Desert Heat

CHAPTER SIX: INTRUDER

Prince Aziz was beyond furious due to the injustice that was currently taking place in the palace, and it all looked as though it was set up. He stormed out of the throne room, leaving everyone hanging.

The conversation had begun like any other until it changed course, and Prince Aziz was the one crashing. One of the council elders cleared his throat; it was now time for him to inform the royal family what actions would be next.

"It has been two days since the late king died, and it is only fair that we choose his successor to the throne." The elder informed the royal family, and Prince Aziz quickly looked away, uninterested in matters of the throne. To him, the throne meant nothing, but he did, and he has always loved his people.

The elder had gone into detail about his father's death, details that he had not bothered to ask over the phone, but to his surprise, his father had died of heart failure, a condition he made sure to keep away from the rest of the family. Men like the late king hated the thought that people would view them as weak if word ever got out that they were sick.

"Prince Aziz Hassan" The elder called out his name, and this had Prince Aziz looking at the elder and wondering how the conversation had radiated towards him.

"Yes, I am Prince Aziz Hassan," the prince answered. The prince sensed that everyone knew something; the atmosphere in the throne room had changed, and everything had become tense all of a sudden.

"It is good to see that you are finally back home; it is nice to know that the next king has finally come home to take his place on the throne of his father." The elder had informed him. If ever there was a time that Prince Aziz was speechless, this was definitely it. He turned his attention to his stepmother, and their eyes met. The look in his stepmother's eyes confirmed it; the priest had told the truth.

Without another word from him, Prince Aziz stormed out of the throne room and retreated to his chambers, where he requested that he not be disturbed.

Prince Aziz had been pacing the floors of his room for nearly an hour, trying to come to terms with the information and, above all, the responsibility placed on his shoulders. Being king was something he had never thought he would be. He resented the idea of being a ruler. For years, he had seen how being king had taken a toll on his father and ruined him; the very same throne was the one that gave his late father so much power that it drove the late king mad. It had caused him to invade kingdoms and take over them; it had also made him take the lives of innocent people.

There was a knock on his door, and Prince Aziz rushed to the door, ready to take his anger out on whoever was standing there, even though he had warned that no one was to disturb him. He unlocked the door, and standing there was his stepmother. Seeing the worry in her eyes softened Prince Aziz's heart.

"I know you are angry, my son, but would you care to let your mother in?" The queen asked, and without a word from Prince Aziz, he moved away from the door, allowing his mother in.

The queen looked around Prince Aziz's room, then turned to face her stepson, and she smiled at him.

"I remember telling all the servants that they should leave your room just the way it is because, deep down, I knew that you would come back to me."

"Were you aware of this ploy, mother?" Prince Aziz asked his stepmother, and the smile on her face was gone, further confirming that she knew all about it.

"My son, I wanted to tell you the truth, but I knew that if I did that, you would never agree to come home to your people." The queen confessed. This confession from the queen made the prince feel let down by the woman he called mother.