From the ground Herom lifted his head from the bar at the sound of footsteps from the right. On the other side of the cell bars containing his family Ishmek stood. His bowed head illuminated from the torch that hung on the wall beside the cell bars.

  “Captain Herom, this one tried to help-”

  “I am not your captain.” Herom’s eyes drifted to his family passed out on the random straws of hay that littered the floor. Samira’s medicine ensured that they slept, and did not experience being taken to the prison like criminals.

  The wounded fool that was Ishmek held onto the bars. “I truly believed that if I was there I could help. But no one listened to me,” the second half of the sentence was a helpless whisper.

  “Does Iddin know you are here?” Surely his brother would have stopped him but the fool’s head shook and the only reason Herom did not laugh was because it would be too painful.

  “He is not talking to me. He does not understand either. I went because I thought that I could make a difference th-that I could stop things from escalating. But they shot the flare so fast, and attacked without warning. I did not know what to do.” His shoulders slumped as he leaned on the bars.

  Herom responded with a motion to his predicament. His body bandaged, colored in wounds. Roset’s head on his leg, shivering from a dream that would never fade. “Am I to issue a command?”

  “You are Captain Herom Aljehni, a title that has been given due to honor and respect. Whatever it is you ask of me there are people within this kingdom that will follow without a moment's hesitation. Just-” Ishmek lifted his head to show his earnest eyes.

  At the sound of footsteps Herom dropped his head and laughed breathlessly, ignoring the pain.

  Ishmek shivered and backed away as Iddin came forward.

  “A fool I am to believe my brother would follow his orders and not neglect his own duties in the dead of the night.” Herom could hear the anger in his tone before seeing his friend’s darkened expression.

  Ishmek found wisdom in that moment and bowed before racing back to his post.

  Iddin clasped his hands behind his back and faced the cell. The grey ribbon that held his hair was the same color as the sash around his waist. Silent mourning for the dead, different from the dark clothes Samira complained about.

  “I told Samira not to come.”

  “You should have followed the sound advice.” What was the point of coming here to watch his family’s fall?

  Iddin’s eyes flashed with anger. “Regardless of your selfish actions we will not abandon you.”

  Hearing ‘we’, Herom felt his eyes sting, “Please tell me Helan is not here too.”

  As if they had planned it from the beginning, Helen stepped out of the shadows. His black palace uniform was tied with a grey sash at his waist.

  “We should have stayed together.”

  Herom scoffed. The last thing he needed was to drag his friends to fall with him. “So desperate to die with me?”

  “As opposed to watching my brother sink in the sands?” Helan spat back. “You were wrong.”

  Herom was wrong about many things. He could fill a book. “About?”

  Helan motioned to his uniform and sword tied to his side. “This position is not my dream. You attempted to discard me but in doing so I realized how stupid you are. As well as how wrong I was..”

  Iddin nodded. “A moon ago we spoke of hunting predators and protecting the people of the capital. Instead the people we tried to protect became the predator and your family the prey. If that is the cost of dreams we do not need them.”

  Herom’s heart warmed and broke at their words. “I am well aware of the betrayal done to my family. It is best you stay away.”

  Helan kicked the bars. “If you do not have a plan just say so and I will tell you mine.”

  Herom glanced at his siblings around him. Their paths were dark. “Aaleyah, is there any news of her?”

  Iddin and Helan exchanged a look and Herom looked up. Heavenly Lord, is this all that is to become of us? “Do not hide information from me.”

  Iddin and Helan nodded and Helan motioned for Iddin to speak.

  Iddin scratched his wrist, a tell-tale sign that he was nervous. “When we returned we learned that your sister was with his majesty.”

  “No-” Herom hissed and leaned back on the wall. What was he attempting to stand for? He could not save friends nor his family.

  Helan gripped the bars. “Herom I swear to protect her with my life, I will find her I promise.”

  “Agreed. As long as we breathe in this world we will do all we can to keep all of you safe,” Iddin added.

  Herom frowned. Loyalty was truly a curse. A wild cat must stay alone. “I can not ask you to defy the code. You are soldiers of the kingdom. Do not assist traitors.” It would do him no good to ask his friends to help break his siblings out. He dropped his eyes to Roset, even if he could get him out, where would his little brother go alone?”

  “Do not give up hope. As long as the sun shines we can always move forward. I will share my light with you,” were Helan’s parting words as he walked off.

  Iddin shook his head, “Herom, we will help you. ‘The wolf is not alone, there is still a pack that runs at his side.’”

  Smiling at the familiar words Herom ran his fingers through Roset’s tangled hair. “Thank you Iddin, but I hope you can protect the light of your own path. Do not allow my family’s darkness to befall you and Samira.”

  Iddin stood and Herom waited for his rebuttal; instead Iddin only sighed and left.

  Some time after he had gone Amenah woke up. Herom watched her scan her surroundings before immediately crawling to Dharam. She tapped his cheek with a shaking hand.

  “I am awake,” Dharam answered with his eyes closed.

  Herom raised his brows in shock, how long had he been awake? How much had he heard?

  “Then why are your eyes closed?” Amenah whispered whilst scanning his wounds. The clothing that covered his shoulder was drenched in blood, and Herom and Amenah could see the bandage that went around his torso and over his shoulder.

  Dharam exhaled slow soft breaths. “Meditating is easier.”

  Amenah’s eyes glistened with tears. “We have to get you a physician, if you stay like this you will die.”

  She turned in the direction of the cell doors and Dharam gripped the sleeve of her dress that was next to him. Opening his eyes he smirked, “Why would the guards summon physicians for traitors? Be logical.”

  “I refuse to let you die,” Amenah hissed.

  Herom and Amenah had to wait for Dharam to gather his breath before he spoke again. “This pain will not cause death.”

  Tears fell down Amenah’s livid face. “Lie to others, but do not lie to me. I can feel your pain. Each breath a sharp stab that pulses through our heart. All you do is loosely hold my sleeve because your pain prohibits you from doing anything else.”

  “Amenah, enough,” Herom warned. He did not wish to admit it but it is likely that these would be their last moments. They need not spend it fighting.

  Amenah pounded her fist on her chest. “Is this really it? Herom, is there really nothing that can be done? Is this how everything ends?” Her tears fell and she pounded her chest harder, the sound of her cries were heard by her siblings and Asbed, and Chiara woke with a start.

  Chiara immediately moved to comfort Amenah. Her hands wrapped around her tightly as she held her in an embrace.

  Dharam kept his eyes closed tight. “Do not yell. There is not much Herom can do.”

  Dharam’s words were a knife that cut through the fragile pride Herom had left. As the oldest it was his duty to protect his family. Herom Aljehni: first born son of Scholar Havil Aljehni, and General Aminah Aljehni. He fought on the battlefield and made his own name for himself, he mastered his family’s dances, he trained the best generation of guards. Under his command bandits, thieves, traitors, and criminals had fallen. The Aidkjeen people regarded him as a man of power; so why was he so weak now?”

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Asbed moved to Dharam’s side and pulled out a folded cloth from his chest pocket. He opened Amenah’s hand and placed the cloth there, “This is ylang-ylang, it is all I have, but try smelling it. The best way to help Dharam is to help lower your pain too, right?”

  The tears continued to fall as Amenah lifted the cloth to smell and tried to calm herself. On the ground Dharam smiled. “Good work Asbed.”

  Herom held back his helpless feeling and piled the straw around him into a makeshift pillow. “Dharam when did you wake?” He nervously asked.

  “Did not.”

  “Did not wake?”

  “Did not sleep,” Dharam confirmed.

  Herom closed his eyes, “It is not-”

  “I understand.”

  He focused on Dharam, “I am sorry, and thank you.”

  Dharam nodded once.

  Chiara released Amenah from her tight embrace and ran her fingers over Zale’s cheek. “He still has not woken.”

  All eyes sans Dharam and Roset’s focussed on Zale.

  “Does that mean-” Chiara started,

  “Do not speak anything into existence.” Asbed warned, holding his hand up to stop Chiara from speaking.

  Herom could not stop his thoughts from finishing Chiara’s thoughts. Did this mean that Aaleyah was in pain? Did she make it out? Or, did she die?”

  Meanwhile, Saan raced out the medicinal rooms. Behind him servants and physicians trailed after him. “Prince Saan, you must rest.”

  “Prince Saan you have only just woken.”

  “Prince Saan.”

  Saan knocked over a vase of flowers as he ran down the hall. He had to get to his grandfather, he had to ask him to stop this. He remembered the Stilits claiming that his grandfather had ordered for harm to come to Leyah, but he could not believe it. Refused to believe it. If he could talk to his grandfather he could convince him to release Leyah’s family.

  It was only days before that his grandfather told him the story of the students. As king, one had to pretend to act to buy time to figure out the appropriate next course of action. This harm coming to the Aljehnis must be his grandfather’s way of buying time.

  Saan skidded to a stop. Black boots, sword at the waist, hair pulled up into a knot at the top of his head, a familiar man stood before him with a tight expression.

  “Prince Saan, one must be careful of running within the palace.”

  Saan grabbed his arm. “You are Helan right? The best friend of Captain Herom Aljehni?”

  The guard moved his arm away and bowed. “Prince Saan, yelling within the palace is ill advised.”

  Saan scanned his surroundings and pulled Helan to hide in the shadows of a pillar. “Did you hear about the Aljehni family? Le-Aaleyah was here and she said her family was in danger, are they safe? Do you know where she is? What is going on, the guards just took her away?”

  The coldness in the guard’s eye faded and he quickly scanned the perimeter before leaning close to Saan, whispering in a volume only he could hear. “The Aljehnis have committed treason, thus tried with leading the Stilits and causing the deaths of numerous innocents. Fourth Lady Aljehni is being held under the eyes of his royal highness until she is punished.” Helan’s fists remained at his side, but Saan saw the veins in his hands pulse.

  The Stilits? Was he too late? Leyah had pleaded for help for her family, but no one came. Now her family was tried for treason? Was Aaleyah the last one left? She could not be tried too. Her family was innocent! He had to stop this. Saan raced in the direction of his grandfather.

  As Saan ran he heard soft steps behind him and turned to tell Helan to stay. “Hammun!”

  “Before father passed out from his injuries he told the physicians to tell us when you woke, but you were not at the medicinal rooms, and knowing your refusal to stop and think I knew you would try to speak to grandfather,” Hammun rasped, already tired from running.

  “What do you mean to stop and think? Aaleyah’s family is dead. Grandfather is holding her to punish her for treason. Her family did no such thing.”

  Hammun gripped Saan’s arm pulling him to a halt. “Her family is dead?” Taking a few breaths his eyes scanned the halls as he thought. “Human nature is fallible, the crimes with the Stilits are atrocious and many people have died as a result. A fair trial is the proper thing to do. They cannot already be killed-”

  “Hammun!” Saan glared. “Do you believe Aljehnis are treacherous? The Aljehnis who fed you, and bought gifts for you? The Aljehnis who convinced father to allow you to study instead of learning martial arts?” He stepped closer until Hammun had his back to the wall. “You dare to call yourself a friend after saying something like this?”

  Hammun pushed him, but it was too weak to force him away. “I am saying that the best way to get justice is to prove their innocence before the court. This way everyone can know that they did no such thing. I cannot believe grandfather already tried them! I also never said I believed the Aaleyah was vicious.”

  “Do you believe the Aljehnis are behind it?”

  “The Stilits stole weapons that appeared in Scholar Aljehni’s academy. General Aminah’s second and third in command attacked and killed the mourners who went to receive aid from grandfather. The news has spread throughout the kingdom. The evidence can not be blindly ignored.”

  Saan squeezed Hammun’s shoulders. “How? How dare you call yourself a friend, but refuse to come to their aid when they need you the most?”

  “I do not know why her family has already been tried, but we can convince grandfather to do a fair trial to save Aaleyah. Proving innocence before the court is the best course of action. This will help clear the innocence of the Aljehni name.”

  “There is nothing to clear! Aaleyah is in danger and I am going to save her.” Saan turned away to continue his path to his grandfather.

  Hammun frowned, “If everyone has passed, clearing their name is the last honorable thing we can do for them.”

  Saan did not respond, he would have time to argue with his brother later.

  “If you wish to save the Aljehni name you have to look like a prince. At least change and retrieve your crown,” Hammun advised tirelessly.

  Saan looked at his white robe that was given from the physicians, Hammun was right. Their grandfather loved appearance and order. He could not enter the court dressed like a commoner.

  Saan instead raced to his own chamber and threw himself into a bath, the water was cold and he struggled to scrub at his skin with his injured hand. Tying the royal robes he grabbed his crown and left his chambers running his hands through his hair to soothe it.

  Outside the doors to his grandfather’s court he tried to erase his panic and wear a calm persona. Fixing his hair he placed the unmarked silver crown showing his status as a child prince. In four Blue moons he would have the sacred crowning ceremony and he hoped his actions today would not alter his face.

  He gave a nod to the guards and they opened the big heavy doors. He walked in with his head held high, but was shocked to find the court empty, only his grandfather, the eunuch, and Duke Majidi were present.

  At the bottom steps leading to the throne Saan dropped to one knee. “Your majesty, it is Prince Saan who kneels in reverence. Forgive my age, but this prince asks for the heart of his grandfather to hear his words. This prince is still young, and has much to learn from the king,” He motioned to the step he had sat out days ago, “but it was here that this prince received a lesson of the tiring pains of being a king. Here that the prince learned that to guide, is a tiring task, and one can never admit that they too do not know something. Our people are important to the kingdom, just as much as the king is important.”

  As he spoke Eunich Yosen bowed and backed out, leaving the throne room. Duke Majidi took his place behind the throne at the king’s side, and Saan controlled his unease at the unnatural smile on his face. Rarely had he ever seen the duke…happy? If one could call it that.

  “This prince has learned that the kingdom has no strength if the people are weak. Thus, Prince Saan Dlumaeni beseeches, please do not kill Aaleyah Aljehni, for she has never committed any acts of treason.”

  On the throne Saan watched his grandfather calmly eat grapes from a platter, and held his tongue between his teeth to stop himself from urging his grandfather to act faster. Grandfather taught patience and an unreadable face, ‘A smart king never showed his hands.’ He ate each grape one at a time, rolling it between his fingers before popping it in his mouth. He chewed slowly and thoroughly one grape, two, three…

  Saan sent a prayer asking for patience not to explode, and finally all the grapes were gone from the platter and his grandfather smiled warmly.

  “I need not explain to you the dangers and crimes the Stilits have committed within the kingdom. The lives of our people have been played like game pieces, and then killed when they were no longer necessary. The evidence shows the Aljehnis as the Stilits creator. Are you too young to see that these actions endangered the throne?”

  Saan dropped his other leg to kneel. “This one has no proof to deny this claim, but-”

  The king leaned forward. “Speak louder, Prince Saan.”

  Saan hid his shaking hands in his sleeves. “It is just, all the evidence points only to the Aljehnis. With every crime there are usually two stories, and multiple people that can be blamed. However crimes so atrocious, so deadly, they all only point to them. Is that not suspicious? Can that not be proof they are being framed?”

  The king frowned.

  “Grandfa-K-king Saamun, this one respects you more than the stars in the skies, and sands in the desert, but if you kill Aaleyah Aljehni this one will never forgive you. I may not have proof that Aaleyah is innocent, but does grandfather have proof that Aaleyah, the same age as I, is guilty?”

  “The attack at the Aljehni estate was a result of their inaction. The Stilits were promised our throne would be usurped, but the Aljehnis took too long so their own troops rebelled against them. The Stilits we captured confirm this. Her family committed treason, should criminals not be punished?”

  So it was Stilits that attacked the estate. Weighing his options, Saan could not see a way to prove the entire family innocent, but maybe he can prove Aaleyah’s innocence. For now he can pretend to agree that her family is guilty, later on he and Aaleyah can prove her family’s innocence together and give them a proper burial. This will be the best way to buy time.

  “Her family has paid for their crimes, Aaleyah Aljehni is only a child. With no family, she will be unable to commit any form of treason against the throne. Many of our neighboring kingdoms still hold great respect for the Aljehni name, she is better use to you alive than dead.”

  King Saamun stood with a laugh. “You plead solely for her life?”

  “The Aljehni name is still powerful, many believe in the old legends saying Aljehnis once possessed magic. Keeping the name in our kingdom can give us strength for those who still believe the old stories.”

  The king gave a nod and took a step closer. “You wish for only her life?”

  Saan felt the weight leaving his shoulders, his grandfather was listening to him. “Yes, more than anything. Grandfather, please keep her alive.”

  King Saamun made his way down the stairs and helped Saan to his feet. “It will come at a cost Saan. As a prince of the Dlumaeni line are you certain you can pay it?”

  Saan did not hesitate, “I can pay it. I will pay, you have my word.” He could hardly contain his smile, he had done it. He had saved Aaleyah. As long as she was alive there was no price he could not pay. He would not lose all his friends unjustly.

  King Saamun patted Saan’s shoulder. “Very well, Aaleyah Aljehni will be absolved of her family’s crimes.” He waved and Duke Majidi bowed and exited the court.