The Prisoner Princess

Enough

Nereida woke with a start, the sound of the door slamming jarring her from her dreams. They hadn't been pleasant ones either. Strange figures surrounded her, pressing her for the ring. They found it on her finger, and the world was drowned once again in a great flood, leaving Nereida to see the destruction. Alone.

She shook her head, trying to shake the dream away. She would never let that happen, would never be so careless to carry the ring on her person, would never give it away or let it be taken.

"Have you changed your mind yet, princess?" Vidarr asked. He had been back every day, asking the same question with ruthless intensity.

And every day her answer remained the same. "No, Vidarr, nor will I."

"Very well, I can wait." He moved toward the door.

Nereida pulled against the chains, sweat dripping from her brow. "Give it up, Vidarr. My answer will never change! No matter what you think, the ring is not the answer."

He turned. "That's what you think," he told her, walking over to kneel so his face was in hers. "I asked for it last time to save my country in the midst of war- imagine how much sooner it would have ended! The casualties would be half of what they were!"

"But what about the other side?" She asked quietly. "What you're asking for has the power to take out entire kingdoms. You want to limit casualties? You're taking much more lives in the process." She looked him in the eyes. "Be reasonable."

"Reasonable?" He laughed, and she could feel his breath on her face. Achingly she remembered when that laugh used to be carefree and often. When it used to almost always be shared with her. Strangely, it sounded almost foreign to what it used to be. "Reasonable would be for you to give it up, Nereida, before your days of captivity kill you."

She glanced at her too-dry skin, turning gray by being near the fire for days on end. And it wasn't just that, she was suffering dizzy spells and had a blackout already. She hadn't touched even a drop of water since who knows how long. Still, "You'd never let me die," she told him as he stood back up. "You need me. And you loved me once."

Instantly, she regretted the words. Vidarr's eyes flared. "How flattered you must feel, princess. But I do not need you if you do not speak, and I have long lost my feelings for you. Oh," he stopped, having made it to the door. "I just remembered. Your friends are looking for you." He smiled as her eyes snapped up. "Don't look so hopeful, they are going in the completely opposite direction." With that, he left, the door clicking softly behind him.

Nereida rested her head back on the wall. Loch and Sabina. They were looking for her. That thought was enough.