The candleflame guttered in the cramped birthing room as Margaret gasped through pain that shrieked of omens. Her breath hitched at each contraction, slick with fear: this time might be her last. The castle guards outside bore no warmth—this child would not be heralded. Bastards carried no last names, no place in Walton lineage.
When the scream split the night, a boy came into the world. But Margaret's life slipped away at the same moment. A midwife's lament echoed in her fading eyes, and the child—Alex—was all that remained.
Chapter 1: Blood in the Shadow of Kings
Alex grew up with no surname, his identity a hushed confession among the servants quarters. Born into the wealth and grandeur of Kings' Paradise—the dream city erected by the Walton dynasty—he was nonetheless destined for obscurity.
The Rise of the Waltons
150 years ago…
Bartholomew Walton landed on Beldam's shores: a charismatic warlord with an army forged abroad. Within two decades, half the continent lay beneath his banners. His death—struck by a stray arrow—passed power to his son, Chavez Walton.
Chavez pressed on. In another twenty years, all ten kingdoms bowed. He stripped each king's title to 'lord,' crowned himself King of Beldam, and completed his father's vision: building Kings' Paradise, a city where stone merged with ambition. Thus began the Walton Conquest, Year 1 WC novelpad.co+7youtube.com+7turnerstories.com+7.
A Secret Between Servant and Crown
Margaret, a young handmaiden in the castle, attended Princess Storm Walton. She was known among the noble girls for her quick laugh and shy smiles. Baron Bartholomew Walton II—the heir and future king—grew fond of her. Not with noble courtship, but in secret gifts: a braid of wildflowers, a carved wooden bird he'd made himself, a ribbon stolen from Storm's gown. Their stolen moments in the castle gardens—Phlox-scented evenings, soft laughter—became their refuge.
"Margaret," he would murmur, voice threading through night air, "I see you. I'll give you more than these walls."
And one evening, pressed between rose hedges, she replied, "Then make sure our son sees, too."
Their vows remained secret—no royal marriage, no name—just passing shadows and whispered promises.
Chance, Death, and Bastardy
In 150 WC, Margaret gave birth to Alex. The kingdom's heir, but unnamed. His mother—the noble-born Walton II might have claimed him—but he did not. He had trade agreements to broker, alliances to maintain. A public bastard was a scandal. Margaret died on the birthing bed, and Alex vanished. Some say he was taken beyond the city walls by a cloaked stranger, others think a loyal servant helped him disappear.
A Father's Legacy in a Stranger's Hands
Alex landed with Sora, a weaponsmith in Salivia village. Sora called him "my boy" and fed him steel-forged words:
"You've Walton blood in you," he said, hammered sword in hand. "You deserve steel, respect, and the chance to stand." Sora gifted Alex a small blade at age five—no fencer's toy, but a farmer's tool reborn as art.
In their quiet forge, Alex listened to Sora's tales of kings and wars. "Your blood makes you special," Sora told him. "When you swing that sword, make them feel you belong." Sora died when Alex was five, and the boy was left with embers, grief, and the smell of hot metal. Training alone, he taught himself in secret—to turn that promise into purpose.
Rage and Resolve
Alex grew with rage in his spine. As he learned to wield the sword, he told himself daily: They will know my name. I will be the knight who makes the Walton court tremble. He despised politics that rejected him, despised a father who denied him. And yet he craved their attention—true acknowledgment, not pity.
One night, as he practiced under lantern's glow, the clash of steel and fear hit his village. Bandits, or worse, raided in the dark. A squad of knights—bright armor, colder purpose—intervened. Their arrival galvanized Alex: this was no mere act of violence, but a reminder of a legacy he'd never had.
They saved his home, but not his soul. Watching them fight, something broke loose. He would join them. He would become the greatest knight in Beldam. His fame would pierce the walls of Kings' Paradise and shatter its indifference.
Promise of Blood and Steel
Alex wiped sweat and blood from his blade, eyes burning with resolve. He whispered into the night:
"I am Walton's son. And one day, every lord in Kings' Paradise will know my name."