"Hey, shut up."
A voice from a couple cells over coldly exclaimed"
Linettes scoffed, "you ought to watch your damned tongue, i'll cut it off myself if I have to"
Linette said back with no hesitation.
"We're gonna die anyway, who the hell do you think you are?!"
The voice yelled while banging on the cell door.
I am Linette Rosendway from the Rosendway duchy, as soon as I get out of here I will put you in your place, you impudent criminal!"
Linette yelled back with a great sense of pride.
The voice laughed, like they let go of all the anger they just had. "That crazy bastard Linette? I've heard of you, it was only a matter of time until you ended up here."
Linette sat up "I'll kill you as soon as I get out of here, just you wait, the crown prince will come for me." she angrily exclaimed. Linette couldn't see who this person was, or know who they were, but she felt a great sense of anger towards them.
"You'll be a fool blind with rage till the end. You're drowning in your own conceit."
The voice coldly said.
"What kind of nonsense are you daring to utter right now? I'll have you beheaded for saying such things to a daughter of the Rosendway duchy!"
Linette said with great annoyance.
The voice chuckled
"Don't you realize? Being down here in this prison only leads to one thing. Death."
Linette was filled with confusion and dread.
"I'm going to die and you will too. No ones coming to save you, once you are locked in this prison the only way out is when you finally get executed."
It was like a hole was ripped into Linette's stomach. Deep down she knew that the prisoner was not lying, she started to understand there was only one outcome to this situation.
...
After that not one word was exchanged between the two.
Linette sat there for what felt like ages in the silent dark jail cell. The smell of the rusted iron bars and dampness filling the air. The only way she could confirm if time had passed was when a guard would occasionally walk by and either put someone in a cell or take someone out of it.
At first the prideful Linette was angered that she would have to endure being held in the same place as filthy commoner criminals.
But after some reflection she eventually came to realize that no one regarded her as any better than scum. After so long she just didn't have the energy to be angry. She had started to fully understand that her death was most likely inevitable. being angered over sharing the same air as lawless peasants was something not even worth regarding.
After hours and hours, it was as if time had stopped existing, no thoughts were able to occupy her mind, everytime she blinked she could not tell if time had passed or not.
The sound of heels tapping on the cement ground grew louder before they finally stopped right in front of her. But, Linette had no desire to even consider who was behind those sounds, she stayed still just as she had been doing for what seemed to be the past millennia.
That was when a sweet voice whispered to her
"Linette."
The voice seemed so close to her, she got goosebumps.
She looked up to see a familiar blonde woman standing proudly in front of her with a gentle smile.
"Mother" she whispered.
She got up and walked to the bars of the cell
She desperately reached out her hand to the figure in front of her
"Cursed child, your miserable existence will only bring suffering wherever you go"
Her mother said, this time it felt as if she was speaking directly in her mind.
Her mother then walked away, leaving no trace. As she walked away Linette couldn't help but remember everything, the pain of losing her pinky, the shock of seeing her mother take her life right in front of her. Everything felt so fresh and in her mind as if she was experiencing it all over again, and again, like an endless cycle.
"Linette!"
She snapped out of her trance and apathetically looked up.
It was Vance Exetor.
"Linette, you have been through so much, you don't deserve to be treated like this, i'll get you out of here!" he said passionately, his deep brown eyes seemed as if they were about to burst into tears at any moment.
She said nothing and just stared at him with her cold eyes that were being pulled down with dark circles.
She sighed.
Her dry and cracked lips parted and she finally broke her silence.
"You won't, you wont get me out, I the dukes only daughter will die a dog's death"
At this point she didn't even know if she was talking to a real person or just a figment of her imagination left to do as it pleased.
"No! I won't let you die a pitiful and prideless death, Linette I will find a way to get you out of here." Vance said, as he inspected Linette's horrible state and twinged at the sight of it.
Linette lacked the energy to even look at him and just stayed silent until he eventually left after his heart couldn't bear to see her in such a sad state anymore.
A little while later he came back with a plate of food and a pitcher of water.
He passed it over to her through the bars.
"Linette, my heart aches so much for you."
... she didn't respond
"I cant believe anyone would neglect you and let you get to this state" he said with great worry
... There was a moment of silence.
"Linette, I love you, I had loved you since you were a child, I feel as if I was born to follow you and revel in your glory." his deep brown eyes were starting to fill with passion.
She finally looked up at him.
"I won't just sit here and watch as you get treated with such disrespect, I'll find a way to save you."
She had known his feelings for her for a while at this point, but this time it was different, he was the only feeling of warmth she had experienced in this cold dark prison for days.
Without a word Linette stood up from the ground, it was the first time she moved in what felt like ages, she walked over to Vance, pushed her hands through the rusted iron bars and caressed his face without saying a single word unsure of what was reality. Her eyes which had seemingly lost all of their life stared into his. Vance put his hand over hers, they were large and quite warm contrary to their surroundings. She had wondered how the weak young boy she grew up with became so grown up. As her pale lips moved into the slightest of smiles. This warmth, this feeling she now could confirm that this was in fact another person.
This connection between the two of them only lasted for a few moments before they were interrupted by her brothers Arden and Leopold.
Arden, her older brother of 5 years, broke the silence.
"Your foolishness knows no bounds Linette." he sternly said.
Vance dismissed himself upon the arrival of her brothers, and walked off after promisingly gazing at Linette.
Her heart was filled with great discontent for her recent visitors.
She looked to Arden, who was visibly filled with discontent, towards his sister.
Then she looked to Leopold, her older brother by 2 years. Instead of looking discontent with Linette, he looked upset to be standing in a place so unbefitting of him.
"Linette, I'm here to say goodbye to you. You're not my sister, you're just a person who lived under the same roof as me for 17 years."
Linette closed her eyes and tried to tune out her brother.
"My final act of mercy is just letting you see my face one more time. You cursed my face, you ruined the family's reputation, and finally you tried to kill the woman I love. I could never consider such a wretched being like your family."
... Linette said nothing and kept her eyes closed.
"Tsk! She's too dumb to even respond huh."
He mumbled to himself as his footsteps started to fade away.
There was a moment of silence before Leopold started to speak.
"Perhaps I considered you my sister at one point." he said with little emotion
"But I love Eloise too much to even begin to forgive what you have done."
He then began to walk away.
Again it felt as if the whole world was filled with silence.