“Your things are with your horses outside,” Busara told the princes. She gestured over to the table. “Why don’t you come and eat with us?”

“Are you serious?” Gamba stood up and slammed his hands on the table.

“Father will not be home tonight due to his work; there’s no need to waste the food I’ve already cooked.” Busara and the princes headed over to the table, unable to resist the beauty's invitation. They sat around the scabby wooden table.

The four started to eat the broth that Busara had made. Prince Kovu looked around the room that acted as both a dining room and a kitchen. He placed his spoon back into his bowl. “This place is pretty nice for a commoner's dwelling.”

“Sorry, it’s no palace.” Gamba spat.

A ping of guilt shot through Kovu’s heart, realizing what he had just said.

“Our father works day and night, so we can live in better conditions than most,” Busara answered. She took another ship of her broth from her spoon.

Gamba slammed his fist on the table. He pointed at his sister. “We’d live even better if you’d stop being so stubborn. Just marry one of the men father picks out for you.”

“I refuse to be a wife to any of those idiots,” Busara responded with little emotion. She continued to eat her soup with her eyes closed as if to ignore her brother’s words. “I have much more to offer than just my beauty. I have a mind as well.” She opened her eyes with coldness that warned her brother to leave things at that.

In Gamba’s anger, he did not care about his sister’s cold stare. “When will you get it? Men don’t care about a woman having a mind. A man wants a pretty woman that is obedient.”

“Then I’d rather be alone.”

“So our father has to kill himself because you want to be stubborn?” Gamba questioned. “How selfish.”

“What about you? You’re old enough to work; instead you go around trying to steal from princes. At the very least you could make repairs to the house.”

“Why are the princes even in our city?” Gamba yelled. Both he and Busara eyed the princes.

"I decided to leave the palace so I could see the state of my country with my own eyes." Kovu rested his hands in his lap, looking down at his soup. "I wish to do something about my people's suffering."

Gamba crossed his arms. "Oh, please if you wanted to do something you take care of that demon, Mudiwa who terrorizes the city."

"Mudiwa?" Kovu questioned.

"Mudiwa was once an ordinary priestess who served in the temple. Many called her the most beautiful woman in all the city," Busara explained. "So much so that a number of men stormed into the temple and raped her. The angels became angry with Mudiwa for defiling the place and cursed her. They turned her into a monster.

“As a result she turned her anger on the very men who dirtied her and turned them into gems which she fastened into a necklace she wears."

"Many men have gone there to rid her from the temple, but all of them have met the same fate," Gamba spoke. "She turns them all into statues of jewels to decorate the temple."

"So that is what this is about." Dayo withdrew a scroll from his shirt that he unrolled. "It spoke about a Mudiwa problem in Hasmal and pleaded for help."

"Where did you get that?" Kovu asked.

"I borrowed it from the throne room." Dayo rolled up the document and waved it in front of himself. "It was in a pile of rejects."

"That's the scroll I brought to the capital." Gamba then took a sip from his water cup before slamming it down. "The king wouldn't hear me out at all. He simply laughed and said it wasn't his problem."

"Is that why you targeted us?" Dayo could read the pure anger that flowed through the bandit's body.

"It's only a matter of time before Mudiwa finally leaves the temple and makes us all a part of her collection," Gamba finally spoke. "If she can't be defeated then we need to get out of here before it’s too late. The true king observationally doesn't exist."

"True king?" both princes spoke at the strange term.

"It's in the holy text of the angels," Busara answered.

"Both of us have studied the angels' text and never came across it," Kovu replied.

"It is found in the Begotten Text of Promises," Busara responded. "If I understand correctly the text isn't all that popular with the higher class, but it is very important to the common people's belief in the angels. In it on the third chapter, halfway through it speaks that if a time of darkness in which the people have lost faith in the order of the land and light has been nearly vanquish that a man would be born. He would be both strong and humble. He would wreck havoc on the forces of the darkness to rescue the people."

"The True King would slay those like Mudiwa and gain the power to overthrow the wicked rule of the royal family for bringing about this age."

"Get rid of our family?" Kovu questioned.

"The True King would have the power to do it and have the angels' blessing to do it." Gamba rested his arm on the table, challenging the elder prince with his eyes.

"Where is this temple?" Kovu questioned.

"Brother," Dayo said.

"Gamba," Busara warned.

Gamba smirked at the thought of the prince taking on the demonic beast. He stood up. "Alright, prince I'll tell you where the temple is. When you leave this house, look toward the West. The temple has been built into the mountainside and is the tallest building in the entire city so you can't miss it.”

"Understood." Kovu stood up.

Busara got up after him, grabbing his wrist to stop him. "Your highness, no warrior has defeated Mudiwa. The moment a man looks into her eyes they turn into crystal."

"Then I shall not look into her eyes." Kovu took Busara’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Fear not for I will return.” Kovu pulled himself away and headed out of the house.

"Brother, wait!" Dayo chased after him. He caught a glimpse of Kovu next to their horses. Dayo slid the door close behind him. He moved over to his brother who unloaded his weapons from his horse.

He grabbed Kovu’s shoulder. "Have you gone mad? You cannot go out and try to fight this thing."

Kovu stuffed his axes in his belt before re-sheathing his sword back in its scabbard. "I will not allow another to take my throne from me." He took his bow and quiver and strapped them to his back.

"No one will."

"I also will not allow my people to suffer under some demon."

"There is no proof she will leave the temple."

"Would you say that if she were in Atrugiel?"

"That is different."

"No, it is not." Kovu headed in the direction of the temple. "You stay here if you are so afraid I will fail. Carry on the family line." His sky blue cape flapped behind him as he headed down the dirt road.

The night sky shinned brilliantly with all of the stars and a full moon.

"Sweet angels." Dayo quickly pulled his own weapons from his horse and went after his elder brother. "Hold on." He tried to convince Kovu the whole way there that he was making a mistake.

A few hours later the princes found themselves directly in front of the steps that lead up to the Temple of Worship. The princes began to climb the marble staircase. "You easily are the most stubborn man in the entire kingdom," Dayo declared.

"Instead of whining why not make things more interesting?”

"And exactly how do you plan on that?"

"Let us say, the one who kills the beast gets Busara."

"She did not seem to be the easy type."

Kovu eyed his brother. "Who said anything about that?" He looked toward the top of the temple that they had almost reached. "I believe it is about time I finally found myself a wife."

Dayo smirked and shut his eyes for a moment. "Very well, then I suppose I will have to cut the monster down. Busara does rouse my interest after all." They at last reached the top of the staircase to be greeted by a twisted purple crystal. The princes nearly fell back onto the steps at the sight.

"What in the-" Dayo began.

Kovu's eyes shimmered at the sight. "This must be what happens to those who failed." The prince looked around the courtyard of the temple to see dozens of crystal statues in various colors of a rainbow. The sight would be beautiful if the truth behind it was not so tragic.

"You still want to go through with this?"

Kovu looked toward his brother who challenged him with his eyes. "I will not look into her eyes." Kovu marched forward. He tightened his fists to help steel his resolve. He made it to the large stone doors that held branch out grooves.

He pushed opened the door that creaked. Once the doors spread wide enough for him to enter he slipped inside of the brilliantly large temple. Cool fire light from candles hung on the ceiling by hanging metal holders. Despite the many candles that lit up the large room it was cold enough to see one’s own breath.

The entire place had been built out of marble that included two rows of pillars with the images of angels craved into them. The statue of the angel, Paschar stood at the very front of the room in all his glory. Kovu carefully gazed around the room for any sign of the creature he had come to slay.

A hand fell on his back. Kovu ripped the sword from his scabbard as he spun around. He stopped his blade short at his brother's neck. He took a breath, lowering his sword. "Was now really the best time to do that?"

Dayo lifted his hand up. "Sorry."

"Who's there?"

The snake-like voice instantly sent a chill down both brothers’ spines. Kovu headed over to the right set of pillars as Dayo went to the left. Each pressed their back against the pillar they hid behind. The sound of hissing and something sliding against the ground could be heard entering the room.

Kovu crouched down. He slowly circled around the pillar to crawl his way over to the next in the row as he kept an eye out for the creature. The sound of the sliding grew louder. He glimpsed out to see his target coming out of the shadows toward the middle of the room near the angel statue.

The creature matched its voice. The former priestess lower body had been turned into that of a snake with leaf color scales. Her upper body had been bear covered in scales instead of by clothes, her shifting hair resembled scorpion tails. As described the monster wore a large golden necklace packed with jewels on it. The prince could not make out the woman's face from his angle which he had been thankful for and yet at the same time he was curious about what the monster looked like.

Kovu took a good grip of the sword in his hand. He lowered his gaze to the floor. He readied his position and charged out toward the monster. He yelled out his war cry ready to do battle.

Mudiwa turned in the prince's direction. "You dear enter my hall. You DISGUSTING MAN!!!" She lashed out toward him.

Kovu swung his blade down in an arch. Mudiwa caught the golden sword between her hands to stop it from slashing into her face. She lifted her head up. "Look into my eyes." A golden light filled her pupils.

Kovu shut his eyes. He reached to grab one of his axes from his belt and swung it across, hoping to slice off the demon's head.

Mudiwa bent her body back to avoid the strike. She pulled herself back. She slid across the floor as she wrapped her tail around the prince's ankle. The monster yanked him down, knocking him onto his back.

Kovu blindly threw his axe in the hopes of freeing himself. The ax flew over the snake woman, impaling itself into the wall. Kovu rolled himself onto his belly and tried to crawl away; however, his foot was still held by Mudiwa.

"You can't escape me." Mudiwa leaped on top of Kovu, pinning him down by his shoulders. "You came into my den. Do you really think I will allow you to escape now? Any man who dares to come near me deserves death." Her hair scratched against itself.

Mudiwa wrapped her lower half around the prince's legs to keep him further in her grasp. "But before you die," she wrapped her scaly hand around his chin and turned his head in her direction, "look at the sight of your death."