A Warrior's Dance

XI – The Morcan Princess

PART II

For there is no greater power than love.

And there is no greater weakness than fear.

The only enemy is the evil

And we all have one in ourselves.

So kill it.

Or it will kill you.

****

Prince Matthews was wearing his best cloak, matched with his smooth trousers and black boots. His hair was kept tidy, emphasizing his thick long eyebrows which made him look older than his age. Ladies from all over the continent tried their best to behave themselves, not wanting to be seen as aggressive.

Honestly speaking, the celebration pissed the prince off in many ways he couldn’t imagine.

Music infiltrated the Crimson Hall, tables and chair were perfectly place around a small stage.

“Ugh, when will this end?” Matthews whispered to his cousin standing behind him. Both of them were at the foot of the King’s seat, circled by palace guards, greeting the guests with a smile.

Raiden remained his eyes on the audience, faking interest.

“The moment you choose the fortunate lady for you to marry, then this will end, cousin.”

Matthews huffed but kept his composure. His eyes scanned the wide hall, searching for someone.

“Imagine I’ll scream Lira’s name from up here. That would be an amazing sight,” he chuckled to himself but the amusement died instantly. “But she isn’t even here.”

“If she’s here, then she’ll run to you, like a lost princess, fighting her way to your heart.” Raiden tried his best to humor his cousin.

Matthews laughed at the absurdity of their conversation. “Will you ready my horse, then, Raiden?”

“Of course, my prince,” he answered with a smile. Only if he could just help his cousin to get away to that situation, he would. But all things were always complicated inside the palace.

Lord Yuric started toward them, behind him was a beautiful princess, accompanied by two men. The old man cleared his throat and gracefully gestured his hand to the princess.

“Prince Matthews, I bring you one of the most beautiful faces across the continent,” he began as the girl did her curtsy. “Princess Laine, of the Morcan Palace.”

The moment the prince’s eyes met hers, he felt a twist in his stomach. Her lips had a touch of pink, just like the rose crown neatly placed on her head. Her eyes seemed to pierce through him, and without a doubt, she was a real beauty.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Prince Matthews,” the princess said, her eyes smiling.

Matthews nodded and turned to his cousin. “I would like to introduce my cousin, Raiden,” he muttered. The lady bowed her head, giving him a warm smile. “You can leave us be, Lord Yuric.” With that, the old man took his leave.

Raiden, who still couldn’t bring himself get comfortable in events like that, leaned forward to the prince. “Perhaps you like to ask her for a dance, cousin.” He then addressed the morcan princess. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Princess Laine focused her eyes on Matthews, admiring his dashing looks. Suddenly, all eyes were on them, the slow, humming music started to play. Matthews offered his hand to her. “Would you like to dance with me?”

She smiled then, her chest tightening with joy. She had been dreaming for that moment to happen, ever since she had glimpse of the prince many years ago.

****

“Do you like the Morcan princess?” Darius asked his son.

Matthews said nothing.

From where they were standing, they could see the guests mingling to other tribes and races, showing grace as if they were born to entertain highborn for the rest of their lives.

“What’s with the Morcan princess, father?” he asked after a while. “Oh yes, I forgot,” he continued as he clicked his tongue. “They control shadow walkers, the unseen warriors.”

“Yes, we need their warriors in order to strengthen the palace.”

“So this choosing has nothing to do whether I like her or not, am I right?”

The king glanced at his son. “All your four sisters before you married for a reason and that is to keep this damn palace standing on the ground. My first born Diana married a Landmand, the tribe who owned the richest farm land in this continent. Dessandra, Gabriella and Shekinah married for the same reason.”

Matthews stiffly nodded his head. He would do anything for his family, to keep the power of the palace but the dying wish of her mother rushed in his head.

“And I am no different, of course,” the prince muttered.

King Darius motioned his son to face him. “You are my heir. You are the crown prince and you have a duty to this family.”

“I understand, my king.”

“As should you,” Darius replied and faced the happy crowd again. “And you will thank me once you reign for marrying Princess Laine. You will have their shadow walkers under your command. When that comes, enemies won’t be able to beat you.”

Matthews subtly shook his head. “We don’t have enemies, father.”

King Darius laughed but it didn’t last long. “We have many enemies, Matthews. Soon they will strike. And we needed the morcan force before it happens.”

“What do you mean?” he asked with a frown as he stared at his king father. Talks of wars made him uneasy.

Darius closed the gap between them and leaned closer to his son. “The Valkans seems asking for a war. They weren’t allowed west of Port City as it was our territory. They broke the treaty. They’re planning something.”

“Did they bring harm on our people?”

The king shook his head. “Not yet. But do we have to wait for that to happen? For them to draw blood in our streets? We prevent it from happening, son.”

The conversation seemed foreign to Matthews.

After a moment, the king spoke again. “General Gregory and the councils thought it would be best to draw first blood.”

The hint of war made Matthews cringe. He wasn’t sure he was prepared for that to happen. Didn’t the great war not enough lesson for people to learn, he thought to himself.

“Valkans aren’t just great in seas. They were the first warlords, as per history,” the prince said, remembering what he learned in White Tower. “Is it wise to draw first blood?”

“There is always an end to every reign, Matthews.” King Darius looked him in the eye as he clapped his son’s shoulder. “Always remember that.”

The prince wanted to probe more about what his father meant with that. As far as he know, their enemies had been dealt with— either they had been killed or swore allegiance to the king.

But looking at the worried face of the king, he could tell he was being serious about the matter. He couldn’t help but to force himself to like the princess and forget the sudden affection he felt for Lira.