Rising from the Ashes
Chapter 31

The king of tyranny had her locked away in a tower. The tallest tower with a perfect view of the forest they had disappeared into. To make things worse he had locked her in a tower with both Queen Stavros and Princess Lydia to guard her alongside at least four warriors outside of the door. Elenora stands on the balcony, glaring at the spot King Stavros, Nakoa, and a league of men had disappeared into. Elenora was told it would be no more than four hours. The gate to the realm must be close but Elenora doubts she could take Princess Lydia, Queen Stavros, and the warriors in a fight. Princess Lydia had shown her abilities and what the queen can do remains unknown. Elenora had been watching the vines inch up the side of the tower for the past how long. "Is it alright...?" The queen trails off as she stops beside her, back straight and eyes examining everything. Elenora takes a moment to pray her eyes do not replace the wall of the tower. The vines are just below the balcony ledge and now they are inching underneath it to hide "I have some questions about your old pack Muriel." She whispers softly "Stonebridge. While you were with Lydia some things had been mentioned and I would like to clear them up if that is alright."

"You would rather ask about the sins of the pack that had tortured me than inquire about me on a personal level?" It is not anger but curiosity that leads her to ask. She had been dreading the questions they might have, most of which she is certain she does not know how to answer. What is there to say about herself? Elenora had never had time to figure how who she is and what she likes. She only ever had time to survive.

"You give the impression that you would prefer to talk about their sins over what you are like. I would be more than okay with either." The queen offers, still smiling. Elenora eyes her for a moment before turning back towards the forest. How long has it been since they left? It feels like an eternity. The least Nakoa could have done was come to see her. Elenora is furious with him but she still cares for him. These creatures are dangerous. Doesn't he know that?

"What would you like to know your highness? About the pack."

"Vanya, please." The queen smiles, hand squeezing her shoulder before she lets it drop. She turns to the forest, suddenly very serious and she takes a moment to gather herself. "Alpha Bardrick had mentioned a Vermont Vancino was the Alpha of Stonebridge but Ardon swears he had never even heard of that name before. Ardon insist Benjamin Flint is the Alpha of Stonebridge."

It takes Elenora a moment to gather herself. She had known all of this through whispers in the pack but she had never been told anything specifically. She was only ever given tiny snippets of information to fill in a story. These whispers were an act of rebellion. Somebody must tell the King when he visits. Nobody ever had and so the pack suffered until Elenora burned down her house. "Benjamin Flint was the Beta of Stonebridge. He would pretend to be Alpha when King Stavros came to visit. Anybody who was suspected of not being completely loyal to the pack would be brought to the cells and tortured while the royals were there. I had learned rather recently that Vermont Vancino was not his real name. I suspect he had hid with me when the King visited." Elenora swallows, information fresh to her and she wonders if she should share it. How would this change anything? How will knowing help? Isn't it far too late? "Vito Oswald Cree was his real name." Elenora had barely even heard it. The intake of breath and then hold. The queens eyes are wide when Elenora dares to look, her skin deathly pale.

Something drops behind her drawing her attention away. Princess Lydia had dropped her book and she slowly stands, not to pick it up but to walk towards the door. She knocks, three times and it opens immediately. "Dispatch fifty warriors to Stonebridge." Princess Lydia orders quietly "They are to do nothing on arrival until the King orders otherwise. They are mere visitors to the pack." With that she closes the door softly and then turns to Elenora. Emotions flicker across her face too quickly for Elenora to catch even one of them before she picks up her book with a soft sigh.

"How is it we never came across you? How is it we never set eyes on Cree? We never even caught the scent and we searched the entire grounds yearly."

Elenora swallows, her mind going back to the place she was hidden. It felt like getting buried alive. She was hundreds of feet under ground, shoved into a hole just large enough for her body and somehow she was able to breathe. There was no fresh air. Only the smell of the ground. It was two weeks without food and two weeks of the never ending feeling of bugs crawling across her skin. It was terrible. She would scream and nobody would hear. Sometimes she thought somebody else was down there with her. Vermont possibly. Hiding. It would make sense. He had her down there a week before the King was supposed to arrive. Her scent would have been gone alongside his if he hid with her. The King was not searching for holes in the ground that held people. Elenora remembers begging Vermont not to bring her down there again. She remembers swearing that she will behave. She remembers promising anything to him. Everything to him. It is one of the few things Elenora had bothered to beg for and each time Vermont had looked just on the edge of giving in before he shoved her in that hole "There was a hole in the ground, hundreds of feet down. He would put me in it a week before King Stavros arrived and then during his stay. I think he might have been down there with me somewhere." Elenora mutters and she debates whether or not she should stop here.

It would be easy to tell the queen she wishes not to talk about this any longer. Surely the Queen will allow it. She seems almost as pained as Elenora the more she speaks. Elenora has her own questions anyways. Questions such as how did they not know? The pack was not in good condition. Didn't they notice the pain in their visits? Didn't they notice how the children starved? Didn't they visit the cells only to see innocent people strung up with whip lashes? These questions are stupid. Vermont was an expert when it came to hiding things and though some might think it impossible to hide the condition of an entire pack, Elenora had been shown Vermont's capabilities first hand. Perhaps he had a witch hide the condition from the royals? Elenora had seen him do it once, for a family. She only vaguely remembers it. Elenora was only a child when she watched from afar. He pulled a family, malnourished and scarred into their home and Elenora watched them shift before her eyes. An illusion, impossible but done. As Elenora looked they turned healthy, skin filling out, hollow eyes shifting. Elenora figures that was only the start. He had found a way to hide his cruelty.

"Do you know of any-"

"I am sorry your highness but I think I would rather not talk about this." Elenora interrupts, eyes never leaving the forest. The queen looked like she was going to persist only to be interrupted by the door opening. Elenora swings around as the warriors eyes flicker across the room.

"The healing quarters then?" Princess Lydia marks her place in the book with a flower she grows through the stones.

"Yes Princess Lydia. Shall I lead the way?" Queen Stavros hesitates before going outside of the tower.

"We need to talk about this Muriel. I am sorry but Stonebridge cannot go unpunished for what has happened." With that she leaves. Elenora had already made it to the balcony before she realized the warrior is still holding the door open for her.

"I can go to the realm now?" Elenora asks though she is certain the answer is still a firm no. They had her locked in a tower to ensure she did not go.

"I am afraid not your highness. It is common practice for the royal-"

"I am no royal." Elenora interrupts. His lips press to a thin line, eyes narrowing on her before he gestures his question. With a sigh Elenora nods her head and he walks in, settling in the furthest corner from her.

"May I speak freely Princess Muriel?" The warrior questions and already she replaces herself exhausted by this entire conversation. The name Muriel has annoyed her greatly, mostly because if she becomes Muriel than everything changes. It might not have been so bad if she was born to be nobody, born to be a random person walking this planet. Elenora was not so lucky. She was born to lead, born to be a princess and now they expect it of her. A princess to the kingdom that had tortured her for years. "May I?" The warrior inquires with a never ending amount of patience. Perhaps he can share some of it with her.

"Yes. Yes you can say whatever the hell you want to me." Elenora responds, not without frustration.

The warrior pauses once again before sighing "You are a princess Muriel and it is not nearly as bad as you seem to think it is. Everybody in this kingdom will refer to you as a princess because they have been waiting years for your arrival. The fact that you are here, alive, is a miracle almost." He pauses. Elenora tries to say something to her defense but with a wave of his hand he continues "You have judged the way things are ruled since the moment you stepped through the gate -rightfully so. You have the power to change that and instead you choose to glare at anybody who refers to you as a princess? If you hate how rogues are treated so much than be the difference. We do not need more people standing around and hating things only to do nothing about those things. We need action Princess Muriel. We need progress." With that he nods towards her and steps out of the tower. The door is left unlocked and Elenora hears the warrior telling the other two to watch her before he leaves.

It is a shame he left so soon. Elenora had liked him and now she does not have a name to go with his face. A problem for later. Elenora returns her focus to the most important thing. Escaping this ridiculous tower. The vines stand out beautifully against the stone and Elenora grips on to them. For a supposedly sweet girl she does have a beautiful mind. Elenora can tell they will be great partners in crime.

Elenora's grip tightens on the vines when they begin to move and she almost jumps back on the balcony before she realizes they are moving slowly, holding onto her to ensure her safety. Elenora had expected a hard climb down but instead they lower her on their own accord. Elenora has to bite her lip to resist the urge to laugh. This is utterly ridiculous but wonderful all the same. How many times has the innocent princess escaped? How many times has she snuck out? With a grin Elenora steps on the ground and she watches the vines wave at her. This time she does laugh and then she is shifting. Running towards the forest she had been staring at for hours. It is time to replace her daughter.

It is at least ten minutes before the bells sound, the sound of a missing princess. It is a more than sufficient head start. Elenora had been faster than Anthony and she has no doubt the same remains true for these warriors. Still Elenora hears them in the distance, running to catch up with her. Tracking her scent to bring her back. Elenora only pushes herself faster, tracking the scent of Nakoa. It definitely stands out the most to her. She stops in front a large tree, black in color. Somehow this thing is a gate. Elenora shifts and traces the ruins burned into the tree. Some are pictures of the creatures that must reside in the realm. It all feels dark. Elenora touches everything in a desperate attempt to replace an opening. Does she need to say something? The language is old and not one she has seen in this lifetime. Does she need to pull on something? Elenora is not completely certain it was her but the tree starts to crack. The whistle that comes out of it sounds more like a scream as it spreads open, ripping apart before her eyes. It glows a dark purple and Elenora stumbles back as a foot appears. She is quick to grab her knife and that is when the warriors appear behind her, out of breath and mad but it is far too late as she stands facing the king.

"Muriel. I wish I could say this was a surprise." He does not sound angry or even irritated in the least. Instead he puts a hand on her shoulder and leans closer than Elenora would like "She is with Nakoa right now. She needs to go straight to the healing quarters but I believe it might be best she sees you first." As if Elenora would have it any other way. She might have insulted him if she had not seen her daughter step out next, eyes empty until they land on her.

Elenora forgets about everything else as Charlotte stumbles towards her. She doesn't know which one of them had fallen first but suddenly they are both on the ground. Charlotte does not cry, she stares straight ahead as she grips onto Elenora with shaky hands "They did not break me." She whispers and it shatters Elenora’s heart "Remember?" It was the same thing Elenora would chant to herself as a girl. He will not break me. I am not broken. He will not break me. I am not broken. Elenora would chant it to herself every morning and every night.

He did break her. He broke her in every way imaginable and then he found new ways to break her. "I remember flower." Elenora mutters against her dirty hair. It doesn't look red anymore but darker with dirt and dried blood. "We have to go Charlotte. We have to get you cleaned up."

"It was Nakoa." Charlotte's eyes start to tear up "It was him. In my room." Everybody comes back. The stares. Nakoa looks destroyed. Heartbroken. Elenora's grip tightens on Charlotte as she shakes her head.

"No it was not. It was something else entirely. Another creature with the ability to shape-"

"They did not break me." Charlotte whispers. Elenora pauses before pulling them both to a stand.

"No," Elenora agrees "They did not." And then Elenora leads them away.