would hear you laugh and sing again. Let us try to relax a little while we can, I do not think we have done so in a very long time?” he said, smiling warmly at his companion.
Knesh Corian nodded. He could see that there was no point trying to change the King’s mind. In any event, he agreed with him that the army needed to rest. He and Artrex had shared many hardships together over the years. ‘Surely we have earned the right to relax, if only for a short while?’ he thought.
Against every one of his warrior’s instincts, he conceded the argument. Conceded, and hoped for the best.
As they sat down again with a group of soldiers who were resting by the remnants of a campfire, they each allowed themselves the rare luxury of relaxation. They listened for a time to the stories and songs of their compatriots and, for a short while, they forgot all about their dire situation and the lack of hope it fostered. But inevitably, their thoughts soon returned to the subject that weighed heavily on their minds. Artrex found himself thinking of the past, of the childhood he’d spent with his brothers, their parents, and some of the happier times he’d experienced as a youth. ‘How did it all come to this?’ he wondered, ‘I have been fighting for so long now that I’ve actually lost sight of what it was I began fighting for.’ He couldn’t remember at first why or when it had all begun. That seemed so strange to him. He chuckled silently to himself at having forgotten something so important. But the hatred he knew his brother felt towards him returned to his thoughts and jolted his memory. Suddenly, everything came flooding back.
As young Princes and heirs to the throne of Rhuaddan, Artrex and his brothers had wanted for nothing. Their every wish and whim was catered for. Their parents had ensured that they had the best tutors for all required subjects, from warfare or education, to manners, dancing and soc etiquette. For Artrex in particular, being the first in line to the throne, his whole childhood had been one long preparation for Kingship. His personal tutoring had taken precedence over that of his brothers, which had often been regarded as favouritism by his younger siblings, particularly the young, ambitious and jealous, Prince Vantrax. A rivalry developed between the two brothers that grew more and more intense as they aged. They drifted apart noticeably and Vantrax began to ally himself with the northern nobles, whose territories encompassed the lucrative mines of Rhuaddan, the ambitious Lords seeing nothing wrong in courting the favour of the young Prince who might one day succeed to the throne.
Artrex however, was too busy learning how to be a King and enjoying himself spending time with a young soldier called Knesh, who’d been inducted into his warfare classes and had quickly become a good friend, to be concerned about his brother’s activities.
The situation would have continued to develop as it had been, not ideal, but hardly disastrous, if it were not for two factors. Vantrax met and became fascinated by an old and evil wizard called Notorold, who lived in the caves near to the Lidzenstor mines. Notorold happily took the eager Prince Vantrax as his young apprentice, secretly teaching him the dark arts until his own death in the ‘War of the Succession’. It was during this time that Vantrax’ greed and ambition grew beyond measure, swayed by the influence of the evil wizard, he grew impatient for real power and he began formulating plans as to how and when he might take it.
The catalyst for action arrived in the King’s court around the time of Artrex’ eighteenth birthday and took the form of an extraordinarily beautiful Princess from Perosya, whose name was Eronene. Both Princes fell in love with her at first sight. Vantrax’ heart actually melted a little and he became determined that she would be his. He began attending court regularly and visiting the young Princess whenever he could. Over many months, he tried and tried to get her to love him. He really began to believe that he’d succeeded, but one day his father, King Vechtor and his mother, Queen Lloran, held a lavish ball to celebrate the arranged marriage of Princess Eronene to his arch rival and brother, Prince Artrex. The news completely devastated Vantrax, he retreated into his own solitary world of evil, becoming increasingly angry and bitter. He