Chapter 12
Princess Kathleen
When the bag was ripped from Kathleen's head, she darted forward to escape, but she was shoved backward. She landed on her bottom with a thud on a hard floor with lots of straw. Her eyesight still hadn't returned yet, and she wondered for a moment if she was brought to a barn. She sniffed the air but smelled no animals. It stunk, though.
"Where are my sisters?" She cried defiantly. She wanted to be strong like Janessa or Genevieve, but she found she was shaking. She didn't like the dark.
"Silence!" A harsh voice cut her off. "Learn to hold that tongue, or there'll be punishment." He said as her throat burned, and she heard a door slam.
She rubbed her eyes, and when her vision cleared, she still couldn't make out much. She was someplace dark and damp. It was nothing like the bright and clean castle she was used to. Who had stolen her? Who had killed her father? When she remembered the wedding, she felt like throwing up. Getting to her feet, Kathleen ran toward the prison's door.
She slammed her small body against it, but it wouldn't budge. The door had a small, barred window; she got up on her toes to see outside of it; she gasped and covered her mouth. She was in a large dungeon, and there were cells around her; a long and skinny moat ran between her cell and some others.
Two guards were stationed outside, chatting with one another. No one seemed to notice her; when Kathleen could no longer keep her balance on her toes, she dropped and fell again. She covered her heart and panted. Why would anyone put her inside a dungeon? She'd done nothing wrong ever in her life.
She imagined Janessa's and Lacey's faces back at the castle, then she thought of her other sisters, and finally, she remembered her father's smiling face. He'd never smile at her again; that's when she recalled how he coughed and how he had fallen at the table.
She remembered Edaline announcing that it had been poison their beloved father took. Reliving all these moments and staring around her new home, a dark prison cell, made her lose it. Though her stomach was nearly empty, she still managed to throw up all over the place.
A pounding sounded on the door as Kathleen opened her eyes but didn't move; she couldn't open the door. She waited but didn't care what happened; she seriously doubted that someone was there to help her. No one in her family had any idea where she had gone. She heard the door open, and she lifted her head from her knees to see who it was.
A man entered and tossed a plate of mush at her feet, It looked disgusting, but she'd only been able to nibble on small things during her journey. The man, clearly a guard, was bearded and had thick black eyebrows. Kathleen expected him to leave, but all he did was stare at her.
"You don't have to stay," Kathleen said bravely. "I understand that's my supper."
"Will you eat it?" He asked her.
His voice was gruff, and she recognized it as the man who had thrown her inside the dungeon.
"When I'm hungry," she said.
"You must be starving," he said coldly. Then he closed in on her, and she crawled backward until she hit the wall. He was so foul-looking, so frightening.
"Eat the food. You're not to die in here." Said the guard.
"Who took me?" She asked, her heart hammering.
"Eat the food," the man growled, ignoring her question.
"Listen up, girl. If there's anything you need that I can get you without losing my head, you come to call out for me. The other guards won't give you the time of day." He said.
"Then release me!" Kathleen gasped.
"I said anything I could provide without losing my head!" He snarled. "Don't be stupid, girl. Play by all the rules, and you might make it home to your family." He said.
"How will you help me?" Kathleen asked. "What can you do for you me?" she asked.
"For now, I'll force you to eat to keep you alive," he answered as he stabbed a spoon inside the mush and scooped it up; he pushed it in front of her face.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Kathleen cried.
He didn't answer, and she sputtered when the so-called food was pushed between her lips, and she forcefully swallowed it. She nearly lost it again and threw up, but the guard covered her mouth with his hand, making her fully take it in.
The taste was awful, and she felt tears sting her eyes. When the second spoonful was pushed into her face, she grabbed hold of the man's hand and attempted to shove his hand away.
"Stop it!" She screamed. "I'll eat the food! Just let me do it at my own pace!" she cried.
"How do I know you'll eat it?" He asked.
"Come back within the hour, and the plate will be clean, I promise," she said.
"Promises are broken every day," he said as she straightened up.
"I swear to you on my honor as Princess Kathleen, daughter of King Randolph, of Glidonia!" she said as the guard paused and considered her words for a moment.
Then he straightened up and dropped the spoon inside her mush; he said nothing more to her, and he left the cell, shutting and bolting the door behind him. Kathleen didn't eat the mush right away, though she remembered everything the guard had told her.
Why was he so concerned with making sure she didn't die? She looked down at the food and plugged her nose. She had promised him, though It wasn't just any promise either.
She had promised him by her birthright. Her father had always taught her that an oath must be honored. Keeping her nose plugged with one hand, she scooped up some of the mush and put it inside her mouth.