Bandit Queen

Prologue

Hi lovelies! I am so happy to finally write out this story. It has been on my mind for about a month now. I have the basic plot, so I will be writing my first draft. I am in the process of editing, so if you see a careless mistake or a plot hole, feel free to let me know! I love all constructive criticism and advice. I hope that this story is just as enjoyable to you, my readers, as it is for me!

Liya sprinted through Aramoore trying her best to not step on the glass bottles and piles of horse muck laying around the street. She kept her hood above her head, while still holding the poor child. Her arms and legs stung from the extra weight that she carried, but they had to escape. There was no time to slow down or rest. Sweat trickled down her back, creating a sticky stain on her working smock. Her mind continuously wandered back to Kase.

"If there is a god, please save him," she prayed. Her throat felt tight with fury and dread. He would be dead very soon, if he wasn't already.

She replayed the events of the evening over in her mind. It was a regular quiet night at the castle. She had just finished her work and was walking towards the servant's quarters with her sweetheart. She was a maid working for the queen and king, and he was one of their guards, occupations that they were both tremendously proud of. Sadly, after that evening, their lives would never be the same.

They had been holding hands and snuggling close to ward off the frigid air in the dimly lit hallways of the castle. They spoke scarcely to each other, enjoying the faint, far away sounds of tapping feet and hushed voices in the halls.

Sadly, the peace didn't last. While strolling past the king and his family's wing, they heard a shrill and then stifled scream. Kase charged into the chambers.

"Wait here," he ordered, his voice full of dread and fear.

Liya, didn't listen. Instinct urged her forward, a voice in the back of her mind whispering that she needed to follow him. The heavy wooden doors slammed behind her.

Kase was half-way up of stairs when she reached the bottom. He pulled out his sword, racing into Princess Aurelia's bedroom.

"How dare you," he roared and two swords collided. Her heartrate increased.

When she barreled into the room, she saw the most horrific sight that she had ever seen. Queen Reinette laid dead on the floor beside the princess' bed, a pool of blood immersing her lifeless corpse. She held a storybook in her hand.

Kase and the king's royal advisor, Axel, were brawling fiercely. Kase raised his sword to strike. He brought it down and was blocked by a jagged dagger stained with blood. Axel jumped to the side, before thrusting his dagger towards Kase's heart. Kase blocked the attack with his own weapon. Axel smiled cruelly, as if enjoying the action. He wore a deep purple cloak with a raven crest embroidered in the center, the emblem of Thoren, King Erastus' younger twin brother.

A pained voice weeping brought her back to reality. The princess was secured to a table near the fireplace, her hands bound behind her back. Her tiny body trembled and her face constricted in pain. Her white nightdress was splattered with vomit and blood. Liya wondered who it had belonged to.

Then, she saw the branding iron lying beside Aurelia's feet, still glowing with warmth. Her nightdress had been tousled and stretched above her chest. The bastard had branded her, an innocent six-year-old!

Kase threw Axel against the wall. Fury brewed in her throat.

She screamed at the terrible man, "Why would you do this to her?" He didn't flinch.

"She is a thief and deserved to be branded as one!" he spat, eyeing the princess with a glance so hateful that it could kill.

"What has she stolen?" Kase asked, pushing his sword deeper into the man's neck.