CHAPTER 1: NOKOR

In a faraway ancient land, there was a warrior kingdom called Saha founded by The Cree family. The kingdom of Saha consisted of five cities, the capital at the centre, Yuj, the City of Ani in the North, Bavel in the East, Khaamsha in the West and Nokor in the South. There was also an independent tribe living in the North-East Forest called Luse. The kingdom of Saha was currently ruled by Egon Cree who stayed in Yuj. The other four cities each had a Governor and a Chief Commander.

The Governor took care of civil governance and the Chief Commander was responsible for the security of the city. So, both the positions were of equal rank. The position of Chief Commander was always given to royal families and the Governor was from a noble family. After so many years, these positions had been passed down from generation to generation.

The Governor of Nokor, presently was Hernan Dewei. Although the positioned was passed on from his father, he was a wise governor and was widely respected. The Chief Commander was Conall Arlo, who was also Hernan's best friend. Conall Arlo was a distant cousin of the current king, making him a royal.

But neither Conall nor his father had ever stepped foot into the royal palace. This was because there was a rule in the Kingdom of Saha that no royal can enter Yuj, without the King's permission. This rule was made to prevent other royals from rebelling against the King. As soon as a new king took the throne, the other royals in the palace, including siblings and cousins of the king, had to leave Yuj and live elsewhere. The Arlo's were bestowed the positions of Chief Commander of Nokor, because of an ancestor's bravery in war.

Southern city, Nokor was an interesting city which had both peace and war at the same time. The western border of Nokor was a coast line with beautiful sandy and rocky beaches that attracted many tourists. It was mostly made up of plains suitable for agriculture, making Nokor the main supplier of staple food for the Kingdom of Saha. The whole of western and a little bit of southern border was surrounded by the ocean. The northern border Nokor was shared with Yuj. A strait passed north-west of Nokor, separating it from Western city of Khaamsha.

To the east of Nokor, was a warrior kingdom which constantly attempted to invade the city. Also, the city shared the north-east border with the eastern city, Bavel. The eastern city was known for its mines and most of the miners were criminals sent there for punishment. The criminals constantly escaped to Nokor, and hid in the border making it dangerous for civilians. The military was always in constant conflict with the foreign tribesmen and the fugitives of the East. Even with the all the disturbances at the border, the Arlos had protected the city for generations, restricting the battles to the borders without letting the people suffer.

So, Arlo's and Dewei's were not only the most powerful families of the city, they were also the most respected of all. Hernan and Conall had grown up together and had been good friends for a long time. Even after they took up their respective positions, they had come together to solve many crises. Their children too were famous for their contributions and were well respected by everyone.

Conall's wife passed away due to an illness a few years ago. He had two daughters and a young son. His eldest daughter was 18-year-old Aziza Arlo. As in the Arlos' tradition, every child is taught military combat regardless of the gender. So, Aziza was also trained in combat. She learnt basic combat skills only for self-defence. But due to her mother's illness, she was more interested in medicine. Although her mother passed away, she continued her studies and became a physician. She learnt a lot from the military physician and treated wounded soldiers in the battlefield. She also provided free medical treatment for civilians.

The second daughter of Conall, Abiri Arlo was 16 years old. Like Aziza, she also received combat training. But she did not stop at that. She had a talent for military tactics and war. After her mother passed away, she joined her father's troop as a soldier and soon rose in ranks by her own strength. Her bravery and fighting skills won the soldiers' hearts and she was nicknamed 'Little Chief'.

Abiri and Aziza believed that everyone should receive basic self-defence and first-aid training to protect themselves. With their father's permission Abiri began teaching self-defence and Aziza taught first-aid to civilians gaining name for themselves among civilians. Unintentionally, most of the people who gathered were woman who Abiri rescued during war. And soon, a group of female warriors, led by Abiri, were added to her Father's troops. It was the first female warrior troop in the Kingdom of Saha.

Conall's youngest son was 8-year-old, Adeer Arlo. Being the youngest, he was doted by everyone in the family and was very mischievous. Aziza and Abiri practically raised him and always took care of him.

As for the Dewei's, Hernan had a wife, Serene Dewei and a son, Lev Dewei. Lev was a 16-year-old boy. He disliked violence and always looked for ways to resolve conflicts peacefully. Still, he respected the soldiers and understood that they had been protecting the city.

He was a model student who believed education was the way forward. He also gathered kids from poor families and taught them many things. Despite their different personalities, Lev and Abiri had always been close friends. They would often debate based on their own outlooks, but they also respected each other's opinions. They didn't speak up but everyone around them knew they had feelings for each other.