1 A tranquil land

Hey, you! Yes, YOU! Don't just stand in front of the gates! Some busy people must finish today's work before it gets too dark. Come in!

Today's a special day. It has been exactly 350 years since this young kingdom's capital was founded. Many think that there were some barbarians that were established here first, but that's not true.

What you see being celebrated right now is not about the founder king, whose name was forgotten, but the Sunshide's Royal Family that annexed these lands. Although these belonged to them, it was their choice to entrust them to such a capable person.

I won't bore you much more. Let me guide you around.

The streets are bustling with people. There might be pickpocketers, so keep safe your bag of money.

Although what you see is the outer city, not all people have that much of a hard life.

Their clothes are clearly worn out, and they don't have enough money to buy the things the merchants are selling on the road, but they are happy.

Happy to be able to live their life in a safe place.

It has been over 350 years since the last disaster struck, giving birth to those monsters and abominations that can be commonly found outside these walls.

That is what those poor people are celebrating. Today is the 350th anniversary of this small but prosperous kingdom that existed in this cruel world.

A small heaven where people can trade freely, there are no fights and no slaves, and there is enough food and houses. You could have easily found someplace to work if you had arrived a few days earlier, but that's a pity.

Although we are talking about a kingdom, it isn't that big. Besides the Capital, there are only a few small cities.

You can see the biggest city, which also serves as its Capital, surrounded by mighty walls and impenetrable forests in the distance.

I know what you want to say. It's impossible for such a city to exist. I never took traveled to any of the neighboring kingdoms, so I don't understand what you people worry about.

I just live my life freely, looking for food, looking after my kids, grandkids, grand-grandkids...

Hm? Are you wondering if I am too old? Don't worry; I am still strong and kicking! I could fly to the moon and back if I wanted. Don't laugh at me, and I'm serious!

Sigh... follow me.

Since the city was divided by another couple of walls, let's start with the outer district. Here we can see the main gate that is heavily guarded in case of some beast comes from the forest. But that rarely happens nowadays, so don't worry too much.

Passing by, Captain John is reprimanding a couple of new recruits. Even though he sounds way harsher than he intends to be, he is a good man, loved by all his subordinates.

Many people enter the city carrying bags, cars, and other miscellaneous things. Look there! That skinny teen that has just arrived, with a determined look to become someone big, It's like in the stories that the old foggies are telling the children about the past king.

Suppose we passed by those few houses and plazas. In that case, we could see old man Marco, one of the best storytellers in the neighborhood, sitting in front of a fountain and telling jokes to the mass of children.

You could also hear the name of the King being mentioned by him. But that's nothing more than a legend nowadays.

You are slow! Let's make haste, there is not so much time left from the day, and I also have to go home to see my kids.

As we pass the second layer of protective walls, the number of nights seems to be multiplying. It's no wonder.

Starting with the inner district, we can find a significant upgrade compared with the outer community: inns, mercantile companies, knights, etc. Here is not only a place for wealthy people but also for the ones with history.

That was proven by the presence of the Browne family in the middle of negotiating something shady with an overweight man with a sly smile on his face. Busted!! A pity that I can't tell that to anyone.

Sigh, I would have to do something about that, but let's leave it for another day.

After passing the last walls, we found ourselves in front of the new castle. The sun had already started to lower itself, so I needed to hurry.

It's nothing that fancy, mostly made of wood and stone. The last wall was built to keep this mansion-like castle safe.

There are also few people passing by, primarily servants that had to clean here periodically.

But, let's go around the entrance. If we do so, we can find an abandoned garden after walking for a while.

What was once one of the most gorgeous flower gardens; now lays in a mixture of unrecognizable plants. There are still some fruit trees that have clearly grown in the wrong direction. They have a rough texture, maybe because of the passage of time.

If we look towards the castle, we can find a part of the collapsed wall. Fragments of stone and tree roots are scattered in half of the room. Or at least what the light from the setting sun permits us to see. In the other half of the room, imaginary shadows seem to be dancing as if trying to clean the mess.

Suddenly, from the rooms' depths comes the sound of a roughed and muffled breath. Just one.

If you come closer, the outline of a half-collapsed throne and what seems like the corpse of a human lying on it appears in front of us. That's Him!

A wrinkled, dried-up face. Long white hair served as his blanket. Only his bones could be seen from his past healthy and robust body.

The people are praising him as the one and only King that this forgotten world had truly managed to know. It is a brutal world to live in, one that even the gods had long since abandoned. But people still thank him for what he has done. A pity that it all ended like that.

There comes another breath! There is no doubt that he is still alive, but why is he sitting here? Why is nobody helping him? What has he been eating? What has he been drinking? Can he sleep well during the night? Here, open your mouth; I will give you some water from the nearby creek.

Why... has he been staying here for so long? I had lost count of how many kids I had raised so far...

The King slowly opened his eyes, feeling the bit of water in his mouth.

"Hmm...Is that....you...Sam?"

But nobody replied. The dying King could only see a small flower at his feet and a petite bird looking at him from atop the crumbled wall.

As always, it would set off as the sun was going down. Time indeed passed, and even it had children to return to.

Yes, like always...

A set of steps came from nowhere, scaring the bird away. Steps that haven't been heard for ages in this forgotten corner of the palace.

The King slowly lifted his eyes and looked at his uninvited guest. A youth in his prime stood on the rubble and looked down at him. At his hips was a sword. And the sword had a symbol that was impossible not to recognize, even with his poor sight.

"Why... do..you...have....it?"

A wooden wolf's head. The gift that he made for her. The last one before being trapped in this cursed place.

A sudden spark illuminated his eyes.

Ah! I see...So you have managed to get back safely.

Long, rusty chains shuddered under the heavy layer of rubble on the floor, indicating just how powerful he remained after so long. Even that damn curse couldn't stop his excitement.

That meant that his daughter was still alive. He didn't endure for three hundred years in vain...

Thank you, young man. Truly, thank you!

The last tears came flowing from his dried-up eyes.

The youth was about to reply, but he stopped. There was no reason to. The King had finally found peace, leaving behind a tiny tray of light that made its way to the youth's chest.

"May he rest in peace."

After being stunned for a few seconds, bowing his head to the King's remains, the youth took off on yet another adventure.

With the King's death, the 2-3 meters magic crystal, that was being guarded in the castle's depths finally shattered. And as if sensing something, one bird from the flock that covered the sky above the Capital started crying and turned its way around, returning in a hurry to the King's side.

But it was in vain, as the previous hole in the wall disappeared, sealing the King's body inside for his eternal rest.

Unrest spread among the population as news of this year's celebrations coming to an end, even before the Gift ceremony was held.

Only the Royal family knew about what had happened. They had lost their most important possession, their sword and shield.

But this would not end well. The king was about to make a decision, which would immerse the small kingdom in the flames of yet another war.

Author's note:

I leave this flower as a memento for the man who was the main character in my first novel as a child.

Everyone will eventually die, but the characters of a book will live to tell the story again to yet another reader.

I thank thee, who was my knight and my guide as a child. May you live another life as somebody else's hero.