1 The War.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over the majestic Palace, an air of tranquility hung in the perfumed evening breeze.

 The Palace, adorned with intricate carvings and glistening marble, stood as a testament to centuries of opulence and refinement. Its sprawling gardens, lush with vibrant blooms, whispered secrets of romance and whispered promises of eternal beauty.

But the tranquility was suddenly shattered by the distant rumble of hooves and the thunderous clamor of warriors.

From the darkness beyond, a horde of barbarians emerged, their eyes ablaze with a savage hunger for conquest. Clad in furs and leathers, their primal roars echoed through the night, cutting through the symphony of delicate melodies that once graced the Palace's halls.

Boom!

The building opposite the servants' quarters went down. The bricks fell on most of the people running up and down like mice being chased by giant cats.

The war has reached the palace. The once beautiful city was now filled with blood. The unstoppable flames which lit across the streets, got hold of some persons. Everyone was running to shelter to find a place to hide. A place where the enemy will not find them.

The maids and guards took the Little Prince and queen beneath the palace. An emergency door was made by the architect of the building in case of situations like this.

"Everyone comes in," The queen instructed, as she stood by the door. The rope she wore was a mess. The maids had never seen her clothes stained until today and the queen did not care. All she wanted was for them to get to safety. "Come on, everyone."

They all began to enter through the door, guided by the queen herself. The king was at the entrance of the palace trying to protect the Invaders from entering.

"Where is Arabella, mother?" a tiny voice asked, with his eyes searching around. Due to the commotion, no one noticed that his sister was not there.

"Arabella?" the queen was surprised. She did not see the princess entering yet she did not care to check. What kind of mother was she?

Everyone began to look around for the princess. After some minutes of scanning faces, they discovered that none of the maids who served the princess were there.

"Arabella!," the queen shouted as she ran out of the room in search of her stubborn daughter. Earlier when the war started, she told her to stay with her brother to avoid them losing each other when the commotion starts. But it was Arabella… there was no way she would listen to her mother's advice.

Many a time, she ran away from the palace and broke a lot of the rules. If she was not her daughter, the queen would have her disposed in a nunnery school.

"Where on earth are we going to find that girl?" the queen panicked as they take a look around. The two guards who joined her in the search had no idea what the princess look like.

She was good at visiting the village even though no one knew what she looks like. It gave her more advantage.

They were still moving around, opening doors and windows of the rooms in the palace when a maid ran towards them. From the look of things, she was a bearer of bad news.

"Speak, my dear," The queen commanded. She held her shoulders high in order not to fumble when the news reached her.

"The princess was seen leaving the palace two hours ago. She was dressed in an ar…" Okay…the maid did not finish her sentence when the queen fell in front of them.

She did not utter a word. Her eyes were closed. The guards gathered and took her back to where they came from.

**

Princess Arabella's POV.

I ran alongside my maid through the thin path. The air was filled with blood and fresh wounds. I could barely breathe in oxygen. Everywhere was polluted.

However, I could not let my pain out. No one sent me outside here. Mother and father asked me to stay within the palace wall no matter what happens. But I was Arabella… I never listen to instructions nor did I obey rules.

I believed in doing what makes me happy and no one else. Right now, what makes me happy was to fight the Invaders that destroyed my beautiful village. I would grind them like an apple pie on my teeth.

This army belonged to the king of Aerendia The strangest man you would ever meet in this life. I never met him yet I heard terrible and scary stories about him. He was a demon, so they said. He killed his brothers, including his father to ascend the throne… cruel right?

That was not all.

The king was a conqueror. He was a fearless warrior. A lion in the jungle and an angry beast on the battlefield. He could murder a hundred men alone.

His strength scared everyone before the fight would start.

People said he was as scary as a beast. A demon that hid within the walls of his Palace. He only comes out when it was battle without revealing his face.

At the battlefield, the price paid, taking a glimpse of the face was death. No one survived a battle after seeing his face.

Many stories were told about him that I can not say it all in a day.

"My lady, we should avoid the market," My maid, Liza shook me from my reverie. Her green eyes would capture any heart around. But not the king's men. They were like their ruler. Mean, rude, and cruel!

"Come on, Let's go and kill some Aerendians," I whispered to her before standing on my feet. She was scared but I did not buy it from her. No one would make me scared in this vicinity.

I grabbed my sword and move towards the Aerendia soldier trying to take advantage of innocent children. I stuck behind with all my strength and hatred I have for their king "As*hole."

I spit at him when the sword drove right into his heart. I attacked from behind which made it easy because he never saw me coming.  However, I knew the next soldier would not be easy to kill.