Heart And Empire

Prologue

Irabel

I hear the crack of the whip again, crashing on my back. It's made out of silver. I can tell.

I'm bent over receiving the beating. There's nothing I can do. As the clock sounds to signify the start of a new hour, he tells them to continue.

I can't feel my skin at this point. Almost as if I've been disconnected from my body. I can't tell if it hurts but I can feel the beads of sweat rolling down every inch of my body cooling what I can only assume is my flaming skin.

"Continue..." my dad says, totally emotionless.

He doesn't expect tears from me and if I do cry, he makes them go harder.

I hate him but I won't ever show it. He taught me that. Forget your emotions and mask them so that your enemies may not use them against you.

So I don't show anything. No crinkles in my forehead. Not an uneven breath because if I do, he wins. Never again.

They keep hitting me. I've lost the concept of time. I came down here when it was light out. It's still light out and I feel like I should be asleep but I'm not.

Suddenly it stops.

Why?

It hasn't been an hour yet.

Irabel.

It sounds fuzzy to me. My head whips to the side from the force of a slap. It stings and I almost make a sound but keep my composure. No.

"Yes father?" I don't look up to meet his eyes. If he does not tell me to, I do not.

"Look at me." It's a trick. He doesn't mean it.

I practically feel him smirk. Asshole.

"Good girl." He creeps me out.

"Hand me the whip..." he says and I feel myself sharply take in a breath. Shit. If he heard me, he doesn't show it.

He wraps his hand around my throat and tightens his grip. He's choking me but if I react it will be so much worse than it is already. So I don't.

I let him strangle me and I feel the air being cut off and I feel myself getting lightheaded and I feel my body collapse on the floor, the air rushing back into my lungs.

Show nothing.

I take a few shaky breaths but that's about as much as I can do. And then it starts.

He hits me with the whip and this one is much harder. I feel the tears springing into my eyes and my lip trembles but I refuse to make a sound.

He keeps hitting me. The sound of the whip echoing throughout my shaking bones.

He hits the same point over and over again. Harder and harder and I see a pool of red starting to form around me.

Please stop. All I can make now are tiny groans and whimpers but I won't ask him out loud.

"Tell me to stop, Bella."

No. Don't call me that.

"Tell me!"

No. No. No.

"Bella!"

"Stop! For God's sake." I cry, the tears freely falling now. He won.

"Ur weak." he growls, grabbing my hair so tight I can feel them coming out of their follicles.

I say nothing. I'm trembling. He's right. I am weak. She would never do this. She would never surrender.

He drops me on the floor again and storms out. I see the elves coming in. I suppose I'm fainting again which is not the ideal situation when your dad literally hates you but hey, free healthcare.

I feel my eyelids growing heavier, the darkness becoming darker. I feel everything and nothing all at once.

I want to die.

.

Please...