Prisoner To the King

Why Must It Be Her?

He turns to me, smiling wickedly. "I have a special present for you, Mare."

I glare at him in return, and despite the pit growing in my stomach I force my self to turn away so I don't look at him. A childish move, I know, but its the best I can do given my situation. He looks at me darkly before nodding at my guards.

"Enjoy." He sneers and the Arvens thrust me into a room.

For a moment I think I am blind. Everything is white, white walls, white doors, white ceiling. It hurts my eyes, the dazzling sight painful. The room is huge, at least that's what I think. I can't tell how high or low the ceiling is either. Because of the lack of color, my depth perception is slightly off.

The guard waiting for me puts a chain on my ankle to prevent me from moving more than two feet. For some reason I know that this will come off, and it won't be a good thing.

The door in front of me opens suddenly and I jump, startled. A young girl struggles in a sentinel's arms, a woven bag over her head. Her cries are muffled as she is thrown to the ground. Who is she? Why was she brought in here? What is going on?

As questions fill my head the top portion of the wall slides away to reveal glass. It is far above me, out of my reach by about ten feet. Behind it sits restless silvers, hunger in their eyes. I shift uncomfortably. Glancing to the tallest seat, I see it is a far distance away from the others. Maven sits next to Evangeline, their hands intertwined. The small looks of disgust both written on their faces show me it is just for show, and I smile. If I am unhappy in my situation at least they are too.

Maven stands up and walks to the microphone, staring out at his subjects coldly.

"Citizens of Norta," He begins. "You have been selected to witness the punishment of Mare Barrow, but unlike those that will watch it on screen, you have been given the opportunity to see it live. We have five minutes until the cameras start to record, for now you may talk amongst yourselves."

The silvers in the stands above begin to talk in excited, hushed voices that are muffled slightly by the glass. While they talk happily, I think about how many different possibilities I can be tortured. A banshee could burst my eardrums and make my eyes bleed, while a nymph could push water into my lungs and make me drown.

A shiver passes through me and I sit down, preserving the small amount of energy I have for the fight to come. I look around when Maven catches my eye. We stare at each other, waiting for one or the other to back down. Eventually he turns away, whispering to Evangeline. She frowns but doesn't say anything, looking straight ahead.

Turning my attention to the girl, I take note of her struggling figure. She looks slightly taller than me, but not as wide. The girl has little to no muscles, but nice curves. She has tried to get away multiple times, and eventually the guards hold her up by her arms. She screams and kicks but it does nothing to help her situation. I can tell the guards are getting frustrated, the one on the right even smacking the back of her head. Her shrieks are muffled from the bag and I try to make out what she says to no avail.

Why is she here anyway? Am I supposed to fight her? My gut tells me no, which for some reason scares me even more. What if it's someone I know? I've mostly behaved so he has no reason to hurt or kidnap them, he promised. Then again, when has he ever kept his word?

I scoot up to the wall and lean back, closing my eyes. My wrists burn from the constant shifting and moving, and I am glad I put a bandage on it. To go along with that discomfort, my cheek is badly bruised, my back aches, and my stomach threatens to spill once more. The Arvens's silence still suffocates me from their place outside the doors, however it's not as biting as before. I can't use my lightning, but I can breathe more easily.

Before I know it five minutes have passed and the camera above beeps. I haven't noticed before, but there are multiple ones surrounding the room. Some are pointing at me while the others point at the girl. The main camera stares at Maven as he begins speaking.

He starts with the usual, addressing my criminal acts, the punishments, and showing Norta that he controls me. What comes afterwards triggers my attention.

"The filthy Red has shown her resilience and feistiness," The Silvers in the stand hiss and mutter. "But how long can she fight after being weakened, while also defending a pathetic red girl?"

I want to scream and throw everything within reach. I want to cry at the unfairness of the world. I want to sleep forever, to sleep away all the pain of Mare, Mareena, and the Little Lightning Girl. Maven knows my weak spot, he knows I will sacrifice everything to save an innocent life.

Immediately after the remarks, the guard on my side releases my chain. She leaves without a glance, the door shutting behind her softly. I rub my ankle, the skin around it tender. At the same time, the guards surrounding the girl let go of her arms and leave quickly. She struggles for a second before ripping the bag off.

Tangled, silky red curls frame her beautiful, terrified face. My heart stops.

Why must Maven Calorie hurt me?

Gisa's stares up at me, tears spilling from her eyes as she sobs. At the same time we run to each other, crying into each other's arms.

"Gisa!" I whisper, stroking her hair. What has happened to mom and dad, Bree and Tramy? Were they caught too? Fear squeezes my heart and I gasp for breath. Maven captured her. He promised that if I behaved he wouldn't hurt them.

When has he ever kept his promise?

My stomach sinks as I realize that Maven has complete control over me. Hurt and anger burns my eyes as we both cry.

"Mare," she cries. "Please don't let me die."

Her words struck deep in my heart and I freeze. In the back of my head a suspicious feeling calls to me but I push it away. I needed to focus on the situation happening, I needed to get her out alive.

I force myself to stop crying and get up as a cold voice rang out.

"People of Norta, the punishment will now begin."

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A/N: Hey guys sorry about the wait I've been binging another story in this fandom and my head hurts :/ Please review! I know its not the longest but its the best I can do with a throbbing head. Sorry if it sucks   :(