**LITTLE RAYAN'S POV**
It had been days since those men came to our home, and father sent them away. As expected, it became the hot gossip everywhere. From the young to the elderly, everyone talked about it. Some praised father for his courage, while others called him a fool for angering the king and chasing away his messenger in a disgraceful way.
After the incident, I overheard that the king might lock father away for his insult. I got scared and asked father if he regretted what he said.
"My only regret is that I didn't chop off his head after what he said," was the only thing father said.
Sarah wasn't acting like herself. She didn't annoy me or force me to sit while she tried out different hairstyles on me. It was evident that what happened had greatly affected her. Still, I was sure that with father around, nothing bad would ever happen.
That night, mother came to our room and frantically woke us up. She quickly led us to our living room, where I saw father placing our cupboard, chairs, and tables at the front of the door. Mother's face looked confused, while father's was fearful and desperate as he moved as much furniture as he could to block the door.
I guess, being my age, I didn't fully understand what was going on. My mind couldn't process what was happening. Father hated it when Sarah or I would even remove a simple chair from its place, and now here he was moving everything he could to the front door. Mother then went to where father was and he whispered something to her.
After he finished, mother quickly ran to the spot where father had made the secret room underground. She removed the carpet that was covering the door and opened it as fast as she could.
"You two get inside here!" she ordered, but her voice was shaking, like how mine was the time I broke her vase and was afraid to tell her.
Sarah moved to mother, and the two also whispered. Sarah's face changed from confusion to stoic. I didn't know what mother told her to result in such a change of mood for Sarah. Sarah came to where I was standing, she bent down, and whispered in my ear,
"You want to be a knight, right? Then father has a surprise for you. He has found you a teacher who will teach you what it means to be a knight. But first, the two of us have to get into this room and hide while they talk."
Oh, so if it's about that, then they didn't have to make such a big deal out of it. I walked into the room and sat down. Sarah followed afterwards, but every time she tried to sit down, our knees would collide, making it hard for mother to close the door. Sarah paused for a moment and stared at me before she got out.
Mother threatened her to get back inside or she'll hit her. Sarah should just get inside. Mother and father hate it when we embarrass them in front of guests, but like always, Sarah managed to convince mother, and mother stopped asking her to get back in. Sarah started shutting the door slowly before the door completely shut.
"Ray, we'll play a game. Don't make a sound no matter what, and you'll get a present," she said while the door was slightly open.
"What present?" I asked.
"Well, if you don't make a sound, I promise that I'll never make you my dress-up doll again also I'll cut your hair. So don't make a sound no matter what, okay?" she said.
"if you put it like that then even father wouldn't be able to make me speak," I said with a huge smile on my face.
Sarah laughed and I don't think I had ever seen this before but she had tears in her eyes and she finally shut the door and I could hear the sound of the carpet being adjusted on top of the door since the floor was wooden I could still see from beneath the floor. I saw the three of them hugging before I heard loud thuds on our door.
After four thuds, I suddenly saw father let go of mother and Sarah, I could hear the sound of his footsteps rushing towards the door, I couldn't see what he was running after but I heard a weird sound after the sound mother and Sarah begun screaming loudly. I got so scared that a whimper nearly escaped my mouth but I remembered the promise I made to Sarah and I shut my mouth with my hand.
I heard more footsteps and the sound of something metallic falling on the ground, also heard some struggle before I heard a thud on the floor, I heard the sound of the furniture on the doorway being pushed as it scraped the ground. I heard four footsteps heading to where mother and Sarah were, the first two grabbed mother and pushed her to the ground as she landed on her knees and the last two also did the same to Sarah. They screamed out loud and each scream that came out of their mouth made my heart drop.
Tears were now falling from my eyes but I firmly pressed my hand to my mouth to prevent any sound from coming out.
"Don't fucking touch them!" I heard my father shout from the door way. I heard a loud smack, I knew that sound because it was the same one I heard when Sarah punched Peter, I heard father groan.
I was now crying even more as I saw Sarah and mother crying out and screaming. An extra pair of footsteps entered our house.
"for killing one of my men," he said in a really low and scary voice.
"I'll make you suffer first before killing you, so how will you suffer?" he added in that same terrifying voice.
I heard his footsteps moving from the door to where mother and Sarah were, I saw his long black cape sweep the floor as he moved forward, his face was covered with his helmet, every step he took made the armor he wore clank and on his waist was the largest sword I had ever seen. He went and stood behind mother and Sarah and grabbed their hairs as the four knights held them, he pulled on their hairs making them scream out in pain, more tears came out of my eyes and my hands and feet grew ice cold.
"so who should I kill first?" I heard him ask in his terrifying tone.
Mother and Sarah screamed again.
"Get your hands off them!"father shouted.
" am getting impatient, "he said it like a song that children in the neighborhood sing.
" please don't hurt them, "father begged.
" fine I won't, if you grovel to me, "he said.
" please spare them, "father continued to beg.
" that was fun but orders are orders, "the man said.
He let go of Sarah's hair and pulled out his long sword with his free hand, he pushed the sword through mother's back, the sword came out the other end and it was covered in blood, I screamed at this but since my hand was on my mouth the scream came out muffled but it was drowned out by Sarah's and father's scream.
He pulled out the sword and he sliced off mother's head, I didn't see where her head fell off. The men let go of mother's body and it dropped down, the blood gushing out of mother's head and chest found it's way through the floor cracks. The blood spilled on my head and face, her blood was hot as it rolled down my face. He moved to the front of Sarah, grabbed her hair which made her whimper and shoved his stomach through her gut. As the man pulled out the sword Sarah fell down on her back and her blood also found it's way to my face. My face was a mixture of tears, sweat and both Sarah's and mother's blood. Father kept screaming but it wouldn't have helped now.
The man wiped his sword with his cape and walked out.
"men finish him and cover this mess." he ordered.
The rest of the men charged at my father and I heard the same sound over and over which I was now familiar with, it was the sound of sword piercing someone's flesh. After they finished, I heard this sound of liquid being splashed around our house.
Those bastards set our house on fire.
**RAYAN'S POV**
"I barely made it out, I had to push the bodies of my mother and sister from the door so that I could escape. In our doorway I could see the body of my father scattered all over," I said now my voice was filled with anger.
Princess just stared at me as pity filled her eyes and tears were now coming out of her eyes.
" my entire family was murdered right in front of my eyes and the best I could do was shut my mouth and cry my eyes out, I don't even have a grave to remember them by all I did was run away like a fucking coward! Useless! Asshole! "I said.
Elena suddenly stood up from where she was sitting, slowly walked to where I was and suddenly wrapped her arms around me as she tightened her arms. Engulfing me in her embrace, I was shocked but I didn't push her away or say anything we just stayed like that.