Lienna.
“Throw her to the dungeons.” King Adonis’s voice was cold, detached, as if he was discarding a piece of trash. The guards moved forward, their faces expressionless, and dragged me away. Something in me curled up and died at those words. I looked at him in shock, my eyes wide with disbelief. The order resounded in my ears, echoing off the walls.
“No, please! I didn’t do it!” I screamed, my voice hoarse from pleading. I scrambled to my feet, trying to reach out to him, but he was already moving away. The soldiers were faster, catching me and rendering me immobile. I struggled against them, but they were too strong. They lifted me off the ground, carrying me towards the door.
I looked back at Adonis, pleading for mercy, but his face was unyielding. His eyes seemed to bore into my soul, filled with a cold, hard fury. I saw no hint of doubt, no glimmer of uncertainty. He was convinced of my guilt.
As I was carried out of the room, I heard Adonis’s voice behind me. “Let this be a lesson to all of you. Treachery will not be tolerated in this kingdom.” He snarled, his voice seething with rage.
Tears left my eyes in torrents, streaming down my face as I was dragged to the underground dungeons. The stale, rusty smell assaulted my nose the second we stepped inside. I gagged, my stomach churning with fear.
“Let me go, please!” I cried out, struggling against the soldiers but they didn’t budge. If anything, their grip on me grew tighter, as if they wanted to snap my bones in half.
The guards threw me into a dark, damp cell deep in the dungeons. I landed hard on the cold stone floor, the sound echoing off the walls. The cell door slammed shut behind me, the lock clicking into place. I was alone, surrounded by darkness and the stench of mold and decay.
I ran towards the steel bars, struggling with them as if I could somehow open them up with sheer will. I cried out my innocence, screaming until my voice was hoarse. But no one heard, or rather, they didn’t care. To them, I was a traitor who tried to kill the Dragon King.
I curled up into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. How had it come to this? I was innocent, but no one believed me. I was trapped, with no way out. The darkness closed in around me, suffocating me. I was at the mercy of the kingdom, and it seemed they had none.
I didn’t know for how long I sat there, crying my heart out until there was no tears left. I grew numb, my body cold but my heart colder. My eyes were heavy from all the crying, and a pounding headache was assaulting my head as I gazed unseeing before me, my emotions laid bare. A cloud of darkness hung over my head as I rocked myself back and forth, trying to comfort myself.
I soon heard footsteps approaching me, and it caused me to move from where I sat, wondering who it was. The footsteps came closer, sounding louder, and for a moment, I thought it was one of the Shifter kings who had come to see me. This caused me to scramble to my feet, rushing forward to the steel bars. I grasped them tightly, my heart racing with hope.
But it wasn’t them. It was Mara who had come to see me, a terrified expression on her face as she approached me. “Lienna… Oh heavens, how did this happen?” She whispered as she came closer, her eyes widened with fear and concern.
I managed to walk up to her, tears filling my eyes as I thought about my predicament. “I don’t know Mara, I was suddenly accused of poisoning the Dragon King, and no one would listen to me. I didn’t do it, there’s no way I would have managed.” I said, my voice wobbly as tears streamed down my eyes.
Mara’s face contorted in distress as she reached out to me, her hands grasping the bars. “Oh Lienna, I believe you. I know you would never do such a thing.” She said, her voice filled with conviction. Then her face fell in dismay.
But, that’s not what people out there are saying.” Mara said, reaching out to hold my hands through the steel bars, warming them up with hers. Her touch was comforting, but her words sent a chill down my spine.
“What are they saying?” I managed to ask, dreading what she would say. Still, I needed to hear it. I needed to know the truth, no matter how brutal it was.
Mara’s expression was somber, her eyes filled with pity. “The remaining Shifter Kings are still undergoing investigations on what really happened, but I don’t think it would turn out in your favor, Lienna.” She said, her voice gentle but firm.
I lowered my head as a sob escaped my lips. This was beyond hopeless. I had been accused, judged, and sentenced without a chance to defend myself. The thought was suffocating.
Yet, Mara wasn’t done. Her words cut deeper, like a knife twisting in my heart. “Regardless of the outcome, I don’t think the verdict on your head will change. You’re still going to be killed.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. The air was knocked out of me, leaving me gasping for breath. Killed? The word echoed in my mind, a death sentence hanging over my head like a guillotine.
“But I didn’t do it!” I cried out, my voice louder than I had intended. “There’s no way I would have poisoned the Dragon King, Mara.” I sobbed, my voice breaking. “How would I even have access to the poison that would be used?”
Mara’s expression was grim, her eyes filled with a deep sadness. “Pray to the heavens, Lienna. Pray for them to save you. Because, right now, everything looks completely hopeless.” She said, her voice filled with sorrow.
I couldn’t stop crying, my heart breaking further. It was even worse than I had imagined. Mara stayed with me for a while, but she had to leave so they wouldn’t suspect her absence. Once again, I was left alone to my thoughts, and they were completely distressing.
The foul smell of the dungeon continued to assault my head, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t ease the headache plaguing me. It felt like I was going to die in that moment.
I heard another set of footsteps approach me once more, but this time I was too exhausted to react. I froze when I saw it was Adonis, but by then he was already standing in front of the cell, his blue eyes blazing with fury.
“Why did you try to kill Caspian?” He growled, his voice tinged with fury.
I tried to speak, but my voice was barely audible. “I didn’t do it.” I croaked out, my voice already hoarse.
Adonis sneered at me. “Then why did everything lead to you? Why did all the investigations lead to you?”
I shook my head, feeling a sense of desperation wash over me. “I don’t know.” I muttered, my voice breaking once more. “Believe me, I didn’t. There’s no way I would have pulled it off.” My lips trembling, I added, “All I did was serve him his food, I had no idea it was poisoned.”
Adonis stared at me for what seemed like the longest time, his eyes boring into my soul. I felt like he was searching for any sign of deception, any hint of guilt. But I had none to give. I was innocent.
Finally, he began speaking, his voice cold and detached. “All who served the Dragon King tonight would be beheaded in two days’ time, and that includes you, Lienna. It would serve as a deterrent to those who try to harm the Shifter Kings.”
Horror couldn’t begin to encompass what I felt in that moment as I stared at King Adonis. I was going to be beheaded!? The thought sent a chill down my spine, my mind racing with fear.
Adonis’s expression turned even darker, his eyes flashing with anger. “You’re a liar, Lienna. And liars will be punished.” He spat, turning to leave.
I called out to him, my voice barely above a whisper. “King Adonis, please… listen to me…” But he was already gone, leaving me alone in the darkness once more.