The Fallen Princess

Five

Chapter 5

When Princess Zaria comes too, she realizes she is in the back of a moving wagon. She sees several of her sisters, but none of those she cares for. She wriggles her wrists against the thick rope binding her hands behind her back. She twists and pulls against the coarse rope, loosening its tight grip little by little, causing her wrists to bleed. It takes about an hour's time, but she is finally able to slip one of her hands out. She moves to the back of the cart and looks through a small hole ripped into the dirty canvas.

She can see another wagon following just behind the one she is currently in, and there are 5 men on horses between this cart and the next. ‘Judging by their eye color, they are all dragons.’ she deduces and sits back against the side of the wagon to think.

The princess tears the hem of her dress, so that she can wrap her bleeding wrists and when she finishes, she steps closer to the back of the carriage again, to take another look. “Don’t” One of her half-sister's whispers and Zaria touches her finger to her lips, hoping the girl will remain silent and not alert the guards.

Zaria makes an impulsive decision to use her power of light to momentarily blind the dragons on horseback, so she can get to the other wagon and search for her brother. Then they could decide what to do next together. The prince did say he would spare her brother, but she was not convinced that he had and thus, she had no reason to stay there and remain stagnant.

Her light did its job, blinding the riders, but it also created a gust of wind bringing the loose sand and gravel whipping into the air. Zaria fought through it, running as quickly as she could to the back of the other wagon, and rolling inside. She looked around and seen nothing but more women. The ones who were awake moved away from her, startled by her sudden appearance and that's when she saw three of the little princesses bound and huddled together.

As soon as the princess went to release her little sisters from their ties, the wagon came to a halt, nearly throwing her through the front of it, and she could hear men shouting outside. She dropped to the floor facing the 3 little girls and tried her best to convey to them that everything was alright to bring them some semblance of peace without using words. The canvas flaps whip open, and men's voices fill the small space. Zaria stills, pretending to be asleep as the men clunk around the wagon. After a few minutes pass, Zaria hears a horse whinny near the wagon's edge.

The other men exit the wagon and the sound of a solitary pair of boots against the dry wood seems to echo. “No count is needed,” Zaria hears a familiar voice say. The sound of boots grows closer, making the princess's heart pound and the boots seem to stop right beside her. A hand reaches down, snatching her up by her arm and the three little girls squeal. “You seem to be nothing but trouble little elf.” Prince Callen laughs darkly. His eyes glitter with malice as he drags her out.

“Where is my brother?” Zaria spits out. The dragon prince grabs her face with his hand, but not hard enough to leave a mark. “You are lucky to still be alive, and this is how you thank me?” he growls. “I didn’t ask to live.” Zaria snaps back at him defiantly and a grin stretches across his lips. He drags Zaria over to a white horse and tosses her over its back, jumping on behind her. “Let’s move!” The prince calls out to the knights surrounding them, lightly kicking his horse into a run.

“I don’t wish to ride with you.” The half-elven princess tells him. “That’s funny, I don’t recall asking what you wish for.” The dragon prince chuckles, then leans forward and whispers, “I suggest you shut that little mouth of yours or I may just sell you to the next slave merchant we pass.” Zaria turns her head and gives him a look of disgust but remains quiet.

As night falls, the prince gives the order to set up camp and, much like a stirred pile of ants, his men work hard, to get everything set up quickly. “Take her and tie her inside my tent when it’s completed.” Prince Callen orders a large man in plated armor, then tossed Zaria off his horse and into the knight’s arms like a sack of flour. “Yes, your highness.” The man replies reverently, setting her on the ground but grips her arm tightly leaving instant bruises.

The princess's body already ached from riding hours upon hours without stopping, but as the brooding knight dragged her across the camp she tried to put her pain aside to look through the chaos for her brother. “I’m not sure why his highness hasn’t just killed you yet, but it’d be best not to test his patience.” The knight told her, and Zaria had no intention of taking this man's advice, but she remained quiet as he pulled her inside a large canvas tent. He let go of her arm for a moment, and while he was turned away, she took the opportunity to try and run out the door.

The large knight tackles her before she can even make it outside, and the weight of his armor makes her body ache all over. “I . . . can’t . . . breathe.” Zaria whispers with no air coming into her lungs. “I don’t care if you can breathe.” He says pointedly, pulling her up, and he grips her tightly whipping her around, leaving bruises all over her skin.

The knight tosses the princess into a chair and binds her legs with a thick rope. When he has that completed, he moves to her wrists, wrapping the rope several times more than necessary and then finally, he binds her waist and thighs tightly to the chair. “This is quite excessive, I’m just a small girl.” Zaria tells the Knight, and he chuckles but doesn’t respond. “Stay put Princess, and perhaps his highness will allow you to live another day.” He advises after finishing and Zaria lets out a distressed sigh.

“Please let me out of these binds.” The princess groans as the ropes cut into every part of her body. She had been tied to this chair for hours, and witnessed people coming in and out, setting up a makeshift room and not one of them had responded to her at all. The rope around her wrists was so tight that she could no longer feel her hands. She heard some voices outside, then saw the canvas door move, and she tried to move her chair to look to see who it was this time.