Ashes of Revenge

Chapter 32: Pieces of the Past - Part 1

Elizabeth's dirty, bloody hand twitched at her side, her fingers scraping the once elegant, rich fabric of her dress. Invisible tears coated her eyes, too hydrated to actually cry, as she laid on the ground staring at a blur across from her.

The blur finally came into focus, revealing it to be her mum; her dead eyes were staring back at her. She had died days ago, and the smell was more than unbearable. And what the rats had done. . . .

The sound of a door opening echoed throughout the room, and shortly after, she saw two pairs of feet enter her view. She closed her eyes, pushing her face into the ground more as her hands uncontrollably shook. The lock clicked before the squeak of the cell door shot through the rooms. Hands grabbed her, making her flinch, but they nonetheless began to lift her.

"P-Please," Elizabeth weakly begged despite not fighting the force.

"It's ok. We're getting you out of here." Elizabeth recognized the voice to be the Farian Captain. Throughout her time here, he had been the one decent guard, despite him being the one that would carry out the abuse. But, when he could, he would bring her extra food, and he had even spared her mum.

Elizabeth stopped struggling and fell against his strong frame, hoping that maybe this beating would get the job done.

"Richard, we have to go now." Elizabeth recognized the voice of the person she was supposed to have married, Leroux, the Farian Prince.

Elizabeth was finally carried out of the cell that she had spent, what felt like, months in.

"Mum . . ." Elizabeth's dry lips cracked.

"We'll move her later, but right now, we have to get you out," Richard said as he held her closer to him. He truly hated that a kid had been tortured to this extent, and he hated he had allowed it to go this far. He hated he had done this.

Leroux looked over at Elizabeth's weak body and felt sick to his stomach. Her skin was pale, she was nothing but skin and bone, and there was a certain dullness in her eyes that made it look like she was already dead. He couldn't help but feel responsible for her suffering. They were supposed to be married, but because neither wanted to, she was in this state, and her ma lay dead.

Elizabeth cringed as fresh air infiltrated her nose, burning through to her lungs. Though brightness made her vision blurry as her eyes tried desperately to adjust, she could tell they were still inside the Castle, the dark blue gems barely recognizable within the white marble floors.

"He should still be in a meeting with the Officials so we can use the main–"

Richard and Leroux stopped.

"Captain, what are you doing?"

Elizabeth stared at the Farian King, her vision viciously focusing on the man that had caused all this, instigating strength to flow into her weakened muscles at the mere sight of that wretched King.

Before either could answer or stop her, she sprung out of Richard's arms and shoved the King into the room he had come out of. Within a second, the iron lock was slammed in place.

Richard and Leroux tried to get into the room, but the door wouldn't so much as budge.

"The balcony!" Leroux shouted as he began to run down the hallway, his wings appearing. Richard quickly followed.

The Farian King stared at Elizabeth with varying amounts of shock and anger.

She pulled his sword out of the sheath that was hanging on a wall. The metal clinked against the ground, and she grunted due to the heaviness. She had never even held a sword before.