Royal Union: Bound by Fate

Chapter 11

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Elsa's POV

The pounding in my head started first, a dull throb that matched the beat of my own panic-stricken heart rousing me from a heavy, unnatural sleep. The first thing I felt was the weight in my limbs, the ache pulsing through every muscle. My eyelids felt as though they were weighed down, almost glued shut, refusing to open fully as if my own body were rebelling against the realization of something truly terrible. A strange, metallic taste lingered on my tongue.

I groaned, trying to bring my senses back, but a sharp twinge in my side made my eyes flutter open, squinting against the faint, hazy shadows over stained walls. The walls seemed to close in, shrinking the tiny space, dark, cramped, and filthy, barely lit by a dim, flickering light overhead. I tried to move but felt a tug—my wrists and ankles were bound tightly, and the coarse rope bit into my skin.

The air was thick and stale, carrying a hint of something rotting. With a strangled gasp, I shifted slightly, only for pain to lance through my wrists and ankles. Panic coursed through me as memories began to piece themselves together, and I realized, with horrifying clarity, that we were kidnapped. A chill ran down my spine, cold sweat breaking out across my forehead as memories from earlier flooded back.

My pulse quickened as I replayed the events before this darkness. Alice and I had been walking back to the hotel after visiting Mishti...then dark shadows appeared from nowhere, muffled voices with the sound of someone's hurried footsteps, the blur of streetlights, and a suffocating force pulling me into darkness...and then nothing. I tugged at my restraints, heart hammering as dread washed over me. Alice. Where was Alice? 

Panic clawed at my chest, my breathing growing shallow as my gaze darted around the room and my heart pounded harder at the thought, a choking fear rising in my throat. "Alice?" My voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and cracked. I called her name again, desperation tinging each syllable as I listened for any sound, any clue that she was nearby, but I was alone. The gnawing worry turned into terror, an agonizing twist in my stomach. Had they...hurt her? Was she tied up somewhere else? Or, oh no, was she—

"No, no, no!" I gasped aloud, the hopelessness creeping in. My mind leapt to every grim possibility, each worse than the last. I shook my head, trying to shove those thoughts away, but they clung, like parasites intent on feeding on every ounce of sanity I had left. How did we end up here? How did I let this happen? This was my fault. I shouldn't have suggested the evening walk, I should've been more careful. The thought of Alice, perhaps in a similar or worse state, made my stomach twist painfully. But self-blame would help no one. Not her, not me.

I wanted to scream, blame myself, curse the world for putting Alice and me in this nightmare. But a voice inside, faint yet determined, told me to stop. "Not now, Elsa," forcing myself to breathe slowly, deeply, as I recalled survival tips I'd read somewhere. Stay calm. Think. Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I focused on steadying my breathing. I had to think to get us out of this mess somehow.

I took another shaky breath and focused on the ropes around my wrists. My fingers were numb and stiff, but I twisted them carefully, searching for any slack, any hint of give. The rope burned against my skin, and I bit down a cry of pain, unwilling to alert whoever might be nearby. Every fiber of my being told me to keep silent, to keep as still as possible.

Moving my bound wrists was painful, each pull of the rough rope rubbing my skin raw. I searched my pockets instinctively for my phone, hoping for some way to reach help, but of course, it wasn't there. "Why would they leave me with anything?" I muttered, almost laughing at myself for the naïve thought. What had I expected? I managed a faint, bitter laugh under my breath—what good was a phone if I couldn't even move?