Chapter 11 - Alone with Him

Once again, her mind went into a blur. Her environment fading into a distance while she remained stunned by the crazy thing that had just happened.

How was it that she was the crowned the Bride?

How was it even possible?

Her mind was so occupied that by the time she realized that she had been brought into a room that wasn't hers, the guards were already gone and the door had been shut firmly.

She jumped to her feet with a start, looking around the red painted room, it stung her eyes somehow considering red wasn't even really her colour to begin with.

She yanked at her hair, pacing around the room, mumbling inaudible frightened words underneath her breath.

At that moment, she heard horses neighing, a carriage driving out of the castle and heavy gates been pulled open from a distance away.

She looked around the room quickly searching for a window, pulling open all the red curtains she laid her hands upon till she eventually from one with just the right view.

From here, she could see the carriage, in fact one side of the carriage had its curtain raised up.

Was that the carriage that she had arrived in some weeks ago?

Wait, was that Irie by the window?

She furrowed her brows when she observed something.

Even from here, she could see that Irie's eyes looked almost souless, like as if she was in a daze.

Then a slender hand with long polished red nails pulled the curtains down, as the carriage wheeled out of the large black gates, disappearing completely into the night. The gates were closed once again.

She blinked.

Was Lady Kestra taking them back to Inaymi? Irie's souless gaze flashed in her mind again and she wondered what they might have done to her.

'The six brides that would, always had no memories of their days in the castle.'

She remembered one of the many rumours surrounding this Choosing Ritual.

Her eyes widened immediately and she staggered back.

By Ignas, something had definitely be done to them! To make them forget!

Silence echoed in her mind.

Till the loud growl of the Dragon from a far away distance broke it and one word rang in her mind.

Alone.

"No no no no no no, No, No!" She moved away from the window, rushing towards the door, then banging against it with all her might, her heart racing faster than ever.

"Let me out of here!" She screamed. "I should be in the dungeon, or on the dragon's dinner plate! Let me out!"

It had finally dawn on her that she was the Bride and whatever unfortunate fate that had fallen the previous brides for them to be never be seen or heard of again, was about to befall her too.

Somehow getting ripped apart by his dragon sounded way more comforting than to be his bride. It was the uncertainty that laid in being the latter that she found absolutely terrifying.

The unknown should after all be greatly feared.

"Get me out of here!" She yelled through gnashed teeth, kicking the door.

Part of that unknown was the Dragon King himself. There was a large probability that he wasn't human but then no one knew exactly what he was.

Her utmost fear, right now, was him.

Despite knowing that all precautions would have been taken for this place to be impossible to escape from, her desperate self didn't allow her to just linger around begging that they set her free, which she knew they wouldn't.

She started searching everywhere, pulling on this, tugging on that, to see of anything will budge, like a secret door or a passage way.

Just anything to get her out of forsaken place they called a castle!

That was what she spent her whole time doing till she became tired, her legs so weak that all that was left for her to do was go crawl around. Tears ran down her cheeks.

She was weak from how her lack of appetite had lead her into starvation, her eyes hurt from how much tears she had shed these past few days and they stung from how sleep deprived she was.

Helpless, weak, drained.

She fell to floor, almost bashing her head against the table that swayed lightly from as a result of her fall. While the table had not fallen, a vase on it smashed against the blood red rug.

She watched the broken glass that had now scattered across the room on the floor, and immediately pushed herself some distance away from it.

As much as she wanted to escape this life, she wasn't so keen on being the one to bring that end by her own hands. That was one of the things she couldn't bring herself to do no matter what.

Something else had to do it for her, something she was certain of, like the King's dragon or an execution of some sought.

The door flung open at that moment and she rushed up to her feet not wanting to show weakness.

"What are you going to do with me now?" She requested as wild and dangerous as she could let out but his golden mask still put her at a great disadvantage.

He closed the door and took a quick look around the room.

"I do not w-want to be... your b-bride." Her voice betrayed her this time. Her racing heart made her words sound a little breathy as she struggled to catch her breath. She tried to lean against the wall for support but it was far from her and it was starting to feel impossible to continue standing.

She suddenly felt lightheaded and she hit the floor with a thud.

He walked towards her, crushing the broken pieces of the vase understand his heavy boots with every step he took. She tried to scurry away but she was too weak to even raise a finger.

Without warning, he pushed her gown up her thigh, exposing her legs.

Her heart clenched immediately.

Was he going to take her by force this time?

She impulsively placed her hand on his in a feeble attempt to stop him but he paid her no attention. Instead, she could feel his rough black leather gloves against her skin as his hands worked on her legs, his gaze intent and focused as he pull out the pieces of the broken vase that were planted into her legs but she had not notice.

No wonder she felt so weak, she had been bleeding from the many tiny cuts!

It was like as if all the weakness finally caught up with her. She fell on her back in defeat, her eyes looking up at the ceiling that had drawings on it but with her blurring sight and how she was seeing two of everything, she couldn't appreciate the beauty.

She felt him lift her up in his strong arms, walk across the room and tucked her into the softest bed she had ever laid on.

She didn't know what he had done but her cuts wasn't bleeding anymore.

He tucked a pillow by her side, a yawn slipping out of her mouth at that moment.

"Sleep." He ordered quietly.

But she didn't want to do that. This must be one of the luxurious guest rooms, and he might be here for only one reason.

She would stay awake to ensure that or anything related to it, such as them sharing a bed, would not happen.

Her eyes started closing and opening, as she tried to keep her gaze on an incense that was now burning on a small ceramic tray on the table.

Had it even been there all along? Why was she just noticing it?

Her eyelids slipped closed and she opened them once again, as her vision got more and more blurry, till all she could see was darkness.