Survive As The Brute's Wife

"My daughter, The Grand Princess of Deberia!"

The King announced among the thundering applause of the others and Felixa turned to see Maximus seated on the balcony of that big hall. With a prideful grin, he stood there with one of his hands holding the hilt of his sword and the other hand was relaxed. Julius was standing behind him with his hand on his sword in a protective stance.

The moment she looked at Maximus, his eyes met with hers, and they turned somber. She dismissed everything else as her eyes focused on him.

With a small furrow line between his eyes that would be barely noticeable to others, he pressed his lips. The corner of his lips trembled and she observed the rims of his eyes reddening as he looked around.

He looked like he achieved a milestone in his life. If she could exaggerate, she would say that he is relieved that he finally did the one thing he wanted to do all his life. And in his eyes, she saw determination.

She had no idea if that was what he was doing but she had a feeling that is his thought.

She is not a good judge of men's thoughts as she's known and she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

[But what is he looking at?]

Felixa looked around to see bowed heads everywhere. Her eyes widened as she didn't think that everyone would bow to her as a part of the ceremony. She didn't remember ever doing anything that deserves their respect. Her eyes ended back at Maximus and his relaxed hand reached his heart.

With a knowing smile, he nodded. Felixa's eyebrows twitched as his nod went too long as she saw the top of his head for long. 

[That's not a nod. That is a bow! But why?]

As she wondered, she saw a little distortion behind Maximus. A couple of sapphire color beads were visible and Felixa gasped as she realized It was that bird that comes and goes just like the white cat.

And every time this bird appears…

The surroundings changed immediately. The sound of joyous trumpets was replaced by deep rumbles in the sky. But the skies were clear and the sun shone brightly. She felt the scorching heat on her skin and she was standing on an elevated platform holding something in her raised hand. She looked up and she recognized it.

Hashomer- Her sword!

She remembered that day in a flash.

In their academy, there was a fountain that is said to never dry off. It was made of marble and in the center was the beautiful life-like marble sculpture of a man offering a marble sword with both hands. It was said that the marble sword in the man's hands was the Hashomer.

Myth was that the water from the fountain had magical qualities because of the sword and there were a lot of expensive "magical potions" in the markets that were advertised to be the cure-all for any ailment. The academy at that time denied any association with those sellers but desperate people who craved for hope bought it anyway.

When she and Tubby entered the academy, the fountain was not working. It was dried out for more than a decade. That is why everyone there had started believing that that myth of the Hashomer is just that – a myth.

Hashomer is translated as "The guard" in the ancient language. The sword that was forged by the forgers in the heavens in the divine fire that protects all the life in the universe and got cooled by the water from the life-giving heavenly stream that gives life. There was a theory that the Dragon King himself procured the materials required for the sword and he carved the runes on the blade to bless it.

Because of the careful forging, the sword is said to be able to cut through rocks, iron, and even diamonds. Not only that, the sword can guard against any magic there is and gives the bearer the power to split open the earth and to open up the skies.

Hashomer – The all-powerful sword that can turn its bearer into a god, basically. The first one to hold the sword was the one who rearranged the continent Erui Dor with the help of the sword to be suitable for humans to live. Erui Dor contains the various kingdoms now and most of them are reunited under the Lethusian Empire and are almost under one rule just like in the oldest days.

He named the mountains, ranges, and peeks. He found out many minerals and found their uses. He helped humans get fire. The elves were kind to him in and he taught them magic, science, and medicine.

He refused to get worshiped as a god. And so, he is hailed as the father of all. 

The sword was given to him by his father, the Dragon King – the creator. Rather than choosing to live like a Prince in the heavens, the Great father lived among the humans helping them. The sword aided him and helped him connect with his father in the heavens.

And so the Hashomer is called the "Key to the Heavens".

No one knows what happened to the Great Father, but it was said that the Great Father left the sword in the fountain with spells binding the sword so that only those who are worthy can wield it again to help humanity.

And as time passed it was foretold by sages that someone with the blood of the Dragon King will appear and only he would be the one worthy to hold that sword. It was then the word "Drovarys" came to being. That word stayed in folklore for centuries even though no one who carried that title existed ever.

That myth was precisely why the academy is founded with that fountain as the center. The scholars, warriors, and magicians who founded the academy vowed to enlighten the young ones and they wished to see the day the sword would be carried by a worthy man.

And that is why it became a tradition that every year as the students graduate their first year, they will be dressed in all white and would be asked to try and get the sword from the hand of the marble statue. That was the tradition and there were talks of abandoning the tradition under the insistence of the aristocrats considering that the statue is getting old and might get damaged. It was the rumors around that time that the statue would be removed and transferred to the vault belonging to the Royal family.

The elders were against stopping that tradition. And the Principal stood firm against the pressure from the Palace to stop that tradition. Their Principle still believed in the arrival of the Drovarys – the child of the Dragon King.

On their first year graduation day, they got ready wearing their all-white uniform. They will be given a sword according to their grades from their training for a year. From there they would be split into groups and would be trained according to their capabilities.

She remembered getting ready for that day. That weird graduation clothing couldn't be worn by themself and so Tubby helped her wear hers and she helped with his. He even grumbled that he had to see her ugly back and he lamented that he is now cursed. She got back at him by talking about his weirdly shaped calf. He had to shut up.

As they stood in line on that gloomy summer day to have their turn at "Test for Guard", which involves them touching the sword, all she thought was one thing.

I wish Tubby is in the same grade as me so that we can be together till we graduate!

She knew Luke can never be in their group as he is an aristocrat. With simple thoughts, she walked closer and closer to the fountain. There were rose bushes planted around the statue. Tubby was next to her in the line wishing out loud that he didn't want to get stuck with "Alexander".

She could feel something as she got closer to the fountain. Her heart got filled with some exotic feeling as if the sword was calling to her. She stepped on the platform and her hand started to tremble with the weight of the air around her. Her Principal urged her to touch the sword and move on.

But she was scared.

It was then she felt a warmth on her back. She turned to see Tubby holding her back with his hand and he nodded with a smile.

She took a deep breath and touched the tip of the hilt of the sword.

The next moment, the sounds of bells rang. In front of her eyes, she saw the sword that was marble changing form and like ice that are formed on the fence melting away as the sun rises, the marble melted away, revealing the sword that was bright as the sun.

Some gasped, some mumbled, and some got angry for some reason as the Principal raised his staff and ordered for the trumpets of joy to be blown.

"The Drovarys has appeared!" his low voice echoed everywhere as he sent his magic sparrows to spread the news.