The next morning, soldiers patrolled the castle’s corridors. Justin was escorted to the council room where he would meet his advisors and High councilor Donovan. He had convened an urgent meeting to discuss issues that had to be dealt with. With his father's passing, heavy responsibilities now weighed on his shoulders. He entered the large circular chamber where the council waited. 

"Greetings your majesty," Donovan said.

Justin seated himself at one end of the large rectangular table and looked at the advisors. They were seated on either side and the captain of the royal guard was present. He was standing next to Donovan. The latter's face was covered with wrinkles and his hair and beard were silverish. He wore a long purple robe made of fine cloth. 

"Your majesty," he started.

"I assume that you summoned us here because of what happened last night." 

Justin faced Donovan. 

"Yes and no," replied Justin. 

The High councilor leaned slightly, crossing his fingers over the table.

"We are here to listen. Please, tell us what you would like to discuss," said the old man.

Justin paused. So many problems plagued Istus right now. The most pressing issue was the relation Istus had with other countries. The other kingdoms were not exactly on the best terms with it. 

"What is the status on foreign affairs?" asked Justin.

The foreign affairs advisor, Aaron, a middle-aged man with graying hair, shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. 

"We are dealing with it," said Aaron.

"I require further explanations," said Justin.

The advisor paused and shifted uneasily again before speaking.

"The… crusades your father had undertaken in the past have instilled fear among the neutral kingdoms. They've distanced themselves from us. We are trying to regain their trust," he answered.

The brown-haired advisor in charge of trade, Shana, lifted her round spectacles on the bridge of her nose.

"Some trade routes have been cut off because they no longer wish to trade with us," Shana added. 

"Certain territories have become very dangerous for merchants. They are assaulted by thieves and fear to tread far from Istus." 

Justin assimilated what they said. He  understood the situation very well even if his father never let him deal with istian politics before. He thinned his lips and frowned. Politics were not his cup of tea. Donovan chuckled slightly at the young king's reaction and the latter stopped frowning.

"Ah, my king. As you know, all actions have consequences. Your father was a good king. He killed tyrants and freed several kingdoms from dictatorship. But sadly no one sees the good in his actions. They just fear that they are next on the chopping board," sighed Donovan. 

Justin knew this. His father had trained him to fight since he was a boy. He wanted his son to be strong enough to save the oppressed and defend his kingdom. That was his will and his legacy.

"I trust that you will make the right decisions for Istus my king," said the High councilor. 

"Your highness, I wish to speak about the incident of the previous night," said the captain.

The captain was a man in his forties. He had short black hair and black eyes and a strong angular jaw. He wore an intricate armor of white steel. 

"You may speak Captain l'Etoile," said Justin.

"The assassin spoke out last night. She revealed where she comes from," said Captain l'Etoile. 

"Where would that be?" asked Justin.

The captain looked straight at the king.

"Velli," he replied.

Velli? What a surprise. Velli was a neighboring kingdom. King Malek Velli used to be one of King Alexander's bitter rivals. They always got into arguments about the lands and provinces that lay on the boundaries of the two kingdoms. One day, Alexander brought a younger Justin on a visit to Velli castle. He told his son very little about the purpose of the visit. Just that he had to negotiate with King Malek. 

***

It was noon and the sun soared high above the cloudless azure sky. Alexander and Justin arrived in front of Velli castle in their carriage. The coachman stopped his horses and got off his seat to open the vehicle's door. Alexander stepped outside followed closely by his son. Justin looked at his surroundings. The black stone castle had many intricate small towers with pointed roofs and tall arched windows lined its facades. The lush green trees in the castle grounds accentuated its beauty.

Two vellian guards awaited the king and the prince. They bowed slightly. 

"Hmph, King Malek did not even bother to greet us," Alexander muttered under his breath. 

"Bastard."

Justin heard his father. He understood right away that it was not a friendly visit. 

Alexander and Justin walked down the sunlit corridors. The guards led them towards huge ebony doors. They opened them to reveal the throne room. Light from the tall arched windows reflected on the onyx marble floors which contrasted with the pristine white walls. King Malek sat on his throne, waiting. It was the first time Justin met him. He observed the king carefully. He had slick black hair and bore a thin mustache. His face was relatively handsome and his physique was lean. But what stood out the most were the king's eyes. They were a rare hue of violet. 

"Ah King Alexander. Welcome, welcome," said King Malek.

King Malek glanced at Justin.

"I suppose this is your son, Justin?" he deduced.

"I don't remember inviting him."

Alexander stared coldly at King Malek and the latter gazed back at him. The atmosphere became tense.

"It is important that I bring him outside of Istus. It’s part of his education,” replied Alexander.

“Ah, yes, yes. I can agree with that,” King Malek said.

King Malek looked back at Justin.

“Why don’t you meet my son, Mathias?" he suggested. 

"He is around your age. I'm sure you will get along!"

Justin looked at his father.

"Go," said Alexander.

Justin was curious to meet Mathias. Maybe he could make a friend his age. And he was a prince just like him. Alexander never let him around other children. He grew up surrounded by adults who oversaw his education and training. He already knew how to write at the age of three and how to wield a sword at seven. A guard accompanied Justin outside the throne room.

Justin entered a vast garden filled with white lilies. The young boy had never seen this variety of flowers before since there were no gardens in Istus castle. The place enchanted him. 

"Prince Mathias," called the guard.

"Huh, what is it?" a young voice replied.

Justin's eyes searched around and he spotted a black haired boy under a nearby kiosk. He was holding an open book in his hand and was busy reading it. He was oblivious to Justin's presence as he was fixated on the pages.  

"Prince Justin of Istus has come to meet you," said the guard.

The boy lifted his gaze immediately. He had the same violet eyes as his father. 

"What? No one told me Prince Justin was coming!" Mathias said.   

His eyes swerved on Justin and he stared at him for a moment. The other prince had long black hair and dark eyes. He was not overly dressed or decorated, wearing a simple white shirt and black pants. He had fine features but dressed rather lousily for a prince. Prince Mathias shut his book and approached Justin 

"So, you're the prince of Istus?" the boy asked.

"Um, yes," replied Justin.

"Mathias. Nice to meet you," said Mathias.

He held a hand towards Justin but the latter looked at it with puzzlement.  

"Er, you don't want to shake my hand?" asked Mathias. 

"Oh, sorry!" Justin apologized. 

He took Mathias' hand and shook it awkwardly. No one shook hands in Istus. And he did not know why he did it. 

"How old are you, Justin?" asked Mathias.

"Twelve," Justin answered.

The boy looked at Mathias curiously. He was slightly shorter than him. 

"What about you?" Justin asked.

"I'm ten," said Mathias.

After a moment of silence, Mathias spoke once more.

"You don't talk much, do you?" said Mathias.

Justin rarely spoke. He mostly listened and obeyed. He did not know how to respond.

"Do you want to play a game?" asked Mathias.

"A game? Father does not let me play games," answered Justin.

"Oh that's sad. You should. It's really fun!" Mathias said.

"Let's play! Your father is not around, is he?"

He grabbed Justin's arm.

"Let's spar in the playground!" Mathias said.

Sparring was a game? Justin sparred with adults to train and improve his swordsmanship. He never thought of it as a way to have fun. 

Mathias gave Justin a small wooden sword. He looked at it. It was a toy. 

"Let's play!" Mathias exclaimed.

Mathias took his stance and lifted his wooden sword. He lunged forward to hit Justin but the latter dodged and Mathias staggered forward a little.

"Hey you have to spar with me, remember?" Mathias said. 

Justin nodded and they started sparring. The wooden swords clacked as the boys played. Justin was smiling. He was not fighting to become stronger for once and he was definitely winning at the game. All his training made sparring a breeze for him. With a quick flick of his weapon, Justin disarmed Mathias. The latter looked up as his wooden sword flew in the air and landed behind him. He shifted his gaze at Justin.

"I lost! You're really strong!" exclaimed the boy. 

"Thank you," Justin said.

Justin gave Mathias a broad smile. A warm feeling washed over his body and his heart lightened. He looked above him and stopped smiling. A small girl was watching him from a balcony. She had short black hair and a fringe and the same violet eyes as Mathias. She quickly hid inside after their eyes met. 

"Sheesh, Malicia was spying on us all his time," said Mathias.   

"Malicia?" Justin repeated.

"She's my little sister," Mathias replied.

Justin never had any siblings. His mother passed away when he was very young and his father never found another wife or consort. Justin did not even remember her face. 

"It must be nice to have a sibling," Justin remarked.

"Really? She disturbs me every time I'm reading," Mathias answered. 

***

King Malek had passed away long before his father despite being younger than Alexander. Mathias was now the new king. Justin wondered how he was doing nowadays. He had not seen Mathias again since their first meeting. Since he was the king of Istus now, he was free to go where he wanted. He thought about the vellian assassin. Now would be the right time to meet Mathias.