Susceptible | DenNor AU

Lukas.

The man sat down on the other side of the bars. "Listen, kid. I don't give a shit if you're the next king or if you're a beggar. Just let me go, and I swear on my life I will will do whatever you want."

The man walked closer to my cell and leaned down a little, looking at me from eye level. "How about you show me your magic like I asked, and I'll let you go."

I couldn't believe this person. But then I had an idea. "You know, if I was a witch, I'd have been able to escape by now."

He seemed to consider it for a moment. "Really? Then if you show me you can escape, I'd let you go."

"If I could escape, you wouldn't see me do it." I retorted, watching him closely.

He rolled his eyes. "Like I said, show me your magic and we'll get on with things."

"Like executing me?" I asked sourly.

He blinked at me, looking a little shocked.

"I have a little brother who would be heartbroken. I don't see the fun in watching people die."

He blinked some more and stuttered. "That's not the point of this—"

"Then what is?"

"I don't know, really. We need to keep any danger out of the kingdom, we have a duty to keep people safe."

It made sense, in a way. But pulling strangers from their homes and locking them up for being witches?

"I haven't and won't do any harm."

"How would I know?"

I rolled my eyes and slunk down to the floor, sitting. "You'd know because if I did magic you'd recognize it's not just people dying of old age or pestilence."

"Why don't you show me your magic so I can leave?" He sounded bored, if anything, but his eyes were focused intently on me.

"Abra-kadabra. Woah, nothing happened."

He huffed, "Stop fucking with me."

"I'm not doing anything even close to fucking with you. Besides, you're poorly dressed and your hair is a mess."

Again, he stumbled on his words. It was easy to catch him off guard.

"That's not what I meant."

"Of course not."

He chewed at his lip, staring down at the ground in concentration.

"Okay, uh, Lukas, right?" I nodded my head slightly in amusement. "Yeah, okay, Lukas, maybe you should show me your magic and I'll keep it as our little secret."

The tone in his voice was off putting.

"Maybe you should show me some intelligence and I'll keep it a secret."

He angrily locked the door, and moved to unlock mine. He slowly opened the cell door. Almost as soon as it was opened, the idiot lunges at me.

I scrambled to the side, watching as he just about crashed into the wall. Standing up, the shackles and chains felt heavier. Our eyes met with glares.

He ran at me again, and I kicked him in the stomach. He successfully managed to grab onto something, my shirt, and pulled me closer. Hitting his fist into my face, he grinned. Surprisingly, he was strong. I fell back into the corner and hissed at the pain.

My cheek was burning. Not only was I dropped before I got here, I was likely attacked by some other villagers.

He stared down at me with what was probably mocking concern.

"Oh, are you alright?" I couldn't tell if he was taunting me or not.

I fumbled a bit before standing up again. "I'm perfectly fine." I quickly slapped him across the face. "But are you, now?"

He recoiled from my touch. A slap should only have stung him, but he was such a child. "I'm fine too." He pushed me into the corner again. Staring into his eyes with my best glare, I wasn't spared a kick to my leg. I instinctively moved my leg. He punched me in the stomach and I fell again.

I was usually a better fighter, but shackles and precious beatings have taken their toll on me. I pulled my legs up to my face.

I looked up to see him standing there. I couldn't read his face — it was a mix of confusion, accomplishment. He seemed concerned but also glad he beat me.

He walked out, closing the cell door and locking it. He unlocked the cellar door, and shut it behind him, blocking me from any sort of freedom.

I let my legs slide to the dirty floor. I was tired. I closed my eyes but was soon woken up by the door opening once more.

The same idiot from before came in quietly. He walked over and knelt down by the cell bars. "I brought some food."

Poisoned, likely.

I didn't move, and he took it as an invitation to attempt to put a plate with buttered bread on my side. He shoved the plate through, which dropped but didn't shatter, and carefully stuck his hand through to place the bread on top of it.

I was still tired. Ready to pass out, really. Again, doors opened and shut. My cell door creaked open and a blanket was placed over me. Shackles were loosened. He took away the shackles and replaced them with a pair of odd handcuffs.

He sat beside me. "D'you not know how interrogation is s'posed to work?" I mumbled out with a following yawn.

"Not really." He watched me as I sleepily watched him. "I'm Matthias, by the way. I'm not like, a torturer or anything. I told you, I'm almost a king. I don't want to be too mean."

I rolled my eyes as best I could with heavy eyelids. I had drifted off to sleep at one point, exhaustion calling itself victor.