"No! No! No! Oh Hell Naw!"

The first prince of the Kingdom of Remno was not happy. Servants and advisors kept a wide berth as he stomped down the marble halls of Castle Lykos. Today the heir to the Kingdom was playing the role of mindless bull— disregarding whatever or whoever might cross his path. Well, he was not completely mindless—he did manage to find his way to his Father's office. He slammed open the ridiculously large double doors, to find his Father sitting at his desk.

"That... She's not coming here!"

"She is coming here. Your brother has already left to escort her from Tearmoon."

"Escort her! Yeah right! That fawning piece of..."

The King calmly stood up and walked away from his desk. The King was a tall muscular man whose healthy physique belied his years. Gain, now an adult, matched his father in size and strength if not temperament. Of course, the King could stop his son's tirade at any moment he desired. Gain feared his father, however, certain manly expressions were encouraged, and so this outburst was permitted to continue.

"It is a diplomatic mission, we need food, Tearmoon has food."

"Yeah, but why her? She's a woman! And, she's not even that good-looking!"

"We are lucky enough they sent anyone. Besides, Princess Mia did help your brother stop a war within the borders of Remno. Even if she is only a woman, we can't deny that was somewhat of an accomplishment."

"Stop a war? If I was there we would have won a war!"

With that, the King's cheek began to twitch, and he felt a need to start rubbing his temples.

"Son, it would have been a war with our own people, our own blood!"

"You taught me that warriors aren't afraid of blood! That little chickenshit was just afraid to fight!"

"I believe the scars on his brother's body say otherwise."

"Well..."

"And, why was he there to lead at all? Where were you?"

"My shoulder was broken! You wouldn't let me..."

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"And how did you break your shoulder?"

Gain lowered his head, "a duel."

"With..."

"Okay! Okay! That chickenshit broke my arm. But, the sun was in my eyes, and..."

With that, the King began to laugh, "Ha! The sun! And how many times have you beaten your little brother since then?"

"none... But, it's not fair! He practices with that genius Sion! It's..."

"Fair! The battlefield doesn't favor fair! It favors the bold, the strong, the..."

The King kept talking, but Gain was no longer listening. His Father's words, his own whining...It all began to crash down on him, like anvils falling from the sky. It was obvious—I, Gain Remno, the first prince of the Kingdom of Remno —am a loser! Sure, as firstborn I am still destined to be king. But, Abel is better than me in every way—a more skilled swordsman, respected inside and outside of Remno, smarter—hell, he even has a girlfriend, while I have never even... Oh shit, this is so depressing!

How did it come to this? When did it all change? Gain knew it was not the sun in his eyes, or his brother training with Prince Sion. He knew it really wasn't his brother at all.

It is because of her! The day that I crossed paths with Princess Mia Luna Tearmoon was the day I became a loser!

Before that day, Gain was feared by his peers. A man amongst boys, he was the biggest, the strongest, the most ruthless. And the Princess? She...she was just a girl, a tiny thing, two years his junior. And yet, that thing managed to interrupt a "conversation" he was having with his chickenshit of a little brother. Okay, it was less of a conversation and more of a beatdown—but she had no right to interrupt! Any man, and certainly any woman, in Remno, would have known better. But that little thing got in his face, and ...she laughed? Oh, she mostly used words, but she was laughing at him. She couldn't have done that in Remno, of course—no woman could even think of doing that in Remno.

After that, Gain's world pretty much went to hell. The brother he had never lost to, defeated him in a swordsmanship tournament—breaking his arm in the process. And then the chickenshit managed to steal his glory by leading troops into battle before him —hailed as a hero, loved by all...

"blah, blah, blah..."

Oh, I forgot, he's still at it...

Gain figured it was time to start paying attention to his father's words again.

"...and that is what it takes to be a King! Which is why I have decided to make Abel my Heir Apparent."

What!

"No! No! No! You can't! It is my birthright! I am the oldest. I..."

"Were you even listening? No one has the 'right' to be King. The mantle of King must be taken and defended. A King must be able to dominate others. It doesn't matter if he instills love or fear, but he must make people believe... no... he must make people know that he is better and stronger than they are.

I did everything I could for you, and yet, your brother is better than you in every way. You cannot be King."

Gain had no answer to his father's words. He just lowered his head and made his way towards the door.

"Gain."

Gain stopped, but did not turn around. He did not want his father to see his face.

"Yes, Father."

"We must make a good impression on the Princess. The Kingdom cannot survive without food. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father, I will make a good impression on the princess."

The first prince of Remno quietly left the room.