Zoey's POV
I glance around my room in fascination. It always seems to amaze me. From the pure white sheets sat atop the mattress on the canopy bed, to the wall edges with elegant red swirls painted on. My room is simply magnificent, but with me being the princess it was expected. A smile spreads across my dainty face as I walk confidently out of my room and into the hallway. My white ball gown dragging the ground, with a loose red sash tied around my waist. It was after all a custom for the royal Taylor family to wear red somewhere on their attire. The Taylor family was made up of six people; my father, mother, older brother, and two younger brothers.
My mother and father, the king and queen, are about in their mid thirties. Mother was a very pristine women always with her blonde hair on top of her head, clear blue eyes staring, her flowy red gown never out of place. Father on the other hand was a mess with his spiked red hair, lazy brown eyes, and his tux and red tie always crooked and disheveled. I sometimes wonder how they ended up together. They were probably forced together by an arranged marriage, like most royal families.
Even though my parents have nothing in common they love each other and all four of us, even though my eldest brother, Lucas, drives everyone crazy. I believe he got that gene from father. Lucas actually looks a lot like me from his spiked red hair and brown eyes, but he acts like father while I'm more like mother, but alas that's how most fourteen year old boys are like I presume. My slightly younger brother, James, acts like a true gentleman even though he's only seven. James also has spiked red hair, but his eyes are a clear blue like mothers. The youngest of the bunch, Aiden, is the quietest but that could change considering he's only five. Aiden looks exactly like mother, which I'm jealous of, but it's always nice when we tease him about being different from us.
Walking elegantly down the hallway I pass all my brothers rooms. The doors are all shut, the cleaning ladies most likely doing their job. I sigh heading down the curved stairs. It's so quiet today, so peaceful, I don't like it. As fast as I could I rushed to the dining room. No one. Into the tea room. No one. To the throne room where father usually sat fondling with his cape tassels. No one. I huff walking over to his throne. Where is everyone? It's unusual for them to just leave me here all alone without supervision. I was after all their little princess. Next to be ruler since my brother didn't want to rule. Climbing the two steps I stare at father's throne questionably.
"Don't do anything rash princess, or I will cut your head clean off." A males voice spoke from behind me as a cold object was placed on my neck.
"W-wha?"
"Don't speak!" He shouted next to my ear.
I glanced sideways at my attacker to see a figure, most likely male by the voice, covering their face with a black hooded cloak. He looks like he could be an assassin. I gulp looking back at my father's throne. Could this be the reason why no one was in the castle? Did an assassin somehow get past our defenses, and kill my entire family. I wanted to ask the man this, but the pressure from the crisp knife he held to my neck stopped me. What if he kills me? I'm not ready to die. I'm only ten years old for crying out loud! I can't die this way!
The man sighed turning me around, but still held the knife to my neck. "You remind me of my daughters, Charlotte and Olivia. They're a little older than you, but they still have a baby face, much like you do."
I blinked at his comment. I think I've heard those names before from father. I believe he said one day when he was in town there was a women having trouble carrying a basket a fruit from the market to her home with two kids. If I'm not mistaken I think he said those were their names. Does this mean that this is that woman's husband? Or maybe it's a whole different Charlotte and Olivia I'm thinking of.
"D-do you happen to h-have a wife who lives at the edge of Delia?" I ask looking at the man through the cloak of darkness.
"I did, until she left me to fawn over the king, your father. She kicked me out of the house and kept the kids because of that man, and I intend to take something of equal value from him." The man growled pushing the blade into my neck harder, but not cutting my flesh.
"What would that be exactly?"
"Well isn't that simple, I'm taking his only daughter." He sneered darkly taking the knife away from my neck.
He wants me! Before I could do anything the hooded man grabbed something from a front pocket on his cloak, and stabbed my arm. Me, being the ten year old I was, couldn't defend myself as he injected whatever was in the thing he stabbed me with. He pulled the object from my arm, showing me that it was a black dart with the tip oozing purple liquid, and stuck it back in his front pocket. My vision started to blur, and my legs slowly started to become jelly. What did he inject me with? At that thought I fell forward right into the man's embrace.