The Alpha King's Last wish

7: The Capital 3

Mia woke up the following day with a smile on her face. There was a lot ahead for her today. She had agreed to go with the king to the sites of the capital 3, especially the warrior's institute, and review their progress so far.

Yes, they were not where they needed to be yet, but she was optimistic. The events of last night were all good; there was only a better future ahead for them.

Xavier didn't need to explain; she understood he had battles, and she would wait until he was ready to discuss those battles. He was honest with her; she saw it in his eyes; he meant every word, and her heart believed it. The Xavier she saw last night differed from the one she had lived with these past months, and she found her faith.

She got ready, and just as the maid finished dressing her hair, a knock came to her door.

"My queen, the king is waiting for you," the voice of Sir Alex said from across the door, and she rose to her feet.

She walked to the door and opened it. "I am ready; we can go now."

Sir Alex nodded and led the way, and she followed silently. She walked into the throne room and found no trace of Xavier. She turned to Sir Alex, who stood beside her.

"Where is the king?"

"I'm here," she heard Xavier say from behind, and she turned and found him standing there, ready as well.

She smiled, happy to see him, and he returned her smile as he approached her.

"Hey," he said, coming to stand beside her. "I hope you had an amazing night."

She nodded, her smile remaining.

His dimple came into the display as his smile deepened. "Good," he said as he leaned in and took her lips between his for a deep kiss before pulling away.

She didn't want him to pull away; she wanted him to hold on to her for as long as possible. She didn't have any complaints about that. Sadly, duties were called to them, and they had to answer.

"Shall we go?" He raised a brow, and she nodded.

They first visited the Farmers Institute, checking their food bank and ensuring enough to sustain the kingdom even after the war ended. It wasn't up to it, but since the war was over two months away, there was still time to prepare for it.

"My king, my queen, we are overwhelmed by the people's support in the last six months. Usually, there should be a horde of food and stock among the people, but they were liberal instead. Many have enrolled in the farmer's programme, and it is a positive mark." Chad, the chief supervisor of the farmer's institute, explained to them, and it was a good thing to hear.

Next, they visited the library, and though they had little to look forward to, many hours had gone into the studies of the kingdom of Foth. Since they brought the fight to Wahala, they had to read up on their defence and strategies. Lord Ace of the House Don had to work hand in hand with providing the information necessary to complete the research and, in turn, feeding it to the warrior's institute.

The king told them their work was crucial in the coming war and urged them not to think otherwise.

He appreciated them and promised to receive whatever they found in the future.

The head of the institute, Scholar Gammy, who had anticipated their arrival, was more than happy to receive them. He appreciated that, though they appeared to be doing the least in preparation for the coming war, the king spoke to them respectfully and appreciated their contribution to bringing them victory.

They departed the warrior's institute, and Mia noticed a change of demeanour in the king; his bright and cheerful countenance had changed to a rather moody and dull one. He said nothing about it; he didn't have to-she could see it.

"Do you think we should leave the visitation of the warrior's institute for tomorrow?" Mia asked, and Xavier's head turned to her with confusion.

"Why will we do that?" His voice moved to a defensive tone.

"You look blue; perhaps you are exhausted with today's event, alpha king."

Being exhausted from riding in carriages and walking around was not a thing, but that was all she had to say about her suggestion. It was what she saw, though.

A smile came to the corner of his mouth, but it wasn't a genuine one. "I'm fine; I'm Blue, remember?"

A hurt look crossed her face. "You do not have to lie to me about it, my king."

His hand took hold of hers. "I am not lying, but I am fine; besides, the warriors at the institute are already waiting for us."

She said nothing else, and they rode on in silence.

They arrived, and even from outside, they could hear the intense training inside the compound.

The ground underneath their feet shook as the warriors screamed and ran around on the training grounds. They were the fighting force of Wahala; this and so much more were expected from them. Mia thought.

This was the warrior's institute and the main branch of the training grounds. There were three other training grounds in the capital, but those who passed onto this stage after the four weeks of rigorous training were qualified soldiers and sent into the king's army. This was the final and most important training for a soldier, and the knowledge gained here was crucial for the coming war.

Guards were standing on watch at the smaller gate, and there was a point where the recruits lined up. About three hundred people stood in line, wanting to enrol in the training.

A soldier who stood at the entrance of the training grounds with the name tagged Arnold approached at the sight of them. He stopped before them and bowed his head to the king and queen, showing respect.

"Your majesties. May I have the honour of showing you to the training ground of the warrior's institute?"

Xavier nodded his head at him, and Arnold turned around smartly and led them through.

Xavier held on to Mia's waist as if she would run away if he didn't, and though she felt it strange, she said nothing.

They stepped into the warrior's training ground, and they found all the soldiers lined up in a straight line of parade and the commander of the warrior's institute, commodore Ian Steel, approached the king and queen. He got to where they stood and bowed his head to them respectfully.

"Your Majesty, it is an honour to have you here with us." Then he turned to the soldiers, who stood at ease. "What do we say to our majesties, the king and queen?" he demanded loudly.

The soldiers immediately came to attention and, with one loud voice, yelled, "You are welcome to the warrior's institute, your majesties; we are honoured to have you here with us."