Beyond the Glow

Chapter 14

A few smatters of applause at my apparent betrothal to the Prince appear from the various advisers and nobles throughout the room. I sit, shell shocked. He can't be serious, right? After a few minutes, it calms down, and the King speaks. "I guess that is allright." He rumbles, his voice is deep. It probably comes from the bottom of the potbelly I can see hiding under the table, but what do I know?

My ears tune out after that. I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that he was arrogant enough to declare me his wife to be, and without my consent too! Of course, he is in control of my situation at the moment, but that dosen't mean he can do whatever he wants. Prisoner or not, I still have rights.

I think.

"Servant! Bring out the best wine!" The king gestures at the shadows of the room, starting up a flurry of activity in the darkness. "We celebrate tonight! Only the best will do for my son." He give me a sidelong glance, "And his, uh, betrothed."

The Queen continues to stare at me, her glares scrutinizing every detail before she stands abruptly. "A matter such as this does not deserve a celebration as small as drinking my love." She turns towards the King and bends down, her old fashioned dress swishes with every move, and I notice an unnecessarily large bow in the back.

The Queen whispers in the Kings ear, and his face lights up in response. "A ball!" He cries, shooting up in his chair and swaying slightly. "A ball is the only celebration grand enough to celebrate my son finally finding a wife!"

Once again the King spins to the curtains, and waves for a servant to come forward. "I want it all to be ready tonight!" He crows, and the poor servant looks terrified.

"T-that's too early my lord." he stammers out. The King frowns slightly, put off the high of his genius idea. He really wasn't all that different from Tran. 

"Well make it tonight! Or I shall have all of you servants beheaded!" He growls angrily. "Worthless, the lot of you." He grumbles, flopping down in his chair.

The servant is looking quite nervous now, "Y-yes sir. Right away sir." He darts away, eager to escape the Kings angry aura.

The King himself is now sprawled out on his chair, and reaches out to grab a glass of wine off the table in front of him. He downs it in one gulp, and looks to the others in the council room disgustedly. "What are you all waiting for? The meetings over..." He grumbles. Almost nobody moves, and his face becomes stony. "Get out then!" He yells.

The effect he has is instantaneous on the council, and as one we begin filing out of the room. As I exit, I hear him calling for more wine. The door shuts with a click behind us, and I follow Tran down the hall, waiting for the others to branch off before I begin my rant.

When the last council member breaks off down another hall with a friendly wave and a congratulations, I pull up in front of Tran, forcing him to stop. "Would you care to tell your 'betrothed' how exactly you proposed to her? Because it seems to have slipped my mind."

"Relax. Your duties to me will be long over by the time any wedding preparations are made." Tran crinkles up his face, squinting unattractively. "This will explain why you are even in the castle in the first place." He turns away, muttering under his breath. My hearing sharpens instantly, complying to his wish. "Magics. They all think they're above us." he grumps.

"I'm sorry what was that?" I ask innocently, poison lacing my words. Tran chooses, wisely I might add, to remain silent. We continue walking aimlessly through the castle, both knowing we need to talk, neither wanting to bring it up. 

Abruptly, Tran changes course, heading down a hall to the right. The ground slopes here, and I watch my footing of the stone ground.  I follow, attempting to keep from getting lost in the maze of corridors. "Where are we going?" The question slips from the back of my mind to the tip of my tongue, my words echoing down the empty hall. 

"You shall see." Tran replies simply. 

"Why not just tell me?" I ask impatiently. Tran ignores me, walking straight down the hall silently. 

It stays like this for a few minutes, and soon enough we near the lower halls of the castle, near the dungeons. "Where are we going?" I ask again, this time more forcefully. I know where we're going just as much as he does. 

But I need to hear him say it out loud. 

"To the dungeons. Anything more specific than that and you shall have to pry the answer from my cold dead body." Tran says coolly. But its all I need to hear, My senses lock up, and I become a walking zombie. Trapped with my thoughts as we descend deeper into the dungeons. 

The dungeon is filled to the brim with screaming prisoners, each vying for the attention of the Crown Prince, pleading for a pardon. "I needed the food! Please!" One man screams, "My family won't be able to pay your outrageous taxes without me!" One of the guards standing along the passageways of the dungeon pokes the man with his sword, pushing him back from the bars. 

"Shut up prisoner." He growls fiercely. And we continue on like nothing happened. 

There's a small yell from behind us, and I turn my head to see the guard staring at a pile of rags and chains that had been on the prisoner where they had fallen in the cell. A mouse pokes his head out of the pile, and proceeds to scurry out of his cell and into a hole in the wall across the hall. 

Me and Tran stop and watch the large mouse scurry in front of us, then pass the guard in front of the now empty cell. He was staring confusedly at the small pile of rags and chains where the man had disappeared.

Trans hand tightened around my arm uncomfortably, and I don't miss the scowl on his face before he turns his head away. "How long will that last?" He whispers in my ear, and I can't help but smile to myself. 

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I say innocently, "But that poor mouse should find his family easily with the amazing sense of smell those things have. I'm sure a just seeing his true love will be enough for him to take his true form." 

We continue down the hall without further incident, but the wails of the prisoners didn't stop. I cringe with every pitiful plead for freedom, but the death grip on my elbow reminds me why I can't save them all. 

I'll find a way, eventually. I think to myself. The King will no longer have innocents in his dungeon, not when I can do something about it. 

Tran stops abruptly at a wooden door, and pulls a strange contraption of wool and a band from a table nearby. He straps it around his head, the cotton bits covering his ears completely. After that he obviously can't hear anything, for when he turns to me his voice comes out at such a loud yell I cringe. 

"Follow me." And with that, Tran opened the door and disappeared into the darkness. Like an obedient puppy, I follow. The door leads to yet another corridor, this one more dark and desolate than most in the castle. Recently disturbed cobwebs hang from the ceiling, and dust coats the floor. It's disturbed by nothing more than a few footprints, and two long swerving streaks. As if someone was dragged down the hall. 

"Is this..." I'm cut off however, by a enchantingly haunting music down the hall. I rush down, horrified at what I might find at the end. The music becomes stronger, as if the singer can feel me coming. Images whirl around my mind, water, the serenity of the ocean floor. 

Sunken ships.

Peaceful sailors jumping off a burning ship, their eyes glazed over. 

Jumping to their death in the freezing waters. 

Only one thing can do things like this. 

The song of a siren. 

I round the corner, my breathing hitching. I thought all other magical creatures were gone, they were nearly extinct when I was free anyways. As a genie, and a fellow magical being, I can shield myself from falling to the sirens allure and song, but only because I know the havoc they wreak. 

The pain and heartbreak. The early deaths. Nothing is worth trading your soul to be a siren. Not eternal beauty, nor the beautiful song. 

But all I can feel is eternal regret as I stare at the angry eyes of Kida.