The Blade Princess

---One Trap to another---

Drip, Drip, Drip. The sound of water dripping was the only thing I could hear in the pitch black darkness of my cell. I could not even hear the wind or any murmurs or even any animal. Just the endless dripping of water that gave an ache in the back of my head. Even though it was not freezing cold but somehow the sound of water was making me shiver. The injury on the side of the waist was bandaged sometime between when I was not conscious and brought here.

I was brought here three days ago and the moment still haunted me. Not because I was bought by the man so evil that even his mere shadow scared everyone. It was because I heard the screams of slaughter before I left that brothel.

My heart itched to plunge the dagger deep in the heart of the King and his loyal dog, Bretrarum and avenge my father's death and the loss of so many lives in our Kingdoms while he fooled us by giving the map we so much needed.

Finally, I heard the one noise that I have been hearing for the past three days, the sliding of a food plate from under the door of my cell. For the first day, I didn't touch the food, thinking it was poisoned. But the next day I was getting dizzy due to lack of food and had to give in.

I looked at the food with disgust since this was my weakness right now and yet I needed it. I needed to survive and see how long he will keep me here. Keeping me in darkness was not something that will scare me. Every time there was an attack and father trusted no one, I was sent through the hidden staircase in a room below the palace.

And I would stay there for days in darkness and that was when I was merely ten. Now I was not afraid of this. Maybe he was thinking that the little princess will scream and yell for mercy at this point.

But I was here to stay as long as it takes to avenge my Kingdom and my father's death.

___

On the seventh day, I heard a new sound. The key inserted in the lock of my cell gate. I felt weak and cold now. I haven't slept and my head throbbed with pain. Injuries all over my body were sore and my throat was parched. In these days I went through various emotions from anger to pain to sadness and misery.

And during those times I cried my heart out time and again remembering that I had nothing to look forward to in this life.

The door creaked open and in walked someone, maybe soldeirs. There metal breast plate clanked as they came to a stop in darkness.

"Come along," They said.

And I followed scared that they will know that I was the princess and kill me just to finish the last of their enemies.

I barely dragged myself with minimum energy in my body. I wanted just a hope, a flicker of hope or someone. If I could contact Henley somehow even though we haven't spoken in a year. It made me wonder, if like other Kingdoms, did his Kingdom perished too? Was he alright?

The dark lane ended a large iron gate opened in front of me with an ominous sound. And sharp light hit my face and it was not of the sun. A torch of fire was burning at the exit of the gate and even that light blurred me for a moment after a week of darkness. I blinked my eyes several times to clear my vision and observed the surrounding.

The two guards besides me were indeed dressed in metal armour, their breast plate had stains of blood and it took all my energy not to let the stench of stale blood make me nauseous.

As I kept walking I noticed that I was surrounded by huge courtyards with trees and plants around. The path was made of rust brown marble which felt cold to my bare feet. After a few minutes of walking, I noticed some architecture come into the vision and it was huge and I realised I was surrounded by King's residence, his widespread interlinked palaces.