if you guys want i’ll ask her if i can cross post it here, just for the few of you to read?

o 15 phroogs

atlase_ wrote:

if you guys want i’ll ask her if i can cross post it here, just for the few of you to read?

That would be great, if thats not too much for us to ask

pooferella wrote:

atlase_ wrote:

if you guys want i’ll ask her if i can cross post it here, just for the few of you to read?

That would be great, if thats not too much for us to ask

crow says yes! i’ll post the second chapter soon then!

Table of Contents

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4

Two days. That was all she had left. But trapped in such darkness and silence, what was there to make out of two days? The existence of time had begun to waver in this otherworldly spell, and those two days warped into two years. Time did not matter when your own self could stretch and pull at it as much as it wanted. Time conformed to the needs of a human being—or, in a way, it rebelled against them.

But such a hollow absence of time was interrupted by her cell door being pulled open with a loud rattle, two heavily armored guards stepping into the room along with a small boy who cowered at the front. Liraz did not lift her head, too entranced as the flame of the lantern they held illuminated her body. A sigh of relief broke through her, the sound of her breath echoing throughout the small cage. When the Crown Prince had visited, he had left the cell without removing her voice.

The boy stepped forward and one of the guards followed to turn a key, unlocking the second door. Liraz waited, preparing herself. The first time she had been thrown into this cell, no one had visited for days. She had been quite practically starved to death. But this time, a tray clattered in front of her slumped figure, the boy briskly stepping back in fear. He looked horrified as if she would choose him over the meal now set in front of her.

“She won’t eat.” The guard who had unlocked the door pulled it open again, and the boy retreated toward the safety that it offered. “She’s too stubborn to even touch her food. The Crown Prince has ordered us to feed her three times each day, but she has not touched her food ever since his visit.”

Liraz raised her head slightly to scrutinize the pair, her gaze hauntingly searching them. Their armor concealed most of their features–she could not tell if their eyes were on her.

“What could he have said to her to cause her to starve herself?”

“Have you not heard?” The guard turned his head, one hand finding the boy’s shoulder. He pulled him farther away from the cell so that he could move forward to peer at Liraz. “The prisoner’s execution is in one day. He visited this cell himself to declare it.”

The other guard laughed, a low chuckle that resonated through the hollow cell, a tasteless way of humor. “But why refuse to eat when your death has already been made certain?”

“Maybe she is making a statement.”

Liraz leaned forward suddenly, the chains clattering against each other as her wrists tugged at them. The guards immediately halted their laughter.

She parted her lips, fighting back the grin at their helpless reactions to her movement. As if they had thought she was dead, a lifeless corpse for them to mock.

“You may take the food back,” Liraz spoke in replacement of their silence, dry lips moving to form the bitter words. “It would do better in someone’s stomach than rotting here before me.”

There was a moment of silence, a clear surprise at her words. Had they thought she was still unable to talk although they had not been affected by the curse as well? Liraz scoffed, eyes flitting between the two guards before falling to the small boy standing behind them. He had yet to talk.

“I—!” One of the guards stepped toward the iron bars, lifting his chin. “I wouldn’t drink water from your cup if I was stranded in a desert,” he said ruggedly, gripping the bars that separated them. He spat before her feet. “I’d rather drink from a horse trough.”

She stared back at him, heavy eyes finding his own. He looked away.

“I’ve heard that one before,” Liraz replied bluntly. “But if you were to find yourself in a desert, you would drink from my cup without hesitation. When it comes to the very thread of survival, it does not matter what your title is. In the end, you are only trying to escape death.”

Liraz rose to her feet with a clatter of chains, and the snap of the guard’s boots sounded as he took a hesitant step back. She relished his fear even with heavy iron bars stopping her from reaching him.

“I, however, face death with an upraised chin.” Her words were rough, her throat dry and lacking saliva as she licked her lips. Lifting the cup of water from the ground, Liraz met the guard’s eyes once more and upended the container. The trickling stream seeped at her dirtied bare feet.

Both eyed her as she let the cup fall in a clatter. The guard’s hand was poised over the sword at his hips, but it faltered when the sound of the heavy iron door opening echoed through the cell.

A maid set foot into the now crowded room, head lowered, hands clasped over her lap as she stepped forward. Liraz watched in utter amusement at her obvious fear.

“The Crown Prince is waiting. You were ordered to bring the prisoner to him, and now he is growing impatient,” she said in a quiet voice, not looking up even once. Was she so afraid to meet Liraz’s eye that she could not will herself to be respectful and lift her head?

“Tell the Crown Prince that she will be escorted to him in an hour.”

So that was why they had come. With one day left to her execution, Navin Naphtali was asking for her presence. She suddenly began to feel tense, wondering why the Crown Prince would request a meeting with the woman who had just attempted to murder him.

Liraz lifted her head once more at the sound of the key inserted into her cell door for the second time, the flicker of the candlelight casting warped shadows from the movement of the iron bars.

The guards moved toward the chains around her wrists, unhooking the metal cuffs, setting her hands free. Warm hands gripped her shoulders and Liraz was suddenly hoisted back up to her feet, the tray clattering to the side as it was pushed away. The maid continued to watch with her head down.

“Take her to the private bath,” the maid said quietly as Liraz was dragged out of the cell, her bare feet barely scraping the cold stone floors. “The other maids can wash her there to prepare for the Crown Prince.”

Liraz wanted to scoff again, but her voice fell silent when they returned to the halls. It seemed that everyone else had noticed the shift as well, conversation dropping rather quickly. Liraz glanced back at the open door of her cell, catching the eye of the boy who had delivered her food. He was crouched to the floor, watching her as he devoured the thin slice of white bread that had been part of her meal.

Liraz averted her eyes, brow furrowed as the guards continued to carry her further down the hallway.

⚔️

The number of maids seemed to have increased by the dozen the moment Liraz was pushed into the private bathhouse, their gazes on her in an instant, judging eyes falling to the ropes that the guards had bound over her wrists once they had exited the dungeons. Slight murmurs escaped their lips, commenting on the color of her hair, the richness of her skin—Liraz looked away from the prying eyes.

“Give her room.” She was surprised to hear that strong voice so soon, one she could remember quite clearly.

The maids quickly stepped back, dropping their eyes to the ground. The second Princess Lavinia stood there, raven black hair that fell into small loops at her waist, dark brown eyes that searched Liraz’s own. “My brother does not care for Hrdayesa’s death, but I do,” she said coldly, stepping forward to grasp Liraz’s chin, pushing her head up. “So no matter what happens with him today, I’ll make sure you pay for your sins.”

“Your family is quite touchy, aren’t they?” Liraz responded coolly, wincing as Lavinia’s grip tightened. The Princess gave a scoff, releasing her chin and turning to the group of maids. She left Liraz’s question unanswered.

“The Crown Prince has ordered this prisoner to be presented to him in clean clothes,” Lavinia said firmly, taking ahold of her skirts to raise a hand and part the curtains that concealed the steam from a large marble tub. “Find a dress that will not upset him.”

“I look best in red,” Liraz raised her voice slightly, fighting back the smirk that threatened to crawl onto her features. Lavinia turned, her gaze fiery as she met Liraz’s eyes once more. But once again, the Princess said nothing, though her clenched fists shook rather harshly.

“Undress the prisoner,” Lavinia ordered. “And bathe her filthy body while you’re at it.” She gripped the frame of the door, turning her nose up once more before shutting the door loudly. The click of a lock sounded on the other side.

all credits to crow (saiiaway on th) for this story! i will try to forward all your thoughts to her!

holy hecc tysm :00

but woah LIRAZZZ SHE IS QUEEN

--galaxi-- wrote:

holy hecc tysm :00

but woah LIRAZZZ SHE IS QUEEN

yess she really is

This is awesome, Crow!

Tysm atlase!!!

i have le theory-
so maybe the princess liraz killed was somehow responsible for her husbands death and shes getting revenge
but like that's a very common trope and i doubt that crow would do that

this is incredible!!!!


Crow never fails to amaze us UwU

OH YEAH AND THE SUMMARY/HOOK IS “ Liraz Damira is trapped in a loop that not even death can break. The only way to escape is to fulfill her promise and murder the Crown Prince of Arusite.”

woahh thanks for posting it :0

it is very amazing :O

LIRAZ IS QUEEEEEN

SunsetArtist1 wrote:

woahh thanks for posting it :0

it is very amazing :O

LIRAZ IS QUEEEEEN

yes she is very much queen

atlase_ wrote:

OH YEAH AND THE SUMMARY/HOOK IS “ Liraz Damira is trapped in a loop that not even death can break. The only way to escape is to fulfill her promise and murder the Crown Prince of Arusite.”

oooo iNtErEsTiNg

--galaxi-- wrote:

atlase_ wrote:

OH YEAH AND THE SUMMARY/HOOK IS “ Liraz Damira is trapped in a loop that not even death can break. The only way to escape is to fulfill her promise and murder the Crown Prince of Arusite.”

oooo iNtErEsTiNg

vErY

-tvrtles wrote:

--galaxi-- wrote:

atlase_ wrote:

OH YEAH AND THE SUMMARY/HOOK IS “ Liraz Damira is trapped in a loop that not even death can break. The only way to escape is to fulfill her promise and murder the Crown Prince of Arusite.”

oooo iNtErEsTiNg

vErY

oH So VeRy

s9226403 wrote:

-tvrtles wrote:

--galaxi-- wrote:

atlase_ wrote:

OH YEAH AND THE SUMMARY/HOOK IS “ Liraz Damira is trapped in a loop that not even death can break. The only way to escape is to fulfill her promise and murder the Crown Prince of Arusite.”

oooo iNtErEsTiNg

vErY

oH So VeRy

mUcHo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyOqGRjVtls
more prhoggs

pooferella wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyOqGRjVtls
more prhoggs

;000 how cute!

Peach_Drawing wrote:

pooferella wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyOqGRjVtls
more prhoggs

;000 how cute!

you- you did see it right