DEATHWISH

The main door of Brandr's hilltop mansion opened. Out walked Utu. About to head for his run. He always started his morning with a hike up and down the hill. This morning, he saw the carriage driver that helped him shovel snow yesterday was waiting.

"Good morning Young Master." Dylan bowed slightly.

"Good morning brother Dylan." Utu smiled at him. "Is father going somewhere this morning?"

Before Dylan could answer, another voice replied from behind Utu. "That carriage is for us, my Young Lord."

Utu turned around. Quidel was there. A picnic basket on his left hand. The delicious smell made Utu's mouth water a bit.

"...us? Wh-where are we going, mister Quidel?" Utu asked. He did not like having his training time interrupted.

"You'll see." Watching the expression on Utu's face, he added. "Don't worry. The place we're going will be beneficial for your training."

"Oh...well okay then."

Dylan opened the carriage door. Utu and Quidel walked inside. Dylan also climbed to the driver's spot of the carriage. He whipped the rope. A signal for the horse to move.

And on they go. To this mysterious place that is supposedly good for training.

***

Utu seldom go out of the Brandrs mansion. The most he ventured was going up and down the hill. So it is understandable that the view on the way turned him into a wide eyed child

"What's that, mister Quidel?" Utu pointed towards the rows of glass like dome surrounding the villages.

Quidel looked to where Utu's pointing. "That's a green house, Young Lord."

"Huh? What is that?"

Quidel smiled. "Well, you know that Cherith is constantly covered in snow. Right?"

Utu almost rolled his eyes. "Yes, mister Quidel. I can see that."

"Hehehe, okay. Since we are constantly covered in snow, there's no way we can grow anything here. Which put Cherith at a disadvantage since we cannot grow our own food."

Utu frowned. "But... can't we just buy them from other duchy?"

"Of course we can. But that would make the food slightly more expensive. The residents here cannot afford it. Do you know why that is, Young Lord?"

Utu thought for a bit. "Because Cherith consists mainly of war refugees?"

"Precisely. With no work, and no way to grow their own food, Cherith would suffer. Hence, king Zander came up with this invention. A dome made entirely of Fire Crystal. A perfect environment to grow crops and rear farm animals."

Utu said nothing. Only nodded along as he continued looking at the crystal dome. Indeed it is a wonderful invention. To be able to farm in harsh snowy weather. It's nothing short of a miracle.

"Mister Quidel, can I ask you a question?" Utu suddenly asked after a long moment of silence.

"Of course, Young Lord. What is it?"

"What makes a good king?"

Quidel's smile grew wider. He was right. Utu was a born leader. Just like his father. Quidel was elated. To be able to serve and nurture two kings under his tutelage. It was a true Knight's honor.

"Well, you need a lot of things to be a good king. But for me, it mainly boils down to two things."

Utu's eyes became wide. "And what is it?"

"Kindness. And the strength to be kind."

"Huh?" Utu frowned. "You need strength to be kind? Don't you just have to be kind?"

"Of course there's a difference, Young Lord. Being a good person, and doing good things are two different concepts. The former require one to do nothing, while the other require an individual to actually do something."

Seeing Utu still confused, Quidel confidence. "When I still served in Blaze Wolf, we took a shelter on a small town in Human Alliance continent. It was a simple hamlet, but it was beautiful. Peaceful. It's hard to imagine there's a peaceful town in the middle of the battlefield."

"Little did we know, that peaceful serenity was only a facade. Turns out, in order to continue living in luxury, the mayor of the town forced the beautiful people of that town to 'entertain' the soldiers of the Furvurs. Some are even eaten. It was horrible." Quidel shook his head in disgust.

Utu was shocked. "What? Then...did the townspeople tell you about it?"

Quidel smiled bitterly. "They are too afraid. And they also enjoyed the protection of the Furvurs. They won't admit it, but they knew they get to continue living there because of the human sacrifices."

"How awful!" Utu was furious. Then, he relaxed his emotions. "Then, how did you know?"

"Believe it or not, it was the Mayor's own son. He was locked in the dungeon so he wouldn't be able to approach us. He escaped, and managed to reveal everything to us. And so, we managed to free the townspeople."

Quidel stopped speaking. Wanting to let everything sink in. After careful observation of Utu, he continued. "So you see Young Lord, you need both things hand in hand. A kind heart, and the strength to be kindhearted. The Mayor's son was kind, yet he is weak. The Mayor had the power, but he's not kind. And the townspeople is neither kind nor evil. They are just surviving, thanking to the fact that someone else is dying."

Utu slowly nodded. "Seems it will be a long way until I am qualified as a leader."

"Hahahahaha!" Quidel can't help but to laugh out loud. He placed a hand on Utu's head. "You are still a kid, my Young Lord. There's still a long way to go. Although, as a kid, there may be something else you could do."

"Really? What is that, mister Quidel?"

"Go out more. Spend time with the people. They are also your strength. They give you food to eat, they build you houses to live, they even protect you while you sleep. They are your strength and your weakness. So, while it's good to train your body, you might want to make Cherith stronger as well."

Utu thought about it for a while, and then smiled as he scratched his head. "Looks like I am still immature. I will take that into consideration, mister Quidel."

Quidel and Utu spent some time in silence after that, enjoying the scenery of Cherith. Soon, they arrived at their destination. Husky Fortress.