Zane

Zara and King Luther's wedding was held immediately after she denounced Carl. To the world, she was the wife of King Luther and the queen of Morana, but inside the palace, Zara was nothing more than a slave.

"Zara, although we're married, you're still my slave. You're expected to do everything a slave does. And you will only eat the scraps that fall at my feet," King Luther tells her. 

Zara let out a sad smile, as she sat on the cold floor beside king Luther with an iron collar around her neck. She glanced around the throne room, which now looked like a whore house with her face wrinkled in disgust. She who used to be a queen has been reduced to a state of nothingness and is now been humiliated.

Sad tears trickled down Zara's eyes as she blamed her ill fate. 'Maybe I did something bad in my past life, that's why the gods are punishing me,' she pondered, dabbing her hands over her eyes.

Although King Luther, kept his word and stopped torturing and killing her people, he still made them slaves. Each of them was assigned to a different master's which they worked under and just like Zara, an iron collar was strapped around their necks.

Queen Catherine(Carl's mother) and Lady Anna(Zara's aunt) were assigned to work in the royal Kitchen and Aiden(Carl's little brother), and Eric(Zara's nephew), was assigned to work for councilmen.

               A MONTH LATER

A weak Zara lay on the mat as she stared at her newly born baby. Although she could barely keep her eyes open as she was emotionally and physically drained, she was scared that they would take her baby  from her, knowing that he was the enemy's child and he posed a great threat to them, especially king Luther. 

King Luther already hated the child, even before he was born, that's why he didn't show Zara any mercy when she was pregnant. He hoped that during the eight months of constant torture, Zara would lose her baby, but unfortunately for him, none of that happened.

Even the physician was left speechless when Zara delivered and survived. He had thought that she would lose her life in the process, but much to his surprise, Zara scaled through. 

However, he knew that Zara would take months to recuperate, and in that month, her baby's life would be in great danger. 

Zara also knew that King Luther would seize every little opportunity to get rid of her child, so she didn't let even the physician take him away. She made sure that the baby was cleaned up in the same chamber where she was.

...

Meanwhile, Carl waged war on king Neil of Nedal, and King Darian of Crystal Ville, using his five thousand men, and Azrael's forces. And after months, he defeated both kings, taking over their nations and merging them into one, just like King Luther did. And he called it Neela.

However, he didn't make the people slaves, instead, he embraced them as his people, making them love and respect him even more than their late kings.

           FOUR YEARS LATER

As the years passed, King Luther became more brutal and even though he promised Zara that he would no longer harm her people, he broke his promise.

Each day the people of Everton, wailed and prayed for a savior that would take them out of slavery, but days turn into months, and months into years. And slowly, they gave up and accepted their fate. 

...

Zara chased after her four-year-old son, Zane, as he runs around the palace. Each day the fear of losing him grows stronger, and Zara tries as much as possible to keep him out of sight of King Luther and his daughter Myla.

"Zane, stop running," Zara yelled after him, looking around fearfully.

Zane stops abruptly, turning to look at his mother. "Mother, I want to teach the bad man and woman a lesson. They are the ones who constantly maltreat and keep you away from me," Zane uttered, pouting his little mouth in anger.

Zara sighs, crouching down to his size as she looks at the little boy who has a striking resemblance to her__Zane didn't take after his father. Instead, he looked like Zara, although his eyes were different. And unlike Zara's honey brown eyes, Zane had Sapphire blue eyes like his father.

"Zane, you have to stay away from the bad man and woman(King Luther and Myla) or they'd hurt you. Please, Zane, listen to your mother," Zara pleaded.

As the years went by, Zara slowly learned to accept the death of her husband. Since she now has another reason to live for_ Her son became her reason to smile, he became her reason to keep going.

Zane was the reason Zara learned to embrace her pain, making it a part of her. Now she didn't care if she was a slave, she only cared for the survival of her son and people...

Sighing, Zane held his mother's hands in his little ones, then he said, "For you and our people, mother_I'll make sure I become strong. Stronger than our oppressor. And one day, I'll free you from these shackles, and I'll give you a new and better life. I will also punish the bad man and woman for all they did to you," Zane tells his mother in a bubbly voice.

Zara let out a sad smile, as tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't want her son, to be full of hate and resentment, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. Because at such a young age, Zane has already witnessed the brutal torture and killing of people.

Zara pulled her son into her embrace because she was speechless and didn't know what to say to him. But in her heart, she prayed that he would become as strong as he says.

"Come now, Zane, there is a meeting in the throne room and we have to be there," Zara whispered while pulling away from the embrace.

She straightened, holding her son's hand in hers, as they walked into the throne room.

...

King Luther sat on the throne, with his daughter Myla beside him, addressing the council when Zara and Zane walked in.

Although they were dressed in common clothes, they still had an aura of regality emerging from them. Especially Zane, who held his head high while staring at King Luther in the eyes.

"Zane, keep your head down," Zara whispered to her son when she saw him walking with so much arrogance.

Zane scoffed. "This head will not bow in fear of anyone, but will be held high in self-respect," he replied his mother defiantly, making Zara gasp in shock. It was like the more years he added, the more stubborn and arrogant he became.

Zane walked majestically toward king Luther, with his little hands behind him...

King Luther had a huge scowl on his face as he watched the boy. 'Such insolence,' he mulled, clenching his fist into a ball. Although he wanted nothing more than to kill Zane, he couldn't because the world thinks that Zane was his son, not Carl's. 

Putting on a fake smile, King Luther said, "Prince Zane, come to your father."

Zane rolled his eyes. He knew that king Luther was not his real father. And even though he was a child, he could see through King Luther's facade.

"Father, I'm only here because mother said you have an important announcement, I have no interest in your political talks and others," Zane lets out boldly.

Everyone gasped in shock. They have always known that Zane was stubborn and too bold for his age, but they thought he took after his supposed father King Luther.

King Luther was fuming in anger, but he still had a smile plastered on his face. while Myla could not hold her anger anymore. "Zane, how dare you speak to father in that tone of voice," she rasped.

On the other hand, Zara trembled in fear, not for herself, but for her son, who didn't look the least bit worried or scared. 

The main reason for Zara's fear was that her son was too bold and stubborn for his age, making him more prone to attacks.

 "I didn't say anything wrong, I just spoke my mind," Zane replied while eying Myla.

"You insolent..."

"Leave it Myla, he's just a child," King Luther cuts Myla off, with an awkward smile. While deep down he wished he was stabbing Zane in the heart.

"Zane, the reason I called everyone here is to give an important announcement_ The king of Neela(Carl) will be in Morana in two days, and I want everyone to be prepared," King Luther tells him.

Zane nodded, wondering who the king of Neela was. Even Zara got a strange feeling at the mention of the king of Neela. 

She also wondered who he was. The man that took over Crystal Ville and Nedal merging it into one(Neela). He was also as strong as King Luther, the main reason why king Luther wants an alignment__He wanted to see the so-called King of Neela(Carl).

...

"Father, did you see how insolent that brat was? I think you should do something about him now that he's still young, else it won't be easy when he grows up," Myla lamented, her face plastered with a deep scowl.

King Luther sighed. Anger visible on his old but handsome face. He knew Myla was right, but he didn't know how he was going to get rid of Zane especially when the world thinks that Zane was his son.

"Myla, I want to do something about him, but it's not that easy. Everyone loves him, and it's also because of him, that Azrael agreed to bend the knee," King Luther retorted.

Myla scoffed. She didn't care whether the people loved him or not, she was fed up with him, and even if her father is not able to get rid of Zara's son, she would do it. 

With a smirk on her face, Myla walked out of her father's chamber, and at that moment, no one could tell what was in her mind.