Chapter 359: Captive

4 months ago…

After being locked in a cage like some kind of wild animal, finally the cart arrived at a house in the middle of the woods. The distinct smell of black mold permeated the place and the chill of the night could be felt from the slight breeze.

The knight who carried her was seen panicking during the whole trip, but now that he had arrived at his destination, he appeared to have calmed down. He dropped the cage from the cart in the middle of the room.

"I will go for a while, you stay here! Understand, girl?"

The girl was only able to understand a few words from the guy, but she heard of the words 'go' and 'stay' and figured out the rest from that.

This wooden shack was devoid of life. Though a few rotting chairs and tables could be seen all around her, there were no signs of life. To the heightened sense of smell of the fey, the stink of black mold became unbearable.

As soon as the guy left, she quickly used her transformation ability to turn into her fey form and crashed onto the steel cage several times in an attempt to break free, but to no avail.

She sat on the edge of the cell, trying to think of a way to set herself free. While she was thinking, the knight returned with a tray of food.

But, being mad with the treatment as she was now, she knocked away the food and screamed for the guy to release her.

The guy muttered some curses under his breath and left the place.

One day, two days passed…

The guy did not return and the girl started to feel weaker because of hunger. She was forced to reach out for the stale food on the floor that she knocked away yesterday and was barely able to swallow it down.

Another day passed and there was still no sign of that knight returning. Would she be left here to die and rot? Would no one ever return?

Alone with her thoughts, she remembered her family back in the forest. She regretted pretending to be so tough in front of her sister and volunteering for the task just for the chance to see the world outside the forest.

After a while, she started thinking about a guy, a reason she ended up in this place.

She followed him out of her obligation to tradition, but deep in her mind she had always promised herself, when she found a guy who could defeat her, she would stay loyal to that guy.

At first, she thought that being beaten down by an outsider was unfortunate on her part. But, after she knew the guy as one of their kind, just like her sisters, her heart started to beat differently whenever she was close to him.

Besides, she had to admit he looked so much better compared to Cavvi and the other village warriors, who seemed to perpetually smell like bears and other animals of the forest. 

When the guy agreed to take her outside, she knew in her heart that this was it. From now on, she would follow him wherever he ended up.

It was what the traditions dictated and it was her destiny. She would accept what was bestowed to her.

Each day she was close to him, seeing him fight or even do something simple like eating, everything he did made her smile though she was reluctant to show it to him.

Until that night, when they were both in trouble, she thought it was the end for them.

When she woke up held inside the cold steel cell, she was honestly more afraid than she wanted to believe. Trapped like a real animal angered her. But seeing him chase after her made her smile. It was more than a person like herself could ask.

She was happy to see him fight tooth and nail for her, until right before he managed to touch her cell, he was engulfed in light and disappeared in front of her eyes.

Was it magic? Whose magic was it?

Where did he go? What happened to him? Was he in more trouble than she was right now?

Another day passed and she could only look at the world from the gaps of the cage, while sometimes rattling it to try escaping. Thanks to hunger, she felt weak and delirious. Her concern for the guy was the only thing keeping her sane through this ordeal.

On the sixth day, she could only lay on the floor, unmoving. She had no energy left to stand, let alone do anything.

Her concern for the guy had turned into questions.

Where was he? Did he die? If he didn't, why hasn't he come for her?

The next few days were all blurry. She spent most of them in a confused, barely-alive haze in her hunger. While she was unaware, it seemed someone came for her and took her away.

The next thing she knew, she was awake in a different cage. Unlike the previous wooden shack, the place was clean, though only decorated with sparse amounts of furniture. A guy sat on a wooden chair just outside her cage, staring at her from beyond.

"Are you awake?"

The girl couldn't understand his language. As the guy approached her closer, she merely stared at his golden hair that looked like it was spun from the rays of the sun. She never saw such a thing before in her life and this mysterious guy also smelled sweet, like ripe peaches in summer heat.

"What's your name?" The guy asked casually.

"Name…?" The girl could not understand his words, but she caught one word she knew. 'Name'.

"Morgana." Unconsciously, she said. She had no chance to think and the thought that said guy might be hostile did not even cross her mind. 

The guy gave a small charming smile and replied.

"Hello, Morgana. My name is Arthur."