Redemption for The Prisoner?

Rama stared at the wall blankly for what felt like an eternity, as she ignored the unendurable hunger pricking her intestines and gnawing at her stomach.

She heard Malika groan softly as she awakened from her slumber, tilting her head straight, she sat forward as she realized she had slept on her shoulder and a small gasp echoed from her lips.

"I'm sorry your highness," Malika said with a strained voice, although she had slept, her eyes were still heavy with tiredness and hunger.

"Don't call me that Malika. It only makes my rage fuel more, but now I have no strength to be angry." Rama said between gritted teeth but her jade eyes were dull, the glow in them had faded to be replaced with despair and sorrow.

"It's alright for you to be angry, you have every right to be. The vampire king took everything away from you, so be angry if you must." Malika remarked.

"Nothing will change anyway, angry or not there's no redemption for me, death is the only resolution I have left and possibly my redemption." Rama said with a flat tone, eyes staring into space blankly.

"No, please don't say that. I won't be able to live with myself if something happens to you." Malika said with a croaked voice as she sobbed softly with lowered head, making her golden locks fall to her face.

"You should stop holding on Malika, haven't you realized yet where we are? We are prisoners in Voltaire kingdom ruled by the night creatures. Our fate is sealed and inescapable. Death is a much preferable way out of this nightmare unless you'd love to be a feeding blood bag till you're drained." Rama pointed out with a frown etched on her face.

She grew tired of hearing Malika speak about hope and redemption or waiting for Roshan to save them. The girl was too naive and innocent for her own good, even in her darkest plight she seemed to be convinced that she could crawl her way out of the bottomless pit of hell.

"Death can't be the only choice. How about we wait for Roshan and if he doesn't show up then I'll accept the fact that we're hopeless." Malika implied with a faltering forced smile on her pale pink lips, that were once moist and bright pink but were now dry from lack of water.

"He won't come." Rama muttered beneath her breath, not a flicker of hope stirred in her jade eyes. She had lost all hope the moment she witnessed the horrifying gory end of her men and the terror craving creatures that had generated it without a flick of humanity in them.

She had never known something could exist to be so dark and daunting until her inauspicious encounter with the night creatures.

She felt Malika's warm hands on hers squeezing it gently in desolate comfort. Her amber eyes stared into her jade ones as she spoke.

"You've always been so strong but I've never seen you so hopeless until now. I know it's understandable but please don't, you'll only break faster if you are and that is what the vampire king wants. He wants to see you badly broken, you'll be so desperate."

A bitter rage filled chuckle reverberated from beneath Rama's breath.

"I'm hopeless because there is no hope, hope makes you desperate and vulnerable to break but I long accepted my fate and it has become my motivation to never give those hideous monsters the pleasure of seeing me break." Rama hissed with rage encompassing her jade eyes.

Rama knew there was no hope so she couldn't depend on one or she'd be utterly disappointed and left with a lifetime of longing and bitter resentment.

Hope was a word with no lingering trace in her mind, it was as dead as her Empire to her.

Even though she had lost all hope, she would never, no matter the calamity she faced or the torture, she wouldn't offer him the pleasure he desired from her pain and misery.

Silence ensued and Malika didn't say anymore.

"You look awful, yo-" Malika trailed off remembering she hated to be called Your Highness. "Only if they'd be kind enough to offer us a bath, at least we should clean up. From the time we've spent here I guess two days and nights must have passed." Malika complained as she used the sleeves of her dress to gently wipe the dirt off Rama's face but applying less pressure to the visible bruise on her cheek where it was slammed against the steel bars.

"They're not kind enough Malika. How could you even in your wildest imagination think they'd ever treat their prisoners in even the tiniest way humane. They're monsters, so they'll treat us like one and this is only the beginning so brace yourself for worst." Rama stated, with a frown etched on her face bringing about lines to form on her forehead.

Malika sighed with dropped shoulders in disappointment. The girl was terrified of the night creatures, yet she expected a bath to be offered from them. Rama shook her head softly at the girl's ignorance but innocence.

"The night creatures intrigues you, don't they? I wonder the origin of their existence, how they came to exist and possess their remarkable strength." Malika said thoughtfully as she drowned in her pondering thoughts.

"And their monstrosity and hideous nature." Rama added in and Malika stared at the dungeon ceiling thoughtfully.

"They were born different but I don't think they were born monsters, I guess the vampire king chose to become it. Everyone has a choice." Malika implied and Rama scoffed in disbelief as she rolled her eyes.

"They are born monsters, it's in their blood and nature. Only if you saw what I did, the manner in which they heartlessly decapitated and tore my men to shreds like rag dolls, not a hint of emotion or sympathy in their eyes. They are similar to soulless monsters who crave only blood and destruction." Rama spat out in fuming rage that couldn't quite be suppressed.

"How did the night creatures defeat the black dragon? I thought it was immortal." Malika queried with curiosity in her widened amber eyes.

Rama pressed her lips tightly.

"He didn't defeat it. The black dragon serves him, he's its Master." Rama replied blankly, disappointment coating her face.

A loud gasp resonated in the cell which erupted from Malika as her eyes widened in shock.

"The bl-black dragon s-serves the v-vampire king?!" She queried in disbelief as her hands flew to her mouth.

"Yes, it turns out the black dragon was a majestic being who had a connection with true royals. Eventually, it returned to its master." Rama said with a dragged sigh of exasperation and a sullen look on her face.

"How could he be its Master? The origin of the night creatures could be linked to the dragon in some way, its all confusing." Malika sighed in confusion as she scratched her damp golden hair that had stuck to her scalp from lack of washing including hers.

"The last thing we should care about is their origination and focus on ourselves instead. We're the only ones that matter now. I'll try to find a way to escape even if its impossible but if there isn't we'll resort to plan B unless you want to live as a feeding blood bag." Rama snapped.

Malika's stared at her warily with gloom encompassing her eyes like a heavy cloak.

"Death won't solve anything." She said with a small sad voice.

"Living won't solve anything either." Rama retorted.

"You're overwhelmed with guilt and sorrow but you're not grieving because you feel it'll make you weak. You're human and you should act human, grieve if you lose something, cry if you're hurt and bring out your rage if you're angry. Keeping it in will only make it feel worse and unendurable, it'll destroy you slowly from the inside." Malika said with a rather audible voice, unlike the low tune she used when speaking to her in the past, it was louder now and firm.

Rama's eyes stung with tears filling the brim of her eyes. Why did her words seem to hit her so deep? Although, she was right. She hadn't spared a second to grieve after losing her Empire, her mother and her people.

She dreaded the fact that she would only be prone to weakness which would pave way to vulnerability that could make her easily break and she didn't want to break, she couldn't. She didn't want to see the vampire king win for the second time and give him the sadistic satisfaction of seeing her broken.

But Malika was right, she was human and suppressing all the pain, grief and rage she felt made her insides burn, she needed to let it out and relive herself of the overwhelming burden that laid unnervingly inside of her.

She buried her face between her knees as she cried softly, concealing her tears from Malika because she felt ashamed. She had never cried in front of anyone before and now it was embarrassing.

She was sobbing softly when she felt Malika wound her arms around her and stroking her black hair comfortingly.

"Don't you feel better now? Letting it all out?" Malika whispered softly, her voice floating smoothly with the wind.