Revenge of the Rhodonite

Chapter 3

Fun Fact: The kingdoms are named after actual minerals. And yes, I do know I updated twice this week XD
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"What did you just say?" My father stood up from the bench he had been sitting on. He was only two or three inches taller than me, but his menacing figure made me take a step back. His crimson robe was covered in mud and ash

"I am leaving to find the dragon that did this," I swallow, "and then I am going to kill it."  I heard Duke Sawyer choke back a laugh behind me. The palace staff members were silent, with confused and slightly flabbergasted looks on their faces.

The King glared at me, a fire much like the dragon's resided in his eyes. "Don't be foolish. That is only a fool's errand."

"Someone has to stop it before it hurts anyone else," I say, determined to make him see my point. "And for the right reasons, not selfish ones."  My voice lowers to a hoarse whisper, the fear of my father threatening to overwhelm my thoughts.

"Listen closely, you spoiled brat," he speaks quietly enough to where only I could hear him, his rough hand wrapped around the bottom of my jaw, his large fingers digging into the sides of my face to intimidate me.

I did not flinch; I am done cowering before him. "You don't scare me anymore," I say. I gather the courage to continue to glare at him.

His grip on my jaw tightened. "You will be killed before getting close to finding the damn beast. A woman like yourself has no business fighting against such a large force with no weapons or fighting experience," he growled, " or even with the little magic power you possess. You are powerless. You would be eaten for lunch."

"We won't know until we try."

The King released his grip. He was fighting hard not to hit me just yet; he was testing to see if I would actually cower before him and give in.

"If you leave, I will have no option but to disown you. You will no longer have the status of Princess of Rhodonite, and you will certainly not have the status of being my daughter.

"Leaving the royal family is considered treason in this country, do you understand that? You will have a bounty on your head for the rest of your short, miserable life, and if you are spotted in this kingdom by tomorrow morning, you will be lynched."

"I don't care if you disown me, because in a way, you did that the second my mother died," I spat in anger. My vision was blurry with tears.

Slap.

Everyone gasped in shock, surprised that he had actually hit his own daughter in public for a change.

Duke Sawyer pulled me back and stood between my father and I. "Don't lay a finger on her," he said furiously. "You will allow her to leave peacefully, or you will be the first to die."

"Is that a threat, Duke Sawyer?" His voice was dangerously low, indicating he was about to blow a fuse. His eyes narrowed like a snake's.

"Only if you are still looking for someone to hit," Duke Sawyer replied, folding his arms across his chest. "Just because she want to go on a quest, does not mean she is permanently leaving her royalty behind," he reasoned. "If you let her, and she -by some miracle- survives, she will return and our marriage can take place."

"And if she doesn't?" The King questions.

"I don't really think that'd be a problem for you, would it? I have seen plenty of young girls that resemble her. You can easily replace her with one of them and the world would never know." He tensed when he said "replace," but he used it to his advantage. The King seemed to buy his reasoning quite well.