'Meet me in the garden tonight under the largest tree.'
That was what's in the message he saw laying on his bed when Azar entered his room this morning after he came back from the morning practice aka morning torture.
"At least she didn't break into my room like last month." He mumbled as he walked on the path leading to the garden.
It was quiet, everyone was asleep except for the knights on night duty today which he happens to be one of them.
A coincident?
No way, that woman was way more cunning that he thought she is. Because somehow, she happens to know what he does every day and where he will be when she needs him. How she does that is a complete mystery to him.
The garden was dark except for the silver moon light and the fire torches that were on the perimeter of the palace. He looked around and it wasn't hard to spot the largest tree in the garden.
As he stepped on the grass moving away from the stone pathway, he walked through the bushes that were separating the tree from the rest of the garden.
Not only did Aleah know about him, she also knows everything there is to know about the palace. For example, she knew that this tree was the furthest from the torches and the wide mushroom like appearance of the branches prevented any light to pass.
Which made it the perfect place for a meeting between two birds.
Taking another look around the tree he found that Aleah is not here yet. "She always tells me to be on time and she is the one who is always late." He scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"I heard that."
"What the Hell!" He flinched turning around to look at the female figure that appeared behind him out of nowhere.
"You are clearly underestimating my abilities as a bird." She said flipping her hair proudly, "Unlike someone."
"Well, sorry that I wasn't born for this my lady." He mocked her raising one eye brow. Honestly, he didn't like her.
But this wasn't a matter of liking her or not, he has one job here and that is to report everything the Pharaoh does to find the right time to strike again when he is least expected.
All this mess is thanks to Javid whose sense of duty kicked in at the wrong moment when it is least wanted.
"Tell me," Azar narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms on his chest, "How did you know that I'm on duty tonight? It's something only known among the Royal Guards and I don't think a lowly maid can come across such information." He made sure to make the last words stand out.
She smirked. "My pretty face is not useless darling."
The reply took Azar by surprise honestly. He took another close look at her face; he didn't actually give much attention to how she looks like. He wanted to keep the connection between them to minimum because one wrong move would result in his head put on spike at the front gate and his origin as Persian will help make things easier.
She is indeed beautiful, beautiful enough to get any information she wanted under the right atmosphere, he thought.
And what he meant by right atmosphere, he meant in bed.
After all, men are all suckers for a pretty face.
He shrugged the thought away when he started to have inappropriate thoughts making him uncomfortable.
"Anyway, pretty boy," she said, "The Raven is getting upset from the lack of info coming from your side. He was expecting more."
Raven, the was their code name for King Farzad. Just in case someone over hears their private conversation. But he doubted that, there wasn't as much as a cricket here let alone a someone.
"Well sorry the Pharaoh's schedule isn't cramped." He lifted the corner of his brow up at her, "You asked me report back what he does and that's what I do. Not my fault that he doesn't have much going on."
He was right. The Pharaoh was in his study most of the time because Kemet isn't going to run itself. With the recent mess that Lord Seth caused in Raqote, it all added more work on the Pharaoh's shoulders so he rarely leaves his study let alone the palace.
She sighed getting his point. "I heard about what happened to Lord Seth. Poor Man, I heard he was stripped from his lands and titles, is that true?" she asked.
"Yes," He said setting on the ground getting tired from standing, "he hasn't been replaced yet as far as I heard."
She hummed, "Anything else worth mentioning?"
"I was appointed as the Crown Princess's personal knight." He said plugging out grass from beside him.
"Why didn't you say so sooner!" She exclaimed raising her voice and then turned to look around them to see that no one was there to here her slip of tongue.
"I didn't think it was of much importance." Azar looked at her in confusion like a lost puppy with golden eyes.
To him being the Princess's knight is no different from being her babysitter. What can the Princess possibly do that is of importance to Farzad? He thought.
He didn't yet realize just what Nefertari is to her father. She is his greatest treasure and at the same time she could be his greatest destruction. That much Farzad knew when his Crown Prince Javid was a sucker for Cleopatra.
"You've got no idea what you just accomplished darling." She smirked flipping her hair from her face revealing her black orbs that were shining from the moon light that has found its way through the tree branches to fall directly on her face.
"The princess is the greatest weakness the Pharaoh has, or more like his only weakness. Take her down and he is as good as done." She continued, "Taking down an already crumbled man is child's play."
Azar didn't reply, he was shocked to his bone to how low these people can fall. The princess was 11 for god's sake!
"Then it makes my job even harder," he glared at the black eyes staring at him, "if anything were to happen to her especially by Persia my head will be on spike on the palace's gate for sure."
"I'll make sure that I relay the message." She said, "Let's go back, this enough for day. Hopefully this will keep the Raven full for a while."
She didn't wait for a reply and turned on her heals to walk back to wherever she came from.
Azar sighed holding his head up looking at the moon that appeared through the branches whenever the wind blew them apart. It was a clear night with the full moon high in the sky surrounded by dozens of stars decorating the gloom of the night.
"Why did I agree to this mess?" he whispered closing his eyes shut, hoping that by the time he opens them all of this would turn into nothingness.
~~~~
"It's time for your morning practice Your Highness." A maid said from the other side of the door.
"I'll be right there." Joon Wo said from inside the room as he fixed his belt over his dark colored clothing.
How long has it been since he has been there? A week?
He has lost count already; he was barely able to keep up despite not being here for long. The Wangs were indeed wolves, they were harsh and cruel, not with each other but, with him.
The fact that they didn't like the king was obvious in every word they spat out at him.
The king not giving the Clans much power over the people was starting to get on the Wangs nerves and the only way to keep them at bay was either through marriage or giving them one of their own.
And the later one is the one that happened.
He was told that he is now like an adopted child to the Wangs but that isn't the reality that Joon Wo is living.
He sighed as he closed the door shut behind him following the maid to the training ground which was hell on earth. All those little Wang pups are driving him to his edge.
He never thought that someone is capable of making him lose his temper because he is usually quite calm and always have a grip on his temper but here, it was as if he is a completely different person.
Just the other Day General Wang their trainer caught his fists before it landed on Dong Hyun's face.
Dong Hyun was the main cause of all his sufferings here. It's almost as if he was born to piss him off. Bumping into Joon Wo's shoulder on purpose, throwing mocks from over his shoulder never saying it directly at him.
It's been only one damn week! How was he going to live here!
He sighed as he reached the training ground, he took deep breaths reminding himself that he should only focus on the General and focus on his training and let everything and everyone else burn.
"Oh! Look who is here!"
He took his words back.
There is no way he was going to only focus on the training.