On the outside, Zash was the respected and benevolent vizier of Lazan City, a loyal adviser to the sultan who always did what was best for the city. However on the inside he was as deceitful and venomous as a cobra. An evil magician who like Selene, was a former student and also like Selene, Zeref had passed him over as one of his chosen due to seeing his inner greed and lust for power. Zash was not pleased with this, he coveted Zeref's greatest magic and had planned to use it to become sultan and takeover the city. But this power was given to whom Zeref considered his wisest and most kind student. In response, Zash came up with the plan to start the great war and seduce Selene into joining him.

With everyone invested in the war, he could have easily used it as a distract to steal Zeref's magic from the one wielded it, and he successfully in prisoned the user with an ancient artifact that would make the prisoner a slave to whoever own the item, but Zash was defeated before he could use said artifact, and was then banished to a withering and scorching desert. However he never gave up on trying to take that power for his own, and when he made it out of that desert, he used his skills in illusions and sorcery to manipulate his way into the monarchy.

"I just don't know where she gets it from Zash." The sultan complained to him one day. "Her mother wasn't nearly so picky."

"Women." Zash replied. "Each a mystery."

"I am in desperate need of your wisdom Zash."

"My life is but to serve you." He said with a tight, thin-lipped smile.

"Lucy just refuses to choose a husband. I'm at my wits' end."

"Awk! Wits' end!" The parrot on Zash's shoulder squawked playing dumb.

"Oh hello." Jude greeted the bird, taking some crackers out of a china bowl. "Have a cracker, Pretty Polly."

If there was one thing that parrot a.k.a Nebaru hated, it was crackers. Especially the dry and stale crackers the sultan always gave him. He nearly choked as Jude crammed the crackers into his beak.

"Your majesty certainly has a way with dumb animals." Zash remarked, which earned him a hate-filled glare from Nebaru. Selene may have been just as evil and twisted as Zash, but at least she treated their henchman with respect.

"Now then." Zash continued. "Perhaps the answer isn't marriage at all."

"What do you mean?" Jude said.

"With all due respect my liege, perhaps the princess is not meant to inherit the throne. She certainly doesn't act like it."

"I beg your pardon!" Jude said getting angry. "Are you implying that I should disinherit my own daughter?!"

"It pains me to even think of such a thing, but I have heard the princess say more than once that she doesn't even want to succeed you. Sure you can always force her to become the next Sultana, but we all know how you feel on such matters."

Indeed, for all his strictness and slight controlling nature, Jude had never once even considered forcing Lucy to marry any of her suitors. Even though he had the power to do so. The laws and traditions of Lazan City all say that a father has every right to choose whom his daughter will wed and she must submit to his order. But Jude truly did love his daughter and he couldn't bear the thought of forcing her to marry someone she hated.

"You're right Zash. Lucy is a willful girl and many times I just wish that she would listen to me, and understand that I know best. But I don't want to break her spirit. I want her to be as happy with her husband as I was with her mother."

"Exactly." Zash said. "But with tensions so high between our realm and all the others, we need to act fast. We need a young and vital ruler who can take charge and try to keep the peace. With your daughter still being unmarried and unprepared for that role, perhaps you need to make a few changes."

Zash had spent years trying to convince Zash to disinherit Lucy and name the vizier his heir. But it always failed.

"Not to mention there's talk of The Tiānkōng Empire coveting this land. If they attack, your armies alone cannot defeat them, the men of the Tiānkōng Empire are trained samurai warriors, you must do what is best for your people."

Zash was going to propose that his magic could easily defeat any army but Jude came to a different solution of his own too quickly.

"You're right Zash. Things must change, I must be more firm with Lucy. I didn't want ti to have to come to this, but I may have to choose a husband for her. If what you say about the Tiānkōng Empire is true, then for good of our people , I shall arrange for her to wed the prince of The Verdenshav Kingdom."

"What?!"

"The Verdenshav Kingdom still trades with our realm and if my house was to be united with theirs through marriage, the empire wouldn't dare attack and there would be at least peace between two realms."

"But what if the princess refuses him? Do you intend to force her into marriage?"

"No but she can at the very least meet him and get to know him. Summer is soon approaching and I know that the royal family of Vendershav have their own Summer Palace in the Magnolia Nation, where they spend their holidays. This Summer, I shall request that Lucy and myself spend it there with the prince, so he and my daughter may get to know one another and maybe fall in love."

"But the prince is barely a boy. Not ready for marriage I' sure."

"He turns eighteen in a week. Not only that but he's honorable, courageous, and well-bred. He'd make a fine husband. I shall write to Lahar and make the arrangements."

"But sire-"

However the sultan was already long gone into his study. Zash sneered in defeat, leaving the throne room. Nebaru began to spit out the crackers.

"I can't take it anymore! If I have to choke down one more of those moldy, disgusting crackers, I'll grab him by the neck and-"

"Patience Nebaru, patience." Zash told his imp servant. "Soon I will rule this realm not that jumbo portion of stupidity or his shrew of a daughter! I just need to find someway to delay the princess's upcoming nuptials."

"Well they're not engaged yet. Hell, she might not even want this prince. She didn't want the other princes."

"Yes but the prince of the Verdenshav Kingdom is different from all those other pompous fools. He wants to marry for the same reason as the princess, for true love. Ugh, the foolish dreams of youth." He said, disgusted with the notion. "Anyway she'll be head over heels for him before even a day passes I'm sure and once they're married, she'll be the Sultana and I'll have to serve under her which will make my scheming much more difficult."

"How so?"

"She's not as easily fooled as her father. With her in charge, it won't be long before she gets suspicious of me. I need to keep her from meeting that prince until I find the lamp."

"Oh you're not still obsessing over that magic lamp and the genie are you?"

"I will have that lamp Nebaru! I must have it! The throne of Lazan belongs to me! Not that girl! And according to my research the cave to the lamp will soon be opening again."

"Yeah but remember what happened the last time we tried to get it? The moron you sent down there was eaten by a dragon."

"Yes, but I learned from my mistake. This time the fool I send will be a descendant of Zeref, for only one of his descendants can enter the cave and leave alive."

"And just how do we find this descendant?"

Zash smiled sadistically as a terrible plan slowly formed in his mind.

"I think it's time that we pay a visit to an old friend of ours. Someone who is just as desperate to get the lamp as we are."

The one whom Zash was referring to was none other than the fortune teller who had revealed to Natsu his lineage. Zash would visit her often and bully her for answers.

"I know nothing!" She said when he came to her with his demands. "Nothing at all! If I did would be trying to get to the cave right now, instead of hanging around in this market place."

"You lie!" Zash snapped at her. "I have spoken to other vendors and they have told me that yesterday you were desperately chasing after a young man."

"Old lover of mine."

"Nice try, long ago, I remember you swear that you'd never take a lover, marry, or allow yourself to know any joy until he was free! Only reason you'd ever be that desperate for a man was if he was the only one who could possibly set that imbecile free."

"How dare you! He's no imbecile!" She cried angrily. "He's more than you'll ever be!"

"Spoken like a truly, devoted daughter." He chuckled sinisterly. "Tell me something Cana, do you honestly believe that you can save your idiot father from an eternity as the lamp's slave? Not likely."

"Says you! But someday my father will be free! And when he is, he'll destroy you and that witch  once and for all!"

Zash suddenly seized her roughly by the hair and held a knife to her neck.

"Tell me who he is or I'll slit that pretty throat of yours!"

"Go ahead! I'd rather die than do anything to "help you!"

Zash was just about to drag the blade right across her flesh and end her life, when suddenly Nebaru squawked.

"Wait! Zash! I have a better idea!" He flew from Zash's shoulder and grabbing something from Cana's chest. It was a golden scarab beetle medallion. "Use the tracking spell! Transfer her consciousness into this and when we get close to the sucker, it'll glow, using her knowledge and memory to find him."

"What an excellent and far more useful
alternative Nebaru."

He released the fortune teller called Cana and before she could react, he pointed his staff at her and spoke a chant. In a blast, her body changed into a stream of gold dust that flew into the medallion.

"Like father, like daughter!" Zash laughed, picking up the medallion. "Trapped in a magical item to be used by me! Come Nebaru, I must now find this one, this descendant of Zeref."

An evil grin spread across his face. Before long, his waiting would be over and he would have everything he ever wanted. His own realm to rule, his own palace, his own treasure, his own slaves, and his own harem.