Book 2: Chapter 1
The continent of Varno was split right down the middle by a mountain range called the Giant’s Backbone. The lands to its East and West were home to a crowded mess of countries big and small. Among them was a tiny nation that carved out a place for itself in a valley near the northernmost tip of the mountains.
It was known as the Kingdom of Natra.
The citizens of Natra became dispirited when the first signs of autumn began to creep up on their kingdom.
The wind gave them a gentle warning that the brief summer was over and that a long winter season was about to take its place. When the chilly breeze passed by them, it was customary for the townspeople to shiver and click their tongues in annoyance as they started preparing for the cold days ahead.
But this year was different.
The rays of the summer sun were waning. Autumn was just around the corner. And despite that, the people were filled with a cheerful vitality. In fact, the nation thrummed with heated enthusiasm.
The reason for their jubilation was the invasion by the neighboring nation of Marden and the subsequent war that had erupted right before the summer.
With the current king bedridden, command had fallen to Crown Prince Wein Salema Arbalest, who led the troops into battle, pushing back their enemy. But he didn’t stop there. He went on to invade Marden in turn and even captured their precious gold mine.
And when Marden raised an army of thirty thousand to retake it, Wein had managed to stand his ground with only a few thousand men of his own. This historic achievement was more than enough fuel for the people to heap praise on their crown prince. As the military fervor refused to die down in the Kingdom of Natra, the townspeople forgot all about the oncoming chill.