Silver Crown (A Red Queen Fanfic)

The Last Mistake

Mare:

I lie on the floor, breathing hard. Air in. Air out. I focus on my breathing, trying to shut my surroundings out of my mind. Air in. Air out. The shackles on my wrist are getting painful. Air in. Air out. The pain throbs like a second heartbeat. Air in. Air out. My life can end any second. No, not Can. Will. Can is a figment of imagination, giving me false hope. Will is concrete. Air in. Air out. I wish I had my lightening. I feel vulnerably naked without it.

"Mare" Maven says gently. Monsters do not speak gently. Act. It's all an act. I grit my teeth, expecting the worst from the person who managed to break my heart into thousand pieces.

"Mare, look at me"

No I will not look is what I wanted to say. He managed to lock me in this room, shackle me, force me to make those false speeches. I swallow bile at the memory. I won't give him the satisfaction. I. Won't. Look. This is a small act of defiance but it is all I can manage.

I feel his fingers grazing my chin lightly. They're scorching hot. I'll be surprised if they don't leave burn marks. He hooks his thumb under my chin and forces my face up. His face is only inches away from mine. I can feel his hot breath on my face. His face is cold, expressionless but his eyes give him away. His eyes, so much like Elara's look down upon me. His eyes betray a hint of regret but it would be drowned by the amusement flickering from his eyes.

Amusement. I grit my teeth so hard they might shatter. He's amused at my condition.

"You were never the one to obey orders. So much stubbornness bottled up in a small figure. Tsk Tsk. This won't do. I have no tolerance for stubborn people who defy orders."

"Tell me. When God was distributing brains, did He forget to give you one?" I retort.

He flinches. I feel satisfied and almost smile. I am not a sadist but I love seeing him in pain. He raises his hand and slaps me across my face. The pain blinds me, sending me flying sideways. I blink back tears.

Maven, come back to me I beg silently.

He forces my face up and stares at me.

"Mare, Please. I don't want to hurt you." He voice is barely a whisper, his eyes pleading me to understand. I search his electric blue eyes for some sign of mockery. Finding none, I let myself sigh. I still don't believe him. He's an excellent actor.

"Then let me go" I hope he couldn't hear my voice shaking.

At this his eyes harden, his face contorts in the most unattractive manner.

"I won't lose you again"

"I am not yours to begin with" I say, my voice pathetically weak.

He let out a dark chuckle.

"Oh don't manipulate your feelings. You want me. I can sense it"

"I think you're the one manipulating your feelings. Don't give yourself hope. You'll suffer"

"Mare, don't you think I can tell if someone wants me?" His voice is soft, like velvet. His brow arched. His hands move to my cheekbones gently stroking them. They glide towards my hair. He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear. He smirks.

"Mare, I could give you a life of a queen. We could put an end to these terrorists. Your "friends" have been feeding you lies. We will begin our reign. We will improve the status of Reds" No one can have a voice so gentle.

"...Cal" I say, my voice barely audible.

He doesn't miss it.

"He has nothing to give you" He snaps.

"At least he's not a monster who betrays others" I retort before I could stop myself.

Anger is boiling inside me, replacing my blood with lead, starting from my heart and trailing to my other parts like poison except this poison does not kill me, it reminds me why I need to be alive; to kill Maven. Cal's face pops in my mind, probably escaped from some drawer in my brain I swore to close. I bite my lip and realize that I have tears trailing down my face. His memory hurts too much.

"Mare" His voice is steely, "My men will search every corner of this Kingdom and he will be executed. I can't have any interference in my rule. It's about time you let him go"

"I thought you were a man of your word. You swore that you'll leave them alone. You swore!" I wanted to shout but it came out as a whimper. Even I feel disgusted by my voice.

Mare, you pathetic idiot, how could you believe a word coming out of his mouth.

"Our hatred runs far deeper than you'd ever understand. This has got nothing to do with my word" He shouts back, his eyes livid. I want to claw those eyes out. I want to feel the wetness of his silver blood on my hand. I fight against the shackles but they are too tight and I am too weak. He watches my struggle and crouches beside me. So close, so, so close. I recoil.

"Oh and these shackles won't be removed till you learn how to behave" He whispers in my ear.

He stands up, straight. "Guards, make sure she eats. You are forbidden to touch her" He calls out to the guards, his voice full of authority. He turns his back towards me and leaves the room, without even a second glance.

I cry. I cry like a child till my throat feels raw and my jaw aches. I let the tears escape. Through my blurred vision I see something red drop. Blood. Red is a strange colour, too dark, too menacing. Red as the Dawn.

As the tears slow down, i feel exhaustion pull me towards sleep. All I can think is that mentioning Cal was a mistake. The last mistake. I swore to myself. I will find a way out or die in the process

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Dear Readers,

Next part coming up. Mavey lovers, hold on to your pants. This is gonna be a rough ride! Comment and vote! Thanks for reading! xxxxx

Sincerely,

me :)