3 Chapter One

*Taliyah Percival*

*****

My father has never been a good man.

Ever since I was little he was always cruel, and simply put, unfit to rule. He didn't care about the people, the kingdom, my mother, nor me. I didn't think anything of it as a young age, as long as my mother loved me I was perfectly happy.

But then, my mother died. I have always assumed my father poisoned her, or hired someone to kill her, but who was I to confront him. I was only eight years old once I had lost my mother, far too young to confront a ruler of a country.

After her death, my father was finally able to be rid of me, his annoying daughter. He had always wanted a son, but my mother wasn't able to produce another heir after me, not that she was given much of a chance. Anyways, he wasted no time is locking me up in the cells, with no guards even guarding me, knowing that there is no physical way I can get out of here. I usually have no social interaction unless he sent someone to feed me, he hosts a ball to try and gain power, or teach me a lesson.

Basically, teaching me a lesson was just sending someone to whip me while he was bored. No matter how many times you're whipped, it never gets better. If anything, it gets worse every time, because the new marks open up the old ones, causing infection that I can't clean. I can't even imagine how bloody and gross my back must look. Nor how dirty I am in general.

I sigh, looking around my cell I have been living in for the past 12 years. The small cot I've been sleeping on, the toilet way out in the open. I'm just lucky no one usually comes down here. I also get a small bowl once a week to wash my face, and anything else I can with the small amount of water. Then once a day, I'm given bread, water, and when I'm lucky they sneak me an apple, or another fruit.

I usually have to lay on my stomach, as my back is always sore, and I rarely get out to do anything. I'm just grateful that I have a window, so I can see the beautiful sun when it's out, the only downside of the window is once it rains, it leaks. My father's kingdom was never the richest, it's actually one of the poorest. The richest kingdoms are the Cedarian Kingdom run by the dragons, and the Lennox Kingdom, run by the werewolves. I've only met a dragon once, and I was very young and I don't remember him. But my mother said he was very protective of me, even if we were so young. I've met a few werewolves over the years, all of them high in power but still genuine people. If I ever met someone now, I don't even know how I'd react, I wasn't very good with people before I was locked up, I'm sure I'm even worse now.

My father usually just dresses me up like a doll to make everything seem okay, but I never actually get to talk to people. It's a very tiring process, because I'm usually painfully whipped afterwards.

I lift my head slightly once I hear a set of heavy footsteps approaching. A guard appears, his armor painted the colors of our kingdom; green and yellow. Our kingdom is known to look the happiest on the outside, but how wrong they are.

"Come with me Miss, his Highness wishes to meet with you."

I slowly get off my stomach, wincing slightly while doing so. I walk to the end of the cell, and the unrecognizable guard opens the metal door. I follow him, confused as to why he called me Miss, and not something cruel.

The castle is bare, no guards but the one in front of me are visible. Our walk is completely silent, and he doesn't even bother to look behind him to check if I'm following him, even though my foot steps aren't heard.

He's a shifter of some sort, judging by his slightly pointed ears, and sharpened teeth, so he must be able to hear my steps.

I didn't even realize my father hired a shifter. The last I'd spoken to him, he was still not a fan of them. Probably because they are much stronger, and their kingdoms are much richer than his.

We finally reach our destination, my fathers office. My heart hammers in regret of even standing out here, knowing that there isn't any positive reason why he'd need to meet with me. I can hear faint voices inside the door, before the doors open and his Highness steps out. He instantly glares at me, before turning to look at my guard.

"Bring her to room 19. Maids are waiting for her there, make sure she gets dressed and cleaned up." He says in disgust, looking at my dirty face and dirty dress.

The guard nods, softly grasping my arm before leading me down the narrow hallway. We reach the door in no time at all, and he opens the door. Inside waiting for me, are two maids looking rather unpleased. There was a basin of water in the small room, along with a vanity, a chair, and a dress hanging on the back of the chair. The guard nods towards me, and I enter the room. The maids sit me down in the chair, and one of them grabs a cloth out of the cold water. She then washes my face, not very gently I might add, and they make me painfully get out of the dress I have been wearing for god knows how long. My back aches, and I try to cover my body up as much as I can, knowing I'm severely underweight. I put the other dress on as quickly as I can. It's a simple light pink dress that falls down the floor with it's thin layers. The castle is hot due to the summer heat, so I'm glad they provided me with a thin dress.

After the dress is on, they forcefully put my thick, dirty hair in a knot and usher me back into the hallways, closing the door as soon as I'm out. I know they're going to be speaking lowly of me, the entire castle does. They all respect my damn father too much to do otherwise.

The same guard as before leads me back to my fathers study, and I take a deep breath to prepare myself to what is coming.