Unbound

Abduction

Pointy shoes were the worst. The worst. Worse than being auctioned off to a prince, and worse still than having to dance with a slew of suitors, all of whom were dreadfully incompatible. Though many handsome, chiseled faces passed before her, their personalities were too formal, too dull. She’d rather shrivel to dust than spend another minute in their presence.

She limped to a palace wall and threw herself against it, gently rubbing her feet against her calves for relief. She craved a foot massage. A long, luxurious massage that drew her eyes to close. Slowly, slowly…

After her feet were properly lavished, she’d burrow in bed. Alone. With her silky sheets and buxom pillows. Where dreams would whisk her away – from everything. Everything…

Everything…

An errant image sprinted across her mind, one of the very tall, very regal visage of the man from the stables. A shiver coursed through her spine, straight down to her toes. Her dreams rolled through her head. Dreams of black mist, and strange creatures, and him.

How glorious would it feel to be free?

“Your brother requests you.” A guard loomed at her side and urged her toward the throne dais. Her brother and sister-in-law waited there, champagne flutes in hand.

A passing waiter offered Analise a glasses and disappeared, leaving her with the stoic palace guard at her back.

 Please toast and end this hell, I’m begging you.

Dancers whirled around her – skirts flailing, smiles flashing – stopping only when Agnar and Cassandra rose from their thrones. They lifted champagne flutes toward their guests, smiles wide.

“On behalf of Alasia, we want to thank you for joining us tonight,” Agnar said, voice projecting above the spectators. “It’s with great pleasure we announce the eligibility of my youngest sister, Analise of Alasia.”

He angled his glass in her direction, grinning at the modest roar of applause that echoed through the ballroom.

“It’s through my sister that we can confidently look into the future. Without her, the security and prosperity of our allies would be impossible. To Princess Analise,” he said, and raised his glass to his lips.

Analise followed, watching the crowd of spectators siphon from their drinks. She yawned, once again craving the sweet solace of her bed.

Her eyes drooped, like balloons filled with water. She pressed a hand to her head, shook against the weightlessness that threatened to overwhelm her body.

“To Princess Analise,” a foreign voice said.

With a strength she didn’t feel, Analise tilted her head where everyone gawked and stared. Through the tiniest slits her eyes allowed, she noticed the shadow that loomed behind her brother. It raised a shadowy glass, then chuckled darkly at the startled gasps.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” the shadow said. It snapped its black fingers, sending the lights in the room flickering. “Are we not celebrating? I merely wanted to join. Well, me and my friends of course.”

All along the ballroom’s shimmering walls emerged shadowy figures. They stood in similar stature, arms pent behind their backs, black forms lurking with mysterious intention.

“It’s a shame we weren’t invited, really. After all, is it not our celebration as well? We’ve come to satisfy our end of the deal. Master is pleased.”

Agnar hissed a curse and began easing away from Cassandra and toward Analise at the dais’ edge. Analise buckled toward him, swaying like a man well into his cups.

The lead shadow made a startling sound, rather like a buzzer, and waggled a shadowy finger.

“Not so fast, King Agnar. The princess in safe from us. After all, why would we harm his betrothed?”

A deep, familiar chuckled echoed through her thoughts.

“How glorious would it feel to be free?”

Analise swayed, hands desperately seeking assistance. The guard behind her seized her waist and propped her bobbing head against his shoulder.

“The Princess shall be claimed in 5 days times. Once the blood heir is secured, your prosperity will return as agreed,” the shadowy figure proclaimed, head bent forward in respect. “Long live Alasia.”

The shadowy troop echoed his sentiments until the room descended into darkness. The guard at her back murmured a series of foreign words and lifted Analise bridal style in his arms. She peered up at him through droopy eyes, murmuring for help. The guard chuckled – a deep, melodious sound – and peered down at her with shimmering gold eyes.

“Hold tight, little princess. We’ll be home soon.”