At the door of a large mansion, before the gate and the flowering front garden, Arthorius Arth Erréndias was shouting: "Father, Father, Father! Come here, please! Open this door for me!" He laughed and spoke with great splendor, all wet with dirty water and green slime. The liquid fell from his black curls in drops that ran down his strong jaw until finally releasing it on his chin. Arth had an appearance that pleased women, whether adults or his own age; he was an intelligent and pleasant boy.
Besides his good looks, he also had a family, like almost everyone in this world. His family consisted of his father, Arthur Arth Erréndias, his sister, Martha Arth Erréndias, and himself. His mother had been captured and killed by the Contraranures; his grandmother and grandfather had died from some unknown disease. Fortunately for our young Arth, his mother's death did not affect him in the slightest. She died when he was only two years old. Now his father...
While Arth was lost in his real thoughts, the door opened abruptly and out came Arthur Arth Erréndias, the cheerful father of Arthorius, or as everyone called him, Arth.
"Ah, my son, come in! What did you hunt for your birthday?" The man intoned each word with vivacity. He was a tall man with a short beard that gave even more mature charm to his handsome face and complemented his long hair.
"Two wild boars and about four rabbits, Father. I hunted them in the Varzyus forest. Have you received the king's letter yet? I wanted him to be here tomorrow. Do you think you can manage it?"
"Yes, my son. But before we talk about the letter or your adventure in the forest, come in here so we can talk about something more important."
"There was another... attack, Father?"
"Unfortunately, my son. The butcher's daughter was torn into four pieces by two wolves while she had gone to fetch water from the river of the damned traitor at Martha's orders at night. Hearing this, the butcher got angry with Martha and slapped her, leaving half her face red and swollen. If you see her, don't get upset with her. Anyway, be careful when hunting animals, my son. The blue-mind-destroyer is near. There are those who say it is already here. Be careful... come." And he gestures for Arth to come in.
The house was exactly as Arth remembered it; enormous, with many rooms. The house, actually a mansion, had four gardens, nine rooms, two dining rooms, two offices, a cellar, a kitchen, a ballroom, a dance hall, an audience chamber, two living rooms, and a large entrance hall; the bathrooms were in the rooms and the servants' quarters were in another building. Passing through the entrance hall, Arth sits down and speaks after a tired sigh:
"You too, Father. What you heard is true. I only hunted these insignificant animals today because of the wolves. They were rabid, as if something horrible was coming. I don't know who you heard it from, but that person is right." He sighs again. "The butcher. What happened to him?"
"He went back to the Derys-lar mountains, to the north. There he plans to bury her. Even though he hit your sister, what kind of count would I be if I killed him or punished him?"
"You are right, Father; our family is known for its benevolence and honor. We all know that you would never punish someone for another's mistake, besides, sister deserved it. How many times have we told her not to send servants outside at night?"
"Ah yes, many times, my son, many times; and even so, she doesn't seem to listen to me. Do you know what she asked me now, son?"
"What? Surely it can't be that serious for you to be looking at me like that. I know she is stupid, but not that much. So tell me: what crap has she come up with to say or do?"
"Oh, my son; she has come up with the idea that she now wants to marry Lirius Remadís, the king's eldest son."
"Okay, I apologize profusely, my father, apparently she is much dumber than I thought. This princess attitude of hers needs to be stopped. I will try to talk to her about it. But what is the basis for this idea of hers?"
"The Graylor girls, my son. They have been putting ideas into her head. Ideas of greatness, of power, and it all comes down to her becoming queen. So I beg you to change her mind, especially since you know that scoundrel, and you know what he thinks of weak women..."
And it was true. The eldest prince, unlike the king and the youngest, Lirius was vile and poisonous as a snake. If before I was annoyed with her for her previous choice, then I don't know what I will say to her now...
"And regarding the king and the contraranures?"
"The king has promised an army of 5000 men; the other noble houses, 2500. And we only have at the moment 3000 soldiers and 3 knights, one of whom is a master."
"Do we need so many men to defeat a terrorist group?"
"They are working with a demon lord, my son." Arthur finishes with his face suddenly serious.
Before Arth could digest this tremendously terrifying information, his father raises his hand and continues:
"But don't worry, from what the spies have told me, the demon is the weakest, Trussum, the lying lord. Anyway, go to your sister, but first take a bath, you smell a lot of slime."
And his father was right, he really did smell a lot of slime. Besides the normal animals, the Varzyus forest had monsters, and it was one of the few on the continent with that capacity. As true as it is that monsters are mainly found in the Torrus Endra, which were the portals that launched adventurers and knights into another layer of reality to face monsters. Actually, all monsters came from there. Before 234 after Macano, it is said that at that time there were no portals or monsters. Portals, or Torrus Endra for those closer to the term, only came into existence after 1545.
And he leaves the entrance hall to go to his room. After getting ready and putting on the nicest clothes he had, which was a suit with a golden cape, with a family crest on his chest, where the soul of man lies, his essence, that is, his heart. The crest was a lynx dressed in golden armor on fire.
"Remember that Grivnar Graylor wants you to marry one of his granddaughters." And the man smiles. "Good luck, my son, you will need it..."