The sun blazed overhead, its harsh light beating down on the stone roads and melting even the thickest patches of ice within moments. Despite the sweltering heat, the kingdom was alive with movement. Workers hurried to complete the final touches for the upcoming ceremony, and every corner of the capital bustled with visitors, merchants, and nobles from distant lands.
Anticipation filled the air, thick and vibrant, but beneath the surface, a storm was quietly building, one that would soon turn the celebration into chaos.
Inside the grand hall, the tension was evident. The crowd, gathered in elegant robes and polished armor, expected a formal announcement regarding the coronation. Instead, the elder who stepped forward looked pale.
He cleared his throat and spoke with hesitation, "Good morning, everyone. I bring important news… our prince, Esmond Gladwyne, has gone missing."
The words struck like thunder. For a moment, silence gripped the room before a wave of gasps, murmurs, and rising voices broke loose.
People shouted questions, others turned to each other in disbelief. The elder raised his hand in an attempt to calm them.
"Yes… it is our fault," he admitted. "We should have been more watchful of His Highness. As of now, we don't know if this is an abduction or if he left of his own will, perhaps to flee the heavy responsibilities before him. We cannot say for certain. But one thing is clear: if this news spreads outside these walls, it could put the kingdom in grave danger."
The crowd's anger turned quickly toward the elders. Voices rose in protest, accusing them of failure and betrayal. "How could you let this happen?" someone shouted. Another added, "If the prince can't take care of himself, how can he rule over all of us?"
The room trembled with fury, and it seemed as if reason might be lost to chaos, until the doors opened once more and silence fell like a blanket.
The Great Elder Georgian binlas stepped into the hall, his presence like a cold wind cutting through the heat. He said nothing at first, simply walked forward, his robes trailing behind him as the crowd instinctively made way.
His voice, when he spoke, was calm but heavy with authority. "As he said, we are facing a terrible problem,".
"Only three days remain until the coronation, and our prince is nowhere to be found. The kingdom is vast, and with so many guests already here, even our own movements are limited. As the temporary representative of the throne and as Great Elder, I, Georgian binlas, kindly requests your help in finding the prince."
His words rang through the chamber, powerful and direct. A personal request from Georgian binlas was no small matter, it was a chance for nobles and knights alike to prove their loyalty to the elder whose influence shaped the kingdom. The anger slowly turned to silence, then to reflection.
No one dared to refuse him. Whether out of fear, ambition, or true concern, they all knew: they were now part of something far greater than a simple search. By that the search for Prince Esmond had begun
Every entrance gate was tightly secured, no soul permitted passage without a thorough identification. Even those already inside were made to verify themselves under the watchful eyes of the palace knights.
In the middle of this chaos, the royal escort of the Eryndor kingdom flowed in, guarded by more than twenty elite knights clad in silver-trimmed armor, their crests gleaming in the sun. The kingdom was famed for its unmatched military might, and the sight of them made even the proudest nobles straighten their backs.
Onlookers crowded along the pathways, awe and envy etched into their faces; who wouldn't want to walk with such command?
As their grand carriage reached the palace gate and came to a halt, the atmosphere grew hushed with anticipation. The door opened. Stepping into the light, came the princess of Eryndor kingdom, grace in motion, a beauty so radiant it stole the breath from the crowd.
The great elders stood in quiet formation at the palace gates, their presence marked by dignity and quiet anticipation. As the royal carriage of Eryndor rolled to a halt, Princess Mariana Rodakowski descended with regal grace, her eyes scanning the crowd with silent expectations. One of the elders stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Greetings, Princess Mariana Rodakowski. It is a pleasure to have you here."
But the princess's expression held a flicker of disappointment.
"I was expecting the future king to welcome me. Is it not improper to greet a princess without the king?"
The elder hesitated for a breath, then answered with careful courtesy, "I'm afraid our prince is presently engaged, Your Highness. We are terribly sorry. You must be weary from your long journey, we have prepared a place for you to rest."
From the shadowed balcony above, Elder Georgian binlas observed the scene carefully. But something else caught his attention, a figure standing behind the princess, cloaked in a dark coat, face unreadable. A personal guard, yes, but not just any. The man delicately raised his head, his gaze meeting Georgian's with chilling awareness. It was not a mere glance, it was a signal.
Time moved swiftly, and night cloaked the kingdom in silver silence. Despite the hour, the palace grounds were alive with preparation; lanterns danced like fireflies, and footsteps echoed endlessly. The prince was still missing, and yet the work for the coming ceremony never ceased.
Princess Mariana stood quietly on the balcony of her chamber, her gaze sweeping across the kingdom that shimmered beneath the night sky.
The fire torches lining the distant walls flickered like glowing insects, casting a golden hue over the cobblestone paths below. The air was still, and the sky above was crystal clear, revealing a blanket of stars and a silver moon that bathed the land in soft light.
Lost in the moment, she didn't notice the gentle footsteps behind her until a familiar voice broke the silence."Your Highness, the night air grows cold. It would be wise to come inside."
She didn't move, eyes still fixed on the kingdom below. "Tell me, Almorin" she said gently, "have you ever seen something this beautiful before?"
Almorin stood beside her, his tone almost a whisper. "I have, Your Highness. It was my wife."
Mariana turned to him, surprised, curious. "Tell me... who was she?"
Almorin closed his eyes for a moment, as if the memory still lived fresh in his heart.
"She was a commoner, Your Highness," he said quietly. "A simple woman who loved flowers, nothing more, nothing less. But to me, she was the world. Everyone loved her; she had that gift, that quiet kindness that lingered long after she was gone. She changed me. Taught me to see the beauty in the smallest things, in the gentlest gestures. Before her, the world was just duty and silence. After her... it had color." He stares at the distant horizon, at that moment his smile was far more beautiful than anything.
Meanwhile...
From the eastern side of the kingdom, a thin trail of smoke rose unexpectedly, curling into the sky like a warning.
Moments later, a thunderous blast shattered the stillness, violent and sudden. The explosion lit up the horizon, ripping through the surrounding houses and sending shockwaves that trembled the very ground beneath the kingdom reducing them to ruin in the blink of an eye.
The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the kingdom to its very core.
Windows shattered, birds scattered, and hearts froze.
Every guard within earshot turned instinctively toward the blast, abandoning their posts without hesitation. Even the sentinels atop the fortified palace walls shifted their focus, eyes wide with alarm.
In that single moment, all attention was drawn to the east, where silence had been replaced by smoke, fire, and fear.