6 at the DINER TABLE

Yosh tried to pick up his pace to reach the Palace in time. He forgot to go ask permission to his grandmother, the queen, first before leaving the Palace so now he had to avoid being caught by his stalkers and, at the same time, the Palace seers.

Majority of the Palace seers are quite exciteable when it comes to any news regarding Artemus's children but in a weird malicious way. They have exhausted every avenue in finding dirt on the four brothers that all that is left is for them to get a spy to run around behind them just to get them the information they need on a regular basis, and believe it or not they have considered this but have not been successful in implementing it due to many regulations that would ruin their careers – but given the chance they would. They have this delusion that if they can get the latest scoop about them, they'll appease the Queen and would in turn gain her trust and confidence – given her disdain for the four brothers.

It's not that the brothers are mischievous devils on a rampage causing trouble in the Palace. It's quite the opposite really. The Queen is practically irritated to them because they are the sons of Artemus, her eldest son, heir-apparent to the throne of the kingdom of Nagozul. Their father's only sin is that he's not the youngest son Sarram whom the Queen is fond of, and that's one gigantic mess to be caught in. Yosh wouldn't want any more trouble befalling his brothers after his blunderous act of leaving without permission.

He jumped and sprinted like a rabbit running for dear life – which is very majestic in a way if you're paying close attention to his acrobatic prowess. He avoided being seen by anyone anywhere and got past the guards with little effort. His movements were of no ordinary boy – agile and nimble. This is primary because of his rigorous training with Narra and his best friends for three years. He should've been playing sticks and stones with the other prince his age but instead he got stuck secretly training at the Nilad Plains. It's not what he wished for, but he is certainly happy for the fruits of his painstaking exercises with his brothers. Surely, he doesn't even really remember the point of playing with kids his age anymore, so he doesn't really feel any regret having been stuck in his predicament.

Some royal families thought that the sons of Artemus are a little eccentric and ought to be avoided, especially Yosh who always hangs out with two furry animals and, much worse, talks to them. Being the youngest practically made him aloof socially. The lack of similar interests with the children his age, and even with his brothers, hinders him to bond and stimulate normal social growth as a child. When he was little, he trained a lost kitten and a wounded owl to accompany him. Everybody likes to think he's gone mad talking to them but the truth is, only his brothers understand, more than anyone, that he can actually communicate with them as if being able to command them like his own arm to move or his own legs to walk. That's how patient and remarkable Yosh is in developing his pets into a strategic advantage that can easily be categorized as his weapons.

Yosh arrived at the Palace proudly parading himself in the halls, trying to blend in as if he never left there.

"So, where have you been?" said a squeaky ominous voice which surprised him.

He knew this frisky little voice. The voice which one would irritatingly avoid because of his scratching and complaining tone: The voice of his cousin, Gantee, son of their uncle Grand Prince Sarram and aunt Zeba. He's the spoiled most favorite grandson of the queen so no one, not even the greatest seer, can do as much as a little tease to this brat – except Of course, the brothers who can get away with almost anything without bothering what other people might think.

Yosh turned around. "What's it to you?" He then returned to his direction walking calmly as possible.

Gantee ran off to catch up with Yosh. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" he grabbed his elbows and pulled hard to grab his attention and to see him eye to eye. "Don't walk away from me you freak!"

He saw Gantee as big as he always is, fat and tall with curly black hair. He's wearing a ridiculously designed, gown-like robe which one would laugh at when seen because of its heavily ornamented, excessively bejeweled, ruffle infested design. He wears a pungent musky perfume that is quite strong and, at most, nauseating. This Gantee isn't much of a looker and everyone strongly agree that he probably looks more like an ape than a man – but Of course, only behind his back since they don't want to get imprisoned for that insult.

"Well, look at yourself!" replied Yosh with a little gleam in his eyes, "Looking at you makes me look like a decent freak. You should put on some wig and then maybe some boys would want to have you." Yosh scoffed as he brushed off his hand then pursued to walk away.

This act made Gantee mad. So mad, that he grabbed Luna from her neck and threw her further back. Gantee had been training personally with General Ugan, a Daomagarian General. One great toss from him, in regards with Luna's size and weight, means a long distance of flying away.

"I challenge you now to a formal fist duel freak!" Gantee declared with flaring nostrils, "If you lose you will perform a formal apology at the dinner table! This fancy dress is given by grandmama herself! You'll regret insulting my robes again!"

Furiously irritated, Yosh accepted the challenge by punching him in the face which made him smile a little. He then ran to aid Luna, who's very frightened to what just happened.

Gantee is two years older than Yosh. He's been bullying him ever since he's a kid. Gantee is said to be a fearless tormenter and isn't afraid of anyone – except for the twin brothers: Karus and Kayzar. Terrified would be the term apt to describe Gantee's face when facing the twins. Gantee doesn't even attempt to touch Yosh when they're there. The bulky bully makes-up stories to avoid further confrontation with the twins and washes his hands on any misfortunes that befell Yosh. All is accepted and forgiven to Yosh, but the last straw has been cast when, three months ago, his friend duck named 'Quagmire' went missing and a few days after that, was found dead in the halls of the Palace. Gantee denied all accusations but he always gives hints to Yosh that he's the culprit and that he can't be touched. He's Of course, the favorite grandchild of the queen after all and this adds to the frustration inside. He bottled it all up to a point that he didn't even complain. He didn't even go up and tell on him to the twins for vengeance, but this bullying has got to stop! He needed to stand up for himself and his friends. He needed to prove something to that ape-like intimidator, and this is the perfect moment to do it.

"You better not cry this time!" Yosh exclaimed as he carefully caressed Luna, "I'm going to show you how to be a man!"

"I'll see you at the grounds, freak! Hope you bring a stretcher for yourself!" with this reply, he walked on satisfied with himself whistling about how he thought he made, once again, Yosh to cringe up in fear to his obvious superiority – a mistake he's about to wish he wouldn't have made.

Yosh delivered Luna to the nurse station and after he knew that she's going to be alright, he set off to the training ground at the west wing of the Palace to teach Gantee some lesson.

Narra always insisted that Yosh should not fight Gantee in any way or create any animosity that would lead to that fact. In fact, he specifically instructed him to try to avoid him as frequent as possible. He's a spoiled brat and he will turn the tables around to make them look bad to anyone especially when their father isn't around. Yosh observed this rule for the longest time but today he's going to break that. He has to. Gantee might be satisfied this day because he thought that he can get to have an excuse to beat him to a pulp but Yosh's satisfaction will be more rewarding seeing that he can now have a way to avenge his friend's death along with all of those violent violations that he did towards him and his friends, Luna and Stella.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

They meet up at the grounds under the sun both furious and both anxious to get some action. They stood in a circle made by Gantee, almost twelve feet wide, on the hot dry earth. It was almost midafternoon at that time as they looked into each other's eyes with fury.

"So, what's the rules?" Yosh asked with angry eyes.

"Bare hands, regular rules…" replied Gantee smiling. He's totally confident that he would win considering that he has the upper body strength and a fist like a boulder but what he doesn't know is that he's at the disadvantage. Yosh had been sparring with his twin brothers so he knows a thing or two about brawls. "Whoever says surrender would be determined the loser…"

"That settles it…"

"Oh, you're gonna regret that punch earlier!" Gantee hurriedly lunged with a fist aiming at his head.

Yosh, who's smaller than he is and more agile, dodged every single blow as limber as the grass swaying in the meadow breeze. He can't afford to get hit with that fist, he noted, as he swiftly parried left and right giving Gantee a tiresome moment of frustration. He gave a weak blow at every opening point taunting Gantee more and more, creating chaos in his head to whisper little-by-little, insinuating he's of no match to the puny kid Yosh.

"Hey Fat Boy! Why can't you hit me with your 'big plumpy fists'?" he sneered making him angrier. "You've focused making your belly larger than your brain! That's why!"

Hours passed by as Gantee's barrage of fury became less and less frequent. Yosh could easily out-maneuver him and land hard blows to his weak points. His ridicules made Gantee lose focus to a point that he attacks out of pure rage without even thinking.

"How does it feel to be weak!?" Yosh grinned as he pushed Gantee and kicked him in the groin which lead to him screaming a mouse-like screech as he squirms at the hot grounds in agony. "Your body is as weak as your spirit! You bring shame to the House of Limor!"

Yosh turned around seeing that his opponent no longer poses a threat. He was relieved at the feeling of justice burning inside of him in that proud moment. He doesn't wish to hurt people but Gantee just went out of line and, to him, there's no other way but to give him a good reminder to back off from him next time. He knows that he's much better than being a sadistic creep like his cousin so he turned his back as soon as he thought that he cannot continue on. He doesn't need to hear his surrender, he thought, he just needs him to feel weak and helpless for him to have a little of those character building moments that helps one to have humility and, in the later future, respect for other people. That, for him, is his much-awaited satisfaction.

"Take this!" roared Gantee fiercely shortly after. A crushing painful blow landed on Yosh's left shoulder dislocating it and giving him an excruciatingly painful sting, snatching his proud glory and his satisfied face.

He saw Gantee's father, Sarram, standing not far behind Gantee who is now holding a big round metal hammer. This hammer isn't the piercing one. Its diameter is bigger than the one's available and its function is not to kill but to break some bones. He stood up sloppy and at the same time confused.

"Uncle Sarram? Why're you… that's–ugh– cheating…"

Sarram is very open to his ideas and his actions clearly suggest that he loathe his brother Artemus. Being so, he most certainly despises Artemus's sons and will do anything in his power to humiliate them to anyone when given a chance. He stood there, fat and tall like his son, with his golden royal robe and famous clawed silver gauntlets feeling happy about himself. His face invites ridicule with his bulging eyes about to pop right out of its socket but still very intimidating and frightening in Yosh's point of view.

"There's no cheat to that, kid – You can say that this is round two – with weapons," replied his Uncle with a devilish tone smiling at him while Gantee played with his war hammer taunting Yosh and giving him the impression that he shouldn't have messed with him.

"How does it feel to be weak?" Gantee harshly said with a mocking tone copying what he said earlier.

Yosh felt the pain on his dislocated shoulder slowly creeping to him making him shout and cry but he hid it all inside. He's no match now with Gantee wielding weapons he thought. He could probably get ahold of his big hammer, but it wouldn't be too wise considering that he can't move freely, and that thing is too heavy for him.

Gantee now created another series of attacks but much faster now. He wants to impress his father very much and he thought he could if he can destroy Yosh to pieces. Yosh, with the pain particularly becoming more and more intense, tried to run back and forth dodging the hammer hoping not to get hit again.

Gantee came to a frenzy that had managed to hit Yosh at his left shoulder again, luckily snapping the dislocated joint to its place while miraculously making his weapon slip flying somewhere far. The hit stunned Yosh for a couple of seconds as the sharp corner of the hammer lacerated a portion of his limb making blood to gush down his arm. Gantee grabbed him and pushed him down on the ground then punched him on the face causing him to cough up blood.

"Not so much funny now eh, brat?" mocked the demented boy with an infuriating tone looking close to Yosh's eyes.

Yosh didn't listen to every word he's saying. Gantee made a litany of a speech and he just ignored it. He only looked at the skies as he saw the clouds breaking the yellow tapestry of dusk, the beauty that gave him solace in his dire dilemma. There's no point in prolonging this he thought and frankly, having a huge ego isn't really his thing. He wanted to pursue on, but he just then remembered his grandfather Narra's wise words about humility and accepting one's defeat. 'Defeat is inevitable', he thought, 'There will come a time that you will meet defeat and sometimes you just have to learn to shake his hand in order to live the next day to reclaim your honor'. This was the words that looped all over Yosh's stubborn head. As he was about to utter his words of surrender, Gantee suddenly stopped his litany of a speech and turned into stammering. Two shadows engulfed them where they lay in the ground.

"Going to give up, now are we?" said Kayzar throwing a knife in front. "And here I thought we trained you well in a two-on-one encounter."

"Don't let him ruin your reputation," Karus encouraged with his serious eyes and a weird smiling face as he looked at what Gantee and his father had done to Yosh. After this he crouched, still with eyes watching their uncle, and whispered. "After all, you're the greased monkey, right?"

Karus and Kayzar's green emeralds began to radiate an almost white glow shining brightly to them.

Gantee saw the two of them with burning eyes looking at him as if piercing his body, stunning him to become a complete statue with his mouth open for a couple of seconds. The face of the two brothers frightened Gantee so much that he jumped with a very disturbed face and crawled away from Yosh. Sarram, witnessing this instance, ran towards them with haste and with great agitation.

"Don't interfere you rabid fiends! This is their fight!" shouted Sarram with an infuriated tone. "Don't come meddling here unless you want to fight me!"

A crowd began to gather all around after hearing much shouting moments ago by Gantee. Princes and Princesses jumped everywhere to see what's going on. Servants and professors stopped by to look at the commotion.

"No uncle. We're not here for your son!" Karus shouted with a disrespectful tone. "We're just here for some entertainment is all!"

"I believe you're the one responsible for giving your boy a weapon in a bare fist challenge!?" Kayzar pointed to the hammer not far from them and the crowd began to whisper in disappointment. "I don't know about you, but I believe there's no HONOR in fighting a man without weapons. Wouldn't you agree?" Kayzar sarcastically said with a hint of anger in his voice. "Or that's just how you want to fight, dirty and sneaky? What would you say Karus?"

"I believe our father wouldn't agree on that either if he was here!" said Karus with a mocking tone while smiling, clicking his tongue adding insult to the ever furious Sarram. "We've been watching the moment it started and, I might say, I'm surprised you came at your lowest point that it's now very hard to respect the warrior within you."

"It's just our way to – even the odds," concluded Kayzar who is now clearly making fun of his uncle which he clearly noted. "I say round three? BOTH with weapons? What do you say?"

Sarram couldn't reply to what the brothers were saying. He just grunted and walked a few paces away.

The crowd now just realized what's happening and immediately figured the situation out. They didn't have to be geniuses in order to arrive at the same conclusion that the prime bully of the Palace has figured out a way to get violent with Yosh. Some were looking at Sarram and his boy with great dismay ganging up on Yosh who's bleeding and is practically just a child. Everyone knows he's two years younger than Gantee, yet they have the nerve to actually harm a child even resorting to cheating just to have the upper hand.

"Go on now!" Karus said with great confidence. "Finish this up quickly. Pick up your weapons so that we can see who's better!"

Yosh groggily picked up the knife Kayzar threw on the ground as Gantee hurried, practically running off, to pick up his. Gantee, now ashamed seeing a lot of disappointed eyes directly looking at him, shakily braced his hammer as he slowly moved towards Yosh. Yosh on the other hand, just smiled and limply walked towards him.

"I'm giving you the chance to withdraw, cousin." he gently whispered showing no sign of malice whatsoever gripping the hilt of the dagger steadily with a perfect stance. "I can still hit you with this thing if that's what you want. I just don't want you to be embarrassed in front of everyone."

Gantee perspired heavily as he saw countless men shouting and cheering Yosh, encouraging him to give the first blow. He's very confused, frightened and humiliated now that he lost all his morale to continue fighting. He knows he can't defeat Yosh, who is definitely younger than him, without any leverage on his part so he lowered his weapon and he murmured. "I… uh… ss… surrndr…"

The princes and princesses there booed in dismay as they left. Some of the younger ones wanted to see some action but all they got was a shameful surrender. The older ones, however, were thankful as they rushed towards Yosh, worried about the continuous dripping of blood in his lacerated arm. Sarram just gave the twins a sharp gaze before he left pulling the hapless Gantee. The twins reciprocated by giving a reply in a form of an insulting smirk, but they fear Sarram ignored their message. ~

At the nurse station, after Yosh had been treated and they are free to talk amongst themselves, Karus started on his reprimand about Yosh's actions and decisions that could've ended badly.

"Seriously Yosh! You don't think at all, do you?! We've told you a million times that you shouldn't go after that idiotic feckless bully for vengeance. We all know he's a wicked man. You should've avoided him beforehand to prevent this incident from ever happening!"

Yosh put on a pouting angry face. How could he avoid such a big fat kid that's been practically waiting for him in and around the halls? That fat kid must've walked his rounds on a strict basis to catch him there on purpose. He did walk away from Gantee at that time it's just that he crossed the line and hurt Luna behind his back. It's going to be Quagmire all over again if he didn't do something about that.

"He's right Yosh. We're here to train as father ordered," added Kayzar smiling. "We know you've been taking some heat from them. We all have. The only thing that we can do is just avoid them at all costs. You're lucky some of the servants disturbed us sleeping, else you'll be a jellyfish by now."

"He's right, it is a miracle that that's all the damage you've taken. If that's much worse, the Water Casters couldn't have healed you in time for dinner. Then you'll be stuck here eating what the doctor would've offered. You wouldn't like that now, wouldn't you?"

Yosh began to have a frightened face. He wouldn't want to stay at the Nurse station for the rest of the evening. He most certainly wouldn't want to eat soup and bread considering that he just remembered he forgot to eat his lunch.

"Not in a million years!" he replied as he smiled, returning to his self once more. He grabbed his articles then they rushed out of there racing to the dining room. They've forgotten to check the time because they're preoccupied on the thought of getting him to a medic man.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

"Late again!?" said a cold voice of a woman not so old but not young either.

The three changed their pace and walked inside of the royal dining room. The enormous room is covered in gold linings, marble walls, antique statues and a lot of sparkling silverwares. They marched swiftly along the extensive royal table as they head to the queen that's been sitting at the head of the table. They bowed and pressed the back of her hand to their foreheads as they took turns one at a time. Then, they did this again to the other old ones sitting there: Their Uncle Sarram, his wife Zeba, and their Aunt Prodea. This is one of their customs that they call 'accepting one's blessing' or simply the term 'bless' or sometimes called 'manu'. They do this every time they meet up with their older relatives. Bathala, the creator of life, blessed them by giving the sacred lands to their ancestors and it is said that the three chiefs, Nagozul, Yagisiv Haya, and Daomagar, did the bowing and the kissing of the hand of Bathala himself. It's some sort of an act for the younger ones out of respect to their elders that they should ask for their blessing which they got from their parents rooting to the great leaders who asked for the blessing of Bathala.

They sat together in a line with one seat away from Prodea. Their positions face the Sarram family directly on the other side with Gantee pouting and somewhat mocking them. They just ignored him and waited to be served.

"Are you always late for dinner? I swear, you're always like your father. He didn't respect time and his elders too. Like father like son, I s'pose." Prodea lectured with the same cold voice almost giving a weak grin that looked like a mockery instead of a joke. "I arrived this afternoon and to my surprise, the four of you didn't actually even think of showing up. Clearly, I was away for a long time and you didn't even bother to welcome me on my arrival! Where is Reus anyway?"

At that time, they thought, the twins were sleeping and Yosh was busy tending to Luna. Gantee wasn't there too but they didn't see them getting snappy at him.

"Yes, yes!" added Sarram angrily with a mouth full of food trying to speak as clearly as he can. "I too have just arrived this afternoon coming from the Hishma when I saw that boy bullying my poor son at the training ground," he exclaimed forcefully pointing to Yosh shaking which gave the boy quite a surprise. "Just look at m'boy! He's as pale as an Elven tree. And look at the bruises on his face. That's the work of that madman!"

The queen looked concerned and leaned to see Gantee's injury. Gantee leaned forward to the table to let his grandmamma see his scratched pouting face looking as innocent as a lamb. He had three small scratches in his right cheeks that are looking purplish red.

Yosh didn't remember giving him any bruise at all. They immediately figured Sarram slapped his son in the face after the match forgetting to remove his metal gauntlets again, as usual.

If bruises were to be included in the conversation, his was greater! He got a dislocated shoulder and a cut from the big hammer that Sarram gave to his son. Of course, they didn't have any proof of any injury because they've already gone to the Nurse's station. The medical Water Casters' powers are to heal injuries to near perfection. They are so efficient that Yosh came out of there as if the whole event never happened leaving him without a scratch and as healthy as a water buffalo.

"Grandmamma, I swear I didn't do that! He challenged me to a gentlemen's bare-fist fight, but he used his weapon…"

"You did what!?" the queen shouted. Yosh smiled feeling somewhat relieved. "You hurt my poor Gantee! How dare you!".

The three brother's face began to show a confused face asking why the roles have been forcefully reversed by the situation.

Prodea continued. "And at such a young age you've been a bully! Your father would be very disappointed. I will write to him about this first thing tomorrow!"

"But I didn't do that gran…" Yosh added now agitated, seeing that he's now being blamed but before he could finish, he was rudely interrupted.

Prodea snapped and harshly slapped him leaving a red mark of her fingers on his cheeks. "Don't you dare interrupt her speaking! Don't be rude! After all you've done, you dare to speak up to your elders at that tone! Shame on you!"

"I think maybe it's best that we've invited the other family to this dinner instead of them." murmured Zeba smiling which the three brothers heard but the others ignored.

The twins became irritated and angry deep inside for what they are doing to their little brother. They would've talked back, angrily addressed the evidence on Gantee's face considering that the scratches can easily be assumed to be from the claws of an iron gauntlet and not a fist, but they didn't. They would've shouted at their Aunt Prodea for laying her hands on their brother, but they didn't. They would've insulted Sarram calling him a disgrace referring himself a Grand prince even though he helped his son to cheat on a simple gentlemen's fight, but they didn't. They just sat there and ate the red meat that was served to them as they rattle on, insulting every fiber of their being. They were ordered by their father and mother to respect them with the utmost patience and civility. If it wasn't for the love for their parents, they would've immediately done everything in their power to give back whatever insult that was given to them and then storm out of that dining room.

'Respect is much like growing trees; it's planted on a good soil, tended patiently and carefully for a long time to earn its goodwill'. This rang on Karus's thought as he ferociously cut the large slabs of meat that was served.

"I sentence you not to go out within the Palace premises for a month!" the Queen finally ordered. "I think that ought to give you some time to think about what you did! Hurting someone is bad – especially your cousin who doesn't even gave you any harm!"

Yosh just sat in his chair depressed almost not touching his food and this concerned the twins. They thought that they should've stayed at the Nurse's station. A good warm soup with a hard piece of bread is better than a feast of insults with false accusations as their dessert.

"Oh, forget about that!" the queen continued as the quickly left the topic which the brothers thanked ever happening. "I must know everything Prodea!"

"Well, they all agreed and they're going to arrive here after a couple of months, though I need to go to Bakunawa first thing in the morning to inform him."

"Leaving so soon? Why don't you stay for a couple of weeks? 'A couple of months is a very long time, right? You should probably rest here."

"Nonsense, mother. I should depart tomorrow if I'm to guide them to get here. If I don't, they'd be lost at sea forever and we wouldn't want that now, would we?"

"Oh – no! No! Heaven forbids!"

"So, Prodea –" Sarram sneaked in. "Is it true that you're gonna be bringing some tools to help the mining in Hisma?"

"Why, yes brother. As a matter of fact, I'll be bringing men to mine there to help you with your Daomagarian problem."

"Ahaha! That'll be great then! It's about time! I'm very disappointed at those lazy incompetent scums digging the mine with their bare hands! Bwaah! I don't care if it's superstition or religion. I think they should use them proper tools to mine! At their rate of mining, I wouldn't be king even for a thousand years."

They all laugh especially Zeba with great hysterics. Zeba's one of the greatest truckles there is at the Palace. Prodea and the Queen herself are not in favor of her being Sarram's wife. She would do anything in her power to please them and gain their trust, even at the cost of losing her pride and dignity as a Daomagarian in doing so.

Prodea and the Queen looks down on Daomagarians thinking that they are mere servants to do their whims. Zeba takes all the insults in a regular basis so she shifts it to Artemus and his wife, Anagea, just to have some rest. She spreads false rumors to them making him the culprit for the rage the Queen is now feeling towards the children.

'Daomagarians are proud people. They do not dig the earth containing God's gems with human instruments because they regard the whole Hishma caves as a holy place like all of the Holy Lands.' Karus thought deeply as he created some noise in cutting his meal getting all of their attention. 'They also farm with their hands; they till the soil with their hands, and they irrigate it with their hands. They are the best blacksmiths around so if they want to, they'll build things to help themselves. They're not stupid and they do this out of respect, not superstitions, unlike some people with royal blood who clearly doesn't have any respect whatsoever thinking they are entitled by Bathala to insult people just because they are born with a silver spoon in their mouths.'

"Hah – the meat's like a rock," Kayzar laughed smiling to everyone as he kicked Karus below the table giving him a signal to stop and just eat their dinner then leave. He knew what he was thinking. The two always think alike as if they can read each other's minds.

Their actions led to change the topic back to them.

"You know twins, I'm VERY disappointed at you two," reprimanded the queen with great emphasis. "I've wasted much money on your tutors and all I hear was failure coming from your part. Why, when I was at my primary education, I easily aced all the exams, as also your aunt and your father."

Karus's ears rang wild hearing what she said making him smile forcefully directing his attention to her grand speech. She most certainly didn't pay the tutors, and she most certainly don't care about them at all, ever, so her being disappointed is as pointless as them being worried about what they think about them.

"Those two were bone-heads, if you ask me!" said Sarram with a very distinct spiting tone obviously reeking of revenge for his humiliation earlier.

Sarram flunked his primary education, thrice, as Kayzar remembered so he let it slip past him as he swallowed a chunk of meat without chewing it just to ease his irritation.

"You know, in our days…" Prodea entered pausing to chew her last bites. "We don't tolerate second best. But today, all I see is mediocre results – especially with you two. Maybe that's because your mother didn't take the time to put the three of you through some form of discipline." She looked at Yosh with a very discerning gaze. "Now, you shouldn't emulate what your brothers are doing. Their examples are making them unworthy of their titles. You should take your cousin's example. Then maybe, just maybe, the chain of laziness and disrespect won't reach your sister."

The two brothers just took it all up, the reprimands and the insults. They just bowed their heads listening on one ear then letting it fly to the other. They don't care what other people think about them and they don't need to start now.

"By the way," said Prodea with her usual tone. "I swear I told you Yosh to change your clothes. Those silly things do not befit any royalty."

"Why, your aunt is right Yosh. Didn't you like what I gave you?" asked the queen looking at Yosh.

While Yosh weakly smiled and said that nothing's wrong, he thought of the clothes that are carefully hidden in his room. The clothes – which were called 'gifts' – were hardly a thing to wear at all. It's utterly ugly and it's highly inappropriate especially to a guy like him. Clearly his grandmother doesn't have any fashion sense. It is to say that all of her gifts were full of ruffles, girders and ribbons that would turn a handsome prince into a beautiful princess in a single glance, just like what Gantee is proudly wearing.

"You look like a Daomagarian Service Crew!" mocked Gantee with great stir trying to get back like his father. "You're as filthy as those dumb animals you call friends!"

"Better filthy than to be a fat pig like you…" murmured Yosh that Gantee heard. Gantee got stumped and angry at the same time because he can't think of a come-back which is a usual scenario that brings a little smile to the brothers every time.

"What'd you say boy!" engaged Sarram now changing his smiling face into an angry one.

"Nothing."

"That's right! Nothing!"

They all laugh at Yosh's expense making him a fool at the dinner table. The twins saw how cruel their relatives are towards them – the sons of Artemus, the rightful heir to the throne. The shame and humiliation that they bring everyday towards them are unbearable, but they have endured it to practically a point where they've grown to ignore it. Even the rumors that they spread towards other noble families are considered, to them, irrelevant but this has got to stop. They are preying like vultures on their brother who had done no harm to them whatsoever. Their inexplicable anger towards the brothers was very frustrating and maddening at best. Even the most patient Kayzar lost all nerves at that point causing him to stand up and walk away from that room. This created an almost everlasting silence at the dining table giving them quite a shock at the sight of it.

"Well…" said Karus with a deep sigh while standing, tapping his brother Yosh who also wants to get away from their dreadful situation. "If you don't mind, we're going to excuse ourselves now. Thank you for making us very welcome at this lovely dinner" he wrapped his left arm to his brother's left shoulder and marched out to the door.

"Karus, Yosh…" the queen called with her old husky voice. The two brothers who were about to open the door stopped and turn to heed. "What's the matter? Why're you leaving? It's just a little jest. You can handle a teeny jest, now can you?"

"I'm sorry grandmamma, but this is something that we need to do." he grabbed the door and pushed Yosh ahead to go first which he did with great haste.

"Hey! Don't you walk away young brat!" shouted Sarram.

"Let them go!" said Prodea while sipping her wine with a smile on her face. "It's in their nature to be disrespectful, not only to their elders but to the food too – which is by the way very tasty and lean."

Karus heard the continuous cold mockery of his aunt while he walked away from the dinner room and silently pulled the door to a shut. The irritation that's building within him wants to escape. In his growing rage, his Amplifyer glowed a bright green-to-almost-white light that looked like the sun peeping through the company of dark clouds radiating the whole hallway, lighting it as bright as day.

-------ooO0Ooo-------

Kayzar was waiting for them sitting at the bottom of the Great Steps. It is the big wide stairs at the center connecting the main hallways and stairs to every wing and chamber of their maze-like Palace. Yosh is silent and isn't saying anything as the two of them strode to where Kayzar is waiting.

"What took you so long?" said Kayzar as he stood up from his comfortable position. "I thought you'd never get out of that dreadful place."

They continued to walk upstairs and went on to the hallways passing left and right striding to the maze-like chambers of the Palace going to the South Wing where their quarters are located. After a while of silence, Kayzar broke the ice and talked.

"You know, I don't really get why they're so angry at us." Karus looked at Kayzar taking the bait on the conversation while Yosh continued to walk on, silent as he still is.

"That is because our father is the future King of Nagozul, that's why. It's that simple," he said shuddering with a simple smile.

"True." said Kayzar, agreeing to his point. "Jealousy would cover most of it, but why us? I mean, father isn't king yet…"

"Yeah, yeah, because they don't want him to rule that's why!" said Karus cutting in. "That's also why they created this elaborate childish game of the right to the kingdom. We talked about this last week, right?"

"I know… it's just that we found out about this in rumors from the servants. Dad doesn't talk that much, and I don't really want to know that he got robbed from the throne by his own family in rumors. It's just, I really wanted to talk about it more…" said Kayzar with a sigh. "Poor dad, I wish he wins in this stupid affair so that he could prove that their evil plans were for naught."

"Hah!" shouted Karus that seems more like a sarcastic guffaw. "We've done the math, you and I. We know that he doesn't stand a chance. This is an elaborate plan to make Uncle Sarram king."

"That's why, I said, I'm wishing for him to win."

"Look at this," Karus said bracing to explain with enthusiasm and rage at the same time. "Sarram's task is to manage economy in Nagozul. That's it! The economy!"

"Not much problem there. The money here is of no problem. I mean free trade is happening at the trading post with the Yagisivians and the Daomagarians, so it is practically easy," replied Kayzar.

"Prodea's job is to maintain agriculture and development of Nagozul. She's into passing laws and such to maintain peace and order pertaining to the welfare of the citizens."

"Yup! No problem there anymore. We got tons of laws and the citizens are happy about the way things ran."

"And Dad is in charge of the military! Take a load of this! His task in this game is to control the savage beasts, escort merchants to the north, take care of the dark spirits of Karshivyk, find the fugitives they collectively call 'The Pusakal', defeat the Pusakal, imprison the captured 'Pusakal' and most importantly maintain safety, not only at the North but the whole of Nagozul! Do you think that's fair!? No, I think NOT!"

"I think you may have exaggerated a little bit… And I think the Karshivyk spirits are a myth people tend to circulate to frighten kids nowadays."

"Well even if I didn't exaggerate, and even without the Karshivyk bit, that's what he's doing and that's what he was expected to do. One wrong move and he receives a reprimand and a point reduction from the queen and those stupid brown-nosing seers.

"Yeah you're right…" said Kayzar with grief. "We all just have to wait and see."

They reached the door to their room and opened it. They saw Yosh stop in his pace to his room and turned back to rush in their room, pushing them aside to enter first. They were dumbfounded at this spectacle seeing that he doesn't do this with a much serious face. Usually, he'll go in pushing their brothers aside when they were teasing one another or when they are doing a sort of racing game, but this isn't it. Yosh went to the far corner of the room and sat arms curled to his feet.

"Hey… uhmn – what's wrong?" said Karus as he hurriedly entered to take a quick look at Yosh. He knew what was wrong but can't find a thing to say.

Yosh sat there, silent as he still is, and cried. Tears flowed in his cheeks like a river gushing out. Yosh is a very strong kid, they knew this. He wouldn't cry in almost anything. Even if they're ganging up at him at the Training Ground; Even if they've left him all alone at the Plains in the middle of the night to give him a fright; they even thought he won't cry even if he lost all his limbs and is at the face of certain death. He would still be laughing and mocking death as he turns to his judgment. They saw a different Yosh, a lost and frightened Yosh. After what went on at the dinner table, nothing can blame him for being this miserable. After all, he's just eleven and he's still a child.

Karus cleared his throat giving signal to Kayzar who he thought is good at this kind of situations. Kayzar then noted this and found his way near Yosh's.

"Um… You know, our father wouldn't like it if we're to tell him that the Mighty King Yosh cried at our room like a little lady, now wouldn't he?" Yosh looked at them and further embraced his legs with much anger and cried much harder. Karus slapped Kayzar angrily as they talked with their silent mouths and argued as to why he came up with that gloomy thing – especially when Yosh values their father's opinion to him far greater than anyone alive.

Kayzar sat beside Yosh and continued. "Y'know, sometimes it's alright to cry. Let it all out." He embraced Yosh and gave a confused look at Karus who's very much approving his methods with him giving his thumbs up and smiling wide. Yosh embraced his brother sobbing much harder now.

The two couldn't help but feel sorry for him. They gained enough wisdom to make themselves think beyond their age, focusing on their intensive studies. Because of this, their new rational mind tends to give them a hard time in relating and dealing with these social and emotional situations.

Being twins, they can only fathom an inkling of what he was going through. It surely is hard for them both, being stuck at the mess they are in because of the jealousy and the hatred of their blood relatives, so relating this and putting themselves in Yosh's shoes really gives them a gloomy feeling.

With him being alone, compartmentalizing all of his emotions, they feel as though they are responsible for his tormented state. They figured that they never learned to console him with what he was feeling, or to just check up what he's been thinking deep inside. All of their attention is focused on their improvement and, because of their assumption of him being a jolly person that he is, they totally forgot about his emotional state.

Chills began to envelop them both as they realized that they have to adapt to endure feeling like what they feel for there will be more sadness to come. They have learned to tolerate the humiliation they've been receiving from their relatives but that's because they have each other being twins. If they consider themselves emotionally strong being able to handle the daily stresses that they have to suffer that means that Yosh is built twice of what they are in that state. They are now witnessing the unraveling of the other side of Yosh, the sad kid removing all of his masks that he built for years, the little child alone in the wilderness shouting for help.

They have seen Yosh talk to his pets he regards as 'family' more frequently than ever before. No one his age would want to talk to him, much as went close to him, anymore because of the deceitful rumors that their very own relatives spread around. Living in the Palace has done so much pain and suffering to them, specifically at Yosh's mental and social wellbeing. They just realized that they would relay this type of information to their parents when they meet up with them at the north. Maybe for this, they wouldn't be left there anymore and that would definitely guarantee their stay at the North. By then, they hoped, this whole thing will normalize to a point that it would be forgotten so they can get back to being kids again.