A Royal Tale of Hearts | ✔

06| castle seize

Thump. Thump.

The princess groaned, pressing her head further into the pillow in hopes that the noise would go away.

But it only seemed so intensify, and by the time she peeled her eyes open a loud crackling sound rang through her chambers, startling both Afsana and Lubna in a sitting position on their individual beds.

Three men rushed into her room dressed in full armor, but they did not hold the French emblem on their chest. They weren't guards of the castle.

"Well what do we have here?" One of them said, with a glint in his pupil.

"What is going on? Who are you?" Lubna was the first amongst the two to find her voice.

The men did not answer, but merely grinned maliciously as they shared looks between each other.

Something was not right, that much the ladies could sense. But they couldn't figure out what was happening or who these men were, they could only grip the silk sheets around them tighter.

One man walked towards Afsana's bed and the other towards Lubna, the third remained still as he watched his companions.
The guard nearing the princess had a heavy moustache that hid parts of his thin upper lip and eyes a cold mixture of blue and grey that were inspecting her body.

Slowly he lifted a meaty hand towards her, his sword ready on the other as an unspoken warning. 

Her heart was slamming through her chest as the odour of his fingers reached her nose, now only a few centimetres from her face.

"Halt!" Lubna yelled.

All three guards glanced at her, gripping their swords instinctively.

"That is the Princess Afsana Jahan Begum, we're from the court of Mughal." The lady-in-waiting said, somehow managing to keep her voice steady. "If any harm comes to her you shall pay a heavy price."

They looked at Afsana, and then at each other, speaking through their minds almost.

"Fair enough, we can't do anything to a princess." The man closer to Afsana shrugged, dropping his hand.

"But you my dear," The other one said, reaching for Lubna's hair. "Are not so important."

He lurched forward towards the lady-in-waiting, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her up on his shoulder. She thumped her fists on his arm, shuffling violently but he held on and began to retreat to the door.

"No! Let her go!" Afsana screamed, attempting to chase after them.

But the other guard simply pulled her back to the bed and threw her on the pillows.

Tears gathered in her eyes, but not due to the pain that hitting the headboard caused, rather the distancing screams of Lubna. She'd heard stories of what evil men did to women that left them in shame for the rest of their lives, and it tormented to think something similar might happen to her friend.

"Stay put and we won't touch you." The guard said, like he was doing her some great favour.

"Bring her back you sick bastard! Bring her back!" Afsana yelled, throwing her fists at him.

His palms gripped her wrists and he lifted her arms up in the air, the he shook her entire body with great strength. "What did I tell you, huh? You could've spared yourself a great pain, but I guess princess or not, you're getting it tonight."

"Malcolm I think-" The other guard interceded.

"You shut it and go stand outside!" He growled at his companion.