Inheritance

Chapter 6: Prison

Pollyanna was two days away from the tower in which Eory was being kept in. She had been travelling for twelve long years after she had escaped from her own prison which was miles away from the human kingdom of Maribel.

She was tired and haggard. She had been for twelve years. Her hair that was once a shimmering gold was now gray and rough; her skin that was once soft as silk was now wrinkled and felt like sand.

She was never unhappy with her lot in life; she was saved by one of her charge's ancestors long, long ago and she had loved defending his family ever since.

Eory's ancestor, Fjorn, had found her starving and homeless and on the verge of death after her convent had been burned down; he had offered her glory and a name on a silver platter; but it came with a price as all things with magic do.

She had never regretted that price. Never in her life. Except recently. Regardless, she still muttered to herself over and over to convince herself that she didn't regret it, I have no regrets. I got what I wanted.

She still was not unhappy with her lot in life she was merely... Exhausted. Whatever spark and passion that once lay in her soul was fast going out. She was grumpy and testy and once she escaped from her own prison which was far, far away in dwarven lands, she spent many nights drinking while trying to find information on where her charge was being held.

As she looked up at the tower where her charge was being held which looming at her far in the distance with rain dotting her haggard face, she felt very cold.

She should have felt exhilarated by the fact that she had finally found him and could finally avenge his parents, but she merely felt hollow.

Perhaps it was because she was not proud of herself for letting him be a captive for so long.

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When he was younger, Eory had found his older brother sitting alone and brooding in the garden of the castle under the shade of an ash tree. He was biting his arm until it bled—it was a long-time tick of Eory's family to do so. He joined his brother, and his brother told him something he would never forget.

"What are you doing out here alone?" Eory asked.

And his big brother looked up at the sky wistfully and replied. "Enjoying the last vestiges of my freedom..."

Eory noticed that his hands were red and bloody. His brother hid them within his big sleeves when he saw Eory looking.

Eory cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

And his big brother met his eyes with an indescribable look of pain and fear on his face that Eory would never forget. "This flesh has become my prison. There's no way out."

Eory didn't understand, but his brother hung his head in shame and wept.

Days later, Eory wept bitter tears when his parents told him that the family dog was dead.

As Eory stared up at the ceiling and watched the rain dripping endlessly, he couldn't get that memory out of his head as it mixed and mingled relentlessly with his own thoughts of harming Kori.

Eory looked around his tiny room and felt suffocated and short of breath; frustrated and extremely lonely.

There was no way out.

He took deep breaths that merged with the water dripping continuously as he felt light-headed and hot blood pounded relentlessly in his ears. He bit into his arm in an attempt to comfort himself.