In The Red Kingdom...
King Zain asked, "Did you hear about the siege in the nearest kingdom?"
The very old king had lived a good life and ruled his kingdom with a tight, firm hand. His wife, Queen Zyne laid beside him.
When they both got to a particular age, the king asked that she leave her room to move in with him so they could keep each other warm in these last years or days they had left on earth. She was just three years younger than he was and she was the love and wife of his youth.
"It is what everyone is talking about. I pity them but we should reinforce our defenses so those attackers don't get any ideas about the Red Land" she replied.
"They can't dare", he replied.
"Hey Father", Prince Sek strolled into his father's room with so much glee it left the king wondering if his son needed some money from him. Sek had a huge, expensive taste and was so conscious of his fashion that it sometimes got the king looking at him from a side-eye.
"You want something, don't you?"
"Why do you say so father?" he asked laughing hard.
"Hey Father"...he mimicked Sek and he laughed a little which resulted in a fit of coughing. His wife reached over to the bedside table and gave him a glass of water. He took a sip and relaxed on the bed back.
"Are you okay?" Sek asked.
"I am now. Reinforce our defenses just in case those people that invaded the neighboring land get too ambitious", King Zain said to his son.
"Yes Father. I just came to greet my parents. I'll come by in the evening. Do take care, I must take my leave now. Got some things to attend to, if you'd excuse me, Father". Sek bowed this head as he left the room of the king and queen.
* * *
There was a dark side to all these happiness and smooth dealings. Everyone knew about the illegitimate affair the king had some years ago when he was bewitched and seduced by a witch who came into the palace with a mission to bear a son with the great king's blood running in his veins.
When she succeeded and eventually conceived, it caused a lot of trouble within the palace and within his marriage but they overcame.
After he learned she was pregnant with his son, he ordered that she be taken to a secluded cottage in the outskirts of the land for her to put to bed safely. Of course, he could not let his bloodline go missing into the world. Regardless of what had happened or how the child was conceived, it was still royalty, he or she would have the king's blood running in his veins.
Against his wife's advice, the king decided to bring the child into the palace assuring her that he'd give him a balanced tutor and keep a close eye on him.
"Nothing would go wrong", he said.
"It's just a child"
Queen Zyne didn't like the idea one bit especially with the fact that mixed with the king's blood was the blood of a witch. She didn't know what to expect in the future but at the back of her mind, she knew trouble was coming.
The queen knew better than to argue with her husband for long. He had a strong head on his shoulders and a skull equally thick, nothing gets through once he's made up his mind.
During one of their discussions about the matter, King Zain told her; "I'll banish her once she gives birth to the child. Get a wet nurse for him, the child won't know its mother so she wouldn't corrupt its mind in any way. Don't worry Zyne, everything would be handled properly. He or she would be trained just like Sek was trained".
She really hoped he was right. She prayed things went the way he planned.
The King and Queen, even Prince Sek weren't strangers to magic. In fact, they had a warlock that belonged to the service of the king. His name was Ling.
"Tell Ling to report to my study as soon as possible", Queen Zyne said to one of her messengers. Leaving in a hurry, the messenger went in search of Ling whom everybody feared because he smiled with no one.
A tall man standing at 7 ft with pure black hair cascading down his back, which was unusual for his age but everything was unusual about Ling.
"Your majesty", Ling bowed to the elderly queen. [She was still so beautiful despite her age], he thought. He appreciated her calmness especially. She was known for her compassion towards her people and they praised her for it. Oh, she was a good queen.
"How are you faring these days? do you need more medicines?", Ling asked.
"I didn't call you here for our medicines, there's still some left from the old batch. I'm worried Ling, very worried about the boy being trained in the ways of princes. I fear it might give him some ideas about ruling this kingdom. Have you gone to see him as I asked?"
He had been expecting this question for years now. Ling, the boy's tutor, and his cook were the only ones to have seen him. Ling had to put a spell on both the tutor and the cook, not to ever say a word about how the boy looked. He feared the day the king and queen would set their eyes on him and see what had been created that they had let live.
"Yes my queen, I have", Ling replied.
He knew how to hide his innermost thoughts but the queen being as smart and sensitive as she was said; "Tell me. What is the matter with the child?"
"My queen, he is learning well, both in his studies and with the sword but I learned that he hardly communicates". Ling just used that as a distraction to avoid telling the queen the real issue with the boy, hoping she bought the story, he stared at her wide-eyed.
"Oh, that isn't an issue then. After his studies, I'm sure he'd mix and interact with people more when he comes to the palace after his studies. But Ling, I'm more interested in the other blood running through his veins. Are you sensing anything? How's his aura like? I know you know what I'm referring to except you're hiding something from me", Queen Zyne questioned Ling looking intently into his face to notice any slight movement of muscle that'd give him out if he was lying to her.
The warlock took a bow all the way to the knee level and Queen Zyne wondered for a moment if his back would give way.
"Your majesty, may you live long..." he began.
"Oh please! I've lived long enough already. Just answer my questions and calm this rising fear I feel growing inside me. I need to make sure Sek and The Kingdom are safe especially now that my husband and I do not have so long on earth anymore", Queen Zyne said.
He noticed that the queen looked even older than her age. Ling pitied her and hoped she and the king do not get a heart attack when they eventually set eyes on the illegitimate prince. Just his outlook alone... he prayed to the gods to help them in whatever the future throws their way.
"Do not worry yourself so much my queen, he's just a child and he's being taught by people who show him care. There's a saying that 'Nurture is greater than Nature'..". Ling assured her.
"That better be the case Ling. That better be the case. You can go now. Thank you".
She put her head down on the elaborate desk in front of her and in minutes, she was asleep.
* * *
Walking on thousands of skulls was a tall, skinny man who was neither dark-skinned nor light-skinned. He wore a long loincloth that appeared to be torn at the ends. His face was hidden under his mane of hair that was as dark as the smoke that came out of his mouth when he spoke. His ribs stuck out of his chest like he hadn't eaten in years yet he looked agile and ready to cause havoc. A large dark sword hung on a sling across the unattractive chest. He looked like a malnourished, wicked warrior.
"Rule! I must rule and everyone would shudder under my power", this person said.
[Who was this man to say what he was saying? Was he a king or a prince somewhere? Where were the people he wanted to rule? The skulls under his feet? He's killed all the people so it seemed], Queen Zyne thought.
Then the gaze of this hideous human landed on her, one of his eyes had the long straight slash, yes it had to be, the long mark that appeared in a dragon's eye. That same style of a serpent's eye.
Queen Zyne was jolted back to reality. She was drenched in sweat as she woke up from this nightmare. She just knew that something was coming.
Looking around, she saw that she was alone, except for the maids standing some feet away from her. [When did I fall asleep? What sort of dream was that?], Zyne pondered.
"It felt so real", she muttered.
* * *
In King Zain's room...
"Come in son". Prince Sek walked into the room and saw his dad placing a wet towel on the queen's forehead.
"Good evening, Father, Good evening, Mother", Sek greeted as he noticed what was happening between his parents. "What's wrong with mother?" he asked.
"She had a nightmare and it shook her to the core. You know at this age we are in now, we've become like children all over again", the king said to his son.
"It's not just about a dream startling me. I know what I saw and I'm convinced it's a sign towards your other son Zain". She put her hand on her head again and the king assisted her to lie back down.
Sek walked to the corner, knelt down beside her then took her hand in his and said; "Mother, you've gotta remove this fear you feel just because his birth mother was a witch, it doesn't-"
Interrupting him, she asked; "Have you both ever wondered what she planned to gain from bearing a son with our bloodline and hers mixed?"
(Silence)
"I thought as much. No one knows and that is an annoying itch to me. Not knowing", the queen said with her brows creased. The sleeping aid Ling sent for her began taking effect and the king noticed when his wife's eyes rolled, so he dismissed his son allowing his beloved to enter into her deep, dreamless sleep.
After Sek left the room, King Zain spent a while thinking about the dream his wife had just told him about, and he muttered; "He'll soon be summoned to the palace. It has been 19 years since his birth".
Zain also felt uncomfortable.
[What could be so bad that he couldn't handle?], King Zain thought as he turned off the bedside lamp pulling the blanket over himself and Zyne.