Heartbeat

Ba-bump

He is awakened by a light. Although neither of them needs light to see, his former queen always has his… cell… lit when she enters. Not a strong light, but enough that she can see the red of his blood, not merely that he his bleeding. He believes, no, he knows, that his former queen is trying to manipulate his psyche into dependence on her by keeping him in the dark when she is away. All that it has taught him so far is to fear the light.

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He is chained to the ceiling this time, and he forces himself not to cringe. This will not be a social visit then, where she attempts to cajole him into surrender. She thinks that she can torture him into submission. She forgets that he is as much a Sidhe as she, and just as vulnerable to the sin of pride.

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He feels her lick the blood from his wounds. There was a time when he would have found that… stimulating… and on some level, he still does. But it is nothing compared to the memories of Annoura. He can feel her frustration at his lack of response. She steps back.

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“Rhys, Rhys, Rhys. Aren’t you tired of these games by now? If you would cease your protection of the seer, we could put an end to them, and you could return to court.”

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Rhys wonders if she thinks the years of captivity have addled his brain. He knows that she could never allow him to return to the court that thinks him dead. His death served as a warning to the other lords that even they could not defy their queen, and to have it reversed would weaken her power over them, something she would never allow. No, the only end to this is death.

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She continues to talk, but he has ceased to listen. Eventually, she gives up and leaves him in the dark. A few minutes later, the chains disappear dropping him to the floor. He curls up in a ball, and listens to his heartbeat.

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He does not fear death. He fears that in a moment of weakness, his protections will waver, and his loved ones will be once again hunted. Annoura would join him in death, but Carys, the beautiful daughter he has only known through the visions his far sight has given him, they would twist to serve them. If she were lucky, they would recognize her as his heir, and she would be forced into an arranged marriage with whoever the queen thought would best control her. If not, she would be kept as a plaything for the same. Either way, the sparkle he has seen in her eyes would soon die.

Ba-bump

He has come to hate that sound, for it means he may yet break.