"I want you to marry as soon as possible Alexander," the king said in a whisper. Nevertheless, Alexander heard his statement and his face became stern. The conversation was now diverted to him within a minute.
"How long are we going to talk about this father? Weren't you the one who told me to choose a woman who befits the crown princess title?" The king inhaled deeply for he knew that it was hard to convince this son of his. He also did not want him to make a rash decision but he seemed too slow in these matters. Was he against the idea of marriage? But as a crown prince, you had to marry before full power was bestowed to you as the new king.
The king had little time left and he knew that he would die soon. The fortune teller had told him that he would not see the next moon, which was a month's time away. This was the reason why his son had to hurry and marry. If he failed, the court would rule in his stead until ten years lapses and instead of him to rule, his son would be bestowed the responsibility, and due to his young age, the royal court would continue to rule until he becomes of age.
Of course his stubborn son was not bothered by such rules. In fact, he had sworn to eradicate that rule since he was a child. The king could not help but wonder what would befall his ignorant son once he was gone.
Alexander rose from his seat before placing a soft kiss on the king's forehead. "I will take my leave now. Take care, father." The king had no strength to reply so he simply nodded at the silhouette of his exiting son. He was now left alone in the large room.
"Take care of him. If anything happens, inform me personally," Alexander said addressing the chief physician. The physician bowed and assured him that he would keep him informed on how the king was fairing. Deep down, Alexander wished that his father was still well. He had been the king in acting for a month and it felt hectic. He wondered how his father used to cope with his situation. But given his outstanding talent and wisdom, he understood why his father was better than him. 'They say experience is the best teacher' he thought while striding through the hallways.
In the afternoons, Alexander liked to spar with his men and the palace guards. It was a good way to kill time and run from the burdens of the king's office. Lord Richard would be in charge and he would curse the prince for this. Lord Richard was the only person in the whole palace who dared to joke with the prince. Not even his father, the king, dared to do such a thing. He was also the only person whom the prince would listen to. Why this happened, only the duo could explain.
The warm afternoon sun cast its rays beautifully at the palace grounds. The trees' canopy provided good shade from the scorching sun. A forest also surrounded the training grounds providing shade to the sparring knights.
Alexander appeared on the training ground and the atmosphere became tense. The knights stopped sparring and bowed with respect to greeting the prince. But that was not the reason why they stopped sparring. Over the last few days, Alexander had been defeating every knight in the palace. He had placed a thirty-day challenge and promised to reward anyone who defeated him. At first, the knights fought hopefully but gradually stopped as the prince continued to defeat them daily.
Alexander stood at the center and the knights formed a circle that represented a battleground. He looked at the knights and realized that many had been defeated. Nobody wanted to step up and face the prince.
"Is there no one in this palace who has the guts to face me?" He asked sending fear in their hearts. He glared coldly at them but they could only look down in shame. Suddenly, he spotted a knight who stood separate from the group, probably not interested in what was going on. Alexander was sure that he had never seen this face before.
"You," he called catching the knight's attention, "fight me." The knight seemed to recognize who he was and immediately bowed in respect.
"Greetings, your highness," he said calmly bowing down slightly. No one dared to bow slightly at the prince. The knights were shocked by arrogance and could not help but pity for him. "I am in no position to fight with you. I do not want to hurt you, your majesty." This statement was an uproar to the knights. This guy was so arrogant and confident of himself. Did he believe that he could actually come close to hurting the god pf war.
Alexander's insides were burning and fuming in anger. This mere knight had hurt his pride and was going to pay for it. He would smash him to nothingness within seconds. The atmosphere grew more tense as the two stared daggers at each other. An arrogant knight and a confident prince. It was going to be an interesting battle.
"Since you don't seem to give up soon, I will take the challenge. But you have to double the price, your highness." The knights stared daggers at the knight. He was so arrogant. Alexander seemed awestruck by the statement but he regained his composure.
"If you are worthy the price, then I'll double it." If Alexander was fuming in anger a few minutes ago, then his condition was beyond words right now. He was going to kill this knight even before he makes a move. He would end his arrogance with one strike. No one dared to challenge him. This knight would learn a lesson from him today.
The knight stared at Alexander as he drew his sword and charged at him murderously and he knew that he had hurt his pride. He was going to be killed by the prince. But he would not just stand and watch as death came to him. He had not planned to hurt or humiliate the prince but seeing that his life was on the line here, he had no other choice.