Alliar

My head pounded well before I opened my eyes. My body ached, a hot pain burned over my ribs making me want to scream but what hurt the most was my head. I opened my eyes to see darkness. What ever hole I had landed in was almost pitch black with the only light coming from the distant glow of the moon catching on the silver bars in front of me. Dark splotches danced across my vision making everything spin a little.

The sounds of distant singing tore at my mind. I groaned and pulled my hands over my ears trying to block out the sound.

Shut up. Please shut up.

But he continued.

The sound of footsteps had me moving to the edge of the cell, my hands gripping the bars while I tried to get a look at whomever was walking down the stairs. I needed someone to know I was down here so the king could release me.

The sudden memories of Jonathan peeling back flesh flashed behind my eyes making me shiver. Maybe I was better off down here.

The footsteps grew louder and I listened as hush voices began to speak.

"Will," a familiar voice began. "What did I tell you would happen if I found you down here again?"

"I'd lose my hand." The voice that had been singing moments ago began. "There's no work out there this time of year for fruit pickers."

"But you did it anyways?"

There was a brief moment of silence in answer.

"Which hand do you pick with Will?"

"Right my Lord."

"Take his left hand and then take him to Kodak for treatment. Send a small purse home to his children to help while he recovers."

"Yes Your Grace." Another voice, a guard answered.

I swallowed as I heard more footsteps, these ones getting closer and closer towards me. "Who was it that fell through yesterday?"

"I don't know your Grace. We left them for you."

As the voices faded into the distance, Jonathan entered my vision holding a torch in his hands that burned too bright for my head. The light illuminated many things; my dirty dress, my body covered in black ash that littered the floor, and blood. My blood. My head let the deep red liquid gush from a cut to cover my face and dress.

I heard him sigh deeply as he moved to open the gate. "Get me some bandages and send for Kodak!" He ordered from his guards who all rushed to attention. Opening the gate, Jonathan bent down and stretched out towards me. I flinch back from him unable to help it.

His eyes narrowed and his body tensed telling me to be cautious. "Problem?"

I threw caution out the window.

"I saw what you did in the square."

He stood to his full height. "I wasn't exactly hiding it." I could hear the anger bubbling up behind his voice.

"How could you?" My voice was no more than a whisper, but the sound traveled in the cell and he heard it perfectly fine.

"How could I," he looked at me astonished as if I had asked the stupidest question possible. "That man was a traitor who would have led an entire company of men into an ambush and then I would have to tell two hundred women that their husbands will not be returning. And then when they can't afford to feed their children I will have an entire generation of thieves running a muck in my kingdom which will lead to unrest and then all in civil war."

His fists balled at his sides as he fought the urge to scream his answer at me. "To me that traitor is not just one life but the life of everyone in this kingdom and when you put that many lives at risk you deserve the most painful death my mind can muster up at such a short notice."

I looked down unable to face him. What scared me the most about his words wasn't that he thought that torture was justified, but that after some thought, I somewhat agreed. One life, or hundreds? It was an easy choice all royals knew the answer too.

"I was going to let you out, but I think some time in a cell might help clear your head. See you in a few days." He closed the barred gate and locked it. "If you last that long that is. That head wound looks pretty bad."

With one last sinister smirk, he left me to the cold, dark, dirty cell with nothing but the warmth of my own blood and my fraying mind for company.

***

Days passed. My only inkling of the time passed was the change of light glistening off the bars, during the day it would glow almost all day and while the sun slept it would leave a small shiver of lights as the moonlight reflected off them, or on darker nights, there would be no light at all.

My mind was swirling. I could no longer lift my arm or touch the one meal a day that was offered to me. I was limp. I wanted to call out for help, but it appears my body had shut down and kept my distorted mind prisoner. My eyes had now closed and I feared it was forever.

I was briefly aware of being hauled up off the floor, and then I felt as a brief wave of sunlight hit my skin before another wave of darkness hit me.

"Miss?" A soft voice called me out of the darkness. "Little Miss, can you hear me?"

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

That was the wrong move. All of a sudden as if the feeling had just been restored in my body the pain washed over me. My head hurt beyond what words could describe, my body ached while my ribs burned with hot pain.

"Little Miss?"

My vision was cloudy but after a few blinks, I finally managed to get some clarity. It was sometime during the day as the sun bled in through the window. I recognised the shawl hanging between the four bed posts, the soft white furs and the seat by the window. I was back in my room.

I looked up to see an older man standing over me with concerned eyes. He had white hair cropped short and was clean shaven with grey eyes. He moved his hand to a bowl on the small table beside to grab a wet rag.

I tried my hardest to speak but only a distant groan came out instead.

He placed the wet rag on my forehead and gently wiped away the stray water droplets that ran down my forehead.

"Don't move." He told me as he grabbed a glass of water off the table and held it to my lips. I drank eagerly from the cup until my mouth was moist. The water helped ease my headache.

"How is your head?"

"Bad."

"And your ribs?"

"Bad."

"Can you feel your legs?"

I wiggled my toes but stopped the moment pain stuck me. "Yes." I could only manage one word answers.

He checked my bandages over my ribs and another one over my head briefly. "You need rest."

There was a slight knock on the door but the sound echoed horribly in my head. The door opened and my maid Henrietta stepped into the room. "Forgive me Kodak, but I thought she might be hungry."

I tried to turn to look at her but stopped the minute I felt the pain in my head.

"Don't move." Kodak quickly warned me.

"She hasn't eaten in days." Henrietta protested.

"Very well. Make sure she rests. I will be back to check on her wounds." Kodak smiled at me and nodded a goodbye before retreating out the door. The ever so bubbly Henretta took up his place by my side. She sat down in the chair and started talking as she feed me spoonfuls of the only thing I could really eat - soup.

"I was in the kitchens the other day and I heard that Lady Willer has this horrible love for ferrets. Gill said she found three living under her bed!" Her voice raised ever so slightly but I didn't flinch at the tone despite the strain in my head. "I can't believe she got them in past the guards. Disgusting little things and they smell horribly."

I giggled at her and let her continue to ramble on about the gossip of servants.

***

It was another two days of listening to Henrietta's gossips before the physician Kodak finally gave me leave to start walking around. I was only a few steps down the hallway when Ira stepped into my path.

"Hello." I gave her a weak smile.

"Hello, I was just on my way to see you." She beamed at me before turning and beginning to fall into step beside me. "How are you feeling? I heard you were ill."

Ill, I guess that was one way of putting the fact that I ran, fell through a door that landed me in a cell where I pissed off the king to the point where he left me in there to die of my wounds.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better."

"Oh good, the cooks need our decisions on the catering for the ball and I wanted your opinion although I did create one on my own just incase you were too unwell." She pulled out a list and handed it to me. Taking the list from her I looked over her scribbled writing.

"I thought we could serve five courses."

I smiled seeing one of the first courses was a chicken soup. Should I tell her to change the soup? I thought about Jonathan and our brief interaction down in the cell. "This sounds perfect."

He can have at least a few minutes of suffering.

"Great." Ira clapped her hands together. "Most of the girls are finished planning and next week they are starting to decorate, the princess wants all of us to help them since they have a much more demanding job."

I nodded. "Sounds fair."

"Did you want to join me and a few of the others for lunch?"

I turned to her smiling. I was beginning to enjoy Ira's company and the thought that she was inviting me made me feel somewhat wanted. I have never had a friend before, or at least not one that was paid to spend time with me, but someone who genuinely wanted to spend time with me.

I opened my mouth to answer and stopped the moment I saw my uncle standing by a door. He nodded deeply at me and mouth 'talk' before he started towards the gardens. I closed my mouth and swallowed. "I would love too, I just have to stop somewhere quickly. I'll met you there?"

"Sure, we are taking lunch on the porch of the library."

"I won't be too long." I nodded my goodbye and left her in the hallway on my way to the gardens. My Uncle sat of the same stone bench where we had talked a few weeks ago. I sat down next to him and looked over a stray rose growing out of one of the hedges.

"I hear you've fallen out of favour with the king." He began our conversation getting straight to the point.

"I would have thought you'd be more concern with the fact that I've spent half the week near death in a cell and then the last two days being slowly patched up and brought back to life." I all but sneered at him.

He turned to face me and I saw the shock in his eyes. He didn't know all the details. "I'm sorry I didn't know."

I waved him off.

"But you can understand my concern with you out of favour." He whispered to me. "The king - "

"The king is already annoyed with me and I with him." I got defensive and crossed my arms over my chest.

"For the moment, your life is tied to his. You need to stay in his favour."

I sighed deeply. I was annoyed beyond belief. I was annoyed with my uncle for suggesting I win his favour again but I was more annoyed by the fact that I knew he was right. I needed his favour or I was at risk of being killed. For a brief moment I thought of another scenario. What if I took advantage of his newfound distaste for me and encourage him to let me leave? Would he? Or would that simply anger him further?

"Have you heard anything about his plans over the next few months?" My uncles continued to press me for information.

"I haven't seen him in almost an entire week."

"What about guards? Have they seemed tense?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." I honestly wasn't paying any attention. "Why?"

He shook his head. "There is tension building. I have to leave, I'm not welcome here."

I gulped fearful. "What happened?"

"I don't know. I'm heading back to Leece now." He stood from his seat before bending down to place a small kiss on my forehead. "Your mother sends her love."

I felt his words like warmth spreading in my chest. She knew I was alive and that thought alone made me feel more comfort than I've felt in a long time.

I watched my uncle leave me and thought about what I was going to do. I remembered Jonathan studying the parchment in his room with critical eyes. Did he have information about what he was planning on them? My curiosity peaked again and I knew my mind had already made its decision despite an inner voice screaming at me to run. I wanted to know exactly what he was planning and to get close enough to see them, I had to have his favour.

***

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