A man's voice rang through the village. "I will pay for this waif's meal. Let her have the bread."
A bag of silver coins was tossed to the baker, who grudgingly handed the loaf back to Arianna. She tore into it, stuffing the crumbs into her mouth, like the dirty peasant she appeared to be and accepted she now was.
Two knights stepped forth, lances in hand. Before them stood a man in fine silver-gray armor, his face lined with a smooth brown beard marked with strands of gray. Arianna's heart sank when she recognized who her savior was.
Lord Cameron. Not long ago, he had been her father's favorite, holding the prestigious position of Commander of the Royal Guard. But then the King had decided to reward one of his friends who had paid him a generous sum of money by dismissing his loyal servant and replacing him with a complete incompetent. Several members of the Guard, who respected Cameron and disagreed with the King's decision, resigned immediately and followed him into exile as his personal retainers.
But more than anything, he hated her. Arianna had mistreated Cameron's beloved daughter, Alina, and covered up her behavior by telling her father that Alina had stolen her jewelry. This false accusation had made his decision to remove Cameron that much easier. And she was sure he knew that, straight from Alina's vengeful tongue.
And now, she was at his mercy. She had no guards, no wealth, and worse of all, her father wasn't there to protect her. Her only hope was that with her filthy hair and clothes, he wouldn't recognize her.
"What is your name, girl?" His eyes bored right into her as he growled out his question. "Anna" was her reply.
"Well, Anna, it seems you now owe a debt to me for paying for your meal. And you'll pay off that debt by working in my kitchen. I can promise you food, clothes, and shelter so long as you serve me faithfully, but know this--disobey me once and I will throw you back into the mud from where I found you."
Arianna knew she had no other option. "My lord, my life is yours now."
As his knights led her away, Lord Cameron was struck by the beauty of this ragged peasant girl. And then it clicked. Walking away, he could only think of just how many ways he could make the princess suffer for what she'd done to him and his family.