The King's Claim

n i n e - prisoners ✔️

I'm not hurting a love faerie.

I'm not hurting a love faerie.

I'm not hurting a love faerie.

There has to be an alternative. I scroll through Chapter 12 of 'The Anatomy And Behaviour Of A Love Faerie' trying to find any way to make one cry without inflicting pain.

'Love Faeries are famous for their natural inclination to love and be loved. Their kind are foreign to the feelings of greed and anger that plague other creatures. However, they aren't unfamiliar to feelings of sadness and pain, as these emotions require a level of empathy that all faeries possess. However, despite having a strong ability to empathise, love faeries are rarely ever sighted as being anything other than happy and sociable. To witness a love faerie in pain or dejected, let alone crying, is an abominable sight and indicative of an evil force at play.'

There's definitely an evil force at play right now, I think to myself. Perhaps I could just be honest with the love faerie and beg them to spare me a tear, explain my situation and the consequences of not meeting the deadline.

Pray that their empathy really is as big as this book claims.

I grab my coat, knowing the cells will be freezing. I grab my scarf and gloves too, I'll need them once I'm down there.

It's quite a journey down, with multiple floors of security. The first line of defence is a heavily guarded silver gate; with at least 10 guards on duty at any given time.

I walk up to the gate and am immediately questioned.

"Name."

"Belle Maddox." I manage to stutter out, intimidated by the sheer size of the men around me.

The guard turns away from me and speaks into his wrist watch.

"Belle Maddox."

A automated voice responds back.

"Belle Maddox, Occupation: Head Chemist. Position #10374, Rank 3 Personelle."

"State Your Business, Miss Maddox."

"I'm here on Beta Marcus' orders."

He makes a call, suddenly looking equally as nervous as me.

"Beta Marcus. Yes sir. Good Evening. Bella Maddox sir, Yes sir, Understood sir. Thank you sir."  The guards demeanor suddenly became very serious and stoic.

"I shall let the lower floors know about your visit. You will need this." I get handed bracelet with markings on the side.

"It will give you total clearance of the bottom floor." The guard then moves to the side and allows me to walk past.

My legs shake as I descend the stairs, the atmosphere becomes increasily more terrifying the further down I go. The staircase material changes from steel and concrete to complete silver.

Once I get to the second to last floor, I can sense the aura of all the prisoners locked down here and it's enough to make me physically sick.

The place is flocked with guards but somehow eerily silent. They stare, already informed about my visit yet still curious why. Why would Beta Marcus send a young girl to the most dangerous part of the castle. Honestly, I don't know what lie he came up with but it must have been convincing.

I walk past the guards and towards the metal barriers.

"IDENTIFICATION." blares from the speakers. I press my bracelet against the screen and it scans my wrist.

"APPROVED." I let out a sigh of relief.

I hear noises from behind the barriers, most likely the defences being brought down before the doors can open. I wait minutes before the doors finally open.

I don't know exactly what I expected, but it wasn't this.

Pristine white cells.

Not a stain in sight, prisoners in white clothing; able to see me through the glass. Yet not one reacts to my presence.

They look so...broken.

"I thought these were the worst of the worst? the most dangerous prisoners we house?" I ask the guard behind me.

"Yes ma'am."

"Then why do they look like that?" I look at the cells around me, clear glass yet not one dare looks me in the eye.

"The system we have in place ensures they are no longer a threat to anyone, including themselves miss." The guard answers.

What the hell did they do to them? I feel sick at the sight before me.

I was expecting broken bones not broken spirits.

"Can't go in with you miss, Beta Marcus' orders." I nod in understanding and walk further into the hallway.

The prisoners are displayed like exhibition pieces; I feel extreme paranoia being here alone. After 10 minutes of mindless walking - trying to find the right cell - my bracelet begins beeping. I press on it.

"Belle." It was Beta Marcus.

"Beta Ma-" I am cut off.

"Before you start jabbering away, which I know you will be, this is a prerecorded message. You are at the right location so that means the cell is directly to your left -"

Sure enough, I look to my left and see a white room that was completely empty if not for a small body barely the size of my hand crouched up in the corner.

"That's our little love faerie, Ara. She's also my little secret -" He chuckles to himself dryly, "She won't bite but go into the cell at your own risk, I told you to equip yourself well for the task, I hope you listened." Considering I have nothing on me, I clearly didn't. "Do what you must, no one will find out about this you have my word, just try not to kill the sweet thing, it'll be a hassle getting another one." My bracelet beeps again, indicating the end of the voice message.

I go up to the screen in front of her cell and press my bracelet against it, not knowing exactly what it'll do. Suddenly; the room fills with gas and Ara begins panicking as the yellow odor consumes the room before becoming motionless, clearly an effect of the gas. A doorway forms from the glass, granting me entrance into the cell.

I choke out a sob, horrified at what I just witnessed.