Chapter 4 A friend or a trap

"Retreat!" Zyan, leader of the rogues commanded. "Retreat! To the tent!" He roared, running backwards.

The war between Gonzalo's army and Zyan's was brutal and fierce.

Gonzalo stood quiet and still, glaring at Zyan in a murderous way.He watched his army slaughter Zyan's subjects like birds. Zyan stood at the opposite end, also glaring at him while their men fought.

Gonzalo pulled out his sword. "I give you the last chance to surrender, bow down and kiss my feet and I shall put an end to the killing of your subjects. Agree to serve as my slave in my palaceand I shall spare you lives."

"Never!" Zyan yelled, then took to his heels. Gonzalo went afterhim, Zyan's speed was unmatchable and in no time Gonzalo losttrack of him.

Like their leader, so did they rogues run into hiding for their lives,some were fast enough to escape death while others were unfortunate and slaughtered.

Gonzalo was breathing rapidly in anger, looking around, trying tocatch sight of Zyan but he didn't. Suddenly Zyan jumped on hisneck from a tree and used his paw print to scratch Gonzalo's cheeks.

Gonzalo howled in pain and anger. Zyan poked his paw print into Gonzalo's eyes and he grasped in pain. Before Gonzalo's army couldreach him, Zyan fled.

Working under the queen mother's instructions that whenever Gonzalo was hurt in battle, they were to retreat, they surrounded Gonzalo and made plans to retreat from battle.

Danciana ran to meet her son when the guards brought him inside the palace.

"My son.." Danciana sobbed. "What happened to my son?"

"Mother I am fine." Gonzalo said, pushing the guards away fromhim. "I am fine!" He grunted. "I just need eye drop, food and rest."

Gonzalo's condition was not critical. He was with few bruises but overall he was fine. "You may all leave and return to your post." he ordered.

"I told you not to go," Danciana sighed. "It's bad luck to go to battle when your wedding is in few days."

Gonzalo ignored his mother, panting heavily.

***

Ashina was scrubbing the wet floor when a beautiful lady walked into the bedroom. She studied the regalia to know if she was royalty,her guess was right, she immediately assumed the beauty was a princess, maybe Gonzalo's sister.

"Good afternoon princess." Ashina greeted.

"Afternoon." Morgan replied walking to her mirror stand. she looked at her mirror wall and from there noticed Ashina wincing in pain as she washed the floor.

"Go." Morgan said.

"My princess?" Ashina looked up at her. "Do you need me to get you something?"

Morgan shook her. "No. Just leave, don't worry, I will have someone else do it, you look bad."

Ashina stared at her in bewilderment, since her stay in the palace,this was the first person to treat her with niceness.

"No I will do it, your mother won't hear of it." Ashina continued scrubbing the floor.

Morgan looked at her from the mirror with empathy. "Just leave it,my room is clean enough." She insisted. "Go, nothing will happen."

Ashina looked up at her gratefully. "Thank you Princess." she struggled to walk outside the room.

***

Ashina laid by palace well sleeping. She looked for the best place to hide and rest her head without being seen by the queen mother. she was thankful to the princess for relieving her for awhile.

Ashina slowly opened her eyes when a guard splashed cold water onher. Danciana as expected stood, looking at her.

Ashina jumped to her feet bowing down. "Your majesty.."

"Why are you here?" Danciana demanded.

"I.." Ashina stammered.

"You were supposed to be mopping Morgan's bedroom!" Danciana thundered.

"I'm sorry your majesty..I.." She stopped talking. It was a set upafter all. The princess had intentionally pushed her into the Queen'strap. Just when she thought someone was different. She sobbed ather assumptions.

"Give her ten strokes of the cane." Danciana instructed the guards."For each time you disobey, there will be consequences." Danciana said, walking away with her maids.

"Please don't drag or push me, I will go." Ashina said running towards the torture stand.

***

Gonzalo was passing by the storage room when he heard weeping,obviously by Ashina. Out of curiosity he walked closer and pushed open the door. He stretched his neck to look at her.

"Hmmm, this is so refreshing." Gonzalo said. "Very refreshing,loser." He spat disdainfully. "The Hunter has been hunted." He widened his shoulders proudly.

Ashina looked up at him in confusion, she was tempted to lash at him but remembered the torture that awaited her, so she ignored.

"Unfortunately you won't be as lucky as your father, you won't be lucky enough to see death." Gonzalo strode out the storage room.

Morgan was somewhere around, eavesdropping on the conversation.The moment she saw Gonzalo leave, she creeped into the storage rooms.

"Hey!" Morgan called.

Ashina looked her then laughed. "You again, thank you! For the setup, nice." The smiled disappeared when she finished talking.

"I swear to you I really wanted to help you," Morgan said convincingly. "I had no idea you would get in trouble. I'm sorry."

"Stop lying to me, stop pretending. If you want to punish me do so directly." Ashina snapped.

Morgan closed the storage door. "If I wanted to punish you I wouldn't need to hide to do so."

"Maybe to play with my feelings." Ashina let out a sob. "please leave before your mother comes here."

"She is not my mother." Morgan said, sitting beside Ashina.

"What do you mean, I thought you are a princess.." Ashina asked in a confused tone.

"I am her daughter in-law."

"You are the prince's wife?"

"Yes, but not to Prince Gonzalo, but to Prince Seb."

"Who is Prince Seb?"

"The second Prince of the royal family."

Ashina nodded indicating she understood. "Is he also like Gonzalo?"

"Never you ever address any of the royal members by their names again, you will be punished. My husband is nothing like him."

"Where is he?"

Morgan's face suddenly saddened. "He traveled."

"Princess Morgan I need your help.. please!" Ashina held her hands,then let go of them suddenly. "I'm sorry.. please help me."

"I can't help you escape."

"No, I'm not trying to escape. I want to put a call across to my uncleand inform him about my whereabouts. Please help me."

Morgan handed her cell phone to Ashina."Be fast!"

Ashina's fingers moved faster than a fly. She dialed her uncle'snumber and he picked.

"Hello, uncle?"

"Ashina!" Her uncle shouted in the phone. "Why did you do this to us? We have been trying to reach you, where are you?"

Ashina sobbed gently. "Uncle I'm in trouble.." She cried.

"Where are you?" The voice demanded, alarmed.

"Poldark pack..the.."

"Poldark what?! That evil town, what took you there? That town isevil, get out of there now before it's too late."

"Uncle it's too late, I'm held slave at the palace.."

"Ashina.." Her uncle groaned in pain. "What have you done to yourself?"

"I was not informed.." Ashina tried to defend herself.

"Did you ask me?"

"Uncle please I don't have time, hurry and come rescue me.." She said in between sobs. "They have done unspeakable damage to mybody. Uncle please.."

"Get yourself together, I will see what I can do, whose cell phone is this?"

Ashina looked at Morgan before answering the question. "A kind person, please do not call it after now, please come save me."

The phone dropped dead. Both exchanged weird looks.

"Should I be honest with you?" Morgan asked, collecting her cellphone and settling it in the inner wear of her dress.

Ashina nodded.

"He won't come for you." Morgan said.

Ashina scoffed. "That's not true, that man is like my father, he has been a father to me since I lost my dad..he loves me, he will comefor me! You can't tell me otherwise."

"Let your faith carry you." Morgan simply replied. "I hope he comes."

"Do you know why they hate me so much?"

Morgan looked at her surprised. "You don't know?"

Ashina shook her head. "No I don't."

"Are you pretending?"

"No I'm not, I swear! I guess there's a mix up, confusion somewhere..maybe my lookalike or.."

"It's not even about you." Morgan cut her short. "It's about your father, your late father.."

"Is there something about my father I don't know?"

"Your father's past is the reason for your present predicament. Hewas Alpha King Hemming's slave, but he betrayed the kingdom andkilled the king. He even wanted to kill his sons too but he ran out of lucky."

"My father?" Ashina asked in disbelief.

"Yes..Poldark pack at that time were forbidden to kill their own so your father was banished with his entire family."

Ashina nodded attentively. "That was before I was born?"

"No, according to what I heard you were already in existence,maybe five years old.. can't you remember anything? Your childhood in Poldark?"

"No, only that sometimes I feel like I've been here before..."

"Now you know why the prince and queen mother hates you."

"Do you hate me?"

"No."

"Why?"

"You were innocent, why should I hate you for the sins of your father?"

Their discussion ended abruptly when the storage door pushed open.

Gonzalo stood by the door glaring at both.