Into the Centaur World (COMPLETE)

Chapter 13

I flinched when the guards' hold on my arms tightened -- the dungeons. The thought of it made me want to struggle, but I knew it would be pointless.

"You said notebooks," the king said quickly before the guards took me away

"The-the letrik who has been traveling with me knows where to find them," I whispered, momentarily fighting the guard's pull.

"Ma!" Teddy ran in and hugged my leg.

I looked at the guards before giving a slight pull. To my surprise, they let go. I knelt down and hugged him. "Teddy." I hugged him. I kissed the top of his head.

"Ma."

"I have to go."

He looked up.

"But look, it's Dada."

Teddy turned.

The king's head jerked a little. His eyes slid to me, then Teddy. He slowly knelt down. "Hey, buddy."

Teddy looked at me. "Dada?"

I nodded as I fought back my tears. "Yes, it's dada. You want to play with dada?"

His head bobbed up and down.

I smiled and kissed the top of his head. "The-then go play. Mommy's going to take a nap. Okay?"

Teddy nodded and gave me a small peck on the cheek.

My heart throbbed. I didn't know if I would be allowed to see him again.

Teddy and his outgoing self ran over to the king, ready to get to know this stranger.

I covered my mouth as tears formed. "Goodbye, Teddy," I whispered before following the guards out. With my face out of sight from Teddy, tears began rolling down my cheeks.

The guards led me downstairs to the dungeons.

I found myself in a separate room, four walls and the door made of bars. There was a beat up bed, a toilet with a curtain, and a filthy sink. I plopped on the bed and curled into a ball and began to cry softly.

*~*~*~*~*

A while later, the door opened.

I sat up to see the female guard. I wipe away my tears. "Yes?"

"We captured the letrik-"

I jumped to my feet. "You didn't hurt him-"

"Perhaps a few bruises at most, but he was fixed on avoiding us until he retrieved a bag. You will be present so long as you agree to be quiet. There will be punishment if you refuse to obey."

"He has nothing to do with this-"

"He protected you," she snapped.

"A centaur ripped Teddy out of my arms-"

"Because you wore the necklace of our queen!" Her voice echoed down the hall.

I looked away and hugged an arm to my side. "She gave it to me," I whispered.

"Hm. Let's go." She took my arm and led me down the hall.

After we exited the cells, she transformed into a unicorn.

I flinched and hugged myself. "Why-why is it so crowded down there?"

"It's squishy, so it's harder for there to be a surge of prisoners to get out."

"Surely there are downsides to that."

"Yes, but it's not like we made this castle. And it would be quite difficult to change it," she said. "Stay beside me."