The King's Prey (Unedited Edition)

Chapter 7 : Beyond the Walls

Toska • [tos-ka]
A dull ache of the soul, a sick pining, a spiritual anguish.

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Darkness. It's all I sense as my body feels as though it's coming back to life. Yet, feeling alive is far from the truth. The memories flood back into my mind from the events that led up to now, but comprehending them is a more difficult task.

Exhaustion runs through me like a fever dream as my eyes begin to crack open. It takes a moment for them to adjust to the darkness, but soon enough I'm able to make out my surroundings—and I'm surprised by what I see.

My expectations of being chained in a cold cell, shivering on its stone floor, and stripped of my dignity are ruined by the feeling of a soft comforter beneath my fingertips. I relish the plush pillows holding up my now throbbing head as my senses come back into place.

Just as the peace comes, it's destroyed by a jabbing pain violently shooting through my arm, forcing my body to jolt up from the comfortable sheets. I grip onto my right hand, the agony coursing through its bones. The faint sunlight seeping through the curtains helps me to make out its bandaged state. It throbs viciously as I try to contain my tears.

Peering down at myself now, I see that I'm no longer in my elegant dress, but instead, I'm wearing a flowing, silk nightgown. I cringe at the idea that someone had removed my clothes and seen my bare body.

Tears sting my eyes as I try to look around the room to make out its minor details. The queen-sized canopy bed that I lay on is covered in sheets as white as snow. The entire room is stylized to fit a sleek, white look—plain and simple, likely a guest room.

I slowly remove the comforter from my body, my feet swinging over the side of the bed. I allow them to touch the ground without standing as I take in the soft rug beneath their touch that covers the hardwood floors. The room is decently large as it's decorated by two large windows, adjacent to one another on the other side of the room.

My eyes roam the rest of the space until they fall on what I can only assume is the door to freedom.

A door.

I find myself bolting up and nearly slamming my full body weight into the wood out of delusion. The large thud I make when I crash into its surface makes me go rigid. I practically just alarmed the residents of this building and they'll soon be coming to see what the hell made the sound.

My body begins to shake out of fear, providing me with an unnecessary struggle in grabbing the handle. When I finally do get ahold of it, I continuously attempt to turn the damn thing but realize it's locked.

Fucking bastards.

I wobble my way to one of the windows, being careful to peek out of it in case if there are guards of any sort. Beyond the curtains, all I see is a snow-covered landscape along with hundreds of trees...trees that travel on forever.

The panic sets in again. I'm likely miles from any human civilizations or kingdoms. Miles from my family and friends—that's if they're still alive.

I fall to my knees, unable to grasp what had happened at the Snow Ball. They could've easily killed my parents—my friends. Everyone could be dead right now. I struggle to catch my breath, the shooting pain continuing to burn through my hand as I cradle its wounded state.

The sounds of the door being unlocked are what force me to scramble to my feet. I hide behind the side of the bed facing away from the door, hoping it'll give me enough coverage.