THE QUEEN'S SERVANT

23

Getting rid of the Roumanians was easier said than done. Raja figured out how stupid it was to let outsiders rule his country with him. It had been easy to get their help in overthrowing Hassan. Now, the problem was to get them to leave.

The young king called for a meeting in the royal office room. There were a few guards posted at each corner and around the table sat Raja himself, a few counselors, his right-hand man Mihai and the actual head of the Army. As the king looked around, he noticed that none of these people were Chadian. He disseminated and imprisoned most of them...

"Your majesty said that this was an emergency meeting?" Mihai suddenly asked, hands folded in front of him, on the table.

Raja licked his lips. Cold eyes were staring back at him, waiting for his next words.

"Yes." He said. "I called you after thinking long and hard about this. I admit that you have been of great help and you supported me throughout my battle to reach this position. I am very grateful."

"That's what brothers do." Mihai interrupted with a smirk.

"Yes...But actually, I think I made a mistake."

Raja noted how Mihai leaned back against his chair, smirk long gone. He quickly glanced at the general sitting across from him. They seemed to communicate in silence and Raja was deeply angered by that. He raised the tone of his voice to get back their attention:

"I made a mistake by snatching this country away from my cousin. I fought destiny. Though I should have been the rightful ruler of Chad, I believe my cousin did a better job at it. I have been king for a few months and all I achieved was to spill blood. That's why I decided to hand back the country to Hassan."

"You do know that you will be-"

"Executed. Yes, general. I know that. You, on the other hand, don't have to be killed in this. I am giving you a chance to pack and return to your country before I free Hassan. Of course, there will be payment for the sacrifices and the men you've lost in the battle."

Mihai chuckled. Raja watched as the man stood up with arms locked behind his back.

"I thought we had a mature king but you are really just a boy, Raja."

"Excuse me?"

He stopped a few centimeters from Raja, towering over him with a menacing aura. The young king glanced at his guards but none of them made a move. Raja realized with horror that they were not there to protect him.

"You think that life is a game?" Mihai spoke harshly. "You killed thousands of people to get here. You summoned us and the Sudanese to help you in your quest, you imprisoned the king and took over his place. You slept with and impregnated the queen. Yet, your majesty, you think that all this will go away with a snap of your fingers because you made a mistake?"

He laughed again.

"It won't, Raja. You are in for a long ride and you won't decide when to get off. We are not going anywhere because this country is ours now."

Raja also stood up, glaring at the man he considered to be his brother, his advisor.

"This is not a request, Mihai." He said through gritted. "I am the king and I am ordering you to get the fuck out of this country and to take your men with you."

"And I refuse, Raja. You wouldn't be a king without us. We gave you the power, so we are giving the orders too. I mean, look around you. There is no one on your side. Your army is now made of Roumanians and Sudanese, just like every other member of your new government."

"I thought you were on my side..."

"Yes, as long as we share similar goals but handing back the country to Hassan is simply not something we can afford to do. We waited years, Raja. When your mom came here, she was trying to complete the same mission and somehow, she succeeded because she had you. We need the resources found in this country and you will give them to us, Raja."

"You, piece of shit..."

Raja bit his lip as he remembered Hassan's words. The man had warned him. The Roumanians were not his allies. They simply wanted a fool to use and get unlimited access to the country. Raja was that fool. He enslaved himself and a bunch of innocent people.

And his mother... His mother never loved his father. She probably didn't even care about her son. All she wanted was to be part of the royal family so she could give access to her people. Selfish. Cold-hearted. Evil.

"Now, now, boy." Mihai patted Raja's shoulder as he saw the pain passing through his eyes. "You are still one of us. We can make great things happen but you have to stop being sensitive. Remember that those people killed your parents and made you a servant..."

And that you people are trying to steal what doesn't belong to you, Raja thought in silence. He sat back on his chair, hand trembling. He had no idea how to solve his mess. The only thing he could do was run away with Rocky and abandon the Chadian kingdom to the hands of outsiders.

"I need to be alone..." He whispered.

"Very well," Mihai added with a mocking smile.

He left with his people and Raja slammed his forehead against the table. Never had he felt that stupid and powerless. He was in need of good advice and that's why he ended up in front of Hassan's cell a few hours later. The man barely acknowledged him when he appeared. Both were silent for a while until Raja decided to speak.

"You were right, they turned against me."

Hassan shrugged, staring at the stone wall in front of him.

"They just care about the resources of this country. They also told me my mom used my dad and I just...I spent all my life loving her and trying to avenge her death...She didn't deserve a bit of it."

Raja was uncomfortable with the silent treatment that Hassan was giving him. At the same time, he couldn't expect more from him after all he'd done. The real surprise came when the man cleared his throat and said:

"People are not always what they seem to be, Raja. I am considered to be a tyrant king in other countries. You thought your mother was a good woman. It happens, I guess. But I can't forgive you. I don't know why you are telling me any of this."

"I am not begging for your forgiveness. I just don't know what to do anymore."

"I need to get back my kingdom."

"I know but they won't allow it. I have no power and I realized that way too late..."

"You have to free me from this prison. They don't have to know. Give me the key and I will get out when the time is right."

"W-what will you do after that?"

"I will figure it out."

Hassan actually had a plan in my mind. He'd go find the army sent by Rocky's kingdom and fight alongside them to get back his country.

Raja nodded. He had a double key of Hassan's cell and he handed it to him.

"Are we even?" He asked as the man clutched the precious key in his fist.

"Of course not." Hassan was quick to say. "I will make you pay for this shit, Raja."

The boy smiled. He'd be long gone before that. He just needed three days to prepare everything and he could leave for a new life with Rocky. That's what he told her when he came into their room that night.

"In three days, we are gone, my queen. I freed Hassan."

"What about the Roumanians?" She asked.

"Hassan will take care of it."

Rocky was scared and confused but at least Hassan would be able to get his crown back, right? Her future was uncertain but she hoped things would be alright for all the people she wronged. Raja, on the other hand, only cared about her and their child. Little did he know that the end was nearing and it didn't look too good for him.