Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅ ◈ ⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

She woke up to find herself in a cold cell. Blinking the weariness out of her eyes, she sat up and stretched her sore limbs. Her memories were temporarily hazy, a mess of colours and blurry faces. And she was at peace. For a moment, she was just Audrey with nothing else to add.

Then it all came back in horrific detail. Killing Jorge. Tyrek dying. Ethelind hitting her around the head.

And escape.

She had been so close. So, so close.

And she found herself suppressing the urge to cry. She knew that if she started, she would not be able to stop.

Instead, she assessed her location. She was in a small stone cell with a screen concealing a chamber pot in the corner, an uncomfortable bed quilted to prevent the cold, and a door made of metal bars. She was dressed as she had been when she left and was still wearing Tyrek's cloak.

The knife. She had hidden it in the cloak.

She checked for it and exhaled slowly as her fingers curled around smooth metal. She had it, even if she had lost her bow.

Did Ethelind not check? she wondered. It was not impossible that Ethelind had let her keep it, although Audrey could not imagine why.

A mug of herbal tea lay nearby next to a hunk of bread and cheese, and she helped herself, sating her hunger and thirst. Then she waited. Slowly, the pain in her head faded to a dull pulsing and pinpricks of sharpness, and she could think again.

She heard footsteps and immediately slipped the knife back into the cloak. There was silence. Then a crisp voice: "Guard."

"Your Majesty," came the response.

"Open the door and depart from the dungeons."

"Yes, sire."

There was the sound of footsteps departing before the door swung open and Landon entered the cell.

He shut the door and turned to her. Hunter was at his feet, bigger and vicious than how he was when she had last seen him. The fox's mismatched eyes glared at her and he hissed through sharp teeth.

"My king," she muttered.

"Audrey." A captivating smile, a taunting of her name.

"I tried to escape. Why am I still here?"

"I made a promise to the nobles," Landon said, walking over and sitting next to her on the bed. She had to stop herself from flinching.

"I don't want to be second. I am not a figurehead of power for you to flaunt around for your own gain!" she yelled, launching herself at him, grabbing a fistful of his tunic. For a moment, time froze as they stared at each other.

"Audrey..." he began.

Audrey recovered first, hitting him. She felt satisfied when she felt her fist connect with his stomach, then his face, but her victory did not last long until he pinned her hands to her side, shoving her against the wall touching the bed.

"Don't do that again," Landon warned.

"Or else what?" Audrey shot back.

She felt his hand slipping into her cloak pocket and suddenly the knife was in his hand and pressed against her throat.

He knew, Audrey realised. He had let her keep the knife because he had wanted her to try to use it.

Audrey couldn't help the cold surge of fear that shot through her and the way her breathing caught.