Darien's men twist their arms around me and push me down into the darkness below deck. I begin banging on the wood as soon as they latch it shut.
"Let me out!" I scream.
After a few minutes of banging, I sink to my knees. Breathing heavily, I lean back against the wall. I rest my head on it and close my eyes. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
............
A loud knocking jolts me out of my sleep. A few moments later, Darien's long boots appear on the steps before he lands on the bottom with a smirk sitting on his lips. I shoot him a glare.
He mockingly pouts. "Aww, is somebody unhappy not being in her precious velvety bed?"
He walks over to me and sets a plate down at my feet. "Eat," he orders.
I take one look at the food and convince myself I'm not eating it. "You probably poisoned it."
His smirk vanishes. "I wouldn't do that."
I scoff. "You're not above kidnapping, stealing, and drugging, but somehow poisoning is crossing the line?"
A muscle in his sharp jaw twitches. "Fine, don't eat."
I shake my head. "Where are you taking me?"
He sits down on the bottom step. "The Malum."
My eyes widen. "The other side of the kingdom? Why?"
He cocks his head to one side. "You're so sure that your people will stand behind you when you become Queen. But how could you possibly know that if you've never even visited them once?"
I swallow. "I visit my people."
He scoffs. "You visit the people on the rich side of the kingdom, but what about the people in the Malum? Are they not your subjects too?"
My eyes lock with his. "I was never allowed to go there, it's too dangerous to make the journey with all the pirates infesting the sea."
He laughs bitterly. "And look where you are now. Travelling with the prince of the pirates to Malum."
"Not by choice."
YOU ARE READING
RULE (Completed)
Adventure"You are queen now, start acting like it." Ariana has waited her entire life to become queen and rule her country. But things prove to be much more difficult than she ever thought they would be. After the death of her beloved father, her mother sudd...
