122 Two years later
A red hair man with red eyes was in a very distressing situation, he looks at his chief guard and slightly begged him with pleading eyes. Justice was inside his study, doing mountains of paperwork. He was already tired and frustrated looking at the documents.
“Come on Bernard, I was cooped up inside this study for more than three hours now. I need to take some breather as well!” Justice throws his quill into his desk and even sulks like a child.
Bernard rolled his eyes, fed up with his antics. “Your majesty? Did you really need to behave like this?! you’re a grown man, the crown prince of this nation!”
“Yet, I could even get enough free time, just for once. I’m already cooped up inside the palace for a week!” Justice was so frustrated by his situation, he even rustled his perfect style of red hair just to make his point.
“I couldn’t do anything about it, the empress herself gave me a direct order for you to stay in this study until all of these documents are reviewed, approved, and signed with your signature, your majesty.” Said Bernard with a firm voice standing beside Justice.
“Ugh, seriously hate this.” Gruntled Justice, while his eyes glared at his chief guard.
A knock on a door makes the two of them a bit surprised because of how quiet the study room was. A palace attendant came inside and said, “Captain Vale, your majesty.”
The crown prince just instructed the attendant to let him go inside and then added, “It’s primary captain Vale now, don’t you forget.”
“Stop! Do you have to remind people everywhere about my new rank?!” Vale grunted and then sit on the sofa. He was tired after training the new magi in the new training center in the outer region of the capital.
.....
“What are you doing here? I am busy, as you can see.” Justice was muttering, showing Vale another document in his hand to be reviewed.
Vale was in the middle of pouring the aggrus into a glass. “Xavier told me that Henry will be back soon.”
Justice was intrigued by his words. “Really? Finally, after almost two years following Horden everywhere.”
Two years have gone by, and after the incident that destroyed Viora’s village from the map, Justice, Vale, Henry, and Xavier after drinking the cure of the bewitched spell, no longer have an obsession with a girl named River Anne. She disappears entirely from their life, and the four of them moved on, doing everything they could day by day.
Just recently, Vale got a new rank as a primary captain, while Xavier took Xander on his wings as one of the newest graduates of the knight. The only thing that stays the same was Justice, doing his crown prince duty with Javier and Jason as his helper, while Henry decided to take an indefinite leave from his knight duty and join his grandfather on a journey to every corner of the Valorian kingdom. He sent them news every once in a while. Seems like Henry was so keen to improve himself after the incident with the witch of the mountain.
They were hurt, body and soul. The witch was too powerful, and when Henry saw what kind of destruction, the witch has done. She could incapacitate Vale in a second, and put Justice and Xavier on the ground, while he couldn’t even do anything as fear came rushing in. Henry knew he needs to be stronger if he want to fight the witch once more. Hence, the journey begins with Horden, where he learns a new fighting skill and gains knowledge from his adventure.
Justice never resented Henry’s decision. He would love to do the same if he could, but duty comes first as he is the crown prince of the kingdom. Vale also had done a tremendous job in just two years. He was able to become the primary captain and was now in command of the captains with their subordinates.
“Where’s Xavier right now? We need to talk.” Said Justice to Vale, while he sat beside the primary captain and took the aggrus glass.
Bernard felt the need to remind his crown prince about his leeway. “Your majesty, you need...”
“Five minutes, Bernard! I just need some breather!” Glared the crown prince to his chief guard.
“Come on, he was just doing his duty,” Vale was chuckling, looking at how stressed Justice is right now. He tried to save the old chief guard. “Right Bernard, you’re only doing your duty.”
“Right... Primary captain Vale.” Said, Bernard.
“If only you could just call me Vale.” Vale looked at Bernard with a sigh.
“He will never do it, too proud for his own good,” Scoffed Justice at his chief guard, he let out a sigh and go back to his desk, “I guess, I need to finish this and finally be able to join you and Xavier for welcoming Henry back.”
“Yeah, you’ll do that,” Teased Vale to his friend, he stands up and walk into the door. “And for me, it would be a long day on my bed then.” Said Vale, waving his hand and leaving the crown prince’s study.
Both of them looking at Vale, who was leaving the study. Bernard turned his attention to the red hair crown prince on the desk, and a pang of sympathy came to him. Just like Vale, Justice’s daily life is full of duties, and resting in his chamber, he goes to meet with his best friends from time to time, but never does Bernard saw him with a female companion.
“Your majesty... are you going to get some rest in your chamber after this?” Asked Bernard to Justice.
Justice took a glance at Bernard and chuckled, “Yes, Bernard, what else that I supposed to do? My mother already tiring me with these documents already.”
Bernard went quiet for a moment and then asked him the questions that he sometimes wanted to convey to the crown prince, “About miss Anne...”
A slam on the desk makes Bernard immediately stop asking him the questions, Justice then gave his chief guard a smile and said, “I think I will need to rest now, so take these that I have already signed, I will do the rest, tomorrow.”
After giving the instruction to Bernard, Justice walks out of the study room without looking on his back. Bernard could only give a sigh and shook his head. That was the typical reaction from Justice whenever Bernard mentioned a certain beautiful young woman with astonishing purple hair. He never knew what happened to them two years ago, when he got back to the capital with a defeated expression and only announced to his family about Viora’s destruction. When the empress and her kings came to once the beautiful village of Viora, it was already too late. The land was redeemed, unliveable, magma was flowing from underground, everything burned to a crisp, and not even a single tree was alive.
The village becomes a cursed one, and they put fences over the Viora village and the survivor goes away to live in another area. Anne’s whereabouts were uncertain. The only people that she had been in contact with were her two friends on the exam period and Brom, which already become a captain by now.
A man came out from a small inn. He looked around and there was only an empty street. Let out a sigh and he goes to another part of the town, where there lies a garden with a bench. There he found the man that he had been looking for, a beautiful man with long blonde hair and blue eyes.
“Henry, what are you doing here? You need to go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.” Said the man to Henry.
Henry turned his head to see Horden looking back at him. The old man smiled and then sit with him on the bench. “Couldn’t sleep again?”
“Yeah, still the same nightmare...” Muttered Henry while he look up into the clear night sky, “The moon looks beautiful today.”
“Henry, sooner or later you need to face this nightmare of yours.” Horden looks into his grandson with concern on his face.
After the Viora incident, Henry came to him with a broken heart and asked him to teach him to be a better fighter. Horden then took him away for a long journey, thinking that his grandson might need it the most. They become closer after two years of adventure together.
Henry let out a sigh, and complained to his grandfather, “Could we just... Enjoying the night together? We are going to go back to the capital tomorrow, you know?”
“I have some news, Henry.” Said Horden as calmly as possible.
Henry finally turned his attention to Horden. “What happened?”
“Well, I just got some urgent assignment for you. It was all in this letter.” Horden gave Henry an envelope with a knight insignia attached to it. He opened the letter and cursed, “Great! Tell me this is not the truth?!”
“About your reassignment as the captain of the knight?” Asked Horden, trying to avoid another hidden assignment on the letter.
Frowning at Horden, Henry tried to let his grandfather admit his new assignment, “Grandpa, just tell me...”
Horden let out a sigh and looks at Henry with a firm face, “Fine, they wanted us to go and search for the missing registered healer named River Anne.”
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