"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
Then
"Canary"! A young boy with straight hair that reached his back ran towards a younger Canary who sat in the fields just beyond the garden in the villa in Lyikar. Canary sat there writing something in her diary and she smiled as the boy ran up to her. "Canary"! The boy said, reaching her out of breath.
"I'm right here you don't have to run Shayan". Canary chuckled. "Yes I know but still I wanted to get to you quickly". Shayan said, sitting down next to her. "What are you doing"? Shayan asked."I'm writing in my diary". Canary answered. "Oh". "How's that going". "As any diary will I suppose". Shayan nodded, waiting for her to finish her writing.
He looked elsewhere waiting for her to finish blowing a leaf that sat on his lips. Patiently he waited and quiet it ever was. When she finally finished, Shayan sat up from laying on the grass excited. "Finished"? Shayan asked. Canary nodded, smiling equally with him. "Sometimes I swear your eyes are lighter than mine". She said, staring at Shayan light brown eyes.
"Jealous"? Shayan joked. Canary shook her eyes. "No, in fact I admire them, you have the most beautiful eyes ever, Shayan". "I've only ever seen beautiful eyes like that on my younger sister though hers aren't golden brown like ours"."So are my eyes more beautiful than hers"? Shayan asked. Canary shrugged. "We could be related, beauty eyes seem to run in my family". Canary answered.
Shayan shook his head with a frown. "No then we wouldn't be able to get married". Canary let out a huge laugh both at how cute Shayan was and the fact that he was so bummed out about the thought of them not getting married. "If that even happens a lot of women find you quite handsome". Canary standing up. Shayna also stood up with her and they began to make their way back to the villa. "Why do you have to come to visit me today"? Canary asked. "I'm leaving". Shayan said. "Leaving? Why"?
"My grandfather has sold me off to become a knight apprentice". Shayan answered. "A knight apprentice why"? Canary asked. "The knight is old and he has no one to hand down his skills so he saw me in a fight with one of the other children and offered my dad money to take me under his wing". "When will I see you again"? Canary said sadly.
"I don't know". Shayan said also sad. "I'll send you letters then"? They both agreed to send letters both sadly and not wanting to leave the other for their friendship was very deep. Their last hug seemed to last the longest out of every hug they had. Not even their hugs of comforts lasted this long.
And when Shayan had left to learn under that knight he was soon put into the academy. He had hoped maybe Canary's grandparents would put her also in the academy but they continued to homeschool Canary. There Shayan raised up to be one of the top knights in the class, if not the second in his year.
And when he graduated from academy he was soon sent off in a quest and the letters between him and Canary would come to a halt. It wasn't until he finished his quest and earned the title of general that he would come to find out through a letter that Eldreana and Tunis Longwood had died and Canary would not be coming back to Lyikar.
Then it came a disease that wiped a lot of the citizens and even the heirs of the royal family. There was no one to inherit the throne after the king Seneca and through much investigating and going through the family tree it was found that Shayan wasn't in fact a commoner at all.
That he was in fact distant royalty that his very line of family had come from a princess whose name is not remembered and that the noble family that she had married into had long fallen. So Shayan was made crown prince during much difficulty but proved himself worthy through the trials that he went through to attain that title.
And it seemed through it all Seneca had found a soft spot for the young man who reminded him much of his past sister that he adopted him as his son. The queen too had passed away so Shayan's company was much pleasant to Seneca.
"Shayan". The king called Shayan to the throne. "Yes my king". Shayan said bowing. "Stop that". Seneca said, pulling Shayan up. "I have a mission for you to complete". Seneca said. "For I have sent Numa ahead before you to Grania for it is rumored that the king is trying to make an alliance or relationship with us". Shayan nodded and sat in the chair next to Senece. "For a long time before that fiasco with you becoming crown prince Lyikar has been a peaceful kingdom. Grania has had its issues with other kingdoms and now wishes to make an alliance or relationship with us it raises an eye". Seneca sighed.
"I wish for you to join Numa and see what truly is going on in Grania, see if they are planning anything or if anything raises an eyebrow". "As you command my lord". Shayan said. "Father". Seneca said. "As-as you command father". Shayan said.
"That's it my boy" Seneca said, chuckling. The others in the room began to smile also. "Be safe if you can bring back a daughter in law". Seneca yelled after him.
Now
"Numa you have outdone yourself by continuing on with that idiotic plan of theirs". Shayan said, staring down at the children of the king from his balcony. "Setting fire to the whole country side are they mad". Shayan sighed. "How many people got hurt or killed in that fire thinking does not have any care for his people at all".
Numa, a short black haired young man with equally dark brown eyes nodded, staring down at the king's children playing also. Numa Nez was the Chancellor's son. Him and Shayan had grown close over the years after Shayan had become the general and then crown prince. Now Numa was Shayan's closest aide and would become the Chancellor in the future.
"When they first brought up the plan it was maddening". Numa said. "Elric Wolf is an equally maddening and annoying person". Numa said. "Questioning my every move and staring me down like a hawk". Numa sighed. "Good thing you're here I do not have to be alone with this madness".
"And his children? Are they just as vile as the king"? Shayan asked. "The one they call Simon seems to be the only good one out of the children". Numa said. "Declica". Numa said, pointing at the girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. "An evil woman everyday it seems like she's beating or firing her servants for the smallest inconvenience bragging about how she made fun of another lady at a gathering". Numa pointed at a boy who looked just like Decimis, only he was short and quite chubby.
"His name is Alan". Numa said. "His personality is ugly I don't need to comment on the things he does". "The oldest of these three siblings his name is Hamish but he is not here right now". Numa said. "And what of him"? Shayan asked.
Numa shrugged. "I don't know I never see him but the servants say he's a bit reclusive". Numa answered. "But when bothered he can turn into a nasty little thing". "Hah". Shayan grinned. "This is who the queen and king are fighting to have on the throne beside that what's his name-"? "Shimon"? Numa answered for Shayan. "Yes the Shimon boy-". "Oh their kingdom is going to come to an end if any of them get on the throne". Numa nodded and they stood there for a moment watching in disgust at the siblings behavior.
"And Canary Whitewood any word of her healing"? Shayan said, finally breaking the silence. "Yes your highness the crown prince has invited us to a meeting with him and a Agustin Abarca and Eddison Whitewood shall we request for Canary Whitewood to come also"? Numa asked.
Shayan nodded. "Yes invited the crown princess also so she won't be alone". Numa nodded. "I shall draw up the response letter".