It was cloudy, no sun, no moon. I looked up to know what time it is but the sky is full of clouds and on the ground, no earth! "This is not earth" I said to myself while observing my surroundings. The last thing I remembered was me going to sleep, but now?
While brooding over what calamity befell me, I saw a light shining in total brilliance, brighter than any light i have ever seen. I also saw a figure with human shape inside the light. I decided to move towards it. After taking a step, i felt an excruciating pain all over my body especially my eyes. The light seems to be approaching me faster than I can get to it. I closed my eyes immediately but the pain doesn't reduce rather I felt a burning sensation all over me, I fell on the clouds and screamed. I cover my face with my hands and tried to dip my head inside the cloud (if possible). At this time the light already get to me, the light deemed down and the figure in it got clearer (though I couldn't see it , I felt it).
I instinctively asked "who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who you are or who I am, what matters most is who am I to you and the other way round" the figure replied with a masculine-feminine voice
I couldn't get to know the figure's gender through the voice so I raised up my head to know how the figure looks like. I haven't see anything before the light blinded me and I was forced to dip back my face into the clouds
"Don't" the figure said
This time I laid without moving and said to the figure "to me you are a stranger who hides his identity"
"Truly, I am a stranger but am here to help you, trust me"the figure replied
"How can I trust you, Â you are hurting me on our first meeting and you even..."I was talking while the figure interrupted me
"Forget those, I really wish I can clear your doubts but right now you need to go back to earth"the figure interrupted.
"Earth? wait, where is this place?"I asked
"I will tell you when next we meet"the figure said
At this time my body started evaporating and I shouted"I don't want to see you again"
I felt the figure smiled and say something like"you sure" then I woke up
Yeah, I woke up, it was all a dream. I woke up and saw momma trying to wake me
"Momma"
"How could you sleep this sound, get up and clean up, we need to go to the royal district"my mum said
"Why?"I asked
"The prince is back"she replied
"So?"
"An imperial edict was sent to our district leader that the king is holding a banquet that we must serve" momma replied while heading towards a coner in our wooden house where foods get cooked"hurry up boy, we don't have much time"she said
I Â rubbed my face with my hand and put my hand on my chest. My heart was beating faster than normal and fear lingers all over me. "What am I afraid of is it the prince?" I sighed and stood up heading to the river near our house to take my bath. I normally don't use this river, I prefer the district river which is much more cleaner than this but I've got no choice momma and I need to get to the royal district as fast as possible"Goddamn royal district, goddamn the whole of ring city.
Lest I forget, Â this is Ring city, though it bears city as it's name, it's a nation on its own. Ring city has four district; royal district, noble district, capitalist district and slave district. You should be able to know what each districts are meant for.
I am from the slave district and I must serve at the banquet today
Royal District, Ring City.
The palace gate is wide open and there were soldiers on guard. There were also officials and the royal family. Only the royal family are sitting, others are standing by the right and left side of the temporary throne out of the palace. They are all there to welcome the prince
After few minutes, the prince came in through the gates with roughly 20 soldiers behind him they are not the Ring soldiers do they couldn't enter the palace. The prince went up to the temporary throne and bow to the emperor
"Father" the prince greeted
The emperor on seeing his son stood up and help the prince up, he a gave an imperial decree
"Today, my son came back from the fiery grounds after five years of training, I'm delighted. I hereby invite every nobles and royals present to  the banquet I have prepared. I also declare an holiday for all slaves and capitalists, in the whole of ring city nobody must work for the next three days, we must celebrate the arrival of our Prince Roshan" the emperor declared
"Welcome, your highness"the assembly replied
In the royal hall, there are lots of people present, nobles and high officials. I entered through the main door and saw the prince sitting between the emperor and the empress, the princess is beside the empress. I went to them and placed down the tray in my hands. I took the jug to help the emperor with his wine, I felt a pair of eyes staring at me. I turn to the direction where I felt the sensation but the prince voice stopped me
"Let me help father myself"the prince said and I drop the jug and went away
The prince pour the emperor a cup which the emperor accept with a grateful heart
"The prince is generous, how about a toast"the prime minister offered a toast to the prince which the prince accepted, other officials and nobles did the same thing. All this time I was at a corridor backing the hall just as the law stated
Later the prince summoned a servant to help him pour his wine, momma answered the call and pour the prince a cup of wine
"I don't want wine, I had a lot today, get me some tea"the prince ordered
"A hot one even, the sun sets and it's getting colder, son, our nights this days are cold I hope you can endure"said the emperor
"This is my hometown father, five years at the fiery grounds will not change anything"the prince said to the emperor
The assembly are happy with the words of the prince they all cheered while drinkng
Momma brought a tray to the table and pour the prince a cup of hot tea, in the process of dropping the jug she mistaken pour the cupof tea on the prince's lap
The prince stand up immediately and shouted"you bitch, how could you do this?" Every face in the hall froze immediately "arrest her" the prince ordered and five guards went to momma but I ran and stand between them
"Boy, are you trying to stop the imperial order?"said one of the guards
"No one dare hurt my mother"I replied
The guard tried to push me with his sword but rather he slashed my right arm, I fell beside my kneeling mother and she tried to stop my bleeding by covering my wound with her hands
"Arrest both of them"the prince ordered
The guards are coming to get us but a voice stopped them, it is the princess
"What are you doing, Rita"the prince queried
"Senior brother, it's been 5 years since you are away from home and I have been lonely, now shouldn't you stay with me and keep me company instead of minding low matters like this, I'll be waiting in the garden" the princess said and left
"That"s true, you, come dress me up" he pointed to my mother and she followed him while I got locked up
Momma followed the prince to his chamber, on their way prince was walking like a drunken man so he lean on momma who drag him into his room
The prince stood up and started taking off his clothes. Momma turned back immediately heading out of the room
The prince ordered her not to go and due to the alcohol, he started harassing momma sexually.
I was pulled to the prison and got my wound treated. I thanked the doctor he replied"you are lucky to receive this kind of care, if not, who is a slave that I will treat"
"Who ordered you to treat me!"I asked the doctor
"The princess"he replied
I was grateful, princess rita is more compassionate than his brother, I thought
I lean on prison wall to rest , immediately I closed my eyes, I saw the clouds again and then a blinding light followed.