The vagrant king

Chapter thirteen

Tecna had pretended to be asleep as Elias hastily dressed and ran from the room. She didn't know what was going on but he had seemed panicked and she knew this was her chance. Plus, as he had fled hastily from the room, Tecna hadn't heard the click of the lock.

He had left the latch to her cage open.

Now if only she could get her body to obey. Throughout the night Tecna's mind had become her own again. It had been slow going and her head pounded from her efforts to clear all the questions and fog but she was relieved to have finally found some sort of clarity.

The muscles of her body however were still fighting her. Once she had waited long enough to be sure Elias or Lucien weren't anywhere near the chamber she jumped up from the bed and immediately crashed onto the floor. Yes, she could now move her limbs on command but only at a painfully slow speed and they were very, very weak. Tecna knew she would not be able to fight yet if it came down to it but she was very desperate to at least be able to walk out of here. After everything he had done, after what she had endured, she was not about to drag herself out across the castle. She was a guardian fairy; A member of the Company of Light.

She would not crawl.

She would stand and walk out on her own two feet.

Tecna braced herself on the stone floor and with all the strength she could muster. pushed herself up with her arms. She reached out for the nightstand for support and was pulling the first leg up under her when she got snagged on the sheets still wrapped around her on the floor.

With a curse Tecna crashed into the nightstand and back onto the floor. Groaning in frustration and pain she reached up slowly and brushed along the hurt on her cheek and cursed again. Her hand came away slick with blood; she must have hit the damn drawer handle on the nightstand. Tecna rolled to her back and slammed her fists into the floor. Throwing a tantrum probably wasn't going to solve anything but everything was catching up to her, her body was shaking and her mind, though very angry and determined, was overflowing with so many emotions she couldn't give in too. So, while the tantrum might be childish and unhelpful it was better than sobbing and giving up.

She growled and yelled and kicked and flailed for only a minuet, but it was enough. Tecna was now out of breath but also not as frustrated. She got her breathing back under control, grit her teeth, and with one momentous push, she was now in a sitting position. She savored her little victory before continuing.

The sheet around her had fallen to her waist and as she scooted to the wall next to her, she pulled the sheet back up with one hand. She was not about to walk out of here naked. It was tough to hold onto the sheet and pull herself to a standing position at the same time but with the help of the well she was finally on her feet. She tried not to linger at all the bruises covering her chest and arms as she wrapped the sheet around her torso, tying it between her breasts and at her hip as she leaned on the wall.

Once she felt covered up enough she gathered her strength, controlled her breathing, and steeled herself to get to the door. Tecna knew her legs would give out without some support so making across the room was no option; though it would have been faster. She had to make her way to the door by following the wall, using it and random pieces of furniture to support her along the way.

After a few minutes of strenuous movements Tecna almost sagged to the floor with relief as she made it to the door, not falling even once; another little victory. She pulled open the door and leaning onto the door handle heavily she stared into the long hallway. No Lucien, Elias, or even a guard in sight; thankfully.

She breathed in deeply through her nose and exhaled loudly; Steeling herself before she began the long trek down the hallway and towards her old room. If her things were still there then maybe, just maybe she can call for help from Alfea and Redfountain. She wouldn't let herself think of what to do afterwards, or even her father, or Timmy, or their friends... She couldn't think negative she needed to concentrate on one thing at a time. And right now she needed to get down this long ass hallway.