Prequel

My breath hitched as the cold knife made contact with my neck. I stared into the icy blue eyes of the usurper. He had just murdered my entire family, right before my eyes. I was the last one left. I would soon be facing the same fate. A single tear escaped my eye. It was the only tear I had allowed to leave my eye. Even as I watched the monster take the souls of my family I didn't cry. That wasn't because I wasn't scared or because I was strong. It was for my family. I didn't want their last moment to be one of sadness, no matter what the circumstances were. I knew this was the only thing I could do for them. When the hot tear trickled down my cheek, I could have sworn I saw a change in the devil's demeanor, but that was short-lived. He moved the knife towards my face. My eyes left his cold ones, now following the movement of the knife. Maybe he was planning on slashing my face before he killed me? Maybe he wanted to leave a message that he was so cruel he ended up destroying the princess's face. But what he actually did took me by surprise. He used the knife to wipe the tear before wiping the knife against his blood-soaked robe. Then, he walked away. Before he left the room, he turned to his soldiers and commanded them.

"Take her to the East wing of the palace."