I'm Not A Damsel

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| At the enemy's hideout |

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"Sir Mill, don't you think the restraints are a little too much?" A whisper could be heard as Aria stirred in her sleep.

"Shut it Canon!" His comrade spat in disgust. "That's our superior you are speaking to, show some respect."

"Oh she's awake!" Canon squealed in delight as he approached Aria.

"Keep your act together, you're making us seem weak and caring." Another cringed at the thought of that happening, pushing Canon away.

Lying on the cold wet floor, Aria forced herself up to her side, pushing away stray hair which had fallen on her face by blowing them off. Using her arm as a cushion, she observed her surroundings yet again, this time moss lined the cracks in the brick wall, the damp smell not settling well with her stomach.

°I have to find a way out of here° she thought as she fought the urge to throw up.

"Uh, Sir Mill?" Canon tapped the presumed captain. "She doesn't look well, shouldn't we make her restraints umm... less tight?"

"Would you shut it?!" Another pulled on Canon's ear, away from their superior.

°Please keep up the distraction Canon° Aria thought, using her hair length to her advantage as it covered her wrists behind her.

°Just a little more, good thing it's not chains this time but a rope° She thought as she slipped down a pin hidden in her sleeves, skillfully applying the right pressure, yet not giving any air on what was going on behind her.

The snap of the rope on her wrist brought a smirk on her lips.

°Now the playing field is levelled, the game starts now° She thought as she studied any possible escape routes she could use when she gets the chance.

"What's going on with your face?" One of her captors became suspicious on the reason for the Princess smile as he inched closer to have a look. Her hands looked relaxed than it was supposed to.

°I guess my nap is over° she shrugged as her grin grew wider.

With wide eyes he met her gaze and looked back to her wrists, finally catching up on what was going on as she shook her head smiling mischievously. "Uh... Sir Mill, we have an issue on our..."

He was cut mid sentence as Princess Aria balanced her weight on her back, propelling herself with her feet, giving him a kick to the face so hard he spat out blood, falling to the ground.

°Serves you right° she thought as she wiped the dirt off her face with her sleeve.

"This is definitely not how you treat a damsel, yet more a Princess." She spat to the side as she took a defensive stance.

The five others looked at their superior in stark fright as their faces went pale. "Sir, this wasn't what we bargained for."

"Aren't you meant to be a damsel waiting for a prince to come save you?" Sir Mill mocked in a high-pitched voice.

"You're going to wish you didn't just speak to me that way!" Aria yelled as she launched forward.

"What are you morons waiting for? Charge!" Sir Mill ordered them to attack.

Canon at the last minute went against the order given, instead instinctively hiding behind a boulder, no other option than to peek, watching things unfold.

Countering their weak jabs and crosses while moving her head to one side of her shoulder to dodge a blow coming at her, she threw a right cross over the first opponent's jab, right to his face knocking him out stone cold.

Going back to her defensive position, she exhaled then stood straight lowering her guard as the paleness of the remaining three excluding their superior looked upon the damage her slipping had caused on their comrade.

°Hmph° She scoffed as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Now could anyone tell me what's going on? Or do I have to force the information out of you four?" She inched closer to them.

"Stay away!" One of them yelled in fear.

"Oh no, no, I can't possibly do that." Princess Aria retorted. "You brought me here and guess what? I'm your problem now."

"Stay back I'm warning you." Another brought out a dagger amidst trembling hands.

°Pathetic° She rolled her eyes.

"Are you seriously going to make a silly move with that?" She looked amusingly at the dagger.

"So let me make this clear, the-" she paused momentarily counting all of them. "Aha where was I?"

"I think you stopped at where you were trying to make things clear?" Canon replied, coming out from his hiding but this didn't go well with the others as they consecutively hit his head in annoyance.

"Shut Up!" They all hissed in unison.

"Oh that's right, the seven of you were only able to capture me, bringing me to this filthy and wretched place because never had I thought anyone who actually go against my father, let alone me!" She moved closer not paying attention to the threat by the dagger.

"Moreover you drugged me!" She gave a dry laughter. "Who does that? Aren't I pretty enough to be spared all those trouble?" she gestured towards herself then did a double take.

°My clothes! My hair!° She thought as she looked in horror at the shabby condition of her dress, the lush blue of her pleated dress all faded and replaced with the green she could only imagine was from that wretched forest, her sleeves a little torn with little branches attached to her.

"Was I dragged while being brought here?" She threw a death glare in their direction.

They all looked at each other in confusion at the direction to which the conversation was going. Awkward tension in the air as they all deadpanned at her question.

"You guys are so fortunate I am not using my full strength," she put an arm to her neck, massaging it as she felt a bit of pain from the position she had been lying in while being drugged. "My hair is ruined because of you guys, my beautiful white hair!!" She threw a tantrum as she held her hair in her hands, looking in horror at the mud stained, twig infested, branches and leafs which decorated her hair.

Yet again the awkward tension rose by the seconds the more she threw a fit.

"It's all because of you guys!" Her attention drawn back to their presence.

"You do something, you have the weapon, we can't stand this anymore." The other two pushed him forward. With uncertainty he moved forward aiming at Princess Aria with the dagger.

Kicking on his knee, he missed his footing as the dagger launched in the air while she used his body as a stepping stone, kicking the dagger aiming at Sir Mill.

The dagger missing it's aim by a hair as he dropped to the ground on impulse.

"Aren't you meant to be a lad waiting for a Princess to come save you?" She said in a mocking tone, making her voice as masculine as she could muster.

Holding his face in her grip, looking straight into his eyes, "Now tell me why was I kidnapped?"

"Never!" Sir Mill replied amidst spit splattering on her face, she had clearly forgotten how she had held his face making his cheeks move closer together than normal, the imitation of a duck a little too demanding on his features.

"Sir Mill, please save yourself." Canon begged as he massaged his aching head. "We wouldn't be able to protect you if your were dead."

"Shut it Canon!" Sir Mill reprimanded and yet again the spit which graced her face like a bad itch left her feeling nothing more than word 'disgust'.

Immediately letting go, Sir Mill tried making a headway by making the first hit on her. Little did he know that was a fatal mistake.

Princess Aria grounded her heels into the ground as she did a U-turn raising her leg, smacking him in the face.

"I would suggest you either keep your hands to yourself or there would be none to keep hold of." She scoffed.

He tried struggling to his feet again as he regained consciousness, but Princess Aria immediately knocked him down again, forcing his cheek hard against the moist ground with her heel.

The others could do nothing but watch in despair at their incapabilities as they trembled fearing for their lives.

"W-What are you?" Sir Mill questioned below her feet.

Resting her arms on her thigh which was in a right angled position due to her leg being stationed on his face, she looked down on him and put a full grin.

"I'm not a 'what', you sick piece of dirt! I'm a living being, so the right question would be, who are you?" She retorted.

"I'm a damsel and also a Princess not in distress." Princess Aria responded to her remodeled question with a poker face and a monotonous voice.

The next minute she bursts out laughing at how well she had been planning to say that since she got captured. She lets go of Sir Mill as it became boring to keep up that position any longer than it should have.

The others rushed to Sir Mill trying to observe the extent to the beating he got, "Your Higness, are you all right?" Canon questioned as he examined him.

The other guards all gasped in surprise at the slip up, trying their best to close his mouth from spouting more nonsense.

"What did you just say?" Princess Aria turned in confusion as her eyes were set on Sir Mill. "Let him go." She looked at the other guards whose hands were still on Canon's mouth.

"Don't get me wrong princess, he isn't the King, he's just the King's brother." Canon smiled like a baby who just received a candy.

The others facepalmed at how dumb he was getting at the moment.

°He's the King's brother° °He's the King's brother° °He's the King's brother° These thoughts courses through her mind as a plan clicked in place.

"I'm so sorry Your Highness, was the ground and dirt a little too low for you?" She mocked as she weighed the pros and cons of what she plans on doing. "I'm so sorry I couldn't recognize a royal blood, I remember I was told you could notice one just by their looks but I guess you're lacking in that area as well." She laughed to herself.

°This day just keeps getting better and better° she thought.

"You-" she pointed at Canon. "Send word to the King, he gets two days, if he truly needs my attention and a guest I found out was more alike to my status than I thought, well mostly in the bad way though," she coughed out the last part. "-should be alive, he should send an entourage to this part of the filthy Kingdom or wherever this is, which I would clearly suggest he should spend a night here to test the services. We would be waiting for his response."

"Did you get any of those?" she said a little out of breath.

Canon's eye widened, his lips drawn into a straight line. "I got the brief preview on everything you said." he grinned.

The others facepalming at the stupidity at the highest order. "Why did we bring him with us again?" One of them whispered to the others.

Canon blew a raspberry before taking his leave.

°The game has been set on the field, we would see who would be victorious° She balled her hands into a tight fist towards herself.

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