Confronting Misery

She confronted her misery from a young age, she lived a life very different from others in the beginning. It was a blessing to the world that she was allowed to live again. To Confront herself. -Cleo Danae, Journal of a Thousand Journeys.

-=+=-

'BAAANG' The doors swung open. The general with a helmet crowned in jewels walks in first.

I lay in the chair unmoving, like a broken toy. The guards rush in and surround me and some go check on the king.

Someone told the general, "He is dead, m'lord."

"Heh, always was a coward." The general laughed, "He did leave you, princess, what a gift to us."

I sit up in the chair, staring a the guards who surround me, chuckling at their general.

"Do you talk Princess or do you need to hire a servant you beat your meaning into?" The general had blue eyes that could pierce into anyone's soul if he chose to look at them. His long blonde hair braided fell down his back.

"What is there to say? I lost, kill....me, tor- ture me, throw me to the public." I said with great hesitation. I held my head as high as I could, but it was hard when you are on the brink of tears.

A cold front started to emanate from him, "Oh princess there is so much we could do to you, probably even off books, right soldiers?"

"ooooo"

"yeaah"

"Priiiiinceesss"

"YOU ARE ALL DISGUSTING!" I blurt out suddenly gaining confidence, but shrinking back again.

"Is it any worse than what you and your father have enabled your soldiers of your country to do to others?" The general asked mockingly.

"Uhh. it.. was.. was," I stuttered out.

The general scoffed, "Pathetic, even when alone you can't atone for what you've done to the people."

"So are you going to be a hypocrite and do those things to me? Will that make everyone better?" I countered.

The general laughed, "FINALLY! Something reasonable out of your mouth!" He rejoiced and call his lackey, "Cyn, please get the transport ready, we will go with the Emperor's orders if we found the princess alive."

"Yes m'lord," Cyn a short knight next to the general said, and then walked our of the throne room.

"What... What are you going to do with me," I asked with worry in my voice.

"Hmmmm.. I wonder," he rushed up to me and grabbed my wrist, "I think our emperor is a little too kind!"

"Stop!" I struggled to get out of his grip, I try to grab the knife but the soldiers to the side stop my other hand.

"Princess I know you have a bit of magical talent, but let's see how much you can take from me!"

My arm began to burn with magical power, "What?" I began to panic, I could take on his soldiers perhaps but his power? After a few minutes I began to sweat, I tried to contain the power and absorb it into my own, but it was too much for me.

"F**CK!" I collapse on the ground, but he never stopped.

"Listen to me, Princess," He emphasized that last part. "You will forget your name and will take this punishment handed down by the emperor. You will live a life starting from nothing, on the streets in the City of Gupta north of our capital!"

"Gahhh!" He finally let go, but I didn't fully understand what happened. 'I'm alive?' I survived my slaughter but now I had to begin anew, for the moment I sighed from relief but later I would be starving.

"Let us move now!" The general ordered and his soldiers tied me up and pushed me along. Walking down the halls of the castle I saw my own soldiers either killed or tied up, no one left unchecked. Paintings of our country torn down, rooms blown through by soldiers, everything was all too surreal to me.

Reaching the entrance I saw the soldier cyn standing with an entourage of officials and soldiers. Cyn first greeted the general, "M'lord the transportation is prepared and everything is set for our journey."

"Thank you Cyn, you may proceed with everything, I will stay here." The general replied and began to walk back into the castle, "See you back in the capital friend." He said in a reserved.

"The ex-heir please, enter the carriage in the middle, we will leave shortly.

I entered the carriage, it was plain with nothing but barred windows to keep me alive. I took my seat in the corner and curled my legs up. I was done crying, what more is there to cry about. 'I'm alone for the first time I thought.

The carriage began to move and I tried to sleep. Unsurprisingly the ride was bumpy and I could not sleep a wink. It turned to night which then turned to morning. A knock on my carriage came.

'Thunk, thunk thunk'

The door crept open, "Two slices of bread, milk, and an apple ex-heir," the soldier spat through his teeth.

"Wait," I said before he closed the door, "Why not kill me or throw me in prison?" I asked with curiosity.

The soldier scoffed, "Killing you would be too easy of an out for you, torture is unlawful in our country, and prison would make you work for nothing." Having said that he slammed the door and walked away.

My thoughts seemed to echo in the empty carriage, anxiety began to surge through me, for days I couldn't sleep. I repeated words in my head of the lie called my life. Back when I was happy. Unable to properly think about anything I wasted away until I finally passed out on the floor and slept for hours for the first time in 7 days.

The carriage stopped, I wondered if I finally arrived at my destination. The door flew open and I was pulled out. I found out that besides my carriage there was only one other left with Cyn and a few soldiers inside.

Cyn approached me, "Leave her," he ordered the 2 soldiers keeping me. "For now on I wouldn't udder your name as a princess or you will likely be persecuted and thrown out, dying from starvation." He said with a serious tone.

"What if I try to escape back to my country," I asked.

"A country who views you as a traitor who left them to be taken over by foreign powers?" He retorted back to me.

"What?! I never left them willingly!" I was shocked 'how could things turn out like this?'

"You really have a lot to learn about this world, nameless one." With that, he ushered his soldiers into the carriages and left.

Turning to the city, I found I was on the outskirts, most likely to avoid anyone seeing me. and a bridge that crossed the Denga river into the city entrance side entrance.

I smelled, I was tired, I had sores, I cried until my eyes were dry, I had no family, I was betrayed by the only one left, my kingdom hated me. 'But....' I thought 'But I don't want to die here'

I took a deep breath and tried to imagine a new life, full of discomfort.