Alexander pushed the thoughts at the back of his mind before he attacked the two knights. He moved into what could be termed a blur and knocked the sword out of the hand of one of the knights and kneed him in the stomach. The knight, who was caught off guard, let out a loud yell making the other turn around to only be met with a kick on his cheek. Two of his teeth jumped off his gums hitting the wall, and blood followed staining the yellow wall. He held his mouth in disbelief but Alexander didn’t give him the luxury to do so. He kicked him in the stomach so hard, making him double over.

The other knight tried to free himself from Alexander’s strong grip but Alexander just stared him in the eye and compelled him to do as he wanted. The spellbound knight just stood rooted to the spot. Alexander kicked the other knight before he made his way to where the spellbound was standing. He won’t waste his time asking questions so he directly went inside his mind.

*******

The funeral service was now over. Next would be the coronation ceremony. But Queen Victoria had not even planned for it. She knew this would cause a commotion but she had an excuse to give, especially now that Griffin was meddling with the internal affairs of Valoria. She just hoped that the court officials would back her on this.

Alexander stepped into the vicinity catching the attention of everyone. His hair was still in place despite having had two fights in a day. And not a drop of sweat had broken from his face. Griffin was not surprised. He had expected the prince to be a skilled fighter who would beat two of his most outstanding knights within minutes. But what would follow was what made him worry. However, he was always one step ahead.

"Let’s now move to the next function of today. The coronation of the new kin...." The priest was about to announce when Alexander gestured for him to stop with a show of his hand. He then took brisk steps to where Lord Richard sat before whispering something to him. Lord Richard didn’t look surprised. He threw a furtive glance at Griffin and the guy swallowed nervously.

"We have decided to postpone the ceremony to tomorrow," Alexander announced. The crowd began murmuring again. "This is because there’s someone in our midst who tried to kill me," he added. The murmuring grew and Griffin was now shifting uncomfortably in his seat. It was only a matter of time before he would be a slave.

"Tell us, Your Highness. Who is it that tried to bring harm upon the future king? We’ll have them executed immediately," a court official demanded.

"The knights who attacked the prince wore Crescian Knight’s attire," Lord Richard said. And then turning to King Griffin, "You better have an explanation for this, Your Majesty." For some odd reason, that word sounded like an insult to Griffin. Everyone was now looking at him. But he retained his cool in the situation and smiled at them.

"What proof do you have that those knights belong to me?" He asked.

"I saw you give them the orders to attack the prince. How then can you deny that they belong to your kingdom?" Lord Richard asked angrily.

"As far as I know, knights only take orders from a king, queen, prince or princess, or a general. I can’t see either of those in the Crescian group. Only the king," a court official added.

"As I asked earlier, is there any proof that those knights are Crescian? Does this have to do with the fact that we hold a grudge for long?" Griffin asked.

"I have the knights in my custody," Alexander said. And then turning towards a knight, "Bring them in." The knight nodded and gestured for his companions to follow him.

Queen Victoria had now risen as well. She couldn’t believe that Griffin had the audacity to attack her son in their own kingdom. He must have signed a death wish.

"You have the audacity to attack the crown prince of Valoria. In disregard of your title, that is termed as treason, and here in Valoria, the punishment is death. I can’t wait to see your head separated from your body," Queen Victoria could not hold her anger anymore. The words seemed to scare the Crescian knights. They couldn’t understand why their king was acting all cool when they were going to eventually die.

"Your Majesty? What will happen to us?" One of the Crescian knights asked.

"You will eventually die together with your king. Or you might be spared if you pledge your loyalty to Prince Alexander," Lord Richard said.

The doors of the throne hall opened and the knight Alexander had sent earlier stepped in with a look of worry on his face. He looked hesitant to spit out the information he had, so Alexander urged him to talk.

"Your Highness," he began with a shaky voice. "We found the two knights have already turned to pigs." He said. The room grew eerily silent.

"What do you mean they have turned into pigs?" Lord Richard asked, still not believing what the knight had said.

"If you would like to, you can see it for yourself," the knight said gesturing towards the door. The door flew open and two knights walked in with pigs restrained with ropes. The snoring filled the place making the crowd groan. The queen looked disgusted when one of the pigs drank the wine on the table.

"Take these filthy animals out now!" She yelled. The knights were having trouble controlling the movements of the pigs. They seemed stronger than a normal one, even sending a few knights a few feet away. The knights eventually took the stubborn pigs out of the hall.

"So, what were you saying about me, Lord Richard?" King Griffin asked stalking towards where Lord Richard stood with a shocked expression.