"Anything that you cannot sacrifice pins you. Makes you predictable, makes you weak."

Mark Lawrence

Chapter 1:

When she came to she found a guard staring down at her, a disgusted expression on his face. She tried to blink a few times but it seemed that all her energy was gone. She tried flexing her fingers and the man laughed maliciously. "Sorry warlock. Can't use your magic now." He pointed his finger to where her hands and legs were cuffed. She murmured something but he could not hear it due to the rope covering her lips. She tasted blood on her tongue. The man bent down to meet her stormy eyes. "It's a shame y'know. You're a pretty one." He placed his hand on her cheek and she jerked away, fixing him with a dark glare. He merely chuckled and threw her a piece of bread that fell away from her reach. The cell door shut with a loud click and Tessa was left with only her thoughts.

She tried to pull at the cuffs but they were much stronger than her small body. The more she tugged at the metal the more it hurt her hands. Her breathing became labored. There was no way out. She glanced up in slight hopes of finding a window but was left with no luck. The room was too dark and she could not hear anything but silence on the other side. Tears sprung from her eyes. No, she would not cry. There was always hope, right? She screamed once. Then twice. No one came. She never cried because she always thought there was a way. Now she could not escape and the air around her was becoming thick. Her brown hair stuck to her forehead and neck with sweat. She was no longer wearing her cloak but a nightgown spotted with dry blood.

What could they do to her? What were their intentions? With one last desperate try, Tessa reached her fingers for the bread. It lay inches away from her grasp. With a grunt she gave up, knowing that the guard had launched the food there on purpose. She screeched yet again and thrashed her body in frustration. The rope around her mouth slipped down her neck. "Please! Let me out!" She screamed, her voice shrill and not at all like her usual strong tone.

With an impassive expression on her pale face, Tessa stared down at her bleeding hands and felt her eyelids flutter shut.

[XXXXX]

"Father." The young man stated, bowing before staring upwards at the throne. The older man nodded, his fingers tracing the gold on his ceremonial chair. His dark eyes met his son's.

"We have caught her. She put up a strong fight from what I can tell. Now we must get the information, William." William quirked an eyebrow at the words.

"Shall we use the whips-"

His father cut him off with a quick wave of his hand. "No. I want you to speak to her. She already knows my seeking of her. She does not know of you. I want to know more about her power. Her past."

William waved a strand of his hair away from his forehead. "What makes you believe she will trust me? Of all people, father, you know I am in no need of communicating with others."

King Edmund chuckled his streak of grey hair shaking slightly. "Go, my son. I most certainly trust you to complete my duties." He rose back to his feet as a guard hurried to accompany him. The older man whispered something to him and turned back to William. "I must take my leave. Speak to me of the progress when the sun sets." With that, the king strode off, his silver cape floating in the air behind him.

William gritted his teeth and released an impatient breath. Padding down the hall to the underground stairwell, he was met with a military knight. "I do not need assistance. Leave." He said harshly, pushing passed the middle aged man. Narrowing his eyes, he found the room off the corner of the rest of the cells, placed only for the most dangerous of criminals. Grabbing ahold of the key, William pushed it into the hole and watched as the door swung open to reveal a space of pure darkness. Scowling, he tugged at the torch from the hall and stepped inside.

What he saw took him by surprise. It was wa young woman, much like him. She was petite and slender, her body crouched at an odd angle. Her brown hair was plastered on her skin and she only wore a gown that reached just below her knees. Her hands were bleeding, he could tell. Her cheeks were bruised and dark purple. What could be so dangerous about her? "What do you want?" He heard her ask weakly, as if there was nothing she could actually say but that. Her eyelids opened slowly to reveal glistening grey orbs.

William bent to meet her gaze. "You seem to be well off." He said, deciding to ignore her question. He studied her as she tried to straighten up and then winced in pain.

"You never answered my...my question." She whispered, her head tipping back to stare at the ceiling. He pondered what the guards and his father had done to her. She appeared to be so weak. So frail.

"Do I have to?" William responded, biting his bottom lip.

She fixed her gaze on him then to the ground as if she found nothing interesting about him. Her head remained inclined downwards and William was ready to ask what she was doing when he saw drops of liquid fall to the the cement flooring. His blue eyes widened. She was crying.

"Please..." He heard her urge. "Please, let me go. I swear- I swear I'll leave. I need my brother." She whispered to herself, her shoulders trembling.

William sucked in a breath. Was his father this cruel? Then again, he was the same. Rising to his feet, he stared down at her figure once more. "There is no way out. Cry all you want but nothing will change." She instantly glanced up and he met her tear stained face.

"I hope you rot in hell. You and your damn father. You are all monsters." She uttered, her voice now strong and filled with an intense hatred. William did not answer and simply let the cell close behind him ready to tell the king of their great conversation. At least she spoke. He decided he would ask his father what he wanted from the girl in the morning. His mind was reeling for answers.

[a/n]: Thanks for reading! Please review so that I can continue. Longer chapters will be ahead. Please feel free to read my other stories.