A royal Affair

Rumors

"So according to the prophecy, we are doomed" - Isolda said chuckling. As much as she loved to learn about old stories and beliefs, she never took them seriously.

"No, no, no! Don't you get it? According to the prophecy, Amantia will be saved, by one of King Aron's offspring. The woman that he saw in his vision, sitting on his throne. Whoever this woman might be, she is a rightful heir of the throne, since she is of a royal descend" 

"You said that the King never found his daughter"

"No, he did not, even though he looked for her for years. My guessing is that the King's love hid the child, but stayed herself to wait for the King. She did not break her oath, but the King did. That's why one of her offspring is destined to take the throne" 

"But the child could be also dead, she might have never had children... so many things might have happened. That's why we don't take legends seriously"

"It's a prophecy, not just a legend" - Grance insisted "People had been saying for years, that our last King made a huge mistake naming his heir Aron" 

"Well ... the name Aron has been forbidden legally, for the firstborn male heir, for a long time. But that was to honor the memory of Amantia's founding father" -  Isolda leaned her head sideways, thinking of the strange coincidence

"Really? The other girl, whose name Isolda could not remember asked surprised "Then why did our last King named his heir Aron?" 

"Well... Our King was not the firstborn, he was second in line to the throne for a long time. Only when he was in his teen years, he became the heir, after the sudden death of his brother." - Isolda answered

"The King had a brother?" - Grace looked at Isolda dismayed 

"Yes, you didn't know? Prince Amir, died suddenly, from an accident during hunting" 

"I still remember the tragic passing. The whole kingdom mourned his death. And the rumors of the ancient prophecy started spreading again" - an old woman added to their conversation after she had been eavesdropping for a long time. 

"You see?" - Grace took heart from the old woman's words "The prophecy has been going around for a long, long time, and now it's coming to life. Nothing of these is a coincidence" 

"Shut up!" - her mother yelled at her annoyed and angry "It's just an old fairytale and had nothing to do with what's happening" 

"Are you a blind woman?" - the old lady intervened again "I have lived much more than you all, so if there is something that I have learned, is that in life there is no such a thing as coincidence. It is all aligning, the prophecy is fulfilling itself. But fear not, the fate will bring us the rightful queen" 

'Oh really? And what? A woman will come to save us? Women can't fight, and certainly, they can not lead a nation" - Irene replied  feeling her hand almost shaking, her face was pale

"Women are more than capable to do anything they please mother" - Isolda said with confidence

"And honestly, even a donkey will rule us better, look at where we are thanks to the bad leadership of King Aron." - Grace whispered enough for them to hear. 

"Shut up" - her mother yelled at her again, this time her face had a dangerous shade of red. "Do you want to be accused of treason and conspiracy? Especially under these circumstances?" - she said to her daughter "We are loyal to the king, we will always be" - she added forcing a smile, trying to make sure no one there would say or comment anything, that could put her daughter to trouble. 

......................

third pov 

"I tried, but I have failed you, my King. I am sorry, but the Prince does not listen to anyone" - Sanders said to King Aron. 

The King saw him with a defeated look and sipped some more wine. 

"Sit down, Sanders. Let's have a glass of wine together." - As the tragedy of war was approaching there was not much royalty behavior left in Aron. He didn't want to even keep his servants around him, and if it wasn't for safety reasons, he would have kicked out the personal guards as well. 

"The walls of Amantia are invisible. We have been in constant wars, for centuries, since the foundation of our kingdom. Take heart, my king, it's not over. Actually, it's not even started yet" 

"Haven't you heard the words around, Sanders? In the gates of Amantia, a faraway prince has already kneeled the King, who has the same name as the founding Father. The prophecy is coming to life" 

"It's just an old tale, my King, with tens of different versions. It's not true" 

"The basis is the same in all the versions, I will lose my throne. I lost the "Golden Horn", without fighting, it was all my fault. I wasn't vigilant enough, I ... I don't know what I was thinking" - the King didn't finish his sentence, looking in too much distress, as he sipped some more wine 

"What really happened?" - Sanders asked carefully, frowning his brows. 

"I made a deal with Arguba's rebellious leaders" - the King answered, with squinting red eyes, still in shock of what had happened 

"Oh..." - Sanders gasped "So, prince Darius was right about that. How could you, my King? The Golden Horn was our first line of defense, we lost our entire navy, without even fighting." 

"I thought... I was doing the right thing. The irony is that I made this move, to prevent the prophecy, from fulfilling. Since the death of Amar, the only thing I was heard, think, breathed even... was the curse. The damn curse" 

"It's a tale" - Sanders insisted 

"It's true" - Aron smashed his glass after the wall, making Sanders jump in surprise "And the girl... she is also true" - the king added with a dramatic voice, looking straight in the eyes of Sanders 

"What girl? What are you talking about?" 

"The girl from the bloodline of King Agon and his legendary lover. She lives here in Amantia" 

"How? It's impossible, it's just a tale. How do you know it's her?" 

"Her mother is too old, so it must be her to fulfill the prophecy. She has no other relatives from her mother's side. She is of royal blood, she has the same red hair as in the painting, and even the same name as the King's w***e" 

"No. No. It can't be" - Sanders shook his head in disbelief "When you say royal blood... does she fulfill the Dardanian's prophecy as well?" 

"Yes" - he replied in a sharp voice "But I have a plan, and I need your help, Sanders" 

.............................. 

Third pov (King Richards palace) 

"Come" - the king permitted for the battler to come inside his room. He was sitting in the corner of the room, working at his desk with dedication and patience, carving precious jewelry with unparalleled finesse. 

"I am sorry for the inconvenience your Majesty"

"Tell me, Gabriel. What is it? It must be important since you are here so late at evening" - the king said with a calm voice, with his eyes focused on his craft 

"There are two messengers here for you, Your Majesty. One from Prince Darius and another from lord Dukan. Both urgent" - Gabriel explained 

"Bring them in" - King Richard said, leaving his tools and getting up on his feet. 

"Your majesty? I am here in the name of Prince Darius. He has sent you a message, the prince is attracting Amantia, after the ultimate betrayal of King Agon, who broke the Peace Treaty, by helping the rebellion in Arguba" - the messenger explained, bowing down his head

"What?" - the king looked at him in disbelief and shock. His face that was usually so peaceful and calm, had an expression of shock, and then it changed to anger

"That's all? Do you have anything else, from that fool?" - the King asked

"I am afraid not, Your Majesty. The prince wanted to bring the message orally, he didn't want to write a letter, for safety reasons. I have taken an oath, that I would die before I betray His Royal Highness trust" 

"So he is setting my army and my kingdom to disaster, but he fears only if others find out?" - King Richard yelled, which was very rare of him.  "Get back to him, immediately! Order him to stop the attract and to get back in the capital, as fast as possible" 

"For a military order as such, I will need the royal seal, Your Majesty" - the messenger replied with respect

"Gabriell, bring the scripter and prepare the order" - the king said. He started walking back and forth to the royal chamber, as a storm of thoughts and emotions was hitting him hard.

"How is this possible? How did Dukan let this happen? I thought he was wise!" - he said loudly, speaking to himself "Dukan" - he repeated as he suddenly remembered that he had also sent a messenger from him 

"Bring the second messenger in, now" - he said to the guards, who allowed another young man, to enter. 

"Your Majesty! I bring you a letter, from lord Dukan, your loyal servant" - the man bowed down while offering a letter, that was sealed with Dukan's personal signature. The King took the letter, ripping off the envelope, and started reading

"Your Majesty" 

"I tried to stop the madness of war, but your son's stubbornness is carved by God Himself. We are marching towards Amantia's gates, as I write this letter. As your old friend and your loyal subject, I will never abandon your son in the horrors of the wars. 

Take heart My King! Maybe this is fate, even though we are old now, we are the generation that will see the prophecy fulfilled. I wholeheartedly wish so. 

In case I never see you again, I want to thank you for everything you have done for me! 

Take care old friend. 

Yours faithfully, Dukan!" 

"My God! My God, have mercy on us" - King Richards whispered underneath his breath, his knees failed him, and his body crashed down in the soft sofa behind him

.................................

third pov 

"Isolda?" - Irene whispered. The majority of the people were now asleep and the noises had faded, so she tried to be as quiet as possible, so no one could hear her

"Isolda?- she repeated and this time, her daughter answered back 

"What is it, mother? Are you okay?"  - her eyelids were heavy from sleep but her mind was still sharp

"I want you to have this" - Irene whispered, taking her hand and Irena whispered, while in the palms of her hands she left a ring. 

"What is this?" - she asked, looking surprised at the beautiful old ring "Looks expensive" 

"It's priceless. It has been passed down from generation to generation, my mother gave it to me. Now I am giving it to you, take care of it. One day it may save your life"- she whispered in a heavy tone

"Isolda looked at her surprised, but she thought her mother was under too much stress, that's why the unusual and dramatic behavior 

"Thank you mother, I will treasure always" 

'If you don't use it, you have to pass it down to your daughter" 

"I will, I promise" - she smiled softly and kissed her mother's hand. Irene caressed her shiny hair softly, and her eyes burn with tears. "Red, just like her" - she thought mentally, taking a deep breath.