Bound by Curse

The Lesson

Rebecca's POV

"You are not finished?" My voice shook. "You already hurt me once today."

"That was not punishment." Draven stepped into the room. "That was a warning. You do not listen. So now you will learn."

Behind him, Marta came running, out of breath. She stopped when she saw his face.

"Your Majesty, please. The Queen's arm is hurt. I only just treated it."

"I know." His eyes did not leave me. "And she deserves it. She does not know her place."

He crossed the room and grabbed my arm, right where the cloth was wrapped. Pain shot up to my shoulder. I cried out, and the room spun.

"Let go!"

"Come."

He pulled me out of the room. My feet caught on the stone floor stumbling as I tried to resist. I tugged back. His grip was unyielding like iron wrapped around my arm.

"My king!" Marta ran after us, her keys clinking. "Please, have mercy. She is already injured. She is only a girl."

He stopped and turned his head. His voice dropped low and cold. "Step back, Marta. Or I will punish you along with her."

Marta's face went pale. Her mouth opened, then closed. Her hands trembled at her sides. She did not move again.

I looked at her over my shoulder. Do not, I wanted to say. Do not suffer for me.

***

The throne room was full of people.

Guards stood along the walls. Servants carried trays, frozen in the doorway. A few lords stood near the stone pillars and the moment we entered the room fell silent.

Draven dragged me to the center of the floor and let go of me so suddenly that I almost fell.

My arm was burning. I held it against my chest. Everyone was staring.

"Look at her," Draven said. His voice rang through the hall. "Your queen."

My face went hot. I lifted my head. "Draven, please..."

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

I stopped.

"This woman believes she can walk into my room as she likes. She believes the crown on her head gives her the right to question me." He walked around me slowly, like a hunter. "Let me teach you something, Rebecca. I have many women who warm my bed. They come and go as I please. You will not stop it. You will not watch it. You will not speak of it."

"I am your wife!" The words burst out of me. "You cannot treat me like I am nothing!"

His eyes flashed. "You are nothing."

The room was so quiet I could hear my own breath.

"You are the queen of this kingdom, and that is all. You have no say in my life. None." He stopped in front of me. "Anytime you cross the line, I will have you punished. And I will not be gentle."

"I did not do anything wrong." My voice broke. Tears ran down my face. "I opened a door. That is all I did."

His face went dark with rage. The vein in his neck moved. Behind him, I saw Mira covering her mouth, shooking her head in disbelief.

"Guards."

Two men stepped forward at once.

"Take the Queen to her room. Lock the door. Take her keys." He did not look at me. "No food. No water. She will stay there until I say."

"My lord, she is the Queen..." one of them began.

"I know what she is." His eyes cut to the guard like a blade. "Do it."

"Your Majesty, wait."

It was Garrick. He pushed through the guards and stood in front of the king. His face was tight. "This is too much. Please, my king. Let me speak with you."

"No."

"She is hurt. The people are watching. This will not..."

"I said no." Draven's voice was quiet and deadly. "Do not make me say it a third time."

Garrick's hands closed into fists. For a moment, I thought he would say more. Then he lowered his head. He did not look at me.

The guards took my arms. They did not grab hard, but I felt the shame of it all the same. They walked me out of the hall past a hundred eyes. I held my chin up the whole way, even though my heart felt like it was falling to pieces.

At my door, one guard held out his hand. "Your keys, my lady."

I stared at him. Slowly, I took the small silver key from the ribbon at my waist and put it in his palm. My fingers were trembling.

I stepped inside, and the door closed.

I heard the key turn. Then another sound, heavy boots, as a guard took his place outside.

I stood in the middle of the beautiful room with the silver rug and the white roses and the soft curtains. It was still the same room, but it felt like a cage.

***

The first day was the worst.

My throat grew dry.

My stomach twisted, clenched tight. I paced the room then sat on the bed then dropped to the floor. The roses still smelled sweet now. It made me feel sick. I looked at the water jug on the table and saw it was gone. The guards had taken it.

Why? I pressed my hand to my mouth. Why does he hate me so much?

I cried until my head ached . I cried until I could not tell if I was crying from pain or from shame. I was a queen. I was locked in a room like a thief. And the man who did it did not even care.

The door opened late in the day.

"Five minutes," a guard said from the hallway. "The King allows five minutes. No more."

Mira slipped inside. The door closed behind her. Through the wood, I heard the guard's steps stop and wait.

"My lady!" She ran to me and fell to her knees. Her eyes were red and swollen. "Oh, my lady, look at you."

"Mira." I held her hands. They were warm. I had not realized how cold I was. "I am all right."

"You are not. Your lips are cracked." She looked around. "They will not let me bring anything. The guard searched my sleeves. He said if I carry food in, I will be thrown out of the castle."

"Do not take any risks for me."

"I would take any." She pressed my hands to her cheek. "My lady, what did you do?"

"Nothing." A broken laugh escaped me. "I opened a door, Mira. That is all."

"The whole castle is whispering about it." She wiped her face. "They say he humiliated you in front of everyone. Marta is crying in the kitchen. Garrick is walking around like a ghost."

"He called me nothing in front of all of them." My voice cracked. "He said I am only a title. That he has women who warm his bed and I have no right to stop it. He treats me like trash, Mira. And I am the Queen."

“You are not trash. Do you hear me?"

I nodded, but the tears kept falling.

"I wish I could carry you out of here," she whispered.

"I know."

"Time is up!" the guard called.

Mira clutched my hands tighter. "I will come back. Somehow."

"Go. Please. Do not get in trouble."

The door opened. The guard took her by the shoulder and pulled her out. She looked back at me once, her face wet with tears, and then she was gone.

The key turned.

***

I sat on the floor with my back against the bed. The room grew dark. No one lit the candles. No one came with food or water or a kind word.

A queen, I thought. A queen locked in a room, with no care and no help, like a prisoner.

I thought of my father's cold face at the dinner table. I thought of Draven's words in the throne room. You are nothing. I wrapped my arms around my knees and cried into them, quietly now, so the guard would not hear.

I did not know how much time passed. My head felt light. My eyes were closing.

Then I heard footsteps in the hall. Two sets. One heavy and slow. One light and quick.

The key turned in the lock.

I lifted my head.

The door swung open, and candlelight spilled in. Draven stood in the doorway, tall and cold, his face unreadable.

And beside him, with her golden hair shining and a smile on her red lips, stood my stepsister.

"Hello, Rebecca," Isabella said softly. "I came to see how you are."