September 16, 870 AD.
City Titan, Iron Kingdom.
Nearly a month had passed since the coronation festival. Inside the great hall of the royal castle, the royal family and their guests sat around a dining table.
"Take that, you evil monster!" a tiny, high-pitched voice shouted.
Magnus was running across the rugs as fast as his short, wobbly legs could carry him. He was wielding a small wooden sword, swinging it wildly at the air with a toothy grin on his face.
"Oh, no! I am defeated!" King Louis the Stammerer gasped playfully. "You are too strong for me, Sir M-Magnus."
Magnus shrieked with laughter, jumping onto the cushions and poking Louis in the ribs with his wooden toy.
Sitting at the long dining table, Queen Ermentrude watched them with a soft smile.
She was the mother of the Frankish family, and seeing her eldest son actually smiling and playing was a rare, gift.
