She sat on the upholstered chair and watched her reflection in the jade-forged mirror while Marjorie brushed her wavy hair.

"You look lost in your thoughts this evening, Katerina", shyly stated her lady in waiting and the closest friend she had. She looked in the reflection at her hazel eyes, freckled nose, and smiled.

"It seems that these festivities have become a matter of habit for me," she shrugged. "I'm not as excited as I used to be."

"Maybe it's because you haven't met someone yet who will make these celebrations fun for you," giggled Marjorie, and then shyly hid behind Katerina's hair.

"Maybe," she replied with an enigmatic smile. "However, not all of us are lucky enough to have one Marcus to flirt with."

Marjorie covered her lips with her hand and giggled along with the princess. "After all, I think there are more important things than that at the moment. I must make a good impression on all the guests of Windfalls if I am to rule a successful kingdom when the time comes.''

"You are right, princess. The Queen will be proud of your priorities.''

When she was done with the braid that adorned her lush brown hair that reached the middle of her back, she took one more look at her reflection and the pale complexion that matched her ruby colored dress. Marjorie reminded her - once again - to hurry as the guests began to arrive in large numbers, and she rushed down the spacious corridor that was decorated with dozens of statues from the Byzantine period and paintings from the Renaissance era, all of which came to the fore in the turquoise interior.

Her ears were caressed by the gentle notes of the orchestra in the center of the ceremonial hall, which was slowly filling up with guests from all parts of Ravenshield. Although the kingdom of the Alekseyev's was modest and did not rule a large part of the country – Windfalls was actually a piece of northern Ravenshield intended for the people who were engaged in hunting and fishing – Ilia Alekseyev and Ines Alekseyeva were the honorable and respectable king and queen of this court. A year earlier, King Alekseyev had left the entire kingdom in mourning, succumbing to a vicious disease that had been eating away at his lungs for years.

Katerina came up to greet Count and Countess Sidorov and comb through the usual topics at such festivities: how wonderful the setting is, who was in charge of the feast, condolences for king's passing (again), but also when the young princess will choose a lifelong partner - all the things she felt like having measles from. It was unusual enough that her mother ran her kingdom entirely by herself, let alone that her only heir intended to rule the same kingdom without a male hand. Seeing her mother strutting next to the Duke of Dustville in a velvet dress that accentuated her figure that many of the women of Ravenshield could envy, she excused herself to her interlocutors and walked towards her.

"Katerina, dear, I was just wondering where you were," she gently pecked her on both cheeks and moved a stray curl of her hair behind her forehead with slender fingers. "It's not nice to be late for your own celebration. Our guests will think all sorts of things.''

"Mother, you know that's the last thing I would want."

She giggled softly, and Katerina wrapped an arm around her slender arm. It was time to walk around the hall so that everyone would see them.

"Do you think we'll ever stop these parties?" Queen Alekseyeva breathed out with a smile.

"My soul tells me yes, but my obligation to the people tells me no."

"Touché", confirmed the queen briefly and they both giggled like two teenage girls hiding some juicy secret.

These parties began to annoy Katerina more and more, and keeping a forced smile on all the time became a big challenge. She assumed that the reason for this was that she still deeply mourned her late father. The king was such a person that he could light up an entire room just by his appearance. He was extremely cheerful and good-spirited; she hardly remembers ever seeing him angry in her twenty years.

Ines Alekseyeva was not much different from Katerina's father. She was very bright, calm spirited and full of love. At times, Katerina had the feeling that the Queen of Windfalls was more of a friend than a mother. Moreover, taking into account her youthful appearance, that's what many really thought. Long blond hair, blue eyes, and a slim build - she was the exact opposite of Katerina's brown hair and green eyes, but there was a certain resemblance between them that wasn't physically manifested. Women in the Alekseyev line were not frail damsels in distress waiting for a prince on a white horse; they were well read, taught to always fight for their beliefs and always express their opinion loudly. They did not shy away from fighting because they were taught that women were as capable of being fighters as men; and they possessed a spark in their eyes that waited for the right moment to ignite and reveal the lionesses that slept in each of them.

Just as the both of Alekseyev's women approached the group of people standing by the buffet table, the commotion and the pounding of footsteps in the corridor interrupted everything in the room. Two guards appeared at the door, their faces showing horror and fear.

"The castle is under attack!" shouted one of the guards, whose voice she immediately recognized as Marcus. "The Etiorians broke through the gate!"

Panic screams echoed through the hall, and people began to run frantically. Ines turned to Katerina and grabbed her wrists. She could read the worry in her eyes, which she tried to hide skillfully.

"Run and hide," was the last thing she said to her. Still not ready to react, the fleeing people separated her from her mother, who was lost in the frightened crowd.

"Mother!" she called to her without success. It seemed as if time had stopped and the events around her were spinning like slow motion, but the sting of reality stung her when she saw the men wrapped in the fur of wild beasts and their eyes filled with contempt. One of them plunged his sword into the chest of the terrified guard whose eyes instantly became lifeless. Katerina stifled a scream, covering her mouth with a trembling hand.

The Etiorians were no ordinary angry people; they were deserters who renounced their country and their belonging. They were easily bribed and it was only a matter of time before they would go over to the bad guy's side - most of them had already found themselves on that side a long time ago. It wasn't hard to sway them when they hated the same kind. For a good amount of money, they were ready to burn down entire towns and villages. They didn't care whether it was men, women or children. Humanity died in them a long time ago - they gave it up along with their identity.

A group of enraged Etiorians flew to the nearest dignitaries and blood flew all over the hall. With contempt, they plunged axes and swords into the bodies of those present, dismembering them. It seemed as if they wanted to destroy them to the last atom.

Katerina felt her heart beating like crazy and her ears buzzing so much that she couldn't make out her own thoughts. She felt as if she was having a panic attack, and that was something that wasn't working in her favor right now. She caught a glimpse of her mother's silhouette, and called out to her, but again to no avail. Panicked people pushed her from all sides, mastering that primal animal instinct for survival. Like a lost lamb, she looked around with wide eyes, not knowing where to turn.

She froze.

She was breathing intermittently and could not calm down. When someone's blood splashed on her face and she suddenly shuddered, she realized that the two Etiorians were very close to her. She let out a muffled squeal and ran towards the stairs that led to the royal chambers. She stumbled over the motionless butchered bodies that lay all over the hall, knowing that image would haunt her for as long as she lived. She panted intermittently like a dog and felt a tightening in her chest.

She was just about to turn towards the corner of the corridor when something knocked her down. A sharp pain shot through her chin, and her feet throbbed from the stone hammer with which the red-bearded Etiorian had mowed her down. In one move, he turned her onto her back and, for a moment, looked directly into her eyes. The blue in his eyes was almost invisible against the blackness of his pupils.

"Can you save yourself tonight, princess?" he asked her in a rough voice, not expecting an answer, and then he started pulling her by the leg, tearing the edges of her dress at the same time. "I've always wondered how the princess of Windfalls tastes like."

"Let go of me, you beast!" she growled in an attempt to kick him, but his grip was too strong. Her head throbbed with pain caused by the constant banging of her head on the edge of the stairs. He dragged her mercilessly down the stairs, apparently intending to kill her in the crowd with the others. It seemed to be their sadistic way of enjoying themselves - almost as if it reminded her of the scene when the people of Windfalls return from a successful hunt and look at their catch.

However, when she thinks about it a little more, they did not represent anything else to the Etiorians but a catch; and they were able to show that.

With a powerful swing, he threw her a few meters away, and she probably would have flown to the end of the room if she hadn't stopped on someone's lifeless body. Dazed from the shock and pain she felt, she stared motionless at the slowly approaching image of her executioner. She could taste the metallic taste of blood in her mouth and her vision blurred slightly. She didn't want to die. She didn't want it to end like this. Life was ahead of her. The kingdom was before her. She owed it to the people of Windfalls to protect them the same way her father had; and now she will never be able to. She will die like a coward who froze and could not fight. Who could not defend her home.

The Etiorian straddled her and swung his ax, ready to drive it into her chest with a savage grin on his face, but something in her didn't agree with that. Something in her was not ready to surrender; it was not ready to die. She felt tingling and heat in her feet that slowly rose up her entire body. She was sure she could feel her blood boiling. How she slowly disconnects from reality. The terrified screams became several light years away and a whitish light that blinded all survivors suddenly flashed her. For her, it all seemed as if she was in an astral projection and that she was not present at all; unaware of how long all this has been going on.

Suddenly, Katerina felt the pressure in her body slowly release, feeling as light as a leaf in the wind. Everything became calm. Careless. She no longer worried about the Etiorians. The screams died down. The fear is gone. Nothing mattered anymore. Her eyelids were slowly drooping and she realized she was tired. Wickedly tired. She sailed into a world where there was no care or fear, unaware of the weight of what would await her when she awoke.

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