Zaynah ✓

iii

~ Z a y n a h ~

The commotion in the darkness made me jolt awake from my light slumber.

"Who's there?"

Only silence answered me, so I repeated my question again but with more courage.

"I asked, who's there?"

"It's me, Your Highness. Desmond, the King of Laxoire." The voice answered from the darkness.

I didn't know him. I didn't want to.

Why was somebody in my room at this hour?

"Why are you here?" I slowly reached for the dagger under my pillow.

He chuckled, "We can tackle the situation in a more non-violent way, if you would."

He might've seen my movement because he was in the darkness, and the place where I stood was lit by the moonlight.

"What's happening here? What's all this noise?" I couldn't contain my confusion and frustration.

"We're waging a war right now. That's all." I heard the voice reply with such calmness that made me question my sanity.

"This is against the Treaty. If I'm right, your kingdom Laxoire is not supposed to attack at ours without a formal war agreement." I replied, feeling nervous as time passed by. My kingdom was in trouble.

"Do I seem like I care for those ridiculous Treaties? No." He clicked his tongue, "Also, I never signed them, my father did, and I'm the King now."

Was he serious?

"A non-ethical human like you could never make a good King." I spat angrily. I was running out of time. Everything that was happening was just too much for me to process.

He laughed again, "Like I said, I don't care." I heard his steps move towards me, "All I care about is taking a very precious possession of mine to my palace."

I didn't like his tone.

"You must be crazy." I shook my head in disbelief.

"Hmm, maybe." His face came forward in the moonlight, "but crazy and powerful is a deadly combination, Snowflake."

I took a step back in disgust. He was getting closer.

If he barged in so casually, then it's sure that my guards have been taken down.

The universe was playing against me.

"If you leave now, we'll give you the chance to renew the Peace Treaty and forget about this intrusion." I tried to knock some sense into him.

He laughed again, and this time, it looked like the maniac in him was taking over.

"You know that's not possible, Snowflake." He stood directly in front of me now.

He leaned in and played with my hair strand as I tightened my hold on the dagger to plunge it any moment. "Because my intention would never lead me to peace."

"Hands off me," I glared at him as my eyes filled with tears of anger.

"Don't bother with the negotiation, just stab me already," He rested his hand on my shoulder, "but it's your choice whether your parents will die here or live in my dungeon."

My breath hitched in my throat. I could never imagine that a person could stoop so low and play such a vile trick.

He took my hand and brought it to his neck; the knife dangerously close to his jugular vein, "Go for it while you can."

My throat constricted painfully as I held back from sobbing in front of him.

I dropped my hand, and the knife fell to the floor. I hung my head low.

The price of saving my parents was selling my pride before this evil monster.

For the first time in my life, I got a taste of defeat. Painful and disgraceful defeat.

His mad laugh echoed around the room, "So my dungeon, it is."

"Why?" I sounded broken much to my dismay.

"You denied my proposal, sweetheart." He just blinked at me after coming up with that pathetic excuse.

"All this, just because I rejected you?" I didn't hide my resentment towards him.

The room fell silent for a moment.

He lifted my jaw and forced me to look into his deranged eyes, "No, all this because you caught my attention."

I blinked back my tears.

The more I stayed with him, the more my sanity was leaving me. He tilted his head as he stared through my soul.

"How am I supposed to agree to wed a complete stranger when I have no plan on getting married in the first place?" I tried to reason my decision.

"Fair enough," He seemed to be in deep thought, "but the world isn't fair, Snowflake."

"The rejection made you go nuts, or were you born like that?" I snapped.

He smiled as if amused, "Both."

He left my jaw finally, "I agree that I was furious when I learned that I was rejected, but just I wanted to see you in person because I was curious. You shouldn't have been so cold-hearted, you should've permitted me to meet while I acted nice. So, things had to turn out this way." He shrugged as if he didn't invade a kingdom and threaten their Queen.

He proved to be crazier by the minute.

"This wasn't the first time a marriage proposal has arrived for me, Desmond. I've been receiving them since I was eighteen, but none of the rejected suitors went ballistic to do things like these."

"Well, you can say, I'm built differently." He smiled proudly, and I wanted to do nothing but to smack his face against the wall, but I restrained from choosing violence. Also, I doubted if I'd win a physical battle against him.

I had been training to fight since my childhood, so I knew I was strong, but he looked stronger, and also, I didn't want to risk my parents' lives.

"Aren't we talking too much? I'm seriously bored," He looped his arms around my waist, "Let's just skip to the fun part."

I pushed against his chest, and he stumbled back, "I said hands off me."

"Even when your parents' lives are at stake?" His expression said that I was helpless.

Was I really helpless?

How did a normal night where I went to sleep peacefully, end this way?

"Desmond,..." I trailed off, wiping my tears.

"Yes, Snowflake?" He asked with sickly sweet enthusiasm.

"Can't you leave me alone?" I asked in desperation.

"I'm afraid I can not." He stepped forward again and engulfed me in his suffocating embrace.

I stood there frozen.

I didn't want this. I didn't want him.

Yet, I stood there frozen.

When he was done inhaling my scent, he pulled away and patted my head, "You're a quick learner."

He turned around, "Guards."

As if awaiting his voice, his royal guards barged in the room.

"Escort her." With that, he left the room.

A guard came up to me with something in his hands.

"Stay away," I ordered, but I forgot that I no longer was a queen.

What good is a queen without a kingdom?

I was consumed in my wandering thoughts when I felt a painful jab in my neck.

Slowly, I drifted off into a slumber, which I welcomed heartily.

Because, who knew what awaited me?