Prince Aryan was beyond furious due to the injustice that was currently taking place in the palace and it all looked as though it was set up. He stormed out of the throne room, leaving everyone hanging.

The conversation had begun like any other until it changed course and Prince Aryan was the one crashing. One of the council elders cleared his throat, it was now time for him to inform the royal family what actions would be next.

“It has been two days since the late king had died and it is only fair that we choose his successor to the throne,” The elder informed the royal family, Prince Aryan quickly looked away uninterested in matters of the throne, to him the throne meant nothing but he did and he has always loved his people.

The elder had gone into detail of his father’s death, details that he had not bothered to ask over the phone but to his surprise, his father had died of heart failure, a condition he made sure to keep away from the rest of the family. Men like the late king hated the thought that people would view them as weak; if word ever got out that they were sick.

“Prince Aryan Arsalan” The elder called out his name and this had Prince Aryan looking at the elder wondering how the conversation had radiated towards him.

“Yes, I am Prince Aryan Arsalan” The prince answered. The prince sensed that everyone knew something, the atmosphere in the throne room had changed and everything had become tense all of a sudden.

“It is good to see that you are finally back home, it is nice to know that the next king has finally come home to take his place at the throne of his father” The elder had informed him. If ever there was a time that Prince Aryan was speechless, this was definitely it. He turned his attention to his stepmother and their eyes met, the look in his stepmother’s eyes had confirmed it, the priest had told the truth.

Without another word from him, Prince Aryan stormed out of the throne room and retreated to his chambers, where he requested that he should not be disturbed.

Prince Aryan had been pacing the floors of his room for nearly an hour, trying to come to terms with the information and above all, the responsibility placed on his shoulders. Being king was something he had never thought that he would be. He resented the idea of being a ruler. For years he had seen how being king had taken a toll on his father and ruined him, the very same throne was the one that gave his late father so much power that it drove the late king mad. It had caused him to invade kingdoms and take over them; it had also made him take lives of innocent people.

There was a knock on his door and Prince Aryan rushed to the door, ready to take his anger out on whoever was standing there ,even though he had warned that no one was to disturb him. He unlocked the door and standing there was his stepmother, seeing the worry in her eyes softened Prince Aryan’s heart.

“I know you are angry my son but would you care to let your mother in?” The queen asked and without a word from Prince Aryan, he moved away from the door, allowing his mother in.

The queen looked around Prince Aryans room then turned to face her stepson and she smiled at him.

“I remember telling all the servants that they should leave your room just the way it is, because deep down I knew that you would come back to me”

“Were you aware of this ploy, mother?” Prince Aryan asked his stepmother, the smile on her face was gone further confirming that she knew all about it.

“My son I wanted to tell you the truth but I knew that if I did that, you would never agree to come home to your people,” The queen confessed. This confession from the queen had the prince feel let down by the woman he called mother.

“So you lied to me then?” He asked his stepmother, who looked horrified that he would utter such words.

“No, I did not lie to you my son! I mainly kept the truth from you,” the queen told Prince Aryan as her heart broke for him.

“Well then, I guess you would have to find some other person to fill my father’s shoes because I am not fit to become a king” Prince Aryan told his mother, his voice calm and collective whilst his stepmother looked horrified.

“My son you cannot do that, you have to become the next king”

“Why I mother? I am not the eldest son of the family, your biological son Aziz is the eldest,” Prince Aryan told his mother and she too knew that this was true.

“But Aziz cannot become the king!” She yelled at the prince. Prince Aryan knew why it was that Aziz could not become a king and it was best that Prince Aryan did not venture into it.

“Okay then why can’t Malik become king?” He asked his mother but she kept quiet and Prince Aryan knew that there was something wrong.

“Mother, where is my younger brother Malik?” He asked the queen who looked away from him.

“I am sorry my son but your younger brother Malik passed away three years ago” The queen informed him, Prince Aryan’s pupils widened as shock travelled throughout his body. Still shook from the new development, he knew that he had more questions that needed answering.

“Why was I not told that my brother died three years ago?”

“Your father threatened to skin anyone who told you of this, so we all allowed the news to die in our hearts” his stepmother informed him, with tears filling her eyes.

“I am not surprised, the old man had always been wicked”

“Please do not say that, your father was a good man” the queen walked up to Prince Aryan and placed her hand below his chin, so that he would look at her.

“Father was never a good man and I think that it is best that neither you nor his other wives defend him. He is dead and he cannot harm anyone” Prince Aryan informed his stepmother coldly. His words had hurt the queen, the king might have been dead but he had been her husband.

“Please do this for me, you are the only one left” The queen begged him but the kingship was the last on Prince Aryan’s mind and denying his mother this request was definitely on his mind.

“Mother there has to be someone else” His voice softened, hoping that this would convince the queen to think of anyone other than him.

“There is no one else, you know that out of all twenty eight children of the king there are only three sons— well now there is only your brother and you. If you do not become kind then the elders would pick another king from another family,” the queen pleaded, only this time she cried and that broke Prince Aryan’s heart.

With the pressure mounting, Prince Aryan walked over to his balcony, hopping that the fresh air would help him think better. The queen followed him to the balcony and stood beside him, as they overlooked the courtyard.

“Then is it not best that the crown is removed from our family linage, this crown has done nothing but tear our family apart?” Prince Aryan suggested.

“No you cannot do that”

“Why not?” he questioned the queen, as he did not understand why the throne had become such a pivotal part of every one’s lives.

“It is because that is all that your late mother had wanted for you” Hearing those words from his stepmother’s mouth sent a sharp pain through Prince Aryan’s heart. His mother had died many years ago and the queen bringing this up made Prince Aryan relive those memories.

His mother was the first wife to the king and the people had loved her. They called his mother ‘the queen of hearts’ because unlike the other wives of the late king, Prince Aryan’s mother was not vain and cruel. On the day of her funeral, the public had mourned her for an entire month, filling the entrance of the palace with flowers.

Now that the queen had mentioned his mother, Prince Aryan was confused. All his life, Prince Aryan wanted to realize his late mother’s wishes and taking over the crown was unfortunately one of them. Prince Aryan shut his eyes, took in the sweet scent of his kingdom and turned to his stepmother.

“If it is my late mother’s wish for me to become king, then I will do so in honor of her” Prince Aryan told his stepmother, whose eyes filled with excitement as Prince Aryan agreed to take over from his late father.

“Thank you my son, I am sure that your mother is proud of you wherever she is. You will bring about the change that this kingdom needs” His mother blessed him and that made Prince Aryan smile. Prince Aryan turned his attention to the courtyard, behind the bushes, as something was not right.

He focused his attention on the lovely green bushes and there seemed as though something was moving in the bushes and he saw it, or rather her. A young woman wearing a white sleeved top and she was taking pictures.

“Mother, how much security does the palace have?” He asked the queen, still keeping his attention on the young woman in the bushes.

“Well we have over thirty guards, the latest cameras and best security systems than any other kingdom. Why do you ask this son?” The queen asked him.

“How safe will I be as a king?” Prince Aryan asked his stepmother, his eyes zooming on the young woman even more.

“My son if you are worried about your security as the king, you need not worry about that. No one can enter this palace without the guards detecting it.” Prince Aryan turned and faced his mother, his face serious.

“If that is the case then why is there a young woman in my courtyard taking pictures and from the look of things, she is undetected until I saw her,” Prince Aryan told his stepmother as he pointed at the bushes.

The queen turned her attention towards the bushes, surely enough she spotted the young woman, her eyes grew wide with shock that someone had come into the palace unnoticed.

“Well I see the palace is not as secured as you thought it was, mother. Call the guards, I want that woman arrested” Prince Aryan ordered as he walked away from the balcony and into his room.

The queen now angry and furious gathered all her strength, for today she would rid the palace of a suspected killer.

“Guards, Guards! Intruder alert, there is a threat to heir’s life!” The queen called out from the balcony. The young woman turned her attention to the balcony and immediately she took off running.

After thirty minutes of searching, the young woman was nowhere in sight. The queen was furious at there seemed to be an attempt on the heir’s life. The head guard now summoned to review the footage and explain why it was that someone had entered the palace grounds without detection.

“How is that even possible?” The queen yelled out, so loud that her voice echoed through the interior of throne room. Prince Aryan sat next to her, seemingly unbothered with his stepmother’s tantrums; all he could think about was who the woman was.

“I apologize my queen, I promise you that we will look through all the footages and we will find who the intruder is” the head guard apologized to queen.

“You better make sure that you arrest that intruder and only the highest punishment will be handed down to her” the queen stood from her chair and ordered.

“Yes my queen” The head guard bowed down.

“You may leave” The queen dismissed him and he did as he was told, leaving only the queen, the prince and Fahd.

“Now that all this is done mother, when is my coronation?” Prince Aryan asked his stepmother, who turned to him and smiled.

“In two days’ time but first we have to find you a bride” his mother informed him and this left Prince Aryan stunned.

“Mother I am in no rush to get married” Prince Aryan smiled at his mother. Both his mother and his guard, Fahd looked at each other and then back at him.

“My son, I do not think that you understand this. My son you have to be married before you are crowned king,” His mother informed him and this left Prince Aryan frozen in his seat.