Rumors about the late foretellers’ prediction had traveled to every nook and cranny of the palace. Some thought that it was just a shallow warning to encourage the High King to choose his rightful heir. Others thought that it was possible that battle would consume one prince and the other would sulk in the late brother’s memories, leaving the throne open to the rebels.
How that would unfold was also cloudy in the mind of folks who derived such an interpretation from the prediction. The majority, however, considered the prediction a bait for the High King and nothing more.
Prince Gabriel’s POV
The bright sun peeked through the open windows as the young prince worked on his desk. Worry shaped his features as he studied through the records of his father’s accomplishments for a third time. As part of his training, he was required to learn all of the history of his kingdom but whenever he read about his father’s feats and conquests, a chill ran down his spine.
At the same time, an invisible burden launched itself on his shoulders that visibly sulked. The prince understood that as the burden of responsibility but now as his father’s health was quickly deteriorating, the pressure only mushroomed instead of shifting to the background so that he could work out new strategies that were needed for the south-eastern section of the kingdom, where a small mutiny was rippling the surface of calm.
Every day, a new messenger from z different region of the land unveiled details of the small unrest attempting to build itself into a rigid version that could leave a substantial impact. The prince dropped his pen and rubbed his forehead, a small headache was forming there.
It wouldn’t be long before he and his beloved brother would have to take over the reins of the kingdom’s affairs but something inside him made him really anxious. As his father’s demise neared, a pack of nervous butterflies had seemed to permanently take root inside him. It felt like he couldn’t take the responsibility just yet.
Despite the wars that he had led, the strategies that he had devised, and the numerous trainings, he felt under-prepared, incapable even.
Prince Carlos’s POV
The inky dark night often brought nightmares. But the break of dawn erased any remains of the shadows he saw in his dreams. Prince Carlos and his brother had a habit of starting their day by practicing their swords. But his twin brother was nowhere in sight. He gathered from the serving men that the prince had excused himself on the grounds of a headache.
Even so, Prince Carlos waited. He didn’t launch into his practice, as he anticipated his brother’s arrival. It was not like him to resign to himself due to a mere headache. It seemed as if there was something wrong with his brother.
