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AT AGE TWELVE, CALISTA WAS SENT TO LIVE PLANETS AWAY FROM HER FAMILY. The young girl was pushed to pursue a relationship with a prince who, at first, seemed like a nice, respectful boy who would care for her ( despite him being nearly twice her age. ) It was only when she came of age when the two finally got married, and Calista was given the surname Tagratt, rather than the one she barely remembered. Within the seven years she spent living in a castle, she was beaten down—mentally and somewhat physically. Not by the prince himself, of course, but by his parents. And surprisingly enough, Prince Oren did nothing to stop it. Mostly because soon after the wedding ceremony he had his own way of tearing Calista apart.
Oren was not a typical prince. He'd said many times that the king was too stubborn to die, and that he wouldn't let a scoundrel like his son take the throne. Since there were no duties for the prince to fulfill, he spent his time indulging in countless sins.
Calista was treated so horribly by those around her, that she was often locked in the dungeon along with the others that they kept prisoner. The Tagratts were money hungry, although Oren expressed his famine much more than anyone else in his family. The prisoners in the dungeon—that Calista was kept with—all had a purpose. She didn't dare speak to them, though, but when the king came down to the dungeon, all she could hear were cries for help and unintelligible statements. There was a night when she could not take the noise anymore, she'd made the mistake of shouting at the king and queen to quiet down. The instant burst of confidence came from absolutely nowhere, but she regretted it as soon as the two stomped over to her. Before they could get near her, she screamed at the top of her lungs, throwing both the king and queen into the nearest wall. None of them had spoken of it after that night.
At the dinner table, no one dared to address the Veermok in the room when Calista did her best to hide the bruises on her arms and face. It was as if none of it was happening. Which led the princess to believe she'd never be free again.
She once lied in bed next to Oren ( who was, thankfully, out like a light ) when she heard her name in the dead of night. She immediately looked to see if it was the prince, but it wasn't. She quietly got out of bed and walked to the door. Before she could open it, the voice came from behind her. When she turned around, it was a hazy blue light in the form of a familiar face. Her eyes focused on whoever—or whatever—this was, she had suddenly feared for her life.
"Calista... You must leave this place. It's not safe."
"Mother of moons!" She quietly exclaimed, her hand clutching her chest. "Who—who are you to tell me what's best for me?" Despite all that she'd been put through, there was still a sharpness about her, as if she wasn't able to be broken down as far as they wanted to break her down.
