Lost Royalty

Chapter 18

Elle was quickly distracted from her thoughts by the entrance of a young women. When the door was opened Elle could see that it wasn't as late as she thought.

The women walked over to Elle.

"Ah, good, you're awake." She threw a piece of stale bread in Elle's direction. "Eat up, the boss wants to see you," she spat, glaring at Elle.

Elle quickly ate the bread, not wanting to be punished. The woman was small and thin. Her hair was untamed and her dress ripped. But instead of making her look poor, it made her look beastly.

The lady waited until Elle had finished the small dinner, and then she left the hut. Elle could hear the lock being clicked into place, and then footsteps leaving.

Looking round the hut, Elle could tell that no one lived there. The walls were damp. There as a small mat to one side where Elle had woken up on. On the opposite side was a table and a chair.

Elle was confused at wat she was doing here. Why would her Pa send her away knowing that she would be treated so badly? Surely under the strict and unkind mask her Pa really loved her?

But that could not be. No loving father would send his daughter to a horrible place to be locked up and cruelly treated.

Elle began to cry. It was quiet at first, the small whimpers echoing across the walls. But soon Elle's body was shaking with sobs.

Only when she heard footsteps approaching did Elle calm down slightly.

The door clicked open and in walked the woman from before, Zelroth, and another man.

The new man had a neatly shaven beard, and black hair. His eyes were dark as well, almost a black colour.

"Well, finally you have come to me," the man said, smirking down at her. He pulled over the chair from the table and sat on it, looking down at where she was sitting on the floor.

"They were right, you are a beauty." The man continued. He reached down at Elle, who was still quietly sobbing, and stroked her cheek.

"Why are you crying, my dear?" he asked. When Elle didn't answer he angrily repeated himself. "I said, why are you crying?"

Elle didn't answer, so he grabbed her hair and pulled it roughly.

"You will answer me!" he yelled, jumping up. The chair fell to the floor behind him. He kicked it away in fury.

Elle was really frightened now.

She opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.

"You'll have to talk to me at some point. Your parents won't want you back mute!"

Elle was confused, and scrunched her eyebrows together. What was he talking about?

"Ah, you didn't know that, did you?" he continued. "Yes, you're parents. They have been looking for you ever since you went missing, nine years ago."

He turned to leave, the women and Zelroth closely following. When the door was closed Elle was plunged into darkness once more.

What did he mean, 'her parents'? Her mother was dead, and she had been for nine years now. And her Pa couldn't have been lying to her.

But the man had said that she had been gone from her parents for nine years. That was when her mother had died. Could it really be that she had been living with her kidnapper for that long?

She wanted so badly to believe it. She might somewhere have a loving mother and father who missed her. She could have lived a happy life with them, but instead she was forced to live with an evil man who had bad intentions.

It was too late to do anything now. If she had known before she would have run away to find them. But now she couldn't escape, and she would never have the life that she wanted. And they would never have their daughter back.

The thoughts brought a flood of new tears to Elle's eyes. She wept for what she had lost and the life that she would never know.

The door opened again, but Elle had been so stuck in her own thoughts that she didn't even realise that anyone was coming.

It was a younger women this time, who had dirty blonde hair that was pulled into a messy bun. She came up to Elle and knelt down beside her.

"You should stop crying," she said looking pityingly at Elle. Elle just looked back at her, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

"I won't hurt you," she continued. "I'm not like the others."

Elle nodded her head. This lady was nothing like the others.

"My name is Rose," she said, with a gentle smile.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a rag that was soaked in water. She handed it to Elle and gesture for her to drink the water from it.

"I would have brought you more, but this is all I could sneak out of the house. Oh, and I have another bread role!"

Elle took the bread from the lady and scoffed it down, frightened that it would be taken away. It was much fresher than the bread she was given earlier, and tasted much more delightlful.

"I'm sorry that I can't do anything else for you. There is so much more that I wish I could do, especially considering who you are. If they catch me they will hurt me. You can't tell them anything." She said, her eyes filled with worry.

"Thank you," Elle sincerely replied. It was the first time she had spoken. "What did you mean when you said 'considering who you are'?"

"Oh, they haven't told you. It's almost easier for you if you don't know. Just know that you are someone very important. Your family have been searching for a long time." Her smile was a gentle, almost pitying sight.

There was a noise from outside, and Rose jumped.

"I've got to go! You can't tell them what I have said! And if I were you, I'd keep quiet around them."

"Thank you, Rose" Elle said, smiling sadly.

The door began to open, and Rose jumped up from the ground next to Elle.

"Rose, I didn't know you were meant to check on her." Zelroth said, staring at Rose with narrow eyes.

"We can't very well have our prisoner dying!" Rose smirked at the man.

"I suppose you are right," Zelroth replied, sending Rose a smile.

Rose sent a small, almost unnoticeable smile of apology at Elle, and walked towards the door. Elle didn't miss Zelroth's lustful gaze as he watched her leave.

"You better sleep for the night."

He followed Rose out and shut the door behind him. Elle was plunged into darkness, and the last thing she heard was the lock being clicked into place.