For the last four hundred years, the Kingdom of Ebonhold has established itself as a fiercely independent nation. Rather than swearing their allegiance to the long abandoned gods, Ebonhold prides itself as a nation built on the collective merit, strength, and camaraderie of its citizens. Everyone, including the nobility, is expected to contribute to the ultimate goal: reclaim Isin’s Scar. Since the days of its founder, the kingdom has sought to reclaim the monster-ridden wasteland with each expedition.

On an early summer day, a young prince sparred fiercely with his childhood friend in the training yard of the Ebony Castle. The prince in question went by the name of Raegon Ironborn. Raegon was a large, muscular man with long brown hair that fell to the back of his neck. His emerald green eyes were a distinct trait of his family dating back to the founder himself. His friend, Horacio, was a slightly shorter man with neat black hair and stormy blue eyes. Horacio was the son of the largest duchy in the kingdom, one that had close ties to the royal family. The two seventeen-year-olds had been sparring with one another for the past several minutes. Halfway into their match, Horacio had finally gotten his friend on the defensive.

Raegon’s hair brushed past his eyes as he narrowly dodged his friend’s attack. Horacio was quick, nimble, and agile. He favored being on the offense and watching Raegon dodge his blows. While the prince’s battle-axe wasn’t suited for defending, Raegon knew all he had to do was dodge. Horacio’s breaths grew more labored with each attempt to break his guard. A large smirk grew on Raegon’s face. He knew this was when his friend would get desperate.

“Gods dammit! Just let me get one strike!” panted Horacio heavily.

His rapier thrust directly past Raegon’s shoulder. With a swift pivot of his foot, he dodged the attack and swung his axe down towards Horacio’s legs. Horacio quickly lost his balance and flung back onto the grass with a muted thud. Before he could get up, Raegon pinned his friend’s arm to the ground with his foot. The two looked at one another with eyes locked.

“Come on, say it,” said Raegon, bearing a large grin on his face.

With a heavy sigh, Horacio waved his hand and dropped his head onto the grass. “Fine, I yield...again.”

He lifted the axe and extended out his hand. Horacio grabbed tightly and was swiftly pulled up to his feet. He brushed off the dirt and grass before returning the smile to his friend. “You won this one, but you won’t win the next!” he declared proudly.

The two exchanged laughs as Raegon grabbed his friend’s shoulder and shook it vigorously. “You almost had me that time. Part of me thinks you were going easy!”

“I’ll never go easy on you!” Horacio replied.

After brushing themselves off, the two made their way out of the training yard. Several hours of nonstop sparring had made them incredibly famished. Normal soldiers would have collapsed hours ago. But the two were focused on one thing: the upcoming expedition.

Every month, scouting parties backed by soldiers were sent to the lifeless land to locate and destroy nesting monsters as well as clear any potential locations for settlement. The recent upheaval of civil war in the neighboring kingdom stirred the monsters more than usual. As a result, more expedition parties were being sent out.

Raegon was especially excited about the upcoming expedition as it was his first one. Many, including him, saw it as a right of passage to prove himself. Not just as a warrior, but also worthy of wearing the iron crown.

While walking out of the yard, the two saw several soldiers armed with spears practicing amongst one another. Some of them tried to mimic special techniques made popular by the queen, only to be scolded by the officers. Horacio looked at his friend with a curious expression.

“How old was your mother when she ventured into the scar?” he asked.

“My mother? I believe she was my age,” Raegon replied. “Even then she was already outperforming some of the best veterans.”

“The queen went when she was only seventeen?”

Raegon furrowed his eyebrows, wincing. “Have I ever told you how weird it sounds when people refer to my mother as ‘the queen’?”

“Really? I thought you’d be used to it by now.”

Raegon shook his head. “Are you telling me you don’t feel a little strange when people refer to your father as ‘the duke’?”

Horacio gave him a small shrug. “I never thought much of it. Maybe it’s different when you’re an Ironborn.”

As they shared a laugh, the sound of someone applauding caught their attention. Standing at the entrance to the garden was a woman wearing a light green dress decorated with frills. She had her light brown hair tied in a simple, but elegant braid that fell to her back. Her eyes were the color of a vibrant emerald, similar to Raegon’s. He waved happily to his sister who quickly rushed up to them.

“You two were wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Especially you, Horacio! You were as marvelous as ever!”

Horacio’s face grew as red as a tomato with beads of sweat forming atop his forehead. The hot flash of embarrassment was painfully clear to all of them. This wasn’t the first time it happened and he was sure it wouldn’t be the last. Aleria had a certain charm that would always send his friend into a nervous and flustered spiral.

“Maybe next time you could join us for some sparring, dear sister. I’m sure Horacio would love that,” Raegon suggested in a joking manner.

Aleria let out a dramatic gasp and placed her hand against her chest. “Raegon! You know very well I can’t fight like you or Horacio. Besides, I would never be able to handle the shame of losing.”

Raegon flashed a cocky smile and shrugged. “That’s a shame, I was—”

“Although, you would know all about shame based on your last game of chess with me,” replied Aleria with an identical grin.

Raegon’s lips shut tightly. His sister couldn’t help but giggle intensely. Even Horacio forgot his shyness and joined in on the laughter. If there was one thing his sister excelled at, aside from chess, it was bringing out his inner humility. He let out a sigh as his friend gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t feel too bad. We can’t all be as good as her.”

Aleria placed a finger against her cheek and looked at him. “Speaking of which, we haven’t played against each other in a while. Why don’t we play before dinner?”

It was obvious that Horacio’s heart stopped. “P-Play a game of chess with you? But Lady Aleria I…”

He recognized that it was his friend’s turn to be embarrassed. “Where’s your manners? I thought your father said it was disrespectful to refuse a lady’s request,” said Raegon as he playfully shook his friend.

Horacio awkwardly adjusted his shirt and nodded. “Yes, my lady, it would be an honor.”

Aleria gently grabbed Horacio’s arm and pulled him toward the garden. “Wonderful! I made your favorite tea just for the occasion!”

“I’m curious to see how long he’ll last,” laughed Raegon as he began to follow them.

Aleria stopped and turned to her brother. Her cheerful demeanor melted into a slight frown. He knew that look all too well. It was the look she gave when something was serious.

“Actually, I almost forgot to tell you. Mother summoned you to the throne,” she said.

“Summoned me? What for?” he asked nervously.

“I don’t know, but she sounded serious. I wouldn’t keep her waiting.”

Panic began to seep through his skin. The fact that his mother would call him away from the end training without telling him why was a frightening thought. He watched as his sister and friend disappeared into the garden to play their game of chess. They both waved to him goodbye as Aleria attempted to hide her own anxiety with a forced smile. With quick haste, he ran out of the yard and into the castle. He knew better than to keep his mother waiting.

***

Vermillion carpets and green banners decorated the otherwise dark gray throne room. The muted light from the windows gave whoever sat on the throne an aura of confidence and authority. The ceiling was decorated with painted scenes of battles, victories, and peace talks. As a child, Raegon would stare at these frescos with wonder. But he had no time to imagine deeds of valor.

Sitting on the throne with her spear resting to the side was his mother: Telecia Ironborn. Her hair was the same color as Raegon’s but always appeared blonde when in sunlight. She went by many names, but the most common was The Iron Valkyrie. The name was due to her fighting style with a spear as well as her daunting, unrelenting, and uncompromising personality.

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As Raegon approached the throne, his mother read a scroll of parchment with a distinct seal. A white sword with two feathery wings was stamped directly onto the back of the paper. “What are you reading, mother?” he asked.

He watched as his mother immediately crumpled the parchment and tossed it to the side. “A formal request from the Lord General of Xacren. He still wishes for an alliance in the hopes of ending his petty little civil war,” she explained. “This one sounded twice as desperate and twice as pitiful.”

“I take it you’ll send a rejection promptly?” replied Raegon in a joking tone.

The queen scoffed. “If the Lord General wants my rejection, he can travel to Ebonhold to hear it from my mouth. Maybe I would take his pleas with a modicum of serosity if that were the case.”

A laugh escaped Raegon’s lips. Yet his mother merely looked at him. “How is your training coming along?” she asked.

Raegon stood proud and assured. “You should ask Horacio. He could paint a better picture for you.”

Her green eyes narrowed. “I can see your manners could use some refinement as well…”

His lips tightened with the sour taste of embarrassment. “It’s all in good fun. He does the same back to me and I don’t see him taking it personally.”

“And what of the other soldiers?”

“If they didn’t like me, I don’t think they’d cheer for me.” Raegon raised an eyebrow, unsure of where the conversation was going. “Is that what you wanted to discuss?”

Telecia shook her head and took a deep breath. There was a small hint of hesitation in her voice before it faded away. “Raegon, I will put this simply. You will not come on next week’s expedition.”

A deafening silence filled the room. Time slowed to a crawl as Raegon’s heart stopped. It was hard to imagine the words he just heard came from his mother’s mouth, but there was no denying reality. Telecia rose from her throne and began to leave the room without saying a word. Raegon’s shock wore off as he addressed his mother with an angry voice. “What do you mean I can’t go?!” he said, raising his voice.

“I mean what I said, nothing more,” she said in an almost robotic tone.

“There has to be! You can’t just tell me why I can’t go without a reason!”

The queen made no effort to acknowledge his response and continued to walk away.

“I’ve been training for this my entire life! What more do you want me to do?” pleaded Raegon.

Yet again, she made no effort to respond to him. He felt the last bit of his patience finally vanish before stomping his foot loudly and declaring:

“IT’S NOT FAIR!”

The words bounced off the walls louder than they came out. Telecia stopped and slowly turned her eyes to meet his. It was at that moment Raegon realized that he made a massive mistake.

“You think you don’t have it fair, is that it?” she asked. Her tone hinted at a wave of rising anger.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had an argument with his mother. Generally, avoiding one was the best option. But this time wasn’t a petty argument. If he didn’t stand up for himself now he would never get the chance to do so ever again. Collecting his courage, he stood taller and spoke with confidence.

“For the last four months I’ve been pushing myself to the brink getting ready for the expedition!” he said. “I’ve made sure to perfect my form, my technique, and even improve my attitude like you wanted. Yet despite this, you don’t even have the decency to tell me why you won’t let me go! How is that fair?”

“You talk as if you’re entitled to go on this expedition,” she said. “My reasons are my own. As the queen, you will listen and obey.”

“But you were my age when you ventured into the scar! If not now, then when?”

“When I say so.”

A great fire burned hot in his chest, his hands tightened into rocks. He pointed to one of the ceiling murals depicting Trevin Ironborn fighting a large demon. “We’re all expected to risk our lives the way he did! So how come I have to stay behind like a coward? Is that what you think of me?!”

In the blink of an eye, Telecia thrust her spear at him. Raegon froze still as the spearhead stopped right in front of his face.

“Enough,” she said in a frigid tone. “First you complain like a child, then you bring up family that you never knew. I will say this once more, you are not to come on this expedition. You will stay here with your sister. Do I make myself clear?”

Raegon yelled at his muscles to move, to twitch, to do anything. Yet the tip of his mother’s spear coupled with her stare seemed to petrify him. No reply came out of his mouth. Whether that was out of fear or defiance even he didn’t know.

“Do I make myself clear?” she repeated in a much louder tone.

Having run out of stamina to argue, he looked away and gave a simple nod. The queen pulled her spear away before briskly walking out of the throne room.

As he stood in silence, the last bits of sunlight shined through the windows. He looked up at the ceiling with shame. He looked at the scene of Trevin being crowned king. His tiny painted green eyes seemed to pierce right through Raegon’s, judging him. The young prince let out a sigh as he looked up at the painted figure with a single thought.

“What am I going to do?”

***

Several days had passed since the argument. Raegon didn’t see her at dinner or anywhere around the castle. Part of him felt as if she was avoiding him intentionally, though he didn’t know for sure. What he did know was he still had no idea how to change her mind. He wondered why he wasn’t allowed to go but Horacio was. All these questions gave way to no answers as the deadline for the departure drew closer.

On the eve of the expedition’s departure, he joined his sister outside for a game of chess. Although initially refusing, he eventually gave in to her constant pleas and worried looks. The balcony they played on gave him a wide view where he could see soldiers loading carts with supplies and weapons. It was no surprise that his attention was drawn away from the game and to the soldiers. Aleria cleared her throat loudly and tapped on the chessboard to get his attention.

“Raegon, it’s your turn,” she said.

He gave a cursory look at the board, moved his archer randomly, then shifted his attention away. Aleria let out a sigh and moved her commander to take his piece.

“You walked right into that! It’s like you wanted me to take it!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, I sure did,” he muttered half-heartedly.

It was obvious to her that the game was doing little to take his mind off things. “I can tell you’re still upset. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?” she asked.

“Not unless you can somehow convince Mother to let me go.”

“I wish I could, but you know how she is when she makes a decision.”

He sighed and tried to focus his attention back on the game. “The least she could do is tell me why.”

His comment caused Aleria to raise an eyebrow. “Wait, she didn’t tell you why?”

“No, she didn’t. When I asked, she kept dodging the question.”

She snapped to make sure he was giving her his full attention. “Raegon, why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, giving her his full attention.

“When she doesn’t give you a reason, that means she’s conflicted,” Aleria explained. “I’ve seen mother during court enough to know when she’s unsure. Taking a hard stance without explaining is her biggest tell.”

Raegon moved his knight down the board. “What could she be unsure about?”

Aleria shrugged. “I don’t know, can you think of anything? Maybe she doesn’t think you’re ready?”

“I’ve been training for months! How could I not be ready?”

“I’m not saying you aren’t, but you need to think like she does if you want to get an answer,” she said while moving her archer down the chessboard. “In a way, it’s like chess.”

“Like chess?” he asked.

A bright, happy smile grew on her face as she gave an enthusiastic nod. “Of course! You have to plan your actions around how your opponent thinks. Consider what their goals are, what they would do, and act accordingly.”

Raegon analyzed the board. By moving her archer, his sister had made her queen vulnerable. Seeing the opportunity, he moved his knight forward to threaten her. His sister’s eyes widened in shock.

“Gods dammit, you caught me off guard!” she exclaimed.

“Guess I’m getting better at this, aren’t I?”

“You know, no one gets away with challenging my queen,” she replied, grinning.

The words echoed endlessly in his mind. “Challenge the queen…” He stood up and slammed the table excitedly, causing the pieces to shake.

“I got it!” he yelled

Aleria let out a small, startled cry. “Agh! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Sorry, sorry,” he muttered sheepishly as he sat down. “But I know how I can convince Mother to let me go!”

She gave him a pensive expression, urging him to explain.

“Do you remember when that mercenary leader challenged her to a duel?” he asked.

“I wasn’t there for that, but I remember she mentioned it to me.”

“Well, he felt like he wasn’t being paid enough for his services so he challenged her to a duel. I remember she beat him pretty badly, but in the end, she was willing to pay him more after seeing how well he fought.”

“Where are you going with this?” she asked.

“I bet Mother doesn’t want me to go because she thinks I’m not ready. I just need to show her that I am! Once she sees how much I’ve improved, she has to let me go!”

Raegon’s excitement at finding a solution was not shared by his sister. Instead, she returned a look of worry and concern.

“What, is my plan not good enough?” he asked.

“I don’t mean any disrespect. You can fight in ways I can only imagine. But are you sure you’re capable of doing this?” She moved her queen forward to take his pawn, putting it directly in front of his knight.

He gave a confident, assured nod. “I have to prove that she’s wrong about me. Once she tests me blade to blade…” He had successfully predicted her move, letting him take her queen with his other knight. “She’ll have to reconsider.”

Surprise fell over his sister’s face upon the realization that her queen was taken. “Ialdir curse you! You distracted me again!” she yelled.

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of confidence rush through him. If he could outsmart his sister, then surely he stood a chance against his mother.

Aleria’s frustration mellowed out and became a smile. Her hand hovered over her commander pensively. “Win or lose, I won’t think any less of you. You’re still my brother.”

He returned the smile. “Thank you, Aleria. You taught me a lot—”

Before he could finish, Aleria moved her commander across the board to where Raegon’s queen sat. Being so focused on taking her queen, he had left his own completely defenseless. He watched as she gracefully removed his queen from the board with an exuberant smile.

“Don’t worry, I still have more to teach you,” she giggled.

The confidence he had summoned cracked like a wine glass. The monumental task he had set himself up for was finally taking full shape. While he was one of the best fighters in the courtyard, Raegon’s talent could not match the years of experience his mother had. Every sparring session he had with her ended in near humiliation. But he wasn’t going to let that stop him. Even if it cost him an arm, he had to show her he was ready.