After the vigour of the bloody battle, silence reigned over the night as the rays of the full moon bathed the golden sands of the desert with their pristine silver glow. Lying on his knees with his hands gripping the hilt of his sword, Remius 's trembling body rested on the jagged steel blade embedded in the desert surface.

The remnants of the fallen monarch's blood ran down the cold metal until it touched the sand, similar to the raindrops that slide down the windows in the storm.

Frowning and grinding his teeth, the Aspiranten prince cursed himself under his breath as his eyes continued to gaze at the remnants of what was once the body of the imposing king of the lupus.

When his body was finally able to relax a little, the pain overwhelmed Remius to the point of causing cramps in all his muscles, knocking him to the ground, unable to even maintain his composure.

- “Your Highness!” Approaching as fast as his injured leg would allow, Gideon’s silhouette could be seen a short distance away from the prince. For a brief moment, he gave a slight sigh of relief that took the stiffness out of his face, but soon the freshness of the experience of battle constricted his heart again.

- “My lord, here I am”

- “Yes, I see you clearly, my faithful Gideon.”

- “You have succeeded, my lord, you have won the battle and you have managed to save us all.”

- “Gideon, this was not a battle. In a battle, the fate of thousands or millions is decided by strategy. But tonight, here in this very place, what has happened is nothing less than patricide.” – Trying to rise to his knees, Remius ’ shoulders slumped forward with his head bowed as he let his tears flow uncontrollably.

That prince who in his youth shared so many moments with King Ambrose, felt the seed of guilt germinate, taking root in his heart, lacerated by remorse.

- “I should have died with the Gideon. I have killed a great man.”

- “You can't say that, my lord! You had no choice.”

- “There always is, Gideon, but I lack the intelligence to find her in the middle of the battle.”

- “It was impossible, my lord! King Ambrosio had already entered his final phase, there was no way to contain him.”

- “You can't know that, Gideon!”

- “NO REMIUS! YOU’RE RIGHT DAMN IT, I DON’T KNOW!” – Taking the prince firmly by the shoulders, Gideon had the expression on his face visibly showing his desperation. The young prince whom he had always seen with his imperturbable countenance, whose mind was always equanimous before any event. He was completely broken as if he were a child who had been abandoned in the middle of the forest.

Trying to regain his composure as the prince's advisor, Gideon took a deep breath and then exhaled sharply as if he were exasperated.

- “How long are you going to keep cursing yourself for everything, carrying the weight of other people’s sins on your shoulders while pretending that nothing is happening! Look at you Remius , ever since you were a child your family has done nothing but belittle you and send you to the battlefield again and again as if they wished you dead.

But despite all that, you are here before me. You are a survivor of fate and the will of the goddess. Despite every test that has knocked you down, you have risen with a defiant look and firm legs.” – Gideon's voice had a calm but firm tone, as if he were an older brother trying to reason with his younger brother. With each word loaded with his deepest recognition to his superior, the advisor kept the firmness of his hands on the prince's shoulders. Who raised his gaze to meet Gideon's.

- “Gideon, I have taken many lives on the battlefield. However, never one of someone close to me to the point of considering them family. Can someone like me be considered worthy of becoming king?” – That question was something that frequently tormented the heart of the prince, who always felt minimized by the favoritism that his brother Romulos had among the high nobility and a good part of the royal court.

On the one hand, the prince loved by the nobility and on the other, the warrior prince who was loved by the commoners. Having earned the nickname of the prince of the people, Remius made his way through sword and blood to the good fortune of combat. And yet, the origin of the mixed blood was something that tormented him.

- “If you ask me as a citizen of Melina, I can tell you without a doubt that you have everything it takes to become king. But if you ask me as your advisor and friend, I would say that you are not yet fit for the throne. Not because you lack qualities, because you far surpass the infamous Romulos . But it is your own insecurity that does not allow you to see the greatness you carry within you” – Clapping his right hand on Remius ’ shoulder , Gideon kept a serious expression on his face and yet in his eyes there was a comforting warmth that was far from being a reproach against the prince.

- “Gideon. I want you to promise me something tonight, my faithful friend.”

- “Tell me and I will obey my lord”

- “If at any time in your eyes I cease to be someone worthy of wearing the crown, I ask you to please kill me, before I can become vile.” – A brief silence followed the heavy words that the prince pronounced to his advisor, who for a moment felt as if his throat was cut by a knife with a dull, blunted blade.

Gideon knew that these words were not the product of the emotion of the moment, but were loaded with the conviction of a man who fully understood the meaning of the commitment of the crown. For he who wears the crown rules not for himself, but for his people.

- “According to the desire of my lord’s heart, this servant swears that he will do according to the will of his lips.” – Taking the dagger he wore at his belt, Gideon unsheathed the blade and made a shallow wound on the palm of his hand. Remius did the same with his right hand and both shook hands in a solemn sign of blood pact.

- “Here is the man to whom I entrust my life and my destiny”

- “Here is the man who accepts the mission”

Helping each other to stand on the fine desert sands, Gideon blew his horn to warn the soldiers to come forward to recover what remained of King Ambrose's body, as well as to escort Princess Suthi , who was still unconscious from the shock of the fight.

- “My lord, what shall we do with the young princess? Should we take her to Melina with us or leave her in Sidelia escorted by a contingent?”

- “If the situation were different, I dare say we could leave it here as you suggest Gideon, but there are a couple of snakes that are very close to us and they will not spare any trick or ruse to put us in a tight spot” – After what happened with the port city with the troops of Lucretius and Demetrius, Prince Remius was reluctant to even leave the royal city of Melina so soon.

- “Then I will ask our men to arrange another vehicle to escort the princess on our way back to the nation.”

- “I'll leave it to you then.” Dismissing his advisor to carry out the preparations, the prince approached the sleigh where Aurora was accompanied by Stuart, listening to the healer screaming in agony along with the corporal's broken voice, who clumsily tried to calm her down.

- “Stuart! What’s going on?”

- “Prince, the healer has gone into labor!”

- “So soon? Wasn’t she supposed to be at least a month away?” – Shocked by the impression that was before his eyes, Prince Remius approached the feet of the young woman, who was holding with her hands two ropes that had been placed at the corners of the sleigh to give her strength while she pushed.

- “Stuart, don’t just stand there! Go get some hot water and clean blankets, there’s no time to lose!” – At the unison of his master’s command, the soldier quickly left the sled and went to one of the platoon’s contingents to ask for the things he had been entrusted with.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

- “Tell me, are you okay, Mrs. Aurora?” – Bringing his hand to the woman’s forehead, Remius brushed her bangs away, revealing the healer’s eyes. Her gaze looked slightly lost due to the pain, while her pale skin shone from the sweat reflected by the lamp inside the sleigh.

- “Max, I feel like I’m going to die. Our baby Max, our son is coming, but I feel like my body is losing strength.” – Realizing that the woman was delirious from the pain and that the skin on her forehead was cold when he touched it, Remius looked at Aurora’s crotch and saw with horror that the blanket under her legs was completely soaked in blood.

Seeing this, the prince tried to rush to get help, but he felt his hand being grabbed by thin, cold fingers, which made him realize what was happening. Aurora was dying and unconsciously he wished he wasn't alone at that moment.

- “Maximiliano, my love, it is not your fault that this is happening. Don’t be afraid, this was something that had to happen inevitably” – During the time she was pregnant, Aurora knew that the birth would be complicated even in a normal situation. And at that moment, the simple fact of even remaining conscious was already a miracle in itself.

- “Max? Are you still there?” – Having lost the ability to see due to hypovolemia, Aurora clung with the little strength she had left to the firm and thick hand of Remius , who looked at her in disbelief at the possibility that this woman was going to die that night.

- “Yes, I’m still here, Aurora.” – Trying to play along with the dying healer, the prince looked down as he lightly squeezed the woman’s hand. A slight smile appeared on her face as tears rolled from her eyes.

- “Max, please take care of our son. Even if I die, please promise me that you won’t hate him. That’s all I beg of you, my love.” – With a slight tone of desperation in her words, Aurora vehemently begged the man at her side for the baby’s life. While the prince couldn’t even consider that someone would mistreat his son for something that wasn’t his fault.

However, remembering what his life had been like since his birth, Remius found some empathy with Aurora's words and in order to reassure the woman, the prince whispered in her ear that he would take care of the baby.

Hearing those words, Aurora felt the contraction pains growing stronger in her pelvis and cramps numbing her legs.

Stuart arrived with the things that had been requested, and the prince began to prepare everything to receive the creature that was about to be born. At the same time, Aurora screamed with the little strength she had left in her chest, letting out screams that at times sounded like the death rattles of a dying man.

- “Make one more effort Aurora, just one last effort” – Encouraging the weak woman, the prince continued to hold Aurora’s hand while Stuart held clean blankets to receive the baby. It was then that with a last cry, the young woman released the baby as she exhaled her last breath from her thin, dry lips.

As the newborn baby cried loudly as if a lion were roaring in the savannah, the light in Aurora's eyes began to fade as Remius brought the baby close to the dying mother's face.

- “Look Aurora, she is a very healthy and plump girl. She is your daughter, you did well.” – A single tear flowed from the left eye of Aurora’s corpse, who had a completely lost look on her face.

- “Sir, is it true then?” – Entering through the carriage door, Gideon looked at the prince who was holding a baby at the foot of her mother’s corpse. With a face full of deep sorrow, he hugged the little baby who did not stop crying in the middle of that funereal moment.

- “Yes, Gideon, the healer has died. Please tell our men to prepare everything to enter the city and make a camp for at least a month. We must prepare all the details to leave a rearguard contingent to ensure the safety of the civilian population.”

- “Do you want me to tell them to prepare a funeral for Mrs. Aurora?”

- “Yes, but it must be discreet. We still have to show respect for King Ambrosio’s death and I don’t want the people to think that we want to make fun of them” – Despite owing Aurora a great favor, the prince was aware that holding a funeral as his heart’s desire dictated for her, was something that could be frowned upon by the people of Sidelia who had lost their king.

According to the custom of the desert sand nation, upon the death of a sovereign or a member of the royal family, all public funeral processions were prohibited while higher order rituals were being carried out.

- “Honestly, I think it's a bit cruel.”

- “I think so too, Gideon, but we have already greatly shaken the foundations of this nation and adding another incident will only cause more blood to be spilled unnecessarily.” – Bowing his face reverently to Aurora’s body, the prince intoned a brief sacred chant intended to bless the dead on their journey to the underworld.

Likewise, Gideon took out a rosary of red beads from his clothes and lowered his gaze with his eyes closed while the prince prayed.

It was a cold night bathed in blood and tears, even though the blessing of a life that had come into the world, grief filled the atmosphere at the deaths of two people of great importance to the young aspiring monarch.

Meanwhile, under the same night sky, but twelve days away by sleigh, a red-haired woman was cursing under her breath while a healer examined the stump where her right hand should be.

- “Are you sure there is nothing you can do?”” – With a bandage covering part of her face at the level of her left eye, Berenice had a countenance that was a mix of sickness and anger.

- “I am sorry, my lady, but as much as I have tried to make your member regenerate, I have found it impossible to achieve it. This wound was not caused by any weapon but by pure astral power, it is something that in all my years I have only seen once and the person who suffered the same kind of wounds did not manage to regenerate” – Saying those words with total nervousness, the old healer in the service of the army of Antioch's legs trembled as he felt the intense murderous gaze of Captain Eusebio's daughter.

- “Am I surrounded by useless people!?” – Jumping up from her chair, Berenice hit the healer with her left arm, throwing him to the floor. She approached him savagely, to grab him by the neck with uncontrollable fury.

- “Your services are no longer needed, consider this your retirement from the military” – With the coldness that characterized her, the red-haired maiden used her power on the man who only watched in horror as his body turned into that of a wooden puppet. Then, he turned into a pile of splinters before the immense amount of spiritual energy that Berenice channeled into him.

- “Well, if I didn’t know you were married, I’d say you were Demetrius’ sister. You both have practically the same bad temper with your subordinates.” Smiling discreetly in a mocking manner, Lucretius stood at the entrance of the tent, holding a scroll on which was written a royal summons from the crown of Antioch .

- “Shut your fucking mouth Lucrecio, you are just a friend of my husband. If you continue to overstep your boundaries in your trusting attitude towards me, you will pay dearly for it.”

- “Oh, well. I will keep in mind your valuable advice, Viscountess Barbosa. But you will also know that if we are put on a scale before our dear Demetrio, the one who would have the greatest weight would be me” – As if he were a ghost, Lucrecio moved at great speed until he reached where Berenice was, placing himself back to back while leaning his head back to rest on the viscountess’s shoulder.

- “If I wanted to, I could rip your damn heart out before you could even use your damn ability, you presumptuous little bitch. Be thankful that I’m trying to be friendly with you and don’t get on my nerves, or I’ll forget that you’re my friend’s wife, even if it’s only by contract.” – With a facial expression full of anger to the point that her cheeks blushed, Berenice was fully aware that she was still no match for the proud Lucretius’ power. All she could do was nod calmly without raising her voice, while the proud admiral placed the scroll in her hand.

- “Demetrius has already read it, but I thought you should know it anyway, since you are his wife. It seems that our beloved King Romulus had the fantastic idea of annexing the territories conquered by our troops and turning them into a principality subordinate to the crown of Antioch .”

- “Wait a minute, that’s complete madness! Even if we have defeated them, the civilian population will not be subservient to our will. Besides, we still have to reckon with the fact that King Ambrosio will not remain idle in the face of such a challenge.”

- “But that’s the best part, my dear, there is no king on the throne who can make us turn back!” – Laughing unhealthily with bloodshot eyes, Lucrecio brought his hands to his abdomen trying to contain his laughter as much as he could.

- “What do you think is funny?”

- “You, my dear. That’s what I find funny right now. Haven’t you heard the news because of your bad mood? King Ambrose has been killed in a duel by Prince Remius for a week .”

- “You’re lying!” – With a face full of disbelief, Berenice brought her hand to her mouth as if she had received news that caused her dismay. From the few years of innocence that the young viscountess once had, a brief memory came to her mind from when her mother was still alive.

From time to time, for reasons of territorial diplomacy, Captain Rivera's family accompanied him to the territories where the crown sent him as an emissary.

It was on one occasion while playing with Princess Suthi near an oasis, that a sand monster inadvertently emerged, surprising the girls. When she thought she was about to die, a corpulent figure stood between them and the beast, subduing it with both hands until the sound of bone crunching was heard as the beast fell dead to the ground.

- “I think I have been very negligent. I thought I had finished off all these bugs so that they could have a good time playing today” – With a frank smile and a firm gaze, that man completely eclipsed Berenice, who had only felt admiration for her father.

As protocol dictated, King Ambrose was very direct and unreserved with the emissaries, but on the other hand he was affable in his dealings with their families, giving the impression of a good-natured grandfather with his grandchildren.

- “Rest assured that I am not lying, my shadows have already confirmed with full certainty that the king is dead. In fact, they held a four-day funeral rite, however, they mentioned a rather strange incident that I would like to investigate personally” – Bringing his hand to his chin and looking to the left, Lucretius looked like a cunning fox licking its whiskers before a succulent prey.

- “Then I will tell my troops to prepare to leave immediately.”

- “No, both you and Demetrius have been ordered to return to the palace. You know perfectly well that King Remius does not like his orders to be ignored and has given top priority to the matter of creating the principality.” – Pressing his hand on the Viscountess’s shoulder, Lucretius looked into her eyes with a coldness befitting a snake.

- “Then it shall be done, but I still don’t agree” – Removing Lucrecio’s hand from her shoulder with a disdainful frown in her eyes, Berenice left the tent in search of Demetrio in order to prepare to leave at dawn.

- “I am really very curious about the news my men have told me. If it is true, it will be very funny.” – Resting his hands on the table and leaning his body back slightly, Lucretius kept his gaze enraptured on the report written by his spies in the royal capital of Sidelia.