The boy who's was found wandering around the world was later captured.
The boy which was sent to a dangerous place.
The great Empire of Alfaros was in chaos.
was returning from the battlefield after four years.
Years ago, he used to be the most beautiful prince of the Empire.
Ironically, the same prince was today known as The King of thieves.
It is said that he had a huge scar on his face, a face that used to be very beautiful.
The scar was so horrifying that the Emperor got scared when he saw it and sent him away to the battlefield.
But the war was over.
And he was to return.
.
.
.
Earth was angry at the whole world and sent the boy on a quest to save the world from evil.
.
.
Looking at the green eyes that didn't even flicker at the sight of his scarred face, Regan was filled with a surprise for a moment.
At the same time, something flashed in his cold eyes when he saw how calm she looked.
"What is your name?"
"The boy said, Your Highness"
"Cevin..."
Regan tasted the name on his lips.
His red eyes looked at her face which was completely blank and he said
"The boy said, you will be my personal slave from today on."
Cavin looked calm.
However, as time passed, Cavin realized that The destiny child wanted more.
Much more than she could give him.
She tried to stop him. But what would she do when the prince forcefully put his heart into her hands and was adamant about taking hers?
Will Evelyn then choose to move away or to move on? Especially at the time when horrors of her past shadow her heart
__________
This story is a part of the contest so if you enjoy reading, please support to encourage the author. In return, I assure you that the plot will not disappoint you because it is full of turns and twists.
-------
The streets of the Royal City were crowded with people today.
The Empire of Alfaros and the Empire of Zamorin had been at a war.
The four other empires — Alcazar, Hertz, Verral and Calliope had already tried their best to stop the war. However nothing resulted the success when Zamorin's crown prince refused to bow down and was determined to win Alafros.
However, the prolonged nine years of war had finally come to the end.
And today there was a huge banquet in the Royal Palace.
The huge banquet was to celebrate the great Empire of Alfaros' victory over Zamorin. Alfaros won and Zamorin was now merged with Alfaros making the already large Empire larger.
Those who were invited to attend this banquet were eager to step inside the Palace and have a glance at its grandeur.
Amidst this crowd, unaware of everything around them walked slaves. Their hands were tied with shackles and their eyes were blindfolded.
Amidst these almost fifty slaves, walked two slave girls beside each other, with each other support.
"Where do you think they are bringing us to?"
The slave girl asked her friend in a whisper.
"We will know once we reach there."
Another slave girl told her softly making her friend sigh.
The slave girls were feeling hungry and thirsty and they wished that their master would give them something when they would reach their destination.
Suddenly, the slave girl hissed sharply when she felt something stabbing her feet. The pain made her stagger and a hand held her waist quite firmly.
"Thanks, Evelyn."
The slave girl whispered in a choked voice. She knew that it must be Evelyn.
Evelyn continued to hold her and help her walk forward. When she realized that her friend was crying, she said softly
"Peri, don't waste your energy by crying. Bear it."
The words could sound cruel to someone who was in so much pain and wanted to cry. But Peri was aware of Evelyn's personality and …she also knew that Evelyn's words were reasonable.
They didn't have that much energy in their body that she could waste it on crying.
Because of the wound on Peri's foot, their speed of walking slowed down.
But soon, a harsh voice sounded in their ears, and at the same time, the shackles in their hands were pulled more hardly making them stagger forward.
"Why are you crawling like a snail? Walk fast if you want to keep your legs intact."
Evelyn sucked a sharp breath at the pain in her wrist and Peri cried out loudly because of the pain she felt in her feet and wrist both.
Without saying anything, Evelyn held Peri again and tried to walk a little faster.
When they stopped walking, the slave girls finally breathed a sigh of relief.
People's shouts could be heard constantly …as if they were in some crowded place.
Peri gulped to wet her dry throat with her own saliva.
On the other hand, when Evelyn heard the man who brought them here talking with someone, she listened carefully
"You have brought a lot of them. Royal Palace doesn't need that many slaves."
"Hehe…Your Excellency, I just hoped that Your Excellency will have many options to choose from."
The other man chuckled on hearing this but soon said coldly
"They better be well-tamed. If I was humiliated in front of His Highness because of you then don't expect to stay alive for long."
"Hehe…"
This time the slaveowner laughed nervously and tried to assure that all the slaves were well-tamed.
"Evelyn…we are in the Royal City."
Peri also heard everything and whispered to Evelyn in an excited tone.
"Evelyn…if we got inside the Royal Palace as a slave then our life would be easier."
Peri was so excited that her lips were trembling. Even her hand were trembling as she held Evelyn's arm.
Because of the kind of life they lived...even the hope of being inside the Royal Palace was too much for her.
However, Evelyn's calm response doused her interest.
"It is the same everywhere. For them, we are merely slaves. We are allowed to breathe as long as they will let us do so…"
Peri's smile was wiped away when she heard these words.
She didn't like what Evelyn said.
She actually wanted to tell Evelyn that as long as they could sleep with the Royal Prince even for one night, they will at least be treated a little differently from others.
But she didn't know what stopped her from saying this out loud to Evelyn.
'I can do this for myself. Later, I can take Evelyn as my maid, and that way, I will protect her.'
She thought inside her heart.
The slave girls were brought out of their trance when they heard the same man's voice again.
"The Prince wants to play a game with these slaves. Whoever wins will stay by Prince's side."
"Game…As Your Excellency wishes."
The slaveowner didn't dare to question much and agreed readily.
Peri was excited and determined to win this game so that she could stay by the prince's side.
A few moments later, they were dragged to some other place.
The crowd's shouts were now more prominent.
Their eyes were suddenly uncovered.
Evelyn blinked as she tried to adapt to the light after so many hours. Her green eyes were unusually calm as she looked around.
They were standing on a stage and she saw a huge open ground in front of her eyes. The ground was surrounded by a large number of people.
In other words, it was a huge arena.
Evelyn looked around the arena. Her eyes went towards the stage that was higher than theirs. Though it was quite far away from them, she could see a huge chair that seemed to be the throne.
Was the king seated there?
Then her eyes went to another stage that was just beside the throne. There seemed to be more chairs on that stage. She couldn't see the people seated on the chairs but she could guess that they must be the princes or minsiters.
Her thoughts were distracted when she heard some people's talk who were sitting near the stage.
"Hehe…Let's place a bet on which one of them will win. I bet on the one who is standing in the middle."
"I bet on the one standing beside hers."
Her green eyes flickered with confusion as she looked at the huge arena which didn't have anything but sand Its walls were higher enough for them not to be able to go out.
What kind of game could it be?
"Evelyn, your feet."
Peri's concerned voice sounded in Evelyn's ears and she looked down at her foot.
Her right foot was slightly bloody.
As Peri looked down at her own foot, she thought that she had less pain tolerance as Evelyn could continue to walk even with such a foot while she was crying because of the thorn.
She put aside her thoughts when the slaveowner returned and dragged them inside the large ground.
The ground had high walls but people seated in a circular arrangement around the ground could easily see inside it.
There were almost fifty slaves inside the arena. All of them were surprised when the slaveowner and his people suddenly started to free their wrists from the shackles.
Peri was still excited and determined to win this game. She held Evelyn's hand and said as a friend
"Evelyn, do your best."
Evelyn didn't say anything in response.
She frowned as she saw the slaveowner and his people leaving the ground in hurry.
The sounds in the arena suddenly decreased for some time. The atmosphere became unusual.
'Click'
A sound that seemed to be of a door being unlocked came.
All the slaves looked around the arena only to stop at a gate that was opening slowly.
'Roarrrrr!"
The next moment, a loud roar sounded in the arena.
More roars followed.
People suddenly cheered loudly in excitement.
Evelyn inhaled sharply as suddenly understood what the game was.
It was A Game Of Survival.
Chapter 2
A Hope To Survive
Almost fifty slaves stood inside an arena with at least forty lions.
That was the game the prince wanted to play.
The slave girls looked at the lions who were looking at them with hunger-filled eyes.
Their faces went pale as they saw the lions for the first time in their life.
When Evelyn suddenly pulled her hand, only then did Peri remember to run.
"Eve...lyn..."
She stuttered out Evelyn's name and held her hand tightly.
Evelyn didn't have the time to turn around and comfort Peri.
The arena was filled with screams of slave girls, growls of lions, and excited cheers from people.
Then came another scream. The sound of the flesh being torn was so strong and close that Evelyn herself shivered.
"Don't turn around, Peri."
Evelyn said as she continued to run with Peri. Coincidentally, Peri was about to do that.
At the same time, the loud announcement fell in everyone's ears.
"Ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the show! All these lions are domesticated by Prince Rafael himself and they have been kept hungry for a week only for this occasion."
The people cheered more loudly.
In response to these cheers, Peri couldn't stop the tears that were threatening to come out of her eyes.
"Eve...lyn...why....they are ...so cruel...to us?"
She asked in a choking voice.
Her foot was in pain and she knew Evelyn must be in pain as well...more than her.
Their bodies didn't have much energy. After all, they had only drunk water for the last two days.
"I can feel it...it is r...running behind ...us."
Peri whispered in a horror-filled voice.
In the pile of disappointment and despair, Peri heard Evelyn say in a breathless voice
"We will stay alive as long as we can."
Peri, however, didn't have any hope left. They could run...but for how long.
On the other hand, Evelyn looked towards the iron door from where the lions had been sent inside.
She was running towards that door. If someone from outside could be let inside, then there must be a way to go outside as well.
However, a sudden collision made her stagger and Peri's hand slipped out of hers.
Evelyn turned around to hold Peri's hand again but the scene in front of her eyes left her blank.
One of the lions was above Peri.
As if it felt her eyes on itself, it raised its head and looked at her with hunger-filled eyes... almost promising that she would be the next.
And then it lunged for screaming Peri.
But something suddenly blurred its eyes and it roared in irritation.
Evelyn threw more sand toward the lion's eyes when she saw it was trying to open its eyes.
She didn't know how but she dragged Peri out from the lion's clutches. Her heart was jumping against her ribcage.
Peri was scared out of her wits. She was trembling. Her whole body was in pain. Her clothes were torn from here and there and she could still feel as if the lion was holding her.
When Evelyn held her hand to run again, she couldn't help but say
"I can't run anymore."
Evelyn didn't respond because she couldn't leave Peri behind.
She had met Peri only four days ago...the day she had been brought to this Empire Alfaros.
Peri had given her the food that she had saved for herself.
She couldn't leave Peri here alone when they were facing death. So she gave the hope of being saved to Peri.
"That iron door...we need to go there. We ...will try to find some way to get out."
Peri looked towards the door Evelyn was pointing to. The door was slightly blurry to her but when she heard Evelyn's soft voice, she felt there was still hope.
The screams inside the ground continued. Amidst everything, they successfully reached the door.
There was a peculiar lock on the door. Peri didn't know how to open it. But she recognized it.
These kinds of locks are usually placed on the closets of noble family members. She had only seen it once in her life when she had been bought by a minister.
But how could they open this lock? The slaves were not supposed to know how to open them. They were not taught so.
However, the next moment Peri saw Evelyn stepping forward. She saw how Evelyn rotated it in different directions for different number of times. She did it so many times that Peri couldn't remember anything at all. But Evelyn seemed to be very experienced and confident in what she was doing.
Her eyes widened when she heard the sound of 'Click'
Peri couldn't believe that Evelyn knew how to open the door. She immediately opened it wide and stepped out first.
Evelyn was about to do the same but when she raised her leg to take a step forward, she was pushed inside by someone.
And the door was slammed shut.
Chapter 3
Betrayal For Survival
On the high stage, there were four to five chairs. It was the stage where all the princes were seated.
"F**k, who had ever thought that she would know how to open the gate?"
The second prince, Prince Richard cursed and at the same time, he laughed in amazement.
He turned slightly to look toward the third prince.
Grinning widely, as he remembered how arrogant Rafael looked a few moments ago, he said
"Third Brother, I am sure you also had never expected this."
Prince Rafael turned to glare at Richard.
The sharp glare made Richard shut his mouth. In fact, he felt that this game was such a waste of these slaves.
He didn't understand Rafael's sadistic pleasure in seeing people struggling for their lives. According to Richard, his brother simply was not aware of the other kind of pleasure these slaves could provide.
He felt disappointed seeing how slaves were being torn down by the lions. Some of them did look decent.