Rhynera struggled and sobbed as rough hands shoved her onto the narrow pallet. "Let me go!" she cried, claws of panic digging into the thin blanket. Her voice kept breaking as she begged and pleaded, but the guards only stood like carved men and pushed her harder until her back hit the cold stone.
Breathless, she spat words of defiance. "Let me go, you bastards! I will make sure my father hears of this. You will regret touching me don't you dare…"
Their faces did not shift, they merely watched and stepped back when she barked orders, like men waiting for a signal.
"Crown Princess," he said formally, though there was softness under the ceremony. "Why have you been brought here?"
"You ask me that?" Rhynera spat, chest tight. "Ask these monsters. They dragged me from my home without cause and threw me in the dungeon and now back to this place… I also deserve answers."
