Reza is sitting on the ground on his knees, still stunned. His soul is crushed hearing Alicia say "We did as told. The king is dead"
The sadness had made his vision colorless. He's seeing things only in black and white or maybe his eyes are taking all in but his mind refuses to process it any better.
The clouds dwindling over the sun engulf it. A drop of water lands on his eyelid. Splattered in tiny drops it goes down. Some more drops landing on his head jolts him out of his stun posture.
He stands and turns to go back to the palace. Mild drops of water are landing on his face and going down. Some water is from his tears that his ego won't admit.
He never cried or cared for anyone except his father. A totally opposite caring nature of Alicia had hit him straight in
Pair of hair swings over Alicia's face. She's only able to get glimpses of what's coming next. A golden gate gets opened by the guards standing nearby. The floor appears to be shinier and more decorated than the hallway. A circle with a golden sword in between appears to be in the center of the room. This must be the king's room, she thinks. But she can't say for sure cause she can only see the floor. She has no intention of lifting her aching head to see more. Her headache from the blow of guards an hour ago is still fresh. And the pain is only increasing with every footstep of guards. Half a mile, she thinks she's been in this position from counting the footsteps of guards. She can't count her footsteps because her feet only touched the floor sometimes. She
Reza's head is so cloudy and heavy that he almost forgot about his shoulder. The pressure from his head on hand awakens the pain. "Aah~" he carefully puts the other hand around his shoulder and leans on the throne by his back. The cut was nursed well enough by Alicia but the pain always has a way to creep in. His mind slips into the memory from yesterday. The sun is meeting the distant ocean on the horizon. But he has no intention of going back from here. He has been in the villages for the past seven days. if something could have been found, then it is beyond these woods. Roaming as a commoner in a brown vest and white harem pants, he went to many huts and houses to ask about the swordsmith whose swords took 100s of lives including his father's. Along the way,
Alicia is trying harder and harder to match the pace with the guard. The guard is holding her right hand and is walking at a normal speed only but it is her that is not able to meet the threshold. Her headache has now turned into a migraine. The splash of water that had been spilled over her moments ago has awakened her conscience but the pain is not gone. Every time her footstep lags to match with the guard. She feels a rough scratch in her hand getting engraved. She also keeps getting a little push in her back by another guard walking behind her. She sees the steps going down to the dungeon at a bit of distance. The guard lets her hand free and marches down the steps. She moves her freed hand to her eye level and looks at the
They walk into the woods. Green leaves are shining under scorching sunlight. Birds are chirping on several branches of trees. The aromas of flowers are blowing with hot air. Sun sparkles over their heads at its peak. James paces up. The scorching heat sends ripples of fainting in her. Leaning on a tree by her back, she gasps for air. "Are you okay?" James turns to her concerned. She puts a hand on her head and opens her mouth full wide to take in air. James comes closer to her and looks through her dark ash brown hair. In her crown area of the head, there's a swollen wound of pinky finger size. "They hit you?" he asks, blowing cool air on it. "Not in the dungeon, they hit me at home," she says in a meek tone. "There's a river near," says James, wrap
Reza is standing in the dungeon. The guard he ordered to find Alicia & James is gone. Taking a long breath he moves his feet over steps and walks up to the hallway. He sees guards coming from the other end of the hallway. He identifies the two guards that usually stand beside his gate. They are gossiping about something among them. "What happened?" he asks. "Your highness, a fire broke out in Sir Yuri's room," one informs him. Reza walks to the other end and steps into Yuri's room. Several guards are still inside the room. Some are still holding big water jars in their hands. Some are still coughing under deep smoke. Beside them are grey and black ashes of the once yellow and white bed. A giant smoke is still lingeri
James and Alicia continue their journey through the woods. The size of trees is now smaller and less dense. A narrow stone way appears at a distance. Alicia looks around her. She's now around the same place she comes to pluck flowers usually. Flowers of all colors and varieties are around her. Her gaze stops on a high branch of Sharon flower tree. She reminisces her memory here. Her hands are raised up trying to grab a white Sharon. But she's not able to reach it. Suddenly her hand jolts up and it touches one Sharon. She looks down. Reza's arms are wrapped around her waist. She gets butterflies in her stomach. His warm hands are sending sparks of fire upwards. It travels through her stomach to chest. Warm sparks are soothing like warming hands by a fire in winter mornings.
Alicia is lying on the ground by her back. Her whole body is numb. Her eyes are open wide towards the sky. White thunder goes from one end to another piercing the dark clouds. Her mind is filled with memories from her childhood. A young girl's face is turned towards the thunderous sky. "GO HOME," shouts a man with a dark brown face covered in dark black beards. He's sitting on his cart behind two bullocks. A wooden cave is over him, spreading over three feet behind him. "I don't have any," says the girl with her hands clasped over her chest. Her hands are holding her chin. A thunder strikes and her right milky white cheek shines. Her hands run up to her closed eyes. The saddened man looks into the wooden cave behind him. Few
Reza is roaming in the village as a commoner dressed in a brown vest and grey harem pants. His heart is betting on the fact that Alicia is innocent. But his mind is conflicted over all evidence. Information that the guard went to secret passage first is the seed of doubt that he wants to grow into a tree to prove her innocence. He steps into Alicia's wide and long veranda in front of her hut. The place where Cream-colored brick walls were standing is long gone. The sight of her house burnt to ashes saddens him. "Find'em... I'll burn them alive," words he said in rage in the palace haunt him. He runs his hand over his face and covers his eyes. His mind slips to memory when he had seen her here for the first time.
Reza is sitting on the ground on his knees, still stunned. His soul is crushed hearing Alicia say "We did as told. The king is dead"The sadness had made his vision colorless. He's seeing things only in black and white or maybe his eyes are taking all in but his mind refuses to process it any better.The clouds dwindling over the sun engulf it. A drop of water lands on his eyelid. Splattered in tiny drops it goes down. Some more drops landing on his head jolts him out of his stun posture.He stands and turns to go back to the palace. Mild drops of water are landing on his face and going down. Some water is from his tears that his ego won't admit.He never cried or cared for anyone except his father. A totally opposite caring nature of Alicia had hit him straight in
Alicia's eyes still closed lurk in the darkness. She hears the soft sound of hooves clattering over mud that gets bitter on hitting stones. Her body keeps getting low jolts as wheels squeak over some small stones. Her mind slips into a memory. In the center of the walls made of yellow stones is a half open brown wooden gate. On the floor, a candelabrum is standing with one candle in the center raised more than one on each side. Under the yellowish light are lying some black pawns carved with stone. A milky white hand adds another black pawn to the collection. Proud milky white cheeks beam up in joy. But seeing the silly move, a smile turns up at the corner of a yellowish face. "Check, Alicia," says James, putting a white horse forward on wood painted in grey and white squares. "I don't understand…I was winn
Reza also sees a guard walking beside her. Guard's head is covered in a helmet and her with a grey shawl. Her navy blue paneled skirt is the same from the time he ordered her to be taken to the dungeon. He doesn't say anything but keeps following them with greater pace, the distance between keeps getting shorter. He doesn't let any sound get out of his footsteps but Alicia gets an irresistible urge to look to the banyan tree in her right. She looks towards the banyan tree and reminisces her memory around the tree. Her shawl falls out from her head to reveal her beautiful dark ash brown hair. Reza smiles and looks at it peacefully. Little does he know, she is reminiscing the same memory he did a while ago. But when he said "If you want to," to her about se
The image of the sharp point of the dagger appears clearly in Reza's eye. The point stops at a thin hair distance from the pupil. Naseer looks into Reza's eyes searching for the truth. Are these the eyes of the man who ordered to burn her alive? Or is it of the man hiding the emotions behind walls that he saw through? The green eyes of Reza are the same as of his father King Thomas. These eyes make Naseer delve into his last memory of the King. Men, women, and children, all people of the village are gathered at the designated place waiting for the king's address. Wise and old men are standing in the back around a large Kauri tree which has a wide stone ring around it. "King would make an alliance with Harlem, Harlem's king is
Reza is roaming in the village as a commoner dressed in a brown vest and grey harem pants. His heart is betting on the fact that Alicia is innocent. But his mind is conflicted over all evidence. Information that the guard went to secret passage first is the seed of doubt that he wants to grow into a tree to prove her innocence. He steps into Alicia's wide and long veranda in front of her hut. The place where Cream-colored brick walls were standing is long gone. The sight of her house burnt to ashes saddens him. "Find'em... I'll burn them alive," words he said in rage in the palace haunt him. He runs his hand over his face and covers his eyes. His mind slips to memory when he had seen her here for the first time.
Alicia is lying on the ground by her back. Her whole body is numb. Her eyes are open wide towards the sky. White thunder goes from one end to another piercing the dark clouds. Her mind is filled with memories from her childhood. A young girl's face is turned towards the thunderous sky. "GO HOME," shouts a man with a dark brown face covered in dark black beards. He's sitting on his cart behind two bullocks. A wooden cave is over him, spreading over three feet behind him. "I don't have any," says the girl with her hands clasped over her chest. Her hands are holding her chin. A thunder strikes and her right milky white cheek shines. Her hands run up to her closed eyes. The saddened man looks into the wooden cave behind him. Few
James and Alicia continue their journey through the woods. The size of trees is now smaller and less dense. A narrow stone way appears at a distance. Alicia looks around her. She's now around the same place she comes to pluck flowers usually. Flowers of all colors and varieties are around her. Her gaze stops on a high branch of Sharon flower tree. She reminisces her memory here. Her hands are raised up trying to grab a white Sharon. But she's not able to reach it. Suddenly her hand jolts up and it touches one Sharon. She looks down. Reza's arms are wrapped around her waist. She gets butterflies in her stomach. His warm hands are sending sparks of fire upwards. It travels through her stomach to chest. Warm sparks are soothing like warming hands by a fire in winter mornings.
Reza is standing in the dungeon. The guard he ordered to find Alicia & James is gone. Taking a long breath he moves his feet over steps and walks up to the hallway. He sees guards coming from the other end of the hallway. He identifies the two guards that usually stand beside his gate. They are gossiping about something among them. "What happened?" he asks. "Your highness, a fire broke out in Sir Yuri's room," one informs him. Reza walks to the other end and steps into Yuri's room. Several guards are still inside the room. Some are still holding big water jars in their hands. Some are still coughing under deep smoke. Beside them are grey and black ashes of the once yellow and white bed. A giant smoke is still lingeri
They walk into the woods. Green leaves are shining under scorching sunlight. Birds are chirping on several branches of trees. The aromas of flowers are blowing with hot air. Sun sparkles over their heads at its peak. James paces up. The scorching heat sends ripples of fainting in her. Leaning on a tree by her back, she gasps for air. "Are you okay?" James turns to her concerned. She puts a hand on her head and opens her mouth full wide to take in air. James comes closer to her and looks through her dark ash brown hair. In her crown area of the head, there's a swollen wound of pinky finger size. "They hit you?" he asks, blowing cool air on it. "Not in the dungeon, they hit me at home," she says in a meek tone. "There's a river near," says James, wrap