Daughter of Night

Mary

Mary's POV

So, there I was. The place I never thought I would end up. However, being chained to a wall must have been somewhat relaxing, eh? Well, you'd be mistaken! It's horrible. I was conscious while the guards were bringing me down there, but I wish I hadn't been. In sleep the whole process would have been more dignified instead of all the prisoners knowing I was brought down here while I was still awake and aware of my surroundings. It was embarrassing! While being chained up I took a deep breath, which happened to be a huge mistake considering the whiff of rotting bodies mixed with bodily wastes that molested my nostrils. I resisted the overwhelming urge to gag. I had been chained up for about four hours before I heard footsteps and voices getting closer and closer to my cell. One of those voices was Daniel.

Terrific.

The other voice I didn't recognize, so I assumed it was one of the guards. And just my luck, they stopped at my cell door, unlocked it, and stepped inside. I slowly raised my head and looked at Daniel, then at the guard.

"Does he have to be here?" I asked making sure he could hear just how done I was with this whole thing.

"He's here for my own protection." His voice was almost monotone.

"I'm chained to a wall, what could I possibly do to you?" He stared at me for a moment and I nodded at his guard silently telling Daniel to let his guard leave.

"If you could excuse us for a moment, Gerald?" The guard just nodded and walked out of the cell and down the hallway.

"You've messed with my life enough," I said once I knew the guard was gone. "What could you possibly want now?"

"I want to say how sorry I am..." I rolled my eyes and scoffed, "that I never came back for you..." I could feel my smirk melting away and being replaced with a cold hard expression to match how I felt inside.

"You should never say things you don't mean, you know."

"But I do mean it-"

"Oh, really?!" I cut him off loudly. "And you figured now was the time to tell me?" I shook the chains on my wrists for emphasis. Everything got silent and I took a deep breath. "Is that why you came down here? To reopen old wounds?" He shifted uncomfortably and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"My official line of duty was to tell you that the princess requires an audience with you." I wasn't expecting him to add the "ess".

"Excuse me?" My eyebrows were raised so high it felt as if they were going to fly off my head.

"Um, yes..." Daniel said, clearly not understanding my shock. "The prince's sister, Anastasia wishes to see you." I blinked hard twice. What the hell could the princess have to say to me? I didn't have any interest in her life, she didn't have any in mine. Or so I thought.

"Well, what if I choose not to see her highness?" I asked trying to fake a bow as best I could with restricted limbs.

"You don't have a choice." I huffed and slumped over, being held up only by my chains while Daniel called his little guard friend to unchain me and escort me to the princess's rooms. So Gerald (the guard), unlocked me and made me walk beside him in more chains like a dog on a leash. It took longer then I had anticipated to walk to the princess's rooms and the silence between us was killing me.

"So...long day?" I asked, taking his run down attire as an excuse to start a dialogue.

His only response was a grunt.

"Yeah, me too..." I added after a moment or two of waiting for him to add on to his grunt. "Getting knocked unconscious and arrested can really take it out of you huh?"