The Great Trade Conflict
[2003 - 2007]
The Great Trade Conflict of 2003 was a war between the nations of Azrin and Tekkerdon. It started when Princess Adelina refused to negotiate, trading back runaway slaves for military supplies. In response, the Tek King called for war, wanting the Princess and her family to be slaughtered with zero mercy. The conflict lasted for four years ending in Azrin's favor as they were able to stall and hold back their ground offenses, leading to 12,092 casualties between both nations (9,281 for Azrin, 2,811 for Tekkerdon).
The Assassination of Princess Adelina
On ██/██/2005, the Princess was in the palace taking care of her two children. Records show that there was a planned mass assault on the palace itself, though due to some outside circumstances, the assault itself never took place. To remedy this, a trained political assassin snuck into the palace near midnight. This was to ensure the targets were asleep and that the guards were less focused. The assassin walked through the halls quietly, taking out any guardsmen that noticed them. They'd find the door to the Princess' room and see her writing a note covered in her own tears, her face wet. Reports say she spoke to the man, saying she was expecting them and on Krystaious' and Alexius' souls that her children were not to be harmed. She got up, and went to her bed attempting to sleep; there the man noticed she had written several copies of a will. They'd allegedly comfort her, telling her to sleep peacefully before smothering her to death. They'd strip her of her shirt and bra and make a cut in her back, opening the back of her rips to make the shape of wings.
As the assassin went to leave they'd notice the Princess' daughter, Lucille, with a blade in her hand. She had heard the man's footsteps, told her sister to hide in their father's study and went to investigate on her own. The 12 year old girl was terrified, and the assassin was struck with a decision as he readied to reload his crossbow — pointing it at the girl in an attempt to make her run. She stood her ground, and the assassin fired his shot, missing and hitting the palace's Black Knight who had run in just in time to deflect it. The Knight mangled the man in minutes, leaving them only as a pile of gibs on the ground. The Black Knight would leave to grab the Princess' other daughter, as Lucille went on her knees — weeping, holding her mother's arm. The Black Knight would have to force her to leave, grabbing her as her claws embedded and scratched the remains of her mother's embrace.
As the Black Knight left, a man simply referred to as "The Legend" rushed to them and evacuated the children. Alvion and the King had made it back in time, hearing Lucille's cries that the Princess was dead. The Black Knight gave each of them the copy of her will, Alvion would lay the children to rest as a slew of arguments started from her death and the will itself. In the end, The Legend would be given the task to forge identities for the girls as they would be transferred to a neighboring kingdom.
After the war ended, Tekkerdon was forced to pay for the loss of Azrona life and military expenses. The commanding officer and Archmage Alvion would become King of Azrin for the next four years, before passing in his sleep, unpopular for his alleged dark arts done right before the war. He had written many books about it, many with recounts from other officers and soldiers. It is considered the most important Valian war in its history despite its short span and small casualty number, but the impact of the Princess' assassination changed Azrin's monarchy forever.