Sacred - A Karl Jacobs AU Story

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑂𝑛𝑒

༻𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑊𝑎𝑟༺

The concrete was cold. A chilling draft was coming from somewhere. She turned over, but it didn't help. The draft kept hitting her exposed skin. Her frail arms dotted with goose bumps. Rubbing her hands over the skin didn't help, for her hands were as cold as the ground beneath her shivering body. A flicker of flame tickled the wall opposite her cell, but the restricting bars prevented her from getting close enough to feel its heat. Besides, the metal of the bars was colder than anything in the room. Pressing against them only increased her discomfort.

She shuffled further back against the wall, pulling her quivering knees close to her core, pulling whatever strands of her dress-now reduced to rags-she could over her exposed skin. The dress would've covered her legs well, had it not been torn. Now it was a mess, wet and cold from the elements of the outside, and providing little to no protection for her form. The only sliver of warmth was from the tears that slid down her fair cheeks, before they too turned icy on her face, and she shakily rubbed them away.

The events of a mere hour before replayed repeatedly in her mind. The shots echoed in her ears, and the terror still coursed through her body. She had simply been enjoying the company of her mother and father in their petite little home, relieved to for once not hear the ring of battle in the distant night, planning what fun it would be if she and Ma were to spend the next day at the little coffee shop. They had finally gathered enough coin to buy themselves a hot coffee, and had been thinking of going while Pa was at work. Ma even mentioned teaching her some new hobby she'd picked up. It was a wonderful evening.

Or so it had been. That was, until a shout of alarm came from the outside. Oh how panicked the poor lad had sounded. Pa had gone to investigate the reason for his warning, but he hadn't even the chance to open the door before multiple shots rang out at once, and the screams filled the peaceful night. Many a bullet flew through the air, and many a poor soul had fallen. There were so many men, oh so many, their weapons raised and voices alight with the thrill of battle. Only it was no fair battle. The soldiers had attacked an innocent town in the night, believing it was a show of their power and proof the victory would be theirs. It was unprovoked, and utterly inhumane. But they hadn't a care, firing on many a terrified innocent. Pa had ushered her and Ma away, to the back door, urging them to flee for the tall grass behind the town. But the soldiers bore down on the homes, all of them. She had only heard a shot, ever so close by, and the cry of Ma before she made it out the door. She didn't make it far, however, for the soldiers had found her, and bound her hands and legs. Of course she had struggled, but she earned nothing more than a torn and tattered dress for her efforts. Then the soldiers took her away, back to their empire's strong hold and down to the dungeons.

The soldiers hadn't even any dragons with them. As if believing they were powerful enough without the beasts. She didn't even know if Ma and Pa were alive. Her hands shook at the thought that Ma's cry was the last she'd heard of her. Her tears came more fiercely, and her quiet sobs echoed pitifully around the dungeon. There was only one other prisoner, two cells down, and they were ever still, only the faint hush of their breath telling her they were alive.

The guards at the entrance to the dungeons had asked for her name, likely to keep track of their prisoners. Daeva, she had told them, however it was rather peculiar to hear it aloud. Her family had called her Dae for her entire life. The only times she'd heard the title in full was when she'd have a tantrum as a child, and she got in trouble. Telling it to the guards only futher added to the reality and horror of her situation, and the thought of it forced another sob to escape her mouth. It had only been an hour, but she felt as if she'd been trapped here for an eternity, forever locked within the freezing confines of the dungeon.