The Promised Queen

𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓇𝓉𝓎 𝑒𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉

RIDHIMA

A dull, throbbing pain dragged me out of the darkness, pulling me into a world of blurred shapes and muted sounds. 

My head felt like it was splitting apart, each pulse of agony radiating from my temple and spreading through my entire body.

I tried to open my eyes, but they barely responded, the weight of exhaustion and pain forcing them closed again.

Where... am I?

The question echoed weakly in my mind, fragmented and distant. Everything around me was a blur, shifting shapes and shadows that refused to form into anything coherent.

I shifted slightly, or at least tried to. My legs were bound tightly together, the coarse rope biting into my skin with every movement. 

My arms were pinned behind my back, wrists aching from the tightness of the knots.

Panic stirred in my chest, but it was weak—dulled by the haze clouding my thoughts.

I blinked again, forcing my eyes open just enough to make out the dim, cavernous room around me. Cold, empty, silent.

Then, through the haze, I saw her.

Avni.

She was slumped in a chair, her small frame still and lifeless, her head tilted to the side. Unconscious.

"Avni..." I tried to speak, but the word came out as a broken whisper, barely audible. My throat was dry, my voice weak and strained.

I shifted again, the ropes biting into my skin as I struggled to move forward. I had to reach her.

But my body wouldn't cooperate. Every attempt to move sent sharp pain shooting through my head, a searing ache that made me gasp softly.

I tried to push past it, gritting my teeth as I willed my body to keep going. One inch. Just one inch closer.

The world around me tilted and swayed, my vision swimming with dark spots.

I blinked, trying to focus, but the pain only grew sharper, more relentless. A warm, sticky trickle slid down the back of my neck.

Blood.

I winced, the sensation sending a shudder through me. Each pulse of pain felt like a hammer against my skull.

I have to keep moving.

I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering what little strength I had left. I couldn't give up. Avni was right there—just a few feet away.

One more try.

I pushed again, forcing my body to shift forward. The ropes tightened painfully around my wrists, and I bit down on my lip to keep from crying out.

The world swam again, the dark spots expanding, threatening to consume everything.

No. Not yet.

But then—

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my head, blinding and all-consuming.

I gasped, the sound weak and broken, and collapsed back against the cold floor. The pain was too much.

My breaths came in shallow, ragged gasps. The edges of my vision darkened, the dim room fading into a blur once more.

I felt the warm trickle of blood again, slower now, but persistent—a cruel reminder of my helplessness.

The darkness crept closer, wrapping around me like a suffocating blanket.

I tried to fight it, but my body was too weak, my mind too clouded with pain.