TWO.

"Please, Sultan, my husband will not steal your shoes ever again. I beg you, please spare my husband. I am with child please..."

The woman trailed off crying profusely. Mudhin Amal, the Sultan of the Islamic Empire, had finally found out who had been stealing his expensive shoes.

It had been three days since he had found out. The culprit was the chief warrior. Umar, the culprit, would steal the footwear and give it to a village vendor to sell them for money.

For a moment, Amal and the subjects had been speechless. Had he not given him money enough? He made sure that all his servants were well taken care of, along with their families too. Infact, in the Islamic Empire, it was a privilege to serve the Sultan than to even go to Mecca on a pilgrimage, because almost all the families were well- to-do due to their family members working in the palace.

So what had pushed Umar to do such a childish thing? Well right now, Amal was about to have Umar beheaded.

The day he had caught him, Amal had had Umar's left leg amputated. The following day, he had had Umar's right arm also chopped off.

One could imagine his wife's pain. It was not easy for a heavily pregnant woman to see her husband in such a miserable state.

The royal family were seated at the highest platform. His mother, Sultana Sidik was seated right beside him on his right while his younger sister, Sultana Shaban, was seated at his left side. The elders followed from where Shaban sat. From the highest rank elder to the lowest rank elder including the chief Imam.

Mudhin Amal was a tall, strong, massively built, tan skinned, handsome and deadly man. He loved it when people submitted to him or feared him. He could have spared Umar if he wanted to but when Umar was caught, the first thing he did was to curse at Amal's way of rulling his people.

Umar called Amal an incapable Sultan who was still immature and didn't deserve the throne.

Although he was wicked, the subjects loved Amal for his generosity and how he swiftly handled difficult and complicated disputes sensibly.

Currently, Mudhin Amal had given a deaf ear to the crying woman. Zeinab, Umar's wife, cried uncontrollably and loudly as the executor raised his weapon to behead her husband.

According to their custom, after she had given birth and the baby had grown up to become a toddler, she would be ceased to the widow's home for some rituals to be carried out.

"Please spare my husband for me. Let my child see his father please." Zeinab pleaded tearfully but Mudhin Amal was not ready to listen to her cries and pleas. To him, her lamentation sounded like a sweet melody in his ears.

Mudhin Amal nodded in approval for Umar to be beheaded. "Umar! Umar!" Zeinab called out as she watched her husband's head fall to the ground. She chocked on her saliva and fainted that instant.

The moment Amal stood up, everyone followed suit. He stormed off. This has always been life in the Islamic Empire. All the criminals lived in anticipation of who would be caught next and be sent to Allah for further punishment.

Everyone was scared of Amal. He was simply ruthless and unforgiving. He had even killed his own wife for commiting adultery on their wedding night.

Somehow, everyone felt that it was Rukaya who turned Amal into a more wicked beast. They had been lovers since teen age but on their wedding night, he had entered his chamber only to find her soiling their matrimonial bed with her lover.

The guts she had? She had gone ahead to call him the worst man in the entire world. Amal had then nodded and shown her his worst side by having her burnt alive while her lover was thrown into the lion's den after he had had both of them stripped and whipped mercilessly.

It was only that time that everyone supported his actions. Another time too, some human marauding rogues tried to attack the palace. When Amal got hold of them, he didn't listen to them. He immediately had them taken to the snake's pit. To him, cries of agony was his lullaby especially when it came from criminals and their families.

However, it was difficult to overthrow him because he was full of valour and fiery. The people always prayed that someone would come and change his way of punishing people for good. It was just becoming too much.

Amal stormed into his chamber. He smirked as an evil thought came into his mind. He was going to abduct the princess of the Roman Empire just to create a war then he would in turn win.

"I'm coming for you beautiful one." He whispered in his deep menacing voice.

He quickly checked his map to investigate the shortest path to the empire and how long it would take to get there.

With his perfect calculation, he noted that it would take a week to the empire.

He began gathering his own clothes, personal stuff and weapons. He called for his most trusted guards and servants to start packing so they would leave.

Shaban entered her brother's chamber. "Are you going out?" She queried with a frown.

Amal replied,"yes. I have something really important to do. Do you want anything? He asked.

"Yes, I would love to go too." She requested.

Amal immediately shook his head,"no. My journey will be dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt." Shaban pouted.

"Oh brother, please," Shaban pleaded, pulling at Amal's huge arm, even though it couldn't do anything to him.

"Shaban, what should I do with you? Tell me," Amal groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Is that a yes?" She asked hopefully.

"Yes and make sure you don't waste my time. We leave now." He said.

"Thank you!" She squealed and ran out. Amal sighed and shook his head. "Shaban." He breathed out in exhaustion.

But on the bright side, he was going to get Princess Cora-Jane and she would be at his mercy.

A sinister smirk adorned his face.