"Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
William Goldman
Tessa tried to move her aching feet but they were still tightly shackled. The cracked cement ground was stained with dried blood and the remnants of pieces of bread she could not reach. Of course, Jem visited. Though not often since if he was caught helping the enemy, he would be slaughtered, then and there. He was sweet and pure hearted. Perhaps it was because he was a servant. The poor were usually always the kindest. He brought clothes for her but they had to be dirty in a way, ripped on a spot so the guards would suspect nothing. She felt better than the first day but she wondered if she would ever be able to walk again. It had been weeks. She did not remember daylight. Her heart ached for adventuring. For walking on soft earth.
She released a soft breath, her chest rising slowly. She heard the sound of footsteps coming near her and tried to sit upright out of respect for Jem. The metal door slammed open with a metallic creak and Tessa tried for a small smile of greeting. But it was not Jem. It was the prince. Her skin prickled and she shrunk back reluctantly. He appeared as magestic and magnificent as ever. His long tendrils of black hair wavy across his head. Piercing blue eyes that searched the room and landed on hers. She did not look away. She would not give him the satisfaction. "What do you want?" Her voice was surprisingly cold.
He wore armor as if ready for battle. A long black cape followed his tall body. When he reached her, he bent to his knees so that their faces met in height. "You are quite mouthy for someone in prison, warlock." The way he uttered warlock made her pull away from him. The sound of her metal shackles echoed. He wasn't smiling but there was something dancing in his eyes. Something heavy and distant.
"You will not kill me. That I know for certain." Her voice shook and she sucked in a breath to steady the beats of her heart. A silent moment passed and then he sat. Her eyes grew wide and she thought of all the possible things he might want from her. All of them were terrifying.
"That is true. Your kind of filth deserve other forms of punishment." The statement made her veins want to burst. Her blood to boil.
Before she could bite her damn tongue, she spoke harshly back, "If I am filth then you must be a disgrace to God. You are blinded by riches and by the sight of blood. Hell, you are your own kind. You do not know your father. He is the most vile man in all the kingdoms. No one is pure in this world. That servant stands taller in my eyes than you will ever." Her small hands were fisted and her knuckles a vivid white.
William searched her face. He did not appear angry and she felt hopeless at once. She wanted him riled up. Even if he struck her, at least he would show something. "I am no disgrace to God, I can assure you that." His voice was shockingly quiet. Thoughtful. "Perhaps we do not choose the paths that take us here." He rose to his feet suddenly. The abrupt movement caused her to jump slightly. The air was cold again. Tighter.
Before he could start to walk, he turned back to her. "Jem will always be held higher than me. Even I know that." The door slammed behind him, the sound rich and oddly silent.
Tessa stared at her hands. She wondered about him. He spoke of Jem like royalty but he was just a servant while he was a mighty prince. Her eyebrows furrowed and she tried to make sense of it all but her mind was blank and the only thing she could possibly think of were striking sapphire eyes.
xx
She woke when she felt sharp pain on her side. She cried out and groggily lifted her eyelids only catch a glimpse of a knight's foot in the air. She scrambled away from him but another foul kick followed, this time on her thigh. Her eye vision blurred slowly and heard the man's heavy laughter, thick with cruelty. "You're lucky the king needs you or else I would have used you as a whore, you filthy scum on earth."
He pushed her upwards. Her body stung. Blood dripped against her lips, hot and dark. She could not stand. She didn't think she knew how to. The knight launched her like a rag doll, not caring that her ankle was twisted or the fact that her stomach bled where he had opened up a fresh wound. She stayed silent even as he carried her up the long stairwell and into a brightly lit platform where dozens of soldiers stood, spears and swords in their arms. It took a while for her grey eyes to register the amount of light in the room. The man holding her released her roughly to the ground without caution or warning and muffled a shout as more blood fell from her thin gown. Fear clawed at her chest and she crawled quickly into a kneeling position finally seeing the king standing several feet away, a small army of about eight standing around him.
What was going on? She glanced across the grand halls and saw that all the windows and doorways were covered with knights, the steel of their weapons illuminating. She felt weak. Tessa clutched at the wound on her side and knew that her fingers would come out crimson if she pulled away. Kind Edmund looked as cowardly as ever. He stared at her and his broad smile was displayed to all who had eyes. "It is a pleasure to have such a mistake of God in our castle." Tentative laughs were heard soon after. She did not dare to say anything. They had numbers and she could not think of using her powers now when she did not have strength.
Her eyes wandered to a corner where she saw Jem. He stared at her. His orbs were wide. He shook his head a tiny bit, barely noticeable. Don't try anything. The message was clear. She looked away, afraid someone would notice their silent conversation.
"She is quite a beauty, is she not? She could be mistaken for a wench." This time, the chuckles and giggles of women were heard. Tessa winced. Her head was throbbing. "Bring her here. I wish to see the warlock up close." She didn't move. A few men stepped forward and grabbed her body roughly. One of them placed his hand purposely on her wound. She screamed. She could not hold it.
She fell to the ground, her hands centimeters away from the king's feet. "I would like to try an experiment on our little dear. Something my team and I have been working on for what seems like centuries." A few smiled at that. "This dagger." Silence swept the area like the flame of a candle. It was not an ordinary dagger. It was golden with drawings etched on the hilt. It gleamed from every direction. "It will be able to torture and to slowly drain the powers of warlocks until they are empty. Without a soul. Hollow." The tension in the room grew louder and Tessa realized what was going on. She pushed herself away but her arms were held by two men and her legs by a heavily armed dark man. She shouted. "Let me go!" Her voice was hoarse and the crowd watched in amusement as the dagger drew nearer to her body.
The king did the honors. Her body was trembling, her chest heaving. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks. Nobody could hear her. Everyone laughed. An electric shock struck her body when the dagger cut just below her breasts. She cried out in pain and tried to wrench away from the knights but their holds were like iron. Then everything went black.
xx
She woke in her cell, shackled like before. Her body was drained. The dagger had done its job. Her gown fell down her shoulders revealing deep scars and wet blood still seeping through her thin cloth. Her lips were parched. She wanted something to drink. Her head felt cloudy like someone had laid a punch to it.
Tessa didn't even notice the door opening. She didn't look up. She already felt weak. Death was much easier than enduring this pain. "Here." A cup of water was set against her lips and she wasted no time to drink. It was Jem. He was watching her with beautifully hooded eyes. He fed her pieces of hot bread and some leftover chicken that was to be thrown after the royal feast. "Tessa?"
She didn't speak. She glanced upwards, the light in her eyes was dull. "You must grow strong. I am trying-trying anything possible to help you escape but it is nearly impossible. The royals take pride in you like a valuable item." His voice was angrily bitter.
Tessa nodded. And then the door creaked open again. This time, the prince. She did not fear his presence this time but only worried about what would happen to Jem. Jem gracefully stood though his face was tightly drawn. "William. What are you doing here?"
The obsidian haired man nodded his head towards her. "Making certain she is alive. Father's orders."
"Well, no worries then. I've provided for her. You may attend your business, Will." There was something in Jem's voice she could not decipher. The prince must have noticed it too because his eyebrows raised slowly.
"I have no business to attend to, dear friend." And he continued to stand in the cell as if challenging the means of the mere servant. Tessa remained silent. Jem returned to her side, ignoring the royal who stood beside him. He had a wet cloth in his hand. Dipping it further into a small bucket on warm water, he leaned closer to her and place the towel upon her forehead.
She breathed out a soft sigh. He wiped the blood from her face. Tessa shut her eyes letting his warmth fill her. His silver hair fell across his forehead as he worked in concentration. "Tessa?"
She lifted her eyelids. She was ready to slumber. Instead her orbs met the prince's. He was watching her with strong focus. Looking to the servant, she ignored the powerful gaze on her. "The wound. Let me at it. I may be able to help with the blood."
She tucked her hair behind her ears. Then nodded feverishly. She could not see well now. Perhaps she was dying. It was about time. Jem, as reluctant as ever, lifted her gown to her side. His cheeks were pink but his eyes worried. "Will? Hand me that ointment in the corner." And to Tessa's surprise, the prince listened. He handed his friend the small container.
"Tessa. It'll sting. I cannot assure you that it will not hurt." He bent so close to her, his skin touched her bare arms. She held in her breath and waited long enough to feel an excruciating puncture on her side. She leaned forward suddenly in pain. It felt like poison. She gritted her teeth and she started to sob. Not just from the damn wound but from being locked like a dog. She would never see her friends. Her family. She would die a stranger, in strange lands.
Jem's hands pulled away from her. She listened to the skidding of steps but didn't open her eyes. Her hair tumbled across her wet face. She couldn't even breathe. Tessa remembered Magnus and wondered if he still thought of her. Or perhaps he was finding a means for her to escape or save his hind parts. It was sad to know that her powers would be gone soon. That she would remain ordinary. Empty. With no recollection of her life.
When she lifted her head, she realized Jem was gone. She couldn't even wipe her face. Her hands were still restrained. The bucket of water, now cold, was still there. Perhaps he had given up on her. She was a lost cause anyway. "He was called to by the king. He will be back." To her shock, the prince still stood in the corner of the tiny room, his eyes strikingly resolute.
"What are you doing here? You said you needed to check upon me. Well. Here I am. Healthy, near dying in fact. Tell your beloved father he can torture me tomorrow again to his pleasure." Her eyes were red-rimmed and her lips a full crimson.
He looked dashing in all black attire but she was reminded that he had the same stature as his father. He flicked strands of his hair away from his eyes. "Do you know the story of Lady Benevolence?" His voice was so soft she almost hesitated to answer.
"What of it?"
He settled himself across from her, his back leaning against the ruddy wall behind him. "Do you know the true ending or the one everyone seems to tell?"
Tessa narrowed her eyes. "There is one ending. What do you speak of?"
William stared at her. "Lady Benevolence was a kind woman. Respected by all. Beautiful with long hair like silk and lips so full, it was a wonder why she spoke so little." Tessa noticed that he was playing with something in his hand as he spoke. His tone was that of a storyteller. "She had enemies, of course. Women who envied her appearance and the lust men had when they laid their eyes on her. Men wanted her as a wife or a whore. One day, she sought out to visit her family, miles away from where she was residing. She was not thinking that day. A message had come from her older brother. Her dear mother was dying. Love blinding her, Lady Benevolence rode without someone to guide her. Villagers urged her to take someone with her. She did not listen. Stubborn woman she was. She galloped away crying as she did so for she did not want to lose her mother. Along the way, she passed a forest."
"The night was dark and the wolves howled. She found herself surrounded by bandits. They stole her virginity, made her a wench by force. Stole her belongings. Her horse. From that moment on, she grew cold. No more kindness was laced in her voice. Yet, she continued on her journey. Days passed and she entered a small house. A man opened the door along with his wife. They let her in. She rested there, quiet but concerned for her family. What she was not aware of, was that the husband and wife were part of a group that resented her home village. She did not recognize them but they knew her. They tortured her slowly. Ruined her lovely features. Lady Benevolence was no longer beautiful. She left the home scarred."
"She finally reached her family. She knocked upon the small cottage. Her body ached from traveling and her eyes were tired from crying. The door swung open and her older brother answered. He didn't recognize her. Her face had changed, her attitude towards life had transformed. He didn't let her in. The lady begged him. Cried out to him. She was estranged by her family. From then on, she was gone. No one ever caught a glimpse of her again."
Tessa watched him intently. "It is most devastating to die in foreign lands."
William lifted his fingers and tugged at a strand of his hair. "No, there is something even worse than that."
She raised her eyebrows. It was almost a whisper. "And what is that, beloved prince?" Her words were bitter.
"To live as a lost soul. Always searching, never finding." He rose and bent to face her, his breath stirring her hair. His eyes were glued to hers. Blue and never ending.
Then he left.
