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Near the beautiful River Nile sat a kingdom called Thangen and that is my home. My beloved kingdom. In case you don't know who I am, I'm Prince Nuor Rhaness II and I am the only son of the very old king who currently rules Thangen.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5RfK6VrrSB
The blazing golden sun and the cool winter like breeze that day indicated a sunny day awaits us Thangenese. I have a good feeling that this is going to be a lovely day. I decided to take a stroll inside the palace's walls whilst my guards trailed behind me like hushed shadows. I was at the royal garden when it happened. One of my servants notified me that there was a breach on the kingdom's borders and thousands of conspicuous ships flocked the coast. I rushed back into the palace to inform my father and requested an emergency meeting with the ministers of defence. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbJLDeGnnm
My father was nowhere to be seen and armies were swarming us from the coast. It'll take at least 2 days to reach the capital by foot and since there is a major change in the Industrial Revolution, there are high chances for those unknown armies to arrive in less than a day and possibly already are at the capital's gates. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiY99SLddaR
I send out my armies to protect the citizens and some to tighten up the security of the royal palace. I ran around the palace in search of my father and took my horse, Shihab to look for him at a secret place a little far off from the palace and much more nearer to the Nile.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDuuDW8pTU
It was a secret palace that overlooked the Nile and the ocean and from there I could see the battleships from the distance. However, I couldn't see their flag on top of their mast. So I used a spyglass and tried to find the flag. I later founded it and it wasn't good news. It was a flag that consisted of three colours: black on top, yellow in the middle and white on the bottom. It was the Zelenaya Dolinan flag!293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGlWNE8xro
Knowing that we are losing time, I rushed back to the palace and head towards the high command and met all of the ministers. Due to the absence of the king, the next heir to the throne has to take command. I walked over to my father's seat and looked at my ministers. The ones on the right were those who supported my father and thus, those who were loyal to him and the crown. On my left were those who are very suspicious and pose a potential threat to the throne. Lastly, there were those who were seated in the middle. They were those who hold the neutral position of both a threat and of loyalty. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHvTin9jTkr
"Since my father has gone somewhat missing, I had no other choice than to take charge of this critical situation. I saw the battleships from the east and it was clear that they are heading towards the capital through the Nile," I stated. Minister Qud who handles the Thangenese navy stood up from his seat on my right.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCn1VbSIMk
"Your Highness! Pardon me for speaking but we also had seen those ships from the southeast. It looks like they are trying to attack us from the sea. If you could grant me permission to attack them back from the coastline, the shore and the sea. We could win this battle by sunrise." This is reasonable but I can't be careless now. Those flags are not to be messed with. And I have a bad feeling about this.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmrhtc7Szw
"Your Highness! We have received word that troops are coming from the south and the west has been attacked. There are several casualties and a was letter sent here. It is from our infantry, your highness," a young woman said standing up. Her name is Kharqa and she had just recently joined the parliament last month. Ministers started to whisper to one another. Surely hoping that at least somewhere the kingdom's infantry has secured their land. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDpR3c6qQb
"Read it please," I said. Happy to get my attention, she opened the letter and read it. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipPR4udsGw
"We request assistance for this war. They have attacked us at night and we were unprepared. Our supplies are gone and we have resorted to eating our dead horses. The death of our comrades are piling up and we have little choice now. The whole coast of the west side here had been invaded. An amount of 15 villages and settlements were attacked and as many as 2059 death were reported. We suspect the numbers are much larger. We had evacuated the rest of the citizens towards the east but we have not received any news from them since dawn."293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZOlAdnXel
"We are out of medical supplies and some of our weapons were stolen. We predicted that we will be defenceless when nightfall comes. An insider reported that His Majesty, the Pharaoh had been spotted being escorted towards the enemy's territory with soldiers that are not of our own late in the night before. We believe that the Pharaoh was trying to negotiate the terms for peace on which could have already gone badly. I fear for His Majesty's safety in case that we do attack them. With hope that this letter reaches His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, we have used our last piece of paper. Further reports may be delayed due to the situation. May Ra protect the throne, long live the pharaoh and the royal family," she slowed down on the last part of the letter as if to let the situation sink in. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPPcypPAVX
With no time to lose, I sent out various supplies to aid the infantry on the west and wrote a quick letter to them. The ministers argued amongst themselves about the war and I had cracked up a new plan as I wrote down the letter. Retreat towards the east and lure them towards the northwest. We'll ambush them there with the help of our allies from the neighbouring kingdoms. Spare no expenses to buy supplies and strengthen the walls and fortress. Have the blacksmiths make newer and tougher armours. We have to take advantage of the sands.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzFCmjUGUr
Those Zelenayan soldier's attire are made specially for withstanding the cold since their kingdom was almost always engulfed in snow. Their summers are cold and their winters colder. They will surely exhaust themself of thirst first before they could even reach the middle of the desert. Food are scarce there and they will most likely drive themselves to madness too. Unless they use technology to aid them with this conquering, I have nothing to worry about.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8J8PDuFbLW
"This is such a strange attack. I just could not believe that this had all happened so suddenly. Something feels off," Qud deducted. True. It is rather strange. Why hasn't anybody reported to me about this? Surely those ships could have long been seen since yesterday at most. They could not go unnoticed. Unless...293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEy6NYEiB0F
"INTRUDERS!" Someone screeched. Almost immediately one of my ministers pulled out a knife underneath his robe and attacked the person next to him. Blood was spraying and everyone was screaming. Four more of my ministers started to attack each other and I choose to quickly flee from the chaos. One of them was surely going to have my throat.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdQPvaTYW3
Servants scattered around like rodents and soldiers were fighting citizens who looked too fair to be a local. I didn't have time to react when I was shoved down to the ground and was sat on. I grunted and pulled the attacker to the ground. It was a bit hard since he is very muscular. His bulging muscles suppress me, and panic coursed through my veins. Though I had excellent training, at this moment, I felt weak. With a roar, I kicked out. My foot slammed into the attacker's ribs, and I hear a crack. With a cry, the attacker rolls off me, clutching his side in agony.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9kZVi5byJ
I took out my lucky dagger which was a gift from my late mother and stabbed him once on the shoulder, then I sliced his throat. Blood splattered all over me. Several more men came rushing to me and attacked me with various weapons. It is certainly going to be a long fight.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNie2dkCK9Z
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Despite my skills, I was finally captured after fighting a large number of men. They have outnumbered me certainly but they have yet to outnumber my wits. Struggling as they dragged me towards the throne room, I glared at every eye that looked at me. They dumped me on the throne and tied me there. There was even a table in front of me that had certainly made me curious. Another chair was placed on the opposite side of the table and footsteps echoed through the golden tiles. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaE4NgVwYM7
A man who looked like a Thangenese citizen sat on the said chair. Did the palace was attacked by rogues? Then how about the Dolinan flag I saw on the ship earlier? Something is not making sense. The broad bodies of the 'citizens' that had now littered the halls and corridors earlier on did not seem natural. Thangenese citizens are fairly structured but not too bulky. The only answer left is...293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqWTdcjBIa
"You are those Zelenaya Dolinan soldiers aren't you?" The man who sat in front of him smiled a crooked smile. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45FVgr6OZY
"A smart lad aren't you? Do you like the disguise? People are just so easily fooled," he sneered. He was speaking in Thangenese but it sounded too husky and a little bit foreign that I just couldn't help cringing.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkutyJIx0im
He then took a handkerchief from a little pocket on his schenti which is a type of loincloth and wetting it with a jug of water. He then used it to wipe his face clean of the make-up. His tanned face was wiped away to reveal a very blushed face that was most likely due to the sun.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKDf13zUED
"I assumed that you have been mingling with the citizens and pretend to be one of them. And I suppose that you have been watching us, haven't you? Perhaps you have also planted some spies already in the palace. Some of my ministers were killing each other back there. Surely you were behind that too."293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvbWULn9oT
"Very good! As the rumours came by back there in Zelenaya Dolina, you sure are indeed quick to understand situations and always seem to conclude the correct answer! Why, I'd never thought to meet someone as bright as you are, your highness. Such a rare thing to see indeed" mused the man in front of me. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwsZYVsl8e
With his disguise all washed off, I can now say that I recognise this man. He is unfortunately Emperor Vasili Igor son of the late Emperor Maxim Igor who was honestly a good man. Somehow, the bastard in front of me managed to rise to the throne and started his invasion hobby with all of his neighbouring kingdoms at the age of 13. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTbMbL3TRQ
Based on what this man had achieved, we all have the right to be panicking right now if I have not told everyone that the invaders were from Zelenaya Dolina. They should have been quickly defeated if they had been invading like the one that was normally done. It was honestly a surprise that they had been hiding in plain sight all this time. It was admirable for him to plan up this siege but it was not admirable however for him to be holding me captive.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aFgiNYkTE
"So what are you going to do now, your majesty?" I asked keeping my tone as polite as possible. While I am here might as well try to soft-soap him up. Maybe I'll get a benefit or two with this after all. 293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPBut5OpLr
"I do fancy intelligent people like yourself as companions so what do you say?" He grinned and I felt my face heat up immediately.293Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UnqC8nxLz
"You can go fudge yourself."
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