His Regal Princess: A Royal Bargain; A Heart Of Stone

There are realms and there are Realms! Hazo is a realm like no other. A realm filled with mystical creatures ranging from shifters to witches, all you’ve thought was once extinct all existed here. Dominated by five kingdoms, the werewolves ruled over the realm, each having a ruler from the east kingdom to the central kingdom. The kingdom located in the east is called Nethania, ruled by the great King Selah and it is the smallest kingdom. Gehazi kingdom is located in the west and it is ruled by King Jalam. The south kingdom is called the Ghelal kingdom and it is ruled by King Irad. Zeruiah is located in the north and it is ruled by King Mehujael. These four kingdoms have several packs underneath which they have control over and they oversee them. But I said five kingdoms… and the last kingdom is the over-kingdom located in the central region named the Tiras kingdom and it is ruled by a Lycan. Being the over-kingdom, it doesn’t just rule the central kingdom only, but also the remaining four kingdoms. Lycans being the strongest in the realm, with great heightened senses and powers have been in control of the realm since day one. They are feared by all and their king, King Yohan is one of the most feared rulers in the history of Hazo- a ruthless one indeed. Brutal to a default. ♤♤♤ Princess Tirzah leaned on the window in her room, her slender figure accentuated by the simple cream gown she wore. Her long dark brown hair cascaded down as she gazed at the walls outside the castle. Eyes filled with so much sorrow as she stared at the freedom that felt so close yet far away, wishing she could find a way to escape from this prison-like castle she was in. Life in Nethania wasn’t all that even though she was living every girl’s dream in this kingdom. Wherever she goes, the females look at her with pride and jealousy like she was a priceless jewel… someone who lacks nothing- someone whose life is perfect. They desire to be her… they desire her title as the princess, wishing they could stay in the beautiful castle where they would have maidens at their berks and call with guards surrounding them everywhere they go or even partake in balls that were only for the royals and nobles. But they have no idea what Tirzah knew! They are blinded by their desires that they fail to realize that all that glitters is not gold. Everything they see were just fragments of the truth used to cover up the hidden lies being fed to them by her father. A sigh escaped the young princess' lips, her head tilted back sniffing, Tirzah blinked her eyes rapidly before staring at the sky. Stomach churned as her mind wandered back to the night where her father had scolded her harshly. “Princesses don’t make mistakes! No, they don’t… every little thing you do, every word spoken out from your mouth, has repercussions. Everybody is watching you, your whole life revolves around the people. You should be perfect… no ounce of imperfection must be seen in you,” he berated simply because she almost tripped on the floor when she was sick and he very well knew how sick she was with her body burning with fever. This was just a tiny fragment of how cruel he was. He made sure Tirzah had no say in every of his decisions, made sure she ate the way he wanted, spoke when she ought to speak, danced the way he had taught her without missing a step and also stopped her from painting. Everywhere she goes- he had his eyes on her. The young princess was tired! She wanted out… yet she couldn’t have what she desperately wanted. Somehow she wondered maybe things would have been different if her mom were still alive. A knock on the door brought her back to reality, “ My princess,” she heard her favorite handmaiden call out. A smile appeared on her lips as she asked her to come in. An older woman with light skin, chubby and short walked in with a worried look flashed across her face. Tirzah’s brow furrowed, “Is anything the matter, Amadea?” the young princess asked while the older lady tried to act normal but the tone used by the princess made her bite her lower lips tightly. “The king requested for your presence, my princess,” she finally responded. Dread filled Tirzah’s body when she heard her handmaid's words. Her father requesting for her presence wasn’t a good thing especially after every meeting with him always ended up with her being hurt emotionally. King Selah has never abused her physically but he always had a way of hurting her emotionally or perhaps harming people close to her in a way that would make her learn not to defile him any longer. “D-did, do you know why he is calling for me,” the young princess stuttered, heart hammering hard in her chest. Slowly nodding her head in a negative manner, Amadea responded, “No, my princess.” ♤♤♤ Tirzah had a sky blue corset gown draped with a silver intricate embroidery. The former cloth had to be changed because they were unacceptable in the eyes of the king… her hair was styled in a neat bun decorated with a silver hair pin, Amadea didn’t apply much make-up on the princess’s face not because of the little time they had but because she knew how much Tirzah hated her face being painted. If the princess were allowed she would never put any make-up on. That was how much disgusted she was whenever she had a little bit on. Both stepped out of the room, guards escorting to the garden where her father was. “Father,” Tirzah called out when she spotted him a few feet away, uncertainty filled her tone. King Selah, a medium heighted man with a bald head that was half covered with the crown, deep emerald eyes that shone so bright with a full grey beard, turned around swiftly to the direction where his daughter was. His chest was broad which fit his structure perfectly, wearing a royal blue doublets on a breeche, a royal robe hung over it with a jewel emblem on his leather belt and his superior aura filled the atmosphere. A smile glistened on the king's face when his eyes met Tirzah while the latter was taken aback. Shocked that her father who rarely smiled at her shone his thirty-two right this moment. The princess anxiety had decreased to a normal level, yet her heart won’t stop drumming hard on her chest. She couldn’t help but think this was just one of his acts, Tirzah could not help but be wary. Bowing her head as a form of respect to her king, “Come here my beautiful daughter, you have once again made me proud!” he stated, still beaming. Feeling discomfort, Tirzah managed to move closer to where her father was and hugged him. As soon as she was released from his embrace, the princess took a step back. Eyes trying to figure out what exactly made him smile, even with keen interest, she still couldn’t fathom why. So she decided to use the opportunity to ask him, “Father, you seem to be in a very good mood,” her voice calm and collected, yet it couldn’t hide the confusion etched on her face. “Oh, I am more than happy! I have some wonderful news to share with you, but let's do that while we walk in the garden” he stated and then led the way. The garden in the castle of Nethania was one of the places the princess adores, with butterflies perching on the flowers and the fragrance of the atmosphere always made her feel kind of safe. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to leave this garden and flee back to her room. “I have succeeded in forming a marriage alliance for you. This one will not only secure our kingdom’s future but will also strengthen our bonds,” he announced, bringing Tirzah back to reality. Her steps faltered as she stared at her father who was two steps away from her. Althea, her wolf which had been asleep, stirred awake when she felt the turmoil within Tirzah. “A marriage alliance?” her lips trembled as she repeated his words. She just turned eighteen years old last week, the grand belle masked ball orchestrated by her father was still the talk of the town. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that she was forced to wear a mask which suffocated her, an excuse to hide her from predators. Now she wondered who it was that would propose the alliance to him. Annoyance seeped within her, Tirzah knew her father agreeing to the marriage alliance meant he was offered something he couldn’t say no to. King Selah oblivious to his daughter’s dismay nodded his head, “Yes dear, you would be getting married to the lycan king. A mate to the most powerful man in this realm,” he said with pride. Tirzah could read in between the unsaid words. She could see him drowning in his greed, imagining the power that would bestow his hands as the father of the lycarous bride. Chewing on her lower lips hard with her hands clenched, she had no idea what her dad was looking for… Nethania had strong warriors, dedicated and loyal ones, yet Tirzah could not understand why her dad craved for power like a starving man. It irked her to the core, seeing him act insatiable. It was as though she was punched in the gut, the young princess could see her life crumbling at the thought of being the wife of the most brutal king ever. The lycan king, lycarous as they all call him, was infamous for his ruthless nature. She’d heard about how unruly he was and how mercilessly he kills. If her father had been worse then lycarous was more tyrannical. She could see the glint in her father’s eyes, covetousness seeping in like a venom. He was indeed the happiest man in the world, Tirzah could not breath, all she could do was stare, trying so hard to hide her despair. Her voiceless screams couldn’t be heard because she knew that if a word of retribution escaped from her lips then her handmaiden would suffer because of her incompetence in holding back her tongue. The young princess hated the fact that she had no voice… so much to say yet no control over her life. Bound by duties, the only thing she could do was to await her doom, and sooner or later King Selah was going to carry his daughter's lifeless body back to his kingdom.