Motivations and prejudices.
Amity was on the balcony of her room, her gaze lost on the horizon, as it had done hundreds of times in the past while she awaited the return of her beloved knight. The princess had spent the last few days sitting every evening and morning on the windowsill, asking herself one single question: "Will you ever return to my sweet knight?" Amity denied that this could happen.
Luz's letter still lays on her nightstand. Amity read it night after night, wishing that one day the contents of it would change. The princess wanted the letter to ask her to rescue her from her, to travel the world to meet again with the beloved light of her Noceda, and to fight against all odds just to see her again.
Princess Amity sighed: "Do not look for me, Amity; I can no longer be your knight." I have lost the right to serve you. She read the paragraphs that weighed the most on her. And who decided that? stupid Luz, I don't care if you were worthy or not. It was enough for me that you were by my side! the princess exclaimed, crumpling her paper as she had done before, wiping away the tears that began to come out of the rage and impotence she felt for not being able to help her beloved paladin.
"But how can I help you? She began to question herself. Her mother would not do anything to disturb the peace with the barbarians; the rest of the kingdoms would remain neutral with this useless bunch. The girl growled between her teeth. She needed power, and she had to be strong to get it back. But how am I going to do that? Amity was a princess, not a warrior or knight. She had never held a gun in her life, and she had no idea where to start.
The princess began to ramble about how she would do this; without training, she would not get anywhere. Her mind kept wandering into her own fantasies and her own problems.
But her mind went back to hers when someone touched her—Mittens! I can pass. The voice of her brother, Edric, was heard from the door of her room. Amity doubted for a moment if she should answer or pretend that she wasn't there, but her brother knocked on the door again—Mittens! I'm going to pass.
Edric announced, and the sound of him struggling with the plate began to be heard. "Wait, Edric! she exclaimed, running to lean against the door. "Give me a moment to change, brother. Amity sighed in relief when she stopped feeling her brother's pressure against the door.
"You can come in now, Edric," she warned him, opening the door for her brother. The prince entered the room, looking everywhere as if he were looking for something. "Is something wrong, brother? You hadn't visited me in all this time; that has changed now. She questioned him, but her brother just smiled a little nervously.
"It's nothing, little sister; I just hadn't had much time to come see you." He let out a heavy sigh of fatigue. "Mom has been organizing future events, and without you there, someone has to help her with the planning." He explained,Amity, I could guess who that someone was.
Mom doesn't make it easy for anyone, right? The princess asked her brother, and he only let out a grunt.
"He's gone as far as to cut Emira's vacation short and bring her back," Edric muttered, stuffing his mouth with muffins. "Even Gus has it hard; hundreds of guards are trying to organize a tournament to choose the new captain and... Edric was interrupted when he heard the sound of porcelain crashing to the ground.
Amity's face had twisted into a grimace of hate, fear, and surprise. The princess knew that it was only a matter of time before her mother named a new captain, but she didn't think it would be so soon.
"It's been a month, and mom wants to tie up as many loose ends as she can," Edric murmured, a small feeling of nostalgia washing over him. "Things were better when he was around; I really miss him, you know." The boy let out a little, exhausted groan.
Amity looked at her brother, and he looked back at her. "You're lucky mom isn't here to hear you, brother." The girl reproached her brother. "That's a somewhat sensitive topic in the family." I highlighted receiving a grunt from Edric.
Sometimes things can only keep getting worse before finding their footing. Edric shook his head. "But that doesn't matter now, Mittens." It didn't help the prince to have a mind full of problems. Now that he was away from Hibralt, he could give himself the luxury of not thinking about it and focus on other things, such as the health of his dear little sister. Are you alright, Amity? You looked like you were getting better when I saw you a week ago, but now I see you have regressed. Do you want to tell me about it?
Amity was reluctant to open up to her brother; could she trust him? He was her brother, but he was also Odalia's son. The princess let out a sigh. "Are you going to tell mom about this? Or can you keep it a secret, Edric? I question Edric.
The prince felt cornered for a moment; his little sister questioned him at that moment about his principles and loyalties—was he with his sister or with his mother? "Tell me, Edric, can I trust you, or are you still a pawn of the queen?" the princess questioned him again.
Edric looked down for a moment, thinking about what his sister was saying to him. He let out a sigh after a few seconds: "I don't know, little sister; with your words, you make me doubt who I should follow." I don't feel really comfortable with this," he replied, getting up from the table and walking to the door. I need time to think about it, Mittens, but I just want you to know that I will try to help you in any way I can, even if it hurts me.
Amity saw him leave the room. She shook her head in denial. "You can't help me in your current state." Edric, I need to know that I can trust you before I tell you: The girl whispered, returning to her daily routine. She sat on the balcony, watching in the distance as a single thought ran through his mind.
"I must be strong; I need power to get you back, my sweet knight. I can no longer continue being the same girl as before."
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Luz couldn't believe they were here of all possible places: in Lorraine, the capital city of Alvain, and the sister city of Harppegio, which was the capital of Consortia. The whole place seemed to be in a constant state of hustle and bustle that seemed to revolve around a rhythm present in all the inhabitants of the city.
Everything was peaceful and beautiful, but there was a small detail, and that was that they were marching through the streets towards the castle, where the regents of the kingdom were. Another detail that wasn't there was the number of times Belos stopped at each little store. Luz and Belos seemed more like tourists than former invaders; the only thing that comforted her was being able to wear her old armor as she had done in the past.
Luz felt a strong nostalgia for the mere fact of having it on. She was no longer fighting for Hibralt; she was no longer a knight, but the comfort she felt from wearing the armor comforted her greatly. If only Belos was not dressed as a tourist. They would be better for her.
Anything else you want to add? Luz was sighing, afraid. At this point, she was tired of every little surprise she received from her new family. Belos just laughed at the attitude that his niece was giving him.
We haven't finished; you still need to meet the queen of Alvain (I point to the old war dog, holding a list of notes), and after that, food will probably follow, something very important even more than that small event that we will have in a couple of days.
small event? The girl raised a confused eyebrow at the calm that Belos was having with her; it only made her feel more curious and dissatisfied with the answers that the old man was giving her.
Belos only laughed at the girl's insistence: "It's nothing important, my girl; it's just a formality between me and the queen." He discarded the importance of the moment, emphasizing food as something more important.
Luz did not understand how this man had been the terror of multiple kingdoms, a legend that was told to the waiters, pages, and squires when they misbehaved to put them in line. "Was he really Belos?" the girl wondered.
Is something wrong, Noceda? You look distracted. Belos stopped for a moment to see the girl's absorbed face. "Girl, react! she raised her voice. Luz screamed when she heard the noise of the old man.
I'm awake! Luz came to himself. Where are we? What happened? She began to question herself and her surroundings.
"We are in Alvain Noceda, and we are about to have an audience with the queen," Belos explained to Luz, "and since appearance matters at times like this, it seemed appropriate to allow you to wear your armor again.
And what about you? You're wearing a dress. Luz reproached the old tyrant; a giggle was heard coming out of him. - You're wrong, Noceda; it's not a dress; it's a tunic, and it's much more comfortable than wearing armor.
-Look! -Belos turned around to let her see his outfit better. I suppose it's rare to see something like this in Hibralt, but I assure you it's not at all weird to see something like this in other places; for example, there was a kingdom whose soldiers had a skirt called a kilt as part of their uniform. -Belos laughed again. It is a pity that her kingdom was destroyed by the bad judgment of the king of her neighboring kingdoms. He shook his head.
But hey, that's enough bad stories; we need to go with a smile to see the queen. The old man stretched his cheeks. "A big smile for the harpy queen," he murmured, stretching Luz's cheeks.
"Leave that old man!" Luz inflated her cheeks to remove Belos's hands from her face. "Is it really necessary to come, or rather, is it necessary for me to be here?" I asked the girl to belos, emphasizing herself.
The old river—hee hee, the queen of Alvain already knows my nephew quite well, but his marriage with you is something new for her, and she has ended up piqued by the curiosity of the matter—I explain—and since we were passing through the kingdom and needed to talk about some things with her, we decided to meet and visit her to let her meet the new member of the family.
And now, is that all? He just wants to meet me. Luz raised an eyebrow, mistrusting what the old man was saying.
"Partly yes and no; Queen Eda is especially curious about your lineage," Belos murmured, and Luz raised her eyebrow this time in surprise. Belos, I wait a moment before continuing talking. As an old friend of your mother, the queen always wanted to meet you, but certain problems with the regent of Hibralt made it almost impossible for her.
Luz sighed. "If she wants to meet me, she can't see a painting of mine." The girl wanted to escape from this meeting, but Belos stopped her instead.
"Not so fast, girl; we're here," he announced, dragging the girl into the throne room. Luz looked up from her to see the woman sitting on a throne with a golden fang protruding from the corner of her mouth. The queen smiled upon seeing her.
Luz Noceda, I finally have the pleasure of meeting you, girl. The queen went down to meet her, and, between jumps and jumps, she shortened the distance between them. Uff, I need to remember to put an elevator or a slide on this thing. The woman wiped the sweat before returning your attention to the visitors.
Sorry about that; my husband is the one who usually deals with the visitors, and I usually take care of organizing the parties and those mambos. The queen apologized, gradually losing the noble demeanor of a queen with each passing moment. "Hey Phil, how are you doing?" just as ugly, apparently.
"It's good to see you too, Queen Eda." Belos returned the greeting, staying formal towards the queen. I see you still haven't fixed that carefree attitude of yours.
"Yeah, whatever, just give me a moment to..." The woman took a deep breath. "Uff, what were we up to?" That's how I remember! Camila's eyes lit up.
Hey enough! They already squeezed my cheeks today. Luz yelled and wanted to get away from her, refraining from slapping the woman.
"You really are his daughter! Eda exclaimed after a few moments. "You're like a little Camila; you have a challenging look in her eyes and a demeanor ready for battle." Eda began to sigh with a certain sadness in her tone: "It's a pity that she was never able to introduce me herself. You know, we weren't friends, but there was a certain respect between us—a feeling of camaraderie, if you want to call it that.
The queen sighed again. But I suppose we can talk about it another time; now we need to talk about the future of the islands. Eda took on a more serious tone. "Belos, tell me, are you really going to take this path?" the woman questioned the old man.
"Yes, if I want Hunter to have greater stability than I had with my brother, this is probably the best way to go; I must become a king," Belos declared in front of Eda and Luz.
"You're going to become a king!" Luz exclaimed, her eyes widened by the surprise that Belos had just revealed.
"That's what I plan for the future, Noceda, to become the king of my own castle and kingdom, to give my people a place to live more comfortably," he said, his gaze fixed on Luz and without any son to succeed me. Do you know what that means? paw you? Luz Noceda, think about it for a moment.
She shook her head, slowly connecting the dots and coming to realize what Belos had told her. Her eyes widened. "No children means what Hunter will be.
"You are a king, my heir, and that makes you a princess, Noceda. Welcome to the noble leagues. I raised the future regent.
Hang on a minute! I can't become a princess; I'm a commoner, and I don't have noble blood or a title. Luz exclaimed, "I lost all that when I married Hunter and me. I returned..." I am a princess. I married the nephew of a future king.
Luz slowly began to assimilate the situation that was brewing at the time. "I married the nephew of a future regent," Luz mentioned.
That's right, Luz Noceda. Belos affirmed: "When I retire from the throne, Hunter will become my heir." I'm going to say it again, girl. Welcome to the major leagues! You married a king's nephew.
"And a queen," Queen Eda added. "Hunter is also my nephew; don't forget Belos; Lilith carried that bag of tears for nine months." Queen Eda highlighted this fact to Belos.
"I know Edalyn; I wouldn't forget it for the world," Belos mused with a smile. "I can even remember how she didn't make a big scandal during that time, unlike you.
He reprimanded the queen. Luz saw them and sighed. Seeing what was coming, she approached Belos and whispered something to him. He nodded, making a sign.
Eda felt the color come to her cheeks. "That's a low blow, Philip, and you know it.
It may be Edalyn—he confirmed laughing—or maybe it's, as some call it, karma—I pointed out—all those mischiefs from your childhood came back to you through your son.
Eda shook her head. "That doesn't matter now, Philip; both children have already grown up and stopped being babies more than a decade ago." More or less.
"Little girl!" Eda called Luz, but the girl had already left the room. - Philip Where is Luz?
She left when we started arguing; she said something about exploring the castle and finding Hunter in the middle of it.
"Okay, so let's go look for her; I'm not going to sit here while that girl gets lost in the middle of my castle," Eda declared between grunts, leaving the room. "The last thing I need is the ghost of an infant haunting my halls.
Belos just laughed, seeing her run away and wondering for a moment whether to follow her or let her deal with her problem.
-***********"""""""""*********-
Well, I'm far enough from the throne room; now I just need to find Hunter and... Luz was walking through the corridors of the castle, somewhat lost while looking for the place where he was and hopefully avoiding meeting the little prince. "That child can be so cute in the same way that he is annoying," Luz whispered, a little chill running down his spine just thinking about that boy with gray hair.
Hey you! A voice called behind her: "The girl with the armor, come here." A couple of huge steps began to be felt behind Luz. She turned to see what was probably one of the biggest guys she had ever met in her life.
- Cadet! What are you doing outside the training room? He questioned him without giving him a chance to answer: "Let's go to the testing ground right now!" Luz was lifted off the ground by the subject without any effort.
- Wait! I'm not. Luz wanted to say something, but the man was already running at full speed through the corridors. The girl couldn't discern what she was seeing at that moment; everything looked like a mirage while she was taken to the room. strength by someone who easily made Odalia's guards look like dwarfs by comparison.
"We have arrived! exclaimed the man. Luz fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Welcome to Corporal Wrath's training and testing ground! Her voice echoed throughout the room.
"Asshole, I'm not one of your soldiers." Luz mumbled a couple of insults before getting up to face the guy. "Hey, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm not a soldier of Alvain.
Hmmmm, maybe you're not, but you're in Queen Edalyn's castle, and you're wearing armor. Wrath narrowed his eyes to better see the armor that Luz was wearing. You come from Hibralt! The man's tone changed immediately. "What are you doing here? It's not time for the practice duel yet. He heard something confusing.
Luz was surprised and confused by what the man had told her. A practice duel between Hibralt and Alvain? Luz wanted to ask more about this, but the sound of the doors opening caught her attention.
Multiple armored youths from the kingdom of Alvain entered the room, forming lines that ended up filling part of the room—ready to serve! Ready to fight! For the queen and for our honor! The room burst into shouts, drowning out any chance for Luz to get more information.
"Well said, worms! Let's demonstrate the power of Alvain-Wrath," he exclaimed with the same intensity, taking Luz and raising her for all to see—Hibralt is confident of her victory this day. Look at this! A single soldier has come to face all of you.
Grunts and annoyed noises were heard from the group. "What do you have to say about this?" Wrath raised Luz again, and a burst of screams filled the room.
Alvain will never give in to mockery! That our power will be revealed! That we will crush the knight! Wrath smiled, lowering Luz to the ground and giving her a pat.
"Well said insects, now who will be the brave one to face our visitor?" Many raised their hands, until one finally climbed into the arena. Luz sighed, and putting on a helmet, she stepped onto the arena.
"Prepare to fall, Hibralt's dog," growled the knight, preparing his sword.
Luz wanted to do the same, but no one said, "Hey, where is mine?" I can't fight without one," Luz claimed, but everyone laughed.
What happens if you can't fight without a weapon? Hibralt's dogs are so weak, Wrath mocked. Luz growled and cursed under her breath. Alvain's soldiers were always a pain in the ass, no matter the situation; they couldn't avoid being teased at all times.
How had such a kingdom been kept standing? One wondered, but the answer was that they did.
Hibralt's dog dies. The soldier threw himself at Luz, but she only caught the blade with her glove. "You're weak, really weak," Luz muttered, pulling the cadet to her level and planting her fist with all her strength.
The boy flew from the force of the blow. Luz took a moment to catch her breath, still feeling the sensation of the idiot's fist. All of them were weak, and none of them had the minimum strength to face a barbarian. They are only shields of meat; sheep come to the slaughterhouse. Luz urged them to enter the arena.
A second brave man entered the arena. "You were lucky, Knight of Hibralt; don't expect a repeat." The man who was now in front of her was taller than the previous subject; he was holding a larger sword than the previous one; and his demeanor was more refined. She took a breath before throwing herself at Luz.
A small crack was heard, but Luz was still standing after blocking the guy's blow. "I almost felt something, you know." Luz mocked him, causing him to lash out at her once again with the same result. "That's all; I've seen kids hit harder than that.
"Stop blocking and attack at once! demanded the guy. Getting tired of Luz's attitude, she smiled and stuck the point of her practice sword into the boy's stomach. "Uhgg bitch," he murmured before falling to the ground in pain. It could have been a wooden sword, but a blow kept coming, and it hurt no matter what.
There are two and there are still—Luz began to count—my fingers can't reach to count so many bags of sand—she shook her head—now two of you, come up. Sure, if you don't mind, Mr. Wrath? Luz tested the huge foreman; a vein had formed on the guy's forehead.
"No, go ahead; please don't bother with me." The man forced a smile. This must have been a public execution for a boastful Hibralt soldier, a lesson in humility for Hibralt's proud troops, and in a few moments he had become the single-member playground.
"Thank you, Mr. Wrath," Luz said in a childish tone of mockery. "I thank you for giving me so much freedom with his men.
You're welcome. Wrath could feel like a vein was about to burst from the effort. Luz continued to fight the poor devils, increasing the difficulty for her as she little by little instilled fear among the poor devils who had unknowingly dug an early grave.
Luz let out a groan of exhaustion. Most of the troops that had decided to challenge her were now scattered on the ground, and small groans of pain could be heard from all of them.
"Well, that was fun," the girl murmured, getting up from the pile of victims that had served as a seat. "But I need to enc..." The doors to the room opened once more.
Two people familiar to Luz entered the room; her eyes widened when she saw who had arrived with Hunter. May her Majesty be received! the princess, Emira Blight! "What happened here?" a voice exclaimed, cutting off mid-sentence. Why is everyone on the floor?
"Wow, it seems we're late to the party; really a pity," a voice murmured. The gaze of a young woman with green hair scanned the room attentively. "I guess I'll have to settle for some tea." The young woman tried to take the blond's arm, but he pushed it away.
"I'm sorry, but I'm married, and you have a commitment." Hunter tried to get away from her, but Emira insisted on taking his arm.
"Don't worry, I won't bite," she winked at her. Luz felt something sprout inside her as she walked towards them.
"But I do, Emira." Luz pushed the girl's arm away, putting herself between the two of them. Emira was disconcerted for a moment, but it didn't take her long to come to her senses. Her eyes scanned the person in front of her.
We know each other. Your voice is familiar to me. Emira wanted to get closer to Luz, but Hunter was the one who got in the way this time. - Princess Emira could keep her distance from my wife.
Hmm, yes. I know that voice; it sounds like something to me, maybe in a dream or in Emira ignored the blond's words, immersed in her thoughts while he tried to remember the girl's voice. "Light, is that you? or by the titans, it's you! She exclaimed, taking the girl in a hug before Hunter could stop her.
"You have so many things to explain." Emira smiled, and Luz returned her somewhat uncomfortable smile.
I have so many things to explain, but I don't know where to start. Luz indicated, and Emira just laughed, taking Luz by the hand and running out of the room. "You'll do it with a cup of tea.
Hunter just sighed and went after them; he wasn't planning on leaving his wife with that girl.
-************"""""""""*********- -
Amity walked through the corridors, guided by the indications that her servants had given her. She managed to reach the place where all the guards trained in the castle of Consorcia.
A smell of sea breeze and salt permeated the air as she entered the place she wanted to be, along with the sound of the air being cut and the moans of the only member who was still using the place at this time.
Can I help you with something, Princess Amity? The voice of the guard asked him, "Or do you want me to escort her back to her room? She asked again.
No, it's not that... Amity took a deep breath before speaking. I want to become stronger! She let her out with force.
"Are you sure, princess?" the guard asked her again, and she agreed. Very well, but it won't be easy. I won't be nice to you. You can leave whenever you want, but once you do, I won't offer you this again. Alright?.
Amity nodded. In her heart, a single thought of hers invaded her: "Soon, Luz Noceda, soon we will be together again.
This finally came out in almost record time. I lied, as always.
Amity is finally going to the gym to get her beloved Luz back.
Luz is marking her territory with Emira.
* The next chapter will take us a couple of years in the future; if you have any idea what to call the first son of these two, tell me, or in the worst case, I'll call him Lucio, Camilo, or something like that.
If you have complaints and comments, you already know where to leave them for me, guys.