Chapter Two

By the time I regained consciousness, I was in a dark room with the only light coming from a tightly closed, broken window. 

“Where am I ?” I asked none in particular as I staggered to my feet. The last thing I remembered was someone knocking me out. I quickly looked around the room, but it did not help; I tripped over something unknown and fell face down on the floor.

“Oh my god,” I whispered as I pushed myself to my feet once more.

I had been kidnapped. By who?

I tried to find my way around the room again and found the door. I didn’t waste any more time and started banging the door heavily.

“Let me out!” I yelled. I continued banging the door heavily, “Let me go!” I continued yelling and I hadn’t gotten the chance to continue banging when I heard the door opening from outside. I quickly shuffled some steps backwards and the door opened. The sudden burst-out light made me raise my hand to cover my face.

“Why were you yelling? Do you want to break our eardrums?” The person who had opened the door yelled at me and I slowly lowered my hand to see who it was.

He was dressed in an unusual way, with no emblem on his clothes. I knew he was a guard but what kind of kingdom did not have their emblem on their clothes? A thought struck in my head and I immediately shook my head shuffling backwards.

This definitely isn't happening. 

“Where are you going?” He asked me laughing, “Didn’t you want to be let out?” He asked as he turned to the guards behind the door, “Drag her out,” he commanded and two guards rushed into the room, pulling me out as I struggled with them.

“Leave me alone!” I yelled, struggling with them but my struggles were anything but effective.

“Our King wants to meet you,” the first guard said again as the other two guards pulled me after him.

“Leave me alone,” I continued struggling. Fear was beginning to seep into my veins and I knew that I was in trouble. Hot trouble. We arrived at a massive door that I knew led to a throne room. When the door opened and we stepped inside, the two guards threw me to the floor, and once again, I landed face flat. I struggled to stand up to my feet, but then someone kicked my knee, and I fell.

“Haaaaa” I screamed in pain and grabbed my knee in agony.

“Who allowed you to stand in the presence of the King?” someone asked and I managed to raise my head and scan the room. I froze at the menacing faces staring down at me. I started shivering at the sight of these people; I should have known it was them the moment I realized that they had no emblem on them.

“No, no, no” I whispered as I started sobbing.

"She seems to know where she is," someone said, and they all burst out laughing.

Of course I knew where I was; it was the worst place anyone could find themselves, and for me, the daughter of the King of Zadok Kingdom, I wouldn’t live. The Berg Kingdom wasn’t like every other kingdom. From the start, they refused to join other kingdoms in forming partnerships and stood alone in all their pride and glory; we often referred to them as a rogue pack. They often had wars with neighboring kingdoms, but they were always victorious until eight years ago.

When my father waged war against them and emerged victorious. He killed the King back then; his wife, his children, and more than one of the pack members were slaughtered. That year, my father had earned a nickname, GOD OF RUTHLESSNESS. It stuck for a long time until our kingdoms and packs started waging war against us and we lost every time. To protect his dignity, I had taken the mission to get married to the Crown Prince Karl and of course I had failed at it.

Following that incident, the Berg Kingdom went completely rogue, looting kingdoms and killing people ruthlessly. No kingdom wanted to be their target, so some willingly offered them peace offerings.

“Princess Amira, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” a voice said and I raised my head to take a look at the throne. I stared hard at the man on the throne, who had a menacing face. His legs were crossed, and he looked down at me with such condescending and hateful eyes that my shoulder froze. It was just one look, but I was sure of something.

He wanted to kill me.

“Please, don’t kill me." I sobbed, rubbing my palms together, "Please do not kill me."

“Kill you?” he asked. “When my father begged, when my mother and my siblings begged your father to spare them, did he spare them?” He yelled at me and I lowered my head in fright, sobbing.

"Spare you?" he asked, breaking into laughter. "There is no way I am sparing you," he said firmly, and I continued to cry.

“Please” I sobbed, "Please.”

I couldn’t believe that I had somehow found myself in the hands of my father’s worst enemies. I could have fallen into the hands of anyone, any kingdom but the Berg Kingdom. I sobbed quietly on the floor, pleading for him to spare him.

“Do you want to go home?” A voice whispered, and I shuddered, raising my head to see that he had gotten off the throne at some point and was bending in front of me. His face was barely inches from mine, and I nodded slowly, "I want to go home," I whispered, to which he laughed, "Oh, we are taking you home." You don’t have to worry about that,” he replied and I froze.

He was really taking me home?

“You are taking me home?” I asked in shock and he smiled, “Let’s go.”

Barely fifty minutes later, I understood what the King of Berg Kingdom had meant by telling me that he was taking me home. I stared at my tied hands and my feet that were covered in shackles as we approached the gates of the Dadwe Kingdom. The streets were empty but I could feel the people's eyes on me peeping through their windows.

On our way, the King sent emissaries to my father, telling him to wait outside the palace unless he wanted me to die and that he did not want to see any humans during his stay. Anyone seen would die.

I lowered my head, hoping to avoid their piercing and scorching gazes. I knew they were blaming me for failing. I was the mediocre princess. I had failed my mission, and it was not enough; I had fallen into the hands of the Berg Kingdom. We arrived at the palace and I could see my entire family with some ministers standing outside.

“Amira!” my younger sister yelled and I tried to wear a smile.

“What happened? Did Crown Prince Karl have anything to do with this?” She continued pestering and I swallowed hard, shaking my head.

“I failed. "I could not get him to marry me," I said slowly, lowering my head.

“Then you should have come home!” My younger sister yelled again, “How…How…” she trailed off. I knew what my sister wanted to know: how did I end up in the hands of these evil people? I did not have an answer for her. I watched as the King of Berg Kingdom got down from his horse. He walked towards where I was chained and pulled the rope towards him. I staggered towards him, placing over again.

I was already dirty and starving. My clothes were a mess but my eyes were wide open. Tears had started rolling off my eyes again.

"Your Highness, this humble King, Jonathan Maxwell Ludris greets you," he said with a grin, and my father staggered backwards. My mother quickly grabbed him to support him.

“I know that you didn’t know that I survived. I wasn’t in the pack when you slaughtered my family. I thought about how to make you pay for several years before life presented me with the best situation," he said, laughing as he walked slowly towards my father, who was taking a few steps backwards.

“Don’t come near me." My father warned, but Jonathan did not pause until he reached my father. "This is what you get for wiping out my family," he said icily, and no one knew where he had obtained a knife, but he stabbed my father repeatedly until he collapsed.

My head went blank as my father fell, a pool of blood forming around him. “Father!” I yelled as I crawled towards him, cradling him in my arms, "Father, please wake up." I sobbed, tears streaming down my cheeks as if someone had opened a tap.

"Father, please wake up," I sobbed, "I will try again. I’m not going to disappoint you. I promise you I won't be a failure. Please wake up,” I sobbed, pulling his body closer to me.

"Father,” I continued sobbing.

I slowly raised my head to meet Jonathan grinning, “You devil! I yelled at him, “You incarnate of the devil!” I yelled again, “Why did you have to kill him?” I sobbed.

“I have already been merciful by sparing your mother, your siblings, and the people of your kingdom. Do you want me to take back my mercy?” He asked as he laughed.

"It is time to go," he said, grabbing the other end of the rope and pulling it. I exclaimed in shock as I clutched my father. "Father!. Father!" I yelled, clutching his already cold body even tighter. I yelled as Jonathan pulled the rope harder and I lost grip of my father’s body. He pulled me through the sands, the tiny stones making small cuts on my body. My body and clothes were covered in crimson as Jonathan kept pulling me through the rocky sands.

I made no effort to stand on my feet and allowed him to do whatever he wanted. I had failed both as a princess and as a daughter. I could not protect my father. More tears streamed down my cheeks and soon we were back at the Berg Kingdom.

I leaned against the wall as the door opened and Jonathan walked in. I stared at him hatefully. He had killed my father right in front of me, led me to his doorstep, and killed him in front of me.

“When are you going to kill me?” I asked. My voice was already hoarse from all the crying and all the sobbing. I hadn’t gotten a sip of water and so my throat was dry too.

"You are going to die, my Princess," Jonathan responded, "but not easily. You are going to be my slave, and you will do whatever I say; otherwise, your entire family will be destroyed," he said, walking back out the same way he had entered.

I stared at his receding figure and watched till the doors closed and I was immersed in the darkness.

There was only one thought left.

I want to die.