Chapter 13.5 : Omen_to_Leave

She, alone, held the title of "Princess".

She, alone, stood before the masses of people, under her father's gaze and guidance.

King Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo's daughter.

Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia.

She hated that name a lot. She hated it with a passion.

For one, it was troublesome to pronounce. She had seen many people stutter while declaring the king's name, or give up pronouncing the name after a certain point. Yet, because it was 'a unique name no one else ought to have', it had been continued as a heritage to royalty. Even if she hated it, she could not change it, for it was tradition.

For another, it was a name that never gave her peace.

Roberia, being a young lady and the only princess, did not live a normal life of extravagance other princesses had.

Where they had an unrestricted and undefined wake-up time, Roberia was forced awake to train with her father and the knights at 5.30am in the morning, before the sun rose.

Where the other princesses had the time and luxury to enjoy the best confectionery during tea-time at 3pm, she was often hunting for animals in the bright afternoon, to mold her hunter's instinct.

At night, the princesses might have a curfew, where they could not stay up later than a certain time. Roberia had been assigned to hunt not animals, but criminals at night, watching and ambushing anyone foolish enough to attempt crime in Rugnud.

She had slightly less than 2 hours of sleep every single day because of that.

She had been trained just like a barbarian, not a princess.

Or, if a term were used to describe her, she had been raised as a warrior princess, one which did not know of grace nor delicacy.

The only actual breaks she was given were when there were huge events, celebrations, or parades of the like. Only during those times was she given the chance to step outside the castle not in battle wear, but in extravagant robes and dresses which were, still, armor-clad.

But, even when she was graced with such opportunities, that name would never give her peace.

Rugnud was a country where the strongest was hailed king, and her father was a good example. Naturally, the king's son ought to have become king, for a male was a symbol of power.

Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Michael, Roberia's brother, was supposed to be king. He was an excellent strategist, and an able fighter. His weakness in pure, raw brute strength was offset by his knowledge of the people, the anatomy of his enemies, and the combination of his brain with brawn.

However, on a hunting expedition, he had been ambushed by the very creature he was stalking. It tore his tendons and crippled his right leg before he could kill it. When Michael returned from his expedition wounded, he was criticized as an incompetent, weak leader.

Michael's fiancee left him. His supporters turned their backs on him, and he was deemed a failure even in the king's eyes. No longer had he a standing as a powerful leader, but was rather receded to the only position he still held - The King's Tactician.

So it was Roberia's turn to be groomed for the leader of Rugnud - At the young age of 6.

Of course, females were not a symbol of power. The ministers agreed that Rugnud should be ruled by a man, and so they sent for many princes, and many men of all countries and origins, to meet her and take her hand in marriage.

Roberia resented that.

As far as she could remember, Roberia had been hounded by lecherous, conniving men whom were demanding her as their spouse not for mutual love, but rather for the fame, the wealth and the glory of being king of Rugnud.

These men went far to become king - Sowing discord amongst the ministers whom took care of Roberia, boosting their reputation by making others commit fake crimes that they themselves 'resolved', harassing Roberia countless times whenever and wherever possible, and even going so far as to hold a blade against the princess herself.

Boys above the age of 13 tried their luck with her, to no avail. Men as old as 90 wanted her. She had become a target for every greedy man, and every jealous woman.

She hated nearly everything. She hated this name she was given. She hated all the men that were after her because of this name. She hated the plentiful number of gifts she had received every single time she returned to her bed room. She hated this country. She hated her brother for making her suffer like that.

She hated it so much.

The only things she didn't hate was herself, and the servants and maids whom she had grown up with, had played with, had shared everything with. Roberia started becoming defensive against these people and grew insensitive towards their cries and plea, their exploits and demands.

Then, she realized - There was no use.

As long as she stayed within Rugnud, as long as she was still a widely-known public figure, she would be hounded by these bastards. And, because she had been harassed many, many times, she did not have as many successful expeditions, or hunting trips, or patrols. These people, this name, all of these events were eating into her warrior lifestyle.

Her skills slowly deteriorated because of these people.

She may very well become a mere tool for others to use to become king, and nothing else. She started imagining the future of Rugnud, led under a foolish person whom had merely desired to become king. She pained, and cried her heart out one night, at her home being turned into a festering cesspool of crime. She was frightened by the idea of having her beloved Rugnud weakened so badly, that other countries like Auser and Anik could easily invade and pillage everything. Not to mention, that since Findel was right next to Rugnud, they might betray the peace pact and invade immediately.

She just wanted her home to be safe, and strong - So she may live a life of peace.

And thus Roberia took up arms. She ordered a great sword with a weight of a whopping 8 kilograms, she prepared a medium pouch of gold with a small number of coins, and she set off on a journey to become strong.

The road was easy at first, because she was still in Rugnud. The people whom sympathized with her offered her a warm, comfortable bed with proper blankets, and gave her a bit of coin for she was the princess, after all, and they tried to bribe the princess to create a better society for their children to live in.

Roberia was, however, about to encounter something she had never seen before in her life.

The 16 year old traveled West, towards Findel.

Matalpalhallafaelladrapahamo Roberia's journey had begun.