“You will learn a very important lesson today, Vijen. You should always obey my command. That’s what will help you when you become a General tomorrow. And now you will remember never to be friends with that devil of a prince.” His father, Nahush, glared down a fourteen-year-old Vijen.
His father held Vijen’s right arm pinned against the fire pit counter. The fire was set ablaze; the heat was already burning through his skin from being pressed against the counter. His father held the edge of the rod with his thick gloved hand while his other hand held Vijen’s arm in place.
Vijen was scared to death, his body was soaked in sweat and his fingers were clenched tight. He had gone for Tival hunting with Dhruv because of the increasing population of the evil creatures killing his city’s people. And somehow his father had found out about it. He knew his father never approved of his friendship with Dhruv, but he could never let go of Dhruv. No matter what happened or whoever forbade him to do so.
“Say it, son! Say you will obey my command! Say you are going to sever any connection with that devil!” His father ground his teeth together.
“He is my friend.” Vijen gathered as much courage as he could before he spluttered the words.
“Then you deserve this, my son.” Nahush pulled out the red hot rod from the fire. It was actually a half-made short sword blade of blue venom, the Keja punishment metal. Vijen was about be given an old burn; A burn that was going to hurt him all his life; A burn that would never heal. Vijen’s body filled with terror as his father slowly lowered the red hot blade onto his hand. Vijen screamed, but his father was hardly moved by his pain. His father twisted Vijen’s arm when he twitched and pressed the rod harder until his screams dissolved into groans.
When his father had finished with Vijen, he had only grown sure of one thing that night, he was never going to let go of his friend in this life of his.
Never…
Author’s note: What was only a wish became a resolution that needed no oath to stand by. A silent dare to protect the powerful one feared above all.
Read the whole story Aara: The legacy of the fire queen here
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