Chapter nine----She is going with me

"Your highness?" Nadira said with a look of disdain on her expression.

"Let's not do this argument here," he said in that commanding voice that brings no room for further argument.

Swerving to the prince of Kafata still on his kneel. He asked him with an authoritative air.

"Would you still not offer me a place in your palace or am I not welcomed here?"

Discerning trouble, the prince hurriedly stands up from his kneeling position, about to show them inside Ameera cuts in.

"If you want me to go back with you then I don't want to stay another minute in this kingdom".

" Sister, the road is bad so we can't start our journey today. Let's rest here and we can begin our journey home, tomorrow" Nadira pleads.

"I was not talking to you," Ameera said shutting Nadira up.

Nadira felt humiliated and couldn't hide it quickly, that her words has cut her deeper than she trying to let on.

Ameera feels her heart go to her but she doesn't know if she should trust her, or not, after all, she is that witch's daughter.

Her mind flashes back to when she was brought to kafata newly and was ordered to sleep outside in the cold for three days.

She remembered, how she was frostbite because it was the first time, her over-pampered body was going through such inhumane treatment.

Her mind also recollects how she would be flogged by Rayan for any slight mistake.

She didn't forget also that it was Rayan that sold her to the palace even though he knew who she was.

Why shouldn't she be angry? after all, the hell she has gone through? Her stepmother, she believes, was aware of everything being done to her and agreed to it...

How then can she trust her daughter? A tree can never produce a different fruit from the one it is supposed to generate.

If it was the Nadira of old, when they were still children, she would trust her but not now. She can never trust her.

She turns to the prince with an accusing eye and voice "you knew I was here? Why didn't you rescue me or are you like them too?

"No. I couldn't rescue you because I felt it would be dangerous. The demons would do anything to see me on my knees and only you can give them that pleasure if you are captured and killed that's why I thought it was safer here than with me"

Rasheed tries his best to articulate the words in his heart, wishing she will understand his reasons.

At first, when she was not coming to the palace again like she used to, his heart was heavy with worry even his mother, for she was very fond of her.

After the loss of her childhood friend Suhana, Ameera's godmother the queen became fiercely protective of Ameera, thus, she even ordained her as a crown princess.

She was never in support of Aza Jamal's new conjugal bliss with Keya. She has always seen the worst in her, and how right she was!

reminiscing about that woman alone brought waves and waves of anger streaming through his veins. He tries to suppress his resentment less the realm suffers as they have been suffering for the last two months.

It is not his fault that his emotions are tied to the climate that's just how he is... Whenever he becomes extremely angry, the climate ends up in deep frost.

Whenever he is excited and delighted the environment looks blissful as the summer... The flowers bloom more beautifully, and the land yields good fruit to those who till the earth.

The realm feels peace. The power he has is like a burden to him so he is constantly conscious of his emotions and people are willing to do whatever it takes to please him.

At a very young age among his three brothers, he was chosen as the crown prince when he is the youngest among them.

Whenever he sees his siblings playing so freely without ado, he was often jealous of them because he is not allowed to act out of sorts.

He can not play like them, he can not laugh so carefreely like them. When his grandfather was alive, all his attention was focused on him continuously training him, no stop.

Rasheed can not help but remember when he meant her, for the first time. As a child, she has always been obsessed with the stars.

If there is one aspect they are recognized for is that they are the earthly deities that keep the realm in balance.

His star clan have been ruling over the realm for centuries and that's how it is always going to be except they are wiped off.

That's what the demon king is after... wishing for the extinction of his Star clan. They can not succeed as long as he is alive for he is the most powerful being in all the realm.

That's why they have been looking for his weakness unfortunately for him... His little moon is his weakness and he loves it that way.

"I don't care about your reason, the fact that you left me here to rot can not be denied" Ameera stoutly defend herself.

"I do not understand why you are acting so biased towards me" he replies to her.

She marches away from him heading toward the slave's quarters. "Why are you going that way, Ameera?" The prince questions, baffled.

She has always been stubborn, he groaned inwardly... This is not going to be as easy as he had thought.

He had underestimated her stubbornness again.

"The hairpin my mom left for me is in there, you remember it, don't you?" She said as she raised her eyebrows.

Oh yes, he does recall the hair clasp... It was in the shape of a star with diamonds adorning it.

Blue and green colour just like her eyes. She has the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen. Her black shining mane of hair is still as silky as it was when she was younger.

If younger Ameera was called beautiful then this older version of her is dazzling and fully grown in all the right places.

His ears redden at the thought of his wandering indecent mind. He couldn't stop his eyes from prowling her body.

While she stands there waiting for an answer, he shamelessly let his eyes row down to her breast...

Heavens! She is well endowed... Perfectly fit for his hands and he feels his hands hitching to see if indeed they will fit...

His eyes wandered further to the deep in her dainty waist that is open plainly because that's how the slaves dress around here.

He makes a mental note not to forget to deal with the kingdom of kafata before he leaves.

"Well?" She asked, her face beautifully flushed making her more stunning. The snow falling and cascading around adds a different beauty to her elegance.

He tries to rein in his urges advising his drifting mind that she belongs to him and there would be ample time to claim her.

"Yes, I do. How can I forget how you used to look in that hairpin on your long hair" he compliment her. Gaining satisfaction when he sees her face redden.

"I thought you were still that young man who doesn't talk much. I guess I am wrong," she said facing the slave's quarter.

Nadira observed the way the prince gave apt attention to Ameera which he never gave her when she was used as a replacement for Ameera now she knows why.

The prince is in love with her sister and her anger toward her sister was unjust and uncalled for.

The king of Kafata walks in to meet the prince. His servant has informed him of his arrival in his kingdom.

He thought his daughter has finally won his heart and he came with cheerfulness to welcome the star prince to his home.

What he sees weakens his pace "Your highness," the king said bowing to the crown prince.

When he sees his daughter on the ground, he knew trouble has visited his doorpost.

"It is good you are here" the prince pauses his word to make sure the king understands that he is not there for pleasantries.

"I was about to send for you... Tell me why I shouldn't destroy your kingdom or why I shouldn't forsake your people and let the demons have their way with you?"

Undiluted fear grasps the king and he falls to his knees face down intending to plead for mercy even though he doesn't know why he is pleading for it.

"Your highness, my people and I have been your loyal subjects. We have always adhered to the rules governing the realm and have never stepped out of line. Please your highness, if there be anything that we have done to warrant your wrath against us... Pardon us, temper mercy with justice, please" The king placated the crown prince.

He knew the crown prince doesn't just make decisions, he has a feeling this would be the end of his lineage if caution is not taken.

"Your kingdom has been holding the crown princess of Novoland hostage and as a slave to serve you and the people in the palace. Was slaving not abolished from this realm long ago? Why then do your kingdom and your council still entertain slaving as a way of life" the star prince questions with his eyebrows raised.

The king is trembling now, his mind is in shambles. Crown princess? How come? How did this happen? How did the crown princess get here?

The crown princess which is assumed to be dead found in his kingdom will look like a conspiracy and treason against the ruling clan of Novoland.

Ha! The king screamed in his mind.

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