Chapter One:
The Sanc Kingdom has risen to promote peace. The whole Earth looks to it for an example to follow. The ruler, Miliardo Peacecraft, has united the world in one alliance. It is called the Salaam Standard. But a small group of angry persons devises a way to assassinate Miliardo. They will in no way conquer the Sanc Kingdom, but their satisfaction is in killing the person that they hate the most.
"Hope, I want you to try a foward spring then sweep," Noin looked at Hope, a 15-year-old, black-haired trainee. Hope bent her legs, and coiled up for the foward spring. The training continued.
On the other side of the room, a girl was on a running machine, jogging. She was watching Noin train Hope.
"Miss Noin, can't I go faster?" the girl was jogging sideways, looking at Noin.
"Jenna, you stay at that pace! I want stamina, not sprints!"
Jenna sighed, "Okay."
"--And face foward!" Noin raised her eyebrows in expectation as the girl faced foward and continued jogging.
"Miss Noin?" Hope looked at her teacher.
"That's me," Noin glanced at Hope as she performed an excellent routine.
"Say I have a problem," Noin raised her eyebrows, "--not that I do, I was just thinking."
"Okay."
"Well, I have a problem, right? And I have to options, A and B. They both will cost me something I can't afford to lose. But I can't just sit here and do nothing. What do I do?"
"Well first of all, you mentioned three options: A, B, and C," Noin nodded as Jenna cocked her head, confused, "Your option C was to sit there and do nothing. Secondly, you don't have to conform to two choices. Whenever you lay out the options you have, and don't like any of them, think for a moment and make your own option. If there isn't a road to get to the place you're going, make one."
Hope nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Miliardo!!" Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft stood in the corner of the kitchen, screaming. "Miliardo!!!!!!!! Heeeeeeeeellllllllllllpppppppppp!"
A ruffled Mr. Peacecraft comes rushing in, expecting to see his wife with a knife sticking out of her side, or worst. But she is standing in the corner of the kitchen, pointing at something on the floor.
"Help," wimpers Noin.
"Noin!! It's only a roach!" Noin looks up, and then down at the roach, "It's disgusting!"
"Fine, then," Miliardo steps on it and the result: bug juice.
"Yuck!" Noin looks up, "Thanks."
Miliardo shakes his head and smiles at Noin, "You wimp."
Noin sticks her tongue out at the long-haired man standing a few feet from her. She glances away as she suddenly sees a laser pointing into the room as the dot roams, looking for her husband, "Miliardo!!" she tackles him to the ground, and he looks startled.
"Three men, two o'clock. I think they're attempted assassins," Noin crouched.
Miliardo ducked also. A bullet came rocketing through the window, shattering glass on the floor and left the stud in the wall.
"Dang! I just wallpapered that!!" Noin pulled out a Derringer .85 out of her pant leg and held it with both hands in front of her, "Go!"
They scamper down the hallway with Noin watching their backs. Behind them, Miliardo can hear people following them. He hears Noin pop off a couple of rounds at idle heads sticking out into the hallway. Just as Noin and Miliardo turn the corner, a couple shots glance off the walls.
Miliardo stopped short, making Noin sidestep in order to avoid a collision. A man was standing with a gun in hand, pointed directly at Miliardo. Miliardo and Noin were standing side-by-side, and the gunman didn't see him squeeze her hand. Suddenly, they lunged at the man, knocking him out. Noin took the lead, and Miliardo was following. Noin kept running until she hear a shot ring out and turned to see her husband falling. The gunmen ran away, their mission accomplished.
Noin dropped to the ground and ripped her cuff to put direct pressure on the wound in his side.
His brow furrowed, Miliardo looked up at Noin, "I never did like that wallpaper anyway." He died in Noin's arms in that hallway. Security personell filed in and checked and double-checked to make sure the assassins had left. Noin wept deeply for her loss and gave Miliardo a kiss on the cheek.
"My lightning baron," she whispered in his ear and she stood, wiping away the tears.
The media soon got the story, and soon the whole kingdom was upset over the death of their king.
Jenna and Hope filed their way through the security personell outside Miliardo's office. Jenna rapped on the door and after a few seconds, it opened revealing Noin in a suit and skirt.
"What are you doing?!" Hope cried at Noin.
"I'm taking over the Sanc Kingdom. I'm the only resident Peacecraft," Noin glanced away, then strolled to the desk, filing papers, "I know you girls have worked hard at training, and I believe that there's nothing more I can teach you."
Jenna sighed and looked at Noin, "Okay, then. You get some rest, though. We'll be back."
The girls shut their door behind them and a second later, they heard a yell from inside. Bursting back in, Noin was no longer there. The window was shattered and they found some blood on the floor.
"Dangit, they're gonna pay." The security guards were right behind them, and one of them kicked the desk in frustration.
The kingdom was in havoc, and the chaos began when the remnants of OZ invaded the Kingdom and took over the main office of the Sanc Kingdom. Jenna and Hope escaped to hideout with a small family in the center of the town.
"Jenna, I don't like this. We should go after Noin," Hope covered her face with her hands as she growled in frustration.
"I agree, but what would happen if we left? The people would get terrorized. Noin taught us that our first responsibility was to the people. We can't just abandon everything she taught us," Jenna put a hand on Hope's shoulder, "It's gonna be okay, and in the meantime, we can stomp all over OZ."
The Sanc Kingdom has risen to promote peace. The whole Earth looks to it for an example to follow. The ruler, Miliardo Peacecraft, has united the world in one alliance. It is called the Salaam Standard. But a small group of angry persons devises a way to assassinate Miliardo. They will in no way conquer the Sanc Kingdom, but their satisfaction is in killing the person that they hate the most.
"Hope, I want you to try a foward spring then sweep," Noin looked at Hope, a 15-year-old, black-haired trainee. Hope bent her legs, and coiled up for the foward spring. The training continued.
On the other side of the room, a girl was on a running machine, jogging. She was watching Noin train Hope.
"Miss Noin, can't I go faster?" the girl was jogging sideways, looking at Noin.
"Jenna, you stay at that pace! I want stamina, not sprints!"
Jenna sighed, "Okay."
"--And face foward!" Noin raised her eyebrows in expectation as the girl faced foward and continued jogging.
"Miss Noin?" Hope looked at her teacher.
"That's me," Noin glanced at Hope as she performed an excellent routine.
"Say I have a problem," Noin raised her eyebrows, "--not that I do, I was just thinking."
"Okay."
"Well, I have a problem, right? And I have to options, A and B. They both will cost me something I can't afford to lose. But I can't just sit here and do nothing. What do I do?"
"Well first of all, you mentioned three options: A, B, and C," Noin nodded as Jenna cocked her head, confused, "Your option C was to sit there and do nothing. Secondly, you don't have to conform to two choices. Whenever you lay out the options you have, and don't like any of them, think for a moment and make your own option. If there isn't a road to get to the place you're going, make one."
Hope nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Miliardo!!" Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft stood in the corner of the kitchen, screaming. "Miliardo!!!!!!!! Heeeeeeeeellllllllllllpppppppppp!"
A ruffled Mr. Peacecraft comes rushing in, expecting to see his wife with a knife sticking out of her side, or worst. But she is standing in the corner of the kitchen, pointing at something on the floor.
"Help," wimpers Noin.
"Noin!! It's only a roach!" Noin looks up, and then down at the roach, "It's disgusting!"
"Fine, then," Miliardo steps on it and the result: bug juice.
"Yuck!" Noin looks up, "Thanks."
Miliardo shakes his head and smiles at Noin, "You wimp."
Noin sticks her tongue out at the long-haired man standing a few feet from her. She glances away as she suddenly sees a laser pointing into the room as the dot roams, looking for her husband, "Miliardo!!" she tackles him to the ground, and he looks startled.
"Three men, two o'clock. I think they're attempted assassins," Noin crouched.
Miliardo ducked also. A bullet came rocketing through the window, shattering glass on the floor and left the stud in the wall.
"Dang! I just wallpapered that!!" Noin pulled out a Derringer .85 out of her pant leg and held it with both hands in front of her, "Go!"
They scamper down the hallway with Noin watching their backs. Behind them, Miliardo can hear people following them. He hears Noin pop off a couple of rounds at idle heads sticking out into the hallway. Just as Noin and Miliardo turn the corner, a couple shots glance off the walls.
Miliardo stopped short, making Noin sidestep in order to avoid a collision. A man was standing with a gun in hand, pointed directly at Miliardo. Miliardo and Noin were standing side-by-side, and the gunman didn't see him squeeze her hand. Suddenly, they lunged at the man, knocking him out. Noin took the lead, and Miliardo was following. Noin kept running until she hear a shot ring out and turned to see her husband falling. The gunmen ran away, their mission accomplished.
Noin dropped to the ground and ripped her cuff to put direct pressure on the wound in his side.
His brow furrowed, Miliardo looked up at Noin, "I never did like that wallpaper anyway." He died in Noin's arms in that hallway. Security personell filed in and checked and double-checked to make sure the assassins had left. Noin wept deeply for her loss and gave Miliardo a kiss on the cheek.
"My lightning baron," she whispered in his ear and she stood, wiping away the tears.
The media soon got the story, and soon the whole kingdom was upset over the death of their king.
Jenna and Hope filed their way through the security personell outside Miliardo's office. Jenna rapped on the door and after a few seconds, it opened revealing Noin in a suit and skirt.
"What are you doing?!" Hope cried at Noin.
"I'm taking over the Sanc Kingdom. I'm the only resident Peacecraft," Noin glanced away, then strolled to the desk, filing papers, "I know you girls have worked hard at training, and I believe that there's nothing more I can teach you."
Jenna sighed and looked at Noin, "Okay, then. You get some rest, though. We'll be back."
The girls shut their door behind them and a second later, they heard a yell from inside. Bursting back in, Noin was no longer there. The window was shattered and they found some blood on the floor.
"Dangit, they're gonna pay." The security guards were right behind them, and one of them kicked the desk in frustration.
The kingdom was in havoc, and the chaos began when the remnants of OZ invaded the Kingdom and took over the main office of the Sanc Kingdom. Jenna and Hope escaped to hideout with a small family in the center of the town.
"Jenna, I don't like this. We should go after Noin," Hope covered her face with her hands as she growled in frustration.
"I agree, but what would happen if we left? The people would get terrorized. Noin taught us that our first responsibility was to the people. We can't just abandon everything she taught us," Jenna put a hand on Hope's shoulder, "It's gonna be okay, and in the meantime, we can stomp all over OZ."