Cyanwood Forest

“I’m so bored.” Kyra muttered as she lay on her back, scrolling through the holographic screen before her. She was on the job request board, and nothing seemed interesting to her. Nothing.

{Hunt a troll for 12000 XP and sixteen gold Xylons}

{Help me farm for 6000XP and Thirty Silver Xylons}

{Teach my daughter magic of 9000 XP and Twenty-One Gold Xylons}

Kyra just didn’t care for any of these. After the fiasco that went down with her brother, the villagers deemed her a liability and politely asked for her to leave. Which she did. Now here she was, laying against a tree trunk, deep within the forest, looking for some work. The young woman kept scrolling until she reached a job title that piqued her interest.

{Teach my son swordsmanship for 66000 XP and Sixty-Three Gold Xylons}

Kyra immediately sat up, a sudden sense of intrigue pumping through her. Swordsman ship, huh? She was good at that, and it was a decent payoff in both XP and money. She immediately clicked the post, and her eyes widened in shock.

No way..

{Prince Gabriel St. Wraith, the crown prince of Aerion, is looking for a sword master to teach him. You’ll be given accommodation within the Palace of Irion and will be served all three meals there. This job will require patience, empathy, and skill and will take as long as the young prince needs.}

The image attached to the job was of a young man around her age with golden blonde hair that reached his shoulders. His eyes were sharp and lilac, and his skin was ivory. He looked slightly feminine to Kyra, but he also looked incredibly stoic and proud. A gold crown sat upon his head, it being far too big for him. Why was she exactly judging him? She didn’t know. However, this was good.

This was exactly what the girl needed. Work without having to do too much. She got up on her feet, alerting her horse, whom she affectionately named Storm, and mounted him.

Kyra then clicked on accept and then pressed confirm. A map to Aerion then appeared, and Kyra was in awe at just how big the place seemed to be.

{Would you like to head towards this destination? Yes/No}

Kyra pressed her eyes, and her glowing green eyes turned gold—a golden trail towards Aerion appearing before her. Kyra whipped her reins down and galloped out of the forest and towards the kingdom. The crack of dawn slowly seeped in, lighting the young girl’s face with purple and blue hues.

The light breeze of the cold wind blew her hair around and rosied her cheeks. Her kirtle was part of the saddle, but she didn’t mind.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Kyra had a job waiting for her.

******

Luther threw another vase at the living room wall, scaring the maid, who stood meekly near the staircase.

How many more times must he be humiliated by her? Klaus watched the young lord with a blank look. His eyes then moved to the ground, where Munich’s dry blood still remained. They hadn’t provided the deceased lord with a proper burial due to becoming wrapped up in the chaos that was Kyra.

“You need to calm down, Luther. Anger isn’t going to help us create a thorough plan.” Klaus voiced his concerns. Luther looked over the ginger male and let out a deep breath.

“You’re right. Knowing that Kyra has finally obtained freedom, she’s going to only grow stronger now that she's not being limited.” The von Stein lord stated. “We need to grow stronger, as well as take as many men to hunt her down too.”

“You do know Kyra did the same thing your father did as well.” Klaus spoke up. Luther looked at him, perplexed.

“What do you mean?” The brown-haired man asked.

“How did the youngest male within the von Stein family become the lord of it?” Klaus answered with his own question.

“That was different. That was an organised battle to the death. Grandfather had nine boys, and he didn’t care for the birth order. They had all consented.” Luther said, raising his eyebrows. “Kyra killed my father in cold blood.” He concluded.

The ginger male knew that was not true. Kyra wasn’t one to instigate things. In fact, she was too lazy to pick up a weapon and fight. However, he was going to keep those thoughts to himself.

Klaus nodded and then stood up. The man was a man many could read like an open book. Unlike Luther, he wasn’t all that bummed out by Munich’s death. He had accepted that the man was killed for his pride and his inability to see change. Change that didn’t fit his narrative.

He was simply following the young lord to see how everything played out. Klaus, at the end of the day, was a simple man.

Would Kyra be killed, or would she destroy that last member of the family?

******

The skyline of the illustrious kingdom was in view, seeping a feeling of awe within Kyra. The golden palace with multiple large pillars stood proud, revealing itself to anyone who travelled towards it. She had arrived just before sunset, and the warm ambers provided the palace with a magical, ancient feel. The meadows that surrounded the walled kingdom had tall, lilac grass with a plethora of different spring flowers blooming from it.

As Storm galloped across the sandy trails, Kyra’s eyes continued to gaze at the farm worker, plucking out wheat from the other side of the meadow—their smiles shining bright.

So this was what Aerion was like.

After a while, the young girl finally reached the kingdom’s gate and got off her horse, leading it towards the silver-armoured guards.

She was immediately stopped, just as she expected.

“State your name and business.” One of them asked her, with his blue eyes glaring down at her.

“Kyra von Stein. I’m here as the new swordmaster for the crowned prince.” She answered.

The guard motioned for her to wait as his eyes glowed and a holographic screen appeared.

“Ah yes.” The guard looked back at her and her photo and allowed her to pass. “I’ll alert the palace that you are here, so you can go through now.” Kyra thanked the man and dragged Storm along.

Her eyes, for the nth time, widened in awe. Aerion was a fantastical place, filled with cottages, apartments, hotels, cafes, shops, and restaurants. She continued to walk down, taking in the various bright colours of blue, mint green, lilac, and pastel yellow that painted the kingdom. The cobbled streets felt easy beneath her feet.

Kyra watched on as children threw around a ball, their laughter echoing across the area, and as adults stood around conversing with each other. The liveliness of the place was completely different from what she was used to. Aerion was bustling and loud, but it wasn’t rowdy or bashful. To Kyra, the loudness sounded melodic and, oddly enough, peaceful.

She continued past the kingdom’s centre, where various fountains and statues of naked men and women stood tall. Her eyes then followed the various coloured buntings that hung from building to building. The young girl also noticed the various clothing lines that hung on the street as well.

It wasn’t long before she reached the palace gate. One of the guards looked at her and nodded, allowing her through the gates and towards the main door. Thankfully for Kyra, a black-suited man with short crimson hair stood there, along with a woman dressed in a beige kirtle with a pale blue apron across her waist.

“You must be Kyra von Stein. A noblewoman from Haagedun.” The crimson-haired male spoke, his vermillion eyes staring deep within her soul. “We’re grateful that you decided to teach the prince.” He then added.

Although she was slightly unnerved, Kyra decided to be cordial with the man. She placed her best smile on—one that did not reach her eyes—and bowed a little.

“I am most honoured to be accepted by the prince,” she replied. "So, when do I start?” She then asked.

“The crack of dawn.”

Great..