[center][h1][color=ed1c24]Rowan de Hiertania[/color][/h1][/center]
[i]It shouldn’t be too long now.
[/i]

For the third time in a row, Rowan read through the section of the thick and dusty book.  He hadn’t been able to find that many books on alchemy – certainly not in the royal library – but this one had served him well since he had begun learning several years ago. It was rather worn-out, with the occasional tear in a page or stains from an ingredient, and covered in his own hardly intelligible notes. It was preferable that he be the only one who could understand it, anyway. For months now, Rowan had been creating a serum – a poison meant for his father. There was no poison like the one he had desired in the book – the ones listed in his book were for potions that would kill quickly. But he needed one that would take some time, one that would require many small doses and make the death seem natural. So a fair bit of experimenting was required, which had concerned the young prince immensely – after all, this wasn’t something that could be done wrong. No, everything had to be perfect. It [i]would [/i]be perfect; he was growing increasingly sure of that now. His father had reacted perfectly to the serum, appearing to fall sick just as an older and no doubt stressed man would do. And the reason that Rowan was so riddled with nerves and excitement was because, according to the research he had done, it was almost time for his father, the King of Hiertania, to perish. And after that, Rowan could begin to take care of the other issues standing in his way. Most importantly, his older brother.

Though perhaps such a strong emotion was unfitting for a ruler, Rowan [i]hated [/i]Luthier. He was naïve, foolish, and yet he was the one who was to be given the throne? To rule an entire kingdom? Not just any kingdom at that, the mighty kingdom of Hiertania. There was simply no way that his brother could handle that responsibility – Hiertania would certainly crumble. Rowan knew that by getting rid of his brother, he would be saving Hiertania, and that thought alone drove him on. With his skills and his passion, Rowan was absolutely certain that he could bring the kingdom into a new Golden Age. And if he had to make some sacrifices along the way for the greater good, then so be it.

The book slammed shut. Rowan stood up, feeling the familiar mix of confidence and nerves rattling in his stomach. He knew that the next few days would require the utmost precision and thought. There was no room for error. After putting the book back into its place, he left his quarters to begin his daily weapons training outside.  As he walked down the stone corridor, he overheard the voices of a couple servants.

[color=BABABD]“They burned the whole village down last night, that’s what I heard anyway!”[/color]

[color=C7BAAA]“How awful! What if something as scary as that happens [i]here[/i]?”[/color]

They quickly ceased their conversation as they passed by the prince, but Rowan’s curiosity had been piqued. He looked towards them sharply.

[color=ed1c24]“What happened?”[/color] he asked tersely. The servants looked bewildered that he was speaking to them.

[color=BABABD]“Um...What is it you mean, my lord?”[/color] one of them asked awkwardly. Rowan suppressed a scowl. He never really spoke to most of the servants; they always seemed so slow and ill at ease. Though a few of them at least were more tolerable - his own personal servant came to mind.

[color=ed1c24]“I heard you speaking of a village that burned down. Where was this?”[/color]

The servants looked rather surprised. The other one piped up, [color=C7BAAA]“Bandits trying to cross the border of Tiadan, my lord, they attacked a village!”[/color]

Rowan frowned. [color=ed1c24]“And why wasn’t I informed of this?” [/color]The two didn’t answer, instead just shifted awkwardly. With a curt nod, Rowan dismissed them and walked away briskly. He felt himself brimming with anger again – a not too unusual occurrence. He resented the fact that he was never kept updated on the happenings of the world, especially events that could influence Hiertania. His father, or anyone else for that matter, clearly didn’t care enough to inform him – clearly didn’t believe that his thoughts mattered. Rowan gritted his teeth as he entered the courtyard. He was sure [i]Luthier [/i]had been immediately told of this raid. And if Luthier was king, what could he do if something like that happened on Hiertania’s soil? He would be too weak to handle a situation such as that.

Rowan’s sword slammed into the wood target – his vigor had increased with his anger. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long until this sword was buried into the chest of his dear older brother.