Few years earlier
Norin desert.
Norin desert is a barren land where deaths come in many, many ways. A vast land with sand being ever present and a few rocks formations in random places. Some say that at the other side of Norin desert fields exists and hundreds where those that tried to cross it, but even now not even one had return from these journey. Positioned in the southern part of the continent of Girth is a natural border that no kingdom managed to conquer.
Most of the creatures that live here are small, slithering and highly poisonous along with their ability to blend in the unending sand makes some very unfortunate contacts between them and unlucky travelers. Usually greatly regretted too. Of curse there myths for great creatures of gargantuan sizes that travel through the ground and can swallow you whole but there just that, legends, stories for children. The other myth for Norin is that a forest used to be here.
As if that could be in any way true. Under the hot sun that can make an egg boil in a minute if you leave it on the sand, while the night breeze can make your teeth chatter. How can any kind of plant thrive here? The only time that gives the traveler some comfort is during the sunrise and sunset where the temperature turns to a comfortable warmth. Even if it is only a few minutes two times a day appreciate it, it will be the only reprieve you ll have.
The last and worst you will face in the Norin desert is the sandstorms. The sandstorms destructiveness lays in the unexpected, it just happens out of nowhere, one moment there is calm a breeze and the next the wind pick up speed terribly fast eventually picking up anything that it can loose from the ground. First and foremost sand, and then anything else. There is a joke between the few that live near the Norin desert that goes “Where a sand storm hits, flying is not exclusive to the birds anymore, surviving the landing though is debatable for all”.
Even with all that an expedition was made a few months prior with a place deep, too deep, in the Norin desert as the final destination. The Girth Alliance announced that a gate exist there for another world and they will go and investigate what the “others” intentions are. A lousy excuse. Even the last commoner knew that they were going for war. The last eight years that the Girth Allience exists was the most peaceful for the last seven centuries in the continent of Girth. Still if someone says he believes it will last then he is either lying or is a toddler.
Seven centuries of war had breed a lot of things. Hate for the neighbors, mistrust for the allies, abandon for the weak but worst of all is to seek glory through war. It s not uncommon for common people to have those dreams, but usually are lost easily by the unfairness of the world while those to succeed feeds the dreams of the next generation. But nobles, nobles where cultivate from birth with this principles. So nobles find peace revolting. How could they prove their worth? How could they make easy money? How could they follow the steps of their fathers and own their clans at the end?
King Arthur Renold, the founder of the Girth alliance, foresaw this years earlier. He knew they will need a common enemy or else they will fall apart. So he send explores in every direction. Not all return but those that did brought a variety of news. Among them the perfect solution appeared, an other world. What will appeal more a noble come and take those few cities we found or there a new world to conquer? Even better the place that the “gate” will be is neutral ground. A couple of years and a recon “travel” later they were in good way.
But King Renold had no more time. The nobles were restless and he had used most of his suppressing solutions while parallel losing face. While his achievements the last 26 years made him the all time favorite of the people. On the other the nobles, especially the younger genereation, where steadily loosing their respect for him. Unavoidable in a society that respect the strong to consider someone that avoid fights as weak. Still as the founder of the alliance he could not go and decimate his opponents, no matter how much he wanted it.
So now, hundreds of kilometers deep in Norin desert a newly build camp stands. This camp is unique not only because there matirials here you will never find in the Norin desert but also from the variety of people here. Soldiers are by far the more you can find but also navigators, doctors, architects, linguist, philosophers and more. The mages too had bring a lot of “technicians”
as they name them, since they too can turn anyone to a frog if he piss them of consider them as weaker mages.
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A short but sturdy wall has been built around hundred thousands tends that cover the ground weaving a spiral pattern as an extra caution against the wind. Obviously the materials has been transported here from a long way, since finding anything bigger than a half-dying bush in the desolate lands of the Norin desert is impossible.
Few people are up and going around the camp and the gate those are the unlucky souls that are still on duty. Well with the departure of the army tomorrow they will rest soon too. Everyone else had been given the order to rest and most choose to sleep. After months of marching everyone was on their wits end.
First they marched at daytime. Walking under the scorching sun while wearing hard leather and carrying armor exhausted the soldiers. They had to make it to the site before the 6th new moon of the year and the leaders of the expedition could not slow down the pace. As they gradualy moved deeper in the desert people started to drop from exhaustion, sunstroke or heat stroke. Even losing a few before they notice them.
At the time king Renold proposed to rest for the rest of the day and then march at night. An advise that the other generals did not wish to follow believing it will make no difference, also because they wanted to flaunt to king Renold that he has no extra power on them because he is the founder of the alliance. So the army of the Dlope kingdom was the only one to change their marching time.
Soon it results was made. The Dlope kingdom 's army although delay a day, the soldiers had a full rest effectively raising moral and giving enough time to recover from the heat. Moving in the night allowed the soldiers a faster and more relaxed march. While the danger of losing their destination was easily fixed with the help of the experienced navigators that accompanied the king. Star reading soon became a common skill between his soldiers.
The same day they reached the exhausted armies of the alliance and overtook them. After three days when it was obvious that they could not reach Dlope kingdoms army, the generals from the alliance swallowed their pride and follow King Renold 's guidance. Eventually reaching on time their destination.
After making camp and reinforcing the wall, a general arder for rest was given to all. Well except the ones that working on the “gate” but that was mainly from the mages personnel. Another exception of course to that is the nobles. The nobles from the lowest to the highest, the youngest to oldest will always and forever love scheme. So in a place so many of them are gathered how not to abide to that ever present passion? Even the kings will participate in the “game” in a hope to earn an edge against their opponents, external and internal.
And the pick of that game will be at tonight conference of the alliance everyone will try everything to be there, just to watch. That does not mean that anyone can come you have to have a reason or a powerful connection to invite you in.
Among those invited is the second son of king Renold, Antony Renold. He too has manage to make a name for himself “rebel prince”, “adulter”, “loose wallet”, “pacifist” goes along with the “unmovable dummy” and the list goes on and on. Everyone knew about him. The black sheep of the Dlope royal family, not that in other royal families impotent people did not exist but prince Antony has manage to broadcast his every failure. He even went as far as saying to his father that he will not participate in the expedition leading his retinue against the unknown in the middle of the first conference in the desert. It was on of the reason the generals try to demote king Renold 's power. The king accept his son quest he will not participate leading his retinue but as a simple soldier in his army.
Since then the prince is part of company seventy three and his sergeant is currently looking for him. The king really send him to be a simple soldier, no private tend or servants to help him with cores while everyone had been warned that any who facilitation for the prince will be punished, with death. A decision made probably to restrict any help the young prince would get in exchange for coin and favor. So the men in the seventy three company had to be wary of their actions to not pass the line of “helping a fellow soldier”, actually stressing the whole company for insignificant things. In the end most of the company decided to ignore the boy and forget about the whole thing.
And all that bring us to here and now. Sergeant Morris can 't find the spoiled brat, since everyone from the company effectively avoid the prince noone can help him. He had looked in the tend the prince shares with the others, at the canteen, in the armory, at the stables he even went and look at a few nobles that where known for befriending the prince but he can t find him anywhere. Where could be hidding, did the prince know that they will look for him now?
Sergeant Morris had worried at the beginning that having the prince will bring him unwanted attention. He was actually awaiting for a meeting with the king or someone high ranking giving him a stern warning to make sure that the young prince stay safe at any cost, something that never happened. With the exception of the public announcement there was no other contact from any interested party whatsoever. What that means either that noone dare to enrage king Renold or that none care for prince Antony well being, maybe both. So it came as a surprise when a messenger came with an invite for the prince.
Sergeant Morris isn 't a full he knew that the king cares for the boy and when they will be in danger, things will change. Still he didn 't expect for the king to call for the boy in an important conference like that. Of course he had send to find him immediately, how could he question his king order?
But the boy had disappear. After half an hour he send after the first soldier to learn why they delay so much. He was sure the boy was deliberately making the soldier late, it was not the first time the prince intentionally making their life hard just to spite on them something that make so much easier to ignore him in the end. When the soldier explained that he could not find him a cold shudder pass his back. Something was wrong but the sergeant couldn ' t place what exactly. Soon the whole company was looking for the prince and no result was made he even suspect his soldiers was hiding the boy. So he went to personally look for him.
After hours of searching he gave up. The conference had end more than an hour ago. Only two thinks kept him going his curiosity of where the brat hole himself up and the certainty that when he returns in his tend there will be a heavy price to pay for this blunder. Resolute the sergeant abandon his search and take the way back to his tend.
Reaching his destination he could glimpse, from the open door of his tend, the boots of a man waiting him inside. He stopped his soldier that try to warn him with a stare and a silent “i know”. Sighting he enter the tend hoping his king will be lenient. He turn to the messenger wanting for the end to come earlier, only to find the prince in place.
The boy gave him a military salute, something that until now he always forgot to do, and said “The men said you were looking for me Sir. How can I be of help Sir” while a smug smile creep to his face.
'You ….. you …. PRICK. YOU DEFINITELY KNEW' Sergeants Morris felt his blood boil as he look the spoil brat in front of him unable to speak a word at the insolent youth. 'Maybe the king won 't mind if I kill this brat' the sergeant thought with a part of his mind while the rest decide what he can actually do with the boy.