The flimsy paper crumpled easily in Leia's fist as she paced her room. Despite knowing now that the prince needed her for some plan of his, she kept a wary eye on the vines that climbed the walls.
Annoyance rippled through her as she carefully opened the note again, trying not to rip it while she smoothened out the wrinkles.
We leave at dusk to my brother's place for negotiations, it said.
A command. She rolled her eyes, tossing the paper on the bed before flopping onto the soft feathered mattress with a sigh. She was grateful it wasn't a cold dark cell, regardless, she still felt every bit the prisoner that she was.
That familiar feeling of rage warmed her blood. She hated someone having control over her.
He wouldn't reveal any details about his plan, only that it involved his brothers. Nowhere in his words did she see her relevance in stopping the war. She couldn't figure out all the secrecy if not to harm her in some way for the plan to work.
She kept waiting for him to come and discuss it with her but instead, he kept her locked away for days with nothing to do but stare at the rising and setting of the sun through her window. The sheets were soft in her hands as she tangled her fingers in them, letting out a frustrated grunt. This whole thing was maddening.
The true monsters in the Land of Faeries were the ones who looked most like humans, save for the pointy ears. She had personally helped villagers recover from their loss when the faeries stole from them. She had held the crying children whose parents had disappeared after a visit from a faerie. Their pain still resonated in her heart. He was the Prince of Monsters, no matter how kind he was a couple of days ago. What else could she expect from him?
"That's enough," she said, more to convince herself than anything else. She refused to lay there pitying herself.
The last time she reached for a weapon, she had been caught off guard and frantic, picking up the first thing that came to her mind. This time, she took her time, turning over every piece of furniture she could lift and crawling on her knees to look under the bed in search of something she could use, anything, to make a weapon. She sighed. There was nothing.
The shoes the brownie had brought up for her fit her feet snug as she slipped them on, and the coat was warm, though a bit bulky. Both the perfect size for her. There was absolutely no way she would let herself stay in this room to rot away any longer. If the prince wouldn't break her mind, this captivity just might.
She rattled the door handle and it was still locked. It wasn't a surprise but she still huffed to herself.
The tray of food sat beside the door, a simple meal of bread and butter. It would be so easy to take a bite. She had lasted so long without it, settling with only drinking water from the bathroom tap that was connected to her room.
Never eat the food in the Land of Faeries, the general would say in his lessons. He didn't say exactly what would happen if she did, but she didn't want to test it to find out.
She shook her head, feeling herself bubble with more frustration. The chair by the desk had been crafted with a delicate hand. Flowers swirled in the engraving of the backrest and the cushion was embroidered with a lovely tree. It was heavy to lift, at least in her weakened state, but she braced herself against the weight and ran over, slamming it into the door. The force violently rattled the chair, and she screamed as she dropped it.
Both the chair and the door remained unscathed. Her foot connected to the backrest, which only sent more pain through her. She yelped before she turned towards the window.
Desperation had its hold on her and with a flip of her finger she unlocked the latch and pushed the window outward. The wind tickled her face as she peered out, breathing in the salt air. She took a deep breath as she ran her hands along the outer wall of her room.
The wall was smoother than the outside of the throne room. Leia shrugged off the coat, deciding that it would only add more weight than she could handle. Reflexively, she took another deep breath before she swung herself out the window, gripping the vines around it.
A stifled squeak escaped her clenched mouth as she bit back a scream. Her grip faltered and she slipped down a few inches.
She gulped the air like water. Her breath became more unsteady by the second. Control your breathing, she told herself.
Slowly she took hold of a vine below her and let herself drop from what must have been the fifth story. A crushing weight slammed into her chest as her heart dropped to her feet when the vine ripped away from the wall.
Her bottom lip throbbed with pain from her attempt to suppress another scream and she tasted the salty, metallic taste of blood when the vine jerked to a stop. A woosh of air escaped her lips and she immediately sucked in another one, her hands burning from the death grip she had on the vine.
Her heart quickened tenfold as she realized she had stopped in front of a window. She peered in, only to see the prince sleeping soundly. She tested the strength of the vine beside the window before she transferred her weight onto it and scurried to the side
Leia couldn't help but to stare at the prince. The sunlight lit the room around him, highlighting the tuft of hair smattering his chest slowly moving with the motion of his peaceful breathing. His lips, usually pulled in a hard taut line or an annoying, wicked smile, was plump and slightly parted.
Her eyes traveled down his bare body. His frame was lean but without clothes, the sculpted muscles reminded her of the chiseled statues in the art gallery back home.
The hair on his lower body was a bit thicker, and her eyes drank in the picture of him in a way she knew it was forbidden for her to see as a respectable lady.
Her arms strained as she fought to hold her weight. She had no choice but to start lowering herself further. The picture of the prince so vulnerable and striking, seemingly forever imprinted in her mind.
The scent of grass and flowers engulfed her as she set foot in the garden below. It took some time to get her bearings but when she did she took off running. She almost laughed out loud with relief. It felt good to stretch her legs in a run.
Daytime was probably not the best time to try to sneak out but Leia was banking on the fact that it was probably the equivalent of their midnight, judging by the position of the sun in the sky, and everyone would hopefully be asleep.
When her boat came into view by the trunk of a towering tree, she thought she could cry. She made quick work of the knots she had tied when she first arrived and mustered up as much strength as she could to push it into the water.
It bobbed on the gentle waves. She ran to the boat, not caring for her slippers anymore, the water sloshing around her feet.
Before her fingers could brush against the hull, a force slammed into her body and she crumpled to the ground, the waves rushing towards her. "No," she said, rising to her feet.
Her lips trembled as she reached out an unsteady hand, only for it to be met with an invisible wall. "NO!" She screamed, any shred of hope dissolving like the foam of the crashing wave as it settled into the sand on the shore.
"Stupid! Stupid! STUPID!" She sank to the ground crying and hitting the transparent wall, her dress mingling with the sand and water. "What have I done?" She whispered to herself. She was trapped. Forever a prisoner.
Curling into herself, she laid in the water, allowing it to caress her face. She felt her hope leach from her with each pull of the current.
"Little human, do not cry
There are to be worlds created
More paths you must try"
The song rang through Leia's ears.
"Walk south and do not stray
A deal I will make
A small price you must pay"
Leia sat up groggily as the song repeated itself. She searched for the owner of the beautiful voice that echoed through her head.
In the distant sea she could see the most attractive maiden she had ever laid eyes on standing on the water. Her long green hair danced with the wind and although the waves rose to her thighs, her long dress stayed dry, except for a spot by her waist.
Leia's eyes glassed over as she allowed the song to fill her with its peace. It was such a wonderful feeling, she never wanted it to fade. She turned towards the castle, her dress dripping as her slippers crunched across the sand.
It wasn't hard to find where to go, she simply followed the song, walking southwards.
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Author's Note
Hope you enjoy it! Don't forget to vote, comment and share with your friends if you did!
Thank you all for your support! It means the world to me and pushes me to keep writing.
With Love,
Miriam <3
(6,178 words minus the author's notes)