Chapter 3

The Lost Prince

"Come along, Ziaxe," said Alavar, "I understand that your uncle isn't home right now. Would you like to come to my house for dinner?"

Ziaxe was surprised at the sudden offer. He had put his tunic back on, and he already felt healed from his wound. "Uh… yes, Professor," he replied, 'if you don't mind, of course."

"Why, it's no bother at all, Ziaxe." The professor smiled and led the young man to his cottage. "I realized earlier today that it is your mother's birthday."

"Yes, Professor. Did you know her?"

"Why, of course I did, Ziaxe. I remember when she arrived in Berania with your father. The year was… 7043 I believe. My memory has been slipping lately it seems."

Ziaxe had not thought about the fact that Professor Alavar may have known his parents or even been close friends to them. They reached the front of Alavar's cottage, and the professor reached into his pockets to find the key. "Did you know them well, Professor?" asked Ziaxe while he patiently watched Alavar fish for his key.

"Haven't I ever told you about them?" asked the professor with a thoughtful look. "It seems my memory is worsening. Oh well…." He finally found a short gold colored key and adjusted his spectacles to examine it better. With a fragile looking hand, he inserted the key into the lock and opened the door.

"Now, let's see," he said as he thoughtfully twirled his beard around his fingers, "your father, Javen, as I recall, was a kind soul who you resemble quite well. He was a good person, of course, but don't get me wrong, he was a brave and powerful warrior also."

Ziaxe had never heard his father spoken of like that. He felt a sudden pride in his family's honor. "Did you know his race, Professor? Did he ever say where he was born?"

"Actually, I don't believe he ever truly revealed that," replied Alavar with a distant look.

They entered the small cottage, and Ziaxe was greeted by a variety of miraculous items. The first thing he noticed was the shining jewels on the dresser by the far wall. That was the first time he had ever seen any kind of jewel, and he instantly knew why people valued them so much. The many jewels shined multiple colors such as red, green, yellow, and blue. On the walls, there were maps of countries far away along with a world map, and also beautiful paintings of mountains and lakes. There were also strange artifacts that seemed to be from foreign countries. Ziaxe had never been in the professor's house before so he was fascinated to see all these rich objects hidden in the poor district.

After a few minutes of staring in wonder at the many jewels, paintings, and artifacts, he was finally able to take in the surroundings. In the very center of the room was a table with two stools for chairs. To the right of the table was a fireplace with pots and pans on the ground for cooking. There was a one person bed by the opposite wall, and it had a small dresser at its foot. Above the bed was a small window that gave a great view of the Beranian Castle in the center of the rich district.

He continued to examine the amazing and strange things in the house with wide eyes and an agape mouth. His mesmerized look caught Alavar's attention immediately, and the professor said with a wide smile, "I see you like my treasures."

Stumbling for words, Ziaxe said, "What is all of this?"

"Just a few things that are found in the world outside of Berania." He went over to the dresser, dropped the wet cloth that Venna had given him earlier, and picked up a shining ruby from on top of his dresser. It glistened a bright red color as bright as the moon in a clear midnight sky. He brought it to Ziaxe, who stared at its beauty with a gaping mouth. "This is a little trinket from Zaria. I found it while researching their glorious knights and all their strange fighting styles."

When Ziaxe was about to grab the ruby, Alavar turned away and returned it to the dresser. Then he turned back and said, "Would you like some stew for dinner?"

"Yes, please."

Alavar sat down on the stool by the fireplace and began kindling some firewood. The room was silent for a while as the professor worked on the fire. Ziaxe looked around at the many items in the house.

One painting of a large lake nailed to a wall attracted his eyes. The lake looked large and never ending. It seemed more like an ocean than a simple lake for he could not see an opposite end to it. The water reflected a bright sunlight, and there were strong, green trees that breathed with life before the lake. Ziaxe felt as if he was in the painting, sitting on the soft grass and watching the world go by slowly around him. "Professor, what's this a painting of?" he asked.

Alavar's fire was now lit and he was starting to cook what smelled like chicken stew. He looked over at the painting Ziaxe indicated. "That is a good question, Ziaxe," he said, "for I doubt you have ever seen this place before. This is the great Lake Berania. It lies right outside the Eastern Wall. Don't you ever wonder where the pond leads to?

"Oh, I've heard of the lake," replied Ziaxe, "but I've just never seen it. I had no idea it could be as big as it looks in this painting."

"Yes, Lake Berania stretches for miles, and then branches off into multiple rivers that lead to the Eastern Sea. Many have tried to capture its beauty with art, but only this Sarbenian artist could ever do that the best, in my opinion."

Ziaxe looked around the house more, his curiosity growing, as Alavar returned to his cooking. He found what looked like a map on the dresser by all the jewels. It was old and crinkly and looked about one hundred years old. He carefully folded it out and saw that it was a world map. He automatically found the city of Berania in the Kingdom of Sargenia. North of Sargenia, he saw the Kingdom of Zaria and the artic wasteland above it. Lake Berania was to the east of Berania, and Ziaxe saw how it was truly a lake that went on for miles. East of the lake was a forest labeled Treemen Forest. He had never heard of the "Treemen" before.

In the South-East was the Kingdom of Ravilla and the Sarben Mountains that surround it. Over Ravilla, Sargenia, and Zaria was written The Ancient Kingdoms of Sarbenia. East of the three kingdoms was the Abandoned Islands of the East that held the ruin city of Nizrock.

He continued to examine all the other kingdoms: Dremun, Vilaria, Thrall, Walran, the Harvoren Empire, Vidala, Lysara and Paridon. One thing that caught his eyes was the small strip of land in between Walran and Thrall labeled Demon-Land. He knew about demons from Alavar's stories of evil witches and how they have the ability to summon the hideous beasts, but it made him nervous to see that there was a place just for them to live in.

Then a question Ziaxe had thought of before in the past came to his mind. "Professor?" he said. Why wasn't Ravilla involved in the Vician War? I thought they would have helped Sargenia since they are also a Kingdom of Sarbenia."

Alavar had been nearing the end of cooking of the meal. He turned to Ziaxe on his little stool. "That's another good question, Ziaxe. See, Ravilla has been a dying kingdom for a very long time. They had no way of supporting their cousins in Sargenia."

"But Ravilla always seemed like the most powerful of the three since it is surrounded by the Sarben Mountains. They should also be the richest since they have full access to the Crystal Mines."

"You are right, Ziaxe, but they had always been the peaceful ones. They would always try their hardest to solve their problems with foreign countries using peace. This could be because their royal family had always been pure with Sargen blood so they would follow the peaceful ways of the Great God of Light. This, however, was their downfall. In 5962, the traitor Dremuns attacked Ravilla.

"You understand that Dremun is a kingdom that was founded on war and secession. They used to be a part of Sargenia until they were conquered by Vilaria. But then Sargenia retook the kingdom after a few generations. The Dremuns then finally decided to secede from Sargenia. That explains why their people are a confused sort, a mixture of Sarbenian and Vilarian blood.

"But yes, back to the story…. Dremun was able to catch Ravilla off guard by simply pretending to want only peace with their neighbors, and so Ravilla was mostly conquered. King Slavad—the King of Ravilla at that time—was said to be killed. This caused Ravilla to become a Stewardship as they were ruled by the family of Slavad's steward.

"The strange thing was that the bodies of the children of Slavad were never found. Some hope that someday the heir of Ravilla will return to lead an era of peace and love. I don't see a day like that coming any time soon though."

Ziaxe thought about that for a while. It was true that he had never seen a true Sargen, and he would not know what a Sargen would even look like. The stories of the Ancient Kingdom of Sarbenia being ruled by a blessed Sargen King were tales of wonder and amazement. Alavar had always told him and the other students how the Sargens were the chosen people of the Great God Sarben. They were the ones who were meant to rule the kingdom for they knew the true ways of peace and love.

"Why doesn't Ravilla just reunite with Sargenia then?" asked Ziaxe, after his moment of thought. "That would give Sargenia more land, and Ravilla would hopefully get better defenses."

"The answer to your question, Ziaxe, is a somewhat mixture of honor and ignorance," replied the professor as he turned around on his stool back over the cooking stew. "It all begins with the fact that all the Kingdoms of Sarbenia divided to better protect themselves. They thought if they had three separate kingdoms there would be more protection than there would have been with one huge kingdom. But also the blood of the Ravilla royal line is the richest in all the Sarbenian Kingdoms for Slavad was a true Sargen. He was blessed by the Great Sarben to lead Ravilla. The blood of the royal line today is sadly being tainted, and many Ravillas refuse to unite under a tainted king."

"Tainted?" said Ziaxe confused. "You mean to say that neither our Great King Broniton nor the King of Zaria is a Sargen?"

"Yes, Ziaxe. The pure blood is very tainted in Broniton. Though Broniton refuses to admit it, the three Sarbenian Kingdoms have had a little tension in the past few years. Zaria and Ravilla are having trouble trusting Broniton ever since the Battle of Berania where he fought Vician. It confused everyone to see that he was wielding the Blade of the Nizain. I understand that you probably don't know very much about the Nizain, but the Power of the Nizain is usually passed down from father to son. Since everyone was sure that there was no way that Broniton was the son of the last Nizain, there were rumors that maybe Broniton killed the last Nizain and took over his power."

"But a Sargenian king wouldn't kill the Nizain, would he?" asked Ziaxe. "The Nizain protects Sargenia."

"No one can be sure, Ziaxe."

After a few moments of silence, Alavar announced that the stew was finished. He took out two wooden bowls and spoons and poured some of the stew into each bowl. Ziaxe sat on the other stool and took his bowl with a polite "thank you, Professor."

They began to eat what Ziaxe thought was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten. Alben was never that great of a cook, and he rarely ever did cook. Ziaxe hardly ever got a nicely cooked meal for he lived in the poor district so he greatly appreciated Alavar's kindness.

While they ate, Ziaxe remembered something. "Professor?" he said. "You didn't finish what you were going to say about my parents."

Alavar had been taking a sip from his stew filled spoon. When he finished he made a thoughtful look and scratched his beard. "I didn't?" he said, almost to himself. "By Sarben's Light, I must really be losing my memory after all. All right, Ziaxe, let's see. I told you your father, Javen, was a great warrior and a kind man. Your mother, Levandra I recall, was a beautiful woman with long brown hair and deep hazel eyes. Your uncle Alben does quite resemble her. And you, of course, have her eyes."

Ziaxe had always imagined his mother as a beautiful woman who loved everything in the world and saw wonderful light in even the darkest places. He felt a comfort hearing his parents described in a nice manner. "Professor… was Alben always like… how he is?" he asked the question very tentatively, trying not to make it sound rude.

The professor made a somewhat sad smile. "You need to understand, Ziaxe," he said, "that Alben is trapped in a situation not many people can escape."

"What do you mean, Professor?"

"What I mean is that Alben is in a situation that either way he goes about it he will find pain. He became obsessed with drinking after your mother died. I remember the poor innocent man trying to find a way to forget about his pain. He came to my house and told me to watch over you while he said he needed some alone time. I understood his pain of losing someone very close to him so I agreed to watch you for the night. I remember you right after you were born." He chuckled to himself. "It's amazing to have watched you grow."

Ziaxe smiled at the kind old man. He never knew that Alavar had watched over him before. It surprised him that he could not remember seeing this amazing house even as a just born baby.

"Wonderful times," said the professor, still smiling. Then as he returned to the story, his face grew solemn again. "Yes, and so Alben had gone out to the rich district hoping to somehow find a miracle to take away his sadness and anger. He stumbled into a tavern and became friends with the bartender. That was the first time he had ever drank rum, and he has never stopped since. You see, Ziaxe, the situation is that drinking as much rum as he does gives him pain in the morning as he tries to sober himself, but if he stopped drinking he would be reminded of the pain of his lose. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I think I do," replied Ziaxe. "This morning, actually, he seemed to have felt his old pain again."

"Oh yes," said Alavar as he twirled his beard. "Every year on Levandra's birthday he vows to not drink for the whole day. It is very noble of him."

Ziaxe finally understood Alben's strange mood that morning. His poor uncle had been remembering his lose and that brought him pain he was not accustomed to. Ziaxe felt a sudden sympathy for him. His uncle had only been trying to do what his sister would have wanted him to by taking care of Ziaxe.

"I guess so," said Ziaxe. "Do you… know where my father went?"

Alavar's face turned sad as he stared at the table. "Well, Ziaxe, Javen went on an important mission…. It's hard to explain. You'll learn about it someday."

Ziaxe decided to let it drop so they continued to eat the delicious stew. Ziaxe suddenly remembered something important that he was rather hesitant to bring up. "Er… Professor?" he said slowly. "I had the strangest dream last night."

Alavar let go of his spoon and his eyes narrowed. He seemed suddenly alert. "Dream?" he said quickly. "Explain it!"

Ziaxe started at the professor's sudden interest, and then very carefully explained his dream. He began with him being in complete darkness and then to him in the bright light. Also he explained the voices he heard. He did not reveal the identity of the beautiful angel though.

"Very curious," said Alavar almost to himself with a distant look. "You say you heard two voices: one in the dark and one in the light."

"Yes, Professor," replied Ziaxe, anxiously awaiting an answer.

"Well, Ziaxe, this is hard to explain. You may not believe this, but you may have been visited by the gods."

Ziaxe's eyes widened with surprise. "The gods? You mean Sarben and Ziavaxe?"

"Yes, Ziaxe," replied Alavar with a solemn face. "The World of Dreams is very close to the World of the Gods. You may not believe it, but the gods use dreams to contact the ones who they wish to contact."

"Why would the gods want to contact me?" asked Ziaxe, perplexed.

"No one can be sure, Ziaxe, but I want you to listen. I have seen the gods also in my dreams. Know that you are not mad. You are special in that the gods have invited you into their task. We may not know what the task is or when it will take place, but there will be a task."

"Does this include the other gods? Like the ones the Harvorens and Walrans worship?"

"That is not likely, Ziaxe. You are a child of Sarben so He is the one who would contact you. Ziavaxe might have been against whatever Sarben was trying to tell you so He was attempting to interfere with your dream."

Ziaxe was frightened at his sudden inclusion in some divine task. He did not ask to help any powerful god. He was just a simple peasant. "What about what—I assume—Ziavaxe said about my heritage and name?"

"Well, Ziaxe, your heritage is truly hidden by the fact that we don't know your father's heritage," said Alavar, twirling his beard. "We don't know what your true race is. But your name is a different thing. I never understood why your father named you 'Ziaxe.'"

"Why? What's wrong with my name?"

"Ziaxe… your name means 'One of Darkness.' In the ancient times when Ziavaxe ruled the entire world, His followers were called 'Ziaxes.' This was a sign of worship to the God of Darkness, but as the years went by, Ziavaxe lost His control over the world when Sarben came with Light. As Sarben's Light spread around the world, Ziavaxe's religion of the world being once in complete darkness seemed faulty.

"But then a Ziaxe named Vician came along. He seemed to be a prophet of Ziavaxe. He slowly began to gather followers, and the followers called themselves Vidians to show their fealty to Vician. They were simply a copy of Ziaxes, but they seemed to feel more comfortable worshiping Vician instead of a god."

Ziaxe understood that. People always seemed to find comfort in worshiping another mortal person than a divine god. An example of that was the Nizain. People worshipped each generation of the Nizain for they protected the world and kept the balance between light and darkness.

Their conversation died down for a while as they silently ate their stew.

When Alavar finished his stew, he stood up. "This reminds me of something," he said. He walked over to his dresser and opened the bottom drawer. "It's your birthday soon, is it not?"

"Yes, Professor," said Ziaxe as he finished his stew and looked curiously at the professor.

The professor pulled a long object covered in a dirty, white cloth out of the drawer. He brought it over to the table and set it in front of Ziaxe.

Ziaxe curiously removed the cloth from around the object. He found that the object was a bow with a quiver full of arrows. The bow was made of strong, slender wood and was about three feet long. The quiver had a strange symbol on it that looked like the simple letter "V."

"Oh my… thank you so much, Professor," said Ziaxe, flabbergasted, as he examined the bow and quiver.

"Don't thank me, Ziaxe," said the professor with a warm smile. "Thank Javen. This was what your father left for you before he left. I just hope that you feel more confident about your father now. He was truly a great man."

Ziaxe looked at the bow like it was a newborn baby and whispered to himself, "Thank you… Father."

Alavar turned to look at his fireplace with a big grin on his face. The fire reflected off of his half-moon spectacles like a fiery dancer. "Well, Ziaxe, I think it's about time you return home," he said. "I'm sure your uncle is back from the crop fields by now."

Ziaxe seriously doubted that, but he said his farewells to the professor and left with the only gift he had ever received from his father.

As Ziaxe had predicted, Alben was not home. Even though it was nearing sunset, his uncle was still missing. For all he knew, Alben was not even at the crop fields but at the tavern in the rich district instead. Ziaxe found his uncle's lack of a sense of responsibility very irritating. It was nearing winter, and the harvest needed to be finished.

The sun had set, and the moon was rising. But there was still no sign of Alben. Ziaxe grew tired of waiting for his uncle, so he decided to go outside.

The cool breeze of an autumn night greeted him when he walked outside. The stars were out with a cloud bathed moon. Ziaxe felt the peace and relaxation that came with a quiet night. All he could hear was the sound of the wind and the sound of the fish in the pond swimming around in their little freedom.

He walked towards the pond and saw his two closest friends sitting on the boulders looking out at the pond. He felt a short sense of jealousy as he saw Kron sitting with Venna in what some could call a "romantic night." Strangely, Ziaxe saw Professor Alavar also on one of the boulders, looking distantly towards the rich district. It seemed that everyone wished to enjoy the peaceful night.

Ziaxe started to walk to his friends when he heard the sound of horseshoes clopping. He looked at the road going to the rich district and saw a group of approaching men on horses coming at a hastily gallop. The horseman in front was soon clearly visible, and Ziaxe saw that he was obviously someone royal. The man wore mighty gold armor that covered his brawny physique and had a large sword in a sheath belted across his back. The chestnut horse he was riding was obviously a war horse that was bred just for charging and galloping. Behind him were several Beranian soldiers wearing regular iron armor while carrying a variety of weapons.

The lead horseman arrived in the poor district after only a few moments of galloping on his horse. Professor Alavar and Ziaxe's friends showed signs of surprise at the small army. Strangely though, the professor changed his look of surprise to a look of loathing and contempt as if he hated the leading regal horseman.

When the lead horseman stopped his chestnut horse by the boulders, Ziaxe could see that he sat on a saddle embroidered with shining jewels and emeralds of many colors. The man removed his golden helm, and Ziaxe could see that he had a short black beard and black hair. He had a handsome face with blue eyes that looked full of determination. He had the look of a person one would avoid if one had to compete against.

The man seemed to examine Venna, Kron, and Ziaxe for a moment. Then when he looked to Alavar, and saw the professor's look of contempt he raised his eyebrow.

"How art thou, Great Professor?" asked the man with a stately dialect.

"I art well, Virok," replied the professor with a tone of insulting sarcasm as he stood up off his boulder.

"Very good, then," said the man, ignoring Alavar's intended insult. "I see thou art enjoying this glorious night of nights."

"Yes, I am…. Now what do you want?"

The man smiled. "The professor is most impatient… like always."

"I'm not impatient. I just can't stand your attempt to beat around the bush. A great general, like yourself, doesn't just visit the poor district on a daily basis." Alavar seemed to slightly enjoy being mockingly rude.

"Well, Alavar, it has been brought to mine attention that Prince Farli has gone missing. I also understand that thou hast been teaching his Highness on certain days. Today just happens to be one of those days. The Royal Guard saw thee at the castle this morning. Wouldst thou knoweth where his Highness may have disappeared to?"

"The prince is missing?" gasped the professor. He genuinely appeared to have been shocked, but he slowly began to smile. "Where could he have gone?" he said with feigned curiosity.

Virok looked like he was about to lose his temper, but he controlled his anger and let out a deep sigh. "Thy humor sickens me, Alavar. If thou knoweth where the prince is, tell me."

"Silly Virok," said Alavar in a joking tone. "Prince Farli is safe out of your grip now. I'd really hate to see what will happen to you when Broniton hears about this."

"I fear no man, Alavar!" screamed Virok. "I know thou art hiding something. If thou dost not tell me now, I will arrest thee for defiance of a royal officer!"

Alavar chuckled. "Look at the Great General Virok in all of his glory," he said sarcastically. "He makes threats just to get attention."

That was the last straw to Virok. "Guards!" he yelled to his horsemen. "Arrest this scum!"

A few of the horsemen dismounted and came at Alavar with spears and swords. Alavar stood still peacefully awaiting them. He was easily chained up and placed on his stomach on a horse.

Alavar was still chuckling to himself. "Goodbye, students!" he yelled to Ziaxe and his friends. "Have a great night!"

Ziaxe was stunned at the suddenness of all that had just happened. He had just seen the famous General Virok for the first time ever, and he should be fascinated to be in his presence. But the general was arresting the closest thing Ziaxe had to a father, and Ziaxe could not stop him.

General Virok reared his horse around and went in front of his men. Before they galloped away, Virok looked back over his shoulder straight at Ziaxe. A strange sense of understanding passed in between them. Ziaxe saw that he had met a powerful enemy.