By the time I opened my eyes, there was a slight ache on my side and I found myself on the floor of a room I didn’t recognize. My memories came washing over me in seconds and I sat up immediately, pushing myself towards the wall. I just couldn’t fathom the fact that Jonathan had actually jumped after me and saved me.
I had thought I was going to die; I did want to die. I had thrown all my hopes and dreams to the wind the moment I realized the amount of torture that was awaiting me if I tried to survive in the Berg Kingdom; it was even impossible to try to survive. I had already imagined the humiliation and the suffering awaiting me and besides, I was yet to forgive myself for allowing my father to be killed right in front of me and I couldn’t do anything. The only way to redeem myself was to die and who would have thought that Jonathan wasn’t having it? His words before I passed out rang in my ears and I shivered unconsciously.
“Even if you want to die that badly, you cannot die without my permission.”
The fact that my clothes had been changed made me hug myself tighter. I didn’t dare imagine who had changed my clothes and I moved closer to the wall. The room I was in was very different from the first room that I had been placed in. It was less stuffy and a tiny bit more comfortable. I stared at my bare feet that already had blisters on them and they looked ugly and unsightly.
I could smell the unsavoury scent emitting from my body; it was a sharp contrast to my favorite citrus scent and I tried combing my hair with my fingers but the tangles refused to loosen no matter how hard I tried. I laughed hard as tears rolled down my cheeks. I looked like everything except a princess.
I heard footsteps and voices and I instantly wiped my tears, schooling my expression while trying to princess for whoever was coming. The door opened and Jonathan walked; his left hand banged and I winced slowly.
I still remembered the strong stench of blood and how blood poured out of his arm when he tried to save me. I didn’t know how to feel—remorseful? Apologetic? Or nonchalant. I chose the latter; nobody asked him to save me and besides for someone who killed my father right in front of him, this was too easy for him.
"Oh, Hello Princess,” he greeted me while squatting and I swallowed. Being called a princess in the state that I was was derisive and humiliating. I was sure he knew it; that was why he was calling a princess.
“Don’t call me a princess,” I whispered quietly. My throat was hoarse and dry and I could almost beg for a cup of water. Jonathan burst into laughter at my request.
“You are a princess, aren’t you?” He asked and I swallowed again, hoping that my saliva would lessen the dryness of my throat.
“Let me tell you something, Princess. I think I didn’t make that very clear to you earlier." He started and I was quick to notice how fast his tone had changed. My spine straightened unconsciously as he continued speaking.
“You are a slave. A fucking slave. That’s what you are. My slave, my captive, and I am your master. You do not go places where I have not given you permission to go. You do not go places where I have said you couldn't. You don’t make decisions without my consent. In other words, you cannot do anything without me; in fact, you still breathe because I permitted you to. Make no mistakes, Princess,” he paused, chuckling.
His laughter made my stomach chun uncomfortably; if I had eaten anything, maybe that was the moment I would have thrown up but there was nothing at all.
“If you make the same mistake you made yesterday, I won’t forgive you that easily,” he added and a small smile spread across his lips. His words made my stomach worse.
“Can you pick a side?” I asked, “You call me a slave this second and the next you are calling me a princess.” I continued shaking my head. “You don’t scare me,” I said, firmly shaking my head. “I didn’t ask you to save me; you chose to do so. I own myself and I will do as I deem fit,” I concluded and then he burst into laughter, a kind of laughter that made me wish I hadn’t spoken at all. A lone tear slid out of his left eye as he continued laughing.
“Oh Princess, you are so funny,” he replied, his face going hard twice as fast as he burst into laughter. “If you want to try me, you can go ahead and try me but I'll just leave you with this. Every single time you go against me, every single time you make a decision without my consent, every single time you try to kill yourself or jump over a cliff, I’ll be there and I’ll make sure I’ll save you but in return, a member of your family dies. I’ll start with your favourite Uncle, to your sister, to your mother till there's no one left to continue your generation,” he added and I found myself shaking uncontrollably.
“You bastard!” I shrieked, “You deserve to die and your body be fed to vultures!” I screamed again and he nodded.
“Honestly, I don't mind,” he replied, and I froze.
"So, my dear princess, I see you are very protective of your family, so be a good girl, will you?” He asked and I found myself nodding my head.
The image of him slaughtering my father was still fresh in my mind; it was forever going to be fresh. I was never going to forget it. I was never going to forget the fact that I caused his death. There was no way I was going to be able to handle another sight like that. There was no way I was going to allow myself to be responsible for the death and eradication of my family. There was no way I was going to let that happen.
My mouth moved on its mouth as I replied, “Ye.. Yes… Yes. I promise you,” I stuttered, looking up to meet his eyes. “I promise you never to do anything without your permission,” I added and Jonathan chuckled.
“Thank you, Princess,” he said with glee and I hugged my legs tighter. He was a monster and here I was, alleging my life to him, not that I had a choice.
“Tell her to come in,” he said loudly and I raised my head to see a middle-aged woman walk into the room. She bowed lightly at him and he nodded.
“She’s now in your care,” he replied and I turned to the woman, who was surprisingly dressed well but had no jewelry on. The blank look on her face told me that she wasn’t very pleased with me.
“Bring them in." She also instructed and two guards walked in, carrying boxes I didn’t recognize but when they dropped them, I quickly recognized the other as a small burning furnace.
“That’s a furnace,” I whispered as I tried to get on my feet. “What do you want to do to me?” I asked, shivering in fear but the woman merely grabbed me and placed a metal cuff on my hand, holding me firmly in place. I pulled and struggled but she didn’t care. She didn’t look anything like her strength.
“Pour it in,” she instructed the guard and it was then that I realized that the cuffs had holes in them. I watched as the guard grabbed the burning furnace and poured molten ore into the cuff. The fear burnt my hand and I started screaming. Tears ran down my cheeks but the woman, as if unbothered the heat or my screams, moved a muscle
"Pleaseee,” I cried.
“You can’t even handle something as painless as this. You must be quite fragile, Princess." Jonathan taunted and as much as the pain was driving me crazy, I found myself shutting up as his taunt. Tears flowed down my cheeks as the woman finally let me go and uncuffed the metal bracelet. A new hot bracelet had been formed firmly around my hand.
“That was all to get you to stop screaming like a mad woman?” Jonathan asked again and shaken his head. “You are so boring, Princess; way too boring,” he added, clicking his tongue, and I held my left hand, trying to muffle the sobs in my throat.
“You can cry if you want to, Princess; I know it hurts." He added cheekily and I turned to glare at him.
“Don’t you dare look at me like that,” he said in a harsh tone and I instinctively lowered my head. His threats to massacre my family were still ringing in my ears.
“That shows that you are a slave of the Berg Kingdom; anywhere you get to, they are going to know who you are and there’s only one way to get it off,” he continued and I turned to him watching as a smile plastered itself on his lips.
“You cut off your hand.”
My right hand held my left hand as Aurora led me through long hallways, and I was sure that if I tried to find my way myself, I was most certainly going to get lost. My left hand had been scarred, and my new bracelet made it hard to carry. My face was still tear stained as I walked behind her.The fresh scent of her shampoo waffled quietly into my nose, and jealousy seeped into my veins as I tried to keep up with her pace. I hadn’t even taken a proper bath in almost a week, and whoever had given a bath, or, in proper words, a scrub, had done a terrible job. I didn’t dare say a word. The iron sponge used to scrub my body was making my body ache terribly, but I didn’t dare voice out a word.As I walked behind Aurora, I began to think. I had learnt her name after Jonathan had said something to her. She was the head slave, and for one, I already knew that she disliked her. That was already very clear.As we kept walking, I could easily see the kind of looks other people gave me: hostile,
Reality was dawning on me after that fight. Aurora had watched me get bullied, almost beaten and did nothing but the moment I started to fight back, she was already on my neck with threats. I ignored the more hostile gazes I received as she led me through another walkway. I couldn't help but realize that the slaves here looked anything but like slaves. They weren’t well dressed but they weren’t poorly or shabbily dressed either. And despite their hostility towards me, they all slowly paid their respects by bowing their heads to her.We stopped in front of a hall and walked into a large hall and with a glance, I knew it was the kitchen. The kitchen for cooking was this huge?“You’ll be working in the kitchen during this period” Aurora informed me as she turned to me and I forced a smile on my face.“What do I do?” I asked and Aurora turned and beckoned to a guy who looked slightly older than me and he came running towards us, bowing his head slightly in respect.“Good afternoon Head S
I hug my legs tighter to myself and my head feels dizzy. I had gotten too much stimulation for one day, for two weeks. For some reason, I was yet to process my change in status. I had gone from a not so loved Princess, but nevertheless a princess to a slave who was slapped and bullied at every chance they got. It made me livid, made me angry and pissed but there was nothing I could do. This was my life now, a life I didn’t want, a life I would rather die than take, it was a life I didn’t wish on anyone.Aurora’s words came rushing to me in an instant, Here, you are a slave, we do not do the serving, you do the serving. It was getting glaring and glaring that the former life was becoming a thing of the past. It was becoming even harder for me to reconcile my actual life with my present situation. And asides that, Juniper’s words had not left me yet, I was alive and that was the most important thing. That I was alive. Being alive means that I can get my revenge on Jonathan, being alive
I trudged after Aurora slowly. I couldn’t believe my ears. I had been locked up in a cell for almost a day without food and yet I was expected to go and serve the king? I knew it was Jonathan that had requested it, I knew he just wanted to humiliate me and embarrass me, I knew he was just being his hateful and disgusting self.Venom spread from my thoughts to my chest and by the time I was in the kitchen, I had a newfound hatred for him. Juniper and some other slaves were already working around the kitchen and he immediately gave me a small smile as soon as he saw him but I couldn't return his smile.“Why are you walking so sluggish?” Aurora snapped at me. I raised my eyes to meet her fierce ones and the reply at the edge of my mouth was swallowed back. I wanted to tell her that the only reason I was taking one step at one time was just because of the fact that I had not eaten anything all day yet I was expected to go and serve the king with little to no stamina. I also couldn’t even
Nobody seemed to know how I had gotten back to the quarters that night, even though I didn't know. After my outburst I solely believed that Jonathan would have thrown me to the pigsty to feed with them but he had allowed me to go back to my quarters. My bed was now isolated to one corner of the room but I could be bothered less about that. I laid down on my back hoping that the gallons of water I had emptied in my stomach could sustain me till the next morning. My reality was dawning faster and faster on me. I had starved for a full day. I had eaten nothing for a full day. I was starting to become a joke and a hated and annoying one at that. I stared at the ceiling of the room, hoping that somewhere in my mind I'd realize that this was just a bad dream and I woke up back at home. I didn’t realize when I had slept off until I felt someone shaking me and I slowly opened my eyes, coming face to face with the enlarged face of my personal maid, Runa.“Runa?” I called out slowly as I trie
I don’t know why but I am surprised when Jonathan doesn’t tease me further. My eyes were lowered to the ground while he ate. The sounds of his food crunching together filled my ears and I could hear the silent grumbles of my stomach. In over four days, I hadn’t eaten anything besides the bread Juniper had been sneaking for me and I was getting impoverished.I stood throughout Jonathan’s eating process without a word and when he was done with his food I didn’t move because he hadn’t instructed me to but I was getting anxious, it would soon be time for the slaves to eat and I needed to eat, to put something in my stomach no matter what.I snuck anxious glances at him and Aurora but I didn’t dare say anything. After what seemed like eternity, Aurora finally asked me to pack the table and head back to the kitchen. Without a word, I quickly packed the table and carried the tray hurrying out of the hall before Jonathan remembered me and started calling me names.My legs moved faster and by
I have no idea when I got up from the floor and got back to work, the usual snide remarks and irritated glares at me were half gone and I was also surprised. Juniper as well was nowhere to be found. When it was evening, before Aurora found me and had me take food to Jonathan again, I disappeared. I walked aimlessly in the slave area trying not to think about my current situation, it was a situation that even I didn’t wish on my worst enemies.I didn’t bother going for dinner because I could already imagine the same thing happening and I had had enough embarrassment for a day, for my entire life. I sat down staring at the horizon as the sun went to its resting place but I knew that it was just the entire finishing a rotation, I wished desperately that I could turn back the hands of time but the Moon Goddess had favourite and I wasn’t on their list that’s why she had made me a Beta knowing fully well that a female Beta as a Princess would spell doom for her.That’s why no matter how sed
It’s been over a month and I was starting to see and I was able to trace the line of my bones with one glance. I had stopped fighting or even arguing; the bullying got worse after I stopped fighting back. The food I got served at the dining hall got smaller and smaller and I never got to eat it. My roommates either tripped, the food either ended in my hair and I was just wheezing around. The only person that was holding me was Juniper.He always had a hot meal for me or a loaf of bread and I was practically living on the scraps he had left for me. I was a wreck and I knew it but there was nothing I could do about it. Deep down, I was quietly already waiting to slump one day and never open my eyes again.I packed the pile of plates and slipped them into the bowl of water. I took one step and I staggered but a strong arm was immediately wrapped around my waist to steady me.“For goodness sake Amira, you have to rest." Juniper’s concerned voice washed over me and I slowly slumped to the
Triss and Karl weren’t married.Finding out that Triss and Karl weren’t married was one of the shocking pieces of information I received after I came back to the Zadok kingdom. Triss wasn’t going to marry someone as lecherous as Karl, he was stinking and couldn’t keep his dick in one place and I knew that she couldn’t, at least I had experienced how much of a man slut Karl could be in time at the Eleven kingdom so when I found out that all they had was an arrangement and it was supposed to scare other kingdoms away and solidify our stand as a kingdom before we got back on our feet, I was genuinely shocked.I didn’t even know how to feel, happy or betrayed or at a loss, I somehow at the end of the day felt nothing. I wasn’t happy nor was I sad nor was I bothered about it. Triss had laughed about it and told me that I was the one who wanted to marry him, she wanted someone who was smarter and stronger and even though I had come back home, she still never forgot to throw jabs at me. My m
“Greetings your royal highness” the greetings kept repeating themselves as I and Elora walked past. A small smile remained plastered to my face as I kept walking.“I still sometimes find it hard to see everyone greet you like they adore you. The only part is that they truly adore you,” Elora commented and I laughed.It was true, they all did, the rumours and stories hadn’t quenched down even one bit. Even more absurd stories were spreading around and I hadn’t gotten tired trying to quench them down or correct them. More so, my mother said it was fine, as long as my reputation is being restored. It seemed as though everyone had long forgotten that for six months, I had been a slave in a strange land and I had suffered and had my status stripped off.Elora kept the fan blowing slowly as we kept walking. When I came back, Elora had jumped into my arms crying and weeping like a child. She spoke about her days in the palace without me and she had even gotten into a few fights in the last
It was easy for me to find my way to the royal ancestral grave. I walked past the grave of my grandparents and my great grandparents, my breath sucking in as I finally approached a newly made grave. Tears rushed to my eyes but I held it in as I finally came to stand face to face with the grave. My father’s name was written boldly on it with the year of his reign and seeing the quote at the top of his tombstone, I knew that my mother had written it. I bent down and slowly lowered the flowers I had brought to the grave. They were a bundle of fresh lilies I had specially woken up early to pick. My father loved lillies a lot and I knew that he would be happy to see me bring them.“Greetings father, Amira is home” I said slowly and softly but those words carried so much weight, so much weight that I couldn’t explain and my throat was clogged once more, I arranged my clothes and allowed myself to sit beside the grave staring into space.The sight of my father dying right in front of me was
It took less than a day for the news to spread across the kingdoms, across the Zadok kingdom. I wasn’t surprised but it spread faster than I thought, everyone in the kingdom was talking about it. There was a myriad of emotions, shock, surprise, confusion, appellation among many others.The King of the Berg Kingdom who had imprisoned me was asking to marry me.The people couldn’t believe it. He had imprisoned me and yet he fell in love with me and so the story of clearing my father’s name circulated. My people jumped up in joy and in celebration because it meant a lot to us. It did mean a lot to us and that aside, it made a powerful kingdom like the Berg kingdom our allies, our friends and maybe our soon to be in-laws. It felt the kingdom in a state of euphoria.Along with those two news, so many stories and rumours started to spread around the kingdoms. Rumours like I had intentionally gone to the Berg kingdom to find out the truth and I had endured humiliation because I wanted to cle
The trip to the Zadok kingdom was slower mainly because of how huge the entourage was, we couldn’t rush through the trip. Serena and I kept our conversations through the trip, making each other laugh and talking about so many random things. We ate the cookies and the drinks packed for us in the carriage and my heart beat faster with every landmark we passed that signified that we were getting close to the Zadok kingdom. My anxiety clogged at my throat and I was trying my very best to remain focused despite all of the mental stress I was going through.my anxiety didn’t escape Serena’s eyes as she kept assuring me over and over again that it was going to be fine and then we go to the Zadok kingdom, I held my knuckles till the turned whites as we rode through the kingdom, I didn’t have to look outside to know that people were already coming out of their homes and they were staring. I didn’t dare to look outside because I didn’t know they would look at me, what they would think of me. The
Leaving The Berg Kingdom had invoked emotions in me that I couldn’t describe. It was unbelievable that I was finally leaving. As I climbed into the carriage with Serena behind me, tears welled in my eyes asI stared at the horde of people who had come to wish me goodbye. I couldn’t believe it. Serena got into the carriage with me and the door was closed.“Are you okay?” she asked, seeing my expression and I nodded.“I just can’t believe that I’m leaving, I’m going home” I whispered in reply and her hand immediately stretched out and covered mine.The night before, the people had hosted a campfire dinner for me showing me all the beauty of their culture. Their dances, their traditions, their usual practices, I had a good time laughing and watching in curiosity and amazement and even a a point while they danced, Masoma had pulled me to my feet and taken me to the center to dance with them, it was easy to learn some of the steps and soon I was in tune with them and the excited howls and wh
He loved me. He loves me.That was what Jonathan felt for me and I knew that he did in every way. Helping him get rid of his guilt and self beating up was one step fr him to admit that he loved me and that after everything that had happened, we both deserve a chance, a chance to be together, a chance to make everything right and we both agreed. We sat down in his room and talked about a lot of things and despite all of that, Jonathan still wanted me to go home, he wanted me to visit my father’s grave and pay my respects. He also wanted to apologize to my mother and my family for the chaos he had caused.Baring our hearts to each other made us way closer. We laughed at some of our thoughts,laughed at some of our memories and cleared up the misunderstandings we had built about each other during our stay with each other. It was a discussion that we honestly should have had long ago.And Serena hadn't lied at all. The people of the Berg Kingdom were so sorry. So sorry that it brought tear
My head spun.Princess? Princess? High Princess?The title of High Princess was only given to Princesses who were sent to other kingdoms as peacemakers, sometimes it was usually a marriage alliance or to act as an ambassador in the said kingdom. Serena was a Princess. I stared at him in shock, my lips parting but no one came out of my mouth.“You are a princess” I whispered and Serena chuckled.“I’m sorry I kept it from you” she replied softly and I blinked my eyes hard at her. I had heard too many things in a short while to even be fazed and bothered that she had hidden such a thing from me. “So why were you pretending to be a slave?” I asked curiously and Serena laughed.“I never said I was a slave” she replied and I froze on the bed, blinking as I searched my memories of when I first arrived at the palace. She had indeed told me that Jonathan had saved Julianna but she didn’t exactly say anything about herself, it was something I had missed and she as well had allowed me to conven
I slowly fluttered my eyes open and the movements made my head feel light. I closed my eyes and opened them a few times before I finally managed to open my eyes. The familiarity of the room was immediately registered in my head as soon as I opened my eyes. I was in Jonathan’s room.I was alive? I had survived?I turned slowly to see Jonathan’s head on the bed and he had slept off. He had most likely slept off while watching me. Instinctively my hand reached out to him and my fingers delved into his hair, rubbing his head softly.I was so grateful that I had gotten to tell that I love him. And then thankfully, I could tell him again. My hand went to my stomach and I could easily feel the bandages wrapped around my waist. My little movements woke Jonathan up and I watched with a small smile as he raised his head from the bed and stared at me with red eyes.“You are awake” he whispered, his voice hoarse and he quickly reached over me and pressed a kiss to my temple.“Thank you Princess, f