Where the abyss began
The royal carriage, meticulously decorated in intricate patterns of gold and silver, showing the emblem of the Silva empire, started to move.
A company of royal knights surrounded the carriage on their own horses.Inside the carriage was a princess who was hidden from the world for the past ten years.
Someone the world had only heard of.
A witch draped in royalty.
That was what she was to the world.
Wavy hair, dark as the abyss itself, reached just below her hips.
Eyes of black ink that seemed to carry no warmth.
A dress of midnight silk, worn as if to mourn a kingdom rather than celebrate her union.
Even in the glamorous darkness she wore, she was a sight to behold.
The carriage came to a stop after a few hours.
The sun was about to rest for the day.
A knock echoed on her carriage door.
"Your Highness, we are setting the camp for the night." A female voice rang.
No reply followed.
The princess never stepped out.
An hour passed before another knock echoed again.
"Your Highness, the dinner is ready." A feminine voice broke out again.
The carriage door clicked open.
The knights and the maids who were waiting for the princess became as still as statues.
The face of the woman was hidden behind a dark veil.
That was the same princess who had spent ten years in a dungeon on a cold floor.
The same Witch who had killed her own mother ten years ago.
Nobody dared to look into her eyes.
A monster.
A cunning lady with a heart of blades and ice.
A practitioner of the dark arts who could make anyone's life miserable.
The dinner passed in a loud silence filled by the clinking of her cutlery.
She was the only one sitting at the table, surrounded by wary eyes that never dared to meet her gaze.
Ten minutes passed in agonising silence as she finished her dinner and went back to the carriage.
The knights had their orders.
To deliver the gift to the barbarian kingdom they had lost the war to, stay under her, and strike her at the right moment to re-ignite the war.
A beautiful gift.
But they knew they need to keep low until then. Nobody would want to catch the attention of a Witch.
They reached the Kingdom of Jwala in one night.
The estate of the first prince came into view.
There was no grand ceremony or a welcoming party.
A symbol of the value she held in that world.
The carriage came to a halt.
None of the knights moved to escort the princess.
The princess stepped out of the carriage in silence, her poise and pride never faltering, her face still hidden behind the veil.
The message from her attire was clear.
This would not be a joyous union, but rather the beginning of endless misery for the Jwala kingdom.
A subtle power play by the Silva Kingdom.
The treaty mentioned sending the princess to marry the prince.
They had expected the golden child, the second princess who was loved by the King. A hostage and a symbol of peace.
But they forgot about the hidden princess.
The first prince, clad in royal drapes, arrived from the massive corridors of his estate.
His attire was the cultural clothing of the Jwala kingdom in its utmost opulence.
Dark red fabric, of the finest silk, draped around his hips and legs with noticable pleats and golden borders woven with real gold without a single stitch.
Another piece of that rich cloth draped on his shoulder , wrapping around his midriff to connect at the opposite hip, held together by a golden pin.
He was adorned in intricate golden jewellery. Chains, bracelets, earrings, armlets, rings, entirely made of gold and gemstones. His attire itself could buy several noble estates in the Silva Kingdom.
That was the splendor of the Jwala kingdom. Something every empire always eyed with poorly concealed greed and envy.
Behind the prince was another man with similar build. The two men towered over everyone. They had the presence of two mountains but moved with the light grace of a swan.
Their presence was like an invisible pressure daring them to breathe wrong. The Silvian Knights did not even dare to breathe in their presence.
They knew the valour of the two men standing infront of them. Nobody who crossed them during the war came back alive.
The golden eyes of the prince landed on the veiled lady, offering a gold adorned hand with obvious displeasure.
Whispers echoed.
"I cannot believe this! What kind of witch wears mourning attire to meet her own husband!"
"Preposterous!"
"I heard she is a witch."
"I heard she talks to the devil every day."
"They really sent a monster!"
"She even hid her ugly face."
The loyal guard of the prince, Mukhali, who was trailing behind him, drew his sword, a sharp threat to the whispers of the noble ladies as silence settled back.
She took the offered hand and introduced herself with a melodious voice coated in steel.
"Kiara Rigal."
"Alwar Volkran." The cold voice of the Crown Prince echoed in the silence of the crowd.
As they made their way into the manor, the gaze of the man who followed the Prince, Mukhali, never left the princess.
He was watching her.
She was a variable.
A threat to his highness.
He knew the rumours she carried.
And he knew every rumour had a certain degree of truth to it.
"Mukhali. Escort the princess to her suite. Her attire is an eyesore."
The cold voice of the prince boomed as they entered the manor.
The knight gave a courteous nod and escorted the princess, who never spoke a word beyond her introduction.
Her steps did not falter.
Neither did her posture.
"Lady Kiara. This is your personal suite until the wedding ceremony." He informed her in a polite tone despite his suspicions.
She gave a simple nod in return.
That was all he got before the woman disappeared behind the doors.
' A Witch? Monster? Are they serious? Like seriously. Is this some sort of fifth-grade bullying? Like, oh my god. Please give me patience. This world sucks. And that shitty prince. Am I supposed to marry that guy?'
Kiara muttered to herself as she carefully removed her attire and went to the bath.
'Maids, my foot! That blonde psycho literally put poison in my food yesterday.
Thank god I saw it.
If he saw how they treated me since I ended up here, these asswipes would be kissing themselves in prison. Tch. Idiots. Morons. And a Witch?? Seriously? Is this medieval Europe or something?!
That was so dumb that I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and shit more intelligent things.'
As she undressed herself, she finally saw her body clearly for the first time in this new life.
She was not in the cold, dark dungeon anymore.
