CHAPTER ONE.
Prince Zayn Romanov of the Kingdom of Jadovia is a 24 years old strong and self willed man, most devilishly handsome. He had silky jet black hair that slightly covered his eyes, sparkly silver eyes that were as bright as a silver moon and a thin scar horizontally over his right eye, but even this scar couldn't alter his most handsome face.
Although now, he was just Zayn because of what happened to him 7 years ago and since then, it was just him and his personal bodyguard as at when he was still a prince that had been on their own. The bodyguard's name was Joselu, he was also Zayn's best friend.
They were currently sparring with each other since Zayn was a good swordsman and also a good archer, he enjoyed sparring with his friend.
"Come on Joselu, come at me." Zayn raised his sword and Joselu blocked it with his, causing the swords to make a clash sound. Joselu had always helped Zayn with his defense and attacking skills. With his help, Zayn was a skilled fighter and equally very strategic.
It helped him with keeping thieves from invading the village.
"You're doing quite well my prince." Immediately Joselu said that, Zayn's hand that held his sword in the air instantly dropped, his mood turning sour and Joselu realized what he just said.
"Forgive me Zayn, I didn't realize when I said it."
"It's not your fault, you can go home. I'll come back later." With that, Zayn sheathed his sword into his scabbard and left him there, walking away.
Remembering his past had always taken a toll on him even though he tried so hard not to show it.
7 YEARS AGO…
Prince Zayn was a young boy of 16 years old. He had three siblings, 2 elder brothers, Prince Devon and Prince Eigner and a younger sister named Princess Erika. Their father was King Arsenio Romanov who married Queen Zayna, their mother.
Now, there were two great kingdoms in the country, the kingdom of Jadovia in the South where King Arsenio ruled and the kingdom of Ragaounia in the North that was ruled by women, so apparently it was a Queendom.
The whole rivalry began when Arsenio's great grandfather - while he was still alive - paid a visit to Ragaounia shortly after the Queen's husband died.
At that time, men ruled and the king had just died. His wife had one daughter and no son to take over the throne.
The late King's wife had recieved Arsenio's great grandfather in the sense that he had come to sympathize with her but she was indeed very wrong.
Arsenio's great grandfather mocked the Queen for not having a male child to take over the throne after the recent death of the king, he further said that the Kingdom could even be given to him since they were utterly helpless.
The Queen was very furious at his words. Her daughter was only 14 years of age and was too young for marriage. But that very day, the Queen challenged the king of Jadovia that she will prove them wrong.
She made a law that no more will a man rule in that kingdom. Of course the Queens to come would get married but they would be King Consorts, only recognized as the Queen's partner.
As though the king hadn't mocked her enough, he told her that he would be kind enough to save her the trouble and marry her so he would inherit the throne. The Queen was so angry that she ordered her guards to throw the King of Jadovia out of her Kingdom.
Feeling totally embarrassed, the King waged a war against Ragaounia and ever since, they had been sworn enemies, even though it's been more than decades.
So Zayn looked exactly like his mother and was even named after her at birth. He had jet black hair and silver eyes just like her while the rest of his siblings had gold hair and green eyes just like their father.
By the time Zayn turned 17, tragedy struck.
Queen Zayna was suddenly found out to be a native of the Kingdom of Ragaounia and after being caught talking to a fellow citizen at night, she was a suspect and after careful investigation, she was found out to be a spy from Ragaounia and was immediately labelled a traitor.
King Arsenio immediately stripped his wife of her Queenly privileges and put her in the dungeon while deciding her punishment.
But it was all a misunderstanding.
Zayna was actually sent you show King Arsenio that following the footsteps of his great grandfather was wrong. The new Queen of Ragaounia was willing to make a negotiation, but she knew that the King was too stubborn to let any Ragaounian get into the Kingdom just like that so she sent Zayna to win the King's heart and make him listen to her about the two Kingdoms.
She has just been stalling over the years because she could still see how much he still despised Ragaounians.
Zayna never thought that even after Arsenio found out about her, he didn't bother to give her a listening ear, he labelled her a traitor even after 19 years of marriage. And surprisingly enough, Zayn was the only one who tried to beg his father on behalf of his mother whereas his other siblings didn't even care. They just followed their father's footsteps.
Two days later, news got to Queen Anaya that after many years, Zayna was finally found out but the punishment was what shocked her, Zayna was to be beheaded for treason. Anaya immediately made arrangements to head down to Jadovia to stop everything from happening.
But when she was about leaving on her carriage, a messenger on horseback rode into the palace grounds from the borders of the city and delivered a sack and a letter. The messenger bowed and handed the items to the Queen before leaving.
Anaya opened the letter first and read in horror…
Queen Anaya,
To think that you could actually act smart and try to attack from within, but I always smarter.
As the King of Jadovia, I give you a warning to never try such offensive action or I won't hesitate to declare war on your Kingdom. The gift in the sack is just a tip of the iceberg. I suggest you never repeat such ever again.
Signed-
King Arsenio of Jadovia.
Queen Anaya gripped the letter, her mind drifting to different dreaded thoughts. Her eyes moved to the sack on the ground and she ordered a guard to empty the sack. The guard turned the sack upside down and all the contents of the sack fell out.
Anaya screamed in shock, not believing her eyes..
Zayna's head rolled towards Anaya's feet and stopped, her other limbs were also on the ground, it was the gruesome sight anyone could have ever seen. Anaya couldn't have ever felt so angry, frightened and frustrated. She screamed again in agony as she looked at Zayna's head with tears rolling down her cheeks. She dropped to her knees, not minding the state of her royal robes. She picked Zayna's head and hugged it to her chest, crying even harder.
"I'll avenge you Zayna, that's a promise. No matter how long it takes." She looked at Zayna's face and slowly closed her eyes that were open.
They were once bright, lit like a silver moon with so much emotions expressed through them. Now they looked like a boring gray color, no life in them anymore.
"This is the last straw Arsenio, get ready for me." Anaya swore to herself and turned to a few guards.
"Inform the palace ministers that we are arranging a proper funeral for her and a meeting holds this evening."
"Yes your majesty." They bowed in respect.
"Pack up her body." Queen Anaya went into her chambers to change her robes.
Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Jadovia, Zayn was in utter turmoil. He had just watched his mother, his own mother being slaughtered like a pig, like she didn't mean anything to his father just because of a little suspicion.
He begged, he cried, he even tried to challenge his father and stop the guards from executing the order, but it was hopeless. Three guards held him down on his father's orders and he was forced to watch in horror as they killed his mother and cut her limbs.
Zayn though he was going to throw up until he passed out as they packed her body in a sack, he felt so weak. He hated his father for being so heartless, for being so inconsiderate, for being so…cruel.
Zayn cried for days and weeks for the loss of his mother, and what even hurt him more was the fact that his siblings never cared about what happened to their mother.
It's like King Arsenio brainwashed them, he labelled her a traitor so they instantly believed so and saw her as a traitor too. Every memory of the motherly love Zayna showed to them over the years were suddenly forgotten.
It was so disheartening.
And as though the trauma wasn't enough, Zayn's appearance seemed to be a threat ti him 2 months later.
All of a sudden, Zayn would walk past his father in the mornings and say a greeting but unlike Arsenio, he would stare at Zayn with a tinge of sourness and walk off.
The action only left Zayn to be thinking about what he did wrong.
It was after sometime that Zayn finally understood what was going on. He was with his brothers when their father came by with that same sour look staring directly at him, then he finally said..
"Why do you look like so much like that traitor? Or even named after her? I feel so disturbed everytime I see you."
King Arsenio walked off and Zayn began to feel awkward with the way his brother stared at him.
Things eventually got worse after that. As time went on, Zayn believed that he was cursed to have taken so much after his mother. It's not like he regretted his looks but the fact that it made him suffer so much neglect didn't make any sense. His father hardly wanted him around, even his siblings picked up on their father's behavior and became hostile towards Zayn.
His brothers began playing jokes on him that didn't seem funny at all and his sister also lost respect for him.
Zayn didn't want to believe it, but he had to convince himself that his family hated him when his father indirectly banned him from attending all royal and family meetings. As though that wasn't enough, whenever it was time for the royal family to present themselves to the public, Zayn was always locked in the palace.
He was hardly ever exposed that the people of Jadovia seemed to forget that their Kingdom had three princes and not two.
Zayn almost lost it when his brothers called him a traitor one day.
"Why are you calling me that?" He has asked them, his face etched in anger.
"Well, since you actually look a lot like that criminal, we should call you that too." Devon the oldest prince said.
"But she was your mother." Zayn sounded frustrated but the proud princes just laughed at him.
"It's a good thing you said 'was' because even if she was alive now, she would seize from being my mother." Eigner, the second prince said.
"Have you two no sympathy? After all she did for you."
"Shut the hell up. She's a traitor, a criminal and you're not any different." The two walked off. Zayn really couldn't believe his brothers but either way, he was supposed to get used to this.
Zayn sighed and walked down the hallway to his room. Slamming the door, he collapsed on the bed and sighed in frustration, crossing his legs and running his fingers through his hair.
Erika the young princess suddenly barged into Zayn's room and startled him.
"What's with you Erika? Couldn't you knock?" Zayn was already pissed off so his voice came out in a harsh tone.
"Goodness me. So a traitor like you can talk back at a princess like me." Erika said proudly as she looked at her older brother with disgust.
"I'm your elder brother, have you no respect? How dare you talk to me in such manner!" Zayn stood up from his bed in anger and walked to Erika which made her a bit scared.
"Step away from the princess you criminal, how dare you come so close to me?"
Zayn resisted the strong urge to give her a deafening slap.
"Get out of my room Erika." Zayn said calmly but Erika folded her arms.
"Or else what?"
Zayn lost it and pushed his sister out of the room while she ranted non stop. He closed the door of his room, locking it.
The incident with his sister yesterday cost him his room the next day.
Right after he was done dressing up, Erika barged into the room with Arsenio and three guards. After listening to what Erika said to his father, Zayn's confused look switched to furious.
"Father, I want this room, it's bigger than my own room. And I don't want this criminal here." Erika said, pointing at Zayn and looking at him with disgust.
"Erika have you gone mad? Why would I..." Before he could say anything else, Arsenio shut him up.
"Enough, if the princess wants this room so be it." Arsenio said sternly.
"But father!"
"Don't father me, do you look anything like me to prove I'm your father?!"
Erika smiled triumphantly and looked at Zayn from head to toe.
"Father I don't want him to stay in my old room either." What Erika said caused Zayn to scoff in disbelief.
"You can have both rooms for all I care!" He walked out of the room and slammed the door with a bang.
He couldn't believe the sudden change in his family towards him was because of his looks. If he was told that something like this would happen to him, he would think it was a big joke.
Even after snatching his room from him, Arsenio made him carry all his belongings without any help to the smallest room in the palace that was just beside the servant's chambers, despite all the countless luxurious rooms in the palace.
Some servants who saw him carry his bags felt sorry for him and wondered why he was being maltreated. Besides, of all the princes of Jadovia, he was the most handsome because of his features despite being the youngest prince.
His sparkly moon silver eyes were so captivating that anyone could get lost in them and his jet black hair was so silky and smooth, so beautiful that it would be an achievement to touch it much less having a strand of it. And his slight pink lips that looked cute and firm, come to talk of his perfect jaw line that made the female servants stare hard at him whenever he moved it.
Joselu was Zayn's personal who had given a blood oath to protect Zayn for the rest of his life, even when the King gave a strict order that no one should Zayn in packing his belongings, he didn't listen and sneakily helped the young prince without being caught.
Zayn was thankful to Joselua and always saw him as a brother, besides he was the one always there for him since he has been neglected by his own family with no ounce of remorse or guilt.
His brothers even beat him a few times, leaving scars. Zayn was helpless, disgraced, embarrassed, humiliated, stripped of his princely privileges, stripped of his royal rights, labelled a criminal, looked down on like a mere commoner, being insulted and laughed at by his own blood. And as though that all wasn't enough, the fateful day came when things got even worse.
Zayn was alone in the palace garden looking as though as miserable as ever when Devon and Eigner came up to him and pushed him from the seat he was sitting on. Zayn fell to the ground and groaned as a result of the force.
"Pests like you don't deserve to sit in chairs." Devon said while Eigner laughed.
Zayn said nothing as he stood up and cleaned himself, he was about to walk away but the two princes pulled him back roughly.
"Did we tell you we're done talking?!" Eigner said, walking to Zayn as though wanting to pounce on him.
"Please just let me be." Zayn was about to walk off again but Devon pushed him to him to the ground again.
"You fool. Who are you to walk out on us?" Before Zayn could stand up, Eigner pushed him with his boots and he fell again to the ground.
"You two should stop!" Zayn was getting angry but the they just laughed at him.
"Or else what?" Devon pulled Zayn up by his shirt and gave him a hard slap while Eigner kept on laughing.
"You're so helpless you peasant." Eigner gave him a hard punch on his left cheek and Devon dropped him to the ground. Eigner wanted to kick him but Zayn couldn't control his anger anymore and he stood up swiftly, he charged at Devon and tackled him to the ground, giving him several punches on his face.
Eigner was surprised by Zayn's sudden attack but he threw him off Devon and began beating him up.
"You fool." Devon regained himself and stood up to attack Zayn who somehow managed to overpower Eigner.
Devon and Eigner were both hellbent on dealing with Zayn that they just recklessly and carelessly threw themselves at him that it was so easy for Zayn to overpower them, but it was still difficult taking out two people when you're just one person against them.
The boys didn't look like they were going to stop anymore soon. Eigner beating Zayn on the ground while Zayn tried to hold his hands and Devon was standing behind them planning something sinister. A second later, he took his hand to his boot and pulled a small dagger out of it.
Zayn successfully held Eigner's hands and was about to push him off when Devon pulled Eigner from behind, attacking him with the dagger. Zayn wasn't fast enough but at least he could reduce the impact with which Devon came at him.
Devon intended to attack his right eye so Zayn moved back a little and at the same time, held Devon's hand to stop him from coming any closer. However, Zayn couldn't totally stop the attack and Devon sliced through his skin from his forehead to his cheek.
Luckily, his eye wasn't touched.
Zayn cried in pain as he placed his hands over his eye, blood poured into his hands, it was quite a deep wound. Devon triumphantly smiled and pulled Eigner from the ground. The two left the garden, leaving Zayn to shout and move in pain while gripping his right eye.
After a minute, Joselu came running towards his spot. He had been looking for Zayn all over the palace. When he got to where Zayn was, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Joselu rushed and helped Zayn off the ground.
The three princes were soon assembled in the presence of King Arsenio. Zayn's eye was already bandaged with Joselu's help.
After listening to their lines of story, Arsenio gave a deep thought as he looked at his three sons.
"So Devon attacked Zayn with a dagger." Zayn nodded immediately while Devon kept mute.
"Well, you had no right to attack a Jadovian prince."
Zayn stuttered in disbelief at Arsenio's words.
"He attempted to take out my eye!"
"So what?!"
Zayn was rendered speechless for the second time.
"But father…" Zayn couldn't continue speaking because Arsenio interrupted him.
"Don't you dare call me father, do you know how much that disgusts me?!" Arsenio coldly glared at Zayn who had a startled look on his face because of his father's outburst.
After a few seconds, Arsenio spoke again.
"Zayn. You disgust me in ways neither of us could ever imagine and I cannot have someone who makes me feel in such way around me. You seize to be my son from this second."
"What?" Zayn was in utter disbelief.
"Get out of this palace and out of this Kingdom. And don't even think of ever coming back."
Zayn immediately went on his knees.
"Father please…"