Prince Bizaya smiled broadly and stroked his white hair. "Zahr," he lovingly said.

Princess Nostalgia frowned. "I told you to stop calling me that. What happened to the 'A'? Just call me Nostalgia."

The prince just laughed. "Okay, Zahr."

"Zahr? You think I'm joking." She got up to leave. Bizaya reached to catch her hand but she hurriedly moved to the side and avoided him.

"I don't want any human to touch me. I've already told you that."

Instead of getting angry, Bizaya just smiled. "When you say that, I feel like you are not a human being. And besides, how can we marry without touching? Sit down, please."

Nostalgia lingered for a moment before she finally took a deep breath and sat. "Don't ever think I'm here because I love you. This marriage will bring nothing good since you don't love me, and I don't love you either."

Bizaya interrupted her by raising his hand at her. "You don't love me but I love you. And don't forget, you and I are related by blood. Right now, my father and your father are discussing how to unite our armies to protect you from the evil of the other Kings. The unity of our tribes will give us more power than any other empire. And our marriage is very important for this unity to happen."

Nostalgia frowned. She was angry because he was right. She had to stay there with him even if she didn't like it, especially knowing that her father needed the marriage to avoid a war.

"I need your answer. Will you marry me? You do not have to love me, it is just a marriage to solidify our unity."

Nostalgia thought about it for a long moment before she finally shook her head. "I can't."

Bizaya frowned deeply, his brows knitted. "I don't think I heard that right. What did you just say?"

"I can't," she repeated weakly.

"Princess, I think you do not understand the situation very well. If you do not allow this marriage to happen, my tribe will not help you at all even if war breaks out. According to the jinzidal constitution, the crime you committed can't be forgiven by just one jinzidal King. King Rafiya will never forgive your father because of their past. He is the one who wants this war so badly to avenge what Bihanzin did to him.

"King Miki Abbas of Mikironomada will not forgive you either, you should know why.

"King Hanibal of the Han dynasty can forgive you but for a price. I heard that he wants your father to give him the secret scripture of the perpetual damage. Your father will not allow him to have that. It's the only thing your family has that instills fear in the heart of the masses.

"So I think my father is the only one of the five Kings who can pardon your crimes. And at the moment, he is the one stopping this war. But if our marriage proposal is not approved, I'll make sure my father doesn't pardon anyone. It's a disgrace and an insult to say that we have come from the underground world to this place to seek marriage but we leave empty-handed. We'll be a laughingstock. Do you understand?"

Bizaya ended his speech with a wicked grin. He got her. The princess was intelligent. There was no way she didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

But Nostalgia breathed deeply and nodded. "My father will never force me to marry anyone I don't like. You just said you and I are related by blood, right? So help us because of that. Why must I marry you to help us? By helping us, won't you be getting a formidable ally in return?" She got up slowly. "Goodbye, cousin." She turned around and left. Bizaya quickly caught her hand. It was so sudden that she jerked and almost tripped.

Fuming with anger, she raised her other hand to slap him but she found that she couldn't move the hand. A nail made of light had stuck the hand in the air.

Her heart sank, she looked at him and said, "Are you insane? You know where we are, don't you?"

Bizaya laughed and said, "I know where I am. I am in my in-law's kingdom. And I'm holding my wife. Even if I were to take your clothes off, nothing will happen. But don't worry cousin, I'm not that vicious. Besides, I'm very gentle with women. You'll be happy with me. I promise you that."

"Come on! Stop it."

"Stop? Why should I stop, after all, you're being given to me even as we speak? Lemme just make it all easy for you. I'll marry you right here."

He pressed her wrist harder until she winced. Then he stepped forward and moved closer to her. His lips almost touched her face despite her struggling.

Her breathing seemed to smell of some unique fragrance. Her eyes were so beautiful they could enchant the dead. Bizaya had to admit that he'd an excellent taste for choosing the girl. Nostalgia was way better than those short women in the underground world. She was way better than anyone he'd ever seen. And what was more, she was still a virgin. How lucky could a man be?

"What are the words again?" He said, getting excited by the second. "Let's see... I accept princess Nostalgia's hand in marriage. I'll clothe her, feed her, and educate her? Er... No, that isn't right. Something is missing."

Nostalgia bit her tongue as he got closer. She would stab him with a knife if any of her hands were free. The damn bastard was trying to kiss her on the lips and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

He got too close that she closed her eyes and awaited her fate. But then he stopped. When she opened her eyes, someone else was holding the prince back.

Bizaya angrily pulled his hand away from the hand holding him from the back, but the grip was too strong. He turned around angrily to see the newcomer who was so bold to feel he could stop him. It turned out to be Armad. He recognized Armad from the jinzidal tournament held in his hometown some years back. But who the hell did Armad think he was to grab his hand like that? Did reaching the finals of one tournament make him this grandiose?

"Aman, or whatever your name is, this," he gestured between himself and Nostalgia, "is between a prince and a princess. It certainly doesn't concern someone with no origin. Get the hell out of here. You're lucky I'm in a good mood today."

Armad didn't respond. Instead, he squeezed Bizaya's hand and yanked him away from Nostalgia. The two young men faced each other.

"She doesn't want to," Armad said. He sounded disgusted. "Didn't they teach you manners in your underground holes?"

In response, lightning flashed on Deniz Bizaya's body as if to warn the other man. Armad did the same. For a moment, it appeared as if two walls of lightning were hitting on each other.

For a long silent moment, they stood there looking at each other before Bizaya laughed wickedly and said, "Did you choose this black-skin stranger over your blood? You have made a grave mistake, dear. And you will soon realize it. There will come a time when you will kneel and beg me to take you even as a concubine."

He turned and left. Armad followed him but Nostalgia shook her head. She didn't want to make the matter any worse.

***

After Armad escorted Nostalgia to her quarters in the palace, he went back to his room. He fell asleep shortly after and didn't wake up until the next morning. He woke up to find his friends around him on the bed. It seemed as if they were waiting for him to wake up.

Ilias was the first to speak with a dreaded tone. "The meeting between King Bihanzin Sisiyu and King Deniz Iluru have failed. It is said that his son Deniz Bizaya was involved in some dispute that broke the arrangements between the two parties. With no support from its closest ally, the kingdom of Sisiya is about to go to war. The other four jinzidal Kings ask Bihanzin to surrender his daughter or else they will seize her by force. They have already sentenced her to death this morning for interrupting the slave auction."

Spoon added, "And the Denizens have taken away all their gold back to the underground. Right now, Sisiya has no friends and is facing the threat of war."

Armad shook his head and took a deep breath, he had already predicted something like that to happen just not so soon. "I think you should all leave before the war engulfs you. You can start exploring the equatora without me. I will join you as soon as I'm done here. At the moment, I can't leave Sisiya. I feel responsible for what's happening, and if I'm being honest, I want to use this opportunity to take the jinzidal Kings down. We may be outnumbered but not necessarily out-powered."

After this short speech, Armad left the room. He gave them time to decide. Spoon and Ilias would likely leave, but Inara would stay.

For some reason, Armad kept remembering the name Nusi Kil'zanki. Did Nusi lie about her name, just like him? Or maybe she didn't know about it. But that seemed unlikely. With everything she had told him about the isolated underground city of Shadeniza, the Vow Travelers, and the name Djinn, it just didn't seem like something that could be mistaken or made up. Why did Ururu keep tabs on everyone in the equatora? Well, that might be a stupid question but still, why Nusi Kil'zanki?

A fallen empire with a handful of survivors in hiding, an isolated underground city, a hidden prison inside the walls, jinzidal Kings fighting each other... There seemed to be something deep going on. A bigger plan to keep the slaves flowing, maybe.

Armad got up, took a bath, ate some food, and then went to find Nostalgia. He had already decided on what to do. For him, the path was clear.

He arrived at the house. But there was no one there, not even prince Kiru and prince Hasanu. Armad spotted a maid walking the corridors, who rushed to him and handed him a letter. Armad opened it to find a handwritten note.

*Come to the judgment hall. The King wants to see us.*

Armad ran to the hall. He photon jumped at intervals to speed up. When he arrived, the judgment hall was already filled with people. The golden throne sat on the west side with Bihanzin sitting on it. He looked even bigger and more intimidating than the last time Armad saw him. And yet, his face was expressionless.

Standing in front of him were two long lines, one on the right and the other on the left. On the right were thirty-one kings serving under the empire, and Commander Djinn. Each of them was armed with full-body armor, making it look like they were going to war at any moment.

On the left side were the two sons and the daughter of the King. When Armad walked inside, he didn't know where to stand. He was no king or prince, and those were the only people invited to the judgment hall at the moment. What could possibly be going on there?

Bihanzin spoke in his mind. "Whoever marries a princess is also a prince, so come and stand here on the left." He motioned him forward with a nod.

Armad sighed softly before he stepped forward to the left. Hasanu was the eldest and he stood closest to the King. Followed by Kiru and then Nostalgia. So Armad stood beside Nostalgia.

The hall fell silent and everyone was just looking at the ground, afraid not to breathe too loud and attract the attention of the King.

Bihanzin said, "As many of you know, my daughter has chosen Armad as her fiancé. Anyone of you who disagrees with her decision, or who sees this shouldn't be?"

There was silence and no one said a word. After a long pause, Bihanzin sighed softly and continued, "So if there is no one against it, I'll fix the date of the wedding as seven days. Each of you should go and prepare a gift for the princess and the ceremony will start from the day of the wedding until seven days later. I will not exclude anyone, send word to every town and village. To every land under my control." He paused. And after a while, he waved dismissively. "That would be all."

Bihanzin stood and left the palace without commenting on the impending war. Armad was too overwhelmed to even read the King's face. What power! With a single command, he ordered an entire empire and thirty-one kings. Bihanzin's pol felt like the sky and the oceans and the seven worlds combined. Just how powerful was he? He even had perpetual damage, a sword famed as the most powerful in the seven worlds. Armad was beginning to see some light. With a little help, they might win this war and change the world for the better.

Armad looked at Nostalgia, and she bowed her head, flushed and in embarrassment. Hasanu and Kiru immediately shook Armad's hand, congratulating him. The other kings in the hall all lined up.

On that day, Armad shook the hands of all the kings in the kingdom.

Seven days left to the wedding. Would everything happen safely?