Heir to the throne

Chapter 1

Land of Lokya
Mid spring 1545 AD

His life began amidst the chaos of war. He had never thought about it until now. Maybe the change of scenery had forced the thought upon him. He took his first breath while his empire crumbled around him. In a sense, he was born from the ashes of destruction.

         Reminiscing about his strange childhood, he watched as the boatman tied the thick moss-slicked rope to the dock for his few passengers to disembark. Zyaan had never been to the mainland before. He had never even left the tiny island that had been his home for the twenty years he had existed and with good reason. He might be a wanted enemy.

          He stepped off the boat and onto the shaky dock with his bag. The planks were rotted and cracked with large holes all about. Minding his step, he headed toward the small village. The sun was setting, and the wind whipped around him without mercy. He pulled his shawl closer to his face and ignored the people walking beside him.

He stopped to admire the seashell bracelets hanging from a bamboo pole for advertisement. He touched the ones that he wore on his wrists. Like the woman who had made them, they were far more beautiful than the ones on display. His mother was great at crafting things. She could make jewelry, sandals, and even clothes. She had once lived in a palace but was now the humble owner of a small hut on a remote island. Her days of being pampered were long gone.

"Would you like to try one on?" the young woman selling the bracelets asked.

The offer was tempting, but he could not spare the coins.

"Did you make them?"

"Yes."

"They are beautiful," he said and then continued on his way.

A few children scampered by, playing a game he did not know. Childhood fun was scarce when your only company was two adults. Sometimes, his mother would tell him stories, and sometimes Tayn would play silly games with him, but that wasn't very often. So, Zyaan resorted to entertaining himself by finding random adventures in the forest. At times, these adventures landed him in trouble, but Tayn was always there to save him when that happened.

He stopped and looked at the sunset. A nervousness settled in his stomach. It was the first time that Zyaan was away from home, and already the wistfulness was setting in. He turned away to avoid being consumed by his emotions. He could not allow childish fears to distract him. Somewhere in this vast land, the city of Avadata awaited him and the man who ruined his life.

A pair of drunken men went staggering by, sharing a jug of liquor between them. Their conversation was a jumbled mess of their competing voices. Zyaan wondered aimlessly about the reasons behind their drunken binge. They disappeared around the corner, and Zyaan was left musing over his situation again.

He stopped at the doorsteps of a small inn. It was a simple mud brick structure with a thatched roof and an open shed beside it where a few tables and chairs, presently occupied by soldiers, were lined up. He reached for the door, but it opened before he could take hold of the handle.

"My lord, why must we leave when they are beneath you?" a man in a leather armor asked his companion.

Zyaan stepped back to allow them to pass, trying to observe their appearance without being noticed.