"I'm dying" Raven lamented. "only a kiss of true love can save me "
"Best I can do is a high five of semi- cordiality"
After a lifetime of house arrest, River Verlice attends his niece's first birthday banquet, expecting nothing more than a quiet e...
When River woke up, he was certain that the gods had finally struck him down with lightning.
He groaned, trying to blink away the throbbing in his head. It felt as if someone had nailed his temples with a sledgehammer. His eyes burned and watered, and his throat felt scratched like he tried to force a feral cat down it. When he turned, his body felt sore all over. His lower back hurt, and all his joints hurt too.
Shortly, he felt like shit.
If all that wasn't bad enough, he felt terribly nauseous. Saliva pooled in his mouth, and he gulped, pushing down the bitterness of bile. He laid still, waiting for the churning in his stomach to subside.
He tried to recall the events of the banquet. Did he get drunk? Judging by how he smelled like a rat that fell into a wine barrel, paired with the feeling of hangover, it was plausible.
But that can't be right.
He clearly remembered only having tea. If he drank to the point of blacking out, surely he would remember?
How long had he been unconscious? How did he make it back to his room? His memory was fragmented, and nothing came to him.
As his disoriented mind processed his surroundings, he noticed that his room was sunnier than it normally was,which somehow felt off. He blinked harder, trying to get his unfocused eyes to work.
Sunlight filtered into the room through an opened window.
Wait.
He jolted up, greatly alarmed. This was definitely not his room! Panic seized him as he realized that this was not the Northern Palace to begin with.
The floors were not made of shiny marble but dark wooden planks. The ceiling was much lower and was made of wooden beams. The room was hot and humid. Other than the bed he was lying on, there was a wooden table and three chairs.
He tried to get up, only to make yet another disturbing discovery. Both his hands and feet were tied up!
Nausea kicked back in full force. He hopelessly tried to think over his splitting headache. How the hell did he get himself into this perilous situation?
He struggled to free his hands of the fastenings, but the ropes were tied in a skillful knot that only seemed to tighten the more he pulled on them.
Exhausted, he gave up. He was only scraping his wrists raw.
With every passing second, River felt his trepidation rising. He was alone in a completely strange place, tied up, and had no memory of how he got there.
Holy cow! Im kidnapped!
He had read about young,wealthy maidens being snatched in novels. They would also wake up, bound and confused. The captor will then contact their families, demanding ransom for their release.
He tried to calm himself down. Yes, no need to panic. Someone will surely notice that he has gone missing from the palace. Someone will come looking for him. Maybe help is already on the way.
It immediately dawned on him how stupid the idea was.
Who was going to come?
His father? He must have hit his head pretty hard to think someone from the palace would send soldiers to find him. If anything, they would pay whoever snatched him to keep him.
Even if they did send help to rescue him from whatever horrifying fate that waited him,they will just lock him up again.
How frustrating!
Before he realized it, tears started rolling down his cheeks. No one was coming. He was utterly and completely alone. Shivering, he silently prayed to the gods.
If whoever snatched him wanted him dead,that was quite alright.
It was other things that scared him. There were many,many things more terrifying than a quick death.
The sound of heavy steps falling on wooden planks slapped him out of his stupor. Someone was coming!
River hastily rubbed his face on his sleeves. As scared as he was, he would not show tears in front of his captors. He sat as straightly as he could manage and braced himself. Whatever nightmare came through that door, he would face it!
The door opened, and a jolly Raven Alistair swaggered in!
The cheery tune he was whistling died on his lips as the King stared at him,looking as dumbfounded as River felt. His mouth hung open in a silent "oh," but he quickly regained his wits and smirked.
"Missy is up," he remarked, pulling back a chair with a screech. He straddled it backwards, facing River. "Ya scared this ol' man."
River had not yet recovered from his initial shock. What was Raven Alistair doing here?
Is he behind this? But how?
"Missy is glaring pretty hard."
"Where are we?" River grimaced at how fried his voice was. "What do you want from me?"
"We are in Saltstand."
Saltstand... River desperately tried to recall where it was.
If you keep traveling east, this is the first coastal village you will find that is under the Southern King's jurisdiction. River tried to calculate how far he had travelled from Callidora. How long had he been knocked out? Two days? Longer?
River scrutinized the man in front of him, trying to figure out his intentions. He sat leisurely,his lithe limbs stretched. Raven was watching him with an amused smile on his lips.
What did he want? What was he after?
"I mean no harm," Raven said, putting his hands up, showing that he was unarmed. "I just wanted to have a word with Missy."
Author has somthing to say
River :steps outside his room for the first time in his life Raven : its real free estate
Thank you for readinggggg!!! Comment your ideas and dont forget to vote!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
