Prologue

Kingdoms may flourish, or they may fade;

A breath can make them, as a breath has made.

The afternoon sunlight trickled in the coliseum, harsh and unforgiving, as it splayed on her back. The air around was thick with tension. Her legs kept shifting in the soft sand as she tried to maintain her posture. Her skin felt clammy and her eyes skittish, darting around, focusing on everything but looking for nothing in particular.

She had heard about sacrifice. Not seen though. For her sacrifice was a myth, a fable at best. People say sacrifice is when you give up something for someone or something you love. The only sacrifice she knew was one made by her mother. Maybe she loved her.

Today, she was going to follow her example. Today she was going to sacrifice something, but she won’t do it for someone she loved. Nor would she be doing it for something she loved. She is doing it because she must. Because its right.

She closed her eyes. Above her head, the crowd roared, whether in appreciation or ire, she didn’t know. Her body ached from exhaustion. Her hands ached from the weight of the sword. She shifted foot to foot trying to find her balance.

She opened her eyes and saw the man standing in front of her. Tall, proud, muscles bulging and, even in late forties, he looked very intimidating. The tip of his sword kissed the ground. His posture relaxed but you could see the tension in his eyes. His eyes were stalking her every move, as if she was his next prey. Then the man spoke in his heavily accented voice.

“You don’t know anything. You don’t understand family, responsibility and honour. All these are meaningless words to you. You don’t know duty. You are not even a worthy opponent.” He spat. You could see the unbridled fury in his eyes, waiting to be unleashed.

She stiffened at his words and looked at the man and spoke in a tone underlying strength and wisdom, “You think I don’t know anything. You are wrong. You think I am not a worthy opponent. Fight me and see for yourself.”

Somewhere in the corner of her mind she realised, that the coliseum had become unnaturally calm. The crowd could hear their entire conversation. But she continued speaking.

“You think I don’t understand family. Family is the reason I stand here. You think I don’t know responsibility. Responsibility has no excuses and hence I stand before you, even if that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do. You think I don’t know honour. Honour is the reason I am giving you a fair fight whereas you are intent on using iniquitous means.”

Then she pulled herself to her full height and calmly released all the tension from her shoulders and spoke, “You think I don’t understand duty. I must always understand duty. Duty is something I understand best of all. The reason? It’s simple. It is my birthright. It is my destiny. It is the way of a Princess."

Then, their swords clashed.

© Copyright 2015 by slesha

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This book is mine. The ideas are mine. Please don't think about copying it or using without my permission.

Cover photo is the courtesy of Clarisse Garcia.

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