Throne of Flames

From the ice cliffs of Zarasha to the burning dunes of Taloré, the might of King Kael Aruzi stretched over fifty-seven kingdoms, and every king bent their knee to him. His name was spoken in awe. His presence was like a storm. He was handsome and merciless-from the stars-for one of dominion.

Kael was seven feet tall, his voice could break silence, and his fists could end wars. No man was more powerful than he, and no force is bigger than his army. No woman could ever have him except, an orphaned one.

She hailed from the Vale of Ellah, famous for honey-skinned girls and silent rivers. Seraya was not merely beautiful, she was entrancing.

Her eyes were full of enigmatic power, her voice could easily restrain the angriest person, and her figure resembled a work of art from the most famous sculptors. She became his queen, the most precious jewel of his house. However, five years had gone by and she was still childless. Kael's advisers were not in a mood to sit still.

They became the focus of the oracles' whispered speculations. The kings of the vassal lands were whispering behind their veils. "A king with no heir invites war," they said. Therefore, he got married again. Later more. Until he had five wives.The second wife, Lina, was furious and loud-mouthed. The third, Velira, was of noble descent.

The fourth, Rhana, was charming and crafty. Eshara, the fifth, was the youngest and the most dangerous. They all have given him two daughters each, total being 8. Gorgeous girls with their mothers' charm. Still, the son was missing. Besides that even though Kael tried hard, he loved Seraya most. Only she could appease his anger.

No one else but her could speak to him without fear. Thus, she became an enemy.The fifth wife, Eshara, could not accept the fact. Like Seraya, she had a pretty face, was full of wits, and very seductive and wild. She understood Seraya's quiet smile as an attack against her, the grace of it as a joke. So, she decided to get rid of her.One night, as the royal court gathered for the Feast of Moons, Eshara whispered to Lina, the second wife, and Rhana, the fourth. They were still rivals but the feeling of jealousy is stronger than blood relation, isn't it? They agreed that today will be the day Seraya falls. Eshara'sservant confiscated a small amount of powder and placed it in Seraya's wine.

While the feast was filled with laughter and music, Seraya was no longer able to keep up with the pace. Giddiness consigned her. Her fingers went numb.Take her to her chamber," Eshara said in a sweet tone. "The queen must rest." Lina, with her venomous silence, dispatched a loyal palace guard to sneak into Seraya's chamber after the drug took hold. She then turned to Rhana. "Go. Tell the king. "Let him catch her in the act."

When Kael's war general whispered a word in his ear, during his speech at the high table, he replied, "Your Majesty... there is something you must see. Now." Kael was at a loss as to whether he should indulge his curiosity or remain in ignorance. At the moment Kael stood up, the hall turned silent. None of the revelry sounds were heard, just the tapping of his boots on the marble as he rushed along the corridors of the palace, his cloak following him like a trail of fire.

His jaw was clenched, his eyes burning with suspicion, and his fingers were dangerously close to the hilt of Ul'nor. "Lead the way," he yelled. Rhana trailed behind him, her eyes on the ground to mask her satisfaction. Eshara was at her heels, her heart pounding and already picturing the queen's screams, the king's anger, and the downfall of the only woman who was standing in her way. The royal guards swung open the chamber doors.

The golden doors swung open with a noise made only by a man in a very great rage. Kael did not find the scene in the room what he had pictured. Seraya was sprawled on the silk-covered bed, in her feast clothes, with one arm over her side, and one leg hanging loosely from the mattress.

A golden cup was on the floor, turned upside down, and the wine that spilled from it stained the rug beneath her. The guard, who was shirtless and standing beside the bed, was like a nervous person, breathing hard. Kael's narrowed eyes. "This what?" The tone was full of menace The space felt too small like it was earlier. The banquet noise went away and was now replaced by the pounding of his heart. His gold-ringed fingers moved slightly. The sharp intake of his breath flared his nostrils. "WHAT. IS. THIS?" the loud voice broke the silence.

The guard immediately sank down on his knees. "My king-I beg-listen, I-she-she wasn't-" Kael didn't catch it. His gaze was fixed on the cup that was on the floor. The spilled red wine. Seraya's limbs were loose. The smell of treason that stung his nose was even worse than poison.Behind him, the third and fifth wives-Velira and Eshara-were standing and watching. Heads bowed. Faces calm.

Rhana, who was standing besides his highness, whispered, "It is just as we feared, Your Majesty..." Kael just barely turned his head to hear her words, but it was not enough to cool the storm that was raging behind his eyes. Seraya stirred then. She groaned softly, her brow corrugating because of the confusion. Her hand passed across the silk. She was trying to raise her head, but it was too heavy, so it went down. Her lips moved. "kael?" she whispered.

Kael felt his heart breaking-however, his rage was coming stronger and it was twisting it shut. "YOU DARE to say my name?" His voice was shaking the pillars.Seraya was blinking, attempting to get up. She noticed the guard that was on one knee. The sword that was at Kael's side. The line of guards at the door. She blinked again. "What... what is going on?" Her voice was very low and it was broken. Kael drew out Ul'nor, its dark steel shining under the light of the fire. The guard was screaming and was crawling backward.

"I am not guilty! I swear"Kael took a step forward and swung.With a single motion, without any hesitation, the sword came down and the guard's head was off clean. The voices of surprise were heard from behind. Red paint-like blood started spreading out on the floor that was made of silk. Seraya cried out when her body shocked suddenly and became alert because of the terror. "NO! KAEL, PLEASE!" Kael slowly turned around, his golden eyes were bright. He looked at her, his chest going up and down.

You have disgraced me in my own home," He said in a cool voice. "You have not only taken your room but also my house of honor." "No!" she shouted. "this is really a misunderstanding, please, listen, I am not aware of what has happened here." However, Kael did not hear her and he certainly could not understand her. He gave a look to his men. "Take her to the underground cell.

Make sure she is not given food and water until I say so."Seraya made an attempt to get up but her legs were not steady, the sleeping powder that was still active in her body made her feel heavier. Two guards took her arms. "I AM NOT GUILTY!" she said in a loud voice that seemed to penetrate the palace like a curse. He went away from the room. Seraya's voice still carried long in the air after him.

The dungeon beneath the Palace of Flame was unlike any other in the fifty-seven kingdoms.

Carved deep into the rock beneath the royal city, it was said to be the place where Kael's great-grandfather kept traitors, and spies. No light reached its corridorsand no laughter echoed within it.

Only the sound of chains dragging against stone... and weeping. It was there that they took Queen Seraya.

The guards did not meet her eyes as they dragged her, barefoot, through the winding stairs. Her royal robe caught on broken bricks. Her hair fell loose, sticking to her tear-streaked face. The silk that once made her a goddess now hung from her like a shroud. She didn't scream anymore.

Not after the chamber doors were closed behind her, not after Kael walked away, without turning back, not after the blood of the guard soaked into the floor.

She couldn't scream, her voice was trapped between heartbreak and disbelief. When they chained her ankles to the stone slab, she didn't resist. She stared at the wall-one hand trembling, her mind still trapped in that cursed moment. Why didn't he believe me? Why didn't he look at me and know?

Above, the palace returned to music. PBanquet tables were cleared. Eshara and Lina resumed their roles as sweet, dutiful wives. Eshara offered herself to the king's chambers, "to calm his soul in this trying time." But Kael refused them all.

He locked himself in the war chamber, drinking bitter wine and pacing alone. His sword, still red with blood, leaned against the wall.

He slammed his fist into the marble table. And still... he did not summon her.

Seven days passed.

Seraya slept in broken pieces haunted by dreams of Kael's face, the warmth of his touch, the sound of her name on his lips. Now she heard only rats and footsteps above. Her chains bruised her ankles. Her tears had dried.

Then... one night, she heard a whisper. "Your Majesty... my Queen...

Her eyes snapped open. A soft light flickered beyond the bars. A girl in servant's garb slipped into the dungeon, trembling, holding a small basket of herbs.

The dungeon had no clocks, no sunlight only damp stone and the distant dip of water. Time dissolved into shadows. For Queen Seraya, the days bled into each other, each colder and crueler than the last.

She had not eaten in seven days. Her lips were cracked. Her skin, once glowing with royal oils,

had dulled into a pale shell. Her breath came in shallow whispers. Her head lolled to the side, resting weakly against the cold wall. One wrist hung limp in the iron cuff. She was alive.

Barely. But no longer begging.And then footsteps, Light. Careful. A flicker of candlelight broke through the dark. A shadow moved. A figure slipped through the bars of the chamber.

Mila, The handmaiden pressed herself against the stone wall, clutching a cloth-wrapped bundle close to her chest. Her face was pale, her hands shaking, her breath tight with fear.

She had bribed two guards and lied to a steward to get here.

"Your Majesty..." she whispered, eyes scanning the corner where Seraya lay. "Queen Seraya..."

The figure in the corner did not stir.

Mila crept closer, tears already forming in her eyes. She unwrapped the bundle a small portion of rice, seasoned yams, and warm goat broth, hidden beneath thick herbs.

She reached out gently. "Please... eat. Just a little."Seraya's eyes fluttered open-barely. Her gaze was glassy. Distant.

She tried to lift her hand but it collapsed to her side. Her mouth moved without sound.

Mila's throat broke.

"No, no, no..." she whispered, kneeling beside her queen. She dipped a cloth in the broth and gently touched it to Seraya's lips.

The queen winced at first-but then, her tongue moved. A faint taste. Mila continued, slowly feeding her with trembling fingers, one spoonful at a time. Seraya swallowed weakly, her throat bobbing.

"You're not dying here," Mila whispered. "Not like this. I brought herbs roots from my mother's garden. They'll give you strength again. Please, drink."

She carefully placed a crushed blend of sunleaf and deerroot into Seraya's mouth, helping her sip water after.

Then she held her queen's hand. "I will beg the king," she said firmly. "Even if it costs me my life." Seraya blinked slowly. Her voice was thin as smoke.

"Don't... please you will be in trouble ..."

I would," Mila said, pressing her forehead to Seraya's shoulder. "Because you are the only queen who ever treated me like more than a maid. I can't watch them bury you in chains."

Eshara's chamber.

She stood before her mirror, draped in a deep crimson robe, cut low at the front, flowing like smoke around her hips. Her skin glistened with scented oil. Gold chains traced her collarbone, and black kohl lined her eyes like war paint.

She didn't smile she just studied herself.

Everything about this moment had been planned.

"Tonight," she whispered to her reflection, "he will belong to me... or he will belong to no one."

She stepped into the corridor, barefoot and silent. Her presence melted into the dark like a spell.

Two guards bowed without question as she passed. After all, she was still his wife. And tonight, she cared less about shame.

The king's chamber was dimly lit, his armor still resting on the table, his sword resting against the chair.

He stood by the balcony, shirtless, a goblet in hand, lost in thought.

His back was broad, powerful, shoulders tense.

"Kael..." she breathed softly.

He turned slowly. His eyes, once bright gold, were now dull with conflict. He had not slept.

Not truly. Not since the moment he threw the woman he once adored into chains.

"Eshara," he said, voice low.

She stepped forward, slowly, deliberately, like a cat in a lion's den. "You've been alone here since morning, your highness, dont let such a trival matter disturb you, she is not worth your anger, let me ease your pain, give you warmth my love".

"I don't need warmth," he muttered. "get lost." She came closer. "Kael looked at her, eyes narrowing at the boldness in her voice.

Eshara smiled faintly, lowering her robe just enough to reveal more of her flawless skin. "Because I am your wife. I've waited patiently, silently, longing for you. I only want to hold what the world says is too dangerous."

Her fingers touched his chest. At first, he didn't move.

But then... the grief, the rage, the anger... all swirled inside him like a storm with no escape. Her touch became an anchor. Her scent became intoxicating. Her voice, soft and promising. He pulled her close-roughly, hungrily. Their lips met.

And that night, the fifth wife had her way but his heart? That remained chained in a dungeon far beneath them.

The morning after the fifth wife lay in the king's bed, the sun rose like a blade over Ikora's towers. In the Garden of Mirrors, three queens gathered beneath the shade of flowering trees.

Lina,Velira, Rhana, their gowns shimmered, but their eyes were sharp. They spoke in whispers so they will.not be heard by others.

"She did it," Rhana hissed. "The little snake has done it. She shared his bed last night."

"I saw her leave his chambers at dawn," Lina said, her voice low and cold. "Wrapped in his cloak. Smiling like a lioness who's tasted blood."

Velira leaned forward, arms folded tightly. "And now the king ignores us. He didn't call for wine, didn't attend court. She's feeding him words in private while we rot in silence."

"Foolish of us to trust she'd stay in line," Rhana muttered. But at least that useless seraya is down let us be able to breath, Lina clenched her jaw.

As the three wives sat in tense silence, listening to the sounds of the palace - the distant clang of steel, the voices of ministers... and eshara laugh floating on the wind as carries herself as one who was given gold.

"She's in control now," Lina said bitterly.

They looked at each other. And far below, in a cell beneath stone and sorrow, Seraya wept bitterly.

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The throne room had never known silence like this.

Marble pillars stood tall as mountains. The air was thick with incense and unease. Advisors lined the walls. Guards stood rigid with halberds

gripped tight.

Even the birds outside seemed to hush as Mila, the handmaiden, stepped into the throne room. She was shaking.

Her dress was plain, her eyes red-rimmed, her body trembling in fear from the weight of what she was about to do.

King Kael sat on the blackstone throne, dressed in midnight robes. Eshara stood beside him now, not behind. Her hand rested on the throne's arm-his arm. She watched Mila approach with a smirk, her fingers tightening slightly.

The girl bowed low.

"Your Majesty," Mila said softly. "Forgive me.

Kael's gaze was sharp. "what brings you here? If it is the case of Seraya, get lost.

"No..yes" she replied. I came because i know that the queen will never betray you.

Eshara's eyes darkened.

Kael's jaw clenched. "seeking death little one"

Mila stepped forward, tears brimming. "i don't know what happened but am sure that there is a misunderstanding somewhere.

Eshara snapped, "Lies! Maybe you have known Seraya had an affair this and have kept it secret. My king, she is nothing-"

"Silence," Kael growled. He rose from the throne.

"Mila," he said slowly. "Do you know why you are still breathing till now?"

Her hands trembled.

Kael stared at her. A full minute passed.

Then, at last, he gave a single nod to his guards.

"Bring Seraya."

And behind the throne, Eshara's fingers curled into fists.

And in the cells below, a chained queen felt a shift in the air as if the walls had finally begun to crack.

The grand doors creaked open, and from the darkness beyond, two guards emerged-dragging behind them Queen Seraya.

She no longer walked like royalty. Her gown hung in tatters. Her hair was matted, her wrists bruised. But her eyes-though tired-still held the faint ember of the queen she once was.

She looked up and saw Kael on the throne.

And beside him, the snake herself Eshara,

standing tall in crimson and gold. Seraya's heart clenched.

But it was Mila who broke the silence, falling to her knees again before the king. "Please, Your Majesty. She has suffered unjustly. Please investigate this matter.

Kael's jaw tightened. His knuckles went white.

He descended the steps, heavy-footed, walking past Seraya without a glance, then he asked a question what were you during at that time instead of being in the feast. Seraya couldn't say anything cause she didnt know how she ended up there either. He stared down at Mila. There you have it.

"Mila, You disobeyed royal law. Spoke up for a traitor.

Mila's eyes widened. "I-I only spoke truth, my king..."

Kael raised his hand.

"Fifty lashes, In the square. At dawn."

The court gasped.

Seraya lifted her head weakly. "No..." she croaked.

Mila's face went pale, but she bowed her head. "If that is my punishment, I accept it. I only regret I couldn't save her from this ."

Kael's fury burned hotter. He turned away from them all, his cloak snapping behind him like a flame.

"I will not be made a fool again!" he roared. "Let no one speak of Seraya in my court!

He stormed toward the exit, his guards scrambling to follow.

Eshara trailed behind, her eyes gleaming with fake concern. "My king-please-let me soothe your spirit. You don't have to carry this rage alone..." But Kael didn't stop. He vanished through the towering doors, his anger echoing long after he was gone.

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The summons echoed across the fifty-seven kingdoms like a divine command.

From the mountains of Zurar to the coasts of Darenhold, from icebound citadels to desert palaces, banners were raised and riders dispatched. One message was clear:

"By order of King Kael Aruzi, all rulers, nobles, and chieftains of the 57 kingdoms are to appear at the Royal Square of Ikora on the seventh day for a public decree and punishment."

The capital swelled with processions. Flags waved. Trumpets blared. Rumors spread like wildfire.

And at the center of it all, the Square of Ikora rebuilt into a stage for wrath.

The seventh day dawned blood-red.

Thousands gathered. The entire royal court, commanders, nobles, servants, and kings from distant lands stood in respectful silence. The gallows loomed in the background. The whipping post stood in full view.

Kael stood on the high platform, dressed in black and gold. Beside him, the four wives, Lina, Velira, Rhana, and Eshara, watched from their seats. And in chains before the crowd stood Mila, trembling and sad.

Kael's voice rang out, deep and commanding.

"Let it be known across all kingdoms. In my palace, there shall be no betrayal. No defiance. No deceit."

He raised his

"Bring the handmaiden. Begin the sentence. Fifty lashes. By royal decree."

Gasps rippled through the crowd as Mila was tied to the post. The whip cracked through the air, and with it the pain began. Blood streaked down her back. Mila screamed and cried her heart out. She bit her lip, eyes staring into the sky.

Ten lashes.

Twenty.

Thirty.

The people began to murmur.

By the fiftieth, Kael raised his hand again. "Release her."

Two guards untied her, and Mila collapsed into a heap.

Then Kael's voice deepened.

"And now... the second decree."

Two guards dragged Queen Seraya forward. She wore no crown, only chains. Her once-fine hair tangled, her face gaunt but proud. The people recognized her.

She stood before Kael, and he looked down at her.

"Seraya of Kezara," he declared, "you are hereby stripped of your title as queen. You are to be remembered not as consort, but as traitor, a cheat, a halot.

The crowd grew tense.

Kael continued, eyes locked on hers. "You will be a slave for the rest of your life.

A stunned silence followed. Then a voice called out,

"No, execute her, how can she cheat on the king." That is the law of the land.

Execute her!! execute her!!. Voices from the crowd shouted.

SILENCE, I KING KAEL HAS SPOKEN.