In the palace of Valle Roble.

Hours before the potion was stolen, an evening of delight and joy was experienced in Valle Roble. Music with string instruments was playing along with fireworks that exploded to paint with colors the dark canvas of the clear night sky. Outside the palace, carriages began to gather, bringing with them many notable people attending the celebration of King Moal's birthday. A national festivity that on this occasion would have a remarkable addition; the presence of one of the most beloved legendary heroes of The Great Revolution: Prince Dorba. He was known for having a big heart and an impeccable appearance -his well-shaped body surrounded his clear eyes and charming smile-. Despite the passage of time and the fact that he had been involved in so many battles, his body seemed to be unaware of it and forever stuck in its most vigorous stage. The Prince was the most coveted bachelor in all the kingdoms, a hero who risked his comfortable life to join the battle against the Móruvel family. Many women dreamed of seducing him and winning his affection in an exclusive way -and of course the fortune and prestige that would come with it-. That day it was the turn of the inhabitants of Valle Roble to try to make their fantasy come true, who from very early in the morning formed an endless line outside the palace waiting for the Prince with the shiny hair and perfectly shaved face. Each one of the women there was carefully groomed, seeking to captivate the guest's gaze with just a glimpse of her beauty during his brief passage through the entrance of that sumptuous building.

All of a sudden, the noise of the place raised considerably and the tumult went crazy when a dark carriage, quite different from the others, was seen arriving from the air; it was rumored that Prince Dorba was inside. The two very strong griffins - those millenary creatures with a winged lion's body and an eagle's head - landed with precision and retracted their long, beautiful wings, standing disciplinedly firm as they waited for the door of the chariot to be opened. The strident shouts of the crowd anticipated the identity of the passenger as one firm leg stepped out of the vehicle and took a forceful stride onto the velvet mat, helping to support the tall and burly body that was standing upright; soon the other leg appeared and distributed the weight evenly. Prince Dorba descended, the women pushed each other violently to try to occupy the space in front of his eyes. The latter pretended not to notice this hostile and territorial behavior, only smiling to thank them for their presence. A butler came to welcome him, spoke to the Prince and guided him into the castle. During the short walk to the door, Dorba greeted and thanked the attentions of the women who were there.

He was seen as a different hero from his fellow fighters of The Great Revolution. He did not have the rough and blunt demeanor of King Moal, nor the excessive pastimes and vices of General Haggif. Many said he was an empathetic person with the ordinary people around him, having famously found love in a simple commoner years before. A woman with whom he formed a relationship envied by all the kingdoms of the world, being admired as the perfect couple, but which sadly came to an end by a horrible tragedy that left Prince Dorba a widower. This precedent fed the hopes of all those women formed outside the event, thinking that he might find love once again in a sudden way with someone of a modest class.

A busy event awaited the Prince inside, as one of the main attractions of the celebration was the possibility to dance with him. The list of programmed pieces with countless women who had booked their place months ago was kilometric. There were enough songs in it to leave ordinary legs very sore and tired, but not the guest's very strong limbs, which seemed to have been sculpted in stone by the most detailed and talented artist. Prince Dorba was ready to begin the dance as soon as possible, but first he insisted on fulfilling a peculiar demand: he asked to bring as many commoner women as possible into the castle to dance with him, knowing that this would mean eliminating an equal number of noble ladies from the list.

Dorba took the baton of the meeting, as the unsociable King Moal still did not show up - in fact he would not appear all night, and the reason for this would soon be discovered - but the feast in his honor was still in progress. Forty bottles of the King's favorite wine were opened and the guests' cups began to be filled. The food was exquisite, worthy of royalty. For six hours the atmosphere was festive and joyful, smiles and laughter recurrently appeared throughout the extensive ballroom that the castle contained in one of its wings. The general cheerfulness contrasted with the frustration of some of the ladies and their parents, who were displeased after losing, in front of ordinary women, their only chance to be alone with Prince Dorba for the span of a song. He was unfazed by it, devoting his full attention to the woman he was dancing with at the time. He tried to learn as much as he could about her, not wanting to spend those few minutes talking about him and listening with interest to whoever was in front of him. It seemed like he was trying to make the most of every minute in an efficient way, as he always looked at his pocket watch at some point during the conversation. At the end of the piece he would politely thank the woman he danced with and welcome a new temporary companion. This process went on for many songs, until the prince took a pause so he could go out for a smoke.

The servants offered to escort him to the nearest balcony, but he refused and requested privacy. He put on his coat and went out to the area in front of the palace garden, where a very different calm could be perceived from the hustle of the party. He took out a cigarette case from one of his bags, picked up one of the cigars in it, put it in contact with a lighter to ignite it and smoked for several minutes looking at the horizon. Then he opened his pocket watch and looked with disappointment at a device that looked dull and useless, as if it had many years of wear and deterioration. He grasped it between two of his fingers and began to expel reddish energy from his hand, gradually clearing the glass until it was transparent once again. He gestured with frustration and closed the casing when he noticed a noise that interrupted the atmosphere of the quiet garden. A man was stealthily climbing up one of the columns to reach the balcony, followed by another person climbing up on the side of the building. Both subjects had a sloppy and ragged appearance, their facial features were not very clear because of the dust and dirt that covered them.

- Prince Dorba, it' s great that we can see you! The security of the palace did not allow us to enter, so we had to climb the columns, because we came all the way to ask for your support. We know that you are a world hero who cares about the welfare of your people. As inhabitants of Paso Caol, we regret to tell you that in your absence our lands have been plundered, the people to whom you entrusted the territory have abused their power and taken control of the properties of many of us. Half of the mount has been evacuated by these ruffians. We beg you to bring back order to the region.

-They had only taken half of the mount? How long ago did you leave Paso Caol? -The Prince answered in a solemn tone.

-Yes, sir. It took us nine days to get here by foot. If we don't stop them, they could end up taking the whole thing.

-Wow, those idiots are slow, they should have occupied the whole mountain by that time. -In an irritated tone.

-What do you mean? We're talking about our properties! ... and all that we have! -he asked with great confusion.

-Yes, but now a better use will be made of that mountain. The welfare of the Principality is more important than that of the few. You can look for a new area to build your houses, it won't be too hard to put up something of the same quality as your previous homes. Now get out of here, I have some important things to do.

The two men could not assimilate what they had just heard. The heroic revolutionary figure, known for his compassion for the people was behaving like someone completely different. The one who always protected the weak was now consenting their property being stripped from them.

-You can't tell us that! Our whole life is in there! - Throwing himself angrily at him.

Prince Dorba dodged his attacker with ease and dealt him a heavy blow to the windpipe. The second man drew a sword and wanted to mortally wound him, but the Prince quickly evaded him and struck him in the face. He finished off both of them with a couple of kicks and managed to knock them unconscious.

-You're jeopardizing a critical mission, you idiots. Don't delay me any longer.

He abandoned the wounded bodies on the balcony and descended down the columns in a rush, then pulled up the hood of his coat to cover his head and hurried along narrow paths until he reached an abandoned alley on the outskirts of the kingdom where he intended to meet someone. A person was already waiting there, but judging by the Prince's reaction, it was not who he expected.