The Phoenix Kingdom

         The end of a great era had come up, and a new one was just beginning.  Like a great phoenix, the kingdom of Nedalas would once again rise from it’s own ashes.  King Gengrea led the armies of this great land into the heat of battle to conquer what would later be his capital.  His great castle, a more beautiful and majestic sight then any other structure throughout the world, would stand proudly in the middle.  Unfortunately the king had sustained a battle would that would bring about his death before the structure was fully built.  His sole heir to the throne was his daughter, a fair and just girl who didn’t believe in violence or hostility.
         “Protect my people for me, and lead them to greatness.”
         These were the last words of the king to his daughter as he breathed his last breath.  However the new queen did not fully understand what this would mean.  For you see, the queen had a brother; she just didn’t know it yet.  And how could she?  They were separated at birth, and at this time the king was seen as a wicked man who wanted nothing more then to be the alpha male.  His son was smuggled into the outlining villages where he was taken care of and taught to be a gentleman.  He was never told that his father was the king, and only two living people knew of this secret.  With the king’s death however, they felt they must tell him the truth of his life.
         Like the wind the couple rode off to seek out the lost son of the king.  If the son would take his father’s place on the throne the kingdom would thrive and the people would be safe, just like his father would want.  However, if the couple could not convince the young man to return, the kingdom, and his sister, would surely fall to cruel hands.  So as fast as they could the couple rode stopping only for food and shelter at night.
         After six grueling days of traveling, the couple reached the outlining village of Crsanto.  They got a room at the local inn there and inquired of the boy to the innkeeper.  They were in luck!  The innkeeper knew whom they were talking about, and it just so happened that the lad would be there the next morning to work.  Though the couple wanted to find the lad today, and it was still morning, they would have to wait till the morrow.
         As the next day’s sun rose in the east, peering through the couple’s musty window, they would be ready to greet the lad in the main hall whenever he came in.  The innkeeper was told that talking to the boy was of grave importance, and gave the couple permission to speak with him as long as they needed.  However the boy never came in that day, and he couldn’t be found at his home.  The only other place the innkeeper could think of was the boy’s mother’s house, just a days ride to the north, in the village of Fanrdrao.  The couple couldn’t believe it! They had passed through that town on the way here.  They thanked the innkeeper, tipped him handsomely, and rode north.
         When they arrived at the second village the asked of the mother’s house and found it without trouble.  He was there, and his mother was lying in bed with her hand in between her son’s.  She was sickly and on the verge of death.  Seeing this the couple couldn’t bring themselves to tell him yet while his mother was in need.
         It took another moon for the boy’s mother to pass, and she did so peacefully, with a smile on her face, and her son’s hand holding her own.  The boy wandered into a tavern after speaking with a doctor and was deeply depressed.  When the couple was able to reach him and speak with him, the news of his father being the king was a miracle, however his death was sobering.  The boy agreed to go back with the couple though since he no longer had family in the village.
         With much time passed since the couple last saw the new capital of the kingdom, it was a shock coming back.  Everything was in ruin and the place almost looked ancient.  The boy now saw why his sister was not fit to rule and vowed to regain his father’s land.  And so he did.  He received training in the arts of swordsmanship shortly after taking up the crown.  He studied the art of war, and the strategies of fighting.  He built up an army that would become legendary by once again reclaiming the fallen capital of his father.  His sister stood by his side the whole way and helped lend a fair hand in gaining the support of his people.  Brother and sister stood as one in reuniting the kingdom and conquering many lands, both peacefully and violently.  No matter the obstacle, they hurdled it.  Their father, in the heavens above, looked down upon his children with pride, and a small tear trickled down his cheek and his saw what great rulers they were.  The finest part was the bonding they had with each other.  They were twins, and they knew what the other wanted and always worked out a compromise so that both were happy when it came to conquering new territory or when it came to making the people of the kingdom happy.  No other kingdom in the world gained more fame, or more boundaries, while the brother and sister ruled side by side.  Like the phoenix, a greater kingdom then ever imaginable was rebuilt on the ruined ashes of a fallen king and his kingdom.