The princess sighed softly as she began to wake, her throat throbbing lightly. She groaned, slowly moving to a seated position. Elika wiped the small beads of sweat that began forming on her forehead, panting slightly as she caught her bandaged ankle. She shuffled back on the cot-like bed, leaning against one of the padded walls. She forced herself not to cry as her mind raced, fear taking over her mind. Her hand moved towards her throat self-consciously, the skin delicate as she traced her fingers over where the dark lord had strangled her. Why did he do that? She had done nothing wrong, nor did she deserve such harsh treatment.The princess jumped slightly as the metal door opened, forcefully returning her to reality. Michael slowly walked into the small cell, his black eyes locking on her. Elika took a shaky breath as she moved her hands away from her neck, silently watching as Michael approached the bed. She lifted her good leg towards her chest, glancing around the bare

Elika gasped, the pain unbearable as her body slowly began to stitch itself back together. The memories of her death confusing. How was she alive? After all, no one could’ve survived such a blow to the head ... Right? The regeneration of her brain and jaw were unimaginably agonising. She spent hours frozen in place as her body mended, she was completely conscious and yet couldn’t control her own body. She was laid in a mass pool of her own blood, the metallic smell sickening. Her mind wandered aimlessly; to begin with she had pitied Darkous though now, her only thoughts of him were of hate.The princesses body broke out in a fever, her blood boiling just beneath the skin. The regeneration was almost complete, her body becoming more and more alert. Every sound and vibration in hell suddenly hitting her all at once, the noise deafening. Elika’s muscles began to cramp, causing her whole body to ache. The drowsy fog in her mind was only just beginning to dissipa

Elika groaned slightly, her bones stiff as she began to wake. She pulled the soft blanket tighter around her small frame, attempting to fade back into sleep. Her eyes flickered, slowly adjusting to the dull lighting. The princess sighed deeply, moving to lie on her back in the cage. The metal contraption began to sway as she moved, causing Elika to freeze in fear. She bit her bottom lip, waiting for the cage to slow; eventually halting as she remained still. Her mind wandered as she stared up at the top of the cage, metal bars filling her vision. She planned to escape, only so far; she had no idea how. The princess may manage to get out of the cage, but what then? Where would she go? Nowhere ... Elika had nowhere to go, her knowledge of hell sketchy at best. She sighed again, her hope dwindling. All the princess wanted was to go home, only that wasn’t an option. The dark lord would not allow her to leave, and if she did; he would hunt her down. The consequences of running more

The princess followed the dark lord silently after he let her out of the cage; carelessly glancing at the photos on the wall. Each portraying a woman that was profoundly more beautiful than she could have imagined. She realised after a minute of stating that it was her uncles lost love that smiled at her from within the picture frames, the only things in the whole mansion that lay in tact. Darkous suddenly stopped in front of an old oak door, carefully opening it as he flung Elika to the ground; giving her no care. He peeked through the darkness of the room, checking for any intruders. Once he knew it was safe, the dark lord carelessly picked up the princess; her small frame crashing against his shoulder. The princess wailed in pain as her uncle began to descend into the darkness, she gripped onto his shirt; her pulse rising as she became increasingly nervous. Darkous flipped an unseen switch, filling the strange underground room with a red glow as he lifted the princes

Elika screamed in shock, carelessly dodging away from the man. The wind hissed vilely, throwing the werewolf into the air. She took a step back, tears sliding down her cheeks as the man’s large frame was viciously slammed into the ground; blood oozing from a fresh wound in his leg. She turned, forcing her weak legs to run. The trees around her aided her once more, giving her a direction as she looked around desperately. She ran for miles, her chest tightening as she gasped for breath. The princess knew that the creatures continued to pursue her, cutting her options thin. She pushed her back against a tree, scanning the darkening woods. A figure appeared from behind a tree his demonic yellow eyes savagely landing on Elika as she shook. She placed her head back against the large oak, her fight slowly beginning to dwindle. Dorian took a long stride towards her, laughing as she struggled for breath.“You know I once met a young girl who tried to escape from me; do you