"It is the shard of betrayal that cuts you deep."

***

To an outsider, the quattuor palace would look like it always had. Majestic, beautiful, full of wealth and luxury. After all, the king and the queen resided here.

But, if you would notice the lack of noise inside the palace, the hushed whispers, that foreboding feeling, the feeling that tells you something feels off you would realize that something is indeed wrong.

If you would follow the discreet gazes of the servants towards the large mahogany wooden doors and see the nervousness paralleled with curiosity sparkle in them, you would then realize that whatever the problem was, it seemed to lay behind the doors. 

But behind those doors neither lay a monster lurking there to eat you up nor a bomb that was ticking off instead there was a girl just sixteen summers old, frightened and waiting for people she didn't even know to decide her future for her.

Diana sat with her back to the wall and her head lay cradled in her arms. She had finally begun to heal from the wound of that night but life seemed to laugh at her attempts and threw another blow at her knocking her down.

Beside her stood a canvas decorated with angry clashes of fiery colours which seemed to turn melancholic as the eyes of the observer moved down. Tired and light green and blue strokes covered the bottom of the canvas. 

Diana had stood before the canvas for hours trying to pour out all the emotions that had welled up inside her. Needless to say her efforts had failed rather poorly. 

A gloomy feel hung in her room and the smell of lavenders did nothing to remove it. The lavenders stood on the small holder beside her bed and looked as if they were a moment away from wilting.

Now it wasn't she who was getting affected by it, it was the whole kingdom, all of the five kingdoms (If Vilehelm was counted as one) Everyone. She really didn't want to get up again.

What did I ever do? Why am I the chosen one? Why is my future still undecided? What the hell do they mean by saviour or destroyer? Me? Destroying my family? What kind of monster do they think I am?

But.. what if I am? What if I am truly a monster? What if it is I who is meant to destroy the world? What if I am the villain of the story?

Diana shook her head to try and clear it off of the bitter thoughts. This won't help, she told herself. Diana stood up, grabbing her canvas and shoving it in a large box beneath her bed as she had done to many of her paintings before. She then moved to get the first book she found on her small bookshelf after flicking some pages and finding her bookmark, she started to read. 

After all, it was better to drown in a book rather than in misery. The reason for why she picked up the book worked and soon her worries were forgotten for they seemed trivial as to what she was reading. 

All of a sudden, a clear but quiet knock came on the door jerking her attention away from the tale.

Diana jumped up in mild surprise and ran towards the door, narrowly avoiding a piece of a dangerous-looking fat book, which would have surely caused her to fall. 

She opened the doors and was disappointed to see that it wasn't her father, it was the minister of the kingdom, Zagan. He was old, so old that it was a game for Diana and Taemia to guess his age. They had decided that he must be at least a hundred years old but the funny thing was he didn't look like that. 

Though his hair was grey and he looked old with those infinite number of wrinkles yet he didn't look tired or exhausted, he didn't even need a stick to balance himself. Diana had even heard that Zagan had served her grandfather as well.

"Good evening, Princess Diana," Zagan said with the slightest inclination of his neck. Another thing about Zagan was that he never bowed. Not even in the presence of a king.

Diana had marked it off as her imagination yet she felt as if Zagan was mocking her. Whenever Zagan called her princess, she felt embarrassed by the title.

"Good evening Zagan," Diana said just as politely and stiffly and Zagan's eyes flashed with something that seemed close to amusement.

"May I enter?" Zagan inquired cocking his head to the side. 

Diana looked around helplessly, she didn't want him to enter but she couldn't refuse him for he was the minister of the kingdom. Not letting him in just because she didn't like him was petty.

Schooling her features into an impassive mask, she murmured "Of course." 

Zagan entered and sat on one of the chairs kept next to the coffee table, he looked at the strewn books that lay on the bed quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. Diana flushed.

This was another thing she hated about Zagan, he never said anything but he could still make you feel like a sewer rat. 

Diana ignored the urge to clean up her room and sat down on the adjacent chair pretending as if she hadn't noticed his gaze.

"Princess, you are the chosen one are you not?" Zagan began fixing Diana with an unwavering stare.

"Well, the Oracle announced it so I guess I am." Diana didn't mean to sound bitter but even then her voice sounded too stiff, too angry and too much like the emotions she was feeling.

"You don't sound very happy by the fact." Zagan observed, "I wonder why is that?"

He was clearly asking for an explanation but Diana wasn't interested in giving him any. After a few moments of deafening silence, Zagan cleared his throat.

"Why do you think that you are the chosen one?" Zagan inquired.

"I don't know, must be in my destiny," Diana muttered offhandedly like she couldn't care less. But the truth was that Zagan's words and his piercing gaze were making it seem more real than it had felt before. Diana was sinking under the burden, she just hoped that she wouldn't drown.

Zagan's eyes darkened. "Let me tell you, something Princess, Celeste is my home and I will make sure that no... unfortunate instances come to it. I suggest that you do something about that attitude of yours. There are more lives on the stake that you could possibly imagine. Your destiny is still undecided, I hope that whatever you do is the right thing."

He got up and took a deep breath "I apologize, Princess, if I may seem to be harsh but you are the chosen one and you must bear your responsibilities."

Diana let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "I understand"

"Good," Zagan said fixing her with another piercing stare before leaving with a lowly muttered 'goodbye'. 

Diana was ready to collapse on her bed maybe read another book to distract her when another knock came on her door.

"Come in." She said weakly.

A young maid who Diana hadn't seen before entered the room and bowed. "Your father has called for you Princess."

Diana felt like shouting for some unfathomable reason but stopped herself. It wasn't the maid's fault after all. It wasn't anyone's fault.

"Why?" Diana trying to keep her tone as light as possible.

"I don't know Princess, he told me to take you to the carriage." The maid said keeping her head down, her tone bordered on nervousness. Maybe Diana had been harsh.

"Alright. Did he give any other instructions?" Diana asked keeping her voice as soft as possible.

The maid finally looked up and the traces of nervousness began to disappear "No Princess."

Diana gave a nod. Why? She wasn't sure but it seemed like the right thing to do. Clearing her throat she muttered

"I will be out in a second."

The maid quietly left the room and closed the door behind her. Diana lied on her bed. This was it.

Her father had told her that they would be discussing the best course of action, trying to read the ancient texts left by their gods and figure out what to do. He had said that he would call for her as soon as he would have an answer.

Seems like he did now. There was no use in procrastinating.

Diana exited the room and found the maid standing there patiently, she nodded her head and the maid began to lead her. They went to the gates and the maid ordered for a carriage. Diana climbed into it. 

"Where are we going?" She asked looking out at the kingdom. Her kingdom.

"The dock Princess. Your father wants to arrange a meeting between you and the Oracle." The maid said keeping her head respectably low.

The Oracle, after basically bringing a tornado into Diana's sort of peaceful life had gone back to her home which was a lone island at the center of the world. Or so the people said. Then again the idiots also claimed the world to be round. Did they not see the flat land below them?

"Why?" Diana inquired.

"I don't know Princess, I am not in a position to ask questions. I have only been told to do the work assigned to me." The maid's voice held the slightest of bitterness that broke the bland emotionless tone.

"I am sorry." Diana apologized.

The maid looked like she wanted to say something but bit her lip at the last moment, Diana continued to stare out the window.

After what felt like hours, they reached the docks. Large ships stood there as if resting after a long journey which was probably what they were doing. The sky was clouded and the smell of the sea was prominent, Diana felt as if she could taste the sea.

An old memory rose in her mind. Taemia had wanted her fourteenth summer to be celebrated on the beach so they had all gone there. The only thing special about the memory was that they had acted like a family, a normal one. There had been fun and laughter. Florencia had been doused in water and she didn't even complain, there were a few other families but at that moment Diana hadn't felt like spending time with any other than hers. 

"Princess if you will follow me."  The maid began to lead Diana through the dock towards one of the grand ships. 

Diana looked wondering if anyone had heard her title. According to what she had heard, there are and always will be people who are willing to murder the royal family out of spite and bitterness. 

But people there barely give her a second glance, too busy making sure that they have all their bags with them and the tickets. Everyone seems to be in a rush, they all are running in directions hoping that their ferry won't leave without them. Diana looks at the frenzy of activities with mild interest.

"We are here!" The maid announced as she gestured to the huge metallic ship before climbing up on it.

Diana followed her onto the deck where a stern-looking man held out his hand. At first, Diana thought he was asking for money but then the Maid (Sweet Celeste! She had completely forgotten to ask her name.) produced a ticket and handed it to the man.

"I am afraid that I have to go back now," The maid said apologetically. "All you have to do is go to room three-oh-one."

Before the maid could leave her alone, Diana called out. 

"Wait! What is your name?"

The maid turned and for the first time, Diana seemed to notice her features. Dark black eyes that seemed dull and dark brown hair came into her view. A small scar ran down the girl's cheek, her face seemed dirty and she looked like she hadn't smiled much. Diana hoped that pity wasn't being reflected in her eyes for no one welcomes pity. They despise it

"I didn't have a family to name me, Princess." The girl smiled and the scar twisted itself until it looked grotesque. Before Diana could say anything, the girl rushed away.

The horn blew and all of the sudden the deck became crowded with people of elite classes. Diana eager to not get sucked in the tide of the people made her way towards room three-oh-one.  

The room contained a bed which promised a long trip and had a coffee table next to it with a single chair that looked lonely. A small window showed the dark sea reflecting the grey colour of the gloomy weather.

What surprised Diana was a girl dressed in commoners clothes standing next to the bed.

"Princess." The girl bowed her head moving out of the way so that Diana could enter.

"Hello," Diana muttered awkwardly as she tried her best to not to seem awkward. Sometimes she hated the fact that there was always someone there to serve her. She did have two arms and two legs to do that work herself.

"I will be outside if you need me." The girl said with a curtsy before moving out of the room.

"Where is my father?" Diana asked looking around in confusion. She had thought that she would meet her father here on the boat so that he would finally explain as to what the heck was going on.

The girl paused and without turning replied. "He is waiting for you at the Delphic Island Princess."

Before Diana could say anything the girl left. Diana stared at the closed door, something felt off. What? She didn't know.

Blaming her nerves and her after-effects of that night, Diana sat down on the bed. She looked at the window taking in the absence of sun and what looks like to be the brewing of a storm. 

She hoped that they would reach their destination before the storm breaks out. 

Diana, after making sure that the door was locked, removed her Kaftan and placed it on the coffee table. She had chosen to wear a grey one today, it just seemed right to her. Diana realized that it must have been the clouds that would have made her choose this colour. 

Funny how small things you do have a bigger significance than they seem to have.

This left her in a thin white chiton. Diana wished that she could have worn her riding attire today, these frock like robes were comfortable enough but had an annoying tendency to try and fly away with the wind.

She lay on the bed and before she knew it the gentle swaying of the ship had lulled her to a dreamless sleep.

***

The ground shook violently and Diana jerked awake. For a second she panicked as she saw the dull yellow walls and failed to recognize them. Then her thoughts flooded with memories and Diana let out a relieved sigh. She was safe.

Then the ship pitched forward and rolled like a frantic child thrashing about in the waters of the choppy sea sending her straight to the ground.

She got up and her eyes drifted to the small window. Dark stormy clouds greeted her and the pouring rain seemed to laugh at her. She ran towards the window and pressed her face against it. 

Casting her eyes downward she saw a sight that made her feel queasy. Huge waves of water at the ship like a ball, the fact that scared Diana was that the ship wasn't strong enough to move undisturbed. 

The sea felt like a bully forcing the weak child to face it and every time the weak child tried to escape, it would step into its path and cause it to fall.

Until now the ship hadn't fallen. Diana prayed that it would continue to fight.

A knock at the door drew her away from the window, Diana grabbed her Kaftan and quickly threw it on before opening the door. 

The girl who she had met on the ship stood there. Her body heaved up and down battling for oxygen, her brown hair was a mess and she was drenched from head to toe.

"Princess, there is a storm coming. You must leave this ship immediately." The girl exclaimed breathlessly. Diana rushed out before the words could fully make sense to her. 

They ran out of the lobby into the pouring rain. Diana stood on the open deck staring at the horrific view in front of her. Rain pelted down hard drenching her quickly and the sea seemed to go wild.  Lightning illuminated the whole scene with brilliant white light and a huge thunder followed it. 

Standing alone on the deck was a familiar figure.

"Zagan?" Diana questioned baffled. Zagan was here? Then why didn't he come to greet her?

"Princess." Zagan acknowledged "Nice weather, isn't it? A bit too rainy for my taste but good enough."

"Good enough? This ship is going to sink! We must leave immediately!" Diana let out the words hurriedly and looked around for a means of escape.

"The ship is not going to drown Princess," Zagan said with a smile. "It has survived storms worse than this."

"What?" Diana asked surprised before letting out a sigh of relief "Sweet Celeste! I was so scared."

"You have the right to be scared I suppose." Zagan mused "The ship may not drown princess but you will."

Diana stared at him wondering if she had heard wrong. She will drown? What the-? 

Diana turned and saw men forming a protective circle around the lobby, trapping her on the deck. She hoped that they had come to protect her but their vile smirks convinced her that they were there with unpleasant intentions.

"Why are you doing this?" Diana asked trying to find a way out of the chakravyuh she found herself in. They were too many and even if Diana had learnt to hold out on her own, she hadn't mastered the art of defeating a horde of them.

"I am only protecting my home, Princess," Zagan said and Diana noticed a gleaming green bottle in his hands. Kahva. 

He was drunk.

"It's my home too" Diana pleaded him to try and see her side of the story.

"And how have you repaid it? Tell me, how many bruises have you endured for it? How many wars have you fought for it? How much of your blood has been lost to save your home?" Zagan yelled angrily before motioning the men to grab her. 

"You! You are a monster!" Diana screamed as her eyes flickered from side to side trying to figure out ways to save herself. Diana shuddered as she looked in hollow black eyes of one. He would kill her without a thought. They all would. 

Her training wasn't enough to protect her. She couldn't possibly take on all of them, she was going to lose and she knew it. 

"I am not really." Zagan murmured quietly as if he was dazed "It's a sacrifice to save the country. I must make the sacrifice, that's what the Oracle said, a sacrifice that ends the war. I have to do it." 

He was mad. He actually believed that what he was doing was right, he believed a murder could solve the problem. In Diana's dictionary murder didn't count as a sacrifice but she didn't have much hope of getting Zagan to listen to it, in a desperate need to survive her eyes flickered to the girl who was escaping from the scene. 

"Help me" She pleaded "I will make sure that you are rewarded accordingly."

The girl gave Diana a bitter smile "And what have you done for me, Princess? At least Zagan gave me a name, a purpose in life but you did nothing for me. You don't even know my name."

Diana felt helpless. There was no one here to help her. What about Taemia? How would she feel when she would realize that she is never coming back? There was no one here to witness her.

Diana began to back away as the men came toward her. She backed away until her body hit the railing. She backed away until she could feel the briny water sending splashes of water on her Kaftan, dampening it. 

"The Oracle said that I may turn out to be a saviour! What if I am meant to save my home?" Diana asked desperately. 

This was what the idea of death did to you. It crept up to you and made you feel like throwing up everything. It chilled you to the core and made you scared. This fear, it was terrifying. Diana wanted someone to stop it. She felt her eyes began to tear up. This wasn't a bad dream, this was the reality.

"We will save ourselves. But it would be better to kill the person who can easily become a traitor and give information about us to whoever we are up against." Zagan said calmly.

He wouldn't listen. He was convinced that what he was doing was right that whatever he was doing was for his kingdom. He would not listen to her. He would not listen to anyone.

He will murder her. 

This time Diana lashed out more out of hopelessness than rage, her curled hands moved with a speed that surprised the crooks and she used this to knock down two of them but by the time she was attacking the third, they had snapped out of their shock and had punched her hard enough to leave bruises.

Diana doubled over gasping. She had been a fool but at least she had tried but it didn't matter did it? Who will remember this?

Fear spread through her heart, cackling loudly as it made her heart race, her knees weak and her stomach to churn. 

"Don't do this to me Zagan," Diana begged as hands began to grab her and push her up and over the rails."Please don't. If you let me go then I swear on Celestia that no one will not hear a word about this. I swear."

Her heart was beating at an irregular pace. Her lungs were constricting and her thoughts whirled in panic. When Zagan spoke, Diana could hear the harshness in his voice.

"I don't really care about that. Who do you think gave me the orders?" He said showing her a drenched letter with a symbol emblazoned. Red and blue colours seemed to glow in the dark. A brief memory of seeing the same colours in her father's room travelled into her mind.

The sting of the words pierced through her heart, effectively shattering it and making her freeze in her movements. And then all it took was a slight push to send Diana tumbling down the ship and into the dark chasm spread below.

The sound of splash that she caused was drowned away by the howling wind. Diana felt the coldness of the water spread over her body but it couldn't extinguish the fire of betrayal she felt.

Yet, it made her shiver to the bone. Diana broke to the surface drawing in a breath but was pushed down again. Just before her head was dunked under the water, she managed to get a glimpse of the men pushing her down with a bamboo stick and Zagan standing there, watching the scene unfold before his eyes.

Diana felt her lungs burn and beg for oxygen but whenever she tried to come up, the devils would push her down. She felt as if someone was holding a knife to her neck telling her lungs to not take in oxygen and her heart to not beat.

Red and black spots were appearing in front of her eyes. Then the red and black spots began to disappear and all she could see was never-ending darkness. 

Diana felt herself go into it with only one thought crossing her mind.

'Will she even be on her father's conscience?'

***

God this chapter was so bloody tough to write! And honestly, this requires so much more work! I think that I could have done a better job but there were just so many emotions and feelings to be added. I am so tired. Someone get me a coffee or a bar of chocolate and you shall have my love forever and a day!

I have no clue why but I feel like speaking like a British. That's complete rubbish, isn't it? Alright, I admit it. I am obsessed with the Vamps like they are bloody good at singing. 

Who is your favourite band/singer?

And to all the amazing writers out there I would really appreciate it if you point out my flaws like if I can add something and I will try to make this better.

In all honesty, how did you think the chapter was?

Please be a little polite, I know that I am not very good at English for it is not my first language but I am trying to be better.

Keep on reading, voting, commenting and staying awesome!

Yours realio and trulio,

Sadie Kane

P.S. Hope that you don't mind that I killed Diana.

Just kidding. 

Or am I?

P.P.S. Yes I know that Diana speaking again, so it is a bit weird but I will surely make changes when I edit this book. Can you guys give me some ideas to make her seem less fictional and more human?

Did I just break the fourth wall?