That night, Sierra was rudely awakened by a commotion.
Having been trained in battle, she had heightened senses compared to the common folk. She immediately got dressed and grabbed her twin swords that leaned against her bedside table.
Her pet snake, Opal, stirred awake. As she looked up at Sierra, she let out a hiss.
"On my arm, Opal," Sierra whispered to her beloved pet as she held out her left arm.
Opal heeded here instructions. She quickly slithered off the bed and coiled herself onto Sierra's wrist, carefully concealed under her long sleeve. Just then, the door to her room burst open.
Sierra drew one of her swords, ready to take on the intruders. She was dumbfounded. These were not assassins. They were palace guards, from the royal palace.
"Who gave you the authority to enter the Bancroft Family's Mansion?" her voice boomed.
The soldiers quaked a little where they stood. All of them were familiar with the exploits of Knightess Sierra on the battlefield. It would not be wise to offend her. But they had a job to do. They were here to arrest her.
One of the soldiers held out a rolled parchment, held together by a golden wax seal. Sierra recognized it immediately. The soldiers were acting on the King's orders.
"This is a warrant for the arrest of General Leon Bancroft and his daughter, Sierra Bancroft," the soldier declared.
Sierra did not lower her weapon, nor did she cower in fear.
"On what grounds?" she asked coldly.
"On... on grounds of treason! Possession of illegal weapons and the intention of instigating a revolt."
She glared at them with disbelief. Though she was not the general's blood daughter, she knew him well enough. Her father would never revolt against King Frederick. But resisting now would only stir more trouble.
Gritting her teeth, Sierra lowered her weapon and raised both of her hands. At first, the soldiers did not dare to move. They were worried she was going to attack them.
She furrowed her eyebrows and yelled at them in annoyance, "Aren't you all here to arrest me? Do it now before I change my mind."
The soldiers got to work immediately as they came to their senses. They handcuffed Sierra and dragged her out of her room. As they made their way through the mansion, she was shocked to see the chaos that had ensued.
Sierra was taken to see the King. Upon arriving at the Throne Room, she was thrown onto the ground, next to her father, General Leon. He too had his hands cuffed in front of him. When he saw his daughter, his eyes were filled with worry.
Despite the situation they were in, his utmost priority was still her well-being.
"Sierra, are you alright?" he asked as he reached his hands out to touch her face.
She attempted to force a smile while keeping her calm, "I'm alright."
General Cedric walked out of the shadows from behind the throne, he clapped his hands as he made his way towards Sierra and Leon.
"My my, how touching," he said sarcastically.
"Cedric? This is your doing?!" Sierra yelled.
She wanted to lunge forward and punch the smug off his face. But she was held back by the soldiers around her. Before she could react, Cedric came up to her and slapped her across the face.
The force of the slap pushed her to the ground. The pain on her cheek stung.
"Cedric you monster! What do you think you're doing?!" Leon yelled, his voice was filled with rage.
How dare he slap his daughter across the face like this. If he was not cuffed, he would knock the young man off his feet with one punch. Cedric was undeterred by Leon's threats. The grin on his face simply grew wider.
He had them where he wanted.
"General Leon...no I don't think that title suits you anymore. Leon, the evidence of your treasonous acts is right here. What do you have to say for yourself?" Cedric clapped his hands together.
The Throne Room doors burst open. A small group of soldiers brought in wooden crates filled to the brim with different types of weapons. Cedric walked over and picked one up to show to them.
"These were found in your private cellar on your property. Would you care to explain yourself?" he asked deviously.
Leon looked on in horror, "No... that's not possible! These do not belong to the Bancroft Family!"
"General Leon," Princess Felicity walked over to him with tears in her eyes. She was about to put on a waterworks spectacle for all to see.
"When my beloved Cedric informed my father of your treason, even I could not believe it! But the evidence is right here before our eyes and yet you still deny? I am truly disappointed in you."
Upon finishing her speech, she runs to Cedric and buried her face in his chest. Her shrill cries echoed throughout the Throne Room. Sierra clenched her jaw. Her fists trembled as rage surged through her body.
Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, she soon realized what it was all about. This was merely an elaborate ruse to get her to agree to become the sacrificial lamb. They wanted her to go to Drakin in Felicity's place.
Cedric must have found out about Sierra's decision.
"You... you set us up!" she pointed her finger at him as she confronted him, "You planted these weapons in the Bancroft Mansion so that you could arrest us on the false account of treason! Cedric, have you lost your mind?!"