Kingdom of Ghosts

Zora jerked awake violently, fear racking her fatigued mind. She was dripping with sweat which only made the dust coat her that much easier but it wasn't a big step up since the humidity of the dungeons made all of its inhabitants perpetually slimy. She jumped up from her place in the corner of the cell, her shackles jangling loudly. Pacing her cell she avoided the rectangle of light that came from a small, barred opening high up on the steep walls. The dreams that had come to her lately had been reminders of that terrible day, they gave her this pit in her stomach that seemed to wriggle its way through her like worms, leaving her shaking and unsteady.
She was so deep in thought about the dream, which was now flashing images rather than the whole experienced relived as it had been when she slept; The previous Queen waving, and smiling to her beloved subjects then, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air and burying itself in her heart, the crowd below erupting in total chaos, the Queen's blood pooling around her on the polished marble floor, all of this was flashing through her mind so quickly that she never noticed the old man who was dragged into the cell beside her until the gate closed behind him with the type of loud clank that seemed a grand symbol for your damnation to this hell hole.
"Please!" the man begged "Please! I did nothing, nothing!" a round of moans went around the cells "Join the club old man!" said a burly voice across the way. The dungeon was a semi-circle of cells with two guards at the one door and 1 guard stationed within for every two cells except, of course, Zora's cell, which has 4 guards. The low mumbles that always followed a new arrival died away quickly but the old man seemed to have a lively spirit that wouldn't allow him to shut up. He was near screaming at the guards in his panic, his voice echoing around the hollow space. Zora sat back down "this could be a while" she thought drowsily before slipping back into sleep.
She woke up again feeling somewhat rested, the old man had stopped shrieking and the bright rectangle of light had dimmed, meaning it was night now. She sighed and slumped against the wall, listening to the steady breathing of her sleeping in mates except for, of course, the old man. "Hey" he called out. Zora growled, annoyed at him, she had spent months in this cell, cut off from contact with people, resigned to her fate of sleeping and always being near death from mal-nutrition, but now this old man who couldn't just take the cards he had been dealt and sit quietly with the rest, was going to ruin the twisted ending to her broken fairy tail. "hey!" he hissed urgently "What?" she called back, her voice rough from not talking in so long. He paused "Zora?" he asked "Zora Estelle?" she turned to him, how had he known it was her? who was he? her ability to recognize the difference between voices was all but dead. He could've been a women or a boy and she never would have known.
"who are you?" she snarled, not enjoying this conversation at all. "I-I'm papa Salamano. You used to come to my bookstore.. Do you not remember?" She remembered, those had been better times although any time would be better than this one. "Yah," she sighed "I remember. I guess the bookstore isn't doing very well huh?" "probably burned down by now." he responded his voice sad and low. "What did you do?" she asked "Nothing!" he near yelled "Salamano come on, I know you loved the queen it's hard to imagine you wouldn't rebel." she heard him sob slightly and felt bad for him, from what she could remember he had been a big old man who wore his heart proudly on his sleeve. "It isn't fair Zora. We won! We won but, but we lost in the end, that isn't how wars work." "That's exactly how wars work. The one who wins is the last kingdom left standing and this time that was not Tara." "I can't accept that!" he protested, his voice shaking angrily. "Your going to have to old man. there isn't any extra space in these cells for an outspoken radical. Salamano, if you like your head on your body than shut up and die a slow death with the rest of us." There was a pause in the conversation, Zora nearly fell asleep but then, that wasn't unusual. "What happened to you?" he said nearly whispering now. She could hear him crying softly if she really listened but her senses had been dulled by the quiet and darkness of her cell, not to mention her lack of caring. "You were so vivacious, ready to travel, ready to share your Queen's ideals and your passions with the world! but now, now your just ready to die, ready to spend the rest of your days in here, locked away, while the world outside keeps living! All those poor people out there, still breathing and still feeling and still suffering! The old you would've broken out months ago, killed this rotten Queen with her malicious war plans and-" "The 'old me' as you describe" she said cutting him off "must have died when I entered this cell then, because at this moment that just sounds like the rambling of a drunk old man." He sighed "She must have" he said, his voice seemed tired, worn out from the events of the day, too worn out to give a damn, just like the rest. "Just sleep Salamano" she thought "sleep, and sleep, and sleep some more, until you die alone and forgotten in this cell."
But Salamano rallied, near slamming himself on the bars that barred the way between him and her. She didn't flinch from the sound or move away but let her head roll heavily to one side so that she was facing him in the pitch black darkness of the cell. "Zora please listen." he said urgently "I am listening." she stated blandly "I've already been condemned, my execution is tomorrow morning but I have to tell you the reason I'm here. I'm here because, because" His words were breaking into heavy sobs. "Salamano tell me!" she growled impatiently, her heart heavy from the news. Now even harmless old Papa Salamano was going to feel the queen's wrath? Who next, the messenger pigeons? "My boy, Henry, do you remember him? He was out with Lydia, do you remember her?" "I haven't lost my memory Salamano I remember everyone." she replied "Right well he was out and the Queen had requested some papers sent to the castle immediately and I couldn't send them back with the carrier pigeon because the papers were too big so I took them myself." His chains jangled loudly against the ground as he motioned, "he always did talk with his hands." she thought curling her knees up under her chin as she listened.
"When I got there a girl at the door told me I had to wait for the Queen to get out of a meeting but, but she took so long and I waited all day and finally I got tired of waiting and went to find the meeting room." "Why didn't the guards stop you?" she asked cutting him off quickly, confused as to how an old man was able to aimlessly wander through the halls to try to find the Queen. "Actually I don't know, none of them ever tried to stop me or ask me what I was doing." Zora sighed "Salamano is that really what happened?" "Yes I swear! I thought it was odd at first but I suppose they just thought I was a servant. Well anyways I finally found it and I well, I entered un-announced.." Zora shook her head "That was really stupid of you." she said "Yes well that's not the only reason I got thrown down here. I heard something, something I wasn't supposed to hear." "What did you hear?" Zora asked. The Queen's death had harshly affected many of the citizens minds, Papa Salamano included in that, now it seemed one stupid thing could lead to your death in this kingdom and unfortunately Zora could imagine that death was a daily visitor in the city.
"I heard her war-plans. She plans to invade our allies in Taran ships." "sneaky but not very original." Zora replied placing her chin firmly on her knee, staring thoughtfully into the pitch black darkness. "Zora I don't think you understand, what happened to our kingdom is going to happen to many others if we don't stop her do you not care?" Zora growled from low in her throat "Of course I care I've just" she sat back and sighed "I can't do anything, everything and everyone I love died right in front of me and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I'm useless I realize that now, I've wasted away for months, my swords were probably burned, I have no hope for my future anymore." "So your going to let Tara die as well? Is that your solution? Do you not care if you die in here? in this stinking hole? completely forgotten, blinded by the dark and deafened by the silence?" She didn't answer, her mind was whirling like it used to. She realized that there had been an old her, a her before she saw all her comrades die, every one of them thrown into a pit in the ground and burned so that the stink of their smoke would never come out of her clothing, not one of them able to be saved, their screams echoing through the courtyard.
For some reason the queen had kept her, only her, to be publicly torturing her for the amusement of her court. "Tara died with the Queen Salamano" she whispered her voice cracking. "A lot of things died with the queen Zora but Tara was not one of them! You have to understand that yes your friends died and part of you probably did too; But, but there are-" Salamano had raised his voice and a loud clanging came from the door "Shut up old man! Or I'll come in there and beat you!" "Your threat of a beating doesn't scare a condemned man soldier but since you asked so nicely." Salamano replied sarcastically. She heard a grunt from the soldier and then silence. Salamano shuffled closer slightly but Zora didn't. Her interest had finally peaked but she felt like she was made of stone, unable to move. Despite her best attempts to repress it a flame had been ignited in her, for months she had felt nothing, no love, hate, or sadness, she forgot how good this feeling felt, even if it was a vengeful, hateful feeling. It gave life to her tired limbs and a spark in her eyes. "There are people still out there having to deal with the death of loved ones daily, I can't take the idea of a noble, peaceful country like ours crumbling into this rotten ruin of a society, I'm sure there is no one who can or could fight the Queen's forces. Except, for you." Salamano persisted. Zora could see with her minds eye, the burning shops and decaying spirits of the citizens which inhabited this country. "Be quiet old man"
"No!" this time he shouted, loudly. She was surprised by the evident anger in his voice, it was the type of anger that started rebellions and set fire to old customs. "Hey!" the guard shouted, most likely angry at his nap being cut short "Shut the hell up." "oh fine but only for you darling" Salamano sneered, his voice dripping with hatred. The guard simply grumbled again and fell back to sleep. "Zora" Salamano whispered harshly through the bars "I know you're scared bu-" "I'm not scared!" she growled, rising from her spot on the floor. "Zora..." he said his voice barely a whisper she sighed then after a pause responded. "what?" she asked quietly, prompting him to continue.She needed him to because she was afraid, and angry, and sad and so many emotions she had cast away from her in an attempt to forget her past and was unable to think clearly. "Zora I won't say forget the past, obviously it can't be done for you, but don't let yourself die here, not you, anyone but you." "You only say such things because i can fight.." she said her voice still barely above a whisper. "partly that is true but.. Zora there is something else I heard that day that i should not of." Zora turned toward him "Why did you not tell me before now?" "I wanted to protect you," he answered solemnly "I don't know what it means and i fear its something far beyond me." She moved to him and sat down "tell me." she said firmly. "They were speaking of their plans and then one of her allies remembered that you were down here and commented that you might intrude on the plans, they argued about wether your spirit was broken or if they should kill you and use it to discourage the citizens from further rebellion but when the notion came up of killing you the queen" at this he spat since in his mind she would never really be queen "completely shut down the idea and told her allies that, while she could not say exactly why in an open place such as the meeting room, she said that circumstances of your birth had led to your blood being extremely valuable to 'her kind'" "her kind?" Zora asked. "exactly my thoughts because at this time her advisor cut in and began rambling about plans which makes me believe that her kind is something taboo but, also something that her allies are okay with, at least some of them, which makes me think-" "magic" Zora finished for him "right." he agreed. she shook her head "why exactly would my blood be worth anything to her?" she asked completely unable to think why her blood in particular would be important. "I don't know Zora but I know there are those out there who certainly would." she sat back on her heels and rested her chin on her knuckles. Her thoughts crossed over everything but there was one thing should could not ignore. She was angry. Angrier than she ever had been, not only had this monstrosity of a women killed her Queen, she had killed everyone and everything she loved, and continued to do it to this very minute, she had publicly tortured her for sport and kept her prisoner as more of an item she could use on a rainy day than a threat to her Queendom but most importantly she was angry because she had let her.
Zora felt the angry fire eating its way through her, all those people she had trained to protect, how could she let them suffer? How had she thought it was okay to die without fighting for them? The fire was setting her mind ablaze with how she could get out of here easily, swiftly but, killing the Queen right away never factored in well. "Zora?" Salamano asked. She realized it had been a good few minutes since either had spoken. "I can't kill the queen, not yet." she said grimly, she had never liked killing particularly despite being the best warrior but it was just the way her life was sometimes, there was no way around it especially in war. "I don't need you to, I just need you to keep her occupied." Salamano said, a trickle of optimism in his voice. Zora stood up, straightening her back and lifting her chin high, her grimy, mud covered face set with determination though you couldn't see it in the dark. Salamano stood as well, waiting for her to respond. She took a deep breath and with a firm voice said "I'm listening."