The land of Olbas was ruled by the Bae’s a revered royal family that had a king with the heart of ice and a queen with a heart of fire. Both were passionate in leading their kingdom to safety and prosperity, they were loved by all and hated by few. Their oldest child Suho was the prince that women and men alike dreamed of, his soft features and gentleman like attitude caused many people to fall for the young prince. He was oblivious to those who were attracted towards him as he focused on the kingdom he was to lead once his father stepped down, he was his father’s second in command in the army and took the title seriously, he treated the men in the army with respect something they recuperated. The prince also had a younger sister Irene, her beauty and poise was to be rivaled with the queens, a fact that made the queen swell with joy. The princess was known for her generosity both behind the castle walls and in front of the public, she was silent only speaking when spoken to, however that didn’t mean Irene was a push over in fact her silence spoke more words than one could fathom. Finally the Bae’s have their youngest child Yeri, graced with her parents generous genes the youngest is no stranger to having beauty that many rival and praise. The youngest child is known for her witty remarks and playful attitude, balancing the seriousness of the castle with her light heartedness the castle appreciates having Yeri running around pulling pranks.

The land of Olbas had ties with four other kingdoms; the land of Luxor, the land of Bokkun, the land of Aether and the land of Ares. Together the five kingdoms decided to create a peace treaty to avoid repeating history, 100 years before the current reign all five kingdoms were at war with one another as the leader of Aether was assassinated in a joint attempt by the lands Ares and Luxor. Olbas and Bokkun aided Aether in their war ultimately winning 7years later. Luxor and Ares decided to come together and sign a peace treaty now, as it seems that the kingdoms have forgiven one another for their misdeeds.

The castle was bustling with excitement as the four kingdom were coming to Olbas to sign the treaty, the reason Olbas was chosen was due to it being the halfway point for each of the kingdoms. Even though the king wouldn’t admit it he was glad he didn’t have to make the journey to any other kingdom, he was glad to be in the training arena sweating profusely under the summer sun having a sword fight with his son. Whilst his daughters took turns cheering for the both of them and his wife scolded them all as guests could be arriving at any moment. Waiting for the correct moment the king saw his son take a reckless move swinging his sword upwards, the king grabbed the princes arm and threw him over his body and then placing his knife on the princes neck.

“Remember son patience is the key even if your mother is shouting.” The king said whilst his daughters cheered for them.

“I heard that.” The queen said shaking her head in amusement as everyone laughed. “But your father is correct Suho, no matter the competitor or situation a decision taken in haste can have catastrophic consequences. Now you two must make haste guests are to arrive in thirty minutes.” The father and son duo made their way to the castle to clean up and wear fresh robes. The queen turned to her daughters and looked at them with a wide smile.

“What is it mother?” Irene asked watching how her mother gestured for the two of them to follow her, they walked through the courtyard and up the castle stairs to the second floor where Irene’s room lay. Her room was painted purple with a queen sized bed in the middle and a vanity table to the side. A marble en-suite was also adjacent tiles white and gold, fit for royalty as her mother would say.

“I had these dresses made especially for you.” The queen said gesturing to the dresses that lay on the silk quilt of Irene’s bed.  The two gasped as they saw the dresses, beauty radiated from the pristine colours, to the intricate craftsmanship that detailed various patterns and designs throughout the dresses. “A white dress to symbolize your purity with the hue of purple as it is your favorite colour. Whilst you Yerim have a hue of light pink, the dresses both have different designs however they both have light but intricate craftsmanship at the borders. The designs are there to accentuate your beauty with this jewelry.” The queen showed the two princesses the necklaces and earning’s they are to wear for the evening; Irene took the piece and admired the jewelry whilst her mother helped Yeri wear the necklace. “Real silver with diamonds will allow the two of you to shine brighter than any woman.” The queen then came and took the necklace from Irene’s hand, the younger pulled her hair up whilst the queen put the necklace on. “The two of you look beautiful, just like royalty.”

“But mother why are we dressed up so much?” Yeri asked looking at her reflection in the mirror.

“It is a celebration for five kingdoms who shall be residing in peace, and who knows maybe your sister or brother may find a match.” The queen replied watching as Irene rolled her eyes causing the two of them to laugh.

“Please mother I shall marry once Suho has.” Irene said chuckling as they all knew that was going to be a long time.

“That boy never realizes which woman is interested in him till she is wedded to another kingdom. If this continues your father and I will have to choose his bride for him.” The queen stated, just then there was a knock on the door, Irene opened the door and saw it was a servant.

“The kingdom of Luxor have just entered through the kingdom gates.” The servant said bowing as the queen made her way forward.

“Come princesses we must greet the guests.” The queen instructed leading the way, Irene and Yeri followed behind straightening their posture and holding their heads up high.

“Wow the two of you look beautiful.” Suho complimented as he saw his sisters enter the large room where they would be greeting the guests.

“Thank you.” Irene said smiling as she stood beside her older brother.

“You look pretty handsome yourself.” Yeri said causing Suho to chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck. “Aw are you shy.” Yeri teased causing everyone to laugh as Suho blushed.  As the family was laughing a boisterous voice entered the room causing all the attention to be diverted towards the guests entering.    

“The king and queen of Olbas it is of my humblest pleasure to be of your acquaintance.”  The King of Luxor greeted as he bowed in front of the royalty, shaking hands with the king and kissing the queens hand. “It is also a pleasure to meet you to young prince and princesses.”  The king of Luxor was a tall man his hair long and silver, he was stern and had and aura of intimidation. His wife the queen of Luxor also was also graced with the aura of intimidation and long silver hair, she held a poker face only displaying a smile when somebody of royalty would look at her.

“Ah my prince Seung Hyun you have grown in to a dashing man.” The king said greeting the prince of Luxor, the prince was a tall and well maintained man who was chastised for being a lady’s man. However it seemed his mother and father had enough of his behavior and he has stopped this outlandish behavior that was damaging their reputation.

“The last time you saw me my liege was 10 years ago.” Seung Hyun said bowing as he greeted the king, Seung Hyun was sent to a few far away kingdoms to make deals with the kings and queens meaning many had not seen him in many years.

“Ah yes you were only 18 and were conducting your fathers meetings, time truly does wonders to us all.” Seung Hyun chuckled as he listened to the king but his eyes landed on Irene making the latter uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

“Yes time does do wonders.” Seung Hyun said, Irene shuddered as she saw the prince turn his gaze back to the king. Irene turned her head to the side and met her eyes with her mothers’, the queen seemed to have found the exchange amusing as she winked at her daughter causing the princess to roll her eyes. At that moment loud voices and laughter were heard, the king and queen of Ares had entered, the pair were short but not stout it seemed no royal family that graced any land was graced with features that would be deemed average or unattractive.

“Welcome king and queen of Ares, how was the journey?” The king of Olbas greeted shaking hands with the king and kissing the queens hand.

“It was pleasant the citizens are overjoyed with the treaty it seems.” The king of Ares said with a straight face. “It is great to see you king, queen and prince of Luxor.” A genuine smile donned the kings face this time, the land of Luxor and Ares have always been of friendly terms towards each other as they agreed on many laws that would allow their royalty to flourish paying no heed to how much suffering their towns people would suffer. However there weren’t many living in poverty as every individual had strived and gained uncanny status that could not be gained in any other kingdom.

“Where are prince Kyngsoo, Princess Jessica and Krystal?”  The king of Luxor asked, they had agreed to bring their children to this important event so they could learn about each kingdom and make new connections.

“Wedding preparations are afloat, unfortunately some of Jessica’s clothes have not arrived from Albera, the wedding is to occur in two weeks so you can imagine her panic. So they have been sent to see what is happening.” The queen replied, Jessica was the oldest of the three and Krystal was the youngest. They were infamous for their intense gazes and poker faces that would make individuals including soldiers and royalty alike squirm under the heated stares. Jessica was going to marry Tyler Kwon so the kingdom of Ares could make ties with the kingdom of Fikers where highly skilled doctors resided. Tyler Kwon was known to make great business deals whilst his sister, Kwon Yuri, was known to be a rebel, due to this nature she was banished from the kingdom five years ago. Nobody knows what happened to the girl, one day she was camping outside the kingdom walls and the next, she was wandering the forest and disappeared.

“That is absurd, the land of Albera have some of the greatest tailors and to think they haven’t sent the dresses to such an occasion yet and that to of royalty.” The queen of Luxor stated shaking her head as murmurs of agreements were heard. 

Before anything further could be said five individuals strolled through their cherry laughter residing through the room. The land of Bokkun and Aether have had a close relationship since they wed their two children the prince of Bokkun Jiyong and the princess of Aether Dara.

“It is great to see to see all five kingdoms gathered.” The king Of Bokkun said greeting everybody.

“Indeed this occurred five lifetimes before, and even then it wasn’t under great terms.” The king of Aether said following suit and greeting all residing in the large room.

“How are prince Jiyong and princess Dara?” The king of Olbas inquired as he saw that only the young prince of Aether Seungri had come.

“They have been doing well, Dara is feeling weak as she is pregnant so I left her in Jiyong’s care.” The king of Bokkun replied.

“There are many great things to occur from now on it seems.” The king of Luxor spoke causing everyone to nod.

“Well then let us sign this treaty so we can celebrate.” The king of Olbas said leading the way to a polished wooden table which was gleaming under the suns’ rays, reflecting the colours of the large stained glass windows. There lay a parchment which had all agreements that they had suggested and greed upon. “This contract not only ends the war and hardship that our kingdoms had faced but also ends the discrimination that our kingdoms still face. We shall be allowed to visit each-others lands without facing any type of abuse and the same shall be said for our citizens. We agree to share resources with one another at the agreed rate and not demand for more unless of an emergency.” The king of Olbas announced as he looked at each individual in the room to see if anybody had an issue with their pre agreed demands. It seemed that everybody agreed as they all nodded and were ready to sign the parchment. The king of Olbas picked up the ink pen to sign the contract, with baited breath everybody watched the pen touch paper.

“Soldiers attack!” A soldier yelled from outside his voice entering the quite room, at that moment an arrow struck its way through the window and in to the King of Olbas’s back another struck after that hitting the king once again. The women yelled as they watched the king fall whist the men drew out their swords, Irene ran to her father as his body landed on the hard concrete floor.

“Father.” Irene called dropping to her knees as she lifted her father up, stopping the arrows from digging itself deeper in to him when he had fallen. Irene couldn’t hear anything as she stared at her father’s closing eyes, the sounds of Suho telling her to move to safety with the royal guards were unheard as even more arrows were being shot through the window. The queen held her daughter by the arms dragging her away from her father and towards the guards who were attempting to take them to safety and fight off the intruders. Irene allowed her body to be dragged away as she ran with the guards watching them fight men who wore all black, it seemed that these foreign men brought a battalion as they never seemed to stop coming and fighting. The guards led the women upstairs to the library as everywhere else was infested with these foreign men who were waging war. A few guards stayed inside the library with the queens and princesses whilst the rest guarded outside the doors locking the doors so no enemies could enter.

Yeri ran to Irene to gain comfort at the scene they had just witnessed the two princesses hugged one another, the queens looked at one another with a solemn expression as they could not say or do anything that could comfort the girls or the kings wife who was furious as she marched over to a royal guard.

“Who are they? How were they able to attack the whole kingdom when it was secure? What of the townsfolk were they harmed?” The queen asked in a shot fire of questions the guard didn’t mind the onslaught of questions he had expected them, he is an elite called Yunho that guarded the royals since his teenage years, he was well respected and the family knew they could trust him.

“Nobody knows who they are, there are many of them though a whole battalion worth of them. They had yelled ‘there is only one true kingdom Vesalis’ before knocking the kingdom gates with a catapult. We had attempted to evacuate as many of the townsfolk as possible however there are a few casualties as these mysterious beings are much faster than soldiers, they are much like ninjas.” Yunho relayed not leaving out any detail for the queen who was in much thought.

“Do we have a chance of surviving?” The queen of Ather asked panicking at the thought of not being able to meet her grandchild, children and husband. Yunho looked over to his side to another fellow soldier the royal family trusted, he was younger than Yunho however he was still an effective soldier that trained alongside Yunho which allowed them to become great friends.

“Initially survival was bleak however the tides turned in our favor, fear not your majesty you shall survive a few had made their way towards the castle once they have been cleared you are able to leave.” Changmin replied causing a sigh of relief to be released from the queens. The queen of Olbas looked over at her daughters and saw them silently crying, she walked towards the two and silently enveloped them.

Two knocks were heard from the door before it could be heard being unlocked via a key, Changmin and Yunho took out their swords and pointed them towards the door, with baited breath everyone watched the door open wondering who it would be even with Changmins words there was still an air of uncertainty. Short but charming, his eye wandered the library as he entered with the rest of the kings and prince it was Suho. The guards lowered their swords as there was no immediate danger, Suho ran to his family and hugged them finding comfort in the fact that the rest of his family was alive.

“Your majesties two of the men have been captured and have been detained in the dungeons, the kings condition seems to be critical at this moment in time, he is in the hospital ward with Dr Jinki.” A guard stated Suho thanked him before the guard walked away to continue with his job.

“My queen we shall interrogate the enemies you should go and check on the king with your family.” The king of Bokkun said.

“I would like to come with you, they harmed the kingdom and shot my father.” Suho said the anger in his voice present surprising everyone in the room as they had never heard him in such a manner. He was renowned as the calm prince that could be seen as a pushover due to his nature to please everybody.

“But my prince…” However before the king could protest he was cut off by the queen.

“Allow him to go.” The queen said nobody argued as they watched Suho leave the library with the kings prince and guards. Only leaving the queens princess and two faithful guards.

“Follow us your liege we shall you to the hospital wing.” Yunho said taking charge, everybody silently agreed and made their way.  Every step they took they were greeted with the presence of dead bodies, it seems that there were more than a few people that had made it to the castle Irene thought seldom. The group stood at the front of the hospital wing and saw that it was full of wounded soldiers being treated, a scene such as this had not occurred since the last war and even then there were 3 strong kingdoms fighting 2 equally strong kingdoms.

“Your majesty.” A doctor called making his way over to the group, his clothes were full of blood, his once bright features and voice were replaced with a stern and concentrated face.

“Dr Jinki, how is the king?” The queen asked walking towards him.

“He is in a critical condition, I have done all that I can do, now it is just a moment to see if he can survive the next 24 hours, he is in the far left of the room. Now if you can please excuse me I must attend to the wounded.” The doctor said before turning on his heel and running to a wounded soldier who was possibly on his death bed.

The queen, Irene and Yeri made their way to the king whilst the others stayed behind, Yunho and Changmin led the rest of the queens to the dining room to allow the royal family some privacy. The king was lying on the bed his whole torso was bandaged, his once fair complexion was now a ghost like white. His chest seemed to be barely moving as he struggled to breath. The once revered king of Olbas who was known for aiding his people to prosper treating them all with respect giving them a chance to survive was now struggling to breathe and survive for himself and nobody could aid him. The queen stood stunned as she looked at not only the kingdoms king but her own king fighting for his life before her very eyes and she could do nothing about it. Irene held a crying Yeri close to her as she also cried with her sister. The sounds of wounded soldiers and doctors calling out was all that could be heard as the family stared sorrowfully at the bed, nobody uttered a single syllable allowing the morbid atmosphere to encompass the dark atmosphere.

Suho made his way to the dungeons a furiousness to his steps that caused any soldier to immediately step out of his way, with no question fearing they may get scolded. The group made their way down to the dungeons where a torture room had been created, it had not been in use since the last war, but if it would allow him answers the calm prince would not be hesitant to use the devices.

“Prince Suho, maybe we should handle the interrogation whilst you watch.” The king of Ather recommended as they stood outside of the wooden door, on the other side of this door one of the enemies will be strapped to a chair whilst his companion will be tied down to a chair in a room down the lengthy hallway. Screams could already be heard but those were not from the enemies held captive but from the prisoners in the adjoined hallway. Their gurgling screams could drive any sane man mad, the smell of damp, body odor, feces and pee was mixed together lingering in the hallways making guarding the dungeons one of the most hated jobs in the kingdom.

“Why is that king?” Suho asked turning around to face the pack of men who stared at the young prince in a mixture of worry and amusement as they had never seen or heard of the prince of Olbas questioning somebody of higher authority back.

“Actually I believe the prince is in capable hands to conduct this interrogation?” The king of Luxor stated surprising the rest apart from Suho who nodded in agreement. “I shall accompany the prince as will Seung Hyun whilst you should interrogate the other man.” The rest of the kings looked at him warily however they hesitantly agreed with him as Suho opened the door and entered. The king of Luxor smirked as he saw Suho hit the enemy who was strapped down on a chair. “Now if you’ll excuse us.” With that the king and Seung Hyun entered the room and closed the door behind them.

“They shall be fine after all the king of Luxor is renowned in prying information from enemies.” The king of Ares stated making his way along the corridor to the next room where the other man was held captive.

“Who are you?” Suho asked glaring at the man who was refusing to share any information about himself or his cause, instead of replying the enemy turned his head away from Suho.

“Now common courtesy is to reply when a question is being asked not to ignore them.” The King of Luxor stated making his way forward with a spare chair. He sat down and crossed his legs as he stared the enemy before him, he was wearing all black his head was covered with a black mask making him seem like a ninja. However he had vivid red eyes, eyes that entranced the king of Luxor how could someone have red eyes and that to so clear and bright?  The king grabbed the mask and took it off, behind the mask lay a man with a burnt face.

“Who are you?” The king muttered as he stared at the marking on the man’s forehead, it was a simple bird flying with an egg.

“There is only one kingdom Vesalis.” The man said a smirk prevalent on his features as he watched the king becoming entranced with his features.

“Where is Vesalis?” The king asked leaning back on the chair his mind still focusing on the marking on the man’s head.

“Once you have all been destroyed Vesalis shall conquer.” The man replied staring at Suho with a smug expression. “One king is down four more to go.” Suho could feel his blood boil as he took a stride forward however Seung Hyun held him back.

“Today you were planning on killing all five kingdoms kings and queens, what about the princes and princesses they would not sit back, they would come after you, they will come after you.” Suho said through gritted teeth.

“They would be angry unable to think straight easy kills, after all in a game of chess who’s the most powerful? In the end you’re just another pawn for your mother and father.” The man stated laughing menacingly.

“How many more of you are there?” Seung Hyun asked.

“More than all five of your kingdoms combined.” He replied glancing around the room as the three looked at each other in astonishment.

“That is a lie if there were so many of you then we would have known.” Suho stated causing the captive to laugh.

“Do you believe in magic?” He asked.

“There is no such thing as magic it is just games and tricks.” Suho replied causing the captive to sigh.

“What you learn here is child’s games and tricks, I wield true magic.” The man said allowing a small smile settle on his face as he saw Suho believe him for a split second.

“Where are you from?” The king of Luxor asked curiosity dripping in every syllable.

“Humans are so inquisitive wouldn’t you prefer to go out and find?” The man questioned leaning back in the uncomfortable chair.

“Answer the question.” Seung Hyun stated his patience wearing thin the longer they remained stood.

“You should just kill me now isn’t that what humans do when the captive is not going to give any more information.” The room was engulfed in silence for a while but then a scream rippled through the atmosphere. “It seems like my comrade had been killed for his lack of information.” The king of Luxor drew his sword out and placed it against the man’s neck.

“You have one chance answer us or die.” The king of Luxor announced showing slight mercy on the man who piqued his interest.

“Even if I answer, you would kill me in the end, that’s what humans are known for.” The man replied staring the king head on, with a sigh of disappointment the king drew his sword back and swung it forth in to the man’s neck killing the man instantly. The door opened and in came the rest of the kings, the king of Ares had his hands full of blood.

“He believes in magic and said Vesalis will take over.” The king of Bokkun said recalling the amount of information that they were able to withdraw.

“Magic, the whole notion is absurd, he was speaking as if he was from another land.” The king of Ather said shaking his head at the thought that magic could be relatively true.

“Did the man have red eyes?” The king of Luxor questioned a he stared at the body of the man he had just killed.

“Yes, his face burnt and had the exact marking on his face as him.” Seungri replied pointing to the flying bird with an egg marked on the man’s forehead.

“It must be the sign of Vesalis warriors.” Seung Hyun stated avidly looking at the symbol. “They get marked on their loyalty to the cause.”

“They plan to attack any of the kingdoms so have your men ready.” Suho stated as he thought of how his kingdom was going to fare in this war.

“We should return back to our kingdoms and see if everyone is safe.” The king of Bokkun announced with murmurs of agreement the group made their way up not talking to one another as they were too involved in their own thoughts.  They found the queens seated in an empty room sat around a table that was assorted with a variety of food, the atmosphere was sullen as they ate bits of their food to show appreciation to the chefs who had cooked it.

“Is everything fine?” The queen of Luxor asked once the men had entered the room.

“We should make haste and return to our kingdoms to see if everything is in order.” The king of Luxor replied, everybody had agreed without further questioning. Suho escorted the rest of the royalty to the courtyard where their carriages were waiting for them.

“We are sorry we were unable to protect your father, but he is a fighter, he will wake up soon just have faith.” The king of Bokkun said to Suho who nodded, the young prince afraid that if he spoke his voice could crack and show vulnerability in front of the royals. With that the four kingdoms had left allowing Suho the opportunity to check on his family so with small steps and a heavy heart he made his way to the hospital ward.

Looking around the ward Suho saw many wounded soldiers, the doctors and nurses were working as hard as possible to save as many lives as possible. Doctor Jinki looked up from one of his patients and saw the prince looking around at the wounded and deceased. When the doctor and Suho made eye contact the doctor pointed toward the back signaling where his family was, Suho saw a curtain that was giving them privacy. Making his way over Suho greeted some of the soldiers who were alive but injured, once he made it to the curtain he pulled it to the side and saw his mother sat on a chair next to his father tears glistening her eyes as she blankly stared at his body. Irene and Yeri were also sat side by side comforting one another, no words were exchanged as Suho made eye contact with the members of his family the only noise made were from the sobs emitting from Yeri as she held her brother close.