Her Portrait

Caught

Desperately Arianthe turned to seek a place to hide. She stared wildly behind her, there were footsteps coming up the stairs, she couldn't go back down. She turned back and saw the door knob slowly turning; there was nowhere to go. Taking a deep breath she waited for the outburst that would inevitably come.
"...and tell someone to mop the floor as well." came a voice from the doorway.
"Will do," answered another voice "and..."
He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Princess?" he cried "what the hell are you doing here?"
Arianthe sighed.
"Exploring." she shrugged.
"But My Lady, you have been completely forbidden to be up here! If the king found out..." exclaimed the soldier, he clutched a spear in his hand and straightened his helmet with the other with a trembling hand.
Arianthe said nothing but stood awkwardly in front of him. What else could she do?
Suddenly she became aware of a presence behind her, she turned and saw her father, standing in front of four or five soldiers, trembling with anger and rage.
"Arianthe," he growled "what the hell are you doing here?"
Arianthe stood silently in front of him.
"Well? Are you going to answer me?" he snapped.
"I just felt like exploring..." the girl began.
"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT GOING IN RESTRICTED AREAS OF THE CASTLE?" thundered the king. "WILL YOU NEVER LEARN?"
"I know, Father, but..." she tried to argue.
"NO BUTS," he continued to bellow "you deliberately disobeyed me again. I don't why I bother sometimes."
He motioned to one of his guards.
"Take her away and teach her a lesson." He snapped.
"No, Father please!" Arianthe tried to beg.
Two guards grabbed her and held her in an iron like grasp, clasping her arms a little to hard for her liking. The girl desperately tried to struggle but the stone faced soldiers were too strong for her. Whatever it was behind the double doors seemed to have really angered her father this time. Or was it fear?
"Father, please!" She shouted as she was dragged away down the stairs.
Over her shoulder she watched King Eustace shake his grey head, fling the double doors open and stride through them. For a split second she caught sight of a long corridor illuminated by intermittent lateens casting a dim orange glow bouncing off the grey stone walls. There was no carpet on the floor that indicated it was not a place where guests would stay.
She fought to get away from her father's guards as they forced her down the steps to the dungeon.