Princess Karmina: The Black Dragon Princess Prologue *TRIGGER WARNING*

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Princess Karmina

"Get in the closet now! The soldiers are coming!" My mother, Queen Aria, shouted while shoving me into the open space and slammed it shut.

"Mom, no, please," I choked, and she glared through the open peephole with a warm smile on her lips. 

The ground shook with the thundering footsteps of the enemy soldiers storming through the castle.

"Mom," I pleaded, attempting to swallow my choked sobs.

"Baby, listen to me," opening the closet door wide enough to see her face.

"No, no, please--get me out of here, let me fight them!" I argued, trying to shove past her to fight the soldiers that were coming. Then the shrills that ripped through the air of the castle made me freeze.

"Enough with your insolence Karmina and listen to me!" She snapped my attention to her as if ignoring what is happening at this moment.

"Mom," I cried out.

"Karmina, use what I have taught you and carry it with you always, and please, END this war and unite ALL of our nations and not just the enemy land," My mother told me. 

My lip quivered, "Mom, I can't possibly—“

"You are strong, please, do not come out no matter what you see or hear. Promise me," she fussed, and the rumbling footsteps came closer to our room.

My stomach clenched, and I balled my fist, glaring into moms, tear-stained eyes. 

"I love you, baby, and no matter what, I'm always proud of you," She said, reaching and kissed me tenderly on the forehead. 

The soldiers approached, and she shoved me into the closet, slamming it shut.

I met my mom's bareback that covered my view.

The roar of their giant steps strolled into the room, and my mother trembled against the closet door.

Mom, you've never?

"You bastards, you killed my daughters," She choked. 

My heart plummeted to the pits, and they laughed loud and guffaw, insulting her. 

It grated against my ears, and I resisted the urge to force open the door, shove my mom out of the way, and pummel them.

One man spit into the ground, and I grinded my teeth, trembling with both fear and rage.

"Whatcha hiding in the closet, hm?" One soldier mentioned. 

I slammed my hand over my mouth to silence my breathy trembles, holding my knees to my chest. 

"Why are you here? Do we not have a treaty of peace among our nations?" She asked the soldiers, and I heard their insulting chuckle at her question. 

"Yeah, well, we got tired of upholding it, ya'll be the weaker of the tribes, so we followed Grand Marshal Arlo's instructions to come fight ya." 

"And it's about damn time, I've been wondering what makes the blue-blooded women so damn enticing," the other soldier chuckled, and I dry swallowed my spit.

I heard her take a deep breath, "I see, well then since you have murdered my daughters," she said cooly and pulled out a small dagger. 

She stood in front of the closet and took her stance. 

Wait, mom knew how to fight this entire time. When? Where? Mom--no, please, don't-- Let me go instead!

She lurched for them, and I saw the whole thing. 

My mom fought the soldiers and injured both of them, stabbing one soldier in his muscled forearm, and the other in his shoulder, but it was not enough to kill them. 

The man with the wound in his forearm yanked the blade and slammed his fist into my mom's backside. 

My mom fell to the floor and crawled to me. 

I met her eyes and, unsheathing his sword, he angled it to the center of her back and plunged it through her flesh. Her eyes slowly dimmed until her body fell slack against the ground. Her expression was calm and not anguished, which made it more unnerving to me. Mom, why did you just—die for me? I trembled and attempted to swallow the lump in my throat. Mom, no—mom please—

My eyes shot to the opposite soldier who had dragged my sister's corpses by their hair, and I shivered, clenching my teeth to silence my anger laced fear.

The soldier ripped the sword out of her chest, and the blood pooled into the expensive white rug beneath.

He flipped mom over and knelt to her.

And caressing my mother's cheek, "Damn, she is fine," grabbing her face and turned it left and right as if to inspect her.

My mother's dark brown hair that laid sprawled onto the rug now soaked with her blood, and my tears fell into the palm of my hand—pressing my hand over my mouth. 

Come on, body, stop shivering. Do what mom says for once, and don't--

I've never listened to her now, so why would I--

The soldier mounted my mom, raised her dress, and my eyes widened, scooting further back into the closet. 

No, no no, he wouldn't-- no they wouldn't--

He pooled his spit and let it fall from his lips in a long line onto my mother's pussy, and my stomach clenched, wanting to puke. 

"Shit, I might as well take the sister, hell call Darius over," The other soldier said, tossing my sister Kianga & Marlene like rag dolls. 

My sister's carcasses landed beside my mother's corpse, and their bodies thunked like a potato sack. 

Bile rose to my throat, and I swallowed it, my trembles, and my hot tears. 

Mother, I'm not strong, I'm not, you're wrong.

So what I've been a fighter my whole life? So what? That means nothing! Why is it always--

The soldier that murdered my mother untied his pants and ran his fingertips between her legs, and my eye twitched. 

No, this can't be happening, this can't be--this is a nightmare.

He laughed, angled his erection, and fucked my mother's corpse. Hard. 

Then the other two soldiers followed behind the one soldier fucking my mother and defiled my sister's carcasses. 

Their groans grated against my ears; it made my skin crawl and jolted a cold shiver up my spine. I couldn't stop my trembling; I'm too horrified at what's happening. 

They pulled out, laughing and sprayed their semen over them, and my eye twitched. 

My tears finally fell, and as if feeling something snap inside, like a twig, I raised my head.

All of them are burly, dark-skinned, and with short locks. They dressed in the colors of red, black, and gold.

Quickly cleaning off and regathering themselves, they dragged my mother, and my sister Kianga and Marlene by their hairs out of the bed chambers. 

My eye twitched, my tears rolled down my cheeks, and I shivered with grief and rage. 

I noticed it started to get warm until it was suddenly hot. 

At this moment, I feel nothing. 

Mother, you always told me I was too bold, to un-ladylike. To be more feminine, and more like my sisters. I thought you hated me; I felt I didn't make you proud. 

I balled my hands in a fist, and the hot tears fell willingly. 

But you love me, and you were proud of me. 

I clenched my teeth and snarled at the fire path towards the closet door that slowly encasing me in a fiery inferno. 

Mother, I can't be anyone else but me. What I have always been. 

I slammed the closet door open and raised my head how my sister taught me when I paid her no mind then. 

Other people and the townsfolk have called me my entire life, the name coined among nations' men, like a curse. 

I heard clanging steps in my direction from the hallway across from me. 

The man shouted the royal family's names, and I knew it was our royal guard Alaric. 

He poked his head around, "Princess Karmina! Come, we must leave the palace now!" Stomping towards me, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of the burning room. 

He was taking me the opposite direction of where the enemy soldiers were. 

And I wanted the soldiers. 

I wanted their Grand Marshal Arlo to pay for his crimes. 

"Alaric, unhand me," I shouted, jerking my hand away. 

He glared, stunned, and frantic, "Karmina, what on Venusha are you doing?" He argued. 

I shot him a stern glare, "Facing their Grand Marshal Arlo. I will be the one to protect my people," and avenge my family. 

Mom, I will do all I can to carry on your legacy, I thought, and the pain gripped my chest until I could not breathe. 

"Karmina, please, no, this is not like any of the times we have sparred; this is wholly different." 

"My mind is made up," I ordered, straightening my royal blue and tattered gold robe. Swiveling away from Alaric, I stormed down the fiery hallway of the castle towards the entrance. 

My blood boiled, and my tears continued to roll down my cheeks. 

I'll murder all of you damned apes. 

The end of my robe caught on fire, and Alaric tried to put it out. Again, I ignored it, as I no longer feel any physical pain at this moment. 

The only thing that is fueling me at this moment, walking closer towards the blood-red lit sky, is my need to avenge my family's murderer. 

Stomping towards the entrance of the castle, "Looking for me!" I roared, unleashing the depth of my rage and grief in it. 

The one thing men of all nations called me--the name I hated, but after seeing you die in front of me, it is the name I accept. 

Marching to the flamed courtyard, I saw a man with long embellished silver locks standing in the center of it. 

I stood at the top and met his ice-blue eyes. 

My stomach clenched, and I balled my hands in a fist. 

The Tomboy Princess no Man Wants. 

And now, it is all I can ever be, mother.