The Princess Quest

Chapter 13: Captured

Roya woke up on a hard, cold, stone floor. Her head was pounding. She groaned, as she rolled over on her back and opened her eyes. There were a few rays of sunlight shining through a slit, high up on a stone wall. As her eyes focused she became aware of her surroundings. She appeared to be in a dungeon of sorts, with a small opening at the top of one wall. Moss and ivy covered one side, and on the other, three figures were slumped.

Arawn looked up at her, without meeting her eyes. Calypso and Andrel briefly looked up at them, and then returned to what they were doing, which was apparently studying the book.

"She must have grabbed it," Roya thought. She checked her pocket, and sighed with relief. The horse tooth was still there. She rolled onto her knees, and cleared her throat. 

"You lied to me," she said. Arawn looked up at her with sad eyes. "I think we deserve an explanation," Roya said. Calypso and Andrel shut the book, and looked up.

"Yeah. We trusted you and you lied to us!" Calypso said angrily. Andrel looked betrayed.

Roya's eyes were glittering with tears. "Start talking" she said in a quavering voice.

"When my father,  Itamur Ravensky King of Miraelin, realized my mother, Sabi, was pregnant, he was overjoyed. He'd wanted a boy for ages, someone he could take hunting, and teach to fight and become a great warrior. His wish was granted, and I was born. He loved me more than anything, he spent so much time with me, training me to be the perfect assassin. He stopped tending to my mother, and when she got pregnant a second time, four years later, she was frail and weak." Arawn paused for a deep breath. My father slept in my room, fed me before anyone else, and neglected my mother until my sister was born. My mother died in giving birth to her, and I was forced to watch. If I cried, I'd be whipped. My father was merciful enough to at least give her a name: Mara. It means 'unfortunate' or 'ill-fated'. 

Arawn was barely getting through the sentences now. "My father blamed Mara for my mother's death, but I knew it was him who had neglected her. He said that a murderer should not be allowed to live. He gave me a dagger..."

Arawn trailed off. Roya hadn't realized she was crying until she felt her face and realized it was wet. She looked at Calypso who had a steady stream of tears flowing down her face, but evaporated once they reached the bottom of her cheeks. 

"After that I ran away," Arawn continued. "I tried to forget what I'd done, became a mercenary, and earned my keep by stealing things for various people. Until I met you."

Roya was aware of movement out of the corner of her eye. Calypso leaned forward, and with her scissors, cut a lock of hair off Arawn's head. 

"Hey!" Arawn said, looking annoyed.

Calypso held it up. "Fox hair," she said, and handed it to Roya. She took it, and put it with the horse tooth.

"So," Andrel said. "How are we gonna get out of here?"

Roya sat in a corner as the day passed, aware of the voices to her right. Calypso and Andrel were planning their escape. 

When night came, she curled up next to Arawn, and silently cried herself to sleep.

Sorry for the short chapter, the next one will be longer! Please vote! Also, I'm changing my updating status to "Updated Regularly". Also, also, I feel like I need to put some pronunciations down here, even though it's a bit late in the book.

Miraelin: MEER-uh-lin 

Lyria: LEER-ia 

Ocaylian: Oh-SAY-lee-ann 

Arawn: ARE-uh-win

Itamur: I-tah-moor

Xida: ZEE-da

Okay, that's all for now! Take it easy guys, gals and non-binary pals! Peace out!