The Tussle (battle for the throne)

The sea sang with waves, the gentle rhythm of the water creating a soothing melody that filled the air. Birds flew high above, their wings cutting through the clouds as they soared across the sky. Below them, fields of colorful flowers spread out as far as the eye could see, They were a riot of colors and scents, their vibrant hues bringing life and beauty to the landscape.

And in the heart of it all was the Amok empire, a stunningly beautiful place that seemed almost too perfect to be real. With its towering palaces, bustling markets, and kind-hearted people, it was a land of dreams and wonder, where anything was possible and anything could happen.

This was the Amok Empire, a place of unparalleled beauty and wonder. Here, nature reigned supreme and in its embrace, all living things found their place. It was a world of harmony and balance, where every creature had a role to play and every plant had a purpose. To visit the Amok Empire was to experience a world that was both breathtaking and humbling, a place where nature was the true ruler and all who entered its realm were made to feel small and insignificant, yet strangely alive and connected to all that was around them.

The Amok empire as beautiful as it looks now hadn't always been this peaceful. There was a time when war was all it knew, blood was all it saw, death was all it could taste, horrified screams was its music, and all it wanted was more of it.

Before all those peaceful days, war and conflict was the fabric that made the Amok empire what it was and it spread across all five kingdoms sparing no land.

From the time of king Jafar III till the end of king Jafar IV, the whole Amok empire was a galaxy of endless conflict.

Its destruction started with a small conflict between two friends; Adrian Jafar III and Amir Demetrius.

They were the best of friends but the quest for power, money, and control caused Amir to turn on his friend. This caused a war that had now spread all over the Amok empire.

Tensions began to grow, violence began to ensue, and both had repressed anger, hatred, and fear.

Amir became a cold blooded killer who only seeks out death and destruction, He became obsessed with power, will stop at nothing to be as strong and as powerful as his former friend.

It was the ultimate war.

A war that claimed lives upon lives, all for the sake of personal gain and power. the Amok empire turned into an almost bloodthirsty empire.

This battle for the throne caused the life of Jafar III but you see, he married a strong , honorable, and strong-willed woman named Beatrice and boy! Did she fight?

Even after the death of her husband, she held on to the throne with her sweat and tears.

She refused to abdicate or give in to death!

Despite all the misery and injustice she had faced, she continued on.

The eighteen year old queen who had been weak and frail became a warrior who kept the throne just by the will of her people.

Amir and his followers were shocked, the Amok queen defied all of them.

She killed anyone who stood in her way, she fought with the heart and soul of a warrior.

She destroyed all of her enemies, defeated Amir and regained control over the five kingdoms.

She was by far, the strongest, most loved, and admired leader in all of the Amok empire. She had become an inspiration to all her people, and had gained an amazing amount of respect from the Amok people.

However, the dark times had not disappeared entirely.

Nor would they for another few decades.

* * * *

I’m sure you’re all too familiar with that uncomfortable sensation you get when you appear to be the lone weird person at a gathering or function.

Every glance seems to be questioning why you’re the odd one out, every word seems to be condemning you, every finger points at you, and eventually you just want to respond, scream aloud, and let all the feelings out. But you stay still, act like everything is fine, and put on a strong fake smile out of fear of looking foolish.

Ariel experienced this as she sat down at her friend Mildred’s wedding celebration. She wasn’t unhappy with her, mind you. The opposite is true, She certainly rejoiced that her friend was getting married, but…

“Oh dear, don’t be like that. It’ll be your turn soon,” Chitya said, bringing Ariel back to reality.

“When? When will that be?”

“Come on, the best things comes to those who wait”

“It’s easy for you to say. You’re engaged to be married. See how happy Mildred is. I’m here, all alone. I’m tired of waiting”

“You’re not alone. You have your.. F-father”

“You can’t even say it with your full chest, imagine how I feel. I don’t have a father. The only family I know died when I was seven…

“You have the royal family too. The queen of Amok loves and adores you. Do you know what that means? The ruler of five entire kingdom adores you. You're quite lucky. "

“You don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong. I love the queen dearly. She’s been like a mother to me and I’m grateful for that but I want intimacy. To love and be loved. A family of my own, husband and children. You get what I mean?”

“I do honey, I do. Let’s just hope for the best, okay?”

“Maybe I’m being punished for the horrible things I’ve done?”

“Horrible things? You keep saying that. What horrible things?”

“Things I can’t say but they were terrible.”

“Whatever it is, I know there’s someone out there who has done worse and is living a good life. Everyone deserves good things and you’re no exception. It’ll come.”

“All you single ladies, it’s that time you’ve been waiting for, throwing off the bouquet. Come out come out wherever you are” The MC announced. They trooped out excited.

“You’re not going?”

“Hell no. Sick of that shit. Not like it works anyway” Ariel said relaxing on her seat.

Some minutes later, her ring began to glow red instead of its usual green. It was Chitya who called her attention to it. "Hey! Why's your ring glowing red?"

Ariel immediately went into panic mode. "This isn't good. Something is wrong with the queen."

And to confirm her suspicion, her phone rang.

“Hello.. What? How did that happen? Call the palace physician, I’ll be there shortly” she said and hung up.

“You look worried. What’s the problem?” Chitya asked.

“It’s the queen. She collapsed”

“What! What happened?”

“I don’t know. We’ll find out when we get there.”

The duo sent a message across to the bride and hurried out of the hall.

* * *

“It’s nothing serious. She just needs rest. A lot of it” The doctor said as he pulled away from the middle-aged woman lying weakly on the bed.

“If only she’d listen. I’ve told her several times not to overindulge but…

“Ariel, the physician said it’s not serious”

“You’re waiting for it to become something serious before you listen?”

“I’ll send someone over to bring some drugs for her. It’ll help her recover faster” the physician said exiting the room.

“Thank you very much.”

“Have you had something to eat?” she asked the queen.

“Ye…

“She hasn’t, ‘' Aliah, who was the palace cook, said entering the room with a tray. “She refused, ‘' she said, avoiding the glare from the older woman.

“On what ground?”

“She’d been In a long meeting with the elders earlier on, so I’m guessing community issues.” she finally looked at the woman. “I’m sorry your majesty but I told you I wouldn’t lie” she bowed and left the room.

“Sit up, you have to eat”

She was angry but she still handled the Queen with care. She gently helped her sit up, supporting her sides with the pillows.

“Ariel…

She didn’t respond to her. She placed the tray on the queen’s laps gently.

“Ariel, I’m sorry "

She still didn’t respond.

“It was an emergency "

“An emergency that couldn’t let you even eat breakfast, even if it was just bread. What if it was something bad.

“It isn’t. The physician said so”

“l don’t blame you. I blame those children of yours. Leaving an old woman who should be resting to handle the rigorous duty of running a kingdom”

There was a brief silence.

“I didn’t mean to sound that way, my queen. I just..

“They had to leave. It was dangerous for them to stay"

“Was… It’s over now. They should be here. Look at you"

“Don’t be mad at me. Fine, I’ll call them”

“You said that two years ago”

“I mean it this time.”

“I’ll believe you when I see them. Eat up”

“I’m not eating if you don’t stop being mad at me”

Ariel pressed her lips together to force back the smile. How can a woman this age still behave like a child.

“I’m not mad. Eat up”

“Smile”

“Your majesty”

“Just smile. It’s not hard. Like this”

She tilted her head to the left and opened her teeth. Ariel let the laugh out.

“That’s better. I’ll eat now”

“Seriously.” she rolled her eyes.

“How was the wedding?”

“It was great”

She saw the longing in her eyes and decided to change the topic.

“How’s work?”

“So far so good.”

“I hope you’re not having a tough time. If you are tell me so I…

“I am not having a tough time. It’s great there.” she Said smiling.

“If you say so. About the car….

“Are we still on that?”

“I still don’t get why you won’t accept it,” she said, dropping her spoon.

“My queen, you have done so much for me already. As if raising me wasn’t enough hassle, you sent me to school, gave me a house. I can’t accept anymore”

“I promised your mother before she died I’d take care of you. I owe her that much”

“And you’ve been doing that. I thank you but I can take it from here”

“I won’t argue with you but if you need anything, anything at all. Just give me a call”

“Yes ma’am. Now quietly eat up and rest. I’ll be sleeping over so we have enough time to chat”

* * * *

In a dark room barely lit by the moon, a man sat facing an illuminated orb on a table.

The orb gave off a faint glow, casting shadows in the corners of the room.

The man's hair was long and nearly the same color as his robes, and it fell down his back and over his shoulders.

The man rested his head in his hands, only lifting it as he spoke.

"Enjoy this peace while it lasts queen Beatrice , because I intend to take it from you."

The man looked up and narrowed his eyes at orb. "I will take my place as the ruler of Amok. I will take you down along with anyone who opposes me. I will take over the throne and rule the world."

The orb darkened along with the man's eyes.