Guardian of Time

Three-year-old Zeara pelted through the kitchen just as fast as her chubby legs could carry her. The terrified look on her face attested to her fear of whatever might be pursuing her. Aunt Cleada shook her head, whatever could the child be frightened of now?
Just then nine-year-old Zark sailed regally through the kitchen obviously in pursuit of the little girl. In his hand, which he waved triumphantly over his head, was a large green frog. The slimy water still trickling from it told the tale of its recent capture from the pond in the palace courtyard.
"I'm gonna get you, Zeara!" Zark shouted gleefully after the chubby child. "I'm gonna put Mr. Frog right down your shirt!"
"No! No!" Zeara screamed from somewhere ahead. "Icky, awful, frog wants to go back to the pond. He doesn't like you squeezing him. He doesn't want to go down my shirt. EEEEEEEEK!!!"
From the sound of the scream, Aunt Cleada concluded, Zark must have achieved his goal. The mischievous boy was always pestering the poor child. He never seemed to tire of finding new ways to irritate her.
Just then Zark paraded back through the kitchen. A large grin adorned his face and in his hand poor bedraggled Mr. Frog on his way back, Aunt Cleada assumed, to the pond. Behind him, as usual, trailed Zeara. Though why she continued to follow him when he was always doing such awful things to her was beyond her aunt's comprehension.
As the children disappeared out the door, the butler bustled in from the other direction. He looked disapprovingly at Aunt Cleada's grease and flour covered hands as they carefully kneaded the new bread dough. Disdainfully he flicked at the small flecks of flour which seemed determined to adorn his immaculate suit.
"Cleada, it has come to the attention of the king that his son, crown prince Zark, has been associating with your niece. This does not please the king. He has commanded you to keep your niece away from the prince. Prince Zark is not allowed to associate with common people, let alone slaves. You will see to this immediately." He turned imperiously away as he finished, his hands still ineffectually trying to brush off the clinging flour.
Well, Aunt Cleada thought to herself, it was hardly surprising. The two children were always together, no wonder the king had heard about it. But, the problem now, was how to keep them apart. Zeara, of course, could be told not to play with Zark. However, Zark usually did just as he pleased. And it always pleased him to torment Zeara in some way or other. It was quite doubtful he could be kept away.
As she was pondering what to do, a great shout arose from the courtyard. Gathering her flour covered hands together, she raced out hoping Zark hadn't pushed Zeara into the pond again in a vain effort to teach her to swim. The boy had nearly drowned her last time by insisting she could swim if she just jumped in and wiggled her arms. When Zeara hadn't obliged him by jumping he'd helped her. One of the gardeners had arrived just in time to rescue her. Zark seemed to be genuinely sorry and very concerned that Zeara should recover, probably, Aunt Cleada mused, so he'd have someone to torment.
But, as she arrived in the courtyard, a different sight met her eyes. The two children had managed to climb to the top of the parapet above the gate guard. There, with glee, they had rained rotten eggs down on him. He was agitatedly shaking his fist and threatening dire punishment on the two imps if he should catch them. Zark was mischievously shaking his fist back at the guard making him even angrier.
"Zeara!" Aunt Cleada commanded, "Come down here immediately!"
Zeara's face crumbled into tears. "He told me to t'row eggs or icky Mr. Frog would hop out and get me." She pointed an accusing finger at Zark.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, young man." Aunt Cleada spoke reprovingly as she marched to the rescue of poor Zeara who in obeying her aunt had descended into the clutches of the agitated gate guard, and he definitely intended to spank her.
"Keep your big hands off my niece, can't you see it was the boy who instigated it." She clucked protectively over Zeara as if she were a mother hen, gathering the sobbing child to her breast. Then turning to the boy she spoke again. "Your father, the king, said Zeara cannot play with you anymore. You are not to come near her, or your father will be very angry."
Zark stared at her in astonishment. Not play with Zeara, but who else was there? How very irritating of father to be sure, he thought rudely to himself. How dare he tell me not to play with the child. Since there's no one else to play with I shall be bored almost to tears. Well, I shall play with her anyway. We will just have to find a secret place.
No sooner had Aunt Cleada issued her version of the royal command and disappeared back into the kitchen with Zeara than Zark set out to discover a place to play in secret.