The Promised Love

Promises

The only thing she could dream about was the taste of food. Edalith was awoken to the sound of the rattling sound of the metal door to her cell. She had been held in the claustrophobic box for what felt like weeks, but she had no real clue of how long she had really been down there. The dungeon where she had been kept had no way to see the passing of the sun and moon, so keeping track of time was nay impossible.

Had she been in there for days? Weeks? Months? No, she only had been there two weeks at most, the guards had not brought her a crumb of food, only the occasional glass of water, while her body had the appearance of a skeleton, her skin pale, and hands shaky. There was no way she had been there longer than two weeks, she would have starved if she had been there any longer.

She had started to keep a routine in her cell, to try and keep her from going crazy in the dark room. In the morning when she would wake up, she would count how many steps it would take to walk around the room, 27. Then she would go feed the horses, not real horses, only the ones in her mind. It gave her a sense of normalcy, very important when kept in a cell, alone, with no food, for at least two weeks. Then she would try and resite one of her favorite books, The Green Heroin. It was getting harder and harder to remember exactly what the book was about, or if she was even telling it right. Once finished she would go set traps in the forest, once again, they weren't real traps. Just the ones in her head. Finally it was time for bed, to do it all over again.

Before her stood a tall elven guard clad in pure gold armor, he put one of the keys into the door, unlocking it. While once Edalith would have jumped at the opportunity to try and find a way out, her body was too emancipated to do much now. Her muscles ache from the smallest movement, her routine had gotten much smaller as of late.

"The king has ordered for you to meet with him in the great hall." The guard opened the door slowly, Edalith was able to get a good long look at him. He was tall, but his face was covered by the golden helmet he wore. This one was different then the other guards she had seen, the ones who brought her the water had worn leather armor and been shorter. This must be one of the king's royal guard's Edalith thought to herself.

"Does he not know what time it is?" Edalith sighed heavily, resuming her sleep position. The guard did not answer but grabbed both her hands, pulling her to her feet. He locked her in handcuffs and led her out into the hall.

She followed him up the oak stairs to a massive, open hall, with dim light scattered everywhere, massive stone pillars engraved to give the appearance of large tree trunks. The city is a labyrinth of towering trees, their branches intertwined to form an intricate network of pathways, bridges, and staircases. The treetop was woven too tightly together, she still couldn't see sunlight, or the moonlight for that matter. There was still no way of telling even what time of day it was.

The guard Led Edalith up a massive spiral staircase, into what was with no doubt a throne room. It appeared almost to be made of the roots of a great tree supported by even more ornately carved pillars. The throne was flanked by statues of guardian forest creatures, their eyes shimmering with enchanted gemstones that radiated a soft, ethereal light. One was a majestic owl, its feathers seemingly touched by the silver of the moon. The other, a graceful stag, its antlers crowned with glistening crystals that mirrored the starry night sky.

The throne itself is an ancient fossilized tree. The throne's back rose tall and imposing, etched with exquisite filigree, interwoven with delicate patterns of vines and leaves that seemed to bloom and cascade as if caught in an eternal dance. Silver and moonstone inlays adorned the intricacies of the woodwork, capturing the soft glow of the chamber.

The seat and backrest were cushioned in a rich azure fabric, adorned with subtle patterns of stars and crescent moons that shimmered in the ambient light. The armrests were sculpted in the likeness of delicate tree branches, with each knot and bark pattern painstakingly etched into the wood.