The woman in the tower stroked the hair of her latest thrall off her sweaty forehead and kissed the glistening skin. "Darling," she whispered, fingers twirling lazily in the air above the supposed hero's head, "go join the others. They're waiting for you."
The heroine, divested of most of her armor, obediently stood and went through the only doorway in the tall tower the woman had spent most of her life in. Many years she'd been kept in this tower, feeding on the lives of any unassuming "hero" that journeyed up here to save her. Like she needed it. It was the world that needed saving from her.
What she did need was a fix. Her currently selection of delights were wearing down, their wills broken and their lives all but over. Heroes came in with such strong hearts, but she could only feed on them for so long before they became...bland. Spring was peaking it's head out from under the frosty grass, and she was hopeful for a new plaything.
When they did come, it was not as she'd expected. They always climbed up the broad side of the tower, like they'd read Rapunzel one too many times. The place did have stairs- not that she was able to access them thanks to the spell that warded her here- and she didn't understand why they always went through so much trouble to scale a hundred foot tower with pick axes and ropes.
No, this one was different. He didn't climb the wall, nor did he take the stairs. She was sprawled across her bed, counting the ceiling bricks for the thousandth time when he simply appeared. It startled an embarrassing noise from her as she scurried backwards on the bed and grabbed her sheet to cover herself even though she'd lost her sense of propriety long ago.
"How did you do that?" she demanded.
"Magic, dear. Now, should we go or..." He held out his hand and nodded to the window most entered from.
She scoffed. "You're not going anywhere, and neither am I."
He looked confused for a moment, his confidence falling away as he looked around. "Why is that?" he wondered.
"I am stuck here, why shouldn't you be?"
His eyes landed back on her and he didn't look convinced. "I am saving you. You are no longer trapped here."
She was bored already. She hated exposition. "I am warded to be confined within this tower. There was no way I was going to spend eternity alone here, so I added a few of my own tricks. Those that enter this tower, will never leave." She stood from the bed and slunk over to him, their eyes locked as she began to cast her thrall. "Instead, you will stay and sustain my life until I have bled you dry of your will to live and I toss you out of the tower."
This was her favorite part. Even the strongest of her heroes- the ones who held resistance in their eyes- broke under her whims. She smiled, waiting for him to conceded, and was disappointed when he only screwed up his face and said, "No thanks."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm not staying here," he confirmed and retracted his held out hand. "If you don't want to be saved, then I'll just be on my way."
"You can't leave," she demanded petulantly.
"Watch me," he spat back and closed his eyes, lifting his chin to the ceiling as he inhaled deeply. The woman looked on with bated breath, genuinely curious.
Nothing happened. The man peeked open an eye and frowned as he looked back down at her. "What did you do?"
She shrugged. "I'm simply watching."
"Why can't I leave?"
The woman was now growing tired of his games. "I've told you, no one leaves."
