******All the royal children were present in the hall. The hall was echoing with chirping voices. Little birds were spread everywhere until the king and queen’s arrival was announced. The boys back-stepped on the left and the girls took to the right lane. Zebian and Renai treaded between them and took to the stage. They settled on their respective thrones. The instructors rushed close to the stage and bowed. Zebian nodded and permitted the class to begin. They explained the moves and coordination to the children and showed how to combine the steps. After that, they paired the couple. Zenia was paired with Aurelio and that happened on the king’s order. He wasn’t unaware of her daughter’s interest in his sword of honour’s son.Lucian glanced at Zebian and smirked. Zebian smirked back and watched the pair stepping closer. The instructor told Aurelio to place his hand on her waist and grab her hand. Zenia put her hand on his shoulder and began swaying along to the music. She was deeply
Before you dive into the story, I would like to clear the leads' age to avoid confusion.Renai was twelve years old in the beginning, four years later she was sixteen and now eight years later she is twenty-four.Zebian was eighteen in the first meeting. Twenty-two four years later and now, thirty as a king.******“Lo and behold, kneel before your glorious Majesty,” A voice bellowed out all over the hall. Everyone, from toddlers to grey-haired, fell on their knees with their heads facing the concrete ground. The Majesty’s powerful tread echoed all over the hall, his cape billowed out on the floor, marking the flooring of his enormous castle’s hall as his victorious territory. He reached to his retained throne and gracefully took the royal seat, arms resting on the armrest of the impeccable throne. “Rise,” The King commanded and within a second, the heads of his people were upped as they stood on their feet, but eyes still downcast. The hearing began. The imperial chief shared seve
1It was smouldering hot outside. The sun erupted unsparing heat across the outskirts of the twelve states. Humidity had taken over almost all around the world due to drastic heat waves. Prince Zebian stepped toward the immense window and studied the ambience. His lips leaked a smirk. Perfect weather for hunting. “Prepare my dearest horses and men, I shall be leaving for the woods in no time,” He commanded profusely, his chief servant bowed and back-pedalled to convey his orders among the assigned guards. Zebian turned around pensively and left for his dressing room with hands tied behind his back. There, his staff waited patiently, their hands crossed against their thighs, eyes stoned at ground. He shed his royal nightgown, pulling his silk shirt over his head while stepping on the concrete soapbox. The royal staff walked ahead and cleaned his body with a slightly drenched-in-milk loofah and spritzed his favourite fragrance over his body, which was made up of a mix of citrus and r
2“My lord, are you alright?” The sword of honour stepped off his horse and sprinted toward them. Renai just stared at the dangerous-looking man who also addressed him ‘Lord’ but from no angle it seemed like he was bantering. The man knelt before him and studied his wounds. “Does it hurt much?” He asked with his voice laced with utter concern and apprehension. It sounded too weird to her. Zebian raised his dirty hand, his face still dressed in a displeasing wince. “I’m better, call of appreciation for this young nymph,” He pointed out at her. She, begrudgingly, cocked her head toward the armed man. Her heartbeat shot to a reckless pace. The man’s features softened hearing his words, he nodded deeply and slowly as in a gesture of gratitude to Renai, who just gulped in response. Her face was now deprived of colours. She swivelled her head toward the injured boy, her lips quivering as she frightfully asked, “Are you the prince?” Her voice barely made it to anyone’s ear as she lost it i
3Four Years LaterThe kiss was the last moment between them. After that, everything vanished into thin air. Just like she used to say, it would happen, it happened. The moment of forgetting each other came but also brought havoc in her house. That day they were caught by the king’s royal sword of honour when they were sharing the heated moment. She could tell by his look that he resisted killing her. He was taking her up as a whore who wanted to lure the golden hen for her benefit. That day he took him away from her, forever. It was midnight when a door-shattering knock slammed on the main door of her house, disrupting her father’s sleep. He groaned thickly and flipped to the other side of his bed opposite to hers while she was jerked straight in her cracky hard-to-call bed. Her heart lurched in her mouth as her whole body quivered in terror. Her body threatened to collapse when someone knocked again, this time with double fervour. What if someone else also caught them like that a
4Eight Year LaterRenai’s eyes parted widely by the first sensation that made to her senses, a screechy scream. She hastily hoisted on her saggy mattress and next finding the door of her servant quarter barged open which revealed a fuming Gaia with a pair of shoes in her hand. Gaia stomped closer to her and hurled those shoes that smacked against her chest. Clammy mud smeared on her bare chest. Renai grabbed them and meekly looked at her. “W..What happened?” Her heart lurched watching her cousin redden to burst into fury. “Why didn’t you polish them last night when I told you? You know what I have to face in front of my friends and their mutuals? They laughed at me. Because of you…because of these shitty shoes. How can you be such an irresponsible bitch?” She screeched and trudged closer to punch her, which landed on her back as she tried to dodge it. Renai hissed as her struggle intensified when she hovered over her. “I..I am sorry…I was washing clothes, I couldn’t…I…I…stop…” Ren
5It took her two days to cross the borders of Sebria. Throughout her journey, she hoped to see her father for the last time but people had buried him by the time she made it there. Her tears were unstoppable, her heart was lacerated by the cruelty of people. One of their neighbours handed her the key to their house. Courage betrayed her when she stood before the house that she was forced to leave eight years ago. A tsunami of flashbacks hit her in a split second. She inhaled deeply and strode closer after a whole minute. Unlocking the door, she stepped inside and shut her eyes to draw in the air of the house. Her ears prickled on the voices that barged inside her head. Her screams, pleading, whimpers spewed by his dreading voice. His kicks, whips and twisting of her arm. She could see and hear it all. Renai parted her eyelids and roamed her eyes to every corner of the place. Nothing had changed enough. She ambled and brushed her fingers on the old furniture. Her father's slaps, th
6His happiness knew no bounds when the commander broke the news. She was alive. His rose was alive and that too, in states. She came back, after years of tormenting him but she did. Killing her father did bring a wonder, if only he knew she would come back this way, he would have never waited a second to behead that pig. Finally, the mouse had come out of its hole to eat the cheese on the mousetrap. He heaved a sigh. His lips were curved into a small smile that he masked once he stripped out of the trance. "Bring the lead to the castle and cage her. And if there shall be a mistake, only your deaths will rectify your wrongdoings," He grumbled calmly. The sword of honour knelt before him. "I take my lord's word as my warning. You shall seek no misfortune, your majesty," Lucian expressed and stood up. Zebian raised his head and smirked gravely. "Very well, my lion," ****RenaiA few hours had gone by. Dozens of hazy grey clouds merged to cast a shadow over the moon, splaying darknes