It was the third Friday on a cloudy night in December. Karif was on a treacherous journey to the mystical kingdom of Laza. Karif was a daring boy with a sharp mind and his family lived on the scorching outskirts of the Thar Desert. There were no animals to feed on or plants to receive vegetables from. They had to travel two lengthy miles to get water from a measly well in the outskirts of Laza. Karif’s family once belonged to a wealthy tribe who lived in the kingdom of Laza. One day, they went on a picnic to the Salim River where they met a cunning merchant. The merchant knew they were rich so he thought of ways to cheat them. He brought the family to his house and stole all their money while they were making merry. He went back to the kingdom and convinced everyone that the royal family was swept away by the river and replaced the royal family with his own selfish family. He exclaimed that that was the last request of the father of the royal family. Meanwhile, Karif’s family, all worn out ventured their way through the Thar Desert. There they lived with a kind hearted couple named the Rafaels’. Mrs. Rafael took very good care of the family and saw to it that they were treated the best. Although after a year there was a severe drought. Everyone spent their money on buying water and thin loaves of bread. They soon fell into poverty. That was when Karif knew he had to take action. He scoured the house for leftover stale bread and a canteen of water. He felt guilty for taking the little water they had but he knew he could repay both the families with more fortune. Finally, Karif set out at midnight when everyone was asleep. He tiptoed across the bare room where his family slept. He silently took his backpack and slipped out the door. He took his only pair of worn out slippers and stuffed them into his backpack. He turned around to say goodbye to his house he had memories in and set out to get revenge and money for his family. He silently ran across the yard and jumped over the spikey barbwire. After a few miles of running he stopped. He heard the sound of twines crunching and mud splattering. He slowly took out his only piece of wealth that he had from the palace, his golden dagger. It was his father’s which was passed down to him in his death bed. He tightly gripped his hands over the dagger. His knuckles were white with fear. The footsteps seemed closer by the second and it stopped suddenly. He heard a soft chuckle. Before he knew it he was grabbed from behind and stuffed inside a bag. He soon fell asleep inside the bag. After a few hours he slowly woke up and looked around his surroundings. There was an empty wall with a couple of bare cupboards. His hands were tied to the back of the chair and he was taped across his mouth. His golden dagger was hanging against the wall.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Asked one of the men ripping off the tape from Karif’s mouth. Sharp pain shot through Karif but he dared to speak.
“I am Karif and I need to reach the mystical castle of Laza. My family needs their honor back which was stolen away by a merchant.” Karif declared. The men looked at each other with a knowing look.
“Look kid, I know who you’re talking about. He cheated us too when he took our money. We are also looking for him so we can kill him. Maybe we can help you,” one of the men proclaimed.
“How do I know you’re not lying?” questioned Karif. The two men made a deal with Karif. If Karif successfully gets his royal place in the castle then Karif had to let the men stay in the castle too. Karif hesitantly agreed to that. The two men gathered their weapons and made their way to the castle. Karif felt a little nervous trusting the two men. The two men introduced themselves as Talon and Matlow Kinley. Talon was the huskier of the two and had blond hair. Matlow was the complete opposite. He had black hair and was very thin but both were extremely tall. They made Karif feel like a hobbit. After a couple of hours of wandering through the desert they found an abandoned cottage to sleep in. They all took shifts to keep a watch. Talon was the first watch and Matlow was the second. When it was Karif’s turn he saw a faint light at the end of the dark gloomy woods. He woke up the brothers to show them the light. Upon seeing the light the brothers’ face turned pale with fear.
“We need to escape now. It’s the king’s notorious guards out to get anyone who strays around at night,” stated Matlow. Karif took his golden dagger and his backpack. He checked his water canteen but it was almost empty. They slinked out through the back of the house and ran across the backyard. The guards sensed them and started to run after them. The guards were faster than them but Matlow had an idea to outrun them. They ran up the palm trees and hid behind the tall branches. The guards could not climb to reach them so they gave up. After Talon gave them the clear signal they tediously climbed back down.
“What if they come back?” questioned Karif. Talon and Matlow smirked at him.
“They’re too stupid they would never come back,” Matlow said boldly. Karif nodded his head hesitantly. They continued on their journey to the castle. On their way they saw a cottage. Matlow and Talon stopped in front of it. They smiled at each other.
“This is our sister’s house, she lives alone and she is always bored,” explained Talon to Karif. They knocked on the door and a plump lady answered it. Without saying hello, she ran and gave them a bear hug. The brothers looked like they lost all their blood.
“You guys should have visited earlier. You interrupted my cooking. Who is this little guy?” She asked. The brothers told her that he was a foreigner trying to take revenge of the same merchant that cheated them. Their sister ushered them in. The house was a small cottage and had many paintings of the family. It had a toasty feeling to it. Karif immediately missed his family. The coziness reminded him of his mother. The sister laid out an abundance of food in front of them. She served fresh bread, ham, salad, and pasta. Karif had not eaten that much since he was from royalty. He plunged into the food and did not care a bit in the world that everyone was looking at him. He sheepishly looked down. The sister felt so bad for him.
“Don’t mind us. Just eat without worry,” said the sister. After a couple of hours the crew started to leave the house. They said their thanks and left to continue on their journey. They finally saw a golden path that led to the mystical castle. They walked on what it felt like a cloud. They were staring at the castle with awe. They had never seen a castle made out of glass. This glass was special. You could not see what was on the other side. Finally they reached the doors of the castle. The guards started to block them.
“What have you brought for the king?” questioned one of the menacing guards. The twins looked at each other for confusion. Thankfully, living in royalty, Karif spoke up.
“We have brought fresh apples and mangoes. They are the juiciest in town,” exclaimed Karif. The guards looked at them suspiciously. Karif took out an apple he stole from the sister and gave it to the guard as a bribe. The guard snatched the apple and let them in to the castle. Karif winked at the two brothers. Inside, the castle was huge. It had glass chandeliers and glass sculptures. The carpet was made out of red silk. The three of them marched towards the king’s room. When they opened the massive glass doors Matlow tightened his grip on his dagger. Karif nudged him to put it down. He bowed to the king.
“Do you recognize me,” Karif asked. The king aka the cunning merchant looked at him confusingly.
“Why should I remember a peasant like you?” the merchant queried. Anger slowly bubbled up in Karif’s chest. He gripped his dagger.
“You are the one who cheated my father, the original king! You proclaimed that he was dead! Do you not remember your sins?” questioned Karif. The merchant’s skin slowly started to lose color. He remembered the small boy.
“How did you get here? Why are you here?” hissed the merchant.
“I’m here to get my father’s throne back. He is the one who deserves it,” Karif fired back. The merchant summoned his guards to get him. Matlow and Talon fought with their daggers killing all the guards. Soon it was just Karif and the king. The brothers went to fight off more guards. The merchant was not afraid, but Karif took out his dagger.
“That is the invincible dagger, where did you get that?” asked a startled king. Karif slowly advanced to the throne. He gripped his dagger and lowered it to the throne. The king looked at him with fear.
“No one can protect you now. You’re doom has come.” Karif said.
“That’s where you are wrong,” exclaimed the king. Behind Karif, the doors opened.
“Stop!” shouted a familiar voice. Karif turned around and saw his father behind him. The merchant’s jaw dropped. He could not believe his own eyes. His father was holding a staff that consumed any powerful weapon. His father marched up to the throne and threw the merchant on the floor.
“For ten years you betrayed us and it is time you paid,” boomed Karif’s father. The merchant shriveled. Finally the wise minister came in hearing that there was a battle. The minister stood in awe when he saw Karif’s father.
“Your majesty, you have returned for us,” exclaimed the minister. He bowed down to Karif’s father.
“No, I am the king. I belong here,” said the outrageous merchant. The minister realized he was in the room and gave him a death look.
“Get out of here as fast as you can and never come back,” the minister said menacingly. The merchant scrammed out of there as fast as a jackrabbit. After that, the minister led him to his lair and talked with him. They discussed how life was these past ten years. The merchant had cheated everyone from their money and forced the people who worked in the castle to keep the secret in the kingdom. Karif brought his family over to the kingdom. His mother broke down into tears seeing Karif’s father in nice clothes. Karif’s siblings had a great meal and had a refreshing bath. After that life went back to royalty and they lived in leisure.