Valerian, The Legendary

The people raised their glasses and toasted the Empress, they did not know what the happy occasion was, as the lady mentioned and why were they all invited to a brunch. A lady stood up from her chair and asked, “Your Excellency, forgive me for being blunt but can you tell us, what happiness you want us to share?”

Fragrantia smiled and covered her enchanting smile with her hand as she said, “Yes, Lady Esmeralda, the occasion is of adopting Young Valerian into the imperial household.”

She stated it very simply, without caring about the protocols and other things of the imperial family. The shock written on the faces of the guests and even the two princes were ignored by Fragrantia as she sat down and said, “Valerian, you will sit next to me.”

She patted an empty chair beside her, and Valerian nodded with a light bow. He came over to stand behind the imperial dining table and sat down. His actions were in line with the demeanor of a noble personage.

Everyone was confused about how come the Empress suddenly decided to adopt a nobody. People cast their gaze at the prime minister because only he was the one who could ask the two people for clarification regarding the issue.

Alm sensed the gazes locked upon him and he sighed. He asked with a goblet of wine in his hand, “Your Excellency, can you please shed some light on this issue for us to understand the significance of this process a little better.”

Libra raised his head and looked at his prime Minister and said, “Why not? Valerian is blessed with the gift of being a battlemage, he cleared the test of the elusive Magnus Magister Fallax in the imperial academy on his own and has been learning from him for the past few months.

His past is known to everyone as Azula had told you all before, that she met Valerian in her trial and he helped her a lot. On his first day inside the palace and Empress Fragrantia got rid of her ailment, he also apprehended the rebellious elements in the palace without caring for his safety.

.....

Thus, it was decided with great thought to adopt him into the household, after all, someone who has done so much for us also deserves the love back. Does he not?”

The prime minister cast a gaze at Valerian and nodded, he said, “Congratulation to the young prince.”

Valerian sensed his aunt kicking his feet softly and he raised his head to look at Alm. Then he stood up and with a slightly bowed head, he said, “Thank you, Sir.”

Followed by Alm, a lot of people, almost all the attendees saluted and congratulated Valerian. They all called him the young prince. This was his title, he was not given a number, like the second prince or anything, because this signified that he was not interested in ascension to the throne.

The feast continued and after the people were all eating and talking to each other when a young man asked, “I wonder if Prince Valerian would like to have a spar with us?”

The spirits of the feast were sparked up by just this one sentence. An official said, “Calm down, you lot must not harm the young prince.”

The young man chuckled and sat down on his chair, but at this moment, Valerian stood up from his chair and asked, “What are the rules?”

Fragrantia and Azula smiled at him, while Ignis shook his head in pity for those who come over and fight with him. Vertex and Libra shook their heads, they thought this child was overestimating himself.

The young man who had come up with the proposal earlier did not expect that this child will agree to his casual challenge. Well, they did not know that Valerian would never let go of a chance to learn and hone his skills, that he was a fanatic.

Fragrantia said, “No magic against the Warriors, and not battle aura against the Mages. You are not allowed to deliberately attack your opponent with the intention to kill or cripple. Do you understand?”

Valerian bowed and said, “I will obey till the opponent obeys.”

The message was simple if the opponent tried to push his/her luck. He was really not afraid of any of the Noble people. Azula sighed and said, “I hope no one provokes him.”

The adults continued to eat while Valerian came to stand in the center of the dining hall. This place was cleared up and two tables were removed to facilitate the sparring session here.

The first person to face Valerian was none other than the guy who had come up with the idea. This person had good confidence in his strength. He introduced himself to Valerian, “Hello, my name is Alton. I am a warrior.”

Valerian bowed slightly and said, “Valerian, a battlemage.”

As soon as this was out of the way, the battle began. They were all moving quickly and flexibly. The attacks were blunt, yet the impact they sent off was enough to shake the plates.

The attention of the peanut gallery was acquired, and everyone became curious to watch Valerian’s skills. This child was really not easy to handle. The people watched as the silver-haired prince dodged attacks and charged in to strike at crucial gaps revealed by the opponent.

The boy did not only pull back his punches but even raised the level of his opponent by attacking only the exposed chinks in his armor. Whether it was his speed or decisiveness, all were a notch higher than the opponent.

Valerian ducked from a sharp hook from the official’s son. He has been playing for quite a long time, he decided to end this, and taking a step closer to the opponent and then he punched directly to the rib cage of the latter, making him almost barf out the contents of his stomach.

The duels continued, and Valerian displayed his skills as a warrior and a mage with great finesse. In the end, the second prince stood up and said, “Valerian, how about trying a hand with me?”

Valerian nodded and said, “I will be obliqued.”

Vertex smiled and said, “I like how confident you are, but just like you, I am a Battlemage as well. We shall fight with both skill sets. Do you agree?”

The silver-haired boy nodded, it was very rare for him to fight against someone with both skills. Just when the battle was about to start, a guard came rushing in. The person directly ignored everything and knelt on the ground. He said, “Hail your excellency, forgive my abruptness, but I bring an urgent message from the Tenax Fort.”

These words turned the harmonious mood into a solemn one. All the officials trained their ears. Libra stood up and said, “Follow me, Alm, you too.”

The prime minister stood up and walked out behind the Emperor. They could not let a message of such great importance be spoken in front of so many officials. Although they did not know why this messenger was in such a rush.

Fragrantia sighed and stood up from the chair and said, “The feast is suspended. The officials are to go back to their offices and prepare everything they can for emergency situations.”

The officials stood up from the chairs and after bowing their heads they all retreated. Vertex and Ignis exchanged a glance and they moved toward the study to find out what the situation was. Valerian had no idea what was going on or what to do, just a moment ago, he was going to fight with Vertex, but now he was standing in the hall looking at people leaving here and there.

Fragrantia saw him and said, “Val, come along.”

Valerian nodded and followed the lady at a quick pace. They were headed toward the imperial study to find out what was going on with Tenax City.

...

While the people were moving toward the study, Valerian asked, “Can you not ask the Shadows about the situation?”

Fragrantia chuckled and said, “Do you think my shadows are omnipresent? Tenax is the border city we share with the Stella Empire. You are not yet aware of the stone-brained city leader there.”

“Stone Brained?”, mumbled Valerian, using his collar chains.

Azula said, “My uncle, the younger brother of my father, is the city lord of the Tenax city. His idea of governing the city is simple but very stubborn. To maintain the security of the operations at the border, none of the external forces, for example, the shadows, are not allowed to peek.”

Valerian was surprised and asked, “Do you mean to say that he can detect the presence of the shadows? Must be a strong man, I would like to meet him.”

Fragrantia shook her head and said, “Only you, are weird enough to wish something like that my love.”

Azula and her mother smiled faintly at Valerian, and they finally reached the study.