After a few hours of riding they could see the city of Parse spread out before them in the hillside. The high pillars of the palace which were located between the high mountain and the city were visible.

Houses were mostly made of painted and glazed bricks. They were one story and sometimes two stories. The flagstone streets were wide enough for two carts to pass at the same time. Most of the houses had their own yards full of trees and flowers. Fountains and water wells could be seen in most of the road intersections. Parse was the richest city in the Persian empire.

Not many people were in the streets. Only some curious citizens were popping their heads out of their houses to see the conqueror of their city. Several buildings were damaged or burned when the enemy raided the capital.

Arta's heart broke when she saw the damages that the Sultan Faisal's army had caused to her lovely city. There were no children playing around, no seller was shouting to grab the attention of the passers, the city looked mournful and dead.

Arta was embarrassed. She was embarrassed to look at the people. His father's army had failed to protect the citizens from their enemy. She didn't want anyone to recognize her, so she had covered her head and face in the robe's large hat.

Reaching the palace, she gasped when she saw the heads of Persian soldiers on the spares at the palace gate for everyone to see. She closed her eyes and tears rolled down. She felt dizzy and held on to the camel's saddle tightly to keep herself from falling. She felt sharp pain pumping all over her body with each heartbeat. It was a devastating moment for her. She had never seen this much of brutality in her life before. How could a human do such a thing to his own kind?

Her thought went to Abtin, that royal man. He must be among these heads on the spikes. She didn't have the heart to look up and search for him. She felt so helpless and scared. What are they going to do to her?

Passing the gates, the soldiers parted toward barracks and sultan Faisal and other high-rank generals continued their way toward the main palace.

Arta saw that the sultan and generals entered the throne hall and were looking at every corner of the palace with enthusiastic eyes. Her heart was heavy. She was breathing with difficulty as if she was suffocating. "how did this happen to us? What are they doing in my home? God, if it's a nightmare I want to wake up NOW."

She was standing in the palace yard looking around herself and could not believe what she was witnessing. Strangers who were nothing a few years ago were now the ruler of this ancient and rich land. She closed her eyes and stood there. She tried to empty her head, she was losing her mind. She just wanted to disappear from the earth. This was too much for her. She felt miserable.

Samir had left her with a guard to ask Osman where he should take her.

"Give her one of the basement rooms in the west wing palace and assign two guards to stand at her door day and night."

Samir bowed and went back to Arta.

"Follow me" Samir said to Arta.

Arta realized that they were going toward her chambers and she thought that she will be given her room back. Reaching to the palace however she saw that Samir turned toward the stairs that were heading down instead of up. She stayed at the top of the stairs that were going to the basement "Where are you taking me?"

"To your room!" Samir replied.

"But my room is upstairs not downstairs."

"Well, I guess Osman had decided to give you a room down there."

"Who is Osman?"

"The sultan's son?!" he said as a matter of fact.

"Well, I don't care who he is. I won't go down there." She crossed her arms looking at Samir.

"What is going on here?" Arta turned her head and saw that general who gave her his robe the other night. His gaze was so cold and dark that Arta shivered and looked at the floor.

"She doesn't want to reside in the downstairs room," Samir replied.

Osman chuckled coldly. He walked toward Arta until he was standing close enough to touch her. Arta was still looking at the floor. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him "Who do you think you are? Ha?" he said coldly while narrowing his eyes, leaning his head forward and looking into her eyes.

"I told you who you are now, didn't I?" he paused still looking into her eyes.

She was staring back into his eyes with hatred and anger. Neither of them blinked.

Arta turned her head to free her chin from his grip and looked back into his eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her "This is not your home anymore. Now instead of being stubborn be grateful that you are still alive." He said coldly.

Arta was so angry that in her imaginations she attacked him and stabbed him in the heart a thousand times until he died. However, she knew she did not have the strength nor a dagger to attack him. So, she just turned her back to him abruptly and angrily to follow Samir to the maid's room downstairs.

"Wait!" Osman said.

Arta stopped without turning back. Samir also stopped a few steps lower than Arta.

"My robe," Osman said to Arta.

Arta turned back and while she was staring into Osman's eyes untied the robe and tossed in in front of him and left.

Osman was pressing his teeth together and trying hard not to draw out his sword and end this arrogant creature's life right there.

Following Samir down the stairs, Arta realized that she had never been to the maid's quarters before. "What a sad place." She thought to herself as she was thinking about spending the rest of her life in the basement of her own palace as a maid or even worse.

The maid's quarters were located next to the kitchen, a dim place in the basement of the west wing palace. The basement was divided into three main sections: the kitchen, the maids' rooms, and the bath pools.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a semicircular area. On the left side, there was a double door to the kitchen, on the right side, there was a long narrow and dim corridor with several rooms for maids on both sides. In the middle of this area, there was a grand shiny door that leads to the bathrooms. That door was used by the maids to prepare the bath pools for the upstairs royalties.

Arta followed Samir entering the first room in the narrow corridor.

"Well if you feel any better, this room is better than my bedroom in Arabia." Samir said honestly while looking around the small room. The room was tidy and clean. It had a single bed, a closet, a wash bin, a desk, and a chair. The room was lit by the narrow window close to the ceiling. Everything was so simple and poor compared to her luxury bedchambers.

Arta swallowed the lump in her throat and placed her trembling body on the chair. "I'll leave you now." Samir said and left the room.

***

"Are you kidding me?" Osman said looking shocked.

"No, believe me. We tried everything from battering rams to setting the door into the fire. Nothing can open this dam door." Ahmad said while hitting the door.

Samir approached them "What has happened here?" the room was extremely messy. Nothing was shiny anymore and looked like a burnt place with black walls and doors.

"We couldn't open the door." Ahmad said quickly.

Samir chuckled but soon stopped as Osman threw angry glares to his direction.

"Clean up this mess and leave this door for now. We have more important things to do."

Osman left them and went toward the thrown hall. Approaching the hall, he could hear the laughter coming from the hall. Entering the hall, his father was sitting on the throne and the generals and high ranked people around him talking and laughing cheerfully.

Osman stayed close to the entrance door and was waiting for an opportunity to speak to his father in private. He saw Azim leaning toward the wall in the middle of the hall glaring enviously at his father. Pressing his teeth together he tried to calm himself but suddenly as if Azim had noticed his glare turned his head and stare into his eyes. After a few long seconds, Azim averted his gaze with a smirk on his face and whispered something into another general who was next to him and they both laughed.

Osman was losing his patience and he was about to charge toward him when a hand grabbed his wrist from behind.

"Let it go brother!" Ahmad said almost whispering.

Osman freed his hand with a hiss and went out of the hall, Ahmad followed him to the yard.

"I swear to God I will kill that bastard." Osman spat.

Ahmad said nothing. He disliked Azim as much as Osman, but he knew harming Azim will be no good for Osman and his father.

"Samir told me what has happened. I have to admit, nice catch." He said with a grin on his face. "The princess of Persia, I could have never imagined that." He continued.

Staring aimlessly into space Osman said "Yes, we were lucky to catch her. We can use her to capture his father."

Ahmad nodded.

The people were leaving the throne hall when Osman went back to meet his father again.

Entering the hall he was surprised to see Azim was still there talking to Sultan. "What lies is he feeding my father?" he thought to himself. He approached his father and bowed. Standing next to Azim, both were tense with anger.

Sultan sighed and shook his head "I'm so disappointed in both of you." He stopped for a second and then continued "You are blood relatives. You should be like brothers but instead, you always fight like cat and dog."

"Father if you knew what he has done..." Osman said but stopped by Sultan as he raised his hand to silent Osman.

"I know exactly what has happened."

Azim chuckled. "Azim" Sultan said with a louder voice.

Azim's expression got harder.

"You did a thoughtless thing. You knew how important the Persian princess to us is. If Osman was a minute late only God knows what would have happened to her."

Azim opened his mouth to protest but Sultan was quicker "I know I know, you were drunk and all of that excuses, but still you should know your limits." He said with a serious expression.

"My limits?" Azim said angrily. "She is just a hostage. Why do you care so much for her? maybe you have other plans for her other than using her to get his father?" He said eyes narrowed.

Osman was about to attack him again when Sultan shouted, "Of course I have plans to use her to our most advantage. Unlike you two, I think before I take any actions."

Sultan was silent for a few seconds.

"You may leave now, but be careful with your behavior. I don't want any of you to make more troubles."

Azim bowed and left the hall.

"I have something to discuss with you father." Said Osman.

"I'm listening."

"There is a door in the east palace that we have not been able to open it yet"

"What do you mean you couldn't open it?"

"The door looks impenetrable."

"It must be the treasury then." Sultan said with wide eyes.

"I think it is."

"Do all you can to open that door soon."

Osman bowed and left the hall.

********