Chapter 2

            *Eleanor's POV*

    I breathed heavily but kept digging, beads of sweat were all over my head, running down my face and blurring my vision, but I kept digging non-stop, why should I?, I'm not thinking of spending the night here looking for some stupid gold. "Eleanor," I paid no attention to who was calling me "Elly!" still kept digging, "Eleanor!!" Gwen called and held my arm to stop me from digging further, I panted heavily.

"You should take a break." She looked at me sympathetically, "here, sit here." she said, pulling me to sit on a rock.

"Thank you." I whispered and sat down.

    Fourteen months, it's been fourteen months since I've been here, fourteen months of sorrow for every last member of Narva, fourteen Months of being whipped and treated like an outcast from hell, fourteen months of suffering, fourteen months I started bearing the name "slave", I don't even want to know how I look like cause it would only break me more, I remember when I was assigned to clean a guest room in the royal castle, I entered the bathroom and saw a mirror and looked at myself in it, I was so frightened, why??, Because I could not recognize myself, my autumn coloured hair was a wild mess, dirty, ugly and smelly. There were bags under my eyes, why wouldn't there be after all the endless, sleepless nights of cries. my eyes were red, I mean it felt like the red had dominated my eyes, I was thin and fragile and looked like someone who had less than an hour to live, sometimes I would think where is that young beautiful maiden who makes all men's jaw drop just smiling, I would only laugh like a maniac and say to myself she's gone.

    I looked around and saw the once happy people of Narva all looking like sorrow itself. My mother was never found, some said she was probably in the castle when it was set ablaze.

    I took my hand to my neck and brought out a necklace with mother's and father's picture attached to it, opened it and stared at it for a while. I never imagined losing someone so dear to me again, tears were already stinging my eyes as I remembered that night several years ago.

              *FLASHBACK* "14 years ago."

    Racks of sobs escaped my throat as I watched my father fight against those men, I felt so scared. They wanted to kill my father, mother held me so tightly to her bosom. Father fought with all his strength to protect us. There were two of them, father couldn't take them down on his own. One of them stabbed him with his sword. I gasped in fear and screamed. He pulled out his sword and surprisingly they both left.

    Since that night mother has been treating him herself because we had no money to call a physician. Unknown to us he was poisoned through that sword and was dying slowly.

    The king heard about this and sent a royal physician to come treat my father, because my father works as a blacksmith at the palace and the king promoted him, so I guess that generated jealousy among some other blacksmiths. I knew within me that that was the reason for the attack that night. By the time the physician came it was too late. The poison had already started eating his heart. We tried herbs upon herbs but he did not survive it, he died one night with me beside him. The culprit was never found.

                    *End of flashback *

    Now I couldn't believe and agree that mother was gone too, but I guess the truth is really bitter as they say.

    "Eleanor!" Gwen whisper yelled my name."Hurry! back to work the slave trainer is coming". I hurriedly stood to my feet and started digging again.

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                          *Writer's POV*

IN A ROOM IN THE CASTLE OF CORDENIA

 A man could be seen kneeling on the ground with two guards behind him. Prince Luciano could be seen sitting gracefully on a chair with a menacing look on his face. The man kneeling appears to be pleading and begging the prince.

    At the corner of the room a man could be seen standing there in an expensive garment. One look at him would give an idea that he's of royal blood.

    "I'm really sorry my prince....it wasn't in my intention to steal from you....it was a mistake....I was really tempted....I'm so sorry my prince....pleeeeease forgive me..."

    The man's helpless cries were really disturbing to the prince's ears. How could an ordinary guard have the effrontery to steal from the prince. He seems to have no fears at all. "My prince pleeeeease have mercy. I have a pregnant wife and kid at home..." One deadly glare from the prince made him shut his mouth. For several minutes there was a deafening silence in the room.

    Prince Nikolai, who had been standing at the corner of the room, looked at his brother with pleading eyes to forgive the man.

"Killian."

"Yes my prince." A huge looking guard standing behind the prince stepped forward and bowed a little awaiting the prince's command.

"Cut off his right hand."

    Prince Nikolai's eyes went wide open, there was a shock gasp from the man.

    Luciano glared at him before he continued "and for the record you have been banished from this kingdom, you are given three days to leave with your family or else you would be executed...and if I should ever see my eyes on you anywhere within Cordenia, I would kill you with my bare hands" He stood up and left the room, paying no attention to the man's helpless cries.