The capital of the Empire of Zian was full of noise and color. Flags waved in the wind. Streets were packed with excited people because of the big festival for Liam the Brave. He was the knight who fought the Kingdom of Hart and died protecting the empire.
"Hail to Liam! Hero of Zian!"
Voices shouted from every corner.
"Did you hear? The son of the hero Liam is old enough now."
"Yeah, I'm excited to see what he looks like. He will make his father proud."
Everyone was talking about the same thing. Today the king would give knighthood to the hero's only son. Some even said he would become army general right away. The whole city waited with happy faces.
Inside the big castle, the loud noise from the streets became softer.
"Hey, Bane! Wait!"
Bainniel stopped and turned. A small smile came to his face.
"Oh, it's just you, Rika."
Rika walked up fast, her dress touching the stone floor.
"It won't take long. I just wanted to say congratulations. So… does this mean I won't see you much anymore? Now that you're a knight?"
Bainniel gave a small shrug.
"I don't know, Rika. Maybe. But I promise I'll visit you."
He smiled at her one last time before walking to the big banquet hall.
Inside the hall, the king's voice was loud and proud.
"Hear me, my people! The son of the hero Liam is here today. With my power, I name him knight of the empire… and army general! May the gods help you, Beinniel!"
Loud cheers came from outside the palace walls.
---
Finally, it was all over.
Bainniel left the banquet and let out a tired breath. "I can't stand those nobles anymore," he said quietly to himself.
A soft sound came from behind.
"Who's there?"
A person dressed all in black stepped out from the shadows. It was an assassin.
"Hello, Lord Bane…"
A loud scream filled the hallway.
A maid ran into the room right after.
"Young lord!"
The knight guards rushed in fast. On the floor was a dead body. Blood was everywhere. The head was gone — cut clean off.
"My king… bad news!" a messenger said quickly. "Lord Bane is dead!"
By sunrise the next day, the news had spread everywhere.
"Did you hear? The young lord was killed badly… they cut off his head. And the worst part is they still can't find it."
Two days went by with no clues and no answers. The whole empire was sad about the death of the hero's son.
At the burial place, it was very quiet. Then a girl started crying hard.
"Why…? Why did this happen? This isn't fair at all!"
Princess Rika's voice shook. "We didn't even find his head… Father, please do something! We need justice for him!"
"Princess Rika, please calm down… Bane wouldn't want to see you like this," a servant said softly.
Her cries echoed through the burial ground. No one stopped her. Not even the king. Everyone felt the same heavy sadness inside.
The death of Bane made the whole empire feel down. Their hope was gone. The hero's bloodline felt broken.