Fifteen years ago

"How is the situation at Kimpler?" Leopold asked his new right hand. His name is Braun and despite being a Baron, Braun was talented and smart.

"Not good" Braun shook his head and pointed at the westernmost castle on the map laid on the table. "They are low on provisions and the Tulosans greatly outnumber them. They need immediate reinforcements."

"Have you told Marquis Benedict about it?"

Braun looked at him as if he wanted to say something. "Your Majesty…"

"Go on" Leopold said. He wanted this to be over as soon as possible. His head was aching and he wanted to rest.

"I don't think Marquis Benedict is the best man for this. The Marquis is a great man, respected by everyone. But I think his sense of honor will get in the way. It would be better to have your brother lead the reinforcements"

"Wilson?" Leopold was bewildered by the Baron's suggestion. "Wilson is in Ront. Why him?"

"Because he's more cunning that Marquis Benedict, Your Majesty. Unlike Marquis Benedict your brother is not shackled by things like honor. Also I think it would be better for a member of the royal family to lead the reinforcements. This is an invasion and we must show the people that the royal family will drive the invaders away or else they would murmur about how the royal family remained idle while Marquis Benedict defended the west."

Leopold's curled his lips and a smile bloomed. This Baron sure is smart. It was the right decision to make him his right hand.

"Alright. I get your point" Leopold rose from his chair. "I'll leave the rest to you Braun. You have my permission to recall Wilson. Anything else?"

Braun shook his head.

"Then I shall rest now" Leopold proceeded to the door and left the room.

"Your Majesty!" Rupert ran towards him as soon as he was outside. The guard was panting and was making a grim face. Leopold's heart raced. What is it now? Another invasion? Rebellion? Riots?

It was neither of those, but equally alarming.

"The third prince is missing" Rupert said. "Along with Marquis Benedict's son."

Leopold's headache immediately vanished. He woke everyone in the palace. From his guards to the cooks, he mobilized them all to search for Timothy. Even the city guards were tasked to search every nook and cranny of Nirvana for Timothy.

Leopold had started to fear for Timothy. Countless scenarios entered his mind. What if rebellious nobles had taken Timothy? What if it was the bandits? He was anxious and his anxiousness turned into anger.

He reprimanded the useless sentries. How could they let two small children go outside at this hour? He was furious. If something happens to Timothy, all their heads will roll.

He was gripping the collar of one of the sentries when Rupert called to him. Leopold turned his head and saw Timothy beside the royal guard. The boy was muddy. His hair had smudges of dried mud. In Timothy's hands was a nest.

Leopold let go of the sentry and ran towards Timothy. He knelt and shook his shoulder.

"Where have you been!?"

"I… I was out in the forest. Erik and I got some bird's nest"

Leopold looked at the nest in Timothy's hands. "Nest?" he confusedly asked.

"For you father" Timothy gave an innocent smile. "You can now eat bird's nest soup!"

"For… me?"

"Yes! You have been complaining this morning about our food. You said that you're craving bird's nest soup for your headache. I just… I just want to help. For the past days you have been sad. I don't want father to be sad"

Leopold's heart melted. He pulled the boy into an embrace, not caring about Timothy's muddiness.

"Never do that again Timothy. Never. You almost stopped my heart. Tell Rupert whenever you're going outside the palace. What you did was dangerous. Do you understand?"

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Timothy said.

Leopold lifted him on his arms. He pointed to the sentries who were still shaking. "Dismissed. Be thankful nothing bad happened to my son or else I don't know what I would have done to all of you."

Leopold then carried Timothy to his room. His earlier headache was truly gone.

"Timothy, you must think about your actions. What if something happened to you? The world is not a friendly place. You must think before you act." Leopold said while walking.

"But I really want to help." The boy said next to his ear.

"You can't help. You're still a child."

Timothy sighed. "Then I want to grow up soon. I want to grow up like father"

"Like me? You want to be a King? Timothy, Ivan will be King"

"If I can't be a King, then I will be a General like uncle. I will defeat our enemies"

Leopold found the boy's dream to be amusing. "And why would you want to lead armies? You are already a prince. You can just become a prince and live a peaceful life"

Timothy pulled his head away and looked at Leopold. He smiled, the most radiant smile Leopold had ever witnessed.

"Because I will protect you father"

**********

Shrieks and cries and roars blended in the air. Leopold and his army were fighting against the harassment of the Tulosans.

Braun, like always, was right. General Rickard sent his cavalry to harass Leopold's host. He thought that by the end of the day, he would have General Rickard's head on a spike. But it seemed the opposite was going to happen. It would be his head instead.

"Fight on!" Leopold shouted to his Castonians.

His entire force was scattered into small clusters and were being nipped by hit and runs. The few thousand men under his direct command were the ones being targeted heavily. Of course it would be, Leopold thought. He is the King and killing the King would rout the entire army.

A javelin flew towards Leopold, its path straight and true. The tip of the javelin wobbled in the air as if eager to pierce Leopold's body. Rupert grabbed Leopold's mail and protected him with a shield. The javelin hit the shield and was stuck on it.

"Are you alright?" Rupert asked.

Leopold was still dizzy. He was downed by Rupert's strong yank.

"I think so" Leopold said. He gripped Rupert's arm and pulled himself up. That was close. He almost died. Even though his armor could, in theory, block the javelin, he would still be wounded.

"Where in the world is Skall?!" Leopold shouted. He looked around and the annoying face of the Wismarine prince was still absent.

"We shouldn't bet our lives on the scum's help Your Majesty" Braun said who was crouching "He may have already fled. You know how useless they are."

There was then a momentary cessation of violence as the Tulosans retreated. Leopold's soldiers, despite being shaken by the attack, used the time to form a defense around the King. With spears and halberds held high, they planted their feet and waited for another attack.

And then it truly happened. Like a band of locusts, the Tulosans charged towards them. There were more of them now, at least triple. Like a single-minded beast they galloped towards the Castonians.

Leopold himself was shaking upon seeing such a display. Even though he wasn't good with military matters, he knew that he was done for. The charge would break his men and that would be the end of his life.

He will die. The fleeting thought of an inevitable end became more permanent in Leopold's mind. He would be lying if he said that he wasn't afraid. He was.

He had done evil things throughout his life. He murdered and schemed. He lied and treated people like pawns. But his greatest sins were those of what he did to Timothy.

Timothy. Leopold breathed a deep sigh. He remembered the small child who was innocent and loved him. While he did try to love Timothy, Leopold knew that he could have tried harder. What if he did? Things would be very different. Regret always comes last.

He never even apologized to Timothy for all the evil things he had done. He will never have the chance as he will die today.

Leopold closed his eyes. A familiar scene was then visualized on his mind. It was a moment with Timothy all those years ago.

"Because I will protect you father" the boy's small voice said.

Protect him, Leopold mused. He doesn't deserve that. Not after doing all the things he had done. Ironic. Timothy was not his son but it was him who treated Leopold the best as father.

A slamming sound was heard. Crunching, like metal hitting metal and bones breaking. Curious, Leopold opened his eyes.

The first person he saw was Timothy. He, along with thousands of cavalry, intercepted the Tulosan charge before it hit Leopold's line. Timothy's charge rolled the Tulosans like carpet. With spear in hand, Timothy directed his cavalry to retreat and charge again. The second charge was less impactful compared to the first but it caused the Tulosans to rout.

Timothy and his cavalry were then left alone with Leopold and his infantry. In theory, the two forces were enemies. But they just stared at each other.

"I don't want bloodshed between us today. Fighting against each other will only benefit the Tulosans" Timothy announced. "I want a ceasefire until we defeat them"

Timothy then looked directly into Leopold. For the first time in months, their eyes met. A father and a son, estranged by schemes.

"And don't do stupid things again" With these words directed towards Leopold, Timothy commanded his cavalry to retreat.

Leopold was left staring at the back of the man who should have been his son. Timothy's old words again echoed in his ears.

"Because I want to protect you father"