Chapter Five
1362 Words
One of the duties of the knights, to protect the subjects of the kingdom.
One of the duties of the knights, to protect the subjects of the kingdom.
Even though he was not a knight yet, he was a prince and a would-be knight. The king must have started to train his sons and teach them the basic duties of being a knight.
All knights are bound to protect the subjects from the enemy. When in war, the child and female need to be sent to safety first and must not get harmed in any condition by the enemy. A knight must not think before killing the ones who threaten to harm their motherland, their kingdom.
I looked around me and saw the look on the faces of everyone. Pity at the damsel in distress. I bit on my lower lip so hard that I could almost taste the blood on my tongue. I would have wanted to be a princess but never a damsel, I would have taken the hit 1000 times as a man and wouldn't have fallen ready for another one for them to throw my way.
My vision was going blur as I was holding the unshed tears in them, blinking fast so none of them touched the ground. I might be weak and breaking down, but they don't need to know that. They don't get to peek in my soul and see how many times it had been shattered down and I was a mere body standing breathing without a purpose.
I gulped the saliva in my mouth and put a fake smile on my face, the one reserved for such days, as I slowly turned to the Prince. The Mighty Prince who just rescued me from getting hit only pushed me further into the dark future of getting hit and embarrassed every day from now. I wanted to scream and tell him, this is how things work. You don't get to win by escaping them once, you have to escape them every day, every day till they can fight back, or in my case, they stop breathing.
"I am grateful to the Lord" I bowed down, still blinking my eyes rapidly and smiling, so I didn't get a follow-up question.
I wish...I just wished...I was born as a princess... Could I even wish this now?
As I looked up at him, he was smiling at me, but it was more of a smug smile rather than a kind one, like his father. Oh, he hadn't noticed me since I was special, he had noticed me since he knew I was weak and would need saving.
In another world, I was falling on my knees, crying out my knees and screaming at the Unfairness of the world, yelling at the situation and people who put me here. I wanted to be normal, I wanted a normal life, was it a lot to ask?
In this world, I bowed down, showing my gratitude to the Prince.
This world was unfair.
The sky had started turning grey and the girls were still looking in the direction where the Prince's ride had started disappearing. He stayed for a few more hours, looking at the learning house, and was later fed with delicious cuisines from different parts of kingdoms and some even from other kingdoms. I had decided to stay out till all of that took place and wait till we could go home.
I should have left early.
"Fleur, why don't we give you a ride back. You won't find a horse ride, this late at dusk"
Merry approached me and stood in front of me, with a kind smile on her face. She was dressed in a purple silk gown, with a pink belt around her waist in the form of a bow. Her hair tugged back in a bun with a beautiful gold hairpin, having the end as a bird figurine. She would look like a princess with this complete attire, but there was something still missing, I just couldn't put my finger on it. She looked at me with so sincerity, that I found it rude to decline her invitation. We were all tired from this eventful day and I wanted to go home and curl in a ball.
I felt like Gift was looking in our direction, but I was too tired to pay heed to the way she looked. I picked up my gown and hopped on the ride, sitting beside Merry, while two other court girls sat in front of us. My house was mere some distance away and with the ride, I would be there before the moon came up. I shut my eyes and tilted my head back, breathing slowly. It would be so easy to fall asleep right now. The wind was breezy, but not too chilly, which makes you think, why you didn't grab a scarf. The ride was smooth without much disturbance in the path, which was a surprise as I have a path filled with stones and boulders.
I am about to open my eyes when everything happens in a blink of a second. A bag is put over my head and I could feel my neck being choked as it's pulled back. The string quickly tied so my complete face was packed and I couldn't see anything. I start to move my hands reaching for the bag when more than a pair of hands restrain them and tie them behind my back with a rope.
Shaking from side to side and not able to breathe, I try to figure out what's happening as I am being lifted and getting taken somewhere. Nothing about it feels right.
Are those the knights that are asked to guard outside my house? Or are those people friends of my Father? Am I going to die? Then why not just stab me? Why tie and blindfold me.
"Let me go... please let me go" I try to scream but to my surprise, none of the words are coming out. Is it because of the bag or that I am not able to say anything? What has happened to my voice?
*"You look tired, here have some water" Freya had offered me water earlier before we left, as Gift stood by her giggling"*
What have they done to me?
*Thud*
I am dropped on the ground and as much as I want to know where it is hurting, my mind has stopped working. It feels like right now, it's all confusing. No vision, no voice, I could only hear things, but that too was not properly due to the bag around my head. I was going crazy.
I just wanted to go home and run away. Runaway after dropping my Father in the court physician room. I wanted to run away.
Someone pulled me up by my hair and pushed me against something hard, I am supposing a piece of wood erected somewhere secluded. My hand is tied behind my back and my feet only lose body parts now.
*Whip*
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa" I screamed but no voice came out. My leg was burning with the pain of the whip, I wanted to fall on my knees but I couldn't. I was all tied up
*Whip whip*
This time it was on my waist, it hurt, it was hurting like hell, my eyes probably red as tears started to fall on my face, I was sobbing, sobbing badly.
I tried to listen to the sound made around me but someone has shushed the others. It was difficult, difficult to understand anything.
*Whip whip whip*
"Noooooooooooo stop please please I beg you"
No words came out, as the next hit was on my hands.
I was panting, sobbing, sweating, it felt like I was going to die, nowhere like this.
A girl with no purpose, this was my fate, this was what was written in the palms of my hand.
Someone loosened and took the bag from my head and I took a deep breath. Not caring to look around for who did it and why.
I just wanted it to end, the pain to end.
- Writer
