The carriage began the long journey to the capital city.
21 girl, whom Diana was the last of them. Afraid, shaken, and crying. Unable to face their fear of the nameless future ahead. All they were thinking of were their parents. The poor couples who just lost a piece of their family and had to move on without them.
However, Diana was different. She was consumed with what her father had concealed in her clothes during their last hug. She could feel the considerable weight that invaded her pocket.
She curiously buried her hands in her clothes, her fingers touched a glassy soft surface joint with a small chain. She looked left and right, making ten times sure that no one was watching her intently.
When the coast appeared safe. She pulled it out.
Realizing what it is, her eyes widen in admiration. It was a fire-shaped ruby necklace. A thing that she had never seen before.
She examined it purposely. The red mirror of the ruby was mirroring her curious eyes.
It was beautiful and reflective. She didn't know why her father wanted her to have it. It could be a reminder of her true identity. The sole daughter of protector Richard Onakran. Not a slave. Not a maid. Or a follower of whatever lurks ahead.
But again, wouldn't her dagger be enough? So Why would he give her such high price piece of jewellery coinciding with her captivity? Could it be linked to her destination? She was sure that she hadn't any enough money to pay for even one day in the inns in the capital, where the prices could buy Endora 20 times over. And for that, a good baragin would be in order if the worse took place.
With only the glaring light of the cloudless moon in the heavens. The journey to the capital began. It took about 6 gruesome hours by a carriage pulled by two strong horses. Where the journey was nothing short of a nightmare. The road was full of cracks and rocks, so the carriage was shaking every now and then, thus making it difficult to rest or sleep inside it.
Thus continued the march towards the largest city in the kingdom...
Canterpool...
The Rich capital of the kingdom where the royal palace in addition to all ministries.
Inside that moving prison, there was dead silence looming within, none of 'em was in a mood to talk. There was nothing to discuss about, even if there was, the girls were too weary to speak about it.
The carriage, escorted by a line of calvaries led by the captain at the front, went through numerous terrains: Flat roads, Rough forest paths then the paved stone surface of the clean streets, welcoming and assuring them that they have entered the city.
It was large and cheerful. There were good-looking people on all sides. Rich people judge by their outfits.
It was Fascinating to the simple girls how the city was full of lights even at a late hour like this. People were very different from the people in their town. They were clean and had a fancy way of talking. They saw generous architectural art in the tall houses made of brick and stone. They were only accommodated in simple huts or poor-quality wooden houses for better equipped families.
It was an entirely new world for them.
Toward the horizon, The palace stood itself out as an unbreakable stronghold on top part of the city, surrounded by walls and towers. While Guards were everywhere, watching every corner of the place.
"Open the gates!" Captain Liam shouted to the gatekeepers.
And so did happen. Two massive doorways were opened revealing the excessive amount of security and royal guards behind it. But also showed a vast garden where enormous fields of flowers and trees were spanned all around them. It was a caged paradise yet so sacred for any commoner to touch.
The carriage entered, and the wheels kept rolling through the internal street of the parades that was cut professionally through the garden like a paint of an artist.
The girl's mouth dropped when they witnessed the large royal palace. Another product of the architectural art and hordes of money spent.
They stopped at the bottom of the stairs. No one came to greet them except for more guards. The girls were forced out of the carriage like a herd of sheeps, where pushing them and shouting at them were part of their humiliation.
They were escorted to the meeting hall, a very vast space inside the palace with heavy guards all around them.
Luckily, the captain ordered the treatment to change at once, afterwards he tried to calm every girl- face to face- for what was coming next. Then he ordered the girls to stand in a horizontal line. Each girl side by side. Telling them to bow when they hear the trumpets playing.
"Ok now, when your king comes here, you will all bow. No exception and certainly no sobbing aloud!" He eyed a teen girl who hadn't stopped crying since she hit a foot in the building. "Believe it or not. Your king won't hurt you unless you show rudeness. And acknowledge me when I say, you don't want to see him pissed"
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After a couple of minutes of waiting full of crying and anxiety. He came.
The tyranny...
The murderer...
The cruel one...
With loud footsteps that rang through the big hall. Proud and symbolic. He had no loyalty for anything except for the power of the crown. But unlike what was planned, he didn't come alone...
He was holding the hand of a middle-aged woman
She was pretty and still, she was - and despite all the hell that the king had made her walk through- to keep her gentle figure and a part of her prettiness. She wore a blue reflective dress and had dark curly black hair with a petite white necklace around her small neck. Her sweet black blue eyes held back a loving and injured heart.
The king, on the other hand, was a very tall and athletic man. Some think It was grievous that his white clothes cost so much. The money spent on it could have been used to feed a small village for an entire year. It's heartbreaking to think that such a large sum of money could have made a significant difference in someone's life.
The musician played their trumpets, praising the king. The soldiers bowed to their superior. And when their turns came...As they were instructed to do. The Endora's girls bowed to the king during his entry.
...Except for Diana.
The captain glanced with alarm and so did his soldiers.
Not this girl again !!
She didn't bow for some reason. She didn't know why she didn't obey strict and straightforward orders. No one really knew. Was she still in shock at losing her father? Was she afraid that she forgot what to do? Or Was her nose so high she denied the order in the first place?
Whatever the reason, The king noticed what Diana didn't do, so he approached her as the first to check.
It was seconds before he was standing in front of her. Silent and With sharp piercing eyes.
Diana never felt such fear since the last wolf's attack. His screaming tall figure was overwhelming her trembling, shaking, and terrified short being. Yet, she was very cunning not to show any of this to the people around her.
He kept checking her with his preying eyes and at the first glance, the king noticed the red ruby necklace around her neck. Pinching his pupils with a dreamy red shape. He was intrigued to see it around her neck. But he was also confused. Jewels never reached the commoners' hands because none of them had either the finance or the position to buy them.
So how a low-life girl got hands on this piece?
With his eyes strictly focused on Diana's chest. Her mind snapped at how she forgot to hide the last remaining piece of her family heritage.
The king's hand came closer and wanted to check the necklace out of curiosity.
His action was halted immediately, he was shocked to find his hand was grabbed tightly by another smaller hand. The hand that belonged to Diana.
"PICK. YOUR. FILTHY. HAND. OF MY FATHER 'S NECKLACE !!!" The words came as a headbutt or a low-blow punch.
Every person in that room looked at her with an open mouth. Even Diana was surprised by herself. No one saw that coming.
Absolute defiance to the king!
The king's face turned red.
"SUCH A RUDE GIRL, DON'T DESERVE SUCH GIFTS! "
His words were ended by slamming the poor girl with the back of his hand leading the girl to gasp back.
The slam itself wasn't painful. Not as much as what his marriage ring with the tiny white diamond did to her face.
The daughter of the protector was injured by the king's ring causing a large bloody scar above her right eye.
That didn't break her, her eyes met his eyes with no fear ignoring the blood and pain on her face. Hardly stand on her footing without bursting into weeping.
Having enough of watching the dispute, the queen interfered putting herself between the king and the bleeding girl.
"Wain, enough of this _"
"Yes! It is enough. I will make an example out of this female! I will hang her in the middle of the city centre and feed her corpse to the hungry dogs of mine!!!!"
The king was breathing heavily from his anger like a bull ready to strike. The only one who dared to stand between him and his prey was his closest one.
The Queen.
She turned her gaze to the girl and then to her husband then she began to speak slowly with a layer of voice much lower than wain.
"How about you lend me this "female" to be my maid". Crossing her arms above her chest, she contested the king.
The king's reaction changed. From his outcry to being stunned.
"You are joking, right?! I could order my men to get you another one. For Fuck sake, there are 20 other options!" He narrowed his eyes at the bleeding girl.
"Maybe. But this girl is unique, she seems brave, Think about it. She just stood her ground in front of the king. Imagine this girl being on our side not in our enemy's hand"
The king stumbled in his words: "B-Bu- But she is injured!"
The queen raised an eyebrow: " I didn't see any blood on her face when I first saw her"
The king retracted in silence, unable to say anything.
Despite his lust, and unforeseen limits with women. He always had a private room for his brother's wife in his heart. The murderer of the two princes still finds the effrontery emotions to love their mother.
Such admirable hypocrisy.
So it was her, the only person who could firmly control his cruelty and madness, taming him, using his worshipping love against him.
He put both of his arms on his hips, chained by his feelings, Beaten by his only weakness. He frowned in his defeat.
He waved his hand in awkwardness." F-FINE! At least Let me call a doctor to heal her" he waved his hand to the air.
The queen refused, she said that she would act "properly".
She faced the prideful girl. "Follow me" she gestured with a blank face.
The girl didn't move for a moment. She needed the time to stop so she could understand what the hell was going on. The fact that she was either too cheap or too expensive for the king and the queen of the country to argue about her was shocking in itself.
In both cases, it appeared that her overestimated pride had led her to be the core of action in the royal palace.
"You!" The queen yelled to the nailed girl, catching her disregarded attention.
"You coming?!" She raised an eyebrow.
The lined girls saw her moving out of the ordered formation towards the queen with a slightly bowed head.
Diana followed her dragging shame behind her and pain over her forehead. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, shy of all the eyes looking at her, all because of her big mouth.
She passed in front of the king, feeling his hateful piercing eyes still clinging to her body like claws.
She didn't believe that the queen herself barely made her slip away from this confrontation with only a bleeding scar. Her fingers checked her neck and the precious necklace of hers was safely resting beneath her chin. Safe from the hands of the king.
She won't serve such a ghoul and ahead of all and she was saved from losing her neck.
For now.