A swift yet heavy blow from a wooden sword slammed into Leon's gut. His body launched toward the floor, causing his freezing hands to scuff. Leon wheezed for breath on the cold, stone bricks of the training grounds. His insides felt like they were burning, and it only continued to churn at the painful strike. A cloud of ice came from his mouth as his breathing normalized.

"Get up, your majesty." Baldwin offered his hand. Leon took the hand extended toward him and was hoisted upward before putting his leather gloves back on.

He never liked to wear gloves during spars. He wanted to feel the rhythm and vibrations from the swords as steel clashed. It was Leon's way of being sure they were not going easy on him since he was royalty. If there was one thing he despised, it was being treated differently on the battlefield, just because of how he was born.

"This concludes the final spar between us as teacher and prince before you become king. It has been an honor teaching you, Your Highness."

"You are coming to the coronation, I presume?" Leon waved off the formalities.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"I would not miss it for the world. I had promised your father I would watch over you when he neared his demise, that plan has not changed." Baldwin's pale face turned sullen. An air of silence would encompass the area after his comment.

He would clear his throat, before speaking again, "Well then, I will leave you to the many things you must do to prepare for this evening, your majesty." Baldwin would then bow, before taking his leave.

"Right..." Leon mumbled.

"Hess! Clay! Let's depart, we have much to do. You know as well as I what is up ahead both before the coronation and the things to come after the coronation. The counts of Waldstadt and Muringia, will definitely not sit around with the death of my father." He exclaimed as he put on his coat.

The snow had begun to fall once again, as was tradition, on the day of a coronation in Arneythia. It was not something you would say was on purpose, however, many would say it had happened too many times to be called a "coincidence". In the year, 876 R.F. the twelfth king of Arneythia, Leon, would ascend to the throne. He would usher in the first year of his reign, an era of bloodshed and war. This era of his reign would go on to be called, the "Crimson era".