Chapter Three: All Drown The King

Draco awoke in a pitch black room. He groaned as he arose to his feet, shivering a bit. He had been stripped of his shirt and pants leaving him soling in his underwear. It felt like it had to be below freezing in this room. Draco stuck out his hands and took a couple of steeps forward.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice was back and Draco stopped.

"Who are you?" He yelled into this darkness.

"That isn't important." The voice laughed. "Now, for your game."

"Game? Listen, mate, I am not playing any games. I have to get home..." Draco explained, not going into any more detail. He had Danaca to worry about, but that was the last thing he wanted this creep to know about.

"To protect Danaca?" The voice asked, laughing his cruel laugh again.

"Daddy!" A little voice shouted into the dark room, making Draco lunge forward. He bit back the urge to say anything. She sounded terrified and, if that was her, the last thing Draco wanted to do was for her to hear him just as scared. It was just best if he didn't say anything.

"If you get out of this mansion alive you can have her back. Please hurry, though, I don't think these piranhas are going to wait forever."

An image was cast through the dark onto one of the walls. Draco watched in horror as he saw him little girl chained up above a giant tank with the evil fish jumping, trying to get to her.

"The chain lowers a little bit every hour you are here." The voice informed him. "When you die she drops."

"Just let her go... she hasn't done anything to you!" Draco yelled.

"Her father has though. And now, this is her burden as well..." The voice sighed, sounding a bit bored. "You are waisting her time with all this talking. Come find me and you will find her. It is as simple as that... Are you ready to play the game?"

"What game?" Draco shook his head. "Whatever... lets go!"

With that the candles flickered on throughout the room; revealing four concrete walls. In the middle of the room was a giant hole in the floor.

"Walk over to the middle of the room." Instructed the voice and Draco did what he was told, no comments.

When Draco got there he looked down, seeing it was a giant pit of water.

"For your game..." The voice began. "If you will look across the pit you will find a small chest that is locked. The key is at the bottom of this pit."

"So I just have to swim down and retrieve the key?" Draco asked, sounding a little bit cocky.

"Not so fast..." The voice stopped him. "Once you are in the water a cage will come out of one wall and go all the way around pit."

Draco looked and saw the hole where he assumed that would happen.

"Then a few servants of mine are going to come out and lock the cage in four places, leaving the locks dangling in the cage. These keys are also at the bottom. You have no idea which key is which, that is for you to figure out."

"Can we start now?"

"I am not done! Learn your manners!" Yelled the voice, sounding like he was getting annoyed. "This game will get harder and harder as much time as you take. The water is constantly rising, so if you take took long you will no longer be able to come back up for air... and at the bottom of this cage there are sharks caged up. That cage will be released and the sharks will be let out. You have an hour and a half before this happens." The voice finished. "Draco Malfoy, please jump into the cage. Your time starts now."

Draco didn't even have a second to think before jumping into the water. The air was nearly sucked out of him, the water was so cold. If felt like a thousand pins and needles were poking him all over. Small shallow breaths were all he could manage. He had no idea how he was gonna be able to dive in this.

The cage shut immediately after this. He heard a door open and was guessing that was the servants. Draco didn't have time to worry about that. Draco took as deep of a breath as he could and dove down into the insanely cold water.

Draco could barley move, so this made swimming very hard. His own body made him feel like he was trying to swim through a mass of lard, through Draco knew this was only water. He let himself float back up to the top, taking a breath. He hadn't even gotten close to the bottom.

"Tick Tick Tick, Mr. Malfoy." The voice echoed. The locks had now been placed, Draco could see them clearly.

"Help me!" He heard his daughter's voice echo the room once more. Draco took in a deeper breath and dove again. He had to do this. It wasn't just for his own life, but for hers as well. She couldn't die because of him... not like her mother.

This time was no easier, but Draco fought harder. Pushing himself with all he had. If felt like he had been swimming forever when he finally reached the bottom.

And here I thought this was going to be the easy part. He throught to himself as he looked at the five rings floating on strings. Draco blew out some bubbles, knowing he couldnt hold his breath much longer.

He began untieing the keys. He got two undone before he had to return to the surface. Draco immediately noticed that the water had risen. He barley had enough room to stick his head up to breath.

He tried each key in every lock and thankfully two of the locks came off.

"Thirty five minutes left." The voice rang through the room.

Draco dove back down without a second thought. He had gotten as used to the water as he figured he was ever going to get. This made it somewhat easier to move through it.

He reached the bottom a bit faster than last time, but he was still struggling to hold his breath. He knew he had to get all the keys this time. He didn't have time to come back down.

He frantically began to untie knots. The first two weren't a problem, but as Draco started on the last one he was a bit slow. His chest was hurting, he knew he couldn't do this much longer.

After a bit with struggling with it, it finally came lose. Draco lunged up, swimming as fast as he could to the top.

About mid way Draco could feel his body start to slow down. He pushed on, making his way to the top. He couldn't stop now. He couldn't die now. He wouldn't. He would not let her die.

When he finally reached the top he was devastated to see that the water had filled over the cage, making it where he couldn't get air. Draco blew out bubbles again, going to the first lock, putting in ever key he could. When it unlocked he went to the next doing the same thing, trying to go as fast as he could. He blew out the last bit of air he had. The first key didn't work so it had to be the next. Draco started to black out, knowing the end was near.

"Daddy..." His daughter voice rang in his head. He couldn't die. He knew he couldn't die. Especially not when he was this close.

"Half a minute." The voice rang as Draco unlocked the last lock. The cage flew open, pushing Draco up to the surface. Draco gasped for air, coughing. He hurried to the edge and got out of the water.

He flung himself onto the cold concrete coughing up a mixture between water and blood. He was in more pain than he had ever been in his life at that very moment.

I am still going to die, aren't I? His voice echoed inside his head. After all that...

Draco felt something metal in his head and realized he still had the last key. He looked over at the box above him. He didn't have the strength to move.

Draco knew he had to. He couldn't just lay there and die. Not after all that.

He pushed himself up and stumbled over to the chest, unlocking in. Draco found it empty though, but heard a loud click from behind him.

"Game complete." The voice said, but not another word. Draco smiled as he turned around and opened up the door.