Chapter 8

(Zephar's pov)

My hands trembled, my palms became wet. I felt paralyzed, I couldn't move.

Prince Darius Crowe stormed into his room and grabbed my neck and pushed me to the wall. His sharp glance spooked me as I struggled to free my throat.

My legs swung tirelessly for freedom, his grip became tighter. He yelled and shoved me aside not minding where I fell. 

I started coughing furiously and holding my throat, I was still trying to grasp what was happening. His room turned hot and the flickering candlelights melted instantly. He was walking closer to me.

“My prince, I plead for your mercy, I plead for your mercy.” I was on my knees, I raised my head up and then down to the floor repeatedly.

“Forgive me, my Prince, the sword is too heavy and it burnt my palm,”

“I told you to be careful unless it burnt you… you dare drop my sword, you powerless slave,”

“I plead your mercy, my prince,”

“Mercy?” He grabbed me again and launched me on his wardrobe and I fell with bruises. He didn't stop there.

“I'll show you how merciless I can be.” He got hold of my hair and took his sword, already to cut off my waist length hair and I cried out loud.

“Please, forgive me, Prince Darius.” I was under suffocating pressure.

The hammering waves of pain throbbed in with my heartbeat, it was in rhythm. I felt numbness on my legs and wanted to fall, he held me tight with my hair and stared at me for a while.

He left me to fall and I did. He turned and went back to deep himself inside his hot bath. 

The warning bell sounded, a flare was turned into the sky announcing that the lock-in had been lifted. I stood at the bathroom door, my voice came out weak but nonetheless, I informed the sixth prince I was leaving his chambers to the dormitory but after arranging his routine for the day.

I didn't hear him say a word to me, so I opened the door and left. I went to his chef and submitted his meal list for the day and moved forward to the bunker to order his dress and footwear. I got the oil for his hair and his perfume porch into the basket and hurried off to his jewelry maker and made a few specific selections for him.

The jewelry maker helped me match them to his clothes, I was not ready to be shoved to his wardrobe again, my bruises are still visible. Nobody wanted to ask how it happened, they already assumed it was prince Darius and I let them think so.

“Take it easy, just bear it for now, Zephar, you'll soon be free.” The jewelry maker tapped my shoulder and encouraged me.

“Stop it, I'm not going to die.” they could see my searing pain. I smiled faintly at him and left.

I handed his belongings to his chamber attendant and left for the ninth prince chamber. Prince Valen Crowe bit his fingernails off absentminded. I dropped his jewelry on the table and started arranging his room.

“How is my only brother doing?”

“He is excellent, my prince,”

Prince Valen Crowe turned his gaze to me and his eyes widened. He immediately came to me and examined me from head to toe.

“My brother did all these to you? Your neck is bleeding internally…. tell me what you did, was it his sword?”

“How did you know?”

“Oh! My loyal servant Zephar, I've been in that ordeal before but thrice when we were growing…. the king, our father had to separate us,”

“Can't you see other children of the king stay close to their siblings and my brother and I separated? He almost killed me… I'm telling you to never get on his nerves especially when it comes to his sword and don't speak ill of it.” He patted my shoulder and went to his swinging seat.

I completed his room arrangement and hung perfume sacks around his room and left after giving his chamber attendant record.

I stopped on my track and calculated how far it was to get to the dormitory, I breathed out disappointment and continued walking and met Malek.

“Malek, wait for me,” I ran to him and held the cart carrying him.

“I'll pay for my friend,” he told the carrier and I got into the cart.

“The lock-in was hell, after you got possessed, the sixth prince took you, he created a portal and took us back to the dormitory, how are you doing?”

“He said I was bewitched and all the things I've not heard about, I'm all perfect–

“Did he do this to you?” Malek asked and touched my neck and torn ear.

“Don't speak so loudly, I did this to myself, I curse the day I spoke so badly of him.” I carried my collar upward to cover my neck. I sucked on my lips to take back the tears trying to form.

Malek formed a fist and squeezed his pants. He searched me for more injuries. We got to the dormitory and Malek paid for our ride, he pulled his cloak over my body and we went inside my room and my roommates ran to me.

They surveyed me, Guesse dragged the cloak off and tore my dress open, my body was covered with bruises. They were shocked and imagined how hard Prince Darius must've thrown me. Millard and Grad took out their power stone and chanted into it.

They pitied me and got me to sock myself in hot water. Millard used his power stone to fill the tub with healing energy, he grounded some herbal leaves and had me chew on them for a while before he used it to apply on the wounds. Grad touched my eyes and put me to sleep.

I woke up on my bed covered with a heavy blanket. The energy I felt was surprisingly good, the bruises were still there but the pains were gone.