Chapter 13

SABINA

My new room felt like a gilded cage. The door was always locked, as was the window. Maids would come in three times a day to bring me meals.

The food was a lot better than before. I was now getting fruits and chicken, which were doing wonders for my health. I could feel myself getting stronger, healthier.

The fever that had once raged within me had finally subsided, leaving me to wonder what Aboloft had planned for me next.

He hadn’t sent me back to the dungeon, which I found odd. I couldn’t make sense of his actions.

Was this my new reality? Was this room my new prison? It was certainly a more comfortable prison, warmer. There were no torches burning, disrupting my sleep.

But then, a visit from King Bancroft caught me off guard. He had mentioned he would visit, but I didn’t believe him.

Why would anyone want to see me again? Aside from Aboloft, no one could tolerate my presence. So, King Bancroft’s visit was a surprise.

“My lord.” I tried to kneel, but Bancroft’s hands on my shoulders stopped me.

“No. I told you before—a queen never kneels,” Bancroft said, causing me to bite my lip.

“A queen may never kneel, my lord, but a slave always does. Always,” I replied, softly.

I knew from our last meeting that I could speak my mind, but I was still cautious. Bancroft was kind, but he was also a king, and I had to respect that.

“Yes, but you are not a slave,” King Bancroft replied.

“My king said I’m his slave,” I told him.

“Aboloft might say something, but he might not mean it. You both are similar in that sense,” he informed me.

Confused, I asked, “What do you mean, my lord?”

“Exactly what I said. You and Aboloft say certain things but do not mean them,” he repeated.

“I do not know what you’re referring to, my lord,” I responded.

“Sit down. Then I will tell you,” Bancroft commanded gently.

Still confused, I did as he said. Bancroft sat across from me on the bed. Now that we were face to face, King Bancroft gave me a gentle smile, trying to put me at ease—at least that’s what I thought.

“You love Aboloft,” King Bancroft stated, the sudden words taking me by surprise. There was no hint, no words to tell me that he would be talking about this, he just threw the words in my face.

“I—What do you mean, my Lord?” Admitting what I had been trying to hide all my life was downright impossible for me. If I agreed to Bancroft’s statement, then that would be the catalyst that would destroy all my secrets.

“Do not play coy. You love Aboloft, but you never told him,” Bancroft countered.

What was he doing? Why was he making me face things that were best left hidden? Why was he forcing me to unlock my chest of secrets?

He wanted to destroy me. Bancroft wanted me to tell the truth, after which I would have nothing left. Bancroft was Aboloft’s friend. If I confessed, he would definitely tell him.

~No. I must not confess.~

“I am not pretending, my lord. I truly do not love my king, as you claim. I am but a mere slave. Surely it is inappropriate for me to harbor such feelings for my owner,” I disagreed.

“It might be inappropriate, but that does not mean that you don’t love him. Love shimmers in those green eyes of yours every time Aboloft comes. You yearn to show your love, but you cannot,” he stated.

“No, my lord. You are wrong, I’m afraid.” I was lying, but it was better than telling him the truth and admitting my love for Aboloft out loud. The world would just not accept it.

“You are afraid of telling how you really feel. You love Aboloft, Sabina. It’s time you accept it and let him know. He needs to know,” Bancroft said, stressing upon his statement.

Shaking my head, I felt the familiar sting of tears in my eyes. How could I do that? How could I be selfish and take away Aboloft’s happiness and respect for the sake of my own?

I couldn’t do that. I did that in the past and it brought me nothing but pain. I couldn’t think about myself anymore. I just had to think about King Aboloft now, no one else.

“My feelings do not matter,” I stated, choosing to look at the sheets rather than the king sitting across from me.

“You would be surprised to know just how wrong you really are. Your feelings matter more than you think. You matter more than you think.” Those words were all that was needed for the dam to break.

One tear fell.

One sob escaped.

And I broke down.

“No. Don’t you understand? I do not matter. I should be dead and not sitting here in this castle. I am the worst of the worst. I am selfish. I’m a monster. I’m a whore…”

I couldn’t continue. Tears fell relentlessly while sobs racked my body and pain exploded, quickly seeping into my bloodstream.

How could I tell Bancroft that I couldn’t do it? Aboloft deserved much better. He deserved the purest of the pure. He deserved nothing but the best. I deserved to die. I deserved to suffer.

“You are none of those things, Sabina. You are a beautiful woman who deserves to be loved and protected, and Aboloft can give you that.

“All you have to do is tell him you love him,” Bancroft said softly, his hand covering mine in a warm, comforting grip.

“No. I’m ba-bad. I’m sel-selfish. Aboloft can-cannot kn-know. I can-cannot tell him.” I sobbed, covering my mouth with my hand.

Bancroft’s words had finally done it. They’d broken me, making me surrender in a way Aboloft had been trying to do for so long.

“Sabina, you can tell him. He’s just waiting for you to say it,” Bancroft encouraged me.

I shook my head, dismissing his advice. “No, I can’t. I was selfish before. I chose my own happiness. Everyone, including my father, disapproved of my relationship with Aboloft.

“They warned me over and over not to see the Prince, not to spend time with him because he was royalty and I wasn’t. But I didn’t listen. Aboloft was my joy—my only joy.

“I ignored everyone and spent time with him. I just wanted to be happy, and he was my happiness. For those few hours with Aboloft, I defied my own father, because those few hours were a break for me.

“For those few hours, I could pretend that I was loved and happy and that there were no worries in my life.”

“Being selfish isn’t a bad thing,” Bancroft replied.

“It is.” I nodded. “If I hadn’t been selfish, no one would’ve tried to burn me. No one would’ve hated me.

“My father would’ve married me off to a respectable man. I wouldn’t have been happy, but at least the people around me would’ve been.”

Suddenly, I felt strong arms around me, pulling me into a comforting embrace. Bancroft held me in his arms, offering me a comfort that I got from no one except Aboloft.

The hug had me crying about everything that I had tried to hide: my love for Aboloft, my selfish desires of wanting him to myself forever, every second that I spent with Aboloft.

Everything just came bursting out in the form of sobs and tears.

The sound of the door slamming was what made me break out of King Bancroft’s embrace. I hastily wiped my tears with the palms of my hands, not wanting anyone to see that I was crying.

I looked up to see Aboloft glaring, his dark eyes shooting fire arrows at me. My blood curdled as he marched forward and wrenched Bancroft away from me.

He forced the King of Sodora to face him and without thinking, punched him in the face.

“How dare you?! How dare you touch what’s mine, Bancroft?!” Aboloft barked as he glared at his friend.

“Sabina and I were just talking. Relax Aboloft,” King Bancroft replied. He didn’t seem too affected by the sudden punch. He must be strong.

“Talking?!” Aboloft threw me an accusing glare. “Talking about what?!” he demanded.

“That’s something you should ask her, because she’s the only one who can tell you. I have to go now. I’ll visit again, very soon.”

Without waiting for Aboloft’s reply, King Bancroft strode out of my room, leaving me alone with the King of Quopia.

King Aboloft took two steps before I found him standing right in front of me. He took my shoulders in an unforgiving grip and pulled me to him.

The fury that set his eyes ablaze had the opposite effect on me. It stopped the blood in my veins, turning it to ice.

“Tell me right now. No more defiance, Sabina. Tell me everything you told Bancroft, right now!” Aboloft ordered, his voice raising the hair on the back of my neck.

“My lord, I didn’t say anything to King Bancroft,” I replied, surprised to hear my voice come out steady.

“Don’t lie to me! Tell me right now or else,” he warned.

“I swear, my lord. I didn’t say anything to King Bancroft,” I responded.

He let me go a little too abruptly before fixing me with his sharp gaze.

“Fine. Since you won’t tell me, then I think it’s time I finally break you. You’ve tested my patience till the last shred, Sabina, and now I’m going to do what I should’ve done the moment you came here.

“You won’t give me answers. Well, now I’m going to take them. I thought I would give you the right to tell me, but it looks like I’ll have to take that choice away from you.”

With those words, King Aboloft turned and stormed out of the room, leaving me terrified and bewildered.

~What is he going to do now?~

I got my answer that night. After an emotionally exhausting day, I was just about to sleep when a loud gong shattered the silence of my room. The sound echoed for several seconds before it all fell silent.

Not knowing the cause of the sudden ringing, I tried to go back to sleep. But before my head could hit the pillow, the ear-splitting noise erupted again.

Sleep evaded me while my body demanded rest, but the gong kept me awake.

~What is going on?~

The rest of the night passed in much the same way. The moment my eyelids started to fall, someone would strike the gong, causing me to jolt awake.

I couldn’t sleep the entire night, and by the time morning came and Aboloft entered my room, I was barely awake.

“Good morning, Bina,” King Aboloft greeted as he entered my room.

“My lord,” I replied.

“Did you sleep well last night?” he asked. On any other day, the question would’ve been innocent enough, but not today. His question was laced with a sadistic pleasure, telling me all I needed to know.

He was doing this. He was the reason I couldn’t sleep last night. King Aboloft must’ve ordered his guards to strike the gong at regular intervals. This was my new punishment. He would take away my peace.

“You did this?” I was barely coherent, which was why the question left my lips without me thinking about it.

“Of course, Bluebell. You think someone else has the power to steal your beauty sleep?” He leaned forward, his breath caressing my face.

“Why?” My eyes wanted to fall, my brain wanted to shut down, but the men standing guard outside my room didn’t allow it.

“Because I want something that only you can give me. And since you’re being awfully stubborn about it, I’m going to get the answers out of you,” King Aboloft answered.

“I’ve got nothing left to give,” I whispered, my eyes pleading for mercy.

Aboloft’s fingers gently traced my face, and I found myself leaning into his touch. God, how I missed the feel of his skin against mine.

All I wanted was to close my eyes and sink into a deep, dreamless sleep, with the memory of Aboloft’s touch still lingering on my skin.

“You have everything to give, Bina. And I’ll take it all. Soon, very soon. I’ll have everything, and then I’ll give you everything,” Aboloft promised.

“You’ve already given me everything, Aboloft. There’s nothing more I want from you,” I whispered back.

I was sure Aboloft was lying. He couldn’t possibly give me everything. How could he, when he didn’t even know what I truly wanted? The lack of sleep was starting to mess with my head, and it hadn’t even been a full day yet.

“You’ll understand once I have what I want. Until then, be a good girl. I’ll visit you again soon. And the next time I see you, trust me, my beautiful goddess, you’ll tell me everything.”

With a tender kiss on my forehead, King Aboloft turned and disappeared from my room, leaving me alone with my torment.

I thought sleep would eventually claim me. I believed that my body would surrender and my mind would shut down after a few days, but it never did.

I was forced to stay awake for what felt like days; I wasn’t even sure how many had passed. Every time my eyes started to close, the sound of the gong would jolt them open again.

And the longer this went on, the louder the noise became. It was so intense now that it felt like the sound was pounding against my skull, threatening to crack it open.

King Aboloft finally returned after what felt like an eternity. He’d kept his word and hadn’t visited me once during those torturous days. I was left alone with my suffering, the echo of the gong my only companion.

“How are you, my sweet?” Aboloft asked, wasting no time in sitting on the bed and pulling me into his arms.

He made himself comfortable, stretching his legs out on the bed and resting my head on his chest. I was sure I was dreaming. King Aboloft would never hold me like this. This had to be an illusion.

“Stop this,” I mumbled, begging him to let me sleep.

“I will, if you tell me everything,” he replied, his fingers tracing up and down my bare arm. The illusion felt so real, it was a shame it wasn’t.

What was he talking about? What did he want to know? The sleep deprivation had me so disoriented, I didn’t even know what was real anymore. I didn’t know why the King of Quopia was here.

I didn’t know anything anymore. But I would tell him anything if it meant I could finally sleep. I was ready to do whatever it took.

“What do you want to know?” I asked him.

“Everything. I want you to tell me everything that happened since the day you told me you were no longer my friend,” Aboloft demanded.

Knowing I had nothing left to lose, I gave in. And I knew that once this twisted illusion was over, everything would return to the way it was.

Aboloft wouldn’t know anything. Because he was just an illusion. An illusion created by my sleep-deprived mind.

With a deep sigh, I gave Aboloft what he wanted.

I began my story.