Unbroken Ch. 01

Clara was scared. She couldn't cry anymore. She was trembling and her heart was pounding deep in her chest, making her body weak. Then she started crawling backwards, trying to get away from the evil king. What she had seen was bad enough to make her second think about death.

Then crawling backwards, she hit a wall and watched as the king extended his fits and pointed them at her. It was all over for her but just when she had thought she was going to die, the fire on the king's fists suddenly turned bright blue and went off, leaving the king cursing and angrier than ever.

"Tell me where that child is." The king ordered, breathing like an evil warrior. "Tell me where that evil child is and I will spare your life."

"Never," Clara said, knowing the consequences of her actions would be deadly.

"I said..." The king trailed off when he heard the cry of a baby. It was not sounding near but he could hear it quite clearly. "Ha ha," The king gave out an evil laugh. Then he quickly turned to the guards and ordered them to find where the child was and kill him.

As the guards left, the king gave an evil smile to Clara and killed her instantly with a sword. Then he left, knowing that no one would be able to know what had happened. Even if they knew, nothing was gonna happen to him. After all, he was the king and his words were enough.

***

Beatrice was running as quickly as she could, holding her grandson who was crying out loudly. She was headed for the forest where she was hoping she would find a way out of the kingdom or a way to hide away from the evil king. She didn't want her grandson to die like his father and probably his mother. She had no idea why the king wanted to kill her grandson. Every child that had been born in the kingdom was alive so what was with the king and her grandson?

"There," One of the guards shouted, pointing to the running woman and her child. "Follow her and kill the both of them."

Hearing what the guards had said, Beatrice held the baby tighter and added speed to her legs. She was getting really tired but she knew there was no way she was gonna stop for even a second. She had to save the child no matter what.

"Hey," The guards shouted, running as fast as their legs could carry them. "Stop in the name of the king."

Beatrice took a quick glance behind and saw that the guards were getting nearer. She couldn't allow them near her grandson no matter what. She continued running in the forest till she reached her end, a cliff and it was a long way down. She looked everywhere and there was no other place to run. The worst was that the guards were coming in close.

"What am I going to do?" She cried, trying to soothe the baby who had been crying for a long time. She looked at him and cried. He was such a cute baby and she had no idea what such a harmless cute thing had done to make the king mad.

"It's gonna be okay." She whispered, trying to find a way out. But before she could turn and began finding a way out, she felt a sharp pain in her back and then something hot travelling down her back. From the excruciating pain that she felt, she knew that she had been shot. She then began trembling in fear, trying to hold the baby tighter but she fell to her knees and tried to move away but the pain was just too much.

"Give me the baby." She heard a deep manly voice from behind.

Beatrice slowly managed to get up and turn around. She saw about five armed guards all looking down at her. She was now scared of what was going to happen.

"Why?" She cried, wincing in pain. "What...what has this innocent..."

"We don't know." The guards said rudely. "And we absolutely don't care. We are just following orders so give it to us." The guard then started moving towards her and she started moving behind, reaching the final step on that cliff. She looked down and it was such a long way. She was going to die but she couldn't allow her grandson to die. The only thing she didn't know about was how she was gonna save him from evil people.

"Give us the..." The guard trailed off when she saw the old woman trembling to the point where her hands couldn't hold the baby anymore. She was bleeding from her back, where the arrow had hit her and she fell to the ground, the baby slipping from her hands. The baby fell down the long cliff, into what was known as a crock infested river under there. There was no way that baby was gonna survive.

The guards watched motionless as the baby's cries filled their ears while it fell down the cliff until they could no longer hear it. They all knew that it was dead already. Their job was done. It was not a good death but at least it was dead and not by their hands too. They nodded sadly and moved their eyes towards the woman at the edge of the cliff, she was dead. They finished her off by throwing her off the cliff to give the crocodiles another tasty meal. But this one was bigger. They moved from the forest.

Moving away from the forest, the guards went back to the palace to report what had happened. Hearing the word the guards had brought, the king smiled brightly. He could now live happily without fear. And now he was gonna master the power of the great Ming. After that, he was gonna conquer the greatest kingdom of all time and get it back. He was gonna take back what belonged to his ancestors without any threat. And he knew how to do that, especially with the threat out of the way.

"Good riddance." The evil king's laughs filled the whole castle.

***

PRESENT DAY...

Aidan opened the door to his house, rushing right through. He was really happy and there was nothing he wanted more than to break the news of his happiness to his family. Entering the house, he met a beautiful blonde woman with a great smile. She was putting on an apron, probably cooking one of her favorite dishes. After all, cooking was her specialty.

"Granny," Aidan shouted, running into the arms of the lady he loved more than anything. He held her tightly, not even stopping for a moment. He loved being in his granny's arms. They were like his place of security.

"Hmm," Diana chuckled, ruffling her grandson's long hair. "Someone sure looks happy."

"I am," Aidan enthused, pulling away from her strong arms.

Aidan was almost 18...well in a month's time he would be eighteen years old. He was a high school graduate from one of the schools in Angria. He had long hair, really long dark hair which went all the way down to his butt. Well, tried to cut it but it grew right back. Both his parents had died in a motor accident when he was only five years. Since then, it was only his grandmother and his elder brother who he knew as his only family. He had deep green eyes which his granny said was absolutely beautiful.

He had finished school just a few months back and now he had found a job at one of the best cafeteria's in town just 3 months ago. Now he was happy because he had gotten his salary. He had dreamt of becoming rich and living a comfortable life after finishing school.

"Okay," granny chuckled softly. "Can you tell me what has made you this happy?"

Aidan gave a really happy chuckle and slipped his hands through his trouser pocket, bringing out a small envelope. Then he handed it to his grandmother and watched as her smile faded.

"What's this?" She asked, getting the envelope from Aidan.

"My salary," Aidan smiled brightly.

"Your salary?" Granny sounded not happy. "But I can't..."

"You can," Aidan said, holding her hand tightly. "And you will. Don't you remember what I said? I told you that I would take care of you."

"What about your dreams?"

"My dreams will come later." Aidan said softly, giving his granny a great smile. "Right now I have to make sure that I provide the money to you. Besides, I will apply for one of the king's scholarships next year. I am sure that with my grades, I will get accepted. Right now, I just want us to have enough food."

"But you know that Ethan does that." Granny said softly. "You should just..."

"Forget it granny." Aidan heard the voice of his brother as he rushed through the house. "You know how stubborn this brother of mine can get."

Aidan took a quick glance behind and found his brother looking at him with a smile. Ethan was 24, chocolate brown hair which was cut short and matched with his light brown eyes. He was really handsome and worked as a security guard at one of the companies in town, since he had no chance of completing his high school. In fact, they were not rich and lived in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the capital of Angria. It didn't matter as long as they had each other and had food on the table. All Aidan wished for was to go to the university and at least become someone in the kingdom.

"How is my sweet brother?" Ethan said, cupping his brother's cheeks. Then he gave them a small pinch and the both of them laughed softly.

"I am absolutely fine." Aidan chuckled softly, enjoying the wonderful hands on his cheeks.

"Good," Ethan said softly. "Please, don't work yourself too hard."

"I won't." Aidan said, pulling away from his brother. He loved his brother and his granny so much. They were the reason he lived his life on earth. Without them, his life would have been absolutely meaningless. He might have not have known his parents for long but he still loved them a lot.

After laughing and chatting for so long with his granny and brother, Aidan felt his stomach rumbling and he knew just what he wanted.

"Hey, granny," Aidan said, rubbing his tummy through his t-shirt. "What's for dinner?"

Granny chuckled softly. "I thought you'd never ask." She cupped his hands in hers. "Why don't you go to the dining table and I'll bring your dinner for you?"

"Thanks, granny. You are the best." Aidan kissed both his granny's cheeks and he went with his brother to wait for the wonderful dinner which his granny had cooked. She cooked the best food he had ever tasted. Even at 63, she was the best cook he had ever encountered.

The house they lived in was just a small three bedroom house. It was really tiny but he couldn't have wished for anything bigger. The house had a lot of memories with it since he was only a child.

Aidan sat with his brother, waiting for the wonderful dinner his granny was going to bring. They just talked about work and stuff and that was all. In no time, dinner was served and as he expected, it was scrumptious and absolutely mouthwatering. He loved how good it felt in his mouth. It was an unforgettable dinner.

After dinner, Aidan helped his brother get ready for work and thereafter he escorted him. He came back and chatted with his granny before finally retiring to his small room. Lying down on the bed as he tried to sleep, Aidan did what he always did every night ever since he was in high school, think. He always thought about how his life would be if he finally got rich. He wondered when his life would suddenly take a turn and bring someone in his life, someone that he would he love and someone that would love him.

Aidan was gay and he had known it since he was just a small boy. In high school, he had been in a really bad relationship and it didn't end well. That relationship was with one of the popular guys in school who had suddenly gotten interested in him. The guy was somewhat a hunk and Aidan had thought they were in love. At first he had been confused as to how someone who was rich could fall for someone many people called a pauper. He wasn't that surprised because many people had told him how absolutely handsome he was.

Anyway, that had been his first relationship and he had thought the guy loved him like crazy. They had never had sex because Aidan wanted to know if the guy was the one for him. They dated for months until Aidan felt he was ready. Just when things were about to get beautiful, Aidan had found his boyfriend in bed, having sex with his best friend. It had hurt but there was nothing he could do. Maybe it was just life telling him that someone else was for him and not that stupid boy. Since then, Aidan didn't have that many friends. Even the few that he had were not...well, what you might call a friend-friend.

Aidan was still hoping and praying for him to find his prince charming, anyone who life had for him, someone to love him even though he was a pauper, someone to marry him and give him a beautiful life. Gay marriages in Angria were legal, the king had legalized many years ago. And he was hoping that he would be one of the lucky men to get married.

He loved fairytale stories and how they ended. He wished his love story to be just like a fairytale but he dropped his reverie when he felt his eyes getting heavy. He drew the blanket on his body and drifted off to sleep, smiling brightly.

****

The elevator opened and the queen came rushing out with two of her personal maids behind her. She was wearing a beautiful blue flared dress which went all the way down to the floor. Her blonde hair was curled and tied behind. Her makeup was beautiful and her skin was glowing.

Queen Ruby was rushing to the large living room which would fit about 200 people. She had a beautiful smile on her face and she was rushing to her husband. She had great news for him. Their son was coming home after being abroad for long. He had been studying and now he was gonna be back to his country.

"My lord," The queen announced, rushing to her husband who was seated on a beautiful and most elegant couch, reading a big newspaper about things happening in his kingdom.

The king was putting on a beautiful black designer's suit and white shoes. His chocolate brown hair was combed beautifully and he was neither having his crown nor his beautiful golden scepter. He was looking really lovely and the queen couldn't help but admire him. The king was 54 years of age and the queen was 49 though they were both as young as they come.

"My queen," The king smiled, putting the newspaper down. "What is it?"

The living room had about 5 guards who stood in different positions, making sure that everything was alright. Not that anyone could come into the great palace and do something bad. It was really impossible to penetrate the palace.

"The prince," Queen Ruby said happily, sitting beside her husband. "The prince has arrived in the country. He is on his way to the palace as we speak."

"Hmm," The king chuckled, wrapping his left arm on his lovely wife. "He didn't even tell me he has arrived. But either way, has..."

"Everything has been prepared." The queen spoke with the brightest smile ever. "His room is in perfect shape and I am sure he will love it. He has no choice." The queen laughed softly. "After all, I have personally made sure that his room was in perfect shape."

"You and your son," The king gave a teasing chuckle, drawing a soft chuckle from the lovely queen.

"That's my son for you." The queen really loved the prince a lot. He was the only male child she had and she adored him big time. She knew that sooner or later he was gonna take the throne and she knew that he was gonna be a great king, adored by all.

"By the way," The king started, repositioning himself on the couch. He sat facing his queen while giving her a beautiful smile. "I have to talk to you about something."

The queen dismissed her maids and then began talking with her husband. Her husband suggested they found the prince a bride so that he could be fully settled down. They wanted him to be responsible when he took over the throne. It was a really great discussion and the queen got interested too. She had always thought about what it would feel like to have grandkids around the house. It was what she wanted more than anything. But in the end, it was the prince's decision.

As they were still discussing about the prince's marriage, footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs. Both the king and queen moved their gaze to the staircase and saw the princess coming downstairs. Princess Hanna was 20 and absolutely beautiful. She had brown eyes, beautiful dark hair and she looked a lot like Queen Ruby. Coming down the stairs, she was wearing a beautiful, green dress which was fitted on her beautiful body. She had a tiara on her head and she was wearing pretty black high heeled shoes. She had all kinds of jewels on her and being a jewel herself, she was really beautiful.

"Father," Hanna shouted, happily rushing down the stairs while holding her long dress.

"My beauty," The king said, getting up from the couch. "What is it?"

"He's here," Hanna gushed, rushing to the living room. Her joy emanated throughout the living room and got to everyone there. They couldn't help but smile.

"Who is here?"

"My brother," Hanna smiled, literally jumping of joy. "My brother is here."

"How do you know that?" Ruby asked, holding her daughter's hand. "I don't see him."

"That's because I told one of the drivers to inform me when they are near." She said, feeling joy fill her up. "I wanted to give him a warm welcome."

"Really," Ruby raised her eyebrow. "Then let's all go and give him a warm welcome."

"Sure," The king said happily. "It will be better if we show him just how much we missed him. He's been gone for so long."

They all agreed and went outside, which seemed like forever to reach.

The whole palace was absolutely beautiful...in fact, more than beautiful. Angria was a modern day kingdom, more like a sovereign state, filled with beautiful traditions. Its palace was a modern day 11 floor palace, extremely huge, absolutely amazing, and breathtakingly beautiful. The palace was like a five star hotel, fancy, elegant, glamorous but everyone knew that no five star hotel in the whole wide world was as beautiful as the huge palace. It was all white, made of gold which shone everywhere with sparkling diamonds in all places. Anyone could see the palace from afar because it was that beautiful and elegant. There were golden pillars leading to the entrance, and a large golden double door, with diamonds at the top. There were three beautiful door bells.

There was a long pool on the left side of the palace with luxurious things there. There was also a beautiful courtyard filled with beautiful fountains with glass chairs were people could relax. The palace also had a huge garden behind the palace filled with lots of trees and fruits. It was a beautiful place to be and many people came to admire its beauty.

The palace had a huge gym, three pools and lots of luxurious things needed for any rich man. Nothing was lacking on that gorgeous palace. Every luxurious thing was there. The king had even made his two lovely children swimming pool balconies just to enjoy their lives. He was surely a really rich king.

The whole palace was surrounded by a tall white wall fence, surrounded by top outdoor security. Guards where everywhere and they made sure the palace was safe from everything.

To top it off, King Julian was one of the richest and most powerful kings in the world. He owned 3 gold mines, 5 huge companies, hotels, gardens and orchards. His kingdom or rather country was really huge and most of it was a town. He was loved by his people and he loved them as well. He was a good king and he helped people a lot. He was not a bad ruler and he gave people their freedom.

Angria was probably the richest kingdom ever.

***

The huge white gates opened, revealing a huge car which was coming in. It was followed by three more cars which followed behind. Everyone knew the time had come, the time to welcome the prince. They were really happy and Hanna had even asked the maids to be present at the prince's welcoming. They were filled with so much joy and waited impatiently as a car headed towards them. The compound was huge so it took quite some time to reach but it reached them anyway.

The car was tinted so no one was able to see the prince even though they were eager to. In no time, the car stopped in front of them, followed by other cars. A guard quickly got out from the second car and rushed to the big car in front. Holding the knob softly, he opened the back door and knelt down. Then he bowed and greeted.