VALOR POV

How much time has passed? Minutes? Hours? I have barely been able to rest. The night consisted of me being in and out of a hollow sleep. When I was awake I prayed. Praying to God that help would come to me soon.

After the curse first came to me I did nothing but pray. For a month the only thing I prayed was for God to remove the curse. If that had happen I wouldn't be here. But my prayer never came true. Evrything that happens in life is Gods plan. But what kind of plan is this?

The rope tied around my hands is tearomg into my skin. In my attempt to get lose, I been rubbing my hands against the rope, which has led it loosen, If I keep going I can get free, I am sure of it. But in the effort, my hands began to bleed.

The sound of rustling makes me turn. A rat is chasing a small mouse across the dirt floor. They sprint about, jumping up and down. Before turning and running right towards me. As the mouse jumps onto my body, I kick out in the air and strike the rat. It flew across the room and a small dust cloud was created as the tiny body landed on the floor. My heart pounded. I press a hand against my chest to my breathing stops.

My hand which was tied, is now pressed against my chest. Did I pull it out, of shock? A searing sensation is on my hand and fingers where the rope scraped my skin. But the pain doesn't matter, I did it, I am free. Now I just need to get out of here. And I need to pee.

After doing my business in a corner. I take a moment to think. There is no way I can fight my way out. She's a trained guard. I'll have to surprise her or sneak out without being seen, I need an escape plan.

While contemplating a plan, the door creaks. In no time I jumped down onto the ground where the rope lay. Sitting on top of it, with hands behind my back, and stare at the staircase. Lorelei's white chemise comes into view, illuminated by a flame.

In one hand she holds a candle in the other a cup. I swallow in the realisation of how dry my mouth is. Even if it is more of that foul potion, I drink it. Something sticks out from behind the cup. A dagger. I stare for a bit, wondering how she manages to hold both without dropping them.

She stops at a broken column and places the items. "You slept?" She asks. She wants to talk to me. Maybe this is the answer to my prayers, maybe I can talk sense into her. "Lorelei please let me go," I beg.

"I can't." Her voice is low, I barely heard her due to the curse. If only she would sing so they would go away. "Could you repeat, I could not hear you over the curse." Please sing.

She turns and looks at me with rage on her face and a pointed finger. "Listen, I am sorry for doing this to you. But this is your own fault. How can you be this careless with your life? You are a Prince. You are meant to make good decisions." Her scolding is deserved, yet it still hurts. I look away, once again feeling the small tears in my eyes.

"But why abduct me? What are you getting out of this? Can we figure something out...?" She raised a hand to stop me "We already found something out." They made a plan, that is not good. I need her to drop it and help me. "Is that plan sound? if you help me I can ensure you get what it is you want."

"Do you expect me to trust you on your word alone?" She scowls.

"You rather trust that man over me? I am a Prince, I honour my word." I try to sound sincere.

"But will your father allow you to keep it? Besides, you have more to gain by not keeping it. After all, you need me more than I need you." She crosses her arms and looks off to the side.

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"How did you get cursed? Is what you told me at the Inn true? "

Closing my eyes and sighed. How did the story go that my father told about the woman who cursed me? "Her name was Ciara, she had taken part in the rebellion that killed Queen Zellendine of Vouri. A few months after the death of the Queen she was apprehended here in Martraigh. When she was brought before my father, she cursed me. I was not even born and she cursed me."

"Why would she curse you?" Lorelei asks. "She was crazy and wanted revenge."

Lorelei begins to wander around, scratching her head. "It just seems counterproductive, if she had the chance to cast a curse, why curse you? Why not curse the King or cast a spell to get out of there? It just does not make sense to curse you."

Is she implying my father may have lied to me? He wouldn't, not about this. I moved my legs and was going to move my hands when I recalled they were meant to be tied together.

"Do you hear the voices now?" she asks.

I bowed my head. "They are telling me to strangle you with my bare hands." That is the least threatening thing they've told me to do since she arrived. If she knew what else they said, she'd be terrified of me.

"That is far from the worst threat I have gotten on the road." She responds nonchalantly. Then again maybe the truth won't scare her. After all, she has seen real danger. She has been risking her life every day since she deserted.

"Lorelei, why did you leave? Wasn't your life better here?" She froze in her tracks. "Do you honest to god think my life was better, being in servitude to your family?" She turns and walks over to the pillar where she left her things. "If you did not want to become a guard, why did you take the oath?" As far as I know, the oath is voluntary.

She approaches me, holding the dagger in her hands. She kneels down to put it under my throat and says. "Are you under the impression I did not want to be a guard?-" As she glides the blade across my cheek, my body starts to quiver and my heart throbbed so strongly that I was certain it might burst. "Being a royal guard was the most important thing in my life."

"I once saved your sister's life. Without me, Zora would not be alive. Other guards have died for your family. And you have no care. We do not matter to any of you. I bet you could not even name a single guard who protects you. Why should I die for someone who sees me as nothing?"

The truth in her words hurt. I can not even remember the name of the guard I met in the library yesterday. "What if we could change that, Lorelei? I am the coming King, I can give you a position in the court, where you can have the power, to make those changes." My voice shivered and I stuttered out the words.

A small chuckle came from her. "You do live in a fantasy world if you think that is an option. Someone like me has no place in a court. And no one in it would accept someone like me."

Rustling makes us both look towards the rat scampering across the floor. She leans back. I take a deep breath as she removes the dagger from my throat. I see her lift and throw it. My eyes follow the dagger. My body shivered, as it hit the rat. I quickly look away so I won't see it bleed to death.

This is the moment, she is distracted. This woman expects me to make good decisions, I never have. She believes I am careless. I am going to show her just how careless I am with my life. I don't know where the courage came from, but I did know it was time to save myself.

Gripping ahold of Lorelei's arms, trying to pin her under me. She does not hesitate once the shock of my attack settles. We roll around in the dirt, dust whirling around us. I kick her and bite. She struggles to get free of my grip. But despite her strong pull I resist releasing her arms.

We roll into the broken collum. In the fight, we keep hitting it. The repeated bumps cause the lit candle to fall down. I hardly sense the light, not before it lands on Lorelei's dress and burst into flames.

Letting go of her, she rolls around and screams. I feel guilt, as I stand and run. But I need to save myself. Someone must be alerted to the screams, right?

And someone was. As I opened the door, I felt a hard kick. The world whirled, and my body hit multiple steps as I fell. The air had left my lungs and my body unable to move. The man who kicked me jumps over me and runs to her.

Lying on the ground, barely able to look up. My body is in pain but I can't give up yet, I have to get up. Lorelei's scream subsides as I struggle to sit up. Looking over to them. The fire is out. The man's cape is draped over her. I see her body is whimpering.

I see blonde hair and blue horns. This man is an elf? He turns and looks at me, his face looks strange. And as he walks towards me I realise it is scars. "Seem we need better measures to make sure you do not attempt to flea again."