table of contents

chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3

They say the Arusite dungeons are so dark that the prisoners inside fear the light. It’s the trick of a candlelight’s flicker that scares them, the shadows of something living that disturbs their silent breaths. It’s the torturous remembrance that they are still alive.

The ones who are lucky enough to be freed slowly begin to wish their eyes had been gouged out instead. To spend even an hour in utter silence and darkness—such a tormenting experience can drive one to the brink of insanity.

But, for the first time in a decade, the sound of footsteps retreated in an echo throughout the darkness of the lowest level. Crown Prince Navin Naphtali carried a lantern in one hand, the light dimmed under the shelter of his palm. Small flames pressed against the container, frosted glass distorting its twisted figure as the Prince carried the lantern through the dungeon’s hallways.

The last time he had entered the lowest level of the dungeons was when he had visited his brother, ten years ago.

Each cell was closed off to the hallway with sturdy walls of stone, thickened iron doors that could not be opened without a key. And beyond that were the iron bars that enclosed each prisoner in a spell of silence. Mages had crafted formulas around the structure of these dungeons, surrounding each cell with a curse—if you were to open your mouth, no words would come. Not a single sound would be made with your voice.

It was crafted by black magic, a horrid torture device that led each prisoner to absurdity. Without a light to show that your body still moved, it was possible to forget the feeling of simply existing when you could not see or talk.

But the prince had seen these illegal enchantments before. In fact, he had even used them at times without his family’s knowledge. He was familiar with black magic, in a way, so he simply unmasked the spell from his lips, clearing his throat to test if he had broken the charm.

In the soft echo of his low cough, Naphtali started forward once more down the looming hallways. The ceiling was a high arc, the glow of his lantern casting irking shadows across its cold stone enclosure. It was impossible to tell what was beyond those shadows that lingered past the arches—the light could not travel far enough to uncover such a mystery.

At the end of the lifeless halls was the heavy iron door that the Prince had not visited in a decade. There was a chill to it all as if something vicious and cruel resided within. But he had yet to see the new prisoner who filled the spot of his brother.

Naphtali conjured a mirror before him to examine his features, the reflection muddy in the darkness as he reached a hand to smooth back his tousled black hair. The Prince gave himself a fitting smile, probing gaze fitting on the slight wrinkles between his brow. This war had been far too stressful—he would need to take care of his face more often now that it was practically over.

Seemingly satisfied that he was handsome enough to be in someone else’s presence, Naphtali strode forward with a jangle of keys and unlocked the door in a flourish. His posture was much different now, a tall stance of supremacy.

The two rooms inside were separated by a pattern of thickened iron bars. In a loud clank, the door shut behind the Prince, leaving him to listen to his silent breaths once more. The prisoner inside did not look up, even as he lifted a hand to the second door to step into their cell.

“I was told you were the assassin who killed Princess Hrdayesa,” he said, but his voice was followed only by the flickering of his lantern, its flame mocking the sound of wind. Naphtali realized the prisoner was not shaking her chains or cowering to the ground as all the others had done before. Instead, she sat on her knees, head down as the chains held up her arms.

“Look at me,” the Prince ordered, but when she refused to do so he lifted a single finger to her chin, brusquely forcing her eyes to find his. In a moment of hesitation, his lips parted in a loss for words, staring into those heavy golden eyes that met his gaze. He recognized that dull, guarded expression, but he could not recall from where he had seen it before.

He did not look away, but neither did she, jaw clenched under the hollow frame of her skeleton, frail wrists quaking slightly with the rattle of chains. She looked helplessly murderous.

Naphtali withdrew his hand promptly as if he had been burned. Standing once more, he was the first to look away from their contest to remove the curse from the cell and allow her to talk. “What is your name?” he asked roughly, He assumed she had felt the removal as well, the grasp around her throat faltering as it had done for him when he had permitted himself to talk.

“I wouldn’t dare to let your lips speak my name,” she spat.

At these words, Naphtali stepped forward and grabbed her by the hair to jerk her head up, a venomous laugh edging from his lips. His gaze was wild.

“How can you utter those words as if you have no fear? How dare you insult the Crown Prince so foolishly when I have given you the ability to speak?” he hissed, his grip tightening against the short whimpers that fell from her mouth. She attempted to grasp at his wrists, but from lack of proper care, her body was unable to gather the strength to push the Prince away. The prisoner could only claw desperately, dirty fingernails digging into the sumptuous velvet of his sleeves.

“You were the one to take it away in the first place,” she responded savagely, her breath shaking as her eyes refused to return to his own. Napthali’s grip lessened before he released her roughly, letting the prisoner fall back to the cold stone ground. The chains jangled as its cords yanked her arms back up.

“Answer me. What is your name?” the prince repeated as he brushed his hands across the fabric of his heavy coat. His breath shook slightly, wavering with the flicker of his candle as he attempted to calm himself. There was no point in becoming angry over such a prisoner.

She hesitated, dry lips parting in a struggling exhale that filled the silence with an echo. Naphtali eyed her as he waited for a response, his leaden gaze falling back to those golden irises. She had darker skin, though in comparison to his own, it looked more like soft honey.

“It is Damira,” she finally breathed, this time holding his gaze. “Liraz Damira.”

His lips curled in a bitter chuckle that resonated throughout the hollow cell, a tasteless way of humor as he stared back at her. “Then, Damira,” he said with a low voice, moving to crouch just in front of her, his boots shifting against the ground, “for the murder of Princess Hrdayesa, and the attempted murder of the Crown Prince, I am sentencing you to death by execution in two days time.”

proofreader(s) for chapter one:

[if you find any errors (spelling mistakes/wrong punctuation use) please lmk]

woa- this is amazinggg

Peach_Drawing wrote:

woa- this is amazinggg

I WAS SCARED TO POST IT,, IS IT GOOD??

YOO YOURE BACK AT IT-
tis epic u.u

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THIS IS AMAZING-

okay okay so the black magic and curses were a really good idea, and you made the character explain them in a great way. It's so suspenseful, with this seemingly evil Crown Prince and the prisoner.
You wrote this all very well as always Eek, I can't wait for chapter 2!

epic :0 also I just found this and already luv it <3

CosmicKiwi wrote:

YOO YOURE BACK AT IT-
tis epic u.u

IM BACK AT IT B-)

:00 this is so good- BUT WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GIVE US A CLIFFHANGER AHHHHHH

SunsetArtist1 wrote:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THIS IS AMAZING-

okay okay so the black magic and curses were a really good idea, and you made the character explain them in a great way. It's so suspenseful, with this seemingly evil Crown Prince and the prisoner.
You wrote this all very well as always Eek, I can't wait for chapter 2!

thank you sooo much :-D eee i love listening to your opinions <33

This is amazing and beautiful, the way everything is worded is just WOW just WOW!

Bro,, amazing <3 :waiting: adjdhdj- so good!

oh my god this sounds so good birb
NAVEEN AAAAAA, what an icon, but the laying out of character and such, it all sounds so lovely. very striking and a great start to the story, i'll reread it in a few moments and provide feedback if you'd like :'D

iiramisu wrote:

oh my god this sounds so good birb
NAVEEN AAAAAA, what an icon, but the laying out of character and such, it all sounds so lovely. very striking and a great start to the story, i'll reread it in a few moments and provide feedback if you'd like :'D

thank you my dearest child :-)

I want to read moreeee! It's so good!

SaiIAway-Test wrote:

SunsetArtist1 wrote:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA THIS IS AMAZING-

okay okay so the black magic and curses were a really good idea, and you made the character explain them in a great way. It's so suspenseful, with this seemingly evil Crown Prince and the prisoner.
You wrote this all very well as always Eek, I can't wait for chapter 2!

thank you sooo much :-D eee i love listening to your opinions <33

No problem! I love giving them <333

holy hecc crow this is beauty in a nutshell scratch forum I love it sm

now time for the good ol' proofreading
"It is the trick of a candlelight’s flicker“ perhaps removing the contraction would help it seem more ”formal“ in a sense, as contractions are usually used in a casual manner
”a horrid torture device that led each prisoner to madness“ ”absurdity“ gives off the sense of stxpidness or foolishness, either ”madness“, ”insanity“, or ”derangement“ would work better
”Without any light to show that your body still moved“ ”a light“ gives off the sense of only needing one light in a way? idk this one is just more of personal nitpicking, and completely optional
”the glow of his lantern casting unsettling shadows across its cold stone enclosure“ you talk about mystery later on, yet ”irk“ is a synonym of feeling intense anger - perhaps this might work better? unless it does make him angry haha-
”its flame mocking the sound of the wind" wind needs a definitive article I believe

but crowww oml amazing job <33

--galaxi-- wrote:

holy hecc crow this is beauty in a nutshell scratch forum I love it sm

now time for the good ol' proofreading

YAYYY MY PERSONAL EDITOR \(//∇//)\ i bow down to you senpai

what shall we do when this fandom contains more pages than EitS :0


also I luv this!!! good job Crow <3

ey um just wondering, what'd you mean by
"his grip tightening against the short whimpers that fell from her mouth"?

Bruuuuuhhhhh you have to teach me how to write as good as you