Element Of Surprise

Chapter 13 - Behave like a Hero

Enya was kept under close surveillance by Nori all the time she was in his dungeon. He never let her out of his sight and after one day with no food and water she choked out,

"Are you planning to kill me or what? Because so far you're doing a pretty good job."

"No Princess,"

"DON'T CALL ME PRINCESS."

Nori smirked before replying. "I don't plan on killing you. Just enough food and water to keep you alive, and little enough so when the others eventually see you you'll be a living skeleton."

"I'm stronger than you think you realize," Enya snarled.

"Oh I know. And that means when I do manage to crack you, the others will be even more worried. If I can get to Enya, the famously feisty princess, there's no way they're going to want to have anything to do with me." He lowered his face so it was close to Enya's, with just the bars separating their faces. "The only reason I took you," he whispered, his putrid breath making her gag, "was because you were the strongest of them all."

Enya recoiled as she realized what he said was true. That meant she had to do what she had been preparing herself for all her life. She could never give up, never relent, never give in. Something inside her was feeling hopeless, but she reminded herself that was because she was in the damsel in distress cliche, but she wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing  that she was weak.

Then she remembered Laec. Her dances with him. His warm scent and his charming but innocent words. She felt like she never had felt before in her life, she felt a sense of loss, a sense of depression. Because he wasn't there with her. Suddenly feelings of horror and distress flowed through her and she thought, hoping somehow he could hear her -

I'm trying to be strong, to be brave, to behave like a hero, but it hurts without you, and I look like a fool and I don't have a clue what to say. Laec - I, I love you but what do I do?

She sat there, depressed and crying, until she imagined Laec speaking back to her, his response. She knew exactly what he'd say, even if they'd not even known each other for a day. It was almost as if he really was talking to her:

I believe in you Enya. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met and I've always admired you, ever since I saw you in the window. You're the most headstrong and brave person I know and you can do anything. I know you can.

Enya was suddenly filled with a fire in her heart. She wasn't going to let Laec down, her family, Asher or Aura, the Land, no one. 

She wasn't going to be the rescued. She was going to be the rescuer. She was going to be her own hero. She was going to write her own fate.

A/N Hey everyone - thanks for over 300 reads!! I never thought I'd get this far, you guys are fantastic and I appreciate every single one of you who's taken the time to read this. You're all fab and even better for wanting to read a terrible story like mine :) ha ha! Hopefully one more update tomorrow (I say hopefully because I might not have time) on either one of my stories. Thanks again - till next time you fantastic little bookworms ;)