Twenty Two

Silla's bright blue eyes shot open and she breathed heavily as sweat droplets rolled down her face. It felt like her body was being moved as if she was on a ship or some sort of transportation with an unfamiliar rattling sound in the background.

What happened...? She felt really drowsy and dizzy as the blinding colors of the world spun around her. It felt like her head weighed a ton and if she was to get up, she'd only make it worse.

Tightly closing her eyes again she chanced her luck by slowly grabbing onto something and pulling herself up, taking her time to do so as her head pounded. She watched the blanket from last night wrapped around her fall to the ground.

Where was she?

Silla huffed out a breath when she lied back on a soft cushion. Opening up one eye, she was met with a dim interior. Rows and rows of empty seats were in front of her and at the very end a door.

A train?

Why was she on a moving train car?

Looking through the multiple giant windows, it was clear that the sky could not be seen. Instead, through the windows she could see fish swimming by and various underwater floral life. Outside was miles and miles of ocean and it was obvious they were far from the surface. It was a completely glass underwater tunnel. Huge archways allowing the train to travel through the glass tunnel. Blue fluorescence glimmering on the inside from the water and was just about the only source of light besides the dim chandelier lights on the train ceiling.

It was strange...

The only two large bodies of water in the city were the lake and the sea that was attached to it. Both connected to the upper ring.

She wasn't in the lower ring anymore.

The newly made transport hub, which started all this mess, and the ball she attended was in fact the cause of her kidnapping. The hub being right on the river, which connected to the lake in the inner city was the support for the architectural model that was built. A bit genius she admitted to herself.

But she also knew that she would never be able to leave the upper ring on her own, because of the security checking it probably had.

Eyes wandering all over the area around her, she was at the very back of the train car and the further she observed her surroundings the faster her brain finally started to register her predicament. Silla's last memories before Phanes did something to her, all she remembered was stabbing him. How was he still alive? She knew he was a trans-human but wasn't fully aware of just how much they differed from regular humans.

Instead of sitting at the numerous plush booths and tables ahead she laid on a large fluffy bed in a sleeper train car, for what she could only assume was an overnight railway. The large luminous curtains separating her from the rest of the train car.

It seemed no one else was here but her, as if the entire train was empty. That was until the door at the very end of the train car opened.

The second she saw who it was she frowned and he smiled.

"It's nice to see you are av'ake. Are you feeling alright?"

"Although I was hoping you'd v'ake up more along the lines of me giving you kisses." He looked down at her sweetly admiring her bed head now that he was at the foot of the bed she laid upon.

"Where Am I!?"

"I can't tell you that love."

Phanes shushed her

"You- Why didn't you die?" She murmured incredulously as she recalled stabbing him right before she went to sleep.

"That's not very nice flower, We'll talk after you're fed, you were out for quite awhile." Handing her the platter of food he came in with, he patiently sat next to her feeding her small bite sizes until it was completely gone and she was stuffed.

"I would like to eat alone for once." She mumbled back at him as he set down the empty dishes. 

"Is that how you speak to your future husband? You should be more appreciative towards the man who was kind enough to save you from your father, feed you food and take care of you while you were sick." He continued to gauge her, and he brought his face forward and leaned down till he was chin to chin with her. What was she supposed to do? She asked herself.

He then said, "Now kiss my cheek in gratitude and appreciation like a good girl." He demanded, slitted eyes looking down at her expectantly finger pointing towards his cheek.

Silla looked into his eyes to make sure he wasn't joking, and he wasn't. He stood there waiting for her to kiss him.

After what she had done the last few days, she decided it was the least she could do to try and appease him and avoid his wrath. At the end of the day she was still a girl who was lower than him in status. And with that thought, she took a step towards him. That little action alone had Phanes lips twist in a smile, his eyes looking at her leaning in.

He had bent down enough, that she didn't have to stretch much. She moved forward and when her face reached his she dropped a light quick kiss on his check and quickly leaned back on the bed.

"V'here is z'e acknowledgement of

z'anks?" he asked, not happy with the incomplete gesture. Silla gritted her teeth, and she moved forward again to hear him say, "I v'ant a clear one."

Pressing her lips on his cheek again, she said, "Thank you for saving me when I ran away. If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened," she said the words just as he would want to hear from her. Although even without him she probably could've managed, she had for years before him. But giving him small answers would only end up with him having her repeat it until he got what he wanted to hear.

Phanes was more than pleased with the kiss, but he wasn't satisfied with just a

kiss. He saw how she didn't meet his eyes, her throat softly gulping down the

nervousness.

Hearing nothing from him, Silla took it that it was safe to scoot further into the bed away from him instead of sitting on the edge with him. And she turned halfway before she was pulled towards him and he pushed up against the cold headboard. Her eyes widened, looking at him who was close to her. Her heart thundered in her chest.

"I did everything you asked me to do," she whispered. Her eyes were wide with a look similar to a deer that was caught by the predator.

"Did you?"

The question made Silla think quickly if there was something that she had missed in the last few seconds. He had caught both her hands in his hands, pushing it to pin against the headboard when she had tried to get away.

"It makes me v'onder if you are going to try running away again. Makes me want to imprison you," his cold breath fell on her lips, making her shiver. He moved his lips close to her as if he was about to kiss her, Silla tried to push him, but he had her just where he wanted. He was going to steal her first kiss.

Her lips were parted, and she felt the invisible pressure that was turning her knees weak in anxiety of what he was going to do, "The next time you run away, don't forget you v'ill be the one to kiss me v'ith z'ose lips of yours," he said with his eyes on her.

"I am here." she stated.

"Right now, yes, but I don't know v'hat types of crazy ideas you v'ill find. Thanks to you from now on all the vehicles will be checked before letting them pass out of my properties gates." Hearing this, Silla could feel her hope crush, "Don't look disheartened," he smiled, and even though he said not to be, he was enjoying her despair. Little did she know he had also killed all the security and guards that had failed keeping her in sight. This new more permanent location would make it so she couldn't pull anymore escape attempts.

Silla could feel his hand firmly holding hers, "Understood?" he asked her. She saw how his eyes moved to her lips before looking back into her eyes.

"Yes," she replied to have him back away from her finally. He let go only one hand of hers. The other hand of hers was raised to his lips, and he kissed the back of her hand while keeping his eyes on her. The dark ambience created a silhouette on his face, when he pulled away.

"Hmm."

"You haven't been v'ell behaved the last few days being as bold to run away and even stab me."

"While your little act of being obedient at first was much appreciated, you should think twice before attempting to trick me. I may have a soft spot for you but I am not easily fooled. Once we arrive home you will receive punishments for your behavior."

While Silla expected as much she was worried about what exactly he would do to her in his 'punishments'. He had been relatively soft when it came to her but after running away he seemed much bolder and more demanding. She wasn't sure what he had planned for her.

For the rest of the ride Silla rested on a cushion while looking out the window. It was peaceful until he silently begun playing with her hair, although it felt nice, it was creepy. "What're you doing?" She questioned him.

"Am I not allowed to touch what is mine?" He countered.

She didn't know how to respond to that.

Watching as the tunnel ahead started to get lighter and the water more blue, she realized the train was at an incline; heading up. The light flooding through the windows was a beautiful sight. They were heading closer and closer to the surface. She turned to a window next to her and peaked out.

Rising to the surface the train shot forward out of the underwater tunnel and began to levitate a foot off the water flying across to what was ahead, the waves crashing around them from the sudden movement. Surprisingly not affecting anything inside the train or moving it around.

"What was that body of water we were under?" She asked him. She had only seen a few complete maps of the city but they weren't up to date. While she already knew that half of the city sat on the sea, she didn't realize there was a lake and river connected to the sea in the upper ring.

"It's a river that runs through both the upper and lower ring. It's connected to the inner city lake." He explained looking down at her warmly glad that she was curious and confident enough to ask him questions.

Ahead of them their destination surprised her to see nothing but a large wall in the distance through her window. It was so high that it nearly reached the clouds. The wall seemed to be quite old too yet a lot better looking than the outer wall.

She had heard stories of the wall and of how big it was up close. It has to be the same wall from the stories, the same one she saw open up during the ball although it was much too far away to see like this.

Over the top of the inner wall, a large protective dome covered the territory as high as the sky. So beautiful it looked to be made of water and flowed constantly at a never changing rate. She could clearly see the clouds and sky, a clean blue and white she had never seen in the lower ring. There was no smog here, no pollution.

As the train got closer Silla wondered if they were going to crash into it until she saw the tunnel up ahead. The tunnel seemed to poke out the wall as some sort of entrance and lead to the inside as the only exit and entrance aside from the new transport hub. Now much closer the entrance looked gigantic and was so intricate it would take forever to memorize all the details.

Gears slowly turned and giant locks clicked open. Once inside the tunnel everything went black due to the lack of light but quickly her eyes were met with civilization. Everything was so different from the outside. The buildings of all sorts of sizes and shapes shot up to the clouds. Holocrafts flew all around and the sky was full of them.

Some buildings didn't even touch the ground, and they were floating in mid air. The lights from the buildings were magnificent. The architecture was unlike anything she had ever seen. Flora and fauna of all types were everywhere and seemed to coexist with the city. Water freely flows down some of the buildings and lights reflected off the surface. It was a utopia.

Everything was clean and there were children happily playing in the street.

She sat amazed at the sight...

How was this possible?

This district seemed to be managed quite well. The people seem healthy and their lives, peaceful.

Screeching, the train came to a stop and Silla couldn't wait to exit into the mini station to explore and plan her next escape. After hours on a train, she wanted nothing more than to kneel down and kiss the beautiful blessed ground.

Worried she would trip over the railing he grabbed her. "Please watch your step. I can help you, if you don't mind."

He smiled like the perfect gentleman that he wasn't and offered his hand to help her step over the plat form. "No. It's quite alright, I can help myself." She rejected his offer, but he took it upon himself to take the initiative and held her hands anyway.

"It's fine to depend on others (me) sometimes."

She rolled her eyes.

Phanes was ecstatic. The sight of her in awe of the inner city and their new home was beautiful. He wanted to lock her up right away and have her look only at him. Whenever he thought of her gaze on him, his heart leapt madly.

He couldn't wait for his plans to unravel, and couldn't help but look at her thin fragile ankle, oh, how perfectly it had fit in his hand when he first dragged her out, when she had attempted to run from him. Honestly, it fit perfectly in his fingers. And with

the size of her ankles, he knew he also had the perfect, ankle cuffs for her in their new home. In her room. The room he had decorated and prepared just for her.

He had to train her.

He wanted to show her nobody can love her as much as he does. He wanted to overwhelm her with all the love he had locked inside his heart for her, for years. He wanted to pamper her, adore her, cherish her.

He would make her utterly dependent on him and him alone.

After thirty minutes past they made it to the center of the district and were met with strong iron gates. Much like the outside wall the iron gates also had one point of entrance; they were huge and impossible to get past.

Silla sat amazed at the view in front of her. Once inside the iron fencing a large body of water surrounded the  entire estate. It was beautiful.

Ivy and ferns grew through the crevices of the old winding stone path decorated with glowing lights that seemed to lead directly to a colossal structure. The castle looked proudly behind the gates, flanked by rows of skeletal trees crowned in green, it seemed like a mini private forest the swaying willow trees and cherry blossoms making it seem like some kind of magical fairy land.

She had never seen this much nature before.

Closer inspection the palace that laid before her was gorgeous; the beautiful lights coming from the windows seemed inviting.

It's built to be impossible to siege, but at the same time, impossible to escape. Though Silla doesn't want to admit it to herself, she knows that after she crosses the gate's threshold, she'll never be able to leave of her own volition.

When came closer to the Kaiserriech residence, Silla could only describe it as a

palace. It had large gleaming spires that pointed into the sky with an elegance that oozed wealth. It had a

dark exterior, with dark stone and dark awnings and iron fencing. It looked like the devil's palace.

Her body went cold despite wanting to explore. She felt deep inside that this beautiful place would soon become her prison. Yet, she had time to properly marvel at the architecture.

I don't want to go inside.

She wanted to say.

But nothing came out.

She had a feeling guests rarely entered this place. There was a purposeful

isolated feeling about this residence, as if the dark exterior served as a warning for those thinking on entering.

How foolish.

As he walked with her at his side, Silla had time to look around and take in the amazing garden that surrounded this place. The stone path they walked on was practically gleaming in

the sunlight. The landscaping was truly amazing, it appeared as if every flower here was in full bloom, serving as a stark contrast to the dark

cathedral-like building that stood looming in the centre.

She also spotted a few hidden figures.

Guards.

Phanes was a man with immense power and wealth. That also meant he had a

lot of enemies. Being one of the five most powerful aristocrats, it was useless for her to even fathom the amount of money he had. She had not yet come to grips with the fiscal side of this world.

When poor, one did not need to understand monetary values of this size. Yet considering that she was now in the upper ring, it now brought with it its

own issues.

One of the many butlers that met them at the gates then walked right up to the

large wooden doors that towered over everything. It had large wrought iron

carvings that were beautifully made into smooth lines on the doorway. A few of them merged in the centre to

form a grand, pitch-black snakes head.

How quaint.

Without knocking, the butler opened the door with one hand. The large groan of the doors indicated that they must have been very ancient, and very, very heavy.

As soon as they walked through the doorway, it felt as if the air suddenly shifted around her. It was almost as if they had walked through some unseen barrier. Which wouldn't surprise her as upper ring technology was nothing like what they had back home.

There was a silence.

The interior of the palace was absolutely magnificent. There were several sparkling diamond chandeliers that reflected abstract colors of light. The floor was adorn with lavish carpets that looked hand made with intricate designs along them.

The fabric they were made from had to be extremely expensive. "If I v'ere to let you go, right here and right now. To let you roam around in your new home. V'hat v'ould you do?" Phanes suddenly came up behind Silla whispering and resting his hands on her shoulders. His body pressed up right against hers.

He was testing her to see if she was foolish enough to try and escape again in the upper city.

"I would stay. You are too crazy to let me go and I have never been in the upper city and to much less escape would be impossible. I am no idiot." she told him emphasizing on the last part. She would rather take het chances with him than anyone else. That way she at least knew what she was getting herself into. Better safe then sorry.

"Ahhh.... Such a smart one you are." He gingerly bopped her nose as he kissed Silla's cheek leading her around the mansion. she shivered from disgust, she was already getting used to his touches and hugs. He was blatantly trying to familiarize himself to her.

The architecture alone was absolutely beautiful but the extravagant decorations only made it better. The manors many windows were spotless and a few of them even had beautiful works of art that held stained glass.

Walking along the hallways decorated with old paintings she followed busts that led to a long spiral staircase. She stumbled along one family portrait that made her stop.

It had what was an obvious father figure, a man who looked tall and mean with a few wrinkles and gray hairs. He had deep green eyes and dark blonde hair, which Phanes had obviously gotten from him. Although he was in a portrait his deep eyes seemed cruel.

Next to him stood a woman with bright red hair and a sly smile, dressed in various silks and jewels. By how close they were she seemed to be his wife. In the center were three children of various ages. The older of the two were boys and the last one a girl. They all seemed to have different hair colors and features only the eldest son having red hair from what she presumed to be his mother.

It was apparent from the children that the father had been less than faithful.

But what was most interesting in the painting was the woman in the very back she seemed to barely be included in the family painting and she was much too old to be one of their children.

She was beautiful so perhaps a concubine? It was striking how alike she was to Silla. They both had some similar features despite being a bit different from each other. The woman had blue eyes of a different shade and dark brown hair, a small beauty mark under her slightly frowning lips. Behind her a small boy hid, clinging to her dress, only part of his face shown. He had the same feature as Phanes so she assumed that was what he looked like as a boy.

She almost mistook him for a girl. He was much smaller and thinner than the rest of them. The longer she stared at the face the more her head throbbed. He seemed familiar. Silla had only seen Phanes so she wondered what had happened to the rest of his family?

Continuing to explore as she saw Phanes stare at the portrait with a blank face, she was shown to the conservatory; an indoor green house with vast amounts of plants. It lead outside where they had a large organic pool for recreational fun and other much smaller pools that were simply there for decoration.

Strangely enough it was like her dream home. Everything she ever wanted in a home was here...

The hedges and gardening outside was done well and seemed to be regularly taken care of. Many flowers and vines decorated the multiple gardens and gazebos. Though her favorite part was the moon gate that led to a maze. Although after her last incident she doubted she would go near the maze anytime soon.

Silla was absolutely overwhelmed, being

surrounded by so much wealth was no joke. After spending more most of her life in the lower ring her body and mind had adapted to a less...wealthier

lifestyle.

It was strange to see so

much gold and dark plated ornaments and artefacts in nearly every available space. She didn't know what to look at.

Candlelit chandeliers hung from ceiling with arrays of hanging crystal prisms which illuminated the rooms with refracted light. The more she stared the more she realized that there were intricate arabesques of leaves, flowers and magical creatures that were enriched by coloured glass, seemingly made possible by a glass-like material that had to be infused with technology.

Otherwise she had no idea what was causing those shapes to move as if they were alive.

There was something about walking the halls of this palace that made time

stop.

Not to mention the beauty of

the furnishings. The gold richly-woven fabrics and brocades, the grey heavy gilded plaster moulding, large sculpted side boards, and heavy marbling was completely overwhelming. It screamed wealth of an entirely different level-so unavoidably opulent.

It was vieux riche.

Phanes was old money.

It was as if every material and colour had to be visually appealing as well as gothic, creating an overall sense of floating through a gilded, satin cloud. This aesthetic was maintained not only in the walls and ceilings of the room, but in the furniture, flatware, silverware, paintings, and decorations.

Everything matched and

everything looked so incredibly lavish that it appeared as if everything were handmade individually by skilled craftspeople.

An incredible waste of money.

Her heart hurt looking at this and trying to imagine the sheer cost of it all. It was also clear that technology was of no

consequence in the main wing. Beautiful orbs of light floated around the chandeliers, giving off a softer glow and providing more light inside. The light they exuded almost made it feel as if she were standing outside in the sun.

Phanes, however,

appeared completely indifferent to the absolute extravagance that oozed from the walls off this place. Meanwhile, it felt as if she had walked straight into prince charming's palace.

"Isn't this place, a bit much? Won't other aristocrats try and compete with you?" She asked and his lack of interest didn't surprise her.

"V'hy should I concern myself v'ith mundane human things Competing v'ith z'em is beneath me." She mentally heaved an exasperated sigh. Why should she have ever thought otherwise?

"Yes, but I'm also a mundane human, so shouldn't you not concern yourself with me?" Silla blatantly back talked him.

"Your are mine so it is fine." Silla rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh- well my apologies your excellency." She stared back at him with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.

"I forgive your lack of insight."

"How generous."

"I believe z'e correct word is

benevolent."

"Ha."

Going up the spiral staircase Silla was led to large double doors that had intricate designs on the woodwork. Inside was a master bedroom that was themed in black and red. The walls and floors a light marble while the decorations were all black giving the room an over all classy look. Soft black carpets that felt like angel feathers on her feet were strategically placed around the room.

The main sources of light were the sparkling chandelier and large glass pained windows covered in silk curtains. At the center of this master piece was a giant draped bed. It had pillows of all shapes and sizes and was covered with a beautiful silk canopy giving the bed a shade look. Upon closer inspection she noticed the silk sheets and the plush comforter that adorned it.

Laying down on the bed she watched as he bent down and took something out from under the bed. A rattling sound revealing a long golden chain which he hooked onto the bed post.

She had a bad feeling about this.

At the very end of the chain a single cuff was attached, it's insides covered in velvet fabric as to not scratch or bruise. He held a golden key in his hand, which she assumed went to the lock on the cuff. She winced.

"This is your punishment."

________________

to be continued...