YUWARAJA
It feels so foreign
Candra and some of the Soldiers escorting her arrived in front of the Palace gate. The palace is very grand and luxurious, consisting of five floors with a very spacious courtyard, enough to accommodate thousands of people. A Servant began to open the gates of the Palace. Upon entering, Candra was greeted with the Female Servants who formed rows on both sides. The servants began to bow in salute to Candra. In unison they said, “Welcome back, Prince!”
Candra nonchalantly continued to step towards the room where the King was, leaving behind a few Soldiers who were still with him. He arrived at one of the rooms on the top floor. There is an image of the Ice Dragon which is a symbol of the Nataprawira Kingdom engraved on the doorstep. The room is quite striking when compared to others due to the tight guard he has. Two burly soldiers were always on either side of the door fully armed, from pistols to daggers.
“Prince, sorry. His Majesty the King is being undisturbed for the time being,” said one of the Soldiers.
“Good. Later please tell me that I want to meet.” Candra had already guessed that answer.
"Okay, Prince."
Candra again walked her legs that were not powered. It was like this before. Everyone who was in the Palace felt so foreign. Good waitress, the Prjurits even the King himself who is basically the Father of Candra. There were very few people that he could call family.
Candra opened a door she hadn't touched in a long time. Very clean room, has an area of 12×8 m2 this looks minimalist, but even so, the impression of elegance and expensive still feels attached to it.
Candra just smiled, considering how the Kingdom has enough money to live a luxurious life, but its people live in suffering. To the point where the main factor of population death is caused by starvation, not war or murder. Of course the death rate is not too much, but the poverty rate has now reached 40% increased by 10% from the previous year. This was due to war and corruption as well as Nobles who sought too high a profit.
Candra could not completely blame the King, as this was still better than the other Kingdoms. Even so, the King's indifference of letting the Nobles off at will was a problem. His father believed that the strong should be in power. The Predator preys on the weak, that's what his father always emphasized. Nataprawira became known as the Land of Gladiato.
Candra was lying limp on that soft mattress of hers. He still remembered clearly and kept ringing about how the screams of suffering happened on the battlefield. The sound of desperate screams as people asked for help, as the ground became red from the profusion of blood pouring out. Sometimes he felt fear until his body shivered as he recalled how despair was so domineering over the cursed land.
War that has been likened to tradition by every Kingdom that exists. Each government has its own reasons for declaring war on a State. The most cliched reasons are poverty and economic factors. Naturally, it was only a guise of the Sovereigns to enrich themselves.
There were four most influential Kingdoms that often fought for territory. The four kingdoms were Nataprawira Kingdom in the east, Askara Kingdom in the west, Harsana Kingdom in the south of Nataprawira Kingdom, and, and the Kingdom of Gandana which was to the north of the Askara Kingdom.
The Nataprawira kingdom can mostly use Water and Ice magic, but they rely more on technology as their main sector. Various advanced machines can be found in every corner of the city. During the war, Nataprawira was more dependent on machines than magic. Although they could use magic, but it was not as great as those from the Askara Kingdom. The kingdom is mostly covered by the cold snow, and this chunk of ice is the most advanced Kingdom in the Continent of Sembrani, of course in terms of technology.
On the other hand, there is the Askara Kingdom which is the opposite as well as the archenemy of Nataprawira. The Askara Kingdom is very good at using magic, especially Fire. Unlike Nataprawira which is covered in cold temperatures, the temperature in the Askara Kingdom is very hot, hot enough that even trees cannot grow there. This country is known for its greatness in Magic Science. The Witch Country, that's what people call it.
There is also the kingdom of Harsana which is very skilled in controlling the Weather, especially Rain. In the Kingdom, we will not be able to see the radiance of Mentari light due to very high rainfall. The last one is the Kingdom of Gandana. The kingdom that is very skilled in controlling Wind magic is located at an altitude of 17,000 meters above sea level. The wind there was so strong, that even the plane could not cross over it. The kingdoms of Harsana and Gandana were not as big as Nataprawira and Askara. If the kingdom of Harsana was an ally of Nataprawira then the Kingdom of Gandana was on the side of Askara.
Candra began to close her eyes and tried to recall the days that had passed.
***
It was the 10th day since the start of the declaration of war from the Kingdom of Askara to the Kingdom of Nataprawira. The war was supposed to end today, but Candra's lack of manhood in the face of guerrilla tactics caused the war to continue and increasingly took many lives from both sides. Now Candra is gathering the higher-ups to hold a meeting to discuss tomorrow's war plans.
“Sorry, make you all wait!” The sound of people entering the tent. A man in his 30s came in the company of several people who were bodyguards of the man.
“Welcome, Uncle!” candra greeted him.
“Thank you, Prince!” he replied while bowing in respect.
The man knocked on the table that was in the middle of the tent. Instantly it also appeared an interactive map with a large enough scale. It's a three-dimensional map. There are some buildings, trees, even branched streets that are exactly the same detail as the original. There are pictures of the Ice Dragon to the west and the Phoenix to the east. The war this time occurred on the border between the two Kingdoms, but over time the place began to shift until entering the territory of the Askara Kingdom. With the extremely hot temperature of course, those people from the Nataprawira Kingdom who were used to inhaling cold air were greatly disadvantaged by this state. They very quickly lost bodily fluids which caused severe dehydration, to the point that there were some Soldiers who died from it.
“How do we cope with the environment with this hot temperature, Uncle?” ask Candra.
“Sugar Prince. Moreover, our drinking water reserves have been thinned. The quickest way I can think of to end the war this time is to kidnap Princess Adelia or kill her. If their leader we manage to overcome, the fighting spirit of the Soldiers will surely soon collapse,” he replied with confidence.
Candra was a little surprised when she heard that. Killing the enemy leader might indeed be the fastest way to end this war, but having to kill a woman was a little too cruel and was an act of no praise. Candra immediately dismissed her naive thoughts, in order to end this war Candra was even ready to sacrifice her own life.
It sucks, but Candra admits that Askara forces are very strong when in this arid and hot environment, if the war occurs in an area with normal temperatures certainly his troops will not be too harmed. Especially if they can bring the enemy to the region with cold temperatures, surely the victory of Nataprawira troops can be ascertained.
"And to overcome the temperature of this ectream the laboratory has sent goods that will be useful to ward off heat, but it must be remembered that this object can not last long. That one week, the time limit that we have." added the man while taking out an object that looks like a harness with a bright color like the color of the blue sky during the day. Those who saw him clearly showed an expression of relief and admiration. Candra also silently smiled when she saw the object.
This way their plan is set. They will send some men to capture the Princess of Askara Kingdom, Princess Adelia. Candra had no idea what Princess Adelia was like. Neither his face, his nature, nor his skill. Since they were basically enemies, it was impossible for them to be able to meet in a normal situation.
“Alright, that's it. Hurry up, prepare everything!” Candra immediately gave the order.
“Good, Prince!” Simultaneously everyone answered with great zeal and high confidence. One by one people started to leave the tent to carry out the orders they received, leaving three people inside the tent who were still putting on so serious expressions.
***
Gts .... Gts .... Gts ....
There was a knock on the door in front of the room. Candra slowly opened her eyes that felt so heavy. He began to stand up from the bed that kept pulling as if he had not allowed him to get up.
"Prince, sir is calling you to his room!" A soft voice that he had not heard for a long time came out from behind the door. A graceful female figure entered the room. At the age of about 40, there began to be a little wrinkle on his cheek that indicates that he is not young anymore.
"All right! Anna, how's Uncle doing?"
"Ah, wherever he is placed, he must be as passionate as ever."
For Candra, Anna is the ideal mother figure for her. Candra never saw her mother's face because she died giving birth to Candra. And for whatever reason, but not a single painting or photograph showing his mother's face was once a Queen. How quaint.
"Yes, you're right. I'll be there in a minute." Candra gets excited after hearing Anna say that her Uncle is fine.
"alright. Excuse me Prince." Anna leaned over while coming out to close the door. Candra closed her eyes again, thinking about what the scheming King was actually planning.