Valor POV

I awoke with a strong pain in my jaw, a stiff neck, and blurred eyesight. Something had been shoved into my mouth, it's rough and made my mouth dry. I have been gagged with rope and cloth. My heart began to pound against my chest. Where am I? What time is it? In an attempt to move, I feel the rope wrapped around my wrist. What happened? The last thing I remember is her, Lorelei. My vision starts to clear, but all I can see is a dark room.

"They are still out there" A female voice spoke behind me. I rolled my body over so that I could see her. Lorelei is standing up looking out of a small window. It's high up, and she can hardly see out. Kill her she has to suffer for hurting us. The cursed voice begins to whisper. As if I could do it while being back-bound and gagged.

"This is a fine mess." Someone else said it sounded more manly. Forcing my head up, I can see someone standing behind a post "This isn't a mess, it's a disaster. They got Neary and Narin. They are going to execute them. Heck might even do it at the wedding as entertainment." Her comment makes me grimace. How untastely to have an execution at a celebration.

I try to make out who this man is, but the darkness shields him. As he turns to face me, I notice that he is wearing a hood over his head. "Seems our guest is awake," He says. "Already?" Lorelei turns around to look at me, at the same time the man emerges from the shadow. His approaching dark figure seems so big compared to mine which is trapped on the ground.

"Did you have a nice nap, your highness?" He asked with a condescending tone. He will suffer in pain and torture. You shall chop off his head and hands. These voices are good at making plans for torment, but what about a plan to get out of here? "What shall we do with him?" Lorelei asks. My chest tightens. What will they do with me?

"That is not my main concern right now. I rather know, how did they find us?"

"That would be my fault, he and his sister overheard us at the tavern."

"How much did they hear?"

"I believe I only mentioned I wanted to survey the area."

"That would explain why the guards came, he informed them." I didn't though. Zora! She must have done it. "But if he told the guards, why would he even come here himself? That does not make sense." Lorelei argued. "Well, it's not like he can tell us at the moment. Maybe we should just kill him and disappear from the city." Kill me? They cannot kill me. I am a Prince.

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"I am not leaving without the twins," Lorelei yells. "Are you not? So, do you have a plan to save them? Because I am open to suggestions, after all, I still have a job to do here." Lorelei brushed her hair with her hand. "We can not discuss a plan in front of him." She moves away from my vision, and the man follows. As they fade into the darkness, I no longer hear them, the cursed voices are drowning out theirs.

After a while, the man appears again. He is holding some kind of cup. The hood still covers his face, I wonder how he looks beneath it. "I am not interested in explaining my reasons to a palace brat. But mark my words if you scream, there will be consequences." He has a grip on my chin, but I shake my head forcing him to let go. "You have no reason to be difficult, it's not harmful, it will just make your voice go away. So, be a good prince and DRINK." The last word was said as if it was a threat.

He grabs my neck and pushes me down onto the ground. As he removes the gag I am about to scream. But before I could he poured the hot liquid into my mouth. In the rush, I made the mistake of breathing in the fluid. As I cough and spit. The man states "Seem you are not a good Prince." In anger, I can't help but repeat the words of the curse. "I am gonna personally cut every finger of your hands." My words come out raspy.

The man laughs. "Is that you or the curse talking?" She told him! She fucking told him. "Did I hit a sour spot? Perhaps if you're an obedient Prince. Miss Lorelei will be so kind to sing you a lullaby-" I hate the way he speaks to me as if I am a small child who needs to be scolded."Or if you keep being difficult, I am gonna crack your jaw so you can not close it." His speech contains an element of menace, and I have no doubt he would carry through with his threat. "Fine." I spit. I drink without a fuss, the beverage is still hot. The taste is peppery with a tinge of something grassy.

When the man gets up from me, I try to say something, but what comes out is barely a whisper. "I think you owe him a song." Lorelei is sending the man an angry glare. Maybe she is arguing whether she should obey his orders. "Next time, ask first," she scoffed. She takes a single step towards me before she begins singing.

Summer has arrived,

Loudly sing, cuckoo!

The seed is growing

And the meadow is blooming,

And the wood is coming into leaf now,

Sing, cuckoo!

As the wave of her voice reaches me, the threats of the curse faded. The song she sings is Summer is icumen. One of my many music teachers taught me how to play it. When she finishes singing, the room becomes silent. For a minute, they simply stand there. But then the man walks out of my eyesight, leaving Lorelei staring at me. "Are you coming?" The man yells. At that, she hurries after him. Now I am left all alone. Stuck on a rough, filthy floor. No light, no sound.

When I am sure they're gone, I try to scream, but I can't make a sound. Giving up, I just lay on the floor. My thoughts stray. Malika, where is she? She is not here, hopefully, she is with the guards. If so, she would have informed them about me. I am confident that they will find me soon.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep. I was awoken by the voice screaming at me again. How much time has gone? Minutes? Hours? My legs are numb, my throat dry, the rope around my hand is scratching into my skin and I badly need to pee. I tried screaming again, but there was still no sound. Whatever I drank, it had a long-lasting effect. It wasn't the last time I awoke that night, I barely slept. The sleep I did get was a hollow one from which I kept waking.