Crowns of Heritage

Chapter 60- Strange

(PRINCE MOISES P.O.V)

When I heard that Sage had participated in the battle that took place on the western border a couple days ago. At first, I felt a little concerned, that was the father side of me. Then I saw her expression when she talked about how it made her excited instead. At that moment, I wanted to teach her everything I knew.

When we walked to the training grounds, I wanted to see just how much she learned. I'm sure Nathan taught her something, but during a battle you have to stay cautious.

We both got on top of our horses and I watched her every move and expression. It was surprising how calm she remained even though I kept provoking her.

I watched how she swung her sword and everytime we clashed, she was getting faster each time. I told her how slow she was moving, and she immediately started to pick up her pace. She watched my every move as if she was studying me. Then I realized she's gifted in swordsmanship.

The siren suddenly went off, and the knights started to get onto their horses.

“The western border is under attack” one of the knights shouted.

The knights started to climb onto horses, and one of the knights came over and handed me a sword.

“Natalie” I called out to her and she walked over.

“I'm taking Sage with me,” I said.

“Bring her back in one piece or I'll poison you” she said, while folding her arms.

I leaned over and gave her a kiss. Then I looked over at Sage who was walking over to me after getting off her horse.

“Sage, how about some more experience?” I asked, she nodded and her eyes lit up.

She hurried over and climbed back onto her horse and came over closer to me.

“Wait Young Duchess, You and Prince Moises need to put on some armor. Follow me inside of the knights quarters” Captain Capilano said.

He introduced himself to me when he brought us the wooden swords earlier.

Sage and I got off of our horses and followed behind the Captain. When we went inside, he handed us a knights uniform.

“It's been a while since I've been in a uniform,” I said.

Sage went into a room and went to change her clothes. A few seconds later she came walking out in the knight uniform. She looked like a mini version of me.

We walked out of the knights quarters and got back onto our horses.

“She's definitely your child,” Nathan said, walking over to me.

Nathan, Masiro and Yeshiva got onto a horse. I saw Rosemary walking over to Sage.

“Try not to go missing again”, Rosemary said to Sage, causing Sage to glare at her.

I heard one of the horse footsteps coming closer and saw one of the knights approaching.

“Prince Moises, we are ready to depart your highness,” he said.

I looked back at Sage, “Let's go my little warrior” I said.

(SAGE P.O.V)

I rode behind of my father, while grandfather, Yeshiva and Nathan and a couple of the knights followed behind. We rode through the forest towards the western border. Nathan said it'll take about an hour or two to get there.

I know everyone told me stories about my father, but seeing him fight in person is making me more excited than the actual battle.

“Looks like you can ride a horse more sufficiently now” Nathan said, as he rode next to me.

“I had a good teacher,” I said.

We continued to ride for an hour or so until we reached the entrance into the village. We still had a little ways to go until we made it to the border. We continued to go through the forest for another hour until we reached the border. We arrived on top of the hill looking down upon the village. We saw knights fighting against other knights.

We rushed down the hill and made our way to the border. Father and Captain Capilano were leading. Father put his hand up and everyone started to raise their swords. There was an open field in between the hill and the village. Seeing that some knights of Kalpana made it to the field.

“Kill them but leave at least one of them alive as a hostage” Father shouted.

The Kalpana knights saw us approaching and started to yell, a second later they raised their swords and started to ride towards us.

“Sage, prepare yourself, you're about to see another side of your father” Nathan said.

I was wondering what he meant until I saw it. As soon as the other knights approached us. Before the knight could even raise his sword against father, he was already on the ground with a slash across his chest. I didn't even see when father moved his sword.

Instantly, father started cutting down the knights left and right. It was so fast my eyes couldn't keep up.

“Stay focused!!,” Nathan shouted.

As soon as he shouted a knight came onto the side of me. I quickly raised my swords and slashed him across the chest without hesitation and kept riding past him.

The feeling was back, I was getting excited. I continued to cut down knights in front of me. There were more than a hundred knights approaching us.

I saw my father raise his sword and pointed towards the incoming of knights.

“Winter knights”, he shouted.

“Yes commander”, they shouted.

“Let's finish this,” Father said and charged ahead.

(NATHAN'S P.O.V)

It's been over 22 years since I've seen Prince Moises in action on the battlefield. This man is a beast, and it looks like Sage is a little beast.

I rode behind them as I was slashing and stabbing the other knights down left and right. But something about this felt strange.

“Stay focused!” I shouted at Sage because she looked to be distracted watching her father for the first time.

I was about to hurried over to her but she quickly regained her composure and cut down the knights rushing towards her.

I watched as she flicked the blood off her sword and rode towards the knights coming towards her. She looked just like her father, completely fearless and smiling because of the thrill they were feeling.

It's were over a hundred knights approaching us, and I wanted to keep her in my sight.

All of a sudden, I saw Prince Moises riding towards Sage, and he slashed the knight across his throat as he came on the side of Sage.

“They're both smiling covered in blood”, I mumbled.

It reminded me of when she was little, she would stare at the swords or bows and arrows when Peyton and I were still practicing and sparring against each other. She'll watch our every move, she was very observant.

I rode towards them as I slash and stabbed my way through, I was still getting a strange feeling. I needed to get closer to Prince Moises, then I saw Masiro and Yeshiva coming on the side of me.

“Something is strange,” Masiro said.

“I feel like it too,” I said.

“Let's hurry”, Masiro said.

We rushed over to where Sage and Prince Moises were, as they had stopped riding and looked down at the knights who were on the ground groaning.

(SAGE P.O.V)

I watched as my father continually slashed the other knights. I saw a knight approaching me as he swung his sword toward me, I raised my sword to deflect it. It was just like what my father did to me. I remembered how he would block my every move. I started to feel pissed all over again. I lowered my sword and slashed it upwards across his body as he was falling, I felt another knight come towards me, suddenly I was surrounded by a couple knights.

I didn't feel nervous at all, I raised my sword again and was ready to fight them. But within an instant they were cut down, it was so fast I didn't even see my father coming beside me.

“Good job, looks like you held your own” he said, while smirking.

I felt an enormous amount of energy surrounding him, and the look of excitement on his face. It was like he was glowing.

“Ah, this what Nathan meant” I mumbled to myself.

Father got off of his horse and walked over to one of the knights who was groaning on the ground.

A few seconds later, grandfather, Nathan , and Yeshiva came riding over.

“Prince Moises, something is strange about this,” Nathan said.

Grandfather nodded, “I agree with Nathan, something about this attack is strange” he said.

Father turned around facing them, “Well let's find out” he said.

Father grabbed the knight and lifted his body up.

“We're taking a hostage to find out,” he said.

“Let's head to one of the cabins nearby” Nathan said

Suddenly, we heard a voice yelling and all of us turned around facing the direction it was coming from. I saw about ten men coming towards us. I thought they were knights until grandfather reached his hand out and stopped us from reacting.

“Looks like my squad,” he said.

Grandfather walked over and the men met him halfway. I saw Yeshiva had started to walk as well. We followed behind him to where grandfather was.

“Dad, what the hell are you doing here?”, I heard Yeshiva ask the man who looked exactly like him.

“This is Saul, one of my squad leaders” grandfather introduced him.

“Chief, I have something to report,” he said.

“What is it?” Grandfather said, looking at him.

“It looks like someone is provoking the Kingdom of Kalpana to attack the western region. Because the Winter Dukedom is a threat to Prince Marshall becoming the King. The kingdom of Kalpana doesn't realize they are being baited into a war against the Winter Dukedom.” Saul explained.

Father and grandfather looked at eachother, “So he's going after the one who opposes him” father said.

“What made you follow the knights to the western region?”, grandfather asked Saul.

“Because we received information from the territory that you were coming to the kingdom. We decided to come find you to see what your next move would be. It wasn't hard to spot you.” he said.

“Continue to monitor the Kalpana kingdom, maybe we can get them on our side “ grandfather said.

The men nodded and turned back in the opposite direction and left.

After they left, we followed Nathan to one of the nearby cabins. They started to threaten the man who they took hostage but he insisted that he didn't know anything. They were just ordered to attack the border as a warning. After Nathan snapped the man's neck. We made our way back to the dukedom estate.

(NATALIE P.O.V)

After everyone made it back to the castle, Moises, Nathan, and my father called Duke Winter and I to one of the offices. When they explained that something was strange about the attack on the western border. I remembered something that I heard when I was at Count Livens villa.

“I remembered Count Livens said he needed this war to happen. Maybe he's the one baiting them. Since he is selling military information to the other kingdom.” I said.

I watched as they were thinking to themselves.

“You mentioned that he wants to make his nephew the king after getting rid of Prince Marshall”, Duke Winter said.

I nodded my head.

“The Winter Dukedom would be considered an enemy as well. Since Moises and Morgan's mother is from this household. It's another obstacle to his plans.`` I said.

Moises and his grandfather whispered something to each other.

“We should go with Rosie's plan. Since I have Prince Marshall's daughter and the mother who's pregnant for him. We need to turn them against each other. We should frame Count Livens and after he is arrested we can kidnap him” I said.

My father walked over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder, “While Sage and Duke Winter are at the conference. You, Cena, and Rosemary should go back to Count Livens villa. We need to get information from those maids about the whole sex slaves situation.” He said.

Nathan stood next to Moises, “I'll be taking Yeshiva with me to the rebels meeting. Prince Morgan will be coming there after the conference, you should join as well." He said.

Moises nodded his head and we all exited out of the office.

I went to the room where the girls were. I needed to ask Princess Sarah something. When I entered the room I saw Cena, Rosemary and Sage talking to Princess Sarah.

“Princess Sarah, I need to ask you something,” I said.

“Okay”, she said. She seemed a little more calm. I think Cena scared the shit out of her.

“Why was your maid abusing Princess Kalia?”, I asked.

“My father doesn't allow me to get along with the other Princesses. He's the one who ordered the maids to mistreat her.” she said, looking a little sad.

“When is your father supposed to marry the princess from the Kalpana Kingdom?” I asked.

“At his coronation, only if our Kingdom provides a princess for the peace treaty.” she said.

“Did you know your father was keeping a pregnant woman in the dungeon? He's about to have a son” I said.

I watched as her facial expression changed, it was clear she doesn't know anything about her father.

“My mom,” she said. She paused for a second.

We all looked at her, “What about your mother?”

She started to bite her fingernails as if she remembered something horrible.

“My mother divorced my father and he tried to keep her in the dungeon. I used to sneak down there to see her.” she said.

“Where's your mother now?” I asked.

Princess Sarah held her head down, “She was executed for attempting to poison my father” she said.

Damn, too bad she didn't succeed, I thought to myself.

I walked over and placed my hand on her right shoulder and looked her directly in the face.

“Your father is going to die soon, I'm just letting you know that.” I said.

I gestured for Sage, Rosemary and Cena to follow Me. We walked out of the room. I turned around and looked at Rosemary and Cena.

“We're going to expose Count Livens as soon as we find where they are keeping the women who are sex slaves. I wondered how Prince Marshall would react when he found out Count Livens tried to kidnap his daughter.” I said.

I turned towards Sage's direction and placed my hand on the top of her head.

“You'll be facing him and the King face to face tomorrow and you won't be disguised. I can't wait to hear about how they react when they find out they have to go through you in order to gain support from the Winter Dukedom” I said.