Broken Queen

Chapter 11: Tell me your secrets𖤛-𝚅𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚊/𝙰𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚊-𖤛

I stagger backward and Silas smirks as he brushes the ground with his foot. He then sets down the bags and opens what seems like a manhole cover you would see on the town streets.
The smell of rotten fish and Manure reaches my senses. I want to throw up.
"Follow me."
He throws the bags down the manhole and they rattle joyfully.
He then jumps down.
I can still escape. I can leave this place, maybe live in the woods.
Silas's face spins in my head like a carousel and he cuts off my thoughts.
"You coming princess?"
I heave and jump down the manhole.
Water, what I think is water, splashes around me and he laughs.
"Stop calling me that."
I reach for one of the bags, but he grabs my wrist.
"Sorry, Aldietha, but I'm afraid those bags are not of your concern at this moment."
He lowers his voice and brings his lips to my ear.
"Sorry."
Silas then grabs the bag and slams it against my head.
I hear the rattle of the coins vibrate in my ears and the metallic taste of blood fills my mouth.
"What are you-?"
I cry out and he breathes heavily, knocking the heavy bag against my skull yet again.
"Scream."
He whispers.
"What?"
I cough.
Anger boils in my blood.
"Scream."
He throws the bag to my feet and I fall backward, all while letting out an animal-like screech.
That wasn't fake. I meant it.
"STOP. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
I scream at the top of my lungs.
He kneels down to my side and brushes his hand across my face, dragging blood along with it.
"Stay still."
He whispers and my senses black out.
...

My head is pounding and I hear the muffled sound of footsteps hitting cement. My ears ring and I can nearly hear anything.
I can't and won't open my eyes and my head pounds. I feel strong arms wrapped around me. Silas? What's going on? Then I hear the faint sound of a raspy male voice.
"Silas! Where have you been? Busy I see, can I offer you a drink?"
" Joe, I need a room."
Who is joe?What does Silas need a room for? Why is he carrying me?
" Well obviously, here, this ones for free. After all, you are my best customer."
"Thank you old friend, I'll make sure to come see you down after I take care of this."
This? Wait, does he mean me? That's it all comes flooding back into my memory and I feel a strong pain from where he hit me. The liar! I don't dare to move. After all, it would be absurd to try to defeat both Joe and Silas.
The footsteps continue and we reach the room. When I hear the door close, I make my move. I punch Silas dead in the face with full force. He drops me and curses, putting his hand over his face.
"What in the king's bloody name are you doing!"
I don't hesitate. I drop to the ground and sweep my foot under him causing him to collapse. I learned this by watching my guards train.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question! You disgusting rodent!"
I walk around him and head for the door. Just as I reach for the handle he grabs my shoulder. Not on my watch. I take his arm and swing it around his back, then I begin to twist.
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH ME!"
"I was trying to save you!"
I let go of him.
"What?"
"I had to knock you out, or else Joe would've thought you were an imposter and killed you."
We're both quiet for a second and I look down.
"Aldietha."
I gasp and look up at him. The way he said my name, my new name. It was so light and quiet but held so much heavy emotion. It shocks me that anyone could sound that beautiful.
"I will never hurt you, purposely. I'm sorry."
What? I have never heard those words in my life. They surround me, hug me even, I repeat them over and over in my head. I will never hurt you. Something so innocent but so incredibly devastating. Then it gives me the cruelest gift in the world. Hope. That bloody idiot.
"I-"
I clear my throat.
"I'm sorry for hitting you."
"That's quite alright. I deserved it."
I snort. Shoot, I hate it when I snort.
"Ugh."
"What?"
"I hate it when I snort. It's awfully embarrassing."
"I actually quite like it."
No he didn't. I hate that man.
I clear my throat again.
"You know you really should put ice on your eye. It's beginning to darken."
"I'll get some ice. In the meantime, try getting some rest."
He leaves and then I am once again, alone with my thoughts. Great.
...
Darkness.
It encloses around my body like spiders that crawl and bite.
I scream and beg, but no one hears me.
I'm alone.
A dark mist rolls over my body and the spiders die; they crumple and wiggle around in pain whilst crawling out of my ears and mouth.
I sit there horrified at the nasty sight, yet, a wave of calmness and pleasure also swirls in my mind.
Let them die, let them suffer.
Whatever has bitten my skin will die a slow and painfully gruesome death.
I woke up in a rather uncomfortable bed.
Where am I?
The room is lit only by the moonlight coming from a window in front of me.
"Can't sleep?"
Silas's voice is deep and calming.
"No. What time is it?"
I look around and find that Silas is sitting in a wooden chair next to the window; nothing but a dark shadow.
"Stupid bugs."
He slaps at his arm and I shift at the quick movement.
"It's around 4am. We have to leave soon."
My stomach flutters, though I don't entirely know why. "We." I repeat in my mind.
"So... Do you come here often?"
He raises his head and I shudder.
"Sometimes. It's kind of the only place I can come back to, considering the things I've done."
"Like what?"
The words slip from my mouth before I can rethink them.
His body tenses.
"Not so fast."
A smirk spreads across his face.
"Tell me your secrets first."
I'm taken aback by his response and I laugh.
Silas's smile drops and his face turns dead serious.
"Tell me."
His words are soft and broken.
My heart cracks.
"When I was little, I stole sugar from the palace kitchen and gave it to the chickens. Every last one of them died the next day."
The memory of my father locking me in my room for a whole month makes me go silent.
Silas chuckles.
"What?"
"Tell me your real secrets."
His voice is tired now, but also has a hint of sadness.
The one thing that has haunted me my whole life taunts my thoughts and rises with many other fears.
I let it all out.
"I am to be alone forever. I wish my sister was dead. I am ugly. Trust is impossible."
Silence follows my words and my heart breaks.
Silas whispers and I have to lean forward to hear him.
"I trust you."
He smirks.
I blush and think about how grateful I am for the darkness.
"I trust you too."
Silas shifts in the chair and relaxes.
"What if your sister was dead?"
We sit in a peaceful silence until a loud knocking comes
from the front door to our room.
"SILAS!"
A woman's voice comes screeching from the other side and fear washes over me.
Silas quickly stands and grabs my arm.
"You have to hide."
He speaks quickly and I jump to my feet.
The knocks on the door become more fearsome and I start to shake.
Silas leads me to the bathroom and silently puts his finger to his lips. I nod.
The bathroom door closes and I lock it. The room is dark, but I ignore it and press my ear to the door.
I hear a door knob turning.
"Camila! What a surprise."
I hear Silas laugh and I can't tell if it's real.
"What happened to our deal? We were to go to Hevadal, no?"
The woman, Camila, has a heavy accent that I can't place.
"Things just... changed."
Silas lowers the volume of his voice.
"Like what Silas? Were the King and Queen not enough for you? Get your stupid, ignorant head out of the clouds!"
I can't think. I can't move.
"Did you kill the princess?"
The woman's voice is full of hatred and power.
I want to kill her.
"Yes."
Silas's voice is stern and cruel.
It's almost hard to believe I know him.
He killed my parents.
He tried to kill me.
The stab wound in my thigh was because of him, everything was because of him.
I hear the door close on the other side of the room.
"They're looking for you. Your face and name are plastered on posters near every town.
They know you did it."
Camila's voice is almost sincere now.
"Did you tell them?"
Silence follows after Silas's voice, but just when I'm about to open the door, a yellcomes from the other side.
A high pitched scream pierces the quiet night.
Panicked, I open the door to find Silas kissing- no, strangling Camila.
He lifts her off the ground and pins Her to the wall, all by the force of his hands around her neck.
I scream, not because I'm witnessing Camila's purple face struggling to breathe, but because when Silas turns toward me, his eyes show no emotion.
When Camila's gaze raises to mine, her eyes widen and go lifeless.
The desperate attempts she made to get air into her lungs are gone, along with the soul in her body.
Silas let's Camila go, dropping her body to the floor.
The thud of her skull against the wood below makes my ears ring and my stomach churn.
I have to run.
My shaking hand finds the door knob and I consider staying.
Maybe it was- no.
He meant to kill her.
He meant to do that.
And I wanted it to happen.