• Tales of Xalthia

    Chapter 1: Life of a Knight


    Located on the continent in the center of the world lies the Holy Kingdom of Eresseas on the continent of Cayhill. Including Eresseas, there are a total of six kingdoms on different continents. Honegroth, the Empire of Dreams lies on the northern continent of Menorion. Menorion's land has a little of everything from every continent. From grassy plains to a vast desert to mountains. Esseand, the Kingdom of Staves is located in the forest and cavernous region of the northwestern continent of Ersheath. The Republic of Sirione sits on the southern most continent of Megrove, influenced by the abundance of swamp and farmlands. The Realm of Dolothlond lies in the mountainous terrain of the southwestern continent of Nargelond. Finally, the Principality of Lone lies in the middle of a desert on the northeastern continent that sits in-between Menorion and Megrove.

    Eresseas is ruled by a royal family beloved by everyone of Cayhill. According to history, Eresseas was once known as The Grand Duchies but since Cayhill is considered "holy grounds" due to the fact that the War of Mana took place where Eresseas now stands one hundred years later and having almost the entire kingdom nearly wiped out, the former kingdom was reformed into a new image under a new name. Over the years, the land slowly started to recover after the devastation of the war. The once-barren landscape was now full of life once again. The only thing that remains the same was the massive crater caused by the Four Great Spirits, which is located in the center of the continent. That crater was now filled with water due to a hundred years of rain and the newly formed rivers that go out to sea. Thanks to the hard efforts of the people and their knowledge of the Earth element, new land was formed within the crater. Ro accompany the water that now fills the crater, small city was built named the River City of Briswater. The only remaining traces of the war were scattered debris from the war that was still at the bottom of the crater and littered around the forest grounds that surround the city. Cayhill is the smallest continent so the population isn't as high in numbers. Unlike the other continents, Cayhill is in a neutral zone which means they don't take sides in fights that pertain to other kingdoms.

    Acting under the royal family of Eresseas are eight people who are selected by the King and Queen themselves to become the royal family's elite guard. These handpicked warriors were formally recognized as the Royal Eight. Three of the eight people are chosen to act as bodyguards for the King, Queen and the Princess. One of those knights was a young swordsman who also has a personal relationship with the Princess. That knight is our young hero named Tsuki Himura. Tsuki is charged with bodyguard duty of the Princess. He's also Princess' childhood friend. Additionally to protecting the Princess, just like every other knight under the service of the royal family, he's sent off to different places of Cayhill under official business for missions such as overseeing political matters, handling delicate cases like kidnappings and emergency distress calls.

    Tsuki, the youngest person of the Eight and the same age as the Princess, was walking down the castle halls as if he was returning from a mission. He was eighteen years old so according to Eresseas' history, he's the youngest person to ever serve under the King and Queen as their elite guard. The armor he was wearing was made of iron with the flag of Eresseas designed into the chest plate. Everything else was pretty standard when it comes to heavy armor. Although, his armor appeared to be as if he had just gotten out of a brawl. There were dirt and scrapes all over the armor. There were dents all over the leggings and chest plate. As he was walking down the hallways, he heard someone call out to him from behind.

    A man appeared several feet behind Tsuki as he stood with his hands on his hips. He could spot Tsuki from a mile away. "Hey, Tsuki!" he called out to him. He then started to approach Tsuki.

    Tsuki stopped and turned around as the man called out to him. When he turned around, he saw that the man was in the same armor as he was except without all the dents and scratches. The man to be slightly older than him too. "Hey Zero. What's up?" he asked the man.

    Zero walked up closer to him and examined him closely. "Man, you're a mess. Did you stumble off a cliff or something?" he said in a joking manner. Zero was twenty-five years old, the second youngest person of the Eight. "I just came to welcome you back after a job well done. I heard you single-handedly defended Basilwell from a sudden monster invasion" he informed him.

    Tsuki shook his head. "That's an exaggeration. I wasn't alone. There were three others with me who were accompanying me on my mission. Unfortunately, we parted ways at the town entrance" he corrected Zero, apparently being misinformed. He didn't want to cause any misunderstandings especially if the rumors were false.

    Zero waved his hand in front of his face as he was brushing it off. "Ah semantics...who needs them?" he told him. He then threw his arm around Tsuki's neck, pulling him closer. "So, tell me about these companions who traveled with you. You have been gone for almost two months now, after all" he whispered to him.

    Tsuki sunk down from his hold and took a few steps away from him and faced him. "Well, you know what my mission was. To oversee government matters of Basilwell and to fend off the unusually high increase of monster activity in the Cavern of Solace. I didn't think it would take two months though" he said. He then crossed his arms, thinking about his companions. "The first companion was a young mage. She was a talented healer and saved my neck quite a number of times. The second companion was a middle aged mercenary who uses a broadsword in his right hand and a gun in his left hand. His combat skills were impressive considering that he uses two completely different weapons. The third was a young fighter who excels in martial arts. His fighting style was quite unique, I'll admit" he explained.

    Zero nodded, listening to his story. Apparently, a lot more went on in the two months he's been gone as he first thought. "I see. So, you say that you parted ways at the entrance?" he asked him. He wanted to meet these companions himself. They seemed to be worthy recruits.

    Tsuki nodded at his response. "Yes. They're staying at the Iron Maiden in town for the night. They plan to set off again in the morning to who knows where. I hate to part ways but that's the way it has to be. I belong here, after all" he told him. Truthfully, he wanted to go on more adventures with them. They were his friends and he was sad that he had to leave. However, he knows that he can't go abandoning his duty he has to the kingdom so he has no choice.

    Zero crossed his arms, stroking his chin in thought. "I see. Well, it's a shame they didn't come with you. I'm sure the King and Queen would of been happy to express their gratitude to them." Judging from the look on Tsuki's face, they must of had a big impact on his life. Now, he really has to meet them now. Just then, he heard a voice call out to both of them further down the hall.

    Further up the hall in the direction where Tsuki was walking was a woman. She appeared to of been waiting there for quite sometime, listening on their conversation. "Hey! You're late!" she shouted at them but really directing it to Tsuki.

    They both looked down the hallway that led to the audience chamber. They saw the woman who appeared to be in the same exact armor. Unlike Zero, she appeared quite a bit older. They then started to approach her, not knowing why she said that they were late.

    The woman was standing her her hands on her hips. She gave them a brief stare then started to approach them as well. She stopped at arm's length from Tsuki and gave him a slightly longer stare. After a few moments of silence, she sighed heavily. "You had us all worried, Tsuki. Next time, send a postcard or something" she told him in a calmer tone.

    Tsuki rubbed the back of his head, feeling relieved. He thought he did something wrong, though he couldn't figure out what he could of done that was wrong. He just returned to the castle, after all. "Sorry, Aya. I didn't mean to cause worry for everyone" he consoled her. What did they have to worry about? Tsuki was more than capable of taking care of himself even in dire situations. He's not only an excellent fight but quite resourceful. He could make a use out of the simplest things and still make it out of dangerous situations alive and unscathed.

    Aya is the second oldest member of the Eight. She was forty-five years old and the Queen's personal bodyguard. She gently tapped Tsuki's head, shaking her head. "Oh no, we weren't the ones worried. We knew you would succeed. I meant the royal family. They were clearly concerned about you because of the reports they had received about what was taking place in Basilwell over the past two months. The Princess was especially worried about you. She didn't go a day without asking one of us if we heard from you" she corrected him.

    Tsuki was a bit surprised by what Aya had said. Of course, he expected the Princess would worry. After all, they were childhood friends so they had a very special relationship. He didn't expect the King and Queen to worry however. It's natural to worry about the well-being of the knights as King and Queen but everyone knew how strong Tsuki was. What was there to worry about? He couldn't figure it out. He scratched his head as a response. "Wow...I wasn't expecting that" he said.

    Aya then walked behind Tsuki and started to push him towards the audience chamber. "Let's pick this conversation up later. For now, go tell the royal family that you're back safe and sound. They are expecting you to walk through those doors as we speak" she told him.

    Once they were at the audience chamber doors, Aya and Zero walked to each side of the doors and held onto the door handles. They then nodded to each other and pushed open the doors. Behind the doors was a massive room with small waterfalls all throughout the room. At the far end of the room, there were three chairs that the King, Queen and Princess were sitting in. They then walked into the audience chamber and closed the doors behind them. Tsuki then started his walk up the red carpet towards the royal family while Aya and Zero remained at the door.

    When Tsuki made it to the foot of the stairs from where the royal family were sitting on top of, he kneeled down and lowered his head to them. "Tsuki Himura of the Eight, returning from duty" he said in a polite, respectful manner. His demeanor had completely changed the moment he walked up to the royal family. He kept his head down as he waited for their response.

    The King raised his hand up. "Welcome home, Tsuki. I've heard that your mission had some extreme complications to it than what we originally had anticipated. If we had known things would go to such extremes, we would of sent you out with some backup" he said. He tried to speak without letting out a hint of worry.

    Tsuki kept to his knees with his head lowered. "It's quite alright, Your Majesty. It was my mission to defend and oversee. Failure wasn't an option. No matter what was thrown at me, I had to fight through it all without hesitation" he said in response. He could tell that they were worried before he got down to his knees.

    The Queen then started to talk. "Please rise, Tsuki. You've done an exceptional job in Basilwell. You've gone above our expectations. As you said, you fought through it all without hesitation. The condition your being is in clearly shows that" she said as she examined in carefully.

    Tsuki then stood up, lifting up his head and looked at them. He glanced over at the Princess and gave her a slight smile. He then focused on the King and Queen and nodded to her response. "Thank you, Your Highness. I do not deserve such praise. If it were not for the help of the companions I traveled with, I would not of succeeded" he informed them.

    The King shook his head. "You give yourself far too little credit. If it weren't for your actions, who knows what would of happened to Basilwell. So, where are these companions that were with you? Surely, they didn't..." he said. With all that happened in Basilwell, he didn't want to think that his companions fell in battle.

    Tsuki shook his head. "They're not with me, I'm afraid. We parted ways when we returned to the city. They're staying in town for the night then they are leaving in the morning" he informed them. Perhaps, he should of brought them with him.

    The Queen nodded as he spoke. "I see. Let's hold off on your report till tomorrow. You look like you're about to pass out. Besides..." she said, looking over to the Princess, who looked as if she was about to jump out of her seat. "The Princess has been worried sick about you. You two can use the day to catch up. We'll continue this tomorrow. You're dismissed." she instructed him.

    Tsuki bowed one last time. "Of course. Thank you, Your Highness" he said. He felt kind of relieved that they gave him time to rest and recover his energy. He didn't think he'd have it in him to explain his report in full detail. He then turned around and headed back to the doors. He stopped in front of them as Aya and Zero opened them and glanced at Cheria. He waved at her then left the audience chamber. Once he left, he headed to the room where the Eight were holed up in.

    Several moments after Tsuki left the audience chamber, the Queen looked over to Princess. "Well, what are you waiting for? You better catch up to him before he escapes" she told her. She knew that she was about to fly out of her chair any minute. It was painfully obvious.

    The Princess looked over to her mother and nodded. She stood up then bowed to her mother and father. "Thank you. Please excuse me!" she said with excitement. She turned around and rushed out of the audience chamber, following Tsuki.

    As the Princess hurried out of the audience chamber, Zero left the door and walked up to the King and Queen and bowed. "King Taichi, Queen Emma, if I may, I have a suggestion" he said. Zero had a plan in mind and wanted to get approval of the royal family before carrying it out.

    Taichi, the King, looked at Zero, stroking his beard in thought. Given Zero's track record, his suggestions can be a little unnecessary. Zero's known to be a ladies man in the kingdom. He was half tempted to decline his suggestion before he even spoke it but decided to give him a chance. "What is your suggestion, Zero?" he asked in a concerning tone.

    Zero then started to tell the King and Queen what he was planning. There was something missing in Tsuki's return and he thought that the King and Queen should know. He didn't tell Tsuki or anyone else what he was planning. Whether the King and Queen accept his suggestion or not, he was still going to go through with his plan.

    After several minutes of walking through hallways, he eventually made it to the room where the Eight were holed up. He stood outside the door and took a deep breath before entering it. After a moment, he opened the door. Upon opening the door, he was greeted by confetti and praise. Inside the room, he saw the remaining five of the Eight. The person closest to his left was a girl about a year older than Zero but looks like she's really eighteen. Her name was Lydia. The person closest to his right was the oldest member of the Eight. The man was forty-six and his name was Mike. The person center of the room was a man who was forty. His name was Stahler. In the upper left corner of the room was a young woman at the age twenty-seven. Her name was Xpheria but everyone just calls her Phi. Finally, in the upper right corner of the room was an older woman at the age of thirty-eight. Her name was Jula.

    Once everyone said their congratulations and welcomed Tsuki back home, Lydia walked up to him and examined his face and the condition he was in. "Looks like you've gotten stronger while you were away" she said. He almost seemed like a different person.

    Mike walked up to Tsuki and patted him on the shoulder. "Ah, the youth. It's great to be young. By the looks of you, it would appear that you've been through Hell and back again" he said. It was no lie, Tsuki did look like a mess. Everyone knew that.

    Stahler shook his head and looked at Mike. "Tsuki is a tough kid. He may be young but he is one of our finest" he said. Stahler is considered the strongest out of hte Eight due to his White Wolf fighting style. White Wolf is a fighting style that has been long forgotten in the passages of time. Only very few people know of it and an even lesser few that have mastered it. It takes years of extensive training but the end result would be devastating once a person masters the fighting style.

    Phi shrugged her shoulders and took a short glance at Tsuki. "He could still use some improvement in his fight style though" she said with a judgmental look. Phi is considered to be Tsuki's rival. They always compete against each other to see who's stronger in various challenges. Challenges could be a foot race, sparring match or even rock climbing. It's all about a friendly competition though. It's not like they were setting records or something.

    Jula looked over to Phi and sighed, shaking her head. "You never change, do you? Would it kill you to offer some sort of compliment for him?" she asked. She then looked over to Tsuki and examined his armor. "Why don't you change into something less dirty? We'll have the blacksmiths buff out the dents and scratches to make your armor like new again" she said.

    Tsuki nodded and walked a bit further into the room, towards the back part where all of the armor and weapons for the Eight are safely stored and kept under lock and key. When he walked into the center of the room, he heard someone burst through the door. He stopped, knowing who it was before turning around. He turned around and saw the Princess standing at the doorway. "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to show up" he said to her.

    The Princess seemed to be almost teary-eyed from happiness. "Tsu!" she shouted. She then lunged towards Tsuki and threw herself at him in a hug and causing them both to fall to the ground with her sitting on top of him. She was beyond happy that her childhood friend had finally returned after two months of being away.

    Tsuki waved to her when she called out his name. He wasn't prepared for her to lunge at him and knocking them both down though. Before he knew it, he was tackled to the ground. "Agh! Cheria, you didn't have to tackle me" he told her. He couldn't blame her though. Anyone would do that to someone they care about when they had little to no contact whatsoever over a period of time.

    She shook her head and released him from the hug but remained on top of him. "I couldn't help it! I've really missed you! What did you do? Have you been eating well? You haven't been hurt at all? You have to tell me everything that happened. You must!" she said. She was practically holding onto the collar of his armor, shaking him.

    Tsuki was being shook so much that he could barely get a word out. When she stopped, he looked up at her with a dazed look on his face after all the shaking. "I'm fine, don't worry so much. You should know that I can take care of myself" he reassured her. He then sat up so he's sitting cross-legged.

    Cheria sighed heavily with relief. She no longer had to worry about his safety and well-being now that he's back. "That's good. I've been so worried about you" she said. She then realized that there were other people in the room. She was so excited and focused on Tsuki that she didn't even see the other members of the Eight. Once she realized this, she blushed from embarrassment. "Oh...uh...hi everyone..." she said, waving at them rather shyly.

    Lydia couldn't help but laugh a bit at Cheria's expense. She hasn't seen her so excited in quite a long time that she nearly forgot how she acts when she's like this. "Wow, I didn't expect you to tackle him to the ground like that. Perhaps you missed him more than everyone initially thought" she said. Lydia has always loved to tease Cheria about her relationship with Tsuki.

    Cheria looks up at Lydia, still feeling embarrassed about her improper display as a Princess. "S-shut up!" she said. She hid her face in her hands to hide the embarrassment from everyone in the room.

    Tsuki chuckled a little bit to himself then smiled at her. He did miss Cheria and her weird and exciting personality. It was refreshing to be back to where he belongs. "Cheria...I'm home" he said. He placed his hand on top of her head and petted her gently.

    Cheria looked at Tsuki and smiled in content as he petted her, still blushing. "Welcome home, Tsu" she said. She wanted to talk to him all day long so they could catch up in the things they've missed these past two months.

    Tsuki stood up, brushing himself off. Then, he held out his hand to help her up to her feet. Cheria looked up at he stood up and took his hand when he held out his hand for her. She then stood up with the help of Tsuki. Once she stood up, she also brushed herself off.

    Mike watched Tsuki and Cheria as they had their reunion. When they stood up, he couldn't help but make a comment on their relationship. "It amazes me on how much the line between those two start to blur" he said.

    Phi looked at Mike and shrugged. She wasn't surprised on where their relationship stands. "What do you expect? They're childhood friends. They treat each other more as brother and sister rather than Princess and knight" she told him. As long as the Princess was happy, she didn't care what kind of relationship the two shared.

    Jula walked up to Cheria and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Your Highness, let Tsuki get some rest. He is very tired from his long mission. Surely, you know this" she said. She knew that Cheria wanted to talk to Tsuki more but he was clearly too tired to do so.

    Cheria looked up at Jula then back at Tsuki and nodded slowly. Part of her wanted him to get some well-deserved rest but another part of her wanted to talk to him longer. "Yeah...you're right. Let's talk later...is that okay with you?" she asked Tsuki. She tilted her head, waiting for a response.

    Tsuki rubbed the back of his head. "Of course. I have a lot to tell you, after all. We'll definitely talk after I get some rest" he told her. Looks like he not only has to give a full debriefing of his mission to the King and Queen, but he also has to give a debriefing to Cheria. He didn't really mind though. Anytime spent with the Princess is time well-spent for him.

    Cheria nodded. She waited for two months to see Tsuki. What can a few hours more do? "Meet up in our usual spot, okay? I'll be waiting for you" she said with a cheery smile. She then turned around and started to head to the door. She grabbed the door handle then looked back at Tsuki. "Have a nice nap, Tsu" she told him. She then opened the door and left the room.

    Tsuki nodded at her last comment before she left. When she left, he then removed the armor he was wearing and set the pieces on a sparring dummy where armor is placed. Under his armor, he wore very thing clothes since it can get rather hot wearing heavy armor. Once he was ready, he headed up the stairs that were in the back of the room that led to a hallway with separate rooms for the Eight. His room was the farthest one down to the left of the stairs. Next to the stairs was a washroom where the Eight bathe. Before stopping to his room, he stepped inside the washroom to clean himself off. When he was refreshed and clean, he dressed himself and then walked out of the washroom. He then walked over to his room and stepped inside. Once he was in, he took a deep breath. He hasn't stepped in the room in so long. It appeared everything was the same as when he left. He then crawled onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. It was almost weird being back in his room. He's been accustomed to staying at inns and inside of tents for two months.

    As he stared at the ceiling, his thoughts went to the three companions he traveled with for two months. "I wonder what they are doing right now. I'm sure going to miss them. At the very least, I should get up early tomorrow and see them off" he told himself. He sighed heavily then closed his eyes. It was conflicting. As he progressed with his mission, he began to ask himself if he should stay in the service of the King and Queen or go on more adventures with his friends. It wasn't an easy decision to make. Ultimately, he chose to stay under service. After a few moments of thinking about his mission and for what's in store for him in the future, he slowly drifted to sleep.

    To be continued...