The prisoner stood with his hands tied in front of him, tired, beaten, and filthy but with a proud back befitting his royal heritage. His captor, Zeref, looked on haughtily from a lavishly carved, gilded throne. Tall, gold pillars stood like sentinels around the room. Not a whisper of a jungle breeze moved across the sheer draperies. All the prisoner could hear was the steady clinking of Zeref's jeweled rings against the side of the golden chair. Zeref looked down, eyes narrowed into contemptuous, triumphant slits.
The prisoner was the prince of an Alakitasian kingdom called Alverez. Technically, his current title was Prince and High Protector of the Alvarez Empire, but he still preferred to think of himself as his father's son.
That Zeref, the King of a small neighboring kingdom on an island called Caracole, had managed to kidnap the prince was not as shocking as who was sitting beside Zeref: Ultear, Zeref's daughter and the prisoner's fiancée, as well as the prince's younger brother, Lyon. The captive studied all three of them but only Zeref returned his determined gaze. Beneath his shirt, the prince's stone amulet lay cool against his skin, while anger surged through his body.
The prisoner spoke first, struggling to keep the betrayal out of his voice, "Why have you—my soon-to-be-father—treated me with such . . . inhospitality?"
Nonchalant, Zeref affixed a deliberate smile on his face. "My dear prince, you have something I desire."
"Nothing you could want can justify this. Are our kingdoms not to be joined? Everything I have has been at your disposal. You needed only to ask. Why have you done this?" Zeref rubbed his jaw as his eyes glittered.
"Plans change. It seems that your brother would like to take my daughter for his bride. He has promised me certain remunerations if I help him achieve that goal."
The prince turned his attention to Ultear, who, with cheeks aflame, assumed a demure, submissive pose with her head bowed. His arranged marriage to Ultear was supposed to have ushered in an era of peace between the two kingdoms. He had been away for the last four months overseeing military operations on the far side of the empire and had left his brother to watch over the kingdom.
I guess Lyon was watching a little bit more than just the kingdom. The prisoner strode fearlessly forward, faced Zeref, and called out,
"You have fooled us all. You are like a coiled cobra that has been hiding in his basket, waiting for the moment to strike." He widened his glance to include his brother and his fiancée.
"Don't you see? Your actions have freed the viper, and we are bitten. His poison now runs through our blood, destroying everything." Zeref laughed disdainfully and spoke, "If you agree to surrender your piece of the Fairy Amulet, I might be persuaded to allow you to live."
"To live? I thought we were bartering for my bride."
"I'm afraid your rights as a betrothed husband have been usurped. Perhaps I haven't been clear. Your brother will have Ultear."
The prisoner clenched his jaw, and said simply, "My father's armies would destroy you if you killed me." Zeref laughed.
"He certainly would not destroy Lyon's new family. We will simply placate your dear father and tell him that you were the victim of an unfortunate accident." He stroked his short, stippled beard and then clarified, "Of course, you understand, that even should I allow you live, I will rule both kingdoms." Zeref smiled. "If you defy me I will forcibly remove your piece of the amulet."
Lyon leaned toward Zeref and protested stiffly, "I thought we had an arrangement. I only brought my brother to you because you swore that you would not kill him! You were to take the amulet. That's all." Zeref shot out his hand as quickly as a snake and grabbed Lyon's wrist.
"You should have learned by now that I take whatever I want. If you would prefer the view from where your brother is standing, I would be happy to accommodate you." Lyon shifted in his chair but kept silent. Zeref continued.
"No? Very well, I have now amended our former arrangement. Your brother will be killed if he does not comply with my wishes, and you will never marry my daughter unless you hand over your piece of the amulet to me as well. This private arrangement of ours can easily be revoked, and I can have Ultear married to a different man—a man of my choosing. Perhaps an old sultan would cool her blood. If you want to remain close to Ultear, you will learn to be submissive."
Zeref squeezed Lyon's wrist until it cracked loudly. Lyon didn't react at all. Flexing his fingers and slowly rolling his wrist, Lyon sat back, raised a hand to touch the engraved amulet piece hidden underneath his own shirt, and made eye contact with his brother.
An unspoken message passed between them. The brothers would deal with each other later, but Zeref's actions meant war, and the needs of the kingdom were a priority for both.
Obsession pumped up Zeref's neck, throbbed at his temple, and settled behind his black, serpentine eyes.
Those same eyes dissected the prisoner's face, probing, assessing for weakness.
Angered to the point of action, Zeref jumped to his feet. "So be it!" Zeref pulled a shiny knife with a jeweled hilt from his robe and roughly yanked up the sleeve of the prisoner's now filthy, once-white finely made shirt.
The ropes twisted on his wrists and he grunted in pain as Zeref drew the knife across his arm. The cut was deep enough that blood welled up, spilled over the edge, and dripped onto the tiled floor.
Zeref tore a wooden talisman from around his neck and placed it beneath the prisoner's arm. Blood dripped from the knife onto the charm, and the engraved symbol glowed a fiery red before pulsing an unnatural white light.
The light shot toward the prince with groping fingers that pierced his chest and clawed its way through his body. Though strong, he wasn't prepared for the pain. The captive screamed as his body suddenly became inflamed with a prickly heat and he fell to the floor.
He reached out with his hands to brace himself, but he managed only to scratch feebly on the cold, white tile of the floor. The prince watched helplessly as both Ultear and his brother attacked Zeref, who shoved both viciously back.
Ultear fell to the ground, hitting her head hard on the dais. The prince was aware that his brother was near, overtaken by grief as the life drained from Ultear's limp body. Then he was aware of nothing except the pain.