{ Longing For The Return}

Chapter 1

Your land is occupied.
Your treasures have been stolen away. Your men are held captive.
Your people are left homeless.
Your family is dead.
You are nothing but a mere princess who should be long dead.

This was my reality—a nightmare I could not wake up from. My name is Dalia Alsadiv; I am the only princess of the Alsadiv kingdom, or at least that was where I used to be.

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Today is my brother's birthday—not just any birthday; it is his 18th birthday, a significant day. As the crown prince of the kingdom, reaching adulthood means inheriting the throne at any time without a Guardian, more responsibilities, public appearances, and less free time. As his younger sister, I'm saddened by how hard he's working and how rarely we will meet. But as part of this kingdom, I'm proud of him. And as my father’s daughter, I'm happy that my dad has someone to share his burden with.

Today was supposed to be a good day. I had a good sleep, had my favorite breakfast with my family, played with my younger brother, attended my daily lessons, and at noon, I dressed in my green kingdom traditional dress, which took three months to make. Adorned with my gold jewelry, I walked with my maids towards my mother's bedroom. She was wearing a dazzling white dress with pearls and accessories. The maids brought cake for my younger brother, who was too excited to eat. Holding hands, we walked together—the three of us—to the main hall.

Loud music filled our ears as we entered. It was a moonless night without a single star shining, something I noted as we walked through the unroofed areas along the way. Upon reaching the hall, we joined the party. My dad's proud smile, my brother surrounded by ministers, my aunts sipping tea, my mom feeding my brother the eagerly awaited cake, my uncle being pulled by his son to play, my cousins laughing and pulling me to dance, and my grandmother quietly enjoying her tea, watching everyone. That's how it was. That's how it should have been. But it all shattered and disappeared like a dream. No more music, no smiles, no laughter, no lights.

Fiery red chaos erupted... armed men in guard uniforms. There was too much to process and not enough time to think. The hall was vast, and I was far from my dad. I saw it happen—within a minute, a single gunshot brought my dad crashing to the floor, drowning in his own blood. Next was Chao, my older brother. My mind froze. I needed to find mom. That was all I could think until I found her lying on the ground, her once-white dress now dark red. The armed men were on the other side of the room, and the smoke from the fire was thickening. What should I do? Everyone was dead. Azam, my younger brother, was still alive. I snapped back to reality when I saw my uncle grab Azam and rush toward me. "Move your feet, Dalia," my uncle urged as he reached me. We fled the hall through one of the gardens. Gunshots, cries—it was all I could hear. We used the castle's secret passages and tunnels to escape, hoping not to be caught. I lost all sense of time as we ran that night; my feet were bare and bleeding, but I felt nothing. I didn’t want to think—not now, not here.

Finally outside the castle walls, we met a black car that took us to an unfamiliar house. Stepping inside, five pairs of familiar eyes stared at me. "Oh, Princess Dalia, I’m relieved you're safe." The silence broke as one of the men said, “Dalia.” My uncle looked at me, still holding the unconscious Azar in his arms, and said, ''We need to get you both out of this country." Leave; he wants me to flee away. “Azar is the only remaining Dalia, the only heartier left.” He continued, "We don't have time to chat right now; I’m afraid I can’t accompany you, so you have to be on your own.”
Alsadiv is gone—the harsh truth no one dared to utter in that cramped room. Azar was finally in my arms, and as I hugged him, every person in the room kneeled.

“We swear allegiance to His Majesty Azar Alsadiv, His Heirs and Successors, and we pledge to faithfully defend His Majesty, His Heirs, and Successors, and to her Royal Highness Dalia Alsadiv, defending her and obeying her commands. We pledge allegiance to the kingdom of Alsadiv.”