The emotions boiling like raging fire inside Emily's chest were like none she had ever felt or even dreamed of experiencing before. She was furious, she was exhausted, she was petrified, she was lost, she was defeated, she was heartbroken, she was hurt. She felt stranded in a sea of wild emotions that were stronger than her, her feelings like waves that were tossing her around mercilessly. The physical and emotional pain that she felt was like none she'd ever believed could exist, and it was worse than she could ever imagine. 

The princess tried to tell herself that she could have it much worse. She reminded herself that there were unfortunate people who lived horrible lives every day, and those people worked through it without even a thought of complaint. Emily tried to convince herself that what she was going through wasn't as bad as she thought, it simply seemed bad because she grew up without such pain. She was a princess, unknowingly spoiled in almost everything. How could this compare to the sufferings of more unfortunate people?

And then her mind would tell her that this was the worst thing that could happen to the whole entire world, and her short-lived enthusiasm vanished again. For two years, Lights and humans fought against these monstrous Darks to win back their freedom, and for a good reason. These horrid people - humans turned evil, quite literally - were like nothing this world had ever seen. In comparison to the hard times other people experienced, this was far worse. 

It was like an endless circle of emotions and thoughts. Every day, it was the same thing - the realization of defeat, the terror of the unknown, the anger of her predicament, the fleeting reassurance that things could be worse, the sinking feeling that they couldn't be, and the crushing weight of sorrow. 

In between those feelings, Emily would have sudden mood swings that resulted in panic, terror, anger, or sadness. She wasn't sure where they came from, but she guessed that they were normal given her circumstances. There were many times where she would suddenly feel anger and terror, so uncontrollable that tears would streak down her cheeks endlessly. As much as she hated them, there was nothing she could do to suspect or stop them. They were always so abrupt that sometimes it scared her. 

And the worst part of it all was that her parents weren't there to comfort her. She wished, she longed, with all her heart that her parents could be here with her. She missed their faces, their gentle touches, their loving embraces. She wished they could be here to hug her, to tell her that everything would be okay. 

Often, she found herself wondering if they were okay. Especially her father, who was Turned into a Dark against his will. Most of all, she wished that she didn't know the full extent of his situation. She would have preferred to be ignorant of his fate, because it only hurt her when she thought of him. She wished it didn't have to be that way, but whenever she pictured his face, she couldn't help but think of what he would be like as a Shadowbeast. Would she ever see him as her wonderful father again?

Emily wished for a lot of things, and she knew that none of them could come true. 

That realization hurt her more than the restricting chain on her neck. Even though she was trapped all alone her own room, Emily didn't feel in the least bit at home. She wanted her parents, and she wanted them badly. She knew it sounded like a little child's complaint, but she couldn't tell herself that it was wrong. She just wanted to see her parents again. 

Closing her eyes and cuddling with the pillows and blankets that she was blessed to still have was the closest thing to the relief of hugging her parents again. She did this often - imagining that the objects she was clinging to were alive, were hugging her back, were her parents. Were Marcus and Ruby. The king and queen. 

Sometimes it brought her comfort and relief, while other times it simply tormented her with the truth that her parents weren't there with her. 

Like it was now. 

Emily shoved the pillows and blankets away, her throat constricting with the urge to sob. The clamp around her neck already made her throat feel tight, so crying wasn't something she tried to make an every day thing. But the tears came almost every morning and night, when the crushing weight of her emotions drowned her. 

Clenching her jaw, the princess pressed her hands against her eyes, furiously wiping away the tears that were already beginning to form in her eyes. Suddenly, the shedding of tears was like an opening in the wall of her emotions. She felt abrupt anger and emotional pain, sadness and fury and fright. The urge to scream and struggle was strong in her chest, but what good would it do her? Whenever she tried, she ended up nearly choking herself. 

"Stop it, stop it," she muttered angrily at herself, swiping at her eyes sharply. Get it together, Emily, she chided herself fiercely. 

Slowly, the panic and anger in her heart subsided. She drew in long, shaky breaths to keep the calm, and thankfully it worked. Eventually, the sudden attack of emotions was gone, and Emily was left sitting helplessly on her bed with her hands over her face. 

She hated how vulnerable she was to strong emotion. She had seen her parents work through hard times countless times, and every time they remained strong and calm throughout the emotional turmoil they were obviously feeling. Emily hated that she so easily succumbed to it. She wished she was stronger.

Sighing, Emily lifted her head away from her hands and rubbed away the remaining streaks on her face. Though there was no one around to see her, she liked to put on a strong face to make herself feel better. It was the least she could do to lift her spirits. 

Reluctantly, even though it was morning, Emily laid down against the pillow and closed her eyes, hoping for pleasant dreams or none at all.

~

Emily wasn't sure how long she slept, but it was bright in her room when she heard voices drawing nearer. At first she was indifferent to the sounds, concluding that it was simply more Dark guards making their rounds of the halls; but when she heard the female voice yelling in frantic anger, she practically threw herself off her bed. 

She knew that voice.

With her heart in her throat, Emily jumped off the mattress and raced toward the door, which was locked with magic from the outside. Her chain only allowed her to stand barely inches from the door itself, but even though she could grab the door handle, there was no escaping from the prison that used to be her room. 

Still, she could make out words the closer she got to the door. 

"What do you want from me?!" a female voice shouted, her voice jerking as if she was being pulled forcefully. "Get your filthy hands off of me! I won't do anything for you!" 

Emily felt tears rise to her eyes again, but a smile was on her lips. She knew that voice. She missed that voice. But she was hearing the voice again, and that was something that brought her more happiness than she had felt in five months. 

"MOTHER!" she screamed, pounding on the closed door with her fist. "Mother! MOM!!" 

There was a pause in Ruby's shouts, and then they grew louder and more desperate. "Emily?! EMILY!! Get off me! EMILY!!" Ruby's voice was loud, but Emily noticed with a pang of sadness that it was broken and hoarse, shaking with emotion. 

Whoever had Ruby in their grasp, they were getting closer. Emily could make out a male voice speaking harshly to the queen, as if her royalty meant nothing to him. It probably didn't. 

"Shut up, woman," the man snapped in annoyance, and Emily heard the sharp crack of a slap. 

"Let me see my daughter!" Ruby shouted, obviously struggling against the man that held her. "Let me see her!! Bring me to her, please! Please!!" 

"For star's sake!" the angered man huffed, his voice low and grating. "If I let you see your filthy daughter, will you shut up and do as you're told?!" 

"Yes!" Ruby relented, her voice still directed toward Emily's hall. "I'll do whatever! Just please let me see my daughter." Her voice broke at the last word, and Emily's heart shattered with it. Her mother sounded so... broken. It was so, so painful to hear Ruby sound so defeated. To Emily, her mother had always been so strong. 

But she sounded so crushed and torn. How could her mother be so broken and battered? 

Tears filled Emily's eyes, but they weren't tears of sadness or pain or anger.

They were tears of joy.

Because the door opened, and her sobbing mother immediately wrapped Emily in her arms.

~

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH

WHY DO I HURT MY CHILDREN SO MUCH????

I MADE EMILY UP SOLELY FOR THIS STORY (though there were several versions of her before lol)

BUT I ALREADY AM HURTING THIS POOR CHILD

SHE IS ALONE

SHE IS SAD

SHE IS HURTING

AND HER MOM IS HERE-

ALKHGLASHGKAJLGH

I LOVE THE SWEETNESS-

Anyways, thanks for reading!!

LOVE Y'ALL!!

Hope you enjoyed, and until the next chapter!!

P3ac3!!!~~~~