Chapter 15

Thule’s ears twitched. Her humid eyes shot open, drawing sharp breaths as she quickly sat up entirely on instinct. The forest was gone, replaced with the brick and mortar of her prison cell. But the shame remained.

She ignored a moth that flew into the torch’s flame, dropping to the dirty floor in a smoking pile. Instead, she wiped her eyes and steadied her breathing. Quickly she began adjusting the rags that covered her body as she waited silently in the darkness, forcing the memories away. Loud, heavy footsteps got ever louder, little by little as they approached her cell.

Knowing what was coming was probably preferable to not knowing. At least in her mind. It led to dread, but also allowed her to prepare for the inevitable, even if it never made it easier. The glow of the approaching torch made her stiffen slightly, but she forced herself to appear calm in spite of her internal turmoil. She left her cot and stood in the center of her cell for a moment, the steps rounding a corner.

She kneeled down, remaining still; silently waiting for her tormentor, smiling pleasantly as the glow got brighter.

"Ah, there she is! How is my little bunny tonight?"

"Rejoiced to see you, your majesty." Thule replied, bowing courtly and solemnly, pressing her sullen face into the dirty stone floor so it was out of view when she spoke. Whatever contempt she may have unknowingly shown would remain hidden.

“Indeed, so stand up, stand up!”

She did as told, and the cell’s iron door was swiftly pushed open by a guard with an indifferent expression. She couldn’t really blame the man. Who really cared what happened to her, anyway? Just another slave to be used and thrown away once broken, right? No, she couldn’t blame him.

She could hate him as much as anyone else in that damned empire.

But she hid her emotions further.

Not yet... not yet...

Lucius Sol Traianus smirked, brimming with confidence as he entered her cell. He appeared taller, the unkempt blonde hair had been recently cut, and he appeared as though he’d recently left the bathhouse, his skin glistening more than it should.

"Right then. Come on!"

His powerful right arm grabbed her wrist, half leading her and half dragging her out of the dungeon, walking up its steps.

It was here, away from the guards that he spoke again.

"This is a special occasion, Thule. Did you know?" he said, a level of self-pride that she’d grown to hate with a passion, but she forced the feelings away.

"Special?" she asked, trying to feign ignorance.

"A doorway to another world was opened in the Alpine mountains! Soon my father's empire will spread along a whole other world."

"That is incredible news, your majesty!" she said, feigning happiness, trying to ignore how he gripped her wrist to the point that it hurt her. As they got to the top of the steps, he stopped, saying nothing else, only humming something as the heavy door was opened by the guards on the other side. Then, before exiting the prison, he grabbed some of the chains on the nearby wall and tightly bound her arms together, the rusty iron scraping her pale skin as he then used them to pull her along like one would their pet.

Just another mark...

"Special. Special indeed. A special week, I daresay. But today, I-"

"Sire!"

They turned and saw a young soldier arrive and kneel before Lucius.

"What is it? Can't you see I am about to commence the final part of my celebration of our expansion?" The emperor’s son replied, frustrated.

"Sire, my deepest apologies, but the emperor has called for an emergency meeting, and your attendance is requested!" the soldier said, pressing his forehead deeper into the marble floor.

The prince frowned, still gripping her wrist… tightly… before spitting on the ground.

"Fine. Come along, Thule. This should not take long."

She didn't object, not that she could, but she was curious about the meeting.

As they ascended from the prisons below, the halls of the palace became cleaner and brighter, the reds and purples of the Imperial colors everywhere, the dirty stone floors turned to polished marble. Architecture and decorations that could only have been achieved by a great power stared down at her comparatively insignificant and undignified existence.

Once again, she hid her contempt by turning her crimson eyes downward; staring at her reflection on the marble floor.