Ƭɦҽɾҽ WιƖƖ Ƈσɱҽ α RʋƖҽɾ, Wɦσʂҽ Ɓɾσw ιʂ lαιԃ ιղ Ƭɦσɾղ 👑 ƠƇ Ɓαƈƙʂƭσɾყ -[BOOK 1/2]

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TW// cussing, crying, restraining?, blood, cuts/cutting, forced self harm, yelling, passing out

Artemis/Ash's POV
Like a week later or something Idk

That blade had came in handy a few times this past week, but I hadn't touched it very much. I got a light in my room, but I still had the lamp for nighttime.

I tossed and turned in the bed, not being able to sleep. I was tired, but I had ate a bunch of candy for some reason. So my brain said "sleep, it's late, I'm tired" but my heart said "no, I'm pumped on sugar, fuck you, brain" so now we're here.

Maybe I shouldn't eat sugar late in the day again.

I heard a creek and I lifted my head to see if someone was opening my door. I didn't see anything, so I assumed it was just those random noises you hear at night.

But this is a castle, it shouldn't creek and pop like my old home.

Just as I thought this, I felt a hand on my arm. I flinched and sat up. I saw a figure next to my bed but I couldn't make out who it was at first until my eyes adjusted.

It was my...old father.

I sat froze with fear. The king said he wouldn't get out. But he's here. Maybe I'm dreaming. This is a nightmare. It's not real. It can't be.

"Miss me, Ash? I know I missed you!" I saw him smile creepily. Holy shit, I'm not dreaming. I went to speak but he grabbed the back of my head in his right hand and covered my mouth with his other. I grabbed at his hand, trying to pull it away from my mouth so I could yell for help. The king's room is right next to mine, there's no way he wouldn't hear me.

"Quit moving." He snapped, slapping my in the back of the head. Tears ran from my eyes and I had trouble breathing. Not only from my panic, but because he had my mouth and nose covered almost completely.

He pulled me out of the bed and dropped me on the floor with a loud thump. I went to yell but he then spoke.

"If you call for help, I will kill all of them, starting with that bartender lady." He said, so I shut my mouth.

I shook, waiting for the next punch he'd throw or the next word he'd spit out.

He got on his knees in front of me, tilting his head to the side.

"Why the long face, huh? You aren't happy to see your father?" He asked. "F-Fuck you." I said, shakily inhaling. He clicked his tongue. "I know what may cheer you up!" He said, pulling a large kitchen knife out of his back pocket. "We never got to our knife handling lessons! This oughta lighten your mood!"

My eyes widened and he grabbed my left arm and shoved the knife into my right hand, holding that hand so I couldn't let go of the knife.

"W-Wait, no! Don't-" He cut me off. "Shhhh. It's easier to learn if you're quiet. That way you can hear me better." He said. "N-No. No! Let me-" This time, I cut myself off by biting my lip hard and holding in a loud cry as he pressed the knife into my left forearm. I would scream, but he'll kill Abi, and then he'll kill them all.

"There, see? It's that easy! All you do it put it there, push, and slid it! Here, let me demonstrate a few more times." He is so psychotic, does he actually think he's giving me some kind of lesson? He picked up the knife and did this in another spot on my arm, and another, and another, and another.

I was hysterically crying, though silent, and the position I was sitting in was killing my back. Not that my back mattered much at all at the moment.

"Look how good you're doing! You're a fast learner. Let's try the other arm, shall we?" He said. I shook my head, letting out a choked cry. This didn't stop him, though. Soon, my right arm was blood-stained too.

"Now that we've practiced some, why don't we actually do what we practiced for." He said. "W-What?" I asked, now remembering that his main goal was to slit my wrists. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! P-Please don't!" I sobbed, trying to pull my arms out of his hands.

Now that the 'opportunity' was there, I didn't wanna die. Especially like this. To the hands of this man.

He slammed my head against the wood nightstand behind me, dazing me.

He put the blade on my left wrist, and before I could, react, he sliced right through it. Blood poured from my wrist. I was absolutely done for. He then did it to my other wrist. I cried silently.

"Great job! You did it!" He smiled.

I then heard a voice outside of my door.

"Knight Cade, can you page Knight Jebediah? Have him come up here too?" I heard the king ask. "Yes, your majesty, is everything alright?" Cade replied. "I swear, I heard some noises coming from Artemis's room. Just checking."

I heard Cade saying something into what I guessed was a radio.

"Artemis? Since when do you go by your actual name?" The monster asked quietly. I was too weak, scared, and tired to reply. I could feel my consciousness fading slowly.

Then there were knocks on my door.

"Hey, Artemis? You ok?" The king asked. I quietly whimpered, hoping he'd hear me, as that's as loud as I could be. He didn't comment, so I guess he didn't. "Artemis?" He asked.

"Whoop, gotta hide." The monster said. He put the knife in my hand, making it seem like I cut myself, stood up, and hid in my closet.

"Artemis, I know you're awake. You ate too much sugar to be asleep right now."

"What's up, your majesty?" I heard Jeb ask. "I heard noises coming from her room and she's not answering me." "Is she asleep?" Cade asked. "Can't be. She ate a bunch of sugar earlier."

There was another knock.

"Artemis, it's Jeb. Answer me or I'm coming in." He said.

Please come in, please. Help me. Please.

I heard him grab the door handle, and it didn't move.

"Why's it locked..." Jeb asked nobody in particular. He slammed his body against the door a few times. "Sorry, your majesty, I'll pay for a new lock." And with one hard slam, the door busted open.

Jeb saw me slumped against the side of my bed and gasped, and then the king and Cade saw me.

"Cade, get a nurse, now!" Jeb ordered. Cade nodded and sped away. Jeb ran over and dropped to his knees. The king stood in the doorway with both hands covering his mouth.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, Artemis, why would you do this?" Jeb asked, grabbing a dirty shirt from a few feet away on the floor, and wrapping it around my arm, doing the same with my other arm.

I didn't do this, Jeb, I promise. I didn't do it. It wasn't me. Please believe me.

My vision started becoming darker.

"Hey, stay awake, kid. Don't fall asleep now." He said. I couldn't move or speak or anything. All I did was silently let tears roll out of my eyes.

He removed the knife from my hand, and then, after that, I fell unconscious.

Words: 1,270