she said, “You can
choose to be a lady if you want.” She had an incredibly sad look on
her face and I felt awful, but I would not back down from this.
“Why do you want me to be something that I’m
not?” I asked her painfully. “I thought you loved me for who I
am?”
A single tear slipped down her cheek and she
said, “I love you for who you are, but who you are is getting you
attacked. I will not let you continue to put your life in
jeopardy.”
“Listen to her, Marin. She is only looking
out for your well being,” Kato said.
I glared at him. “If she told you that you
couldn’t be a guard anymore, that you had to sit around the castle
and do nothing, would you?”
“I would,” he said honestly.
I rolled my eyes. “Not if she ordered you to,
but if she asked you to.”
Kato smiled. “I have been alive a lot longer
than you. You are not going to catch me in a question like
this.”
“Please, Mother. If you do love me then let
me out.”
“No, not until you understand,” she said
angrily. “Leave her the food and let us make our exit,” she ordered
in her Queenly tone.
Kato handed me the tray of food and I let it
drop upside down on the ground. “If you will not let me go then I
will not eat,” I said as I sat down against the wall and crossed my
arms over my chest.
“You must eat,” Kato said.
“You must let me go.”
“Leave her be, Kato. She will change her mind
in a couple of days when the hunger is gnawing at her innards,”
Mother said as she turned away.
They left me and my stupid female emotions
took over, making me cry again. I sobbed loudly as I sat, chained
in the underground of my home. How was it possible to have so many
tears in one’s body?
I couldn’t believe that she was actually
keeping me prisoner. My heart was twisted with a mixture of anger
and sadness that left me feeling completely betrayed.
I waited until I heard them shut the door at
the other end of the tunnel which led out of the cells and up to
the castle. I waited a moment longer to be sure and then stood up.
A benefit to playing in these cells was being able to hide things
here and find escapes while no one was watching me. I crawled along
the wall, running my hands along the stones in search of a
particular one that wasn’t actually secured. A rat squeaked in
protest when I got too close to it and I hit it with the back of my
head, pushing it away. I did not feel like getting bitten
today.
I finally felt a stone move and smiled.
Bingo. I started to tug on the stone, but then I heard the door
open to the dungeon and crawled back to the center of my chains and
sat with my head bowed trying to look miserable. It wasn’t very
hard to do.
My cell door opened and a torch was placed in
the holder near me. “Refusing to eat?” Favian asked. It pained me
that he was here and not unchaining me even more than Mother’s
visit had pained me.
“I refuse to live as a lady. I will only live
if I’m allowed to be what I am, not something she wants me to
be.”
He sat down cross-legged in front of me and
said, “That’s not the true reason why you’re down here, you know.
That’s just her side agenda. The real reason you’re down here is to
protect you from the people trying to kidnap you. We are using all
of our resources to locate the ring leader while you are safe in
Elven territory.”
“Then why am I chained?” I asked bitterly as
I showed him my wrists.
“Because we know you’ll just run back to the
Academy to complete the training if we don’t keep you chained
up.”
“You’re going to go back, aren’t you?” He
didn’t respond, which was answer enough. “So you’re going to go
back, complete the program and become a mercenary while I’m held
prisoner. Then when I am finally let out I’ll not be able to
complete the program and have no job and no partner.”
“We’re still partners, Marin,” he said
seriously.
I looked up and met his eyes. “If we were
still partners you
choose to be a lady if you want.” She had an incredibly sad look on
her face and I felt awful, but I would not back down from this.
“Why do you want me to be something that I’m
not?” I asked her painfully. “I thought you loved me for who I
am?”
A single tear slipped down her cheek and she
said, “I love you for who you are, but who you are is getting you
attacked. I will not let you continue to put your life in
jeopardy.”
“Listen to her, Marin. She is only looking
out for your well being,” Kato said.
I glared at him. “If she told you that you
couldn’t be a guard anymore, that you had to sit around the castle
and do nothing, would you?”
“I would,” he said honestly.
I rolled my eyes. “Not if she ordered you to,
but if she asked you to.”
Kato smiled. “I have been alive a lot longer
than you. You are not going to catch me in a question like
this.”
“Please, Mother. If you do love me then let
me out.”
“No, not until you understand,” she said
angrily. “Leave her the food and let us make our exit,” she ordered
in her Queenly tone.
Kato handed me the tray of food and I let it
drop upside down on the ground. “If you will not let me go then I
will not eat,” I said as I sat down against the wall and crossed my
arms over my chest.
“You must eat,” Kato said.
“You must let me go.”
“Leave her be, Kato. She will change her mind
in a couple of days when the hunger is gnawing at her innards,”
Mother said as she turned away.
They left me and my stupid female emotions
took over, making me cry again. I sobbed loudly as I sat, chained
in the underground of my home. How was it possible to have so many
tears in one’s body?
I couldn’t believe that she was actually
keeping me prisoner. My heart was twisted with a mixture of anger
and sadness that left me feeling completely betrayed.
I waited until I heard them shut the door at
the other end of the tunnel which led out of the cells and up to
the castle. I waited a moment longer to be sure and then stood up.
A benefit to playing in these cells was being able to hide things
here and find escapes while no one was watching me. I crawled along
the wall, running my hands along the stones in search of a
particular one that wasn’t actually secured. A rat squeaked in
protest when I got too close to it and I hit it with the back of my
head, pushing it away. I did not feel like getting bitten
today.
I finally felt a stone move and smiled.
Bingo. I started to tug on the stone, but then I heard the door
open to the dungeon and crawled back to the center of my chains and
sat with my head bowed trying to look miserable. It wasn’t very
hard to do.
My cell door opened and a torch was placed in
the holder near me. “Refusing to eat?” Favian asked. It pained me
that he was here and not unchaining me even more than Mother’s
visit had pained me.
“I refuse to live as a lady. I will only live
if I’m allowed to be what I am, not something she wants me to
be.”
He sat down cross-legged in front of me and
said, “That’s not the true reason why you’re down here, you know.
That’s just her side agenda. The real reason you’re down here is to
protect you from the people trying to kidnap you. We are using all
of our resources to locate the ring leader while you are safe in
Elven territory.”
“Then why am I chained?” I asked bitterly as
I showed him my wrists.
“Because we know you’ll just run back to the
Academy to complete the training if we don’t keep you chained
up.”
“You’re going to go back, aren’t you?” He
didn’t respond, which was answer enough. “So you’re going to go
back, complete the program and become a mercenary while I’m held
prisoner. Then when I am finally let out I’ll not be able to
complete the program and have no job and no partner.”
“We’re still partners, Marin,” he said
seriously.
I looked up and met his eyes. “If we were
still partners you
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