Chapter 34: untitled

Two of the soldiers stepped forward. They grab her by her hand but princess Diana seems to have predict their moves as she slipped from their grips and use her elbow to hit their faces. A groaning sound left their mouth as they staggered back with one of their hands covering their mouth which had started bleeding almost immediately.
Who knows the princess is so swift in combat and defending herself? The soldiers weren't expecting that as they believed that she can't even throw a punch at them but now they end up getting bruises on their face and mouth. Holding her elbow with her hand, Diana looked at them like a lion watching his prey. She know sooner or later they will approach her again. The leader was scared of approaching her at first but then he remembered that he had to carry out the order given to him from the royal council.
He removed his dagger from his boot and princess Diana's heart leapt into her chest. Are they here to arrest her or kill her? A lot of thoughts ran through her mind within the matter]of three seconds.
' is this how I'm going to die?' princess Diana couldn't help but ask herself silently. She became worried about her mother as she was curious about what they could have done to her.
" Did they ask you to arrest me or kill me?" Princess Diana asked with a smirk on her face and the soldier looked at the dagger in his hand before smiling evily at the princess with his brown teeth coming into view.
" Let's say both of them" The soldier said as he throw the dagger at princess Diana which she dodged by jumping away. She hits her body on the floor and wince in pain.
" That was so close" she mumbled but before she could get up, the other three soldiers grab hand and chained it with a chain and padlock. She tried to struggle free but their strength seems to be stronger than hers.
" You will regret this" princess Diana said with gritted teeth and the soldiers just ignore her. Their duty is to arest her and put her in prison untill the royal council decides her fate. Every citizens of Alvanor don't want to have anything to do with her again. They all support her arrest and the royal council have to grant them their wish.
" Take her away" the leader of the soldiers said before making way for them. One of the soldiers lift the princess on his strong shoulder and walk out of the room.
The smell of sweat and other smell filled her nose as her head dangled at the bottom of the soldier. They took her down the spiral staircase and when Diana feet touched the cold floor, she realised she had been put in the royal prison where inmates were not given food nor water until the day of trial.
The royal soldiers sneered at her before walking out of sight. She held the gate with her hands and bite on her lower lip in pain and anger.
After spending some hours in the cell, she start feeling thirsty and need water to drink. She got up from where she is sitting and walk towards the gate to check 8f she will see any maid around. The cell smell of dead rat and she can't count how many times she had throw up for the past one hour. She use the shawl of her dress to cover her nose and peered her eyes out in search of royal maids. She saw one walking by with a bucket of trash and she quickly signaled her. Unfortunately the maid was Hera. The maid she locked up for being so rude to her and posing a threat to her life.
When Diana saw that it was Hera, she grabbed a wad of hair in frustration and a smile crept into Hera's face. Who wouldn't be happy when one of her greatest rival is locked up on a cell?
" Oh princess Diana, I never knew you like stinky place like the royal cell" Hera said sarcastically and princess Diana ignored her. She isn't expecting the least from her anyway.
" I guess you must be thirsty of water and need someone to get you water to drink" Hera continued dropping the trash bucket in her hand on the floor roughly. You don't know how happy Hera is right now to see the princess looked up in a cell. If she was told that the mighty princess of Alvanor will be locked in a cell someday, she wouldn't believe it but nobody is against the law of Alvanor.
" I will advice you pee on your hand and drink it then eat the rotten rats by your side when you're hungry. It really suites your status as a murderer princess" Hera said picking her words one by one and princess Diana got infuriated by it. She hits her hand on the gate before grabbing Hera by her hair as if trying to pull the hair out of her skull.
" Murderer or not murderer, I'm still the princess of Alvanor" princess Diana said with gritted teeth and Hera wince in pain trying to remove the princess strong grip from her hair. Diana's eyes were dark and shallow that you can't tell the look in her eyes. She wants to continue holding Hera's hair that way for the rest of the day but then she remembered she's not the type that derives pleasure from inflicting pains on others. She let go of the anger in her heart and released her grip on Hera's hair which made her fall to the ground. Without second thought, Hera ran away in fright leaving the bucket of trash behind.
Another maid come around again carrying a tray of food in her hand and Diana quickly signaled her to come closer.
" Give me water and food" Princess Diana demanded with a voice filled with authority. She actually thought she can use her status to get the food from the maid. After all she has been good to everyone around her.
" Sorry this food is for the prisoners in the other cells. King Claudius has ordered the maids in charge of food to serve them food twice a day except Diana" The maid said and Diana got struck by her words.
' king Claudius? Diana?' she asked herself silently remembering the words the maid said few minutes ago. No one has ever called her by her name except her parents but here she is being addressed by her name by a maid.
" As the princess of Alvanor, I'm asking 6ou you to drop the food and leave" Diana said using her power as a princess on the maid.
" Sorry, you're no longer a princess of Alvanor. You have been stripped off your royal status and you have no right to order any servant around again" the maid said and walk away leaving princess Diana speechless. Her head spin and throb in pains. Those words are too painful for her to believe and a loud piercing scream left her lungs dominating the hall way down into the tunnel.
" This is not true" she said with tears streaming down her face. She cried and cried till her eyes get soured from crying. She wrap the shawl around her nose before falling asleep in the police cell. Before falling asleep, she wonder how Claudius became the king without the royal pendant. Was that even possible?
She was woken up by a voice outside the cell. When she opened her eyes she wasn't surprised but angry to see the face of her worst nightmare.
She ignored him and remain seated in the dark. She's not in the mood and right mind to talk to him right now. She's sure he has something to ask from her that was why he came.
Her hair was falling over her face thereby obstructing Claudius from seeing her face. He wear a smirk on his Face with his hands folded behind his back.
" How are you doing with your new environment?" Claudius asked with his cracked up voice that made princess Diana to always wonder who cursed him with such bad voice.
Claudius wait for her reply but didn't get any so he was kind of furious and surprised because the princess he knows is no not the type that keeps her mouth shut.
He narrow his eyes and trying to catch a glimpse of her face but he can only see her white dress and nothing else.
" Now let's get straight to business. You show me where the royal pendant is and I let you out of the prison" Claudius said and Diana who has been ignoring him all this while snapped her eyes open at the mention of the royal pendant. She knows he wouldn't come here for nothing. He is here to bargain but she don't think she's going to buy that.
" I thought you already made yourself a king without the royal pendant and what makes you think I Know where the pendant is kept?" Diana asked with her voice calm and domineering. Claudius wonder how she was able to remain calm in the condition she is.
" Because you're the ex heiress of Alvanor" Claudius reply emphasizing the word ex just to piss the princess off.
" In case you don't know, without the royal pendant you can never be a king of Alvanor" Diana reply with a sneer and Claudius chuckle even when he felt bad by what the princess just said.
He know he can't be crowned as long without the royal pendant and that is why he's standing there right now.
" Pendant or no pendant, I will still be the king" Claudius reply before walking away with two royal soldiers.
" Scum bag" Diana cursed before hugging her knees to herself. That night she couldn't sleep as mosquito and bugs couldn't let her close her hair in peace. The floor was do cold that she catch cold all night and for the first time, the princess slept outside the comfort of her luxurious room without warm blanket.