Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

1014 AF LIGHTMONTH

RHYSSA RENASI

Rhyssa tightened the horse's rein as it tried to turn around. She glared at her own horse and pull it tight until the horse calmed down

"Princess, are you all right?" Arturo asked.

"Don't worry. Let's keep moving."

By now, the Palace is certainly in an uproar, searching for me, and sooner or later, Pedro and my parents will find me, she thought.

It had been a month since Rhyssa had left the Far East.

Arturo, her Knight Guard, had accompanied her and had been tasked with holding their supplies…. among other things

He had been unable to persuade her to stay at the palace and had decided to follow her instead.

It was a knight's duty to protect the members of the royal family.

After practicing martial arts under the Eastern Devil, she had yearned to fight and prove to the world that a woman could become the strongest fighter amongst all martial artists.

Indeed, she was good enough to be acknowledged as the Eastern Devil's disciple. Why aim low when you can aim high to the sky? her Grand Teacher would always say.

She also got to know that he have one Martial Sister and two Senior Martial brother.

In the stories of old heroes, fame and glory were always bestowed upon men: Levitia, Alan, Zhu Ar Zur, Duvan.

But what about Leliana?

The Divine Archer? Rhyssa mused. What about her story?

Leliana was the one who had saved Levitia many times from the Dark Lords during his early adventures before he became the mighty hero he was destined to become.

However, no songs or stories had been written about her and instead, history had simply remembered her as Levitia's lover and the First Empress of Vern.

Some poet would lament her fate shouting to the world 'Where is her Song? Where is her Saga?'

Her strength, her exploits and her contribution had been forgotten in the dustbin of history.

Rhyssa had wanted to prove to her parents that she did not need a man, especially a weak man.

They had tried countless times to pair her with eligible men, sons of noble houses and princes from foreign lands, but the Princess had refused.

Instead, she had looked up to her Grand Teacher and his immense strength, and after learning from him, had longed to pit herself against other martial artists.

Scouting other nations for strong fighters would prove to be useful for her kingdom if she were to rule Renasia one day.

Her goal as ruler was to reunite the fragmented region of the Empire, something that Alexander the Divider and his descendants had failed to accomplish. She would be known as a great unifier of nations.

The Princess had begun her journey in Cora, challenging many men and offering her hand in marriage as a reward.

Many potential suitors had come forward, but no one had been able to defeat her.

She had then traveled to Dostov and Seren, but again, there had been no winners. All along they tried to outrun the people tasked to find her

She kept winning and this proved to her how powerful her teacher's technique really was.

She always had heard that the Four Immortals are all powerful reclusive experts of the martial arts.

It wasn't until she learns from one of them that she could attest this testament

Fighting with young and old opponents had also helped her improve her fighting skills when it came to executing moves and defending herself.

However, her temper was still a problem and it made her reckless and vulnerable.

She had now set her sights on Vern where many exceptional martial arts experts lived in the Plains.

She wanted to make a name for herself in the martial arts world. Thinking about her makes her heart burns with anticipation

She truly enjoyed the lifestyle, traveling through different lands, fighting and gaining respect.

Today's enemies could become tomorrow's friends and vice versa.

Allegiances could shift.

This exhilarating freedom attracted Rhyssa. She took delight in solving things with her fists and getting a sense of her opponents each time she traded blows.

She loved the world of martial arts, the fighting and the people she met along the way.

She had forged many bonds during her journey.

One in particular had left a strong impression on her several weeks before.

She had met a scholar named Mikael who was on a quest to find relics and expand his knowledge.

They had camped together and he had borrowed her tent to rest. She still remembered their conversation and the scene of that night as if it had happened yesterday.

✽✽✽

"What do you know about Levitia's death?" Mikael asked, trying to start a conversation. The wind blows coldly in the night

"Levitia? He was assassinated by his cousin, right? A tragic death," answered Rhyssa.

The man shook his head with a slightly bitter smile on his face.

"Yes, tragic, but whether he was killed by his cousin, that is another story. Many historians believe that the culprit was not his cousin, but someone else."

"What do you mean?" Rhyssa asked curiously.

He cleared his throat, clearly excited.

"You see; many historians believe that the one who killed the Great Hero was none other than his own sworn brother. Some scholars even theorize that the church was also involved."

"What! Why?" she exclaimed.

He smiles and then he said

"Let me explain. The first theory says that Levitia was killed by his sworn brothers, Alexander and Duvan."

The theory intrigued the Princess as Duvan was one of her ancestors.

"Why Alexander?" he continued, "because he was a young emperor at the time, but the one that people respected and feared the most was Levitia. He was loved by the common folk for his exploits and the Demon Lords trembled at the sight of him. He was much more charismatic than Alexander himself. One might even say, if Levitia claimed the throne, while many scholars of that time would reject on the ground of disloyalty, the common folk would gladly prostrate beneath his feet"

Rhyssa nodded.

It was known at the time that even though Alexander was the Emperor of the New Empire, it was Levitia whom the people revered and wished to see as their ruler, but the Great Hero had always rejected the crown.

Some said he did not want to leave his name as a disloyal subject

"And let's not forget," Mikael added, "that both Levitia and Alexander were vying for Leliana hand in marriage, the most beautiful woman of that era. Alexander had many motives to kill Levitia: to bolster his rule, to win the heart of Leliana and to get rid of his greatest obstacle. Don't you agree?" he said smirking.

Rhyssa nodded once more. "You give a good argument, but what about Duvan?"

Mikael nodded slowly and then he said

"Well, as history shows, although Levitia and Duvan were sworn brothers, their way of thinking was very different. Furthermore, both men had many bitter memories of one another."

"I've heard of this, but to assassinate the very man who saved him? That is not the Renasian way," Rhyssa said.

"True. Nowadays, many historians believe that the theory sprung because Alexander the Divider planted it in the first place, when Renasia seceded from the Empire so it's authenticity is doubtful. But one must agree that even in the stories, their differing opinions always resulted in disagreements and clashes."

Rhyssa nodded again.

One of their most famous confrontations was about the Three Princesses. A whole chapter had been written in the Saga entitled "The Seduction of Duvan."

Mikael spoke again more enthusiastically, seeing that he had Rhyssa undying attention.

"It must also be mentioned that the cousin who presumably poisoned Levitia did not attend the Last Dinner."

"I don't believe it!" interjected Rhyssa. "I have seen the painting of the Last Dinner and Alvira is there!"

Mikael smirked, clearly enjoying himself.

"Yes, but in the history books, he is not there. The Church commissioned the painting in their Light Chapel and that is why the image is distorted. In the original scene, only Levitia's sworn brothers and Leliana were present. His cousin was not depicted."

"I did not know that," Rhyssa said, in shock.

"Not many do."

She laughed. "To think I would meet such a scholar like you here, in the middle of the woods."

He laughed back.

"And to think that a skilled fighter such as yourself is also a refined lady." Mikael had seen Rhyssa fight that evening when she and Arturo had saved him from a group of bandits.

She held up her hand. "What about the Church? You said that the Church had a role to play in Levitia's death according to one theory."

"Ah yes, the Church." The word left a bad taste in his mouth. "You see, there are many who do not know this, but Levitia was of royal blood, like his father and his grandfather."

"Royal blood? What do you mean? Which crown?" Rhyssa had never heard of this before. All she knew was that Levitia had been a great hero of his time.

"The Enochians," Mikael answered. "You see, Levitia's hair is never mentioned in any book, but strangely enough, every other feature of his body is described in full detail. Why do you think that is?"

"Maybe they forgot?"

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