Aurelia.

What. The Actual. Hell.
Where am I?
"Ugh." I groaned as soon as my eyes opened, blinding sunlight pouring in through a window directly above me. My head was pounding as if I'd drunk ten gallons of wine, and my stomach churned as though admitting to it.

I looked down and noticed that I was still wearing the midnight blue gown from the ball, but my mask and coat were gone. My brain sluggishly recounted the details from what I assumed was the night before, but I couldn't remember much after following the stranger.
I racked my brain, but nothing came up.

Well that's just great. I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere, and have no idea how I even got here.
Sighing in frustration, I reached up a hand to wipe the beads of sweat that had accumulated on my brow- or rather, tried to. My arms seemed stuck behind me.

Panic rising, I glanced over my shoulder to see that what I was leaning against was a thick, log-like object, and suddenly, it made sense that my neck felt stiffer than a wooden board. I twisted my arms and something scraped against my wrists. It was probably rope, but my numb limbs couldn't properly identify it.

Fear spiked my blood, mixing with the panic and clouding my head. I strained roughly against the bindings on my hands, wriggling my unfeeling fingers, to no avail.

Even if I did get out of the bonds, how would I get out of here? I scanned the dusty, crumbling walls that encased me and found no opening whatsoever. The only way out, and, it seemed, the only way in, was the window above me. If you could even call it that. It was more like a hole.

And that's when it hit me. This entire place was a hole. A gigantic, square shaped hole underground. I swallowed the lump in my throat, my stomach sinking with every second that passed. I couldn't climb the walls, there were no hand or foot holds, and even if I could, how would I make it to the middle of the roof to the hole?

I fought against my despair as thousands of questions swirled around my head. Who had taken me? And, more importantly, why? Of course, there was much to gain from kidnapping a princess. But there was plenty to lose- most likely more than what was gained. Who'd be willing enough to take that risk?
No, not willing. Who'd be desperate enough to take that risk?

The voice in my head answered that question immediately.
Someone who has little to lose.

Thus making my captors all the more dangerous. If there's one thing my father taught me, it's that the person who has nothing to lose will go to extreme measures to gain.

Kidnapping a Princess seemed quite extreme to me. Another, more daunting thought crossed my mind; What if I wasn't here as a hostage, but as a revenge?

Charismatic as my father was, as King, he had to have enemies. People he didn't please or favour, and who decided that they would extract revenge on someone close to him. I swallowed, attempting to moisten my dry throat. It didn't work.

I was parched, and the sun baring down on me wasn't helping matters. Maybe they were going to leave me down here to die of hunger and thirst? Or, and the mere thought caused shivers to scatter across my skin and a cold sweat to break out on my forehead; maybe they were hoping to bury me alive.

That would definitely be worse, considering that I have very bad claustrophobia. It had already kicked in, and I felt like I was underwater and struggling desperately to break the surface. Only, the 'surface' in this case happened to be a small hole in the middle of the roof.

I sucked in air desperately, my lungs constricting, and renewed my efforts at the freeing my hands. But no matter how I struggled, or in which angle, the scratchy bonds wouldn't budge. Someone had tied it so tight that I lost blood flow, and my hands were so cold they were burning. My fingers were stiff and shaking, but I suppose that was from the terror that was slowly taking over my senses.

I shut my eyes, attempting to control my breathing, but my throat was narrow, and I couldn't manage more than a few shallow gasps of air.
My hands clenched and I winced at the sharp stab of pain through each of my bloodless fingers.

I was going to die in this hole, alone and terrified.

"No." My voice broke on the single word, and I fought against the cold, desolate cloud of hopelessness that stole over me.
Despite myself, a tear leaked from my eye, tracking a warm, salty path down my cheek. My mind told me to give up, to stop struggling and accept my fate, but I would not go down this easily. Whoever shoved me in this hole would deeply regret it.

Even if it was the last thing they did.

*~*~*

A soft thud roused me from my restless slumber. It was quite a miracle that I'd been able to sleep at all, and for one blissful moment, I thought that I was in my room in the castle instead of some suffocating hole in the ground.
Until I was rudely awakened by a splash of freezing water in my face.

I gasped as droplets of water rolled down my cheeks, dripping off my chin and nose.
I bent my face to the side and wiped what water I could out of my eyes on my shoulder, before turning to face the asshole that was behind everything.

"Good morning Princess."