Arianna was pulled from her thoughts as the carriage came to a sudden halt, the jolting stop nearly knocking the princess from her seat. She blinked in surprise, then scowled; this wasn't supposed to be happening. Leaning over to the shuttered window, she pulled it open and leaned out, glancing at the nearest knight.
"You! Why are we delayed?" she demanded.
"Apologies, your highness. A tree seems to have fallen and blocked the road. We're working to-GACK!" the knight was cut off as an arrow suddenly hit him in the neck. Arianna reeled back in surprise as the knight fell to the ground, blood spraying everywhere and his horse running off in panic. Then there were yells and the ring of clashing steel as people began running out of the surrounding woods and charging the carriage and its escort with drawn swords. Arianna quickly pulled back into the carriage and slammed the window shut, curling up on the floor against the wall as the sounds of battle rang out around her.
After several minutes, the sounds stopped. Arianna stayed curled up, heart pounding, waiting for some sort of sign from her guards that things were safe now, but none came. And then the carriage door was suddenly yanked open, and Arianna found herself looking at a group of filthy looking men in ragged clothing and holding swords stained with fresh blood, grinning nastily at her.
"Get away!" she yelled, instinctively kicking out at them. This proved to be a mistake, as the men grabbed her legs and started dragging her out of the carriage. She kicked and struggled, but they succeeded in dragging her out, tossing her to the ground for a moment before pulling her to her feet.
"Let me go!" Arianna demanded, struggling against the hold the men had on her, "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Of course we do, Princess. We've been waiting for you," a feminine voice spoke up. Looking up in surprise, Arianna watched as the crowd of bandits parted to allow a woman to approach. She was an elf, that much was apparent - her skin had a golden tinge, her eyes were silver, her ears were pointed, and her long hair was snow white with purple streaks. She was also wearing a leather corset and trousers, and a waist-length cape, which created an ominous image in contrast to her inhuman beauty.
"But where are my manners?" the she-elf asked sarcastically, "I am Kyrena Darkleaf, known to many as the Bandit Queen. Perhaps you've heard of me?"
Arianna paled as she heard that. Yes, she'd heard of the Bandit Queen - she was said to be a witch and a bloodthirsty sadist, who delivered horrible fates on those who crossed paths with her. But, Arianna was the Crown Princess; she wasn't going to let some thief intimidate her.
"And what do you hope to accomplish here?" she demanded, "Harm me, and my father will have you hunted down and slaughtered like pigs."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll try. Many have," Kyrena said, "And he'll fail, just like all the others. But enough talk. I've dreamt of having a princess in my clutches for a long time. Now, what to do with you...?"