LOST

Chapter 2- Dream

Celestine

Cold air kept caressing the back of my neck. The smell of salty water burned through my nose. Given the breeze and the smell, I had a distinct feeling that I was near an ocean. Or a sea.

Argh!

I couldn't be sure.

I slowly started regaining my senses. I could feel rough cloth brush my sides and my face. I felt hands holding me. I heard the chatter of men. I heard a few gulls cry. But I couldn't bring myself to move or open my eyes.

 I wanted to sigh. I wasn't afraid. I was annoyed.

 Who kidnaps the Crown Princess of this sacred land? Surely some daft bimbo.

By the touch and feel of this person, it was surely a man. I was confident that I was being carried on his shoulder. He felt muscular to the touch. I figured that if he was just carrying the Crown Princess around, it was either someplace nobody could see him or it was just nighttime.

"Sir! What are you-," a gruff voice began. There were sounds of struggle and gasping and then a loud thud.

"You didn't have to kill him," an unfamiliar female voice said. So it wasn't just one person that was stupid enough to kidnap me.

"He'd talk. We can't risk it. Kythia needs this," a deep, low male voice said. It was the man carrying me. His body rumbled against mine as he spoke. And then the words kicked in. Kythia?

 Oh gods, no!

"I still don't understand why we need her," the female commented.

"We'll break her. Get information out of her," the male explained briefly.

"No way!" I protested silently.

I felt like laughing because this man had just uttered the two things that he would never get from me. He could kill me, yes. But he can't break me or get information out of me. I was very stubborn if needed.

Congratulations, weakling- you've just challenged the impossible.

The man carrying me froze.

Oh great. Did I just say that out loud? Wait. I said something! I can speak!

"Did she just speak?" the female asked. The male continued walking, hitching my body up as he climbed onto a higher surface. I could now hear the water crashing on the rocks. I knew we were boarding a boat. Or a ship.

"Yes," the man said. "The draught we gave her is supposed to wear off after a few hours."

"Oh God, how long has it been!" I exclaimed, realizing that I'd been at the palace the last time my eyes were open. The man stiffened. It seemed he didn't want me talking. Well, unfortunately for him, now that I knew what he didn't want me doing, that was exactly what I was going to do. I wanted to scream at first but my body couldn't find the strength. So I talked.

"Who the hell are you?" I snapped at the man.

Silence.

"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" I shouted just loud enough to anger the man.

He smacked the back of my upper thigh region with his hand so hard that I winced. And then I reddened with embarrassment.

"You can't touch me like that," I snapped at him sternly. "It's disgusting."

"Oh yeah? What will you do?" he challenged.

 I swore violently. His hand traced a line from my lower back and slowly reached my thigh. Shivers ran down my spine. I was still wearing my short, blue nightgown. His hand touched the skin at my thigh and slowly made its way up again. I mustered as much strength as I could in my leg and kicked him in the stomach. His hand fell away. He grunted in pain. I felt my lips forming a slow smile. I tried opening my eyes. They opened. I felt like dancing.