Sword fight

The next day.

The old Duke started with his journey towards village Ambra early in the morning. He had left Killian to take care of Eleanor and the mansion as well as to deal with his work. The Duke did not know how long it would take for him to return home. So, he made sure his son would take care of his work in his absence. Also, leaving the mansion unattended, with Eleanor to deal with all the issues was something the Duke was not ready for. 

So, it was only Duke Zale along with four guards on this journey. It would take them two days to reach the village as it was situated on the outskirts of the kingdom territory. "I'll be leaving now. Take care of Eleanor and," The Duke leaned closer to his son and whispered so that only he could hear, "Keep an eye on Odalis." 

His words brought a small smile on Killian's face which the Duke failed to notice. "Don't worry, Father. I'll make sure that the woman does not come up with any evil ideas in your absence." His voice was dripping with malicious intent. But the Duke assumed it to be something else altogether. 

The Duke left the mansion after giving his son some important instructions. This time he had chosen to ride his horse rather than his carriage as that would make it easier for him to travel. Killian waited until his father vanished from his sight before he returned to his room. It was still dawn and not many people knew about the Duke's departure, not even Eleanor.

The previous day, she had only been informed about her father's plans. She had no idea that he would be leaving this early. The woman was still trying to catch up on her beauty sleep in her room. 

However, there was somebody who had found out about the Duke's departure. Odalis sensed the Duke's absence as soon as she got up. Her lips curled up when she remembered Alastair's assurance. The king had promised her to deal with this matter thoroughly and he was a man of his words. So, there was no way that the Duke could succeed in harming the royal family.

"You will get you retribution soon, Romulus Zale," Odalis muttered and waited another few minutes to resume her duties for the day. So what if the Duke was not home, his children were still around her and with them keeping an eye on her, there was no way she would have a peaceful life for the time being.

Meanwhile, the Duke had no idea that his intentions were already known to the people he wanted to take care of. And that they were planning his destruction even without them doing anything. He was more concerned about finding the village Ambra and meeting a witch. 

There were a lot of rumors about the village he was going to visit. If they were true, then it was said that after the witches were banished from the kingdom, the strongest witches of that time joined hands to make this village disappear. It was not easily available for anybody and just finding the entrance of the village was a huge problem.

The Duke only knew where the village was situated. He did not know how to find it as it was completely hidden from every human. "I just hope that I meet at least one strong witch." He muttered as he reined his horse and the horse started galloping faster than before.

On the other side, Alastair who had woken up early as usual started to chuckle when he sensed something abnormal. "Looks like Duke has started to put his plan into action. I wish him a safe and happy journey." He then got ready for his morning sword practice and training. 

Kenneth and Cyrus were already practicing their skills and as soon as they saw the king walk into the fighting arena with his sword in hand, the two men bowed in respect. "Good morning, My King."

"A pleasant morning indeed," Alastair smiled at the two and started practicing sword fighting with one of the knights. As the man was more powerful than the knight by a large gap, Alastair had to suppress most of his strength. The man he was dealing with was a mere human and it would be unfair of him to use all his strength. The only two people, other than his father, with whom he could fight properly were Kenneth and Cyrus as they were not normal human beings.

Alastair was in the middle of fighting with the knight when the ground became silent all of a sudden and even the guard he was fighting with had retreated back. Turning around, Alastair saw his father walking calmly, with a small smile on his face. He was wearing his leather armor and carrying his favorite sword with him.

"Father," Alastair greeted him and his eyes again fell on the sword. He had heard the greatness of the sword and as expected, it seemed as majestic as ever. Even at one glance, anybody who had the knowledge about weapons could find out how strong and sharp the sword was. Ragnor noticed Alastair's keen interest in the weapon he was holding and he smiled at his boy. 

"Come, let's duel," Ragnor called out to his son, stunning him for a second. Alastair could not help but wonder how long it had been since they trained together. 'Maybe few seasons have passed since the last time.'

Ragnor observed his son's state of absent-mindedness and not waiting another moment, he raised his sword and attacked him. To his pleasant surprise, Alastair lifted his sword right on time and defended himself. A smirk landed on Rangor's face and the father and the son started to battle out while the others around them looked on. 

This time, Alastair did not have to hold back his power. He used all the strength he had in him and attacked his father, knowing that nothing he did would hurt him. His father was the only powerful man he could never defeat and just as always after an intense battle, Alastair ended up becoming disarmed. 

But he was not saddened by his defeat. He had expected the result as it was impossible for him to win against his father. Ragnor had more experience, strength, and vigor even though he was older than Alastair. He did not know what the reason was and even his father had not told him much about it. Whenever he had asked about it, he would brush it off to the future, and eventually, Alastair gave up thinking that his father would tell him in the future.

"Alastair, come with me son." Ragnor led his son away from the arena and brought him towards a stone bench. The father and the son sat beside each other and stared at the rising sun which was slowly spreading its warmth on the kingdom. "Son, did you find the angel?"

His question brought a smile to Alastair's face. He lifted his sword and stared at it as he started speaking, "Father, I did find a girl who might be an angel. But, I am yet to confirm the same." Alastair answered honestly. He had nothing to hide from his father as he too was helping him to find the girl Osiris had spoken about. "I'll tell you about her when I find out everything."

"That's great then. I hope she is the one we are looking for. I have something else to tell you about. Son, your mother was worried about our safety, even after I tried assuring her. So, we have decided to stay in the castle until you get married."

"That's great, Father," Alastair replied almost instantly, making Ragnor to chuckle. He knew that his son did not want his parents to leave him yet. And now that there was a potential threat to their lives, his concerns rose all the more. Even Ragnor found it better to stay at the castle for now until the wicked Duke's matters were solved. At least his wife would have peace of mind and they could deal with any troubles together.

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Hey guys,

Please do remember Ragnor's sword as it has significance in the future.