Tervist

II Prisoner

Branches and twigs snapped beneath her feet as she ran. Being in the forest at night wasn’t exactly her strong suit. She kept her gaze on the little light she could see from lanterns glowing beyond the trees as she ran, and tripped, diving into the grass. She clutched her satchel as she fell for some kind of closure and ate the ground.
Opening her eyes, she pushed herself up, looking out into the trees behind her. Her breathing was shaky along with her legs. For a moment, she sat, catching her breath while her eyes darted around the dark woods she sat within. Something stung. She looked down at her leg, the adrenaline finally depleted from her body, and found a scrape on her calf. A rock laid beside her ankle. She breathed through her gritted teeth as she tried to get up but stopped in her tracks when the branches somewhere to the right seemed to begin to snap. Louder than when her feet had crushed them.
Directing her attention to the noise, she saw a tall, black horse cantering toward her and atop its back sat a man dressed in clothes that didn’t quite seem to fit him paired with a cape draped over his back. The hood of the cape was pulled over his head, concealing his face in shadows.
“Hello?” She said, wiping dirt off of her pants as she finally stood up.
“Are you… okay?” Asked the figure upon the horse.
“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”
The man dismounted his horse and cautiously walked toward her. “What are you doing out here so late?”
She narrowed her eyes, “I could ask you the same, you know? The only difference is, I’m minding my own business.”
He shrugged, “Okay, okay, fair. I just want to make sure you’re okay before just leaving you here to die.”
“Die?” She laughed, “I’m fine, just scraped my leg,” She looked him up and down, “Why are you so covered up? It’s the middle of the summer.”
He hesitated, “...I have my reasons.”
“Hm…” She lifted her hand, pulling his hood down, “Ah, there you are!”
His eyebrows raised and he stepped back, instinctively grabbing his hood but there was no point in hiding now. She saw him. This was certainly a new low for him.
She studied him for a moment. Nothing was familiar, and that brought him closure.
“What’s your name?” He asked.
“Why would I tell you that? I don’t even know
you.”
“Well, you just pulled my hood down.”
She sighed, “I’m Eleanor, nice to meet you…” She held her hand out.
He took her hand and shook it. “Evrin,”
For a brief moment, they locked eyes. Realizing their fingers were still interlinked, she pulled away, gripping her bag as she cringed instead.
“I’ve got to get going. Goodnight, sir.”
Evrin watched her go, a smile tugging at his lips. “Take care, Eleanor.”
And he mounted his horse once again, off to his home.

She was dragged across the throne room floor and thrown at someone’s feet. Lifting herself up with the little strength she could muster, she looked into the face of the boy she had met in the woods the night before. Millions of blue jewels surrounded him engraved in the furniture, walls, and objects scattered throughout the hall.
“The thief, your majesty,” Said one of the guards behind her.
The king stood in front of his throne, staring at her, “You’re familiar,” He finally said, smiling.
She could hear one of the guards shift behind her. Her body tensed up.
“Right then, take her to a cell. Feed her too.”
The same guard that had spoken before stepped up, “But your majesty, she stole the crown.”
“I said to feed her, did I not?”
“Yes, your majesty.” The guard bowed and picked her back up, two of them leading her off to the exit of the throne room.

She sat upright in the corner of her cell, shivering, and wishing she had a blanket. The food the King had ordered the guards to get her still laid on the ground, across the cell. Whatever the slop was, had settled into some kind of gross blob in its bowl. No way she was going to eat that. She was so tired from trying to escape capture that she almost nodded off. Almost. The only thing stopping her was another prisoner’s voice. He wouldn’t shut up about his weird adventures.
“Must I remind you who is in control here?” She heard a voice say. It came from behind the door stationed at the entrance of the dungeon.
Her body stiffened and she forced her burning eyes to look at the door. The doorknob turned so sharply that it could’ve snapped off if the opener wasn’t careful. She flinched at the sound it made and turned away.
“Well, Eleanor. I take it that’s not your real name?” The king asked, looking into her cell.
She sighed, “Yes… your majesty.” She muttered.
“So what is your real name?”
She didn’t speak. Didn’t even look in his direction.
“I demand you tell me what your name is, prisoner.”
“Mira.” She spat. The name echoed throughout the room.
He crossed his arms, “Mira what?”
“Mira Leslie. You’re awfully annoying.”
“Mira Leslie, huh? You have an awfully bad attitude for your name.”
She finally looked at him. She looked him in the eyes this time. He looked so different than when they were in the woods. He had on the crown she’d taken, and a long, different, cape flowed down his back.
Breaking the silence, he laughed a little, “You’re not from here, are you?”
She shook her head.
“Well, I suppose I should introduce myself then. I’m Evrin, as you know. King Evrin of Kular.”
“I think I could have figured that out for myself.” She replied.
“You like this crown, don’t you?” He asked, taking it from his head and dangling the shiny metal right infront of her eyes.
Mira clenched her teeth, she didn’t care about that stupid crown anymore. She just longed to get out of the disgusting cell she’d been burdened with. Why wouldn’t he stop asking her questions?
“I never said you couldn’t have it.” He gave her a smug look and placed the crown back onto his head.
Her eyes widened. Was he being serious? “And I never said that’s what I wanted it for.”
He shrugged, “I’ll see you tommorow, Mira.” He winked.
Evrin left with the servant who had come with him. Mira watched in disgust. What kind of mess did she get herself into?
“What was with that?” The other prisoner asked, breaking the silence.
She groaned and stood up, “Ugh, do you ever shut up?”