"My lady!" A familiar voice yelled, tucking her damp hands on my body as she shook me violently.

I frowned in my sleep, hating the disturbance caused but nevertheless mumbled out some rubbish and resumed sleeping.

 "Your highness, I beg of you! Open your eyes!!" The voice was pretty loud and seemed unsteady.

I was bemused but lazily peered my eyes open, a big visible scowl on my face as I glared at my waker.

I was not used to waking up like this so whosoever did wake me up should better have a sensible reason of doing so.

 "M...Mabel?" I stared at my maid, Mabel who seemed to be the one waking me up but she didn't look alright.

On her face were tears, her expression held fright and she looks so pale and alarmed. Did she just see a ghost?.... But why was she waking me up so roughly?

 "What happened?" I yawned, confused, with a desire to be cleared.

She spoke instantaneously. "Your highness, you need to leave now, hurry!!"

Huh?

 "Why?" I asked.

 "A war is going on. You need to leave immediately!"

Just as she said that, I heard the sounds of swords clashing on each other, screams and the horrid smell of blood and smoke. It was so strong that it almost made me feel nauseous.

What was going on?!

Fear gripped my stomach even as she held my arm, forcing me to stand.

 "They are almost here. We'll get killed if they see us."

They? Who were they? Why is their a war going on? Did we do something wrong?

I wanted to ask. I had a lot to ask but I couldn't as she took me along and hastily began rushing out of the room.

We went quickly through the high stairs until we got to a small door underneath. I could see lots of maids running Helter skelterly as she pushed the door open, revealing a long dark tunnel.

We went into it, making a fire we saw nearby as a source of light. It wasn't so long before we arrived at the back yard of the palace but we were taken aback by the sight of the dead bodies on the ground.

Worst still, most of them were my kingdom's guards and soldiers.

Colour drained off my face and with widened eyes, I held her arm, my lips quivering as I spoke.

 "Where is my mother?"

I feared something might have happened to her. I hadn't seen her since I woke up and she was supposed to come get me, not my maid.

 "I don't know. When the war started, she commanded me to come get you and take you out of the kingdom. Then she left... Don't worry my lady, am sure she is safe." She said the last words to assure me but I wasn't assured.

I felt too scared to.

Father too, I was sure he was probably fighting with the enemies. I fear for him as I didn't want him gone.

Feeling agitated, I turned around and headed back to the tunnel but Mabel held me, forcing me to stop.

 "My lady, where are you going to?!" Her voice was covered with shock and fear.

 "I'm going to find my parents. I'm not leaving without either of them."

 "No, your highness!" She shrieked, her skin going more paler than it already was. "You can't go back in there. It's too dangerous. I have to take you out of the kingdom, I have to make you safe!"

 "But my parents are in danger." The thought of them being killed brought tears to my eyes. "I have to go find them."

 "But what can you do, your highness?! Even if they are not safe, you still can't help them."

I gasped at her words. Did she just say that?

 "How dare you, Mabel?"

I was pissed and wanted to punish her but it wasn't the time to. I felt more concerned for my parents than anything else.

 "I am sorry, my lady! I deeply apologize." She bowed her head ruefully. "But it's my duty to protect you, I can't let you go back in there."

 "No, you are to serve me, Mabel. The guards who are to protect are chiefly dead and my parents are most likely still inside, fighting with their might. How can I leave them?!"

I turned and without another word, headed right back into the tunnel.

I wondered if I was doing the right thing, putting my life at risk. I knew mother would be mad but I couldn't be at peace leaving her behind. I couldn't.

I walked for a while in the darkness, going straight to where the inly door was. Finding it, it felt more hard pushing it open but I tried my best and ran to my mother's chamber, when it finally opened, trying as much as possible to ignore the bodies of a few maids, guards and the royal army on the floor.

I got to the chamber but the door was widely opened, with nobody inside. I went to my father's other wives chamber but it was empty also.

Apprehension gripped me at the thought of them all somewhere captured or dead. The last place I felt they might be was my father's chamber but I was uncertain even as I rushed there.

 "Catch everyone of them and kill off whosoever acts stubborn. No one in the palace must be left out!" I heard a voice close to my direction and then the sounds of matching footsteps.

I quickly hid in a corner and watched some groups of men dressed in hard armour match away.

Rage filled my body at the sight of them. They had massacred so many maids, guards and even the kingdom army.

I wanted all of them dead. I didn't care how horrid my thoughts were, but if they had truly harmed my parents, then they deserve worse.

Walking away to my father's chamber, I heard some noise as I drew close. It was of swords and groans. Some people were obviously fighting in there.

I inched my head to take a peek but was appalled to see mother fighting with three men dressed in armour. She was badly bleeding and her face was serious bruised and swollen but she managed to strike one to the ground.

 "Mother!" I rushed to her, causing her trepid eyes to glance at me in shock. The two armoured men too stared at me but fortunately mother took that as a distraction and cut the men with the sword, making them fall to the floor, bleeding and unconscious.

 "Mother!!" I repeated, three steps away from her now but she frowned, her eyes filled with fear and terror.

 "What are you doing here, Aly! You are not supposed to be here!"

 "Mother...."

 "And where is Mabel? She was supposed to take you far away!"

 "Mother...."

 "Answer me, Almira!"

 "Mother, I'm fine." I tried to calm her down. She seemed so frightened and panicked.

I worry for her. She was very much bleeding and was badly injured.

 "I should treat your wounds." I added but she stopped me.

 "I'm fine. There is no time for that. You have to get out of here."

 "But Mo...."

 "You are not safe, Aly, don't you get it? King Luther and his army are too strong, most of our warriors are dead and there is a high possiblity that the victory would be theirs. If they win, we would be their slave and would ruthlessly die. I can never let you suffer that fate, Almira."

 "Where is Father?" I asked. I for a moment forgot about him, I felt he wasn't safe and mother's tearful eyes confirmed that.

 "He was captured, other wives killed themselves to avoid being enslaved, the concubines and some of the children ran away. I don't know much about the maids and the people of the kingdom, but I don't think they are alright."

My jaws dropped. I was terrified at the information I just heard. Father was captured? My stepmothers are all dead?

Tears rolled out of my eyes, as I felt a rising burn in my stomach. I felt uneasy and unable to hold myself steady, I held on to mother even though she was unsteady herself.

 "We have to leave...."

 "To where?" I interrupted her, feeling all sweaty and shaky. "The enemy's warriors are everywhere, we can't even hide."

I wanted to ask why this war was happening and what had gone wrong. This war was so sudden and happened in a flash.

Wars were meant to occur in battlefields, not at palaces. I was sure father didn't expect this either.

I was anxious and timorous. I just wanted us all to be fine.

 "You shouldn't had come, Aly! Why are you so stubborn and disobedient?" She spat out at me, with a gutted look. "We are in a very dangerous situation which was why I commanded Mabel to escape out of the kingdom and take you to a safe place but you once again proved to be insolent and defied my orders!"

She seemed so displeased and infuriated by me. I whimpered, somewhat feeling a bit of regret for coming back.

 "I'm sorry." I kept my head low, fondling with the hem of my nightwear. "I was just scared...."

 "I was scared too, Almira! Which was why I gave those orders but you disobey me."

 "Mother..."

 "Shut up!" She scolded, forcing me to keep silent. "You are the only legitimate daughter of King Rupert. Do you have any idea what those men would do to you once they get a hold of you?"

The thought gave me goosebumps.

 "They would torture you until you seek for death yourself! They wouldn't pity you at all as they seek vengeance."

 Vengeance? For what?

I wanted to ask, I desired to know but she suddenly pulled me behind a pillar, clamping her hand over my mouth, not even giving me a chance to speak.

 "Mother..." I mumbled into her palm, astounded at the sudden action. Why was she keeping me shut?

She eyed me not to speak and just then seven men from the enemy's side came into the chamber.

My eyes bulged out in extreme fear as I shivered rigorously besides her. The men each wore an helmet and a face mask made of metal. They were walking towards our direction, their swords and armour stained with blood. Only one of them seemed to be bleeding from his left leg but he was still walking fine, he didn't seem to be pained at all.

 "Aly, run." Mother said softly, realizing they were almost close to where we were. I only took a step away before two pairs of angry eyes saw me.

 "Seize her!!" The others ran to our direction while I ran, as fast as I could, away.

My knees felt sore and dread was all over me at the possiblity of being captured.

I ran, not looking back, though I could hear the speedy noisy footsteps pursuing after me. It was not long before a pair of large hands grabbed my arm and pulled me back, forcing me to trip and fall, facedown to the floor.

I groaned in anguish but wasn't allowed to do anything else. I was quickly held tightly on my hair and a slap immediately collided with my face.

 "Ah!" My teeth tore through my gums, making me taste my own blood. My cheek felt numb and I felt a striking pain in my ear.

 "Please.... Ahh!" Another slap made contact with my face, this time leaving my teeth to feel all shaky. I peered my eyes painfully open, trembling as I stared at the three men surrounding me.

 "Your highness...." One of them made a mocking bow at me while the others laughed, causing me to feel so trepid and uncomfortable.

They dragged me mercilessly back to my father's chamber where I again met mother but this time, she was laying on the floor, her eyes closed, clothes full of blood and plenty cuts on her skin.

 "Mother!" I screamed, shocked, rushing over to her and raising her head onto my thighs. I checked her pulse and then her heartbeat.

She was alive fortunately but she was loosing a lot of blood and her breath was very shallow.

 "You monsters! How could you do this to her?!" I wanted to scream to the hearing of them all but all I did was cry, so nosily that one of them hit me at my shoulder, snarling at me to keep it shut.

 "Aly....."

 "Mother." I gasped in relief when she spoke, her injured swollen right eye half opened.

 "I'm sorry, Aly."

 "It's okay, mother." I tried to sound comforting. I knew what she was sorry about, that I was being captured but it was all my fault anyways. I was foolish enough to come back to her, I should had just left with Mabel and be saved.

There wouldn't have been any distractions or delay for mother and she would have found a way to be okay herself but I was an idiot to spoil the plan, leaving both of us in the hands of these evil men.

Tears spilled out of my eyes but mother didn't respond no more. She just kept staring at me strangely without blinking.

 "Mother?"

No answer. I stiffed, surprise at her silence. What was wrong with her?

 "Mother?" I shook her but she didn't respond. All she did was glaze at me which frightened me.

 "Mother!" I felt so terrified, my heartbeat sounding loud and hard in my ears. I shook her continuously but she didn't speak.

My skin went all wet in fear. I didn't know what to think or do, I was very much bewildered and dismayed.

Was she alive? I dreaded the answer.

 "Take the princess to his highness. The queen is dead."

A hand gripped me but with all the strength I had left, I forced myself away with tears raining out of my eyes.

 "What do you mean? How dare you make such ridiculous statement?!"

I was furious. They had harmed my mother and dared to speak of her death. How dare them?

The thought made me so weak and lightheaded I couldn't hold myself, I didn't want to.

I slumped to the floor, rapidly losing hold of consciousness.