Chapter 1

The kingdom of Vigor was the largest and the most known Kingdom in the continent. Not only was it known for its large size but it was also the most beautiful of all. The lands were green and filled with forests. The hills and mountains were majestic and the valleys beautiful. The kingdom bordered the vast ocean on the south and huge mountains on the north. The coastal areas were filled with white sands and the ocean with various species of fish.

The weather in the kingdom was favourable for farming as well as hunting. Due to its green fields , it attracted a variety of wildlife. From antelopes, rhinos, elephants, giraffes to carnivores like lions, cheaters and leopards. The people learned to coexist with the animals in their land perfectly. One of the rules of the land was, no one should kill an animal if they were not going to eat it.

This enabled the animal population to increase in certain places in the kingdom.  The kingdom of Vigor was not only filled with beautiful landscapes, everyone from the neighboring kingdoms knew of their riches. Filled with minerals such as gold ,diamonds, coal and even silver. This minerals were mined all over the kingdom and improved the living standards of the people. It was indeed a eutopia.

Like any Eutopia, the kingdom of Vigor also had its flaws. It was filled with noble men who were corrupt and stole from the peasants. Some would go as far as stealing lands, cattles and even property from the common folks. Due to their prominent positions in the court they considered themselves above the law. Most of this crimes committed against the people would go unpunished.

The kingdom had a strict hierarchy. The most powerful person was the king - King Ambrose Knight, the next was the Queen but due to the single status of the king, their was no Queen at the moment. The nobles came third in the hierarchy, then the knights who protected the king and fought battles for the kingdom.

The knights were e different from the normal guards and were held at a higher position in the kingdom . They were hand chosen by the king himself from people he considered trustworthy ,brave, honest and true . They were considered the king's sword.

Next are the royal court members, composed of representatives from all over the kingdom and some noble men of low station. They handled most of the paperwork in the kingdom and were tasked with keeping records of everything that happens in the kingdom.

The tradesmen were next in line. They controlled most of the trading routes in the kingdom. They mostly exchanged goods with people from other kingdoms and sell them here at a price. Lastly in the hierarchy were the peasants. Like the name suggests they are normal folks who mostly owned small pieces of land and a few animals. Most of them are farmers.

Most of the men in this kingdom were big bodied, mascular and dominant while the women were petite, feminine and submissive. The men were mostly soldiers, hunters,scolars, Farmers, blacksmiths, tradesmen and noblemen while the women were stay at home wifes, tailors, cooks and medicine women.

Girls were taught medicine at a young age while boys were trained to be soldiers.

Like most peasants in the kingdom struggling to survive Nalani was headed to the market for the hundredth time. She pushed the heavy cart filled with fruits. Her small body pushed with all its might to get to the her small designated section in the market.

All traders are required to pay tax and after they do they are given a space to display their products. In short you had to pay money inorder to make money. Nalani had almost no money to her name, so like any sensible person she went to a loan shark and acquired a loan. She used the money for a small room that became her home, bought some produce from farmers in the country side and sold them to the people in the town.

The town of Florrin was the largest in the kingdom as it was the closest to the castle. Through the years due to its growth, it gets closer and closer to the large castle. In the past any word sent from the castle would reach after a day's walk but now it reached in a few hours.

Due to its close proximity ,it was well guarded and the people felt safe. It was the perfect place to start a fresh. Nalani left all she had and moved to Florrin to start a new life where people didn't know her. Where no one would spit as soon as they saw her.

Nalani was born from a noble family, her father Maximus was the king's most trusted advisor. The king openly favoured her dad and his family. He sent them gifts, gave them lands and animals as rewards for her father's contribution to the kingdom. However when the king died her father was labeled a traitor by the present king and was beheaded in front of everyone .

Her heart aches every time she remembers that day. The axe that fell on his neck and separated his head from his body. She remembers her desperate attempts to scream at the top of her lungs that her father was innocent. The huge crowd of people who yelled (off with his head). No one cared that her father was innocent, they were all blood thirsty and looking for someone to blame.

Her poor father died in such a horrible and disgusting way after everything he did for this kingdom. Immediately her dad was labeled a traitor their lands, animals and even their home was seized and given to someone else. Like it was nothing, like it meant nothing. She watched her whole life taken away so foolishly by others.

After the drastic change in their lives, her mother and her had to move from their home. A home they built together, full of their memories. They lost everything. To make it worse no one wanted to rent them a house nearby for fear of being associated with the traitor's family.  No one gave them a job either. Nalani had been raised as a nobles man's daughter all her life and the new change came with many challenges.

All of her family's friends turned them away when they went to seek help. Perhaps it's true what they say, ask for help and you will know who your true friends are. Almost all of the people they considered friends looked at them with disgust, like they were suffering from some kind of plague. Others asked their guards to drag them out .

Only one noble man helped them, she didn't know his name or what he looked like as he talked to her mother directly. He was a close friend to her father and he felt responsible for them both. He gave them a small shack where they could call home. Behind the poor house was a small farm. They tried to adjust as best as they could to this new life.

The pain of seeing all this and the death of her husband broke her mother's heart. She started getting sick then sicker and sicker day by day. The medicine man said they had never seen such an illness and there was nothing they could do for her mother. She watched her mother wither away until there was nothing left of the bubbly sweet woman who she once knew.

Within an year she buried her dear mother in the small farm behind the shack they called home. She had nothing left ,she had lost everything. Her parents, her lands , her title and her life.

The decision to move to another village was a no-brainer. She needed to be in a new environment where she could atleast create a good life for herself. Without another thought , she packed the few dresses she had in a sack and set off to her new home Florrin. She heard from traders that Florrin was a big town ,home to hundreds of people.

And she came to the conclusion that it would be her home too. Living in Florrin wasn't exactly as easy as they made it out to be. The traders failed to mention that the houses were expensive ,food was expensive and the taxes were higher than other places, all because it was close to the castle.

She was getting by though. Despite all the challenges she was now well adjusted to the town. She stopped her cart when she spotted her friend Kellen near her section.

Kellen was taller than Nalani, slim with long blonde hair. She moved to Florrin after her parents disowned her. Her parents wanted to marry her off to an old tradesman but she had a different opinion, so they threw her out and disowned her.

When Nalani and Kellen met for the first time, there was a kinship that could be felt between them and they ended up becoming fast friends. They both took loans from the same loan shark and opened booths in the market. They sold their products side by side. While Nalani sold fruits, Kellen sold women's accessories.

" You are late" said Kellen with a frown

" I know sorry, this cart is especially heavy today" she breathed

" I have sold some necklaces to two noble women. I wish you could see how they were covered in jewelry" Kellen rambled " Ah! When will we be able to afford such jewelry ?"

" Probably never" said a tired Nalani before she sat on a stool.

" Aargh! You and your negativity "

" What? Isn't it true?"

" I know it's true but....I wanted to have some hope that it will happen one day but you ruined it" Kellen shook her head.

Kellen was the optimistic one between the two while Nalani was the pessimist. Kellen viewed the world with so much optimism that it annoyed Nalani sometimes. What was there to be happy and optimistic about? Life sucked for both of them, so she didn't understand what the positivity was about.

When a customer approached ,Kellen started talking to the customer while Nalani arranged her fruits. She placed the oranges near the apples while the watermelons were at the edge of the cart. As they both did their work, the sound of galloping could be heard from a distance. It sounded like more than fifteen horses were running towards the town. Within a few moments they could hear the horses neighing in the town..

A white flag with a yellow sun on it, was carried by the first rider. The display of the flag meant two things , either the knights or the king was among the procession that was getting closer to them.

" Who do you think is visiting?" Asked a curious Kellen as she tried getting on her toes to see.

The town was silent and still as soon as they spotted the flag and everyone curiously waited to see who was visiting. After all, this was the only road leading to the castle.  The procession suddenly stopped infront of Kellen and Nalani's carts . The rider holding the flag, got off his horse, took a few steps forward and stopped.

" Kneel down before King Ambrose!!" Commanded the announcer.