Chapter III

I was woken up by the slight movement of my body. I tried to pry my eyes open but they were really heavy to even open. After a little bit of struggle, I opened my eyes only to realize that I am not in my chamber but in a carriage. 

Realization dawned upon me, about the attack on our kingdom and me running away from my father, Gunwoo and all the people I love.

Again those tears that are falling from my eyes started taunting me that I am not good enough to help my father at that time. But this is not a time to blame me. It is time to be strong. My eyes wandered around my surroundings and I was in a carriage which does not allow me to see what is happening outside because of the curtains that are on either side of this cursed box! I moved the curtains away and was met with darkness. 

How...how, when I left the palace it was morning, so I was out for this long. I don't even know what had happened to those soldiers who were there for me. I do not get what these people want from my father and my kingdom. My father has not done anything wrong, ever.

It's like expecting a lion to not eat you because you have not eaten it.

My conscience mocked me. But I know that this time she is true. It's a cruel world. Nobody is a friend. Everybody is an enemy in the disguise of a loyal friend. And when the time comes they don't even wait a second before thrusting the knife of betrayal straight to your heart. My father would not even know that I had been kidnapped but the real question is, is he alright? I don't even know a single thing that had happened in the palace and that is making me more anxious. The carriage came to a halt and there was some shuffling outside so I quickly shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep. A voice which is not a single bit familiar said,

"She is still asleep and it's good because we are not near our destination but if she doesn't wake up before we reach our destination, he will be really angry."

"She will wake up, we still have a week or so to reach there, don't be dramatic."

I do not know who he is. But the way they are talking about him, he must be really important. But why would he be angry knowing that I am still not awake?

But that's not the problem here and the thing which is running inside my head right now is, I was not good enough for my father. To fight with him. To fight for him. And that is itself enough to eat me from the inside.

Days passed by in a blur. We would stop at regular intervals, they would give me food and stop and give me privacy if I wanted to relieve myself or bathe near a pond, again wearing the same clothes.

Days turned into nights and nights into days and soon a week passed.

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I tried to keep my eyes open but all the efforts I made didn't seem

to be enough because soon darkness completely engulfed me in a dreamless sleep.

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I don't know how long I have been sleeping so I opened the curtains, only to find that dawn is coming and the rays of the sun that are falling on the earth are enough for me to analyze my surroundings. The soldiers that kidnapped me are all wearing black armours and helmets so it is impossible for me to know who they are and they are all on horses while I think I am the only one who is on a carriage.

The path we are going through seems to be a hilly area while my kingdom is on the plain land so it means regarding the time we have taken to reach here and the mountains, it is clear that we are going to another kingdom who will be in no doubt really far from my father's. 

My father has not done anything wrong so I thought that the people who had attacked us must be rogues but seeing all this I think it was an attack from another kingdom. I wonder if we have won or not. It's not like that I don't believe in my father's capability or our soldier's bravery but it's just that I don't know if they are safe or not because in a war it does not matter how strong you are but your hard work, determination and intelligence. 

Fortunately, my father, The king and all our soldiers have all the abilities but it was a sudden attack so that is the thing which is making me more worried because we were completely ignorant about the attack. Or so I think...

A lot of thinking makes me remember the bad feeling that I wasn't able to shake away. And I regret it now, about not telling this to my father or even Gunwoo but then again what I was going to say to them. Nothing.