The Dark Princess

Thud!

Oooh!

With a thud, I was dropped like dead meat. I just lay there with nothing else to see but the ones seated on the thrones.

The crowd gave out a dissatisfied cry as they watched the cruelty that was happening right in front of their eyes. But with the high numbers that they had, no one could stand up to the ones responsible and that made my worst fears come to pass.

They were from the royal family!

Shit!

I could still hear the sounds of crying women and I knew for a fact that those were the sounds of my mother and that girl.

To the cruelty that I was seeing for the first time. I couldn't help but think of the situation that all those before me to have passed through the same hall in my condition, were they pardoned or executed.

"My lovely sister, it's so good of you to grace us with your presence today. Just watch as I demolish your dear friend. I promise you that I will keep his head in my room so that I could always remember him." The smiling princess said to her sister as a sinister smile pasted itself on her face.

"This is going to be troublesome." I muttered to myself as I watched the shocking conversation between the siblings.

I was shocked once more. How a sibling could declare such spiteful words to her blood sister?

It was like a tussle of will, the next plot of spiteful words would come only after there was a reply. And that was what the provoker was waiting for. But to her surprise, her sister didn't say anything. She only looked at me like she was seeing me for the first time.

But according to the extract that I just heard from her sister, I knew that we had a kind of bond for her to refer to me as her friend.

"Silence..!"

A roar came from the other twin that made the hall fall into total silence. One could think that they were in a graveyard.

The first princess snorted after seeing her sister steal away the limelight just in front of her. She wanted to physiologically play with her before continuing with the hearing. But seeing that she had failed in that aspect, she decided to look for other ways to which she could use to make her twin sister uncomfortable.

"Why is he on the floor? This is so much disrespectful to me. Lucas, teach him a lesson. He has to know how to portray himself when in the presence of his superiors."

A knight wearing full battle armor stepped forward looking straight at me and answered with a slight bow.

"Yes, my Princess."

Thud!

Pa!

Bang!

Different kinds of attacks reigned on my already battered body. With every kick or punch, more bone-breaking sounds could be heard as I just lay there with tears rolling freely on the side of my face, and blood seeping out of my mouth.

...

Inside the royal dining room, the King and Queen were seen to have been waiting for their daughters so that they could start eating.

The large magnificent table was filled with different kinds of delicious foods. It was a pleasant moment but the couple seemed to be getting frustrated by each passing second.

It was a custom for the royal family to dine together and one would be exempted from that rule if they had larger concerns in their hands that needed quick solving or an illness has taken a toll on one of the family members, or when one is traveling.

"Why are my daughters not here?" The King asked a little impatient.

"Pardon me sire... they have gone to the pass out a sentence." A maid said as she responded to the question as was asked.

"Mmmh! I thought we were important. I guess we should leave them be, it's their time." The King said to his wife as he began eating.

"What's so important over there to make both of them abandon a family tradition?" The Queen asked as she also started to eat.

"I am sorry your majesty, I currently have no news about your inquiries." The maid answered as her forehead started to glisten.

She was nervous because she had already given out two wrong answers to the two most powerful people in their kingdom. She just knew that she won't live to see noon on that day.

"That's all, you can wait outside." The Queen instructed her as she saw the reaction that she had with her. She knew that she would make a mistake if she continued to be around them.

So rather than having her anger the King so that she could lose her head, she decided to send her out.

...

The hall suddenly erupted into chaos as the people started reacting to how I was treated. They began to converge at a safe distance for fear of being run down by the knights that were unfazed by the commotion.

The guards were having a difficult time containing the situation. Soon enough brawls erupted between the guards and the people, it was so messy that if the King walked in at this time, he would think that the ones that were in the fight were all commoners and peasants.

There wasn't any difference as it was known that only the commoners and the peasants had no manners whatsoever. So seeing the unfolding situation, I applauded as I knew that there were those that still cared.

"Silence!"

A roar erupted from the front that made everyone present tremble in fear. The fight stopped abruptly and everyone fixed their gazes on one of the princesses.

"What is the meaning of this? Showing disrespectful manners when am here? Is this how you treat a royal..?" The princess was now furious as she stood up from her throne and made her way toward me.

Everyone knew who she was. Other than the fact that she was a royal. She was also the nightmare for all who dare to cross her path. And that's how she was nicknamed the dark princess.

"Did you also make this up?.. After all, I was thinking about fairness because my sister is watching. I did decide to just give you a quick death, in that way everyone will be happy." The princess was now squatting near me. With her stunning gaze that seemed to see my soul was on my eyes the whole time.

"Is this how you show respect to me?" She asked in a loud voice that the whole hall kept reverberating from the words that she said.

"Then I will give you all that you have shown me. You showed me no respect, I promise you that I'll show no mercy..."

The princess stood up as she watched the crowd. From one side to the other, the crowd seemed to be in a trance as they couldn't do anything when she passes her judgment on them.

"Am happy on this particular day... Since I was five and attending to the small grievances that my father passed down to us, I haven't witnessed such a huge crowd. It tells me only one thing... That he is more doted than I, a princess though he is just a commoner."

"With how you have graced my hall until others were not allowed to enter, you have broken the record since the kingdom was built. And with that, I will make my own record that I will be remembered in the books of history..."

"I rest my case here... I hereby revoke my sentence. Rather than having him beheaded tomorrow at dawn, he will have to fight for his life in the arena..."

"Yess... I know what you are thinking. Don't blame me, it's all of your doing. And... Yes, I haven't finished yet. I can't allow him to die easily."

"But he is only a child, how will he fight to be able to safeguard his life? That is just cruel of you." A childish voice was heard from the back of the crowd.

I think that was the one brave enough to speak up from the rest of the crowd. But also, it was a stupid move to make.

"You are right. That would have been his problem but seeing that someone spoke up, I will further change the sentence to the one that suits him most. He is just a child, by the way. I can't be this ruthless." The princess added after hearing the concern.

"He won't be facing the gladiators anymore, rather he will have three wild animals which one is of my choosing. It will be the last one he will face. The other two will be chosen respectively by my dear sister, and you all. You have until sunset to represent your choices." The princess walked away as she finished that. Her sister followed closely behind as they walked out the hall.

The crowd was left speechless with the sentencing but none could retort back as they thought that they wouldn't be able to get out alive after the display that they showed earlier.

...

"Where is my medicine? Where is Lola?" The King asked as he was waiting to take his medicine before attending to matters concerning the Kingdom.

"She is attending her son's hearing." A different maid answered and she caused sudden changes in everything around.

"What? Isn't he dead already? Why would he be on a hearing?" The Queen asked as she stood up and went for the door.

"Okay... Then I guess I have to go too." The King said as he left to attend to his business.