"Let me go! Let me g-mmff!" A young boy's voice resounded through the air and Li Na heard another set of chains clanging and stirring up a ruckus.
Someone removed her blindfold, and slowly, Li Na opened her eyes.
A group of men dressed in black cloaks and a black veil tied around their face that covered up to their eyes surrounded her. The single flaming torch that lit the dark room cast shadows of the figures onto the dirt wall, making it seem like there was twice as much people in the room.
A bound, silver haired boy that look about 12 or 13 starkly stood out among the bunch, and his light blue eyes were shouting in protest and rebellion against those that muted him with a cloth.
The boy glanced at her before quickly looking away, a hint of guilt in his eyes.
"Give your life to me, and in exchange, I will spare his life." The man who held her throat said with an amused tone.
Li Na turned her head to gaze blankly at the struggling silver-haired youth. "Who is this boy?"
The man paused for a moment, then chuckled. "Do you not recognize your own little brother? Perhaps we've left you too long in that water prison. "
So he was her brother.
Li Na had decided to seem lost, in order for buy her some time to think through all this confusion. It wasn't hard to act lost, because she really was. She allowed the fear to creep into her voice as she asked, "Who are you? What do you want from me?"
She felt the man assess her for a moment before speaking. "It's quite simple; steal the military map for us in the king's inner study chamber and return to us with it in hand. As the king's daughter, it's quite an easy task to get in there, isn't that right, hm? And in exchange, we will return this little prince back to the safety of his royal bedroom."
The man clearly didn't want to release her after her completion of the task as he avoided mentioning a promise to send her back; from his previous coaxing, she knew that he desired for her to stay for a very long time.
She resisted narrowing her eyes.
After gazing at the young prince that was now her brother still struggling in vain before her, she let him know of her decision: "I accept your proposal."
The man laughed. "Good, good. But," he pulled her chin toward the group of men around her, "who knows if you will turn your back on me and not hand us the document? We don't want that to happen, don't we?"
Roughly, he tore off the soaked, right sleeve of her tattered, dull light blue dress, exposing more of her pale white collarbone and shoulder. Li Na tensed, alarm bells ringing in her head. "I have a passing thought we should have a taste of you to make you stay with us. It would be such a shameful thing for your father and his royal officials to know that his daughter was no longer pure, isn't that right dear?"
Li Na's heart froze and sunk in her chest.
𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥.
Lustful murmurs rose up like smoke in the room, and many black-clothed men stepped forward, eager to complete this invitation from their leader.
The silver-haired prince's eyes had constricted in response to this provocation. He had finally stopped struggling and stood there like a piece of lifeless wood, as if he was stunned senseless by their kidnappers' lack of decency.
"Commander."
A low but clear voice broke through the men's restless noise. A man had silently walked next to the leader and was respectfully bowing.
The leader, who still had his hand on Li Na's chin suddenly loosened his grip and stepped back, surprised at the other man's proximity.
"You promised to fulfill three wishes on my behalf. I have finally decided on my first wish."
"Oh?"
The newcomer's voice rang out slowly, but steadily.
"Give her to me."
Every black-clothed man in the room became stone, and their rumbling ceased.
"Ahahaha! Wonderful wonderful!" The leader was pleased with his request, quickly getting over the man's sudden appearance by his side. "She is all yours."
Grumbles replaced the licentious air.
Ever since the newcomer opened his mouth and spoke, Li Na's heart went from frozen cold to suddenly thumping loudly in her chest, and her head became even more dizzy with shock.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳...?!
"Mmmph!" The young prince finally broke out of his motionless state and let out a muffled, but urgent and panicked sound of protest as the new man blindfolded her again and lifted her onto his shoulders like a sack of grain.
A mixture of longing and intense fear was growing like vines throughout her body. Her blood was pounding, and ringing from her ears resonated in her head. Faintly, she could hear the firm but soft footsteps her new possessor was making against the soil.
Her heart was crawling with fear and dread for what was to come, but at the same time, she desperately wanted to see this man's face as soon she could. She desperately wanted him to be 𝘩𝘪𝘮.