A Tale About A: Forgotten Princess [Part 2]

Chapter 12

"The ring is mine."

What? How could it be? Father gave it to me as a protection charm.

"This is a protection charm given by my father. How could it be yours, cheon na?" Confused, I asked.

"Insolent! Do you mean that the King is lying? This is a royal heirloom passed down by the Great King!" The guard reprimanded and the more they explain, the more confused I got.

R-royal heirloom?

"Who sent you here? Tell the truth or I will kill you myself this instant." The King has finally arose. He removed the sword from one of his guards and approached me like a lion hunting for it's prey.

"No one sent me here, cheon na! This is really a possession I got from my father before I enter the palace! I did not steal anything from you!" I desperately whined, hoping that the King would see clearly that the ring does not belong to him.

"Liar!" The King bellowed and swung the sword down to my arm, slashing it and gushes of blood splattered out on to his royal robe.

"Ah!" I screamed when the excruciating pain shot right up to my head.

"Cheon na!" His right hand man exclaimed in shock, not expecting that the King would actually slash the girl himself.

"I will ask you one last time. Who sent you here?" The King glared directly into my teary ears, his voice dangerously low and threatening.

I really never steal the ring... It's a possession given by my father... Why wouldn't the King believe me? How could a royal item be kept with father for all these years? What's the meaning of all this?

My face was drenched with tears and I was lost and helpless. No matter what I said at this moment, no one will believe me.

"I... I really don't know... Cheon na..." My voice trembled as I confessed for the last time. Droplets of blood from my arm pattered on the cement floor as there was a moment of silence and hesitation.

"You will see to your death tomorrow." The King's final order was set and I was being dragged back to the dungeon once again.

Even though there were no windows for the cool breeze of the night to blow in to the small and dark compartment, my body shivered and my face was as pale as ghost. My arm was numb from the slash earlier and blood soaked my clothes.

My eyelids felt heavy and it closes; the last vision I saw was father feeding me sweet persimmons he picked from our gardens.

//

Loud banging of the gates awaken me from my drowsy sleep and I opened my eyes weakly to see a few guards standing outside.

"Get up. It's time to report to the center." One of them ordered as they dragged me to my feet.

The sun was shining brightly down at the center and many guards and ministers were present at the venue. I was forced down to a hard chair in the middle of everyone, facing the court as they got ready to announce my death sentence.

"Kim A-Yeon. You have violated the rules of taking advantage of a Prince's status as well as stealing the royal heirloom. You shall be punished with your bodies separated." The court minister finalized and threw a wooden stick down in front of me.

No...

"Let me go!" I screamed and struggled as the guards tied several strings on my arms and legs, as well as my neck. Three horses were tied with the strings and were ready to gallop once the whip downs on them.