Star Crossed

4. Firdaus

Location: The Kingdom of Kara

"HAVE THIS GIRL washed. Give her some better clothing and bring her back to me tomorrow morning," I commanded, eyes like steel.

The Jarulan princess lay comatose at my feet, her constraints gone after she passed out. Poor child. If only she had heeded my warning. I gestured to the guard to clean up the room and carry the girl back to her cell.

"Make sure she is awake tomorrow morning," I restated, wondering if she would be able to wake with the numerous wounds I'd inflicted.

As soon as our eyes met, I understood that the prophecy was real. The words of the seer still echoed through my mind.

In fire and rain, a maiden shall arrive

With ocean blue eyes and a will to survive

By the fifth month's rest, he shall descend

Lay waste and ruin, and then be death of a friend

Her bright blue eyes shone through my soul and I felt my resolve breaking down. But not now, not here. Not with the guards watching, waiting for their king to show weakness to revolt and ascend to the throne. No. Not while I still breathed.

Not waiting for the guard to finish, I left the torture room and headed to the Hall of Night, wanting to take a breath of fresh air after brutally mangling a poor girl.

"Ah, my friend, Firdaus! Back from killing ants, yes?" my best friend and confidante, Delan questioned, a large smile stretched across his face. With a boisterous laugh and open arms he headed towards me and gave me a firm hug.

"Delan! How was Harut?" I exclaimed, my lips slightly tilted in a smile. I returned the hug and we began walking down the hall.

"Good, good," he murmured distractedly. "But something happened," he trailed off, and I waited for him to continue. "Wait, I must show you," he thought aloud and beckoned me to follow him.

He led me out of the hall and into a room. It was small but a comfortable looking bed was placed in the center of the room. Silk nets with golden designs fell from the ceiling to cover the bed. The room was decorated in expensive-looking wood with a combination of gold and green decorations and sheets all around. In the center of the bed laid a gorgeous woman, her complexion of golden sand and with hair as dark as coal, her eyes closed in sleep.

"Tyreen, darling," he called out, and turned to me." This is Tyreen. Gorgeous, isn't she?" he asked as her eyes blinked open. Her kohl-lined eyes widened at the sight of me and she immediately crumpled into a bow. "Your Royal Highness," she whispered in respect, her head still bowed.

"Please," I laughed. "Arise, we are equals. Any friend of Delan's is a friend of mine," I answered, a hesitant smile growing on her face.

"Thank you, your Highness," she spoke.

Delan smirked at me and led me out of the room. "Hot, isn't she? I met her in Harut and couldn't take our eyes off each other. Decided we would just forget tradition and if a baby came along, get married," he talked quietly, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

Delan had a history with women, promising to take care of their children if they had any, but it was no unknown fact to me and him that the women soon disappeared or went missing once the news of a child was broken to him.

Although Delan was my closest friend, I could not help but despise his actions. My commander in chief was an unrespectable womanizer that killed women once he was finished with them. Feeling sorry for Tyreen, I continued walking with him, until he left, saying he was famished from the journey.

Feeling antsy, I called over a guard, and I asked him to a duel.

*************************

Sweat collected on my neck and dripped down my chest into my white shirt. The sword I was holding was heavy, and much of my attention went towards not dropping the sword. The heat beat down like a thousand knives, making the metal increase in weight and slip through my fingers. As the heat became unbearable, I took off my shirt together. It slipped to the dry ground in a pool of cloth, and suddenly my vision cleared, the heat bearable.

I focused on my opponent. His mustache made him look threatening but I knew better. I quickly noticed his blind spot and sidestepped him. My sword glided through the air, hitting him from the back but he managed to deflect the hit.

He quickly saw my blind spot before I could notice it and flipped me from my left leg until I hit the ground. Pain shot up my back and I quickly got up, sliding my leg under his and swinging my sword until it flicked the sword out of his hand. Taking advantage of the situation, I picked up his sword with mine fluidly and flung it behind my back. I brought my sword to his chest and pressed down, drawing a few drops of blood.

I smirked in triumph as the other soldiers cheered me on. Helping up the soldier, I took a cloth and dried my sweaty face. I threw on a golden satin robe and walked into the palace once again. As I walked through the halls, guards bowed and people moved out of the way. Being king had its benefits. But all that was on my mind was the girl from the jail. Ayeesha, I had learned. 

Author's note:

Edited: 3/28/2020

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