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| Wilford Prime Minister |
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| Velarra |
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| Ulrisse |
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| Halethia Insignia |
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| King Haraald |
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| Olsen |
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| Reina |
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| Ulrisse |
In the Kingdom of Halethia, if not the entire Continent of Aurelia, perhaps there was no thief better at his craft than Olsen var Ehlreid.
He was famous for stealing in castles, mansions of aristocrats, and wealthy men he stole from. In his every action, he only took away one or two valuables in the house. It was one of the reasons why he was never caught.
Other reasons include, Olsen was seldom recognizable since he always wore a black hood at work. Thanks to his adeptness in martial arts, his movement was almost as agile as a shadow. He was also equipped with a complete multi-purpose toolkit and skills sharpened by years of experience.
One night, Olsen dared to try his luck in the Royal Palace of Halethes in Lu Vazr, the capital of Halethia. The gate was expectedly under the guards’ watchful eyes, day and night. Thus, Olsen had to use extraordinary means to sneak in for a visit.
With a long rope tied on an iron hook, Olsen climbed the palace wall twenty meters in height. A soldier passed by on the parapet right above Olsen’s head. The thief paused briefly and held his breath, hanging on the rope like a lurking bat.
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Luckily, the soldier was staring straight ahead, unaware of the hook on the wall fringe obscured by the darkness of night. As he passed, Olsen quickly climbed into the parapet, then immediately stormed to hide within the watch tower.
“Hey, who’s there?” The soldier turned around abruptly with his spear at ready. He looked at his surroundings, then sighed and talked to himself. “Either a cat or the wind, but it sure was loud.” He then turned back to his initial direction.
On the other hand, it was still too early for Olsen to sigh in relief. He then ran on tiptoes towards the palace wall on the cliffside. As sneaking through the main hallway was already considered too common and too predictable, he instead chose the more dangerous route.
From his tool bag, Olsen grabbed his other ‘sophisticated’ tool, which was a pair of iron claw hooks and a kind of blade that could stick out from his shoes. For some reason, he thought of himself as a spider when he began to climb the palace’s outer wall sideways.
Thanks to his wealth of training and experience, Olsen did not think too much about the distance between him and the certain death he would meet on the ground more than twenty meters below his feet. His mind was focused only on the blades. He had to ensure they penetrated the stone wall perfectly, then pulled them out and re-stabbed one rock crevice and another, repeatedly.
Olsen kept moving and entered through the nearest window more like a gap on the wall. Fortunately, that window was big enough for the slim thief to go inside.
generated
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His both feet landed on the floor of a room. It was pitch dark. There was a rather large wooden bed with beautiful carvings on each side.
Suddenly Olsen was thunderstruck. Behind the curtain of the bed, there was the prettiest thing he had ever seen. A young woman with long blonde hair was lying in sleep, facing to a side. The fairy-like smile on her face was perhaps a sign of her currently pleasant dream, probably involving a handsome prince.
While quite a looker himself, Olsen was certainly no prince.
Besides, the intruder must ensure that the girl won’t wake up and see him. Death by hanging awaited anyone who dared to steal anything in the palace. Olsen began to doubt and eager to just go the window and retreat, yet a fancy-looking box lying idly on the ornamented cabinet table proved too tempting for him.
Foolish girl, Olsen thought. Putting her jewelry box in the open like that. Does she, not fear anyone stealing it?
Thus with a pair of steel needles, Olsen began to pick on the lock hole on the box. A click sound could be heard, and then Olsen opened the lid of the box.
Suddenly a melody began to chime loudly, startling Olsen. Inside the box, Olsen found an equally startling pair of man and woman figures the size of thumbs, dancing elegantly as if alive. Olsen reacted quickly, closing the jewelry box that was also a music box. The alarming melody was abruptly halted.
Yet it was too late, as the girl on the bed was already awake. She then began screaming hysterically, “Thief! There’s a thief in my room!”
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Instinct drove Olsen to draw his dagger and stick it on the girl’s neck. Yet one thing suspended his dagger’s push, and that was when its point precisely cut the skin on the girl’s neck that it bled. The girl was aghast, she turned pale before her potential killer.
“Cease your yelling. Let me out of here, there is no need for bloodshed. I have not taken anything…”
Before Olsen could finish his sentence, the bedroom door was broken in by a group of soldiers who quickly scattered. Quickly, Olsen switched position to the girl’s back, his blade still in position.
One soldier yelled, “Don’t you dare harm Princess Ulrisse! Surrender!”
“Hey, hey, even if I surrender, I will only get the noose, right? I think it would be better if I just take this beautiful princess with me to hell,” Olsen threatened.
“How dare you!” The soldiers were about to apprehend Olsen, yet the mortal threat to a member of the royalty rendered them hesitant to take a step.
On the other hand, Olsen, who intended to escape, found it hard to crawl out from the palace wall without soldiers’ interruption. He wanted to run through them, yet their tight formation and the hostage he was bringing him with really impeded his movement. In the worst case, either he would die on the spot or he would have to shed blood at last, adding ‘murder’ to the list of his sins, ensuring his departure to hell in the afterlife.
Being cornered on the edge, Princess Ulrisse whispered into her kidnapper’s ear, “Please, just surrender. There’s no other way.”
“Sure, if I drag you to die with me.” Olsen threatened back, also whispering.
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“It’s strange that you refrain from killing any soldier to get away, but will rather deprive Halethia of a crown princess.”
Her last whisper silenced Olsen’s wits at once. Only a moment later did the thief hissed back, “I never want to kill anyone. I stole only for a loaf of bread because I had no other choice. I was once a peasant, yet famine and pests destroyed my field and forced me to change profession. Unfortunately, I have grown accustomed to theft now.”
Ulrisse frowned, then she spoke again, “Should you be freed today, will you promise me to quit stealing?”
“Yes, I will,” Olsen replied after a pause. “But not to you. Instead, I shall swear before Vadis, the Right Way.”
“Very well. Release me and surrender, and you will find out why I have been appointed as the heir to the throne.”
Taking a deep breath, Olsen slowly loosened his restraint on the princess. Ulrisse got away and the guards came to surround and apprehend the kidnapper.
As he was dragged away, Olsen stared straight into the girl’s eyes as if saying, ‘Keep your word.”
On the contrary, the glitter on Ulrisse’s eyes and her smug grin stopped his heartbeat for a split second. He got a bad feeling about this. Did he just fall to her trick?
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As midday approached, with hands chained in iron cuffs Olsen was dragged and immediately put to trial before the King of Halethia, Haraald var Zwight. The incident in the princess’ bedroom was reported and evidences were shown.
Thus, without delay, the king with a thick mustache and beard, a balding middle-aged man, began his decree, “Olsen var Ehlreid, all shreds of evidence show that you are guilty of trying to steal from the royal palace and have dared to keep the crown princess hostage. Your verdict is death by hanging at the Lu Vazr plaza, tomorrow at dawn!”
Olsen bowed in mourning at his verdict. That’s all he wrote. It would take a miracle to get a second chance. The king ordered, “Drag him to the dungeon!”
It was exactly at that time when Princess Ulrisse interrupted, “Wait, Your Majesty! There is something I need to ask the defendant about.”
Duke Wilford var Rubinal, the prime minister and chief royal advisor abruptly spoke up, “You may not! The king’s decision is absolute and final! I beg Your Highness not to overstep your limits!”
Ulrisse was ready to argue with the brown-bearded middle-aged man. Yet Haraald quickly raised his hand and interrupted, “I allow you to do so, Ulrisse.” He then folded his hands, showing interest.
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“Thank you, Your Majesty Father.” Ulrisse bowed courteously, then
turned towards the defendant. Her chin was lifted. “Now, Olsen var
Ehlreid, what has motivated you to become a thief?”
Being asked like that, Olsen started to frown. Whatever the game this
crafty girl was playing, he had little choice but to go along with it. So
he answered, “I was initially a corn farmer from Lu Vazr suburbs. The
plague of locusts had foiled my harvest and caused a famine from which
my land could no longer recover. I was forced to steal to survive.”
Wilford interrupted, “That’s a lie! Your reasoning is no different from
any other thief! If your purpose is truly only to survive, it would be
unthinkable for you to choose a dangerous target like the residence of
the king! Your Majesty, I suggest this man to be executed right away…!”
Ulrisse cut in, “If that is so, then this is my second question for you.
Why did you choose the royal palace?”
“Because I have stolen from all wealthy men outside of Lu Vazr. Since
I always only take one valuable from every house, two at most, the
owners must all have thought they have lost them somewhere, due to
personal neglect. If too many items disappeared, it would be obvious
to the owners that it was due to theft, which would have encouraged
tighter security in other homes. And so, only Your Majesty’s residence
was left for my last act, after which I have decided to return to farming.”
“Cut the nonsense!” The prime minister sneered cynically. “Your
Majesty, please do not take any word from a thief! I’m sure he will
return to crime right away the moment we release his chains!”
“Therefore, let me ask him my last question,” the princess said. “Olsen,
when you surrendered, you have sworn by Vadis, the Right Way’s name.
Should you be given one more chance to live, you will never return to
theft ever again. Do you still stand by your words?”
“Yes,” Olsen replied firmly. However, his heart was still beating pretty
fast due to his doubt about Ulrisse’s true intentions.
“Your Majesty! Please see that law is to be carried out!” Wilford
protested.
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This time Ulrisse no longer retorted. She only looked to her father,
leaving the final decision in the hands of the one with the prerogative.
Suddenly, King Haraald stood up from his throne. He drew the sword
that was resting on his seat and then pointed it at Olsen. His coarse voice
was roaring, “Olsen var Ehlreid! I should have hanged you right away!
But seeing and hearing about that ‘latest development’ has evoked an
inspiration in me. And based on that recent inspiration, I, the supreme
ruler of Halethia have decided to pardon every crime that you have
committed up to this point. This pardon will remain in effect for as
long as you still keep your sacred oath to quit your career as a thief –
for your entire lifetime.”
Olsen’s eyes began to tear up.
This time, Wilford’s tone became outright strident. “Your Majesty! A
criminal must be punished without mercy!” he bellowed.
“You dare to oppose my final decision, Wilford?” Harald scolded and
pointed his sword towards his advisor. “One more word from you and
this sword will make your head roll at once!”
Wilford retreated at once. There was no use to incite the king’s wrath
over a mere thief.
Olsen’s gaze noticed Wilford’s resentful stare at him, before turning
it to the king. This man looks dangerous, Olsen’s hunch told him.
Yet Olsen never had the chance to warn King Haraald and Princess
Ulrisse over Wilford’s behavior. His mind was distracted instantly by
the princess who looked back at her with her lulling smile.
The former thief thought Haraald and Ulrisse had surely prepared
to ease Wilford’s mood. Besides, the royal pardon that he had received
was such a rare and precious chance to start anew. It was something he
wouldn’t waste.
Even though he already knew, that life would never be nice anymore
to a former criminal.
edited 20-7
Olsen was right.
The news about the royal pardon for Olsen spread far and wide like
wildfire to the entire Lu Vazr. His identity as a former thief was exposed
and all his friends left him. And there was no longer any buyer for his
harvest. Even though he had sold every item he stole to revive his land,
buy the seeds, and every other necessity to restart farming.
Just as when Olsen almost decided to commit a crime even worse
than theft, he met his old friend Reina. She might not possess a noble’s
pretty face, but she was sincere in her help and care for Olsen. Besides
helping to sell Olsen’s harvest, Reina also helped him in farming. They
got married not long after.
Two years after Olsen received a royal pardon, his notoriety had
begun to recede. His life with Reina seemed to be improving.
Until it happened.
That day, Olsen was weeding and tending his corns. Suddenly a
hooded woman was running on the pathway towards him, panting.
Then, the woman asked him in panic, “Help! I‘m being chased! Please
hide me and don’t tell them!”
Without looking more closely at the hooded and veiled woman, Olsen
pointed at his towering corn plant clusters which resembled a giant
curtain. “Hide there!”
“Thank you!” The woman rushed into the corn clusters. Olsen felt
like he had heard her soft voice before, but then he shook his head. He
could confirm about it later after this problem.
Not long after, at least three men were seen running on the pathway
from afar. Olsen then approached them casually while occasionally
checking on his corns.
“Hey, you!” yelled one of the men. He looked angry.
Olsen turned at him and pointed at his nose, appearing oblivious.
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EVERNA TALES OF THE THREE AGES
“Yes, you! Did you see a woman going through this path?”
“Huh? What woman? I was just tending my field…”
“Don’t play dumb, peasant! This place is quite open. If someone ran,
you must have noticed it!” yelled the second man who looked much
thinner and sickly.
The third and fattest man of the lot was even less patient. He drew
an axe from his back and pointed it at Olsen’s neck. “Talk! Or my axe
will talk to you!”
“Ow, ow, right, I just remember…!” Olsen trembled, it might be
faking or not. “I saw a glance of a hooded woman running that way!”
He pointed at the end of the pathway which led to the woods, while the
men came from the city.
“Heh, idiot. It took a threat by an axe to get your memory back!” said
the sickly man, laughing mockingly.
The three men thus left Olsen without thanking him. The angry one
instead snarled, “You better not lie, or else!” He then moved his cleaver
around in front of his neck to show that he was threatening Olsen.
Olsen pretended to gulp. As the ungrateful trio entirely disappeared,
Olsen’s stupid expression turned serious. He approached the corn
cluster where that woman was hiding and spoke softly, “Come out, it’s
safe now.”
Only a while later the hooded woman came out of her hiding, which
was a few feet away from Olsen’s expected spot. The former thief only
remained quiet, unwilling to associate this woman’s way of thinking
with another woman to whom he owed his life.
Unlike before, the hooded woman spoke much more politely to Olsen,
“Again, I express my gratitude to you for saving my life, Olsen var
Ehlreid.”
Olsen was flabbergasted. “Good heavens! How come you know my
name? Don’t tell me…!”
The woman opened her hood and veil, showing the beautiful face
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THE THIEF OF LU VAZR ANDRY CHANG
that Olsen would never forget. She was the Crown Princess of Halethia,
Ulrisse eil Zwight.
Olsen hastily said, “Pardon me, Your Highness! Forgive my insolence!”
“Ssh, not here!” The princess quickly put on her hood and veil.
Olsen then stood up. He minded his manner, yet he could no longer
bear with his curiosity. “Why do you come all the way here…?”
“I must go to your house for now, Olsen. I will explain everything
there.”
* * *
The most difficult thing for Olsen when he was forced to bring a pretty
girl home was his wife’s angered frown and stare. Her current state of
pregnancy did not help her mood one bit. Olsen was expecting her to
explode any second now.
Luckily, Ulrisse gained control of the situation by immediately
introducing herself. Reina immediately changed her attitude. Olsen
invited her to sit on his humble porch, changing the mood from
awkward to friendly and certainly proper.
Only after Ulrisse drank, briefly rested, and made a little chit-chat
with the hosts, Olsen felt it was time to ask about what happened. “Now,
will Your Highness mind to tell me about the chase back then?”
Ulrisse’s calm expression turned somber at once. She began by
stutteringly informing her of the passing of her father, the late King
Haraald var Zwight, who was murdered. Then, the assassin was set to
murder her next. A loyal servant who accidentally ran into the scene
immediately rushed to Ulrisse, then helped the princess escape through
the secret tunnel, at the expense of her own life.
Ulrisse ran aimlessly the whole night. When morning came, she
realized that she was being chased by three men. It was then that she
recalled Olsen, the thief that she once defended in the past and had
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EVERNA TALES OF THE THREE AGES
watched over from time to time. She thought that rather than taking
refuge in one of her relatives or any other noble who might betray her,
it was better to go to a man with skill who owed her his life. Thus here
she was, in Olsen’s humble yet comfortable cottage.
Suddenly Olsen recalled Haraald’s verdict by which he was still alive
today. With a trembling voice, he asked, “Halethia has been prospering
and peaceful under our compassionate king… Who…? Who would
even have the heart to murder our king?”
“Only Prime Minister Wilford would,” Ulrisse answered bitterly. “His
power is immense, which was only checked by the king’s authority. Too
many of his plans and suggestions have been refuted by my father. What
we did not expect is that he would bear such a grudge against us and
fuel it with ambition.”
Anyone, including Olsen could guess the consequence, and Ulrisse
only had to speak about it, “In the end, when King Haraald refused to
delegate command and the entire Halethian Armed Forces to him, it
drove him to commit treason. It’s possible that he has already crowned
himself the new king and framed me as my own father’s killer.”
The hosts, Reina and Olsen turned pale instantly. Should the troops
be sent to raid the city outskirts like here and discover that they were
hiding the kingdom’s most wanted fugitive, their heads would roll to
the ground.
“T-then, what should we do now?” Reina looked at Olsen and Ulrisse
in turns, her voice trembling. “We can’t just wait until they stop
searching for the princess, right?”
Ulrisse nodded and said, “You’re right.”
Then she began pondering, falling into a deep thought. A silent and
tense atmosphere began to plague Olsen’s residence.
Suddenly, the host jumped from his seat and said, “Oh right! Did not
Your Highness say that the late king refused to give him command over
the entire army to Wilford, right?”
“Correct,” Ulrisse answered, showing her insufficient experience in
politics. “What of it…. Ah! I know! Most of the outer Lu Vazr and other
cities have not been informed of this change of leadership. Besides,
some generals, such as Commander Panthros var Palludan, don’t like
Wilford’s policy and have been loyal supporters to my father.”
“True, Your Highness. If we can persuade Panthros to believe you and
fight for your legitimate right to the crown, we can defeat Wilford and
his allies. We need to haste before that traitor strengthens his grip on
power and terminates our chance.”
Again the three went silent. But unlike before, their expression was
more enthusiastic.
At the end of it, Reina whispered to her husband. “I can only help you
through prayers. So please be careful, Olsen, and please, hurry back
home. Me and our baby will be waiting for you.”
The most foolish thing any thief could do was to visit a heavily guarded
place twice, especially the one where he had failed spectacularly. He
repeated his act with the same plan, more or less the same list of tools,
and used the very same route. It could very well fail the same way, if
not worse.
And it was at night when Olsen began his foolish and reckless act. He
felt that he had returned to the past two years ago. Climbing the palace
walls, sneaking, tricking the guards, then crawling like a spider on the
stone wall at a height that would even terrorize the devil himself.
Once again, Olsen entered Ulrisse’s bedroom through the window.
The difference was that he was now certain that it was empty. But it
was a mess, devastated by a search. Her valuables might have all been
taken. He could imagine just how angry she would become should she
saw the current state of her room. However, the man covered in a hood
down to the nose simply shook his head. He then dashed out of the
room.
The complete absence of any obstacle made Olsen rather wary instead
of cheerful. He walked slowly, almost without a sound. Was it true
that the entire palace garrison had been mobilized to find Ulrisse and
announce the change of leadership over Halethia to all cities, villages,
and most importantly, soldiers?
Had Olsen’s objective been to prevent the news from spreading, then
he would be all too late.
Worse still, Olsen decided to proceed anyway. He kept watching his
way and back through the entire hallway that encircled the palace and
was lit by lanterns and torches. As per Ulrisse’s instructions, he sought
the king’s bedroom, since the only place he could find the man he was
looking for would be the room with the tightest security.
It did not take long. Olsen found the features he was looking for.
Three armed and fully armored guards were standing on watch in front
of a wooden double door. According to the map that Ulrisse gave him,
that would be the king’s office room.
From behind the big pillar where he was hiding, Olsen suddenly fired
a small gravel with his slingshot. The gravel crashed into the wall and
made a quite loud echo through the hallway, provoking a reaction from
nearby guards.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“Both of you, go find out! I will remain here.”
As the two said guards ran and passed Olsen without noticing him,
the intruder snorted. It couldn’t be helped, so he could only make haste.
He hit the staying guard on his helm with a morning star, his weapon
of choice whenever he was forced to fight. The said guard dropped
unconscious, yet it still provoked a reaction from inside the room.
“What is it, guards!?”
Olsen immediately recognized the voice. It was no mistake, that
Wilford was in the room. Without wasting any time, Olsem slammed
the door open and broke in.
“Help! We got an in..!”
Before Wilford could finish shouting, Olsen’s morning star was
already swinging towards the brown-bearded head.
Then a sword appeared to block Olsen’s club at the right time. He
took a step back before said weapon began moving to counterattack.
The one who blocked didn’t counterattack, only standing protectively
in front of Wilford and said, “Stay behind me, Prime Minister!”
Her soft voice and appearance shocked Olsen to the core. Her long
blonde hair, her blue eyes, and pink lips… Olsen began stammering,
“Good heavens, Y-Your Highness… Ulrisse?!”
Wilford’s expression changed. “Yes, mister intruder. This is the true
Princess Ulrisse, the Heir of Halethia.” Suddenly his eyes glowered. “Oh
right, I think I have seen you before. What is your name, mister?”
“Olsen,” said the intruder as he showed his face.
“Right! The thief who escaped death. Who knew, after all this time,
you would return here. The fake princess must’ve sent you to do her
dirty work, am I correct?”
“What do you mean, Wilford?!” Olsen snapped. He glared curiously.
“You have to know, the name of the one who sent you is Velarra,
Ulrisse’s twin sister. She was the one who poisoned the king, her father.
Yet when Velarra was about to finish Ulrisse, Ulrisse outwitted her
and thwarted her action. Velarra’s accomplice, a palace maid sacrificed
herself so that she could escape. And until now, we’re still quietly
searching for her.”
Olsen was dumbfounded. That explained why the news of King
Haraald’s passing had not been announced, let alone Wilford’s corona-
tion as the new king. Without loosening his battle stance, Olsen asked,
“Then, when will you crown Ulrisse as the new queen?”
“Tomorrow, exactly on midday, along with the official announcement
of King Haraald’s death,” Wilford continued.
“Now, say that I will refrain from taking your life, Wilford. Will you
be so kind as to allow me to leave this place and you leave me alone? I’ll
keep away from Halethian political affairs for the rest of my life?”
“Interesting. Why not? On the condition that you will kill Velarra for
me.”
It was quite a fair trade for Olsen, if not as sincere as his pardoning
in the past. Besides, it would make sense that Ulrisse’s current offer
had a condition attached. The third chance was to get away with two
violations that should normally be punished with death. Nobody had
ever gotten this far in history.
Olsen was silent, hesitating about which side he should take. And
he also had just noticed something. Ulrisse had been quiet all the time
and Wilford had been doing all the talking. Suddenly an idea popped
up in his mind, which he immediately expressed most nonchalantly,
“Before I accept or decline the offer, I would like to once again thank
Her Highness, no, Her Majesty Queen Ulrisse for her pardon for me
two years ago. And also for her pardon this time. I truly have owed you
two lives.”
Ulrisse replied, “Indeed. After you have executed your mission, I will
consider you free of any debt you owe me.”
“In that case, please accept my oath of fealty.”
After dropping his club, Olsen walked forward to kiss the royal ring
embedded on Ulrisse’s ring finger. Wilford only watched with a smile.
Suddenly, in a very rapid motion, Olsen swung a kick, thrusting out
the dagger previously hidden inside his shoe towards the princess’ neck,
uncovered by her armor. With an equally rapid reflex, said girl dropped
herself backward and the dagger only cut through the air.
Not only that, the armored blonde girl used her falling momentum
to kick Olsen hard on his shinbone. Meanwhile, Ulrisse rose very
quickly and thrust her sword. Fortunately, Olsen himself was quite
adept at martial arts. He immediately rolled sideways to dodge the
attack, reaching for his morning star, and stood up. His only loss was
his aching leg.
Wilford picked up Olsen’s dagger, which slipped off his shoe, and
started mocking him, “Tsk, tsk, tsk. I have told Haraald not to trust
thieves before. They’ll say repent today, then steal again the next day.
Swearing fealty only to betray it a minute later.”
“Well, pardon me,” Olsen retorted. “I have just kept my promise and
loyalty to the real Princess Ulrisse by revealing your act of treason.”
“Oh, how is that so? Don’t misunderstand, mister! It’s the one before
you that is the real princess!”
Olsen shook his head. “You’re the one who doesn’t know about your
lord, Wilford. The real Princess Ulrisse will always resort to negotiation
instead of violence, even when her life is under threat. Besides, the one
who gave me pardon was not Ulrisse, but her father Haraald! Her
Highness only stood up to defend me.”
Needless to say, Wilford was astonished. “Well, well, it turns out I have
been underestimating you, young man. You are a lot more dangerous
than I thought. Now, your act just now means you have refused to take
our side, haven’t you?”
Olsen nodded.
The middle-aged man then turned his back on Olsen as he said, “Then
there is no other choice. Velarra, finish him.”
“Yes, sir.” Before Olsen could guess who Velarra truly was from those
two words, the armored girl was already slashing her sword fiercely
yet focused. While dodging, Olsen quickly realized that her Three-Way
Chain Slash move was directed at his neck, heart, and other vital organs.
Being battered, Olsen was forced to block her attacks. While spinning
and avoiding as much as he could, he crashed his club by spinning
diagonally. The collision between the morning star and the enemy’s
move clinked deafeningly.
The two fighters crossed each other until they poised on each other’s
back. Velarra stood slouching while touching her waist, where her
armor was dented. She was a tough woman, as she only winced at the
pain.
On the contrary, Olsen had taken a kneel. His bleeding back showed
that he had received a worse wound than his opponent. His face turned
tense, realizing that he got the lower hand in this fight.
“Come on, what are you waiting for? Kill him!”
At that moment, Olsen noticed that all Wilford had been doing was
talking. Could he fight for real?
Thus, when Velarra charged again, Olsen, who had struggled to stand
up, was forced to engage her trading blows again. Then, as the enemy’s
muscles began to tense up before committing a move, Olsen exploited
the pause by quickly avoiding Velarra and swinging his morning star
toward his real target, Wilford.
For a moment, Olsen could notice how the mastermind behind the
coup turned pale like a corpse. Unfortunately, his suddenly bleeding
wound obstructed his attack, giving Wilford the chance to back away
with only minor scratches on his chest, carved by the club spikes.
“Guards! Protect me and surround him!”
Yet no one moved to carry his order. Some palace guards had entered
the site for a while now. Yet, perhaps terrified by the scene of the fight,
and getting to witness an indirect confession of the coup perpetrators,
they had chosen to just watch and wait over obeying a traitor.
Luckily for Wilford, he still had Velarra, his strongest bodyguard.
Velarra, who was tricked by Olsen’s maneuver, began running and
jumping before swinging her blade toward her opponent, reinforced by
the momentum she created.
Olsen reacted to block her Swallow Dancing in the Wind move with
a powerful force of his club. While spared from blade cut, the impact
of the enemy’s energy-propped attack had had Olsen slumping on the
floor and vomiting blood.
Again Velarra charged to kill. And again Olsen rose to face her. Both
his stare and the aura he emitted had become more intense than before.
Wilford began to pour cold sweat. Was Olsen a monster?
On the other hand, Velarra was smiling in delight. Again she charged
and engaged Olsen, trading blows. Her bloodlust and disappointment
over fighting a perceived weaker man had been replaced by the joy of
fighting, a feeling only understood by true warriors. Olsen turned out
to be an equal opponent, even outmatched Velarra in flexibility and
speed.
Yet the fighting had been dragging on for too long. Olsen began to
notice the sound of rumbling footsteps. His job to buy time and keep
the coup conspirators busy would be over soon. And he could only
hope for the result he wished for, seizing the power without bloodshed.
“I won’t let you!” As Wilford spoke, Olsen felt a quick flow of wind
on his back. His reflex brought him to dodge sideways. It turned out
that Wilford tried to stab his back with his dagger. Olsen’s dagger on
Wilford’s hand kept pushing forward, passing over Olsen’s back and
landing on Velarra’s torso, right into the open gap in her armor.
This fatal mistake made Wilford recoil and drop the dagger. But
before he could do anything else, a large crowd of people entered the
office and immediately surrounded him. The first one to enter was no
other than the leader, the real Ulrisse.
Again Olsen dropped to his knees. This time he had stopped forcing
himself despite his worsening wounds. The palace physician who
arrived with Ulrisse readily treated Olsen with Viavitali, the Great Heal
spell.
As Olsen was doing his job as a decoy, Ulrisse used the chance by
sneaking through the secret escape route. Then she influenced the
guards to open the outer gate. Her supporters’ main army, under
the command of Panthros, entered like a flood, forcing the remaining
garrison to surrender at once.
Wearing her war armor and breastplate, Ulrisse looked valiant. More
valiant still was her voice when she shouted, “Everything is over, Wilford.
Surrender now, and your punishment will be a level lower, o’ the
mastermind behind the king’s assassination, traitor to the state.”
“Surrender? And rotting for life in the dungeon?” Wilford hissed
and glared defiantly. “You’re underestimating me, the first in line…. oh
right…. the second in line to the crown.”
“What?” Wilford almost had Ulrisse’s attention. “Speak no more,
traitor!”
“It’s up to you to believe me or not. I will die soon anyway,” Wilford
responded. “My only regret is, that I have failed to correct your father
King Haraald’s biggest sin.”
“What sin?” This time he got her attention.
“Separating her twin daughters, exiling the eldest one and her
caregiver to the fringes of the country. After years of searching, I
finally found Velarra, the eldest daughter and true heir to the Halethian
crown. Then I secretly paid for her education under famous warriors
and scholars, to groom her into a better queen than a mere bigmouth.
But who would have thought, my whole plan would crumble at the
hand of a mere thief.”
Everyone in the room and outside went silent. Their gaze, including
Olsen’s, switched between Wilford and Ulrisse back and forth. They
were mainly curious about how the younger princess would handle the
sudden latest development.
On the other hand, Ulrisse herself turned to the sprawling Velarra,
dying. Then she shook her head, calmly looking back at her biggest
enemy, and said, “How unfortunate of you to have chosen this path,
Wilford. Had I been informed of my sister from the start, I would surely
give up my right to the throne for her.”
“But your father would not agree!”
Ulrisse nodded. “I know. So I will only abdicate after my father
passes away. But you, Wilford, have chosen the path of violent coup
d’etat so that you can quickly seize power and make my sister your
puppet. Now look, you have brought harm to the first line to the throne.
Your treason has become twofold! Should Velarra grow to become a
competent, independent ruler, sooner or later you will get rid of her
and seize Halethia for yourself!”
“Is that how you think of me?” Wilford’s lips stretched a grin. “I have
to say, your speculation just now is the best idea I have ever heard from
you, Ulrisse. And I will make it true, right now!”
Quickly and forcefully, Wilford seized Velarra’s sword, which was
lying on the office floor, then proceeded to charge towards Ulrisse,
aiming right for her heart. No one, let alone Olsen, was in a position to
stop him.
Suddenly Wilford’s movement halted. Someone had stopped him,
using the palm of her hand encased in armor, and blocked the dagger.
Wilford was aghast. It was Velarra. The dying girl then used her last
strength to slit Wilford’s throat with the very same dagger that pierced
through her stomach.
“Taste the fruit of your treachery, Wilford!” Velarra condemned
Wilford as she watched him collapsing and dying. But a moment later,
she too collapsed and her blood flooded the floor. The physician who
treated Olsen rushed to check Velarra’s condition, then shook his head.
No longer caring for manners, Ulrisse threw herself to the floor,
kneeling to embrace her sister. She was crying. “Hang in there, Velarra!
Please live and take the crown as yourself!”
Velarra smiled weakly while patting Ulrisse’s golden hair. “You know,
and the physician also knows… my wound is fatal, and I’m running out
of blood… The strongest healing spell will not save me… What can I
say? Vadis, the Right Way, has chosen you… I’m sure, you will become a
great queen… my beloved… sister…” Velarra’s hand drooped. She had
departed to join her late father and mother in heaven, smiling in peace.
After briefly mourning for her sister, Ulrisse demonstrated her
leadership with a series of competent decisions. She ordered Wilford
and Velarra to be buried in secret and the entire palace garrison to be
given an unconditional pardon.
As per schedule, Ulrisse eil Zwight was crowned as the new Queen of
Halethia and appeared before the citizens of Lu Vazr from the palace
platform. The people cheered, “Long Live Queen Ulrisse!” As if they
did not and would never know of what tragedy had preceded the day
before. Let alone questioning the disappearance of Wilford, who in his
entire career had almost always been active behind the scenes, within
the king’s shadow.
Then, how about Olsen var Ehlreid, the former thief who became
a hero? Not long after Ulrisse became queen, she appointed him to
become her Prime Minister. Olsen and Reina moved from their humble
cottage to live in the palace, enjoying the queen’s grace for their entire
lifetime. Their descendants would later inherit the House of Ehlreid
which would be very renowned and respected in the entire Halethia, at
least during the remainder of the Zwights’ rule.
Regardless of all that, Olsen never forgot and always cherished
Ulrisse’s kindness and her late father, King Haraald’s wisdom, which
had allowed him the very rare chance to start anew. The chance that
turned the Thief from Lu Vazr into a savior, one of the pioneers of the
Halethian Golden Age
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