Chapter 13: In the Depths

Song Connection: "Unchained Lullaby"

Whether in Enchancia or Exchancia, at least most of the people aboveground were relatively comfortable and afforded opportunities to lead enriching and fulfilling lives. However, in the underbelly of the Exchancian castle in the dungeon, many people were held for various crimes: stealing, treason, attempted kidnapping or murder, and all of these were punishable by death under Ember's rule. Of course, some were more understandable than others, but she was harsh with her punishment, whether deserved or not. But even innocent people weren't safe from her wrath.

In the case of Seamus and Sariya, for example, they'd been in the dungeon for months now, coming up on a year, simply because they fell in love and married against Ember's regulations. Why? Seamus was a noble-turned-commoner, and Sariya was a commoner-turned-noble, and by legal definition, they were incompatible. Forbidden love. Never mind the age gap between them, because even that wasn't uncommon in most kingdoms during this time, but the class difference was what destroyed their lives when they should have been living happily ever after in a secluded village with each other, starting a family together.

Well, technically… They had actually started a family—just not in the way they'd intended. After their marriage, their consummation of their union had resulted in Sariya becoming pregnant. Of course, they hadn't known that when Ember had sentenced them to the dungeon, but it had become very obvious over the months in their cell. The morning sickness had almost killed her because of how violently it had come on, but she'd pushed through the first trimester and found some relief in the second.

The biggest problem with being pregnant while imprisoned was the lack of care and attention she needed not just for herself, but for the unborn child she shared with Seamus. The guards didn't seem to care, telling her she shouldn't have become pregnant with an 'illegitimate child' in the first place. Even though she and Seamus were married, by Ember's law, it was like their union didn't even exist. Invalid, unacceptable, worthless…

"Here," Seamus whispered, covering his wife with a large yet filthy blanket, wrapping it securely around her when he saw her shivering. During their time in the dungeon, Seamus looked worse for wear. His naturally thin frame was even thinner now, and some of his facial features had slightly sunken in due to lack of proper dietary supplements and sunshine. Any leftover food he had (which was a good majority, due to his concern for the girl beside him) had gone to Sariya. He knew it was a matter of his life or their baby's, and if it came to choosing, he was going to pick the child. While he had once kept his face cleanly shaven, it was impossible to do so down here, and he'd felt sprouts of tiny hairs coating his chin and part of his jawline, causing uncomfortable itching since he wasn't used to it. Yet, he ignored it most of the time, especially since his focus was on Sariya and their baby.

Sariya might have been about seven months pregnant, but it almost seemed impossible to tell up until a few weeks ago. She very clearly had a rounder belly than normal now, but the former princess (she'd dismissed the title after Ember's harsh punishment and her mother's and stepfather's exile) was terrified of what would happen to the baby. When the guards did feed them, it was often inedible mush that seemed to have been left out in the sun too long. Were it just her, she would have preferred to survive on willpower alone than eat the disgusting substance. Who knew what it even was? It could have been ground up rats, for all they knew. But with a baby to support, she often pinched her nose to avoid the foul taste and championed through the painful process of eating. Never had she imagined food would be so horrible…

Currently, her long hair was tied into a makeshift bun, but the infrequent baths and lack of access to water had left her normally clean and healthy locks feeling greasy and brittle, and she'd even had clumps of it fall out in her hands when she had attempted to detangle it. Not wanting to subject herself to more of this mental torture (and physical torture, because tangles had always been a weakness for her), she'd given up trying and resolved herself to just cutting it all off and starting over when or if she could. It was better than trying to hold onto something that clearly wasn't healthy anymore—much like her title or her connection to the raging queen above.

The couple shared many similar issues right now: their skin was ashen and littered with random scars and wounds (both old and fresh), their clothing was tattered or completely shredded in some places, their eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep (it was not wise to sleep too long in these dark places, they'd discovered early on…), and they were clearly malnourished from lack of care. The guards had left a chamber pot for personal relief, which they'd had to share, though they sometimes forgot to pick it up, which was a whole different level of foulness. However, thankfully, that wasn't the case today.

They also knew that a bath was coming tomorrow, so at least they would be able to scrub themselves free of the dirt and grime that seemed to forever be caked onto their broken, bruised, damaged, pale skin. Granted, it had been two weeks since their last bath, and Seamus was worried about possible infection for Sariya and the baby. Still, they clung to hope that it would happen. The bath was Jaime's doing, and Sariya was grateful. She'd overheard him a few months ago making a deal with the guards, paying them a significant amount to ensure that his 'sister and brother-in-law' be treated to good water and soap. To say she was shocked would be a bit of an understatement. She cared about Jaime and always had, since he'd always been kind to her, but hearing him call Seamus his brother-in-law had been unexpected, and she'd nearly shed some tears. Jaime was, in general, not a bad person. He'd been influenced heavily by Ember, and he'd done many terrible things after his fall to the dark magic binding, but his heart was still good, if not buried deep within him right now. Sariya sincerely hoped he'd be able to bounce back from everything and be the Jaime she knew, but if he stayed under Ember's thumb with the way she was now, there wasn't much hope for either of them… Or for her and Seamus, and their unborn child…

"I know this isn't how we saw things happening, Seamus," Sariya told her husband, her voice sounding a bit weak from not speaking for a while. "A dungeon instead of a home… A cell instead of a bedroom…" She moved a bit, her chained ankles and wrists feeling tight as the links clattered against each other and the rough floor. "But I'm hopeful that somehow, things will change for us… I have no right to be that hopeful, especially with Ember ruling the way she is, but I believe that we'll be out of this darkness one day. And we can start our lives with our little one and be happy again."

Seamus adjusted his chains and managed to wrap his arms around her, leaning on her shoulder. "As odd as it sounds, Sariya, I'm happy. At least I'm with you."

She smiled softly, reaching up to touch his face, scratching through his mild facial hair. "Yes… At least we're together. And someday, we'll be free from this place, out of these chains…" She used her free hand to place it on her abdomen, feeling a soft kick when she did. "And we'll live quietly together away from this place, away from Ember… We'll start everything over and never struggle like this again."

"Keep that hope alive, my darling," he whispered, taking the hand near his face and kissing each of her fingers, showing her the affection he knew she needed in this place. "It's the one thing that will keep us from succumbing to the darkness down here…"

The couple cuddled as closely as they could, now sharing the old blanket, and they took turns sleeping while the other kept an eye out for unsavory characters (animal-wise or human-wise).

Meanwhile, in the darkness from the corner of the room, Jaime stood in a hooded cloak, secretly watching Sariya and Seamus for a while. He placed one hand to his heart, an uncertain expression on his face, before turning and leaving the dungeon.

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Exchange