Chapter 5

"Twyla! Twyla! Hey Twyla wait up!!"

Heli finally caught up to her sister after she was distracted by new faces entering the palace grounds. They all look warriors of some sort, but Twyla knew that they were not part of the army otherwise she would have recognised them all instantly.

"Who are they?" Asked Heli, already panting from the short run.

Twyla studied the men one after another as they walked pass her making their way to the place where they would be staying. After finally realising why they were there she turned to her sister, Heli! the drama queen who looked like she was going to faint.

"New recruits...Seems like it'll be a busy day tomorrow," said Twyla staring down at the award winning actress in front of her.

"Them?!" Heli shouted in surprise,"I don't think they'll be able to handle it...they all look like commoners."

"Who knowsss-"

Twyla's voiced softened when she caught sight of a man standing on the balcony, he looked familiar to her but she just couldn't put her finger on it. The man seemed to her caught all her attention and focus, she couldn't even hear what Heli was saying. Her focus was so deep she forgot that she was standing at the spot where the chariots halted.

"Twyla..." Her name was all she heard and a sudden pull broke her concentration and focus, she was in someone else's arms and she instantly knew that it was not her sister who pulled her.

"Princess please be careful," said Bricriu who was the hero who apparently rescued her from nearly getting trampled on, "Something seems to have caught my lady's attention...hmm~ I wonder who it is?"

"That thief!" Heli shouted when she saw the person on the balcony,"Twyla look it's him!"

"Thief?...Oh you mean that boy from before."

"Boy?" Bricriu asked acting all cute.

Twyla pushed him to the ground and went back inside to search for Vanessa.

When Twyla and Heli got back their sisters were no longer in their seats they must've gone somewhere else, Twyla ran down to her mother but the moment she got close to her, Basilius got up," Bricriu, my son-in-law, come now don't be shy and dance with my daughter."

"Son-in-law?!" Everyone was shocked by the king's words. The engagement of Bricriu and Twyla had been kept a secret for quite a long time and when rumors spread everyone refused to believe it, but now when the king himself calls the boy his "Son-in-law" it was clear that it wasn't some kind of assumption.

Bricriu smiled acting all shy in front of everyone and approached Twyla who was standing beside her mother. Bricriu bowed down,"May I have this dance my lady?"

Twyla looked down at this lowly creature in front of her,"No you may not!!" She glared at her father just before pushing this measly creature out of her sights.

Her sisters who had now appeared in the scene weren't even shocked, they already knew that was going to happen. But the guest they were all astounded by the princess' unruly behaviour. Murmurs...whispers could be heard from every nook and corner of the room.

"Twyla! What do you think you're doing!" Yeona scolded.

"Mother I have never agreed to this engagement and I never will!! He,in front of me,he is nothing but this dirt." Twyla retaliated.

"How dare you!!" Basilius shouted in anger.

Everyone in the room suddenly burst into laughter, Bricriu was known throughout the land for being the strongest, bravest and most courageous person. The army led by him could never be defeated even if it was out numbered. His skills in the battlefield were without a doubt incomparable. In the eyes of the people he was perfect in every way possible, and for a princess,who was stuck in the palace all her life, to underestimate was more like a joke to everyone there.

"Nothing but dirt?" Someone said," Why princess you seem to have no clue about his strength whatsoever."

Twyla scoffed,"Oh I don't? Is that so? If he can beat me in a one on one then I would gladly marry him by the end of the month."

Words so confident, struck the ears of listeners like lightning. But her father wasn't going to let her have her way.

"Twyla! Now that's enough,"he said,"You're just making a fool of yourself and you're disrespecting me."

"But father!"

"Enough with this nonsense, go dance with him and-"

"FATHER!!!"

"Haven't you embarrassed me enough already?"

That was the very first time she heard her father calling her an embarrassment, she had done nothing but pleased him all her life and now just because of some lowly creature she was an embarrassment for her father.

"If it's like that,"she sobbed,"then let me see you win the coming battles without me!" Wiping away her precious tears she ran to her room.

"Maya, could you talk to her?" said Yeona.

"Father looks like you've blown our cover,"said Maya clearly annoyed by her father's actions. "Vanessa...go and rest tomorrow we have to start training those new recruits."

"We??" As mentioned before not many knew that Zariya's army was led by the princess herself, when Maya said "We", all those present in the room could not believe it.

They could not believe that women, that too princesses who were supposed to be focusing on the art of drawing, dancing, singing and playing instruments, were in charge of leading the men into battle.

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