Arcadia

Despite our time together riding horses, the prince pushed me away for unknown reasons. He hardly ever let me straighten up his room, bring him food, and I was never able to talk to him.

Confusion was only one of the many emotions that I felt during this time. Apparently, I was wrong about Armin. His focus remained on what he wanted and needed at the moment. So, since he pushed me away, I began to have way too much free time.

I spent my afternoons roaming the castle rather than doing my chores. What chores did I have to do? None. Prince Armin never gave any task for me to me to accomplish. So, I was left to do whatever I pleased.

I spent most of my time in the gardens. There was so much life there and it reminded me of the forest that bordered my family's farm. Every now and then, I would notice Armin watching my from the balcony above the garden, though I ignored his presence.

For a while, everything felt all right. I wasn't needed by the prince. Nobody thought twice about me roaming around. The guards and maids didn't ask questions or stop me. I felt good.

"Arcadia," a deep voice shook me out of my thoughts.

I jumped to my feet, startled, and stared at the man. The knight. His hair was hidden under his helmet, but I could see his dark brown eyes.

"Y-yes?" I stammered. The skirt of my dress was covered with dirt. My hair was knotted was from the wind blowing strongly through the garden.

"Come with me."

I didn't have much choice seeing as how he had grabbed me by my arm roughly and dragged me along beside him. I stumbled as he hurried into the castle, pulling me along with him.

"Where are you taking me?!" I demanded.

But, the knight ignored me. Fear closed in around my heart as we began to take familiar twists and turns. The throne room... That's where I was being forced to. And, then, we were standing in front of the beautiful heavy wooden doors of the throne room.

They swung open and the knight dragged me into the room. The feeling of fear settled in my chest when I saw the king and queen, sitting on their thrones. They looked angry as they watched me.

The knight bowed to their majesties and I attempted a curtsy.

"This is Prince Armin's servant, correct?" The queen asked, and I looked down at being called a "servant".

The knight nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

The king glared at me. "The others here in this castle have made it clear that you are neglecting your duties, Arcadia."

I looked up at the king. "No! I would-"

"Silence!" The king roared. "Your job was to tend to the needs of his Royal Highness, Prince Armin. And for the few weeks that you have been here, you neglected to do so. Such punishment is a whipping."

Tears filled my eyes. If I tried to speak, that would only serve to give me more floggings. I bit my tongue and hung my head.

I was forced to my knees. My heart was racing as the clomping of boots and the patter of shoes filled the room.

"Father, what is..." the voice faltered. I didn't bother looking up. I knew that it was Armin. And based on the patter of shoes and the other sound of boots, I had reason to believe that Armin's brother and his personal maid were here as well.

"Armin, this is your maid, is it not?" The king asked.

"Yes, but-" Armin tried to reply.

"And has she been doing what was required of her?"

"No, but, Father-"

"Then let her be an example to Tiffany. Ten lashes."

I assumed that Tiffany was the other prince's maid. The sound of something whistling through the air sounded right next to my air. I felt a breeze as the whip hit the ground beside me, making me flinch although the instrument for punishment never touched me. The whip left my sight and I clenched my fists tightly, bracing myself for the feeling of the whip on my back. I bit my lip: hard.

Pain roared through my back as the whip cut into my skin. I felt something wet and warm flow down my cheeks. I was crying. The area between my shoulder blades stung. And I still had thirty-eight lashes to go.

"Father, if you would just let me explain-" Armin tried to reason.

"She had a responsibility." The king interrupted. "And she failed to do her job. Continue, Sir Leon."

The knight-Sir Leon-let the whip hit my skin again. A third time. By the seventh lash, I was crying too much to see anything. My entire back was numb with pain. Even the wasp stings at home were nothing compared to this.

"Father, I beg of you to stop this." Armin pleaded.

"Arcadia needs to learn her place." The king insisted.

Another lash. And this time, a cry of pain escaped my lips. My fingernails dug into my palms.

"Father, please!"

Another sting from the whip. And I could feel Sir Leon preparing to deliver another one. The sound of boots rapidly approached me until they stopped right beside me. For some reason, the whip never hit my back again.

I cautiously looked up to see Armin gripping Sir Leon's armor-clad arm that held the whip. "That will be enough, Sir Leon." Armin turned to the king. "I am to blame. I didn't want a maid. That is why Arcadia hasn't been doing her chores. I haven't given her any to do."

I trembled from both the pain and the crying. The king and queen were speechless. Tiffany's hazel eyes were wide. Armin's older brother looked stunned.

"Do not let this happen again." The king finally said before walking out with the queen, the prince, and Tiffany. Sir Leon walked away, the whip still held in his grip.

Armin knelt beside me once they had left. "Arcadia? Are you all right?" He tried to touch my arm and I flinched away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away. This is all my fault."

I didn't say anything, mostly because I didn't know what to say. Yes, it was his fault. But, I couldn't just say that. So staying quiet was the best thing. For now.

I knew now that what I had originally thought about the royal family. Stuck-up and arrogant. Yes, Armin stopping Sir Leon had displayed made me doubt certain things, but my original thoughts remained.