King Khalil's Doll

Chapter 4: Dungeon

Crystal was shocked after hearing the prince say that to her, but she wasn't just going to let him have a way with her just like that.

While she felt about the prince insulting this prison, she barely had a say about it, other than look at her, barely saying anything.

Prince Khalil walked out of the cell holding his nostrils, and when he got out of the cell, he breathes in some fresh air, allowing it to cool his lungs.

"I warned you not to go in there, Prince, that little has barely had a proper bath since she got here. She stinks," General Austin let out.

Khalil thought he was going to suffocate but after hearing what his commander just said, he rather looked remorseful.

'How will a lady be left in a cell for a week without a shower?' he thought not comprehending it himself.

"You don't mean it right? I mean, that is horrible, how will a lady live in that condition, I could barely spend a minute in it," he let out angrily.

He is right, but then it is not his fault.

Immediately Commander Austin had let the way from the graveyard and the royal car had pulled up in the courtyard, Prince Khalil had asked to see their captive.

Throughout this week, the only words that kept playing in his mind were those Crystal had said the day the King's corpse had arrived.

Her silky voice was light, filled with so much that motions, just a word from her, and everyone could turn around to identify the voice. That day, especially that time will forever be engraved in his mind.

Commander Austin had stood against the fact that he should visit the girl, this was his problem to face, not his.

"Prince Khalil, the lady is an enemy, she does not deserve to live. I advise that you don't even go to the dungeon, she might kill you just like the way she killed King Khalil. Oh! may the king's soul rest in peace," he had said trying to convince him.

Unfortunately, Khalil has nothing to offer him except good reasoning, and being himself is one of the ways he can achieve that.

"I know what I am doing, Austin. Besides, I believe you will save me from the hands of the lady if she ever tries to get any closer to me... or wouldn't you?" he asked daringly.

Commander Austin at that moment was being caught with his own words, and his inability to defend himself only gave Khalil an upper hand to the dungeon.

"I wouldn't be needing an escort, but I'll be pleased if you join me," he let out.

Walking towards it with booted feet.

Khalil looked behind, and the picture that was painted before his eyes made his eyes stink with unshed tears.

Crystal laid on her dirty bed, her legs pulled up and her head drawn towards it.

Her heavy locks of hair that swirled around her, falling almost everywhere was not scanty, and instead of its normal chestnut hue, the color was now dirty and unattractive.

Unlike the day she had arrived at the castle, today she looked pale as if she was poorly fed, and again, it brought another issue for the prince to argue about.

Even the way she looked distant and out of the world, pretending like his presence didn't mean anything to her, only caused a pang to hit him powerfully.

Khalil swirled his head to the warder who stood at the corner, afraid of his authority, as his mere presence made him to be scared.

"What kind of food do you feed her with?" he inquired staring at him as he waited for an answer.

In fear, the warder waisted time to reply. This made Prince Khalil grab him by the neck threatening to strangle him.

"Answer me, soldier, what kind of food do you serve her with?" he asked his time his voice sounding like thunderbolts.

"Bread, we serve her a load of stale bread and cheese, accompanied with a bowl of water," he let out.

Austin was fast in separating the fight as he held the Prince gently, calming him down.

"Prince Khalil, please calm down, we can settle this issue without involving violence in it," he said.

Khalil's mind was literally blown off, how will a person survive on stale bread and cheese for over a week?

A great record about the people of Mount Paragon is that they are known for their hospitality, their generosity, an added bonus being the fact that they have excessive farmlands that yield them a good harvest yearly. On the livestock, area they were blessed too, and their resources were too vast to count__reason why they are the target for neighboring countries, their resources are just so many that no one can comprehend it.

Releasing his grip from the warder's shoulders, he let out in pain,

"How can someone be leaving on bread for a whole week, considering the fact that we have resources in abundance that one can have without any strings attached to it? is that how prisoners feed here?" he asked bitterness filled in his voice.

The commander didn't want to interfere in this business, but then, the Prince was trying to defend their captive, something which is totally abnormal.

"Prince Khalil, captives deserves even worse punishments than what we are given to them, she deserves death as a penalty, and immediately the court makes a decision, which I know death will already be a choice for them, we will find a suitable way to kill the girl," he spat directly into the Prince's face.

Khalil is not the one to always give up, especially not over things his mind had found interest in. He sees to slowly gain interest in Crystal, reasons unknown to him, maybe because even in the midst of trouble, she still finds a way of dealing with it shamelessly.

Immediately as he heard the word death, he became annoyed, at least, this can't be happening, not when he is alive.

Pointing at the warder, he points at him accordingly.

"I order you to treat this lady with delicacy, for heaven's sake, she is a lady, she needs to be neat. See how she looks like meat has been extracted from her body allowing only the bones," he let out pointing at her.

Austin stared at the prince as if he had had a bump on his head that has caused him to think that way. For heaven's sake, he is just being irrational and saying things reasoning. He needs to put him in place, he needs to look at things from his perspective if he wanted to be someone successful, just like his father had been.

"Prince Khalil, it is not about having food or given her excess meal every day. We don't run a charity organization here, moreover, she doesn't work for it, not the least does she deserve to have all these things. She is a slave, she has to rot in here," he said disgustingly, frowning his face as if the thought of it had made it sick.

Indeed, his words were like daggers to the prince. He felt his authority is being insulted as if he didn't know what he was actually doing.

Instantly, Khalil's face reflected his heart, although commander Austin is older and much more experienced than he is, he wanted to prove a fact to him, something that will serve as a lesson to him to mind his business and not poke his nose into his business.

Walking around Austin in a circle, he repeated the movements twice, and when he stopped, he looked at the him with disgust shooting his questions at him.

"Ehmmm! Commander Austin, I would love to know if you ever farm anything in this land," he asked.

"No, prince Khalil, I don't. Soldiers are meant to fight for the nation, and not plant seasonally on a piece of land," Austin said standing attention.

Khalil was heading somewhere, he had a focus and so looked towards it. If anything he was good at was fumbling with words, he could use pun to frustrate the lives of his opponents, and was a little bit stern than usual.

Alright, so Austin's answer only led to another question.

"You don't work as a farmer neither does the warder works as one, you all have free food to eat to an extent. From what I remember, the crown is the one who feeds the prisoners here. What happens to all that food? answer me now before I lose my temper," he said staring at the warder with disgust.

She stammered as he said, "My Prince, I head the cook had an injury in the kitchen while cooking, and the other little cooks get lazy make proper meals. Therefore, that is all they have to serve," he said.

This is absurd. He felt like the truth isn't complete, and he wanted to pry on the issues.

As he opened his mouth to talk, he blamed him even more.

"I do not have only one cook in this kingdom, I see that something is wrong somewhere, I just wish it clears out fast because it might end up with us having issue. And, young man, don't let me notice you," he spat in disgust.

"Yes, my Prince, I am sorry, Prince Khalil," he apologized.

Khalil was so damn f****d up with these words, he didn't even want to listen to them.

But then, the words he always longed to hear from pierced his ears grabbing his attention.

"Why wouldn't you all live this place and allow me to get some sleep? must I always notice you? Prince camel or whatever you call yourself," Crystal spat from the inside.

It made the warder chuckle, and when Khalil shot him a deadly look, he swallowed it.

"Sorry, my Prince," he apologized.

Khalil walked into the prison once more, staring at his captive.

"You are as good as a dead, lady," he said threatening her.