- didn't want the other children to see me sick and report back to their parents that Aegia was vulnerable and open for an attack. Looking back on it, that was probably just a lie made up to keep me in my room and from protesting. Not that protesting would make any difference, being the illegitimate prince to Aegia's throne.

I stop once I see light filtering in through the dense forest canopy, illuminating a clearing, where six people with tan skin and dull-colored eyes circle a focused Edgar, who turns around to face each person, his spear in his right hand, ready to strike like a rattlesnake should one of the people surrounding him make a threatening move.

I look around for Ludwig but fail to see him. Just as I am going to move forward and question Edgar about the spy's whereabouts, I hear a voice and see a figure appear from behind me and end up to my right.

"Oh! Is this a ritual? Sounds fun; can I join?" Ludwig jumps up and down, a smile somehow on his face, and Edgar swivels to face him.

"You idiot! It's an ambush, not a ritual!"

"Quite the failed ambush, given you aren't dead yet."

"Shut up. Go protect your little prince over there," Edgar gestures to me, and Ludwig is by my side in a matter of seconds.

"Talk about him in that tone again, and I'll let these six people kill you if I don't reach you first myself!" Ludwig flashes an innocent, cheerful smile before looking me over again, though I know I don't have any visible wounds.

I suppose "little" was just a term only Ludwig could use for me, and only him. Why he called me little was a mystery, and I don't even have the slightest idea as to even begin to contemplate how I could be considered "little".

Ludwig and I watch in silence either caused by fear (for me) or excitement (for Ludwig) as the six people slowly circle Edgar. Their eyes are trained on every single movement he takes, ready to strike should he try and thrust his spear forward to harm one of them.

I take a few steps forward, emerging into the sunlight from the shadowed forest behind me. I can see, in their eyes and their actions, fear. If I am correct, these people do not wish to fight and use it only as a last resort if their lives are threatened.

My staff reflects that fear. The small jewels that mark Ki's eyes turn from red to purple, a color usually associated with the emotion of fear. The crystal's color also becomes purple from the soothing white it was just moments ago.

I force myself to keep going further into the clearing, though my legs feel as though they will give out at any second, and my arms tremble as I grip my staff, with the end dragging itself through the dry ground, creating a line beside me and the faint footsteps I create.

Ludwig is close behind me, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth, for a reason I don't know. Maybe it's a nervous habit of his?

"Theo, don't you think it's a bit dangerous to walk towards currently armed people, especially as Aegia's false runaway prince?"

"They don't...want to...fight..." I tell Ludwig through labored breaths.

I see Ludwig disappear from the corner of my eye. He then appears on the other side of the clearing, adjusting his cloak quickly before approaching one of the six people circling Edgar and clearing his throat.

The person spares a glance behind them. Edgar's head turns, his body following in the direction of the movement, and he thrusts his spear forward. The person is whisked away from the spear and put behind Ludwig, who is unable to have any defense against the spear.

I cry out, and the crystal in my staff shines before the spear's point seems to bounce off of Ludwig, the handle coming back to hit Edgar in the right side of his abdomen with a grunt. And, despite almost being killed with a spear through the heart, a shining smile remains on the spy's face.

"Hehe! Did little Theo save me again? What can you not do, Theo?" Ludwig spins around and faces the person he saved, who looks at his five peers before speaking.

"Th-thank you. On behalf of the Moreen bloodline of Keiju, we are in your debt, sir," the Keiju puts their weapons, the two axes, into straps on a belt of their simple outfit, before bowing to Ludwig.

"Eh, don't mention it. May I ask who exactly you and your friends are?" Ludwig dismisses the Keiju's gratitude with a wave of his right hand and looks around at the other five people who slowly approach him and look at him in curiosity.

"I am Adan, the captain of the Moreen Keiju's scouting team. Thank you for saving us from one of our own. Behind me are Ren, Eagal, Iris, Code, and Tali. Ren and Code are the two with the swords, while Egal, Iris, and Tali carry the daggers," Adan gestures to each person he lists, who each bow before Ludwig.

I try my best to remain standing, but feel my strength take a sharp dip, either from walking and talking so much, protecting Ludwig from Edgar's spear, or both. My entire body is begging for me to lay down and relax, but I know I will be in grave danger soon. I train my eyes on the trees around me, not wanting to meet eyes with Edgar, who I catch staring at me with narrowed eyes, or Ludwig, who is still chatting with the six Moreen Keiju.

I look up at the crystal in my staff. The purple color has faded, and Ki's eyes have reverted back to their original red jewels. Why did the crystal and Ki's eyes change color? Did it truly reflect the fear of the Keiju or my own fear of fighting?

I never liked reading books about the historical wars Aegia participated in. I didn't want to hear of the deaths, the sorrow, the anger, and all the other negatives that came with wars that seemed so pointless. Surely negotiations would work out the problems causing wars in this day and age, right? Why not solve situations with words and not violence? Why did blood need to be spilled to appease the masses?

Ludwig must have spotted me struggling to remain standing, as he swiftly slips through the Keiju that still stand in front of him, and offers me his body to lean on, which I shake my head to refuse, though my body is quick to agree.

"Ah, little Theo! It's okay, I'm here to protect you, and if you need my assistance to remain standing, I will gladly help you!" Ludwig replies, and the Keiju turn their attention to me.

"Is this...the Crown Prince of Luimesha, Theo Veles?" Adan approaches me, and looks at me with eyes full of curiosity, taking the most interest in my staff.

"Yessir! I'm quite surprised you know him as who he really is; Edgar over there hadn't the slightest clue! Can you believe it? Edgar, these people put you to shame! To shame!" Ludwig calls out across the clearing, and Edgar turns his head to face the group, a scowl still on his face.

"You're looking like a nice practice target for my spear. Shut your mouth before I throw this thing straight at your heart."

"Oh, just that's an empty-"

Edgar twirls his spear and throws it straight at Ludwig, who moves to be in front of the Keiju and me. I hold my staff up again, hoping it will know what I wish to accomplish. Instead, the crystal turns black, and red crackles emit from around it.

A powerful blast erupts from the staff, and though it changes the course of the spear to fly into the forest, everyone else is knocked straight off of their feet. The Moreen Keiju all find themselves on their feet, while Edgar falls into a few bushes at the end of the clearing. Meanwhile, Ludwig gives out another exclamation that makes me question if he's sane.

"I'm fly-"

His voice is cut off as he hits a tree, crumpling to the ground.

"Ludwig!" I cry and try to run over to him.

My body is screaming at me. I trip and fall, but force my arms to push me back up, only to fall again seconds later. Finally, I take to crawling on the dusty ground until I reach the spy, whose eyes are closed, but his chest is still moving rhythmically. So he was still alive. I breathe a sigh of relief, but the blood that trickles down the left side of his head and out of the right corner of his mouth instills panic in my mind.

My eyes catch something in the middle of Ludwig's abdomen, but I move back as the six Moreen Keiju surround Ludwig before I am able to fully process what I see. Adan directs Ren, Iris, and Tali to pick him up, then commands Code to lead Edgar to their "dwelling", while Eagal is to assist me with walking to the same location, whilst he watches over the entire trip.

And so, I reluctantly rest my right arm around the back of Eagal's neck and his shoulders, to which he just offers a sweet smile, before we begin to walk away from the clearing into the never-ending dark expanse of the forest. But the image of what I saw enters my head before I feel myself pass out from exhaustion.

A scaly, black wound with deep crimson edges.

Identical to the colors of Edgar's spear.