Prince Leonay Obadiah of Ruah
Four great kingdoms occupied the lands surrounding the springs and crystal clear rivers: Akrida, Beruma, Meraki and Ruah. Each had its own peculiarities and wealth that kept order among them. Akrida was known for its mastery of iron and other minerals. Beruma for its potions and remedies. Meraki was home to the greatest philosophers and scholars, and Ruah was the land of magicians who could control the air and maintain the quality of the air the other kingdoms breathed.
The kingdoms lived in peace. Treaties, alliances, and favors—whatever was politically acceptable — were honored. Akrida provided weapons in exchange for scholars and medicine to counteract the pollution of its waters, which had begun to deteriorate.
But simple exchange was no longer enough. The world was falling into chaos, and with the coming of winter, things would only get worse. Perez had made a proposal to Esteban a month ago. Winter would soon reach Ruah after consuming the streets of Akrida. The proposal was simple: unite their governments and take Beruma, the last independent kingdom. Winter took months to reach Beruma, and its people did not yet have to worry about hunger, disease, or certain death.
“Your neck cord is crooked.”
His mother had been watching him for hours, and he seemed unconcerned about his clothes.
"It's suffocating me." He felt the cloth tighten around his neck. "Everything here, really."
He looked around and despised it all. Nothing was like home. He couldn't believe he had to live here.
"Get used to it. A little discomfort is better than starving in Ruah."
His mother adjusted his robes and crown.
"Yes, Queen Elza."
He replied, bowing with ironic theatricality.
"Go outside and get some air, Prince Leo... Leonay."
Prince Leonay Obadiah of Ruah. The eldest son and heir apparent. Black hair, brown eyes, six feet tall, and an almost painful sense of freedom for a prince. He hated balls and any place where he had to stay for more than two hours. The palace walls felt like a prison, and he despised feeling trapped. The palace gardens were beautiful, but without his friends, they were dull and boring.
It was the first time Leo was away from his friends and the life he knew in Ruah. They had said goodbye days ago, but it was hard to believe that he would never return home. He had spent 21 years in his parents' kingdom, and suddenly he had been sent to a dying land to marry a woman he barely knew.
“Hello...”
The woman he would wake up next to for the rest of his life appeared at his side.
“Hello!” He bowed to her. “Sorry for leaving like that. I just needed…”
“Air?” She understood the feeling, though it was strange to see it in him. “I know it well.”
The realization that Haya felt the same way made him relax for a second, to see her as a real person and not just another piece in her parents' game.
“It's been a while since I last saw you at Duchess Fiona's parties.” Every year, the noblewoman hosted an event for royal children and nobility. “What have you been up to?”
“ I'm getting ready for the crown.”
She summed up the last years of his life.
“Oh?” Until last week, he had been traveling and enjoying the nightlife of his kingdom. "Those were good parties. Of course, Fiona always had those bizarre magic tricks."
He saw Haya smile for the first time.
"I haven't seen her for a long time. In fact, I haven't seen anyone from the group in years. Did Stella get married?"
Marriage had shed all her renunciations.
“Yes, with a commoner, the son of a craftsman." He shared the gossip that shocked her. "Didn't you hear? It was a scandal."
Haya looked ahead, at her castle, the refuge where she had hidden for years.
"I suppose it's the price we pay. I prepared myself to be a queen and gave up anything that might distract me from that."
She laughed sadly.
"I suppose you hate this circus our parents have set up, too."
He stepped closer and saw a familiar sadness.
"You think our marriage is an act?"
She stepped back, shocked.
"I just... I mean..."
Nervously, he felt his breath catching again.
"Relax." She smiled, ending the joke that had startled him. "I hate all this, too. I spent my whole life preparing to be queen."
She sat down on the bench, forgetting etiquette and posture.
"And you still will be."
He sat next to her, and the two of them ignored the world around them and the watchful eyes of everyone else.
"No, I'll just be your wife. Your companion at balls and the mother of your heirs."
"Of course, I want two children in less than a year." His ironic tone didn't affect her. "I'm joking. Look, I'm going to need a lot of help. All the help I can get, in fact."
"And I'll be here."
It still wasn't what she wanted. She smiled again and took his hands.
"We can be friends, can't we? I mean, we'll marry and rule together. At least we can be friends."
"Of course."
He took her hands again.
"And, you know, you can go on doing your things, and I'll do mine."
"Your things?"
"Yeah, you know. Going out, enjoying the nightlife. I don't know about here, but Ruah had the best nights."
"You're an idiot." She stood up and walked away. "You haven't changed at all. I can't believe my kingdom will be in your hands."
"What?"
He didn't understand her reaction.
"This is a nightmare."
He muttered, banging his head against the balcony. No wind, no birdsong, no color. Nothing but cold and iron spreading through the gardens.
He wished for at least one familiar face, one known person - anyone, even one of her younger siblings - to be there to support him in this moment of grief.
"You will stand guard at the balcony doors. You must not move, change places, or even think of leaving your post."
In the midst of his lament, he was forced to overhear a conversation between the commander and a new recruit. When he turned around, he saw the high-ranking officer yelling and slapping the young soldier's face.
"You are nothing here, do you hear me?"
The man yelled, grabbing the boy by the throat.
"Hey, don't you think you're going too far?"
Irritated by the aggression, Leonay approached, preventing another punch from landing.
"Who do you think you are?"
Silas, the commander and Perez's right-hand man, released the new recruit and met the prince's gaze.
"Prince Leonay Obadiah of Ruah."
He usually avoided using his title, preferring to remain unnoticed in the kingdom, but this time he spoke it with pride. Silas slowly lowered his arms, releasing the soldier and bowing to the prince.
"Your Highness."
"If you don't want me to report your behavior to the king, leave immediately."
Even his voice changed. No smile, no restraint. He looked exactly like his father.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
With barely concealed anger, the man walked away, knowing he would make the soldier's life miserable.
"Are you all right?"
He helped the young man, who was about his age and nearly his size.
"Yes, thank you, Your Highness."
The recruit bowed in gratitude, though his bruises and the blood on his lips showed the punishment he had received.
“Not at all. In Ruah, our soldiers are treated with a little more dignity."
Leo chuckled as he watched King Perez's servants scurrying about.
"It's my first day, so I don't know what to say. Nobody chooses the army."
He coughed, spitting blood from the beating.
"No choices. I understand that." The only one who seemed to understand him was a simple soldier. He could accept that. "I'm Leo."
"I thought your name was Leonay."
"For the people, the heralds and my parents - they have terrible taste in names."
"I'm Esra of Tylia, and I actually like my name, so let's keep it that way."
"Tylia? That's not Akrida?"
Unlike his future wife, Leo hadn't attended many lessons and knew little about the rest of the world.
"There are villages surrounding the kingdom - Baruk, Zete, Agan and Tylia. We pay taxes to the king, but we are not part of Akrida's Golden Circle."
Away from Silas's watchful gaze, Esra accepted a drink from the servants and sat down, exhausted from the day.
"That's..." Leo hesitated. He had a word for the king's politics, but he couldn't say it out loud. "Anyway, I don't know much about this place. I came once or twice as a child."
"You're going to marry the princess. Isn't it important to know the people you will rule?"
"You are absolutely right. I should get to know the people... my people."
A smile crept across Leo's lips as an idea took shape in his mind. He had spent hours trapped in a carriage, only to be thrown into a boring celebration. He had to get out. "Do you know where I can get a sword?"
"I have a blacksmith friend. The best in town."
"You take me there."
He took off his crown and cloak with ease.
"I can't. I'm still on duty, and it's my first day."
"You're with the future king. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Let's go?"
The free spirit inside him stirred. He needed to breathe, to escape - even for a little while - before the weight of duty smothered him completely.