“This here is the border to the Kingdom of Arcis!” he told me as we rode alongside a huge stonewall separating the two lands. From what he told me the Kingdoms of Arcis and of Nuria, the one we were currently in, fought a brutal war not long ago and only recently agreed to a peace treaty.

  Judging by his ashen face as he told me the story, this was also the war that took his son, whose name I now carried: Tristan.

  Trying to change the topic I asked him a bit more about the Kingdoms. It would be in my best interest if I knew as much as possible about the world, I now found myself in.

  “So, we are in the Kingdom of Nuria right now?”

  Dragged from his dark memories he needed a moment to pull himself together again.

  “Kingdom isn’t quite right.” he corrected me. “Not long after the treaty got signed his majesty suddenly got ill and died short after.”

  That did not really sound like a coincidence to me…

  Misreading my thoughtful look he hurried to explain: “Now his daughter is in charge of the kingdom as he had no other children.”

  Apparently, the situation is a little tense at the moment because most people, me included, would not think a young girl capable of leading an entire nation. Which brought me to my next question.

  “What about the queen? Could she not lead the kingdom in her daughter’s stead?”

  “Well, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The queen’s not exactly the princess’s mother…”

  Now I understood! The princess was the only legitimate heir to the throne as the “queen” did not belong to the royal family in the first place. Perhaps she was a concubine to the king? Of course, the nobles would rather want a child they could corrupt on the throne than a peasant concubine!

  Sighing I shook my head. I don’t get them! They would rather risk the kingdom’s ruin at the hand of an unexperienced child than simply allowing the late king’s wife to ascend. Simply because she wasn’t nobility!

  “Well, there are also the circumstances of his majesty’s death.” He explained. “He was reported to be in best health and then suddenly collapses and dies short after?”

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Now it’s become interesting! I’ve thought about that possibility before but hearing it from someone else made it sound a lot more likely.

  I mean a completely healthy king suddenly dies without any clues as to how just hours after the treaty got signed. That sounded a lot like a typical assassination!

  But to what end? To get the princess onto the throne? To start a new war with Arcis? The possible reasons were too many and I was too uninformed to limit them. Perhaps this was not my mystery to solve…

  “Alright we’re here!” my travel companion called out and interrupted my thoughts. “This is Aurum! As the crossroads city of Merchants, Soldiers and Adventurers in this kingdom there simply is no better way to inform yourself and find your way in the world!”

  Apparently, our journey together had come to an end. I was almost sad it was over so soon. I had really started to take a liking to this strange old man and his near limitless well of knowledge.

  “And hop!”, he exclaimed and jumped of the wagon onto the busy road before the city gates.

  “I will not go inside today.”, he told me and started laughing. “Last time I got so distracted I almost missed an appointment with an important client of mine!”

  “What could have distracted you so that you forgot about your work?” I wondered aloud. I mean he literally takes his work everywhere he goes!

  But as I followed his gaze to a small and inconspicuous building at the end of the road I understood. In front of the building a group of extremely light dressed women tried convincing a young man to follow them inside.

  At this sight I started to shudder and glanced back to the merchant: “I don’t know if I should get disgusted or impressed that you try something like this at your age…”

  Laughing he reached up to help me from the cart and I grabbed his hand…

  ~Black smoke filled the world…

  Somewhere I heard laughter. It did not sound like a laughter of joy but of spite and hate.

  I smelled blood and sweat…

  Dark Shadows rushed left and right around me. Busily looting a toppled cart, not caring about the man lying on the ground choking on his own blood…~

  “Boy, are you alright?” I heard a familiar voice call out to me. My eyes focused again and I saw that I was still grabbing the merchant’s hand.

  Cold sweat ran down my back as I tried to recall what had just happened.

  “Yes, I’m fine!” I answered. “Just a little dizzy…”

  “It is pretty hot outside today.” He agreed still watching me cautiously.

  I felt sick…

  I just wanted to lay down and rest for a bit…

  “Thank you for helping me so much!” I thanked him and bowed lightly. I was truly grateful for all he did for me, but I simply wanted to get as far away as possible right now.

  “No problem…” he answered and watched my already turned back as I ran down the street.

  “But I could have sworn his eyes were glowing just a second ago…” he muttered under his breath.

  Must have been the sun. It really was hot today.