"I had a busy night." The young prince shrugged his shoulders.

"You mean entraining women from the party." The elder prince easily spotted his brother's sudden nervousness at his assertion. He turned his eyes back ahead. "I entertained last night as well, except I did not let that stop me from showing up on time and putting up a good fight."

Dayo threw his arm off to the side. "That is why I respect you. You are just so fast." Before the younger royal got a chance to crack a smile, his brother slammed his elbow right into his face. Dayo doubled over, holding his face in his hands. He cried out.

Kovu eyed his brother. "I suppose you do not care for your face as much as you claim. Maybe I should beat that mug into submission so no more ladies wish to visit you?"

Dayo waved his hand in front of himself for mercy.

Kovu and Dayo finally reached the bathhouse where they stripped to begin their soak. The soothing scent of sandalwood incense burned in the corners of the room. On top of the steaming water were lovely lotus petals.

Kovu lay against the edge of the bath that was the size of a small pound. His arms were rested over the stone tiles. His hair draped down by the heated steam. He looked across from him at his brother who mirrored his posture. "It happened again."

Dayo threw some water in his face, scrubbing it. "Yes, the fame power of Grace.” He lowered his hands down to look at his brother. He rested one arm back on the tile floor behind him. "And Abdul stopped us again before we could do anything with it."

Dayo lifted his other hand out of the water. "Because of that we still do not know how they work."

Kovu lowered his arms down into the water, leaning forward. "Have you ever tried to use it outside of our duels?"

Dayo scratched the back of his head with his eyes close. "Obviously, but it only seems to work when I fight you."

"The same goes for me." Kovu pressed his back against the edge. "I wonder if we can try to use it as the Akiraians do with their magic?”

"Magic requires some sort of incantation or charm. What we should have done was ask a member from the grand clans to teach us about this sort of thing." Dayo twirled his hand around in the air. "We are the first in generation in some time to have these powers and we cannot even use them."

A servant girl placed down a tray beside Kovu. Kovu took the cup of tea, taking a sip from it. "There has to be away to figure this out. Maybe we should take a look around the capital."

"How did you leap to that?" Dayo tilted his head. He spotted the servant that began to walk away from his brother. He pointed toward her. "And what is with that servant's feet?"

Kovu’s posture came to a halt. He gazed back to see the servant's feet were greatly scarred and damaged. "Girl, where are your sandals?"

The youth turned toward her masters. The girl shook in her own skin. She bit her lip. "I...I...they broke. I am so sorry." She bowed her head toward them.

"Have the sandal maker give you a new pair," Kovu told her. "Tell him it is by the order of the princes."

"I..."

Kovu waved her off. "Go on, such a pretty girl need not suffer." He turned his attention back to his brother as the servant took her leave. "But back to the other matter. Going into the city can be very insightful."

Dayo shut his right eye. "I am still misunderstanding how that would help us with these powers of ours. Would it not be more effective to look in the old text in the study than running around the city?"

"Seeing the city is a way for us to think outside of our normal ways, besides have you not always wanted to see it?" Kovu questioned. "I have desired to see the full length of our paradise with my own eyes. Also it helps with my other goal."

"Surpassing father?"

"I cannot do that if I have no full understanding of my kingdom," Kovu announced. "Come on, don't you wish to see it all?"

"And how do you plan on doing that with all the guards, servants and that witch around?"

"I will leave that to you." Kovu stared right into his brother's eyes as if to wait for him to challenge him.

"Fine, let me see." Dayo shut his right eye once more and leaned his head back. The younger prince quickly formulated a strategy. "I suppose I have one way to get out of here." He faced his brother again and began to explain his plan.

The princes soon left their bath to dress themselves and return to their respective halls. Kovu quickly redressed himself in the poorest clothes he could find. He put on a cloak and lifted the hood to hide his head as his brother suggested. Afterward he took his leave from the room.

The young prince slowly went forth. He kept both his eyes and ears wide open for anyone who might spot him. He knew his tutor would soon come searching for him as he should have already met with him. General Abdul would also come in search of him eventually.

He edged around the next corridor, peeking out to see if any were coming. When the coast was clear he headed to the nearest window which leaded to the courtyard. He ran at it, jumping through the open space without the slightest care. He dropped through a tree and landed on the cobblestones below.

The prince landed on a single palm and knee. Kovu quickly picked himself up and headed through the empty courtyard. He easily scaled the wall that surrounded his castle, picking a spot where guards were not posted.

All that was left was making sure no one on the street noticed who he was. He stayed light on his feet against the cobblestone roads, blissfully avoiding as many people as he could. He tried his best to appear as a servant on an emergency errand. The disguised prince soon found himself on the edge of the noble district.

Kovu sprinted forth in his desire to make it by the angel statue which held a large brilliant blue jewel to the Halls of the Angels in the sky. He sprinted pass it like a horse out of a stable. His eyes lighted up from delight.

Suddenly his feet stopped. His eyes went from a shining light to those of the trembling earth. The roofs of houses and stalls alike were cracked open. Doors were on the verge of falling off their hinges with the roads made of dirt. The people had dressed themselves in rags.

"This cannot be..." The elder prince couldn't even finish his sentence, looking at the ruins that were considered a part of his capital. His body began to shake with an intense feeling the royal was not use to. His heart rocked with a pain that couldn't be formed into words.

The prince felt himself on the verge of screaming. His scar from earlier felt like it had reopened with the red that shined from it. A hand grabbed his shoulder, making his body react all at once. He spun around to be met by his brother.

"Dayo," was the only word the prince could utter. Like himself his brother had dressed in the most common clothes he had. There however had been one difference. Dayo had brought along with him his swords, stuffed underneath his cloak.

"You looked like you've seen a devil, brother." The younger prince rested his hand on his waist as he continued to look at his elder. "What is the matter with you?"

Kovu's eyes still trembling. "Do you not see it?" His voice could not help shuddering as he spoke. The elder prince could barely contain himself. His heart ached and his body felt like it might break.

Dayo patted his brother on the shoulder as he walked by him. His eyes instantly narrow, taking a good look around. "This certainly was not what I expected. What happened to that grand picture you told me about?"

"Dayo," Kovu growled out. His body prepared to attack the other royal when he felt a tug on his cloak. He glared down to see a young girl in rags. He instantly stumbled back. The sight seemed to amaze him.

Dayo kneeled down on one knee in front of the girl, resting his arm on his other knee. "Did you need something, little one?" The normal cockiness that usually filled the young prince's eyes had been erased and replaced with a lost wonder.

The little girl turned her attention to him. She stuck out her cupped hands with her face full of pleading. "Do ya have a coin, minster?" The girl's face was muddy as if it had not been washed in a month.

"Your father works does he not?" Dayo questioned.

"Mommy says only slaves get to work.”

"Really?" Prince Dayo narrowed his eyes even more.

"That is impossible!" Kovu’s voice shouted so loud that it grabbed both of the others’ attention. "This is...this is the capital of Eden. It cannot be like this!"

Dayo drew a wealth coin from his pocket and handed it to the girl. "Please take this to your family." He closed the child's hand around the piece. The girl bowed to him and quickly ran off.

Dayo then brought his attention back to Kovu, standing up. He grabbed the older prince’s shoulder. "Get a hold of yourself. You will draw too much attention to us if you keep that up."

Kovu shoved his younger brother away with one mighty push. "Do you think I care?! This is not supposed to be in my country. My people should not look like this." The prince bit down heavily on his own teeth.

"We have only seen a small area outside of the Noble District," Prince Dayo responded. He stretched out his arms. "Let us explore a little more before we completely write it off, brother, you have to remember who you are."

Kovu lowered his head. A shadow had cast over his face. "All right, let us get moving." He lifted his head. He gathered himself once more. Kovu headed forward, bypassing his brother, going further into Atrugiel.

The two brothers continued their exploration of the capital. They found crack foundations throughout the alleys. Children searching for food as the adults sat against homes. All of it like the aftermath of a massive war. The wicked smell of death and waste scented the air.

The princes continued their exploration of the capital. Kovu and Dayo walked through the completely crumbling slums. “I have to admit I thought there would be at least one sign of hope." Dayo kept looking around.

“Whoa!” Kovu’s foot stepped into a pothole. He fell forward, head first into a puddle of mud. Kovu lifted his head out, clenching his teeth. “How can anyone live in these conditions?”

“The roads clearly have not been repaired in years.” Dayo reached his hand down to help his brother up. “Makes you wonder what father does with all those taxes.”

Kovu wiped the mud from his face and stood up on his own. He looked over to see a well behind a building. A boy of ten sat beside a bucket full of mucky water. The boy brought the bucket to his parched lips to drink.

Kovu sprinted over to the boy. He dropped down to his knees and slapped his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Do not drink that!”

The boy looked back in confusion. “Huh?”

“Look out!” Dayo shouted.

A pair of hands yanked Kovu off his feet. The hands slammed him into the building behind him with the hands digging into Kovu’s clothing. Kovu saw a dirty youth boy in his mid-teens holding him. “Back off my little brother or I’ll kill you.”

“He was about to drink filthy water.”

“So?”

“This is Eden’s capital city. It should be prospering.” The prince grabbed the boy’s wrist to try to get him to let go. His mind still could not make sense of it all. The deeper in the city he got the more disturbing it became. The capital of a nation was always its grandest city so what did this say about the rest of his country.

The youth boy let go of the prince. “You must not be from around here.” The boy headed over to his younger brother, who went back to drinking the unclean water. “The angel’s crystal here only prospers the rich.”

Kovu’s eyes trembled. “The crystal is supposed to support all life. All the water here should be clean." Even though Kovu knew he was stating the obvious it just did not make sense to him. Everyone was supposed to be living well not just the nobles. What had he really been seeing from the castle walls all those years?

“Attention...” Kovu’s ears twitched at the familiar voice. He made it to the end of the building hiding behind it with Dayo. They peeked out. Kovu’s eyes opened wide at the sight. The people were gathered in front of none other than… “Abdul.”

The prince easily recognized the thirty-eight year old dark skin man with his headband. The man stood in his golden armor that had a sky blue cloth crossed over his chest like an X and a cape on his back. The man's cold blue eyes watched over the crowd.