The cold presses in from all around the room, and her burning body matches it in heat. She shudders. Life slowly sliding back into her skin, memoires paint themselves in her mind. The garden, Lila, the banquet, the punishment. Camrin gulps audibly. Suddenly, a crippling pain rakes her whole body. Voices no longer ring in her head, but she can't control her hand. The right one. She tries to sit up but quickly decides against it.
Breathing hard, Camrin studies her surroundings. She's in a modest room, even by her standards, but better than the last prison cell they threw her into. She's clean, the mud watched off, her clothes replaced. Before she has time to panic about someone undressing her, she realizes that they fixed her nose. Again. I guess they really don't want to disfigure her face. Unfortunately, that couldn't be said about everything they did. The dried cracked drops of blood on her face are still there, and Camrin smiles. She remembers their parting words, her tears of blood. They must have left it to prove a point. Still, Camrin tries not to be bothered. If they chose to not wipe it off, she would showcase it to the entire world.
Here is my red blood that you crave. Here it is.
After an hour of complete silence, Camrin forces herself upright out of sheer boredom, leaning heavily on her left hand with a little support from her right elbow. Her right hand was also left on its prior condition, disinfected yes, but the bone is still broken, leaving that hand useless. Ignoring her body's protests and without thinking, she opens the door to her room, striding out looking like a bandaged mess but with thicker attire this time. The bustling kitchen around her stiffens, stopping Camrin in her tracks. She was used to darkness, to silence, to isolation. They must've moved her here.
She looks around, completely ignoring the confused, hateful, or curious eyes of the maids around her. Some stared at the red marks on her face, others at her mangled hand. This time, she's actually in a servant's corridor. The hallways are tight but not unbearable, the hall full of movements, the kitchen warm from cooking. She is actually surrounded by life. This is not the Grand Kitchen, even she could tell that, but it looks like it is guarded enough to stop her if she ran or created problems.
Slowly, the maids start ignoring the girl, under pressure to finish their duties, and chaos continues in the kitchen. Before Camrin could fully enjoy being around people for the first time in months, someone grabs her hand, shoves her into the room, and locks the door behind her. Dressing in dark causal colors that slyly hide their face, Camrin starts struggling against them. Pulling, pushing, thrashing. But her strength does not compare to theirs. Camrin starts slamming her elbow into their face before a sharp pain tears through her body as the stranger squeezes her injured hand.
The stranger quickly holds her with one hand as she falls and uses the other to pull the mask off their face.
"Igore?"
"God, Camrin, you really suck. Did you even try to fight back. If this was someone who wished you harm, you'd be dead right now."
"You randomly attacked me, how was I supposed to know-"
"Oh right, because obviously they'll wear a big banner to warn you of their attack beforehand, correct?" Camrin bristles.
"What exactly is your problem? I'm sorry I'm not conforming to your hero concept to save the poor dumb human."
"You are dumb. Who just walks off into a random room without any knowledge of what is outside. You are foolish Camrin, foolish, and you pretend like you want to survive."
"Excuese me?"
"You act like a human."
"I am a human."
"It doesn't work like that here. Adapt and change or you'll be ground to dust. Don't think just because they're forced to keep you alive for the sacrifice that they won't destroy you without a second thought." Anger bubbles beneath Camrin's skin.
"For a liar to be talking to me like this, what exactly did you come here for."
"You ran away without a plan. Fine, I understand that, but your decision making only worsened after that. You disrespected Elizabeth, the royal family and the entire court. Those were not sound at all. There are visors in the court that might have supported your freedom, better treatment, better training, and you offended them without a second thought. And then you determined it would be brave to make eye contact with the current Queen and then wound her. And after that you chose to run and defy Elizabeth while she was delivering her punishment."
"When I tried to keep eye contact. It didn't even work. And why do people here have such fragile egos." Igore sighs and for a second Camrin forgets the girl is not to be trusted yet.
"Look Camrin, you didn't succeed in proving your point, but you let on to the growing strength inside of you. Before, you'd fall on your knees from it, now you try and fight it? It's an obvious change and the princess knows you have some kind of strength. You're being watched very carefully. Pick a way to act. Either strong and confident or weak and helpless, and stick to it. And if you want to hurt people's egos' so bad, make sure you have the power to back it up." Igore takes a minute to sit down and relax.
"Also, I snuck in here. Nobody can know a single soul visited, alright?"
Cam nods and they both settle down next to each other. A plate of food sits down on the small table in front of her, gone after a couple minute of hard work. Igore chuckles as she watches Cam swallow the food without chewing.
"Tastes better than death, no?"
"Way better. Any other bad news you want to tell me."
"Other than your decisions obviously." Igore looks around suspiciously.
"They magicked both sides of the door so the kitchen staff can't hear you and you can't hear them, but royalty love to play tricks." Whispering into her ear, Igore continues.
"There is a rumor that Lila finally got the miracle she needed to prove that a Sen is supporting her. It's not confirmed yet, but people speculate she's been chosen by a powerful one this time, even out of Eshika family power hold. It makes you look even worse after the chaos of last night."
Camrin freezes in place. Lila got what she wanted in the end. Looks like her betrayal paid off after all. She starts mentioning that to Igore but things better of it. She doesn't want anyone to know that Lila betrayed her, that they even were close friends before they got here to begin with. She gives Igore no reaction and replies to something else entirely.
"I thought with the Eshika family so possessive of the Sens, they wouldn't let her be chosen."
"That's the point. The princess will always resent Lila a little and you can use that to your advantage. Here, you hunt or get hunted."
"Can I ask some questions?"
"Sure."
"What exactly is a Sen? How do powers work here?-"
"You really need to start studying our magic, history, and culture. It could really boost you understanding and survival chances. And start working on your physical strength, muscle endurance, cardiac endurance-"
"My questions?"
"Sens are different beings than both you and I. They are a fundamental part of our way of life. They give not only power but protection, stability, and a home. They rate in differing levels of strength and of shape. Sometimes we can see them, sometimes we can't. They bond with us but it's not a bond that, if severed, effects their own health. They are not known to be kind or gentle, only powerful."
Igore smiles. "Did I give enough background"
A sudden memory pops into her mind and Cam blurts out. "I heard someone mentioning the name Seline. Do you know anyone in the palace called that?"
Igor's face instantly turns dark. "No, there is no one in this entire continent that has that name anymore. And for your safety and survival, never mention or talk about that name ever again."
"What, bu-" A loud knock sounds at the door and the girls fly apart. Igore instinctively turns invisible.
Camrin stands up stiffly, and despite the questionable truth of her latest friend, she still follows her words. Pick a way to act. Either strong and confident or weak and helpless, and stick to it. Camrin desperately tries to make her body obey. How can she pretend to be helpless when she really is.
[Keep your eyes down. Cower in fear. It makes them feel better about themselves. Act clueless and regretful. In fact, the timing of your transformation will not be questioned since you were punished twice last night and humiliated in front of the capital. It makes sense that your mindset will change. As for Igore, listen to her for now. She seems to long for a friend, though deception runs deep in these walls.]
Cam tries to do as Lilith tells her without showing that there is a voice talking inside her head. A guard enters the room followed by a middle-aged man that puts her nerves on edge. He's not royalty, but he screams power.
"Good morning to the newest joke of the century. Other than recommending you to the position of a jester, we're here to inform you that Val will be responsible for your cooperation and unique situation from now on. Everything related to you will go through him. Take the time to familiarize yourself with each other. I wish for your sake, dog, that you do not act similarity to last night."
Without any more explanation for who the guy is or what he's here for, the door is locked tight, cutting off all sound, and reminding Camrin once more than she has no power here. In the end, she's left alone with the intimidating eyes of a monster.