Oriana forced her eyes open after passing out from the cold. The dungeon held no light besides a few flickering oil lamps in the halls. She could see a water bucket in the corner of the cell. Crawling over to it, she dipped her hand inside, trying desperately to make sure there were no creatures in her palm before she took a drink. The water was ice-cold and stagnant. The frigid temperature of the water turned her hand red, but it didn't matter. Oriana felt hopeless and lost down there in the dungeon.
Her kingdom had no way of finding out where she was. Perhaps, after a thorough investigation, they might be able to find out that it was Winter Haven who was behind the attack. Though it could take weeks, if not months, during that time, Tyir could easily twist her personality into something completely different. She could be unmade by his psionic mages. She did not even want to think about what he planned to do to her body during that time.
All Oriana could do was settle herself against the cold wall where she'd been sitting before. Curling up into a tiny ball once more, she shivered as the temperature became colder. She could see her puffs of air in the dim light. Closing her eyes, Oriana could only think of Donovan. The thought of having a family with him and growing old with him. It was those kinds of thoughts that kept her going. She didn't care if it meant never having a king. Being an unmarried queen was worth it if it meant she could have Donovan by her side. Oriana knew that if she was to make it through this, she would have to hold onto those thoughts. She believed with all her might that she would be able to go back to living her life with Donovan.
Oriana's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a door creaking open and the heavy sounds of footsteps at the top of the stairs. A sense of dread told her that Tyir had returned, just as he'd threatened. From the sound of multiple boots on the stone steps, it was clear that Tyir had brought more people with him this time. He returned with the psionic mages he had mentioned. In a matter of moments, the prince came into view before the iron bars. Two men stood on either side of him. Both of them were rather fair skinned. What stood out was that the one to the left had inky black hair, while the one on the right had a long, thin red beard.
"Good morning, my love. How was your sleep?" Tyir teased, a playful smile on the prince's face.
Oriana forced herself to look at the prince. She was clearly exhausted and cold. Her hatred for Tyir and a desperate need to escape fueled her. The poor princess was shivering so much that it was hard to even talk.
"Terribly, there are far too many rats." A rat had crawled under her cape last night to use her warmth. Though she really meant Tyir when she spoke of rats,
Tyir didn't seem to catch what she was saying. "You know, the Psionic mages told me not to feed you. They told me that when they start to play with your head, you may throw up. How about this? If you give me a little kiss, I will let you have breakfast. Then we can save the Psionic mages for another time. My love."
The princess, however, did not have the strength in her legs to even stand. She struggled to get up, but the burning sensation in her legs said they'd fallen asleep long before, and she ended up in an ungraceful heap on the stone floor. Her head swam, and her vision started to go dark once more.
"Very funny, Oriana, that was not convincing," but his words started to falter. He opened the bars to the cell and approached cautiously. He was wary of a surprise attack, but he could feel how icy her skin was as he touched her face. It had been extremely cold down there.
"One of you get over here and start the process!" Since she wasn't able to fight back, he figured it was a good opportunity.
"It won't work, sire," the psionic mage said as he examined Oriana's weak state. "She is in a terrible state; if I root around in her mind, she will die after only a moment."
"Damn it! Get me a white mage then!" he growled.
While one went up to fetch a white mage, he motioned for the other mage to follow him. Scooping Oriana up himself, the prince carried her from the cold, icy cell just down the corridor. Coming into the other cell, he set her down against the wall. The temperature was at least twenty degrees warmer in that room. It wasn't the best improvement, but she wouldn't perish from the cold.
Leaning her against the wall, he would chain her wrists to the floor with long chains. That way, she could move but couldn't leave. He didn't trust that Oriana wouldn't do something to try and escape after the white mage came. It didn't take long for the mage to come, and he would get the princess's body temperature back up and check on her vitals. He quietly spoke to the prince before leaving the room.
After a moment, the princess woke up and carefully sat up. Oriana took notice of the chains before returning her gaze to those cold blue eyes.
"I believe you owe me a kiss, my sweet," he said as he got closer to her.
"For what?" she questioned.
"For sparing your life, of course, and providing you with all these accommodations."
Her eyebrows rose. "So let me get this right. For kidnapping me, nearly causing me to freeze to death, and then chaining me up, you want a kiss?"
"You forgot the part about how I saved your life," Tyir pointed out.
"You're right; how could I forget such a thing?" Oriana replied. "So, for everything you've done, you deserve the best I could possibly give you."
Closing his eyes in anticipation, Tyir was greeted with a nasty surprise, as Oriana had spat right into the prince's face. His expression quickly contorted in anger as he wiped the spit from his face. The veins on his forehead became visible as his whole face turned red. Tyir gripped her by the shoulders so hard that it left bruises and tore the sleeves of her dress in the process.
He fell onto his butt when Oriana kicked him in the stomach. "I never said you could touch me! I am not giving you permission!" Oriana snarled as she gave the prince a death glare. At her words, it looked like Tyir was about to blow a vein in his forehead.
"I can touch you anytime I want!! You are my prisoner!"
One of the mages put his hand on Tyir's shoulder. "Relax, my lord; she's just trying to get under your skin; once we finish her first treatment, her mind will be so exhausted that she won't be able to move; then you can do whatever you want to her, and she won't be able to stop you," the mage explained to Tyir.
He pulled himself up and dusted himself off. "So be it... Turn her into a mindless bitch. At this point, we don't have a choice. Especially if this is the way she is going to act!" Tyir replied before backing away from the feisty princess, who had attempted to kick him again.
"You really are disgusting, Tyir! If you really loved me, then you would never even think about doing this to me!" Oriana huffed.
"I did love you, Oriana, but I can't love the person you've become. So, I will have them turn you into someone I can love again. I am sorry it had to be this way, but I won't let you destroy my future." Tyir replied.
With the prince out of the way, both of the psionic mages got closer. Seeing them coming at her, fear began to creep up the princess's spine. She scrambled away from them as far as she could. "Better stay back! I know magic now!"
"Your courtmage taught a tiny little human like you magic, huh? I doubt that. You must think we are idiots!" one of the mages asked, laughing at the thought. The psionic mage to the right of her got to work as his eyes began to glow white. Oriana felt her body moving of its own accord and being forced to her feet. Her rigid body moved a few feet as the chains shook from her stiff movements.
"Oh yeah, that magic is helping you out." the other mage teased as he walked up behind her.
Panicked, the princess tried one last desperate attempt to stop them. "Please! Please don't do this!" Oriana begged as her eyes were filled with horror. However, Tyir looked away at the sight.
"Just get it over with," the prince demanded.
"Yes, my lord, this will take about four hours. Ignore the screaming and yelling," the mage behind Oriana said.
The mage behind her pressed his fingers to the side of Oriana's head. She tried to move her head, but it seemed the other mage was using their telekinesis to hold her body in place. The mage's finger began to glow an iridescent white while magic swirled about her head. The magic vibrated against the side of Oriana's skull, causing her vision to blur.
"First, let's start off by getting rid of your memories of that courtmage," the psionic mage said.
"No! No please...please!! I don't want to forget him!" Oriana cried as the tears rushed down her cheek as she felt the psionic magic enter her mind.
It felt like blades were being shot right into her brain. Oriana screamed out in pain as it became immeasurable. Her irises had started to turn white as the magic began to flow through her. The psionic mage was connecting his mind with hers in order not only to make her forget Donovan but also to change the way she thought and acted. Tyir just closed his eyes, trying to block out the sound of Oriana screaming.
Her cries created a haunting echo down the dungeons' long hallways. The fear of forgetting the man she loved and all those sweet memories began to creep up her spine. She was about to lose them. It felt like they were beginning to seep through her fingers. Suddenly, the necklace on her began to glow a bright orange. From the center orb of the necklace, a barrier sprung out, wrapping Oriana in its protective embrace. The huge blast of magic rocketed both mages back away from her. The mage that was behind her was thrown up against the back wall, which knocked him out cold, while the other slammed up against the iron bars.
"What is this?" Tyir shouted, quickly turning his head to see what was going on.
Oriana collapsed to the ground while she breathed heavily, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to see if her memories were still there. Smiling, she could remember every moment with Donovan. The psionic mage, who had been slammed against the bars earlier, began to panic. Using his magic, the mage lifted the unconscious man up into the air. With that, they both left the cell in a hurry without saying a word. Tyir quickly shut the cell door to lock the princess in as he stared at her in disbelief. Oriana just tried to catch her breath as she dealt with her massive headache.
She pushed herself up slowly and sat against the wall. She had no strength in her legs and her irises were slowly returning to their green hue. "I...I told you... I knew... magic," Oriana heaved, just hoping to keep them away from her for as long as possible while she fought the urge to throw up the water she had drank not that long ago.
A voice came out of the necklace—the voice of a sweet woman. "Oh! I think it is working!"
Donovan's voice could be heard quickly after, "Okay, sis, where is she?"
The mysterious woman paused for a moment before saying, "Hmm. It looks like she's in Winter Haven at Gungir Castle. In the capital city of Nivis. And... Oh my! The communication spell is on too!"
"TURN IT OFF!! BUT KEEP THE BARRIER ON!"
The female started to giggle at the outburst. "Is my little brother starting to get all embarrassed with his crush hearing him?"
"Shut up, Sis!" While the voices went away, the barrier remained around Oriana. The necklace had reacted to her desperation. Yet her heart was filled with relief.
"Donovan." It was fun to hear his voice through the necklace, and she wondered if he too could hear her. It brought her so much relief and joy.
After all was said and done, Tyir could hardly believe it. "What the hell was that? You can use magic?! I didn't know the Barough family practiced sorcery!"
"I told you I could!" Oriana huffed while she glared at him. "Stay away from me, Tyir!" she told him. "Or I'll blow you to bits!" Tyir didn't know if Oriana was bluffing or not. Either way, it wasn't worth the chance.
"Blow me to bits, huh? Is that how this is going to be? Well, then, I better get some mages of my own. Even if you do have magic, it is surely low level magic. There is nothing a group of expert-ranked mages cannot handle. They will fix this up, then my psionic mages will wipe that man from your memory," he replied to her threats.
He couldn't get to her with the barrier. Even if he found some way to do it and tried to remove her necklace, he was going to be in for a nasty surprise. She didn't care if something bad happened to him. It would be one less bastard in Lanoria.
"I will! I'll blow you up! You're going to get what's coming to you!" she snarled at him. Maybe she could make him think she had powers. It seemed that Donovan had figured out where she was. Maybe she could hold out long enough for Donovan to arrive.
"Nothing is going to happen to me, Princess. Even if your mage knows where you are, all he can do is come here to die. I will personally show you his head."
"You won't ever get the chance! Perhaps he'll cleave your arm from you and slap you with it! Your kingdom will be nothing but rubble once he has learned what you've done!"
As she threatened him again, Tyir laughed. "You're nothing but a child, a mere puppet for your people. Soon, I will be the one pulling your strings. You're a joke, and you will be nothing but my whore." She ignored him, not caring if he called her terrible names. "I will be back soon, my love," Tyir said as he walked out of the dungeon.
It would be another agonizing hour before Tyir came back with another mage. "Here she is," the prince said. The mage seemed to have a different demeanor. Looking over the barrier around Oriana.
"It looks like the thing around her neck is a relic, imbued with powerful magic at that. I doubt an archmage is capable of making such a thing, let alone getting his hands on one. It's possible it was an heirloom," the mage said. After a moment, Oriana recognized who was talking. It was Winter Haven's courtmage, Ragnir.
She had only met him on a few occasions when she was younger. Ragnir sighed and looked at the prince before saying, "Regardless, we need to be careful. I sense more magic is in there, though I can't gauge how much. Anyway, you mentioned a communication spell and that they know she is here, correct?"
"Yes, that is why my father has begun to prepare for an attack from Barough. Either way, if they don't find her here, we can just say they assaulted us under false pretenses. It's not like Barough is strong enough to take us down. Even if they could, it would take over a week to form an army with their allies and march them to our kingdom. By then, Frostfall and the Black Palace would be here to aid us."
"Good point, my lord." Ragnir paused, looking over the barrier once more, before continuing. "I need to gather a few others to help me break the barrier. We will have to be careful. Too much force, and we could kill or permanently damage the princess. It will be a slow process. Not to mention, we have to look out for other relics or magic the princess may be hiding."
Oriana piped up, "You're wasting your time! It's never going to work!" The two ignored her words. They were just talking among each other, like Oriana wasn't there.
"Alright, get who you need. Once we break the barrier, we can remove the necklace." Tyir said as the duo left the dungeon once again.
Oriana rubbed her sore, aching head with her fingers, trying to nurse the horrible migraine she had. To add to it all, Oriana could feel her stomach rumbling but knew she would not get food from Tyir.
Taking the time, she ran through her memories with Donovan. She realized there was a good chance she would lose some of her memories. For now, Oriana wanted to cherish them. To cherish every wonderful memory and even the horrible times she had with Donovan. The feel of his touch, the sound of his voice, and even the warmth of his body, remembering all of it. She hoped that the tighter she held on to them, the harder it would be for those mages to take them from her. Oriana would be able to enjoy her memories for a few hours. That time had passed by all too quickly, as she could hear the door to the dungeon stairs swing open. Coming down the stairs with Tyir and Ragnir were three other mages.
"Alright, Ragnir, make sure you do not injure her. I don't want my queen to have scars on her body. I don't need a damaged trophy. Only a damaged mind." The mage nodded before going into the cell with all the other three mages.
"Come on, princess, it's time." Ragnir ordered her.
"Stay away from me, you bastard!" Oriana tried to sound brave from the spot on the dungeon wall, but she was too tired to move. Out of the mage's hands, they shot small, continuous beams of magic at the barrier. The beams were laser thin, to ensure safety.
Ragnir grunted as the barrier held strong "It's a high-level barrier. Very high, maybe a master level barrier. This is going to take a while. We could be here all day."
Tyir nodded and said, "Do what you have to do, take your time. I want Oriana intact and unharmed."
Oriana could hear the searing sounds of the four small beams of magic up against the barrier. Closing her eyes, Oriana just tried to tune it out.
The beams of magic were frightening, as she had no idea what sort of strength the barrier had. It could last all day or only a mere moment. Every second that ticked away only frightened her more. The magic cast shadows on each of the mages. She was forced to keep her eyes closed most of the time to avoid the bright lights dancing off the barriers. All the while, she continued to pray, begging the gods to let the barrier last until Donovan could get to her. It only had to last until then. She prayed that they would listen. She didn't want to forget Donovan. She didn't want to be forced to love someone she clearly didn't.
Hours passed by, long hours, with only the sound of the magic against the barrier grating in her ears, coupled with the pounding headache from earlier. Occasionally, Tyir would ask the mages how much longer. Time was rolling by, playing tricks on her exhausted mind. It felt like it had been more than a day already since those mages began to tear away at the barrier. Black circles lined the princess's eyes as she slumped onto the floor in exhaustion. Tyir had a chair brought down into the dungeon for him to nap while he waited for the barrier to break.
After a full day and part of the night, Ragnir's voice echoed through the dungeon. "Almost there!"
Ragnir's voice awoke Tyir, who would let out a tired yawn. "Are you sure??" Tyir asked as he began to rub his eyes. Deep cracks raced all over the barrier. Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest. She knew she had only moments before the psionic mages would begin to assault her mind.