And with that unspoken promise, Abrum was taken away, while the storm of what he would do next gathered silently within him.
Alara begged her father till the very end, when the sentinels took him away, she was left with a broken heart again by her own father.
"Daughter, you will remain in your chambers until the masquerade ball," the King commanded, his voice heavy with authority. "It's only one night away, and I've decided to accept the proposal from my friend's son." His eyes were stern and unyielding, burning with a fierce determination that left Alara trembling in silence.
"But Father, I've already said no! Please… don't do this to me," Alara pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice trembling. Her nose was red, and her heart felt like it was breaking all over again.
"I'm not gonna listen to you anymore! This is my one and final decision for you now!"
The king delivered his order to alara.
"I will not listen to you any longer! This is my final decision and you will obey it!" the King thundered, his voice echoing through the chamber as he delivered his command to Alara.
"When did you ever truly listen to me, Father?" Alara cried, her voice breaking. "All you ever do is command me, like I'm nothing more than a prisoner in your kingdom!".
"Sentinels!" the King roared, cutting through Alara's words. "Take her away at once, confine her to her chambers and lock the doors!" He turned his gaze away, refusing to meet her tearful eyes as the guards stepped forward to obey his command.
Alara felt utterly helpless, a prisoner within her own castle. Every corner of those stone walls echoed her despair. She wanted to run… to escape that very moment. But fate had other plans for her.
As the sentinels, still bound by duty, respectfully asked her to come with them, she realized there was no other choice left only obedience. With trembling steps, she followed them back to her chambers. Moments later, she heard the heavy lock click behind her, sealing her fate once again.
A single tear slipped down from the left eye down to her cheek, and as it fell, the world around her faded into darkness.
Abrum sat in the cold, damp prison cell, the silence around him thick as stone. Then footsteps. Slow, steady, echoing through the darkness, drawing closer with every step. The dungeon was pitch black; he couldn't see a thing. But suddenly, a torch flared before his face, its blinding light forcing him to look away.
And then came the voice deep, commanding, unmistakable. It was the king.
"You! a commoner! dare to stand near my daughter? Do you even know your place?" the King sneered, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "I will do whatever I please to you. This is what you are worth to me."
"Yes, I am a common man! probably far beneath your throne," Abrum said, his voice steady yet burning with courage. "But at least I'm someone your daughter can trust… someone she can rely on. What about you, Your Majesty? The man who claims to protect her, yet has caged her since childhood?" He took a step forward, eyes locked on the King's. "You call this a home, but it's nothing more than a prison she was born into. I may be a common man, but I have freedom. And I pity your daughter, the princess! I pity her for never being allowed to see the world beyond these walls."
"Mark my words! you'll pay for this!" he thundered, and stormed out, the sentinels dragging the echo of his threat behind him.
Abrum sat alone in the cold, dimly lit cell, the silence pressing against his thoughts. Yet something inside him refused to rest. There was something about the King,
his voice, his eyes, his very presence! that felt hauntingly familiar. It was as if they had crossed paths long before this moment. The feeling gnawed at him, so strong and unsettling that even if he tried, he couldn't silence the voice whispering inside his mind.
~~~~~
As Alara slowly opened her eyes, the room was bathed in silver moonlight, the shadows stretching quietly across the walls. A sharp pain throbbed through her head, forcing her to steady herself by gripping the corner of the bed. That's when she realized, she was lying on the floor. She must have fainted.
Pushing herself up, Alara looked around. The room was silent, empty, almost hollow. Then her father's words came rushing back, echoing in her mind, sharp and merciless. She stood frozen in the middle of the room as every moment replayed before her eyes. Tears slipped down her cheeks before she even noticed, falling one after another in the moonlight.
Alara slipped her trembling hands into the pocket of her gown and pulled out the pendant. She sat quietly on the edge of her bed, her fingers curling around it as though it could somehow bring her comfort. Her gaze lingered on the pendant's faint gleam, the memories tied to it flooding her heart with worry and sorrow.
"Abrum…" she whispered under her breath. The thought of him trapped somewhere in the castle made her chest tighten. Gathering her courage, she rose and went to the door, hoping, just hoping, it might open. But as her hand turned the handle, it refused to move. Locked. Again.
The realization struck her like a blade. She sank to the floor, her back against the cold wood, her heart heavy and her soul weary. All she could do was hold the pendant close and let the silence swallow her pain.
Alara and Abrum were both trapped within the castle, a place that felt more like a prison than a home. Even in their separate confinement, their thoughts lingered only on each other. Yet neither of them knew that fate had already written a far different pathfor them and this was only the beginning...