A Fox In Prison

"You crazy bitch!"

The whip cracked again and again against her back, and the chief guard didn't stop until her body sagged against the post. Valda struggled to breathe at the relentless torture, gasping heavily, and as darkness loomed, she collapsed to the ground just before her vision faded entirely.

She wasn't even aware of when he freed her wrist.

Struggling to compose herself, Valda attempted to crawl to a corner, to escape their grasp, but her breath caught when she was grabbed harshly by the hair.

"Argh!" A short cry escaped her lips before she could stop it, and her scalps felt like they were on fire.

The chief guard showed no empathy as he looked at her, despite her being barely able to stand on her own. Yet, even with the unfair treatment she was getting, Valda remained defiant, refusing to beg for mercy.

She was determined to maintain her dignity, even in the face of death. She would not show weakness to the likes of them. Her father's words echoed in her mind—to stand by her decisions regardless of the outcome, and she was resolved to do just that.

Eyeing her stubbornness, the chief guard uttered with contempt. "I hope you suffer for eternity." and he let her go. With that, they both left the punishment room, leaving Valda on the cold, unforgiving floor.

Valda's torn gown offered no protection from the biting cold, leaving her limbs numb as she struggled to move. Her skin stung intensely, and the tears she had restrained for so long streamed down her face. Pressing her cheeks against the icy ground, she shivered uncontrollably as even the slightest breeze sent shivers down her spine.

Where was the wind even coming from? In such an enclosed space?

She sniffled, her shoulders shaking with despair. The burning sensation from the whip lingered painfully on her back, and she dreaded the image of what they had done to her. She was initially curious about those palace guards' arrangement with her uncle, but everything fell into place when she recognized the chief guard.

Her uncle, aunt, and their daughter—the architect of her torment—loomed large in her mind. She wondered how many lies they must have whispered to the king while she was away, and if that was true, there was no hope for her survival in this place.

Another lone tear escaped her eyes, and her fingers clenched against her palm.

Revenge danced before her like a flickering candle. She could almost taste it—the sweet satisfaction of seeing her tormentors suffer. But revenge required strength, and Valda was a broken reed. She has no allies, no weapons, only raw pain of betrayal etched into her flesh.

She wondered if death would be kinder, a swift release from this world of treachery and pain–she wouldn't really know unless she tried, right? But there was no turning back once she chose that path.

Conflicted, Valda closed her eyes, wanting to give in to the whispers of submission, but out of nowhere, a dusky butterfly with wings painted as the shade of midnight, caught her vision.

Its purple pattern danced in the dim light, and she stared at it, eyes wide for a couple of seconds. Was this hallucination? Perhaps the pain had finally driven her mad and she was starting to see things.

But… the butterfly looked real, delicate even, and otherworldly, like it did not belong in this realm. It danced around her as though it were a firefly, its movement both soothing and eerie. Before Valda could contemplate the butterfly's purpose, darkness soon enveloped her.

She lost consciousness, slipping into a void where pain and reality blurred.

✿⁠

"!!!!!"

The sting on her back pulled her from the depths of unconsciousness, and she gasped. The cold hard flow of the prison chamber now felt like a distant memory, because she was inexplicably enveloped in warmth.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring at a familiar figure. She was cradled in the stranger's legs, and the reason why her back hurt so much was because he was doing something to her.

Panic set in, and her eyes widened.

"Let go–!!"

"Stay still." Eryx commanded, making her seize her struggle. His voice held a mix of authority and calmness that made her freeze in his gentle hold. His fingers on her bare back was gentle yet firm, and Valda's eyes widened in disbelief when she realized she wasn't hallucinating his presence.

Sharp, intense, yet attractive pool of violet eyes, ears that pointed skyward, the long fluffy tail that swished to the side.

Impossible!

"Eryx??"

"Bold of you to call me by my name." And he flipped her over to her front, making her lie flat on his legs, her wounded back exposed to his face. Valda's breath hitched at his unanticipated move, fear and confusion dancing in her veins the more it gnawed at her that this wasn't a dream.

He was really here?? With her?? How??

The room's darkness seemed to bow to his presence, yet an unexplainable tension filled the air around them. However, Valda snapped out of her daze when she felt his hand on her bare back, his touch foreign to her skin, and she tried to wriggle away.

"What are you doing to me? Let me go!" Valda's voice was laced with urgency. Her face turned red from the inappropriate position she found herself in, but the man she was presently questioning turned deaf ears to her words.

"I said let me–!!"

"Have you ever been bitten by a fox?" The man asked, making her go stiff in his firm hold. His question sounded so suspicious that Valda narrowed her eyes, but she could not bring herself to peek at his face.

"No?"

"Wanna test it? I dare you to move again." He didn't sound like he was bluffing, and that made Valda tremble. When his hand returned to her back, she shivered when he traced each prominent welt with his fingers. She wasn't sure about the voodoo he was currently orchestrating in her back, but a minute later, the pain she felt gradually calmed.

Her ears perked up in bewilderment, and she no longer felt his hands on her.

"It doesn't… hurt much now." She uttered in disbelief. Her head moved subconsciously to look at the man who met her gaze.

"what did you–"

"You were in a lot of pain." He answered, but made no attempt to move her from the position he kept her in.

Valda had almost forgotten how he looked, but seeing him again, he made her heart race with caution.

"But why?" She blurted, utterly confused and disoriented. "Why are you here? Many things can go wrong if anyone sees you here."

"Hey, a token of gratitude would be more appreciated." he remarked dryly, subtly indicating that he had done her a solid without even a nod of acknowledgment.

Valda's mouth opened at his retort, then closed. She had expected threats, perhaps even a dagger to her throat the minute she saw him. But not this—this infuriating, inexplicable banter they were having.

Realizing she was still on his leg, she finally moved, getting off him, and to her biggest shock, she could move her body far better than before. Her back still felt dry, probably from the bloodstain, but she felt questioningly better.

She sat across him, keeping a safe distance between the two of them, and she immediately tried to adjust her dress. Thankfully they hadn't ripped her naked, else, he would have—how did he even get here to begin with?? This was all too strange, and her brain was not in the mood to process anything at all.

"Well, aren't you a vision of loveliness." He drawled sarcastically, causing Valda's face to turn a shade redder after she caught him scrutinizing her less-than-flattering appearance.

She felt her full hair that was painfully tangled and dirty from being on the floor, and her torn gown was smeared with dirt and her dried blood. She could tell she had some dirt on her face too, but the man sitting in front of her was the real epitome of handsome sprinkled with grace.

Damn it all, he was indeed attractive–ethereally so, like a creature from a forbidden tale. The contrast in their appearance made her feel somewhat embarrassed, and she couldn't believe he had her in his arms while she looked like this.

"I'm not a wayward kitten."

"I've always wanted a kitten, but it doesn't matter what you are, I'm here to adopt you." He answered, making Valda's eyes snap wide at what he just said.

"Adopt me?"

"I can assist you in getting in your revenge" he stated, "but you're gonna need my help if you stand a chance of getting out of here…. Good lord! Did someone leave a human carcass in here?"

He brought out his handkerchief and covered his nose, waving his hand in front of his face as if to clear the offensive odor. He was glancing around, as if hoping to detect where it was coming from.

Valda blinked at his reaction, and she wondered if his nose was perhaps far more sensitive than hers. However, that thought didn't last long in her mind since he was speaking about something more important than that.

"You said you could help me get revenge?"

"If I don't die in this place then yes," he quipped, "I can make this work in your favor, but are you ready to come with me at the end of it? Your answer decides everything."