21 ~ Breakdown

Cassandra POV

Ryan asked two attendees to take me to my people. And somehow I was excited yet afraid because my actual purpose was different.

I just didn't want to meet my people yet I wanted to find the letter distributor of my Kingdom who must be enslaved or caged here too. My heart beats insanely knowing the consequences if Ryan ever gets to know what I was planning, then I would be no more.

"This way please,"

The attendee in her thirties guided me towards a gallery. This was a really different part of the kingdom as it was in an isolated place, might be the corner of the borders. The environment was darker than the other parts. There was a scary smell of dirt and blood.

My eyes caught every detail of this scary place. I didn't know but this wasn't giving me good vibes.

We were walking through the gallery and reached a big underground compound. It was in a circular shape and there were cellars.

My heart was pounding insanely in my chest already scared for my people.

"My people are here? In the cellar?"

I questioned with fury.

"Yes, only those who denied to accept the new Kingdom,"

The woman answered, taking me towards the compound. I walked closer and looked inside the dark cellar through the Metallic rods joint to the roof and ground in such a way that I could keep the sight on them.

The prisoner was sitting in the corner, head down on knee, knees closer to her chest. Her body was fragile and dirty. I couldn't recognize her much as it was too dark to look closely.

"Hey,"

I asked slowly.

She lifted her face and looked at me. I recognized her immediately as I saw her so many times with my brother. She was one of the advisors in our Kingdom.

"My lord,"

She stood up and came running. Her voice already describes the pain. She held the rods tightly as she asked.

"My lord, are you okay?"

I could see the concern in her eyes and wanted to talk a lot, so many things, wanted to ask a lot but then Ryan's attendee was with me and I couldn't do anything stupidity.

"Did you accept the slavery?"

She asked with fury and anger.

My mouth shut tightly, not able to form an appropriate answer.

"How could the Reges's Princess became so weak?"

She questioned with authority and power. No doubt, she was the political advisor as our Kingdom used to give freedom of speech to both the genders which was strange to find on earth.

I tried to shake my head in a 'no' but realizing I couldn't explain anything to her, I stayed shut.

My eyes already turned teary looking at her.

"You should hurry up, we don't have whole day,"

The attendee informed me.

I nodded to her and tried to bid goodbyes to the prisoner. I could see the hate, rage and disgust for me in her eyes.

Just when they were struggling for their each fresh breath, I was decorated in the softest cloth. Why?

Walking past slowly with the painful heart, I looked at the other cellar. She was the woman too. Well, they killed all our men so only women and children left.

She was sleeping in the corner like a cacoon. Her body shivering with cold and I asked the attendee instantly.

"Can't your people provide her a comforter even,"

"We did but she refused to take our help," she informed me back and I felt even more pain.

Wasn't it a curse to be like that. I mean, my whole life I understood that we could protect our people, we had power to protect them but the reality hit differently. Where was my power? Where was our power? Where was the royalty powerful?

"Provide her comforter now,"

I yelled at her.

She looked at me with surprise and then signaled an attendee. The man came running holding the comforter and unlocked the cellar in front of me. I could see him throwing the comforter at her which she took instantly.

"She must be sick,"

I said running through the door of the cellar but the attendee stopped me.

"You cannot meet them in person,"

"But she needs help,"

I stated with fury.

"It's better to see them from far if you don't want trouble,"

My inner concise was cursing her.

"Fine, but please ask doctor to see her,"

She nodded, looking slightly concerned.

"I don't know what kind of women you are, no sympathy, no care,"

My anger bursted on the attendee.

She looked at me and muttered slowly.

"I am just protecting myself,"

My eyes slightly thinned in a row as I could see something wrong with her. I couldn't comprehend the particular expression of pain she gave to me. But, she was in trouble too.

I waited till the doctor came and saw the women. She told the prescription and I requested the cellar keeper to take a little care of her.

There was one thing I understood. And that was that I had to beg rather than incorporating a fight with him each time. Unlike others, I was getting a chance to be close to him and somehow I could feel that he was putting extra favors on me due to some interest. He was short tempered a little but not monstrous.

"Does the King ask you to do this?"

I asked the attendee.

"What?"

She asked me to thin my eyebrows.

"This all works, whatever happening to these people,"

She chuckled.

"My dear, not everything be told to him and told by him,"

"Means?"

I asked to thin my eyebrows.

"Means, the powers are distributed here, there are officials who handle different works,"

The words were making sense to me.

"And you are lucky to be enslaved under him, otherwise you also must be prisoned here. He is thoughtful to let you meet your people,"

I stayed silent for some moment and asked slowly.

"Does he ever visit here?"

She shook her head and muttered.

"He has so much to handle than these,"

"She will be okay soon,"

The doctor interrupted and I looked at her.

"Thank you so much,"

I thanked her and she smiled weakly.

I continued seeing the whole dungeons where so many people were kept in cellars. They were from different Kingdoms. And it all brought some kind of weakness in me.

As if I was not able to do anything for them. Not able to protect them. Not able to take care of them. Looking at their painful conditions of them, I just wanted to meet my brother. Hope, he was alive.

He was the best man I knew, ever existed on earth. Our Kingdom was like heaven, women had rights, and freedom of speech, and my brother gave him equal rights to men. But, here, women were enslaved, tortured, and forced to do ugly things.

All this just shattered something into me. My heart was hurting so much and my body was feeling vulnerable.

After visiting everyone in the cellar, the attendee took me to another building where other people were allotted work as they accepted the defeat and slavery. I noticed that some had allotted good work while some were working in the whore house. There was a feeling of fright and pity on them.

But, at that moment I could only pray.

These situations broke me into pieces as the reality was worse than thought and freedom were impossible than it seemed.

Finally, I met the letter distributor in the garden. She was working as the gardener and planting the small plants with some other attendees.

"Alice,"

I called her softly as the attendee who brought me here was afraid of putting her feet in the wet, muddy ground.

She lifted her gaze and her face changed. She tensed a little and looked around. She tries to ignore me and indulge back in work.

Thinning my eyebrows, I stood near her as if just looking at her without making any one notice.

"Alice, I need your help,"