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Chapter 3
So there I was, in the dark private study which belonged to the King of Derudia.
Enemy of my father.
My kidnapper.
So I guess it's safe to assume that I wasn't exactly in the best of positions. He could virtually do anything to me and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it. I admit, Diary that at this point I was beginning to get frustrated. I banged me hands as hard as I could against the armrest.
'Show some decency! How dare you tie up a lady in such a manner?' I snarled. It was so not fair. And my nose itched
He chuckled to himself. 'And pray, do tell me, if you are such a proper lady as you say you are, is it not impolite to freely roam my castle? No, Princess, I think you will remain bound until you hear what I have to say.'
I rolled my eyes. 'Do you really think I'm going to sit hear and listen to you warble on about- about well….you know what I mean!! I know perfectly well what you want, and I refuse to go along quietly with it!'
He sighed, as if he'd known I would act like this. It only infuriated me even more. He walked around the furniture in the room, and, with my eyes never leaving him; he pulled up a chair and sat in front of me.
That's about when I got my first good look at him, and I could see he wasn't looking too good. His wrinkled forehead suggested few smiles, and dark circles under his eyes prod me to think that here was a man who'd suffered many a sleepless night. I'm sure he was quite young but there was nothing in his appearance to show it. His straw colored hair was already sparse and showed traces of grey.
But his eyes were not unkind as they bored intensely into mine. 'Princess, if you do not even listen to what I have to say, how will you know whether or not you agree to it?'
Ok. Let's get one thing clear. You are not my conscience. You have are in no way entitled to mock, reprimand, laugh, or in general humiliate me in any way whatsoever. I'm being kind enough to liven up your life by telling you every detail of this horrid adventure, and you are only allowed to listen (read?) and not comment no matter how stupid anything I do is.
Good, now that we have that clear, I'll tell you what happened next.
I shut my eyes and began singing rather hideously. 'LaLALALALALALALA!!!' At the top of my voice. With my eyes shut. And, Diary, I know it was immature and silly and petty but he was being so unfair. And there was no other way for me to get his attention. He wasn't even giving me a choice whether or not I had to listen to him.
'Laaaaalaaalaaa…LaLalaLa' I droned on. 'Princess, please!!' He yelled at me, above the sound of my mellifluous voice. I wailed louder.
'Arrrgh!' He clapped his hands over his ears to block out my voice, a look of pure anguish crossing his face. I think I felt a spark of pity for him for about one second, and then it was extinguished when I thought about my moldy cell.
'Can you just –'
'I CANT HEAR YOOOOU!!!' I sang on and on, if you could call it that.
'Please, just be quiet for one moment, we can discuss this properly-'
'I'm NOT LISTENIIINNG!!!!' I sounded like a petulant child singing.
Gosh, my cheeks are burning right now even writing this out. Why do I do this to myself??
Finally, the poor King had enough. 'SIILENCE!!' He roared. I was shocked into silence.
'I want you to listen, and to listen very carefully.' He said, breathing hard. I too was panting. We both regarded each other with extreme irritation. 'I am going to ask something of you, and I will NOT – I repeat – WILL NOT force you into it if you do not wish to. I am only asking you to give it a reasonable thought because it really is not as preposterous as you think. Why, as a member of a royal family you are in fact bound by the law to marry only someone of noble descent–'
'King Jasper.' I cut in tiredly. 'I'm very sorry about this but my decision is final. I-' Here I paused, for dramatic effect, of course. 'I will not marry you!' There. It's out. I only hope the poor man will take it well.
His reaction was unexpected, to say the least.
He burst into a fit of laughter. Really loud, raucous laughter. I regarded the man with utmost caution now, as though he might explode any second. 'Err…Jasper? Can I call you that? Are…are you alright? You did hear me, right?'
He waved his hand at me between wheezes. 'Oh…oh my…I haven't laughed that hard since your father said he would send his Royal Marine battleships to attack me, not knowing there was in fact an easier passage through land. You really do come from a family of very amusing people, Princess.' He said, wiping the corners of his eyes.
'I really don't see what is quite so funny,' I said, miffed.
'I cannot believe you thought…heeheehee…you thought I wanted to marry you.' He let out another chuckle.
By now I was truly and properly mad, Diary. What's a girl supposed to think when a King kidnaps her, says he has something to tell her? What else could there be, except to ask my hand in marriage?! What, was he going to ask my opinion on whether or not he should make an Alliance with the merpeople, or something?
And on top of everything, he insults my family, and lets me know just how preposterous the idea of me marrying him would be. Makes me feel just great, huh?
'Well…if that's not the reason…why did you bring me here?' I muttered, not quite meeting his eyes.
I don't think could any more humiliated then I already was.
He still hadn't stopped laughing.
'Oh, get a grip on yourself!' I snapped.
'I'm sorry, my dear. Now, the real reason I brought you here, of course, is you ask you, on behalf of my son, Prince Zac, if you would be his bride.' He said merrily. We might have been discussing the weather.
I was sure that I'd just heard wrong. I closed my eyes. 'Please tell me you did not just say that.' I said.
I opened my eyes. He just chuckled, saying 'You'll come around soon enough, I'm sure. You're a smart girl.'
'Don't.' I said, irritated. 'Why, exactly, are you doing this? Is your son so hideous that he can't find his own bride? On second though, he probably is. I mean, he's your-'
'She left me. Lavia. My…wife.' He said, quietly, as though he had no choice but to make me understand. The change had come about him faster then a lover's first quarrel.
How ironic, considering what we were about to discuss.
He stared determinedly into the fire, avoiding my eyes. 'Zac was just a little boy. And she couldn't stand the sight of me. I can't really blame her; I was a monster back then.' His voiced dropped to a whisper, and I listened intently to the sound of his voice.
'I was conquering lands right and left, obsessed with power. By the time I finally realized what was truly important to me – it was too late. One night we had a terrible fight, and she packed her bags and threatened to take Zac with her. I begged her to stay, to give me another chance. I promised I would change but it was all in vain. The damage was done.' He looked at me with hollow eyes.
'I swore to myself this would not happen to my son. That is why I plan on finding the perfect bride for him, one who will not desert him. You were on top of my list. Rumors say that you can keep a cool head, though I'm beginning to doubt that now.' He smiled wearily now, and I saw a glimpse of a man whose power was waning like a setting sun. He was once known to be a great and ruthless leader of the Derudian Armies, but this man seemed diminished compared to the legends I'd heard about him. He seemed frail, though not old.
Still, no matter what he said I was not going to change my mind. I smiled sweetly at him, with no lack of compassion.' I understand that you want to arrange a marriage for him, but if he's as bad as you used to be, and I've heard he is, that wont stop any maiden from abandoning him. It's wrong to force him into a loveless marriage. At least, you won't be forcing me into one, at any rate. You'll have to drag me up to the alter, kicking and screaming.'
He did not seem impressed or surprised.
'I expected as much. Very well, I cannot impose my will upon you, but it doesn't mean I'll release you. You shall remain captive until you come to your senses.' He smiled back just as cordially to me.
'Oh, and Princess, do not try anything foolish. I may not be as fearsome as I used to be, but you would well to obey me. Look behind you.' I glared at him, and twisted in the chair as best as I could.
I gasped.
The large wall behind me was decked out my knives. Long, skinny knives, butcher knives, scimitars, swords, flamberges, razor thin blades, blades curved to form a sickle – the man had it all. All meticulously placed on the wall, and all menacingly glistening, as if they were kept in good shape. I understood the not-so-subtle threat immediately.
'You're the most- most'. I couldn't think of what, exactly, he was. 'What is the point in keeping me here?' I said to him finally
He just smiled, and called for the guards to take me away, and I Ieft the room marginally wiser then when I entered.
Still in the darn cell
So there you have it. A strange meeting with a strange man - a King, a father, a kidnapper – and yet he seemed kind, mellow, almost.
And I'm right back to where I started – in the cell. Except, of course, he's given me quite a lot to think about. I'm not much better off except for the information of where my cell is located and why I'm here.
And, of course, I have the added advantage of the two curved knives I nicked from the King's study.
Goodnight, Diary.
A/N: Hope you had a wonderful New Years/ Christmas/Holidays. I have exams coming up but if the reviews inspire enough I'll post before the dreaded exams one more time. After exams I can almost guarantee regular updates.
Please review!!
Goodnight, everyone.
