Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅ ◈ ⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

For each day that dragged by, Audrey grew increasingly restless. She started to pace, trying to stop the mad frenzy that was threatening to sweep over and take over her mind and body. Sometimes she just wanted to sit down and laugh at her life until she choked on her own laughter, unable to breathe anymore.

She knew her treatment was better than others. She had a screen around her privy and they had dragged a bedframe and mattress down on the first day, covered in soft blankets so she didn't have to sleep on the stone blocks that the other prisoners did.

"This is the king's mercy?" she demanded of the two men who had brought it down, but they just walked out without looking at her. "Tell him to come down and face me himself!"

In her frustration, she had kicked and torn at the mattress and slept on the bare bedframe every day since.

Sometimes she heard the faint yelling of the other prisoners, mostly prisoners of war, calling out to each other, and even the screams of people being interrogated on the torture rack further down the dungeons. Their cries were full of agony and Audrey curled up whenever she heard them, pressing her hands to her ears against the tortured, haunting sounds.

She saw Jasper walking past her cell to get to the torture room every day, blood often smeared across the knife he carried, and always shrank away. He noticed her staring on the third day and smirked at her as he walked past.

She sat in silence, trying to keep hold of her thoughts.

I will not go mad, I will not go mad, I will not go mad.

"I want to see Malena," Audrey said to the guard on duty outside.

He didn't make any sign of having heard, his face remaining impassive.

She turned away and played with her thumbs until she heard a scratch as a plate of food was slid under the cell door. She glanced over to see that, like usual, they hadn't given her a knife. When she kicked it over, the guard simply looked away.

When did my life get so messed up?

A few hours later, she woke from a nap to the sound of footsteps, some whispered words, and someone unlocking the door.

"Audrey." Ethelind stood over her, her face emotionless.

"Ethelind," Audrey replied. She reached for her metal chalice and threw it at Ethelind's head. Ethelind nimbly dodged, letting it hit the wall behind her.

"His Majesty King Landon wants to see you," Ethelind said as if nothing had happened, offering Audrey her hand.

Audrey didn't take it and stood by herself.

I will not let myself be weak or naïve. I am Audrey, daughter of King Lucian. The sole heir to the throne. My family is dead, but I won't end up like them. I won't die. I will live and have my vengeance, she told herself. The same words she had repeated in her mind ever since she had been put in the cell.

"Come on," Ethelind said, gesturing for Audrey to follow her.

"Dungeon duty now?" Audrey asked, unable to resist the urge to prod at her pride. "What happened to being the king's adviser? Does Landon have no respect for you?" She smiled coldly. "How low you've fallen."

She was satisfied when she saw a flash of anger in Ethelind's expression.

"Come on," she repeated stiffly.

Audrey obliged, following Ethelind out past the other prisoners, some pressed against their bars to watch her. She rubbed her eyes as they left the dungeons, squinting against the bright light outside. The dungeons were located at the end of a long corridor with stone walls covered in silk tapestries and portraits, windows and busts set at regular intervals between them. They walked in silence, passing the noisy clamour and heat of the kitchens, and turned into the Main Hall where the grand staircase loomed to their left, illuminated by the stained glass above.