The Prisioner

As long as I have lived in the castle there has been a man in a prison cell down the hall. When my family overthrew the previous rulers he was in that cell. When I was finally allowed to venture into the dungeons he was in that cell. Even now as I'm about to be coronated he is in that cell, and I am sitting across from him. His arms wrapped in chains that are bolted to the ceiling force the rest of his body to dangle, barely touching the ground.

"Why are you here?" I ask but receive no reply. Refusing to give up I try again, "why haven't you tried to escape?"

"Those with nothing have nothing to loose," he replies with a raspy voice.

"You have nothing?" I question. "You have no will to live? No right to live? You have no hope?"

The man lifts his head and laughs heartily. "You are a clever girl," he says, lifting his head to look me in the eyes. I finally see his, emerald green with a ring of Fire surrounding them. I gasp in realization. "You're a-"

"Yes," he purrs and I resist flinching.

"Then you do not have nothing, you have your powers" I state proudly.

He lifts his hands a little, making the chains rattle, before dropping them again. "Not that I could use them."

"You still have them," I protest.

"Why are you here?" He growls.

"Do you know who I am?"

"You are the princess of the new ruling family," he responds knowledgeably.

I lift my tiara off my head and place it in my lap. "Soon to be Queen. I am here to learn and understand."

"What?" He growls, "experiment on me some more."

"No." I lift one hand and let go of the energy I had been holding tightly. My skin turns a scaly pale white and a small ball of icy fire hovers above my palm.

Now it's his turn to gasp. "You're a Draggo." He examines me more closely and finally sees the thin ring of silver that blends into my icy blue eyes.

"Yes. You are in here because of the hunts correct?"

His eyes are cold and his voice bitter. "They killed my family."

"I'm going to stop the hunts," I say.

"And how will the council respond, will they listen to a Draggo Queen?"

"They will not, but they will not know," I respond with a sly grin.

"And what will your husband say?" He asks, knowing full well that a Queen is not allowed to rule without a king.

"My husband? Why you will agree with everything I say."

I watch as the puzzle pieces fall into place behind his eyes. "Surely you do not mean-" he starts but he looks at my eyes and sees the cold. He sees the pain.

"How would you like your freedom?" I ask. I hold out a hand still covered in scales, knowing full well he cannot take it.