“Hello, Ash! How are you! Happy birthday! Today you are twelve-years-old but you are still young and you can’t understand who I am and what your destiny is or should I say our destiny. I’ll talk to you again on your fifteenth birthday. Until then, try your best to obtain a good understanding of your family, your kingdom, and this world.”

Ash heard these words within his head as he woke. Then the voice vanished.

What a strange dream! This is the first time I ever remember a dream so clearly, Ash thought. Was it really a dream or….? Never mind, today is my birthday. I can’t wait to get gifts from my Parents and my brothers.

Ash was about to open the door of his room when a beautiful voice rang in the other side of the door.

“Ash? Did you wake up already?” The voice was soft and gentle.

Ash quickly answered, “Yes, Mom, I woke up a little earlier today.”

When he opened the door, his mother and sister stood in front of him, both smiling. His brown-haired mother was dressed in blue and wore a crown on top of her head. Her name was Rose and she was the queen of the Blue Kingdom.

“Big brother, happy birthday! You are now twelve. It’s a big day.” Ash’s beautiful young sister Rosy, ten-years-old, looked excited. She looked just like their mother, with brown hair and dressed in blue.

 “Yes, sister! Thank you for coming to see me,” Ash said. “You’re right, this is a big day. So what gift did you bring?”

“It’s a surprise; I’ll give it to you when everybody else gives you their gifts in the main hall,” she answered with a smile.

“Oh. I hope it’s really a good gift,” Ash said.

“I’m sure you will like it,” Rosy said.

“Okay, now that you are awake, go and look for Miss Jenny,” Queen Rose said. “She will help prepare you for your birthday. Don’t worry, I already told her everything. After you finish, come to the main hall. We will be waiting for you.”

“Okay, Mom.” Ash said

Miss Jenny was a beautiful young lady of about thirty-years-old; she had taken care of both Ash and his sister since they were born.

“Young prince! You are here. Happy birthday! Time really flies. Looking at you now, I can barely believe you are already twelve,” Miss Jenny said to Ash as she prepared him for his birthday.

………………………

The king’s office

“Leon greets Royal Father,” Leon said.

Leon was a young man of about twenty-two-years-old. He has black hair and black eyes. He was wearing black clothes and stood behind the desk of an older, more mature man who was looking at a picture in front of him; in the picture, one could see all the members of the royal family.

“You came. How is the situation?” the king asked with his imposing voice.

“Reporting to Royal Father. All the rebels in Silver City have been captured or killed but we did not find their chief. When we asked some of the rebels we captured, they said they did not know where their chief is, and that only the person in charge of one hundred rebels knows how to find their chief,” Leon answered.

“I see that man is clever. It’s already been two years but we don’t even know what he looks like. Do you need my help or His help?” the king asked with some hesitation.

“Royal Father, please give me one more year. If I can’t find him I will request your help,” Leon said.

“Oh, okay. I will give you one more year. But after that if you still haven’t found him, I’ll ask HIM to help you,” King James said.

“Thank you, Royal Father,” Leon said.

“All right then. We can go now. I think it’s almost time for Ash’s birthday celebration,” King James said with a smile. He was always happy when he talked about Ash.

………………………………..

The Main Hall

There was a big table with eight chairs in the main hall of the palace; three chairs of the table were facing each other in the east and west and two chairs were facing each other in the north and south.

Two young people—Jack, the nineteen-year-old vice-captain of the third department; and Alexis, the fifteen-year-old direct disciple of the captain of the second department—were sitting on the west side of the table and there was an empty chair for the crown prince Leon, the twenty-two-year-old captain of the first department. Davy, the seventy-year-old captain of the fifth department, and Rosy, the ten-year-old only princess of the kingdom, were sitting on the east side of the table. King James and Queen Rose sat at the north and south sides of the table.

After the king and the crown prince arrived, all the king’s children stood up and greeted them at the same time.

“Jack greets Royal Father and Big Brother,” Jack said.

“Davy greets Royal Father and Big Brother,” Davy said.

“Alexis greets Royal Father and Royal Brother,” Alexis said.

Before they even finished greeting and paying their respects, Rosy had already run toward her father. “Daddy, we were waiting for you for a long time. I was worried that you’ll be too busy and would not come to Big Brother’s birthday.” 

“How could I miss your big brother’s birthday?” King James asked. Then he looked at his children and wife and noticed that Ash was not among them. “Where is Ash? Shouldn’t he be here already?”

Just then, the door of the main hall pushed open and a young boy stood there. He wore a red robe made especially for this event. He was handsome and his face shone like a star.

“Ash greets Royal Father, Royal Mother, and big brothers. Sorry I’m late.” He bowed to his father.

 “Oh oh oh, don’t be so formal. You can call me Daddy, come, don’t worry I also just arrived a while ago,” King James answered with a smile.

“Big Brother! Come and sit, we’ve been waiting for you,” Rosy said.

And without waiting any longer, Ash went to his sister’s place and sat on her left side. On his right side, he saw Davy smiling at him.

“Big Brother Davy, you are here! Where is my gift?” Ash asked.

“Wait! After Mother and Father give you their gift, I will also give you mine,” Davy answered.

“Okay,” Ash replied with a smile.

Ash and Davy had always been close because Davy was the one who came most to the royal palace to teach him a lot of things.

King James cleared his throat and spoke. “Today we are all here to congratulate our son and your brother who is now twelve and will soon start to walk on his path to become a man and an even more important member of our family and kingdom. My son, your mom and I wish you happiness and all the blessings of heaven. Happy birthday.”

Ash answered with a smile. “Thank you, Royal Father and Royal Mother, thank you for your blessing and this son will do his best to make you proud.”

Then he looked at his father and said, “Royal Father, where is my birthday gift? Don’t tell me that you forgot again like last year?”

All of his brothers started laughing in a restrained manner.  

“Don’t worry, this time your mother and I prepared a beautiful gift for you,” King James said, taking some armor out of a nearby bag. “This is perfect armor made by the best tailor of our kingdom. The best thing about this armor is that it can adapt to your body and will grow together with you. It is also waterproof and fireproof.”

 After saying this, he presented the gift to Ash.

Ash took the gift. “Thank you, Royal Father and Royal Mother, this is really a perfect gift, thank you.”

“Ah ah ah, I knew you would like it. Isn’t it beautiful?” the king said and continued to laugh.

“Rosy, give your brother the gift you prepared for him,” the queen said to her daughter.

 “Hmm,” she answered and nodded.

She presented a small bracelet, composed of many colors but the brightest color was gold.

Ash took the bracelet and immediately wore it. “Thank you, Sister. I will always wear this and always remember you no matter where I go.”

After that, all his brother gave him their gifts. The crown prince gave him a beautiful sword, Jack gave him a recovery pallet that could heal any injuries, Alexis gave him a beautiful ancient necklace, and Davy gave him a book that talked about the previous four Synchros and the five kingdoms. After he received the gifts from all the members of the royal family, he thanked them and looked at his father strangely as if he wanted to ask his father if he had something else to say.

“Okay now that everyone gave you their gift, do you still have any requests or something you would like to say or ask?” King James asked with a smile.

“Royal Father,” Ash said, “I’m happy and I don’t need anything else. However if Royal Father still has some time, I would like to know how Royal Father and Royal Mother met each other and decided to get married.”

“Oh oh oh, it has been a long time since I told this story to someone but you should ask your mother first if she is okay with it,” King James answered.

“Mom, is it fine?” Ash asked.

Queen Rose answered with a nod and said, “It is fine.”

The king started his story.

“Twenty-three years ago, our kingdom was divided into two different countries, the western and the eastern country; the western country was controlled by the people who came from the fourth kingdom located on another continent known as the Black Kingdom and the eastern country was controlled by people who came from the first kingdom, also located on another continent and known as the Golden Kingdom. Later, if you want to understand and know more about the five kingdoms, you can read the book Davy gave you,” King James said to Ash.

 King James continued with the story. “Your mom was from the western country, also known as the Magic Country at that time, and I was from the eastern country also known as the Silver Country at that time. Both countries were always in conflict and there was war going on between our two countries. After two years of war, my father and mother, I mean your grandfather and grandmother, died in the battlefield and the same thing also happen to your mother’s father and mother.”

King James looked sad but continued. “After my father and mother passed away, I was made king by my uncle and the elders of the Silver Country and at the same time your mother was also made queen in the Magic Country. I wrote her a letter and asked for a meeting at the border of our two countries, and she agreed.”

The king looked Queen Rose in the eye and smiled. “Two days later, we met at the border with our respective guards by our side and that was the first time I saw your mother. She was not close to me but she was so beautiful, it looked as if she was standing right in front of me. After I saw her, I even forgot why we came there but after a while your mom’s sister Rosa interrupted my thoughts and said, ‘We are here. Can you tell us what this meeting is about?’”

“What…Mom’s sister? But why didn’t Mom tell us that she has a sister?” Ash asked, surprised.

Queen Rose answered in a soft voice, “It is because you did not ask before. Just follow the story and you will understand why I did not tell you about her.”

“Hmm.” Ash nodded.

The king continued. “I answered your mom’s sister Rosa and said, ‘I’m here to ask if the new queen of Magic Country has already considered the possibility for our two countries to live in peace.’

“After I said that, your mom’s sister Rosa answered with disdain and said, ‘Peace? Do you even understand the meaning of that word? There can’t be peace between our countries. Our father, mother, and many of our people have died at the hand of your people and many of your people have died at the hand of our people. How can you talk about peace? There can’t be such a thing as peace between us.’

“The guards looked angry and I was sure that they did not want to talk about peace; however, when I looked at your mother’s face, she was still calm and did not say anything so I continued and answered Rosa and said, ‘I know that it has been more than two years since the conflict between our two nations started; however, there was no possibility of peace during our fathers’ time because both sides lost their children, their friends, and many of their people. However, now we have the possibility to make things right because both sides have lost their king and queen in this war. As a new king, I know that it is not easy to talk about peace to our people because some still want to fight. However this does not mean that there are no people who wish for peace so it is our duty as new king and new queen of our respective nations to consider every possibility before we continue with this war. What do you think, Queen Rose?’

“Still, your mother did not say anything. After a while, she murmured something in Rosa’s ear and Rosa answered and said, ‘My queen said she will give you her answer in two months but during this time period, you are not allowed to disturb her, ask for a meeting, or start a battle with our army.’

“I answered your mom’s sister and said, ‘I will respect your queen’s request; however, there is one more thing. I would like to talk to your queen in private but because of our conflict, I know it is not possible so I will send her a new letter after I return to the capitol. After that, I will not disturb your queen again for two months and will wait for her answer.’

“But your mother’s sister Rosa answered and said, ‘What private matter? Is it that you want to ask my big sister to marry you for the sake of peace?’

“I froze, wondering if Rosa was a witch that could read my mind.  I said, ‘This private matter is very important to our two countries and has nothing to do with marriage. What are you talking about?’

“Rosa said, ‘Oooh…is that so?’

“I answered, ‘Of course.’ I left then and returned in the capitol. But I wrote a new letter to your mother and asked her to marry me, not just because of peace but also because the moment I saw her, I liked her and in the letter, I promised that I will do my best to make her happy.”

“So Aunt Rosa was right,” Ash said, “this private matter you wanted to talk about was marriage.”

King James looked a little embarrassed and did not reply but continued with the story. “Five days later, I received a letter from your mother. She asked me to meet her alone in a secret place close to the border of our two countries in three days. She put a small map inside the letter to guide me to that secret place. When I arrived, it was already night and there was a full moon. She was sitting on a stone and looking at the moon in the sky. It was quiet, so quiet, I didn’t want to disturb her. She wore a blue dress that covered her body. Only a small part of her hand and leg were exposed. Fireflies were flying around her. The view was so magnificent, it made me stare at her in silence. It was as if time stopped. A moment later, I heard her soft voice for the first time, saying, ‘You have come.’

“I answered, ‘Yes.’

 “’I hope it had not been too difficult for you to find this place?’ she asked.

“’Yes,’ I said.

 “She asked, ‘Do you really mean what you wrote in your letter? I mean, you don’t even know me and the people of our two countries will not accept this easily.’

“Her beautiful face was shining and her expression was calm like water and her lips were pink like a flower and even though there was no emotion on her face, there was a warm feeling in my heart.

“I walked towards her and stood one meter in front of her and said, ‘I meant everything I wrote in my letter and we will have all the time to know each other. And about our people, I believe if we are together and work together, we will be able to change and stop the people of our two countries from going to war with each other.’

“After saying that, I looked your mother in the eye and said, ‘Because you agreed to meet with me, I believe it means that you have considered my proposition.’

“She answered, ‘Yes.’

“Then I said, ‘What do you say about the marriage proposition and the possibility of peace?’

“Your mother answered and said, ‘No.’

 “‘No?’ I repeated the word then asked, ‘No for the marriage or for peace?’

“Your mother said, ‘No...for both.’

“I was a little surprised and asked, ‘So why did you want us to meet in this place?’

“‘Is it not clear? It is to kill you,’ she answered.  She took out her blade and moved to cut my throat.

“But I did not move and just looked at her emotionlessly, like a statue.

“And before her blade could reach my throat, she asked with astonishment, ‘Why don’t you move and defend yourself?’

“I answered with a smile. ‘I don’t know, maybe it’s because I trust you or maybe it’s because I don’t see any killing intent coming from you or maybe it’s because I already like you.’

“‘Oh is that so, you are really confident, aren’t you?’ your mother asked. But she was smiling.

 “‘Yes, but if it was your sister, I would have reacted differently because I feel like she can read me like an open book but I’m happy you are the queen. If it was her, I’m afraid there would not be a possibility for peace but I think this is destiny, don’t you think so?’ I asked.

“Your mother smiled and said, ‘Maybe.’ After that she asked, ‘Once we will be married, who will be the leader and which country will be absorbed?’

“I answered with a smile. ‘It looks like my bet was right and I will get a beautiful woman. I’m sure people will be surprised and jealous.’

“Your mother did not react as I expected but said, ‘Answer my questions.’

“With a serious face, I said, ‘About the leader, we will both be leaders; every decision will be taken together. And about the country, both countries will disappear and we will create a new kingdom.”

“She was surprised and then she asked, ‘What about the Imperial City?’

“I answered and said, ‘We will build a new imperial city on the border of our two countries and you can choose the name of the city because I already chose the name of our new kingdom.’

“She was yet surprised again and asked, ‘What is the name of our new kingdom?’

“When I heard your mother saying, ‘our new kingdom,’ I was really happy so I answered and said, ‘Blue Kingdom, just like the color of your dress and because it is surrounded by the ocean.’

 “’It looks like you know how to win women,’ she said with a smile and I said, ‘Maybe but in order to consolidate your authority as the queen of Blue Kingdom, I will have no concubines and as long as I will be the king, no other woman will be the queen. This I promise to you and it will be made public the day of our marriage.’

“Your mother was silent for a while then she asked, ‘What about those who will be against our marriage in our two countries?’

“I answered and said, ‘First we will not talk about our marriage to our people. We will only talk about peace to see their reaction. Once we have a clear understanding of the situation, we will start to deal with it and the first to finish will then help the other to deal with those who are against peace. Only later we will announce our marriage and prepare the construction of the new imperial city. What do you think?’

“She went silent for a moment and then answered, ‘It’s not a bad idea, I’m okay with that.’

“I was happy and then I said ‘And during this time we will be meeting here on the last day of every week. What do you think?’

“She answered with a smile. ‘I’m okay with that but are you sure that you can wait five days before seeing me?’

“I was surprised because it was our first time to talk to each other but in just the few hours we spent together, we became very familiar to each other. After a moment of surprise, I said, ‘You’re right. Five days will be too long. However, I’m sure you will give me something that belongs to you as proof that you will be my wife in the near future, right?’

“Your mother smiled, removed one of her bracelets, and gave it to me. I also removed the only bracelet on my wrist and gave it to her and I said, ‘This bracelet was a gift I received from my mother and she told me to give it to my wife.’ She took the bracelet, smiled, and wore it.”

After that King James said, “I still wear the bracelet your mother gave me twenty-three years ago.” He showed Ash the bracelet on his wrist.

King James then said, “After that day, your mother and I met every last day of the week in that secret place, until the day of our marriage. However, it took us one year to deal will the people who did not want peace. Your mother was the one who suffered the most because among the people who were against peace there was your aunty Rosa and in order to minimize casualty, your mother decided to give her one of the cities belonging to Magic Country and swear to never interfere in the matter regarding that city. Today that city is called Magic City and it is located in the western part of our Blue Kingdom, close to the ocean. The construction of the new imperial city took one year to be completed and the city was called Heaven Imperial City. One year after our marriage, your Brother Leon was born.”

After saying these words, the king looked at Ash and said, “That is how I met your mother and decided to get married.”

Ash was surprised. “Royal Father, Royal Mother, thank you for this day and thank you for the story. From today onward, I will work even harder and become a powerful man in order to keep our kingdom in peace because I know that our kingdom’s peace was obtained by the two of you after much sacrifice and hard work.”

Queen Rose smiled. “I’m counting on you and your brothers to keep our kingdom safe; however, you don’t need to worry too much about that. First, you need to choose your path and what you want to do in the future and then work hard in order to become someone reliable, okay?”

“Hmm…” Ash nodded.

“Okay,” King James said, “I think we are done for today, I still have some work I need to do and if you need something else, you can ask your big brother Davy. I’m sure he will be happy help you.”

King James left the main hall with his wife.

Ash watched his father and mother depart.  “Magic City and Aunt Rosa?…Maybe one day, I will pay them a visit.”

____________________________

Notes

Blue Kingdom Royal Family members

The royal family is made of eight people: King James Smith, Queen Rose Smith, Crown Prince Leon Smith, Doctor Jack Smith, Special Agent Davy Smith, Priest Alexis Smith, the hero of the novel Ash D. Smith and the only princess of the kingdom, Rosy Smith.

         The voice within Ash mind:?