Prisoner of Two Princes

"The party is almost over, we better get out of here now." Prince Shankarein told his brother to remove Arachlea from the noisy room.

"Let's go," Prince Arshakein said as he pulled roughly on the reins around Arachlea's neck.

Arachlea glared and tried to resist what the cold-faced prince was doing. But her hands and mouth could not be used to their full potential. The dirty cloth was still gagging her mouth, fortunately, her hands were tied in front of her so that her efforts to remove the gag could still be done. In front of him, Prince Arshakein did not realize what he was doing. A faint smile appeared on Arachlea's lips.

"Let go of me. I can walk on my own," she shouted. But bad luck soon caught up with her, Prince Arshakein turned around and slapped her hard on the cheek without saying anything.

Dragging her feet because it was hard to keep up with Prince Arshakein's pace, Arachlea finally arrived at a small building whose walls were made of stone blocks. Prince Arshakein opened the door made of thick iron planks.

"Get in!" he ordered.

Arachlea was pushed roughly as her movements were considered slow by the prince. He scanned the room briefly, it was empty, then dark, and the iron plank door was already shut tight.

"Hey, please let me out. I beg you. Your Highness, wait!" Arachlea shouted through the crack in the side of the door.

Prince Arshakein turned around and seemed to have something to say. Arachlea hoped he would refrain from taking her captive. With her chest beating, Arachlea watched as the prince bent down and leaned his face into the small opening.

"There's no need to shout. Save your strength because this is just the beginning. Your fate will be worse if you rebel," Prince Arshakein hissed coldly.

Arachlea gasped at the statement, the prince before her was threatening. She stared at the beautiful man's departure, which became increasingly blurred because the gap on the side of the door was too small. She let out a rough breath, her destiny had been turned upside down in a very short time. It never crossed her mind that she would become a prisoner in a terrible foreign land.

"Hill, do you know I'm here? Are you going to come help me?" whimpered Arachlea as she sat slumped against the cold metal door. Not long after, she felt the door behind her being moved.

"Eat, His Highness the Crown Prince was kind enough to ask me to bring you some food." A servant entered and set down a tray without turning to him at all.

"What's his name, I forgot?" said Arachlea trying to find out, there was no harm in her digging up any information here. The servant turned to her in surprise.

"The name of the Crown Prince and his brother," said Arachlea emphasizing her question.

"Prince Shankarein and Prince Arshakein," he replied curtly then strode off quickly and closed the door roughly.

"Hey wait!" Arachlea deeply regretted having just wasted a golden opportunity. She should have been able to escape because the door was open. The stubborn waitress didn't turn her head at all.

"There's no harm in me finishing this meal first. I need to gather my strength," she muttered.

Although it was a far cry from her eating habits as a noble of Eufibutla, Arachlea still finished her meal, this time very quickly. Just as she finished her last mouthful, the metal door opened. Arachlea blinked as the light coming in was quite dazzling.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince?" Arachlea muttered when she saw who entered her small room.

"Yes, it's me. Thankfully, you ate well," Prince Shankarein murmured.

Arachlea eyed the man warily, her mind fully concentrated on predicting what the man was about to do. With all her might and a sudden movement, Arachlea pushed Crown Prince Seodurnag into the wall.

"Damn it, what are you doing?!"

Arachlea ran with all her might out of the cold and dark prison. As she continued to run, she convinced herself to escape even though she had no definite destination. The most important thing for her was to escape her captive status. The torn bottom of her dress made it easier for her to run.

"That gatekeeper, damn it," she hissed when she realized it was impossible to get through the gate safely.

Arachlea skulked and hid behind a fairly thick and high wall. She had to be patient for a while while looking for a safe way out. Finally, she decided to board a cart that had just returned from delivering groceries to the palace kitchen.

"Wherever this cart goes, the important thing is that I get out of the palace first," thought Arachlea who was hiding in the cart.

Not long after, she faintly heard a noise outside her hiding place, and then the cart stopped moving. Arachlea lifted the worn-out sheet covering her. She gasped when she realized she was in the marketplace. She jumped up without thinking.

"Hey, who are you?" shouted the man who had just pulled her cart in surprise.

"Thank you," Arachlea exclaimed and ran off in no particular direction.

Her heart cheered even though it was clear that after this she would become a vagrant or beggar in a foreign land. Arachlea looked around, this was the first time she was in a commoner's market. The people around her were dressed modestly, interacting freely, occasionally eating while standing. They didn't have to bend down or even kneel to interact with each other. It seemed very pleasant to be a free commoner.

"An army of palace soldiers is coming. There's a surprise inspection," someone shouted in the distance.

Suddenly, everyone stepped aside from the narrow street in the center of the market. They stood at attention to greet the procession of soldiers. Arachlea also followed their movements to avoid suspicion, she chose to stand behind the people to hide from the palace soldiers. Although her ragged clothes were not much different from other people, Arachlea was worried that the soldiers would still recognize her.

"Isn't that the girl His Highness Prince Arshakein is looking for?" a soldier pointed at Arachlea, making her reflexively look up.

"Yes, she probably is," replied the other as he followed the direction of his friend's pointing gaze.

"Let's take her with us for now."

"No, I'm just a merchant's son," Arachlea exclaimed, making the people around her turn their heads. They seemed to regret Arachlea's loud and defiant tone.

"Let go of me!"

Arachlea was dragged away by the palace soldiers. They took her in a chariot and presented her to Prince Arshakein. The man looked furious. Arachlea's heart beat faster, she realized that this was wrong. She was not supposed to escape from captivity. But who would want to be locked up without any fault?

"You pushed His Highness the Crown Prince into the wall, and he was injured. That was a grave mistake, Arachlea!" hissed Prince Arshakein.

"Your Highness, I beg your forgiveness. Forgive me, Your Highness." Arachlea knelt and hugged Prince Arshakein's leg, but the man kicked her roughly.

"What punishment do you deserve, Arachlea?" Prince Arshakein asked as he stared coldly into her face, causing Arachlea to shudder and her body to tremble involuntarily.

"I still want to live longer, Your Highness," Arachlea murmured in a whisper. Hearing that, Prince Arshakein burst out laughing.

"You think you'll die this quickly? That's too easy, you need to suffer first until you get tired of living." Prince Arshakein leaned over and whispered in her ear.

***