Dungeon

Ashley's Pov

The King's sword had been caught, stuck, and frozen in place. I have summoned a shield of light, a powerful force field that surrounded us. The very fabric of the shield fizzed at the force that the King was applying to his sword. The King's expression was filled with anger and confusion, his teeth clenched and his grip on his sword tightened. Although I could see that he was struggling to force his sword through the shield, he still pursued. Human force, however, would not penetrate through this shield of mine. As one minute passed by, I was starting to get annoyed by the King's perseverance to kill my beloved. This annoyance built up in my chest and I directed that anger toward the sword that the King was holding. The fire within me touched the metal, channeling that heat throughout the weapon. Once it reached the handle, the King screamed in agony and let the sword fall to the ground. The sound of the sword traveled throughout the dungeons. For a moment, I feared a guard would hear the racket but once silence fell over the environment, that fear left. The King stood there, flustered, not knowing what to do next. He just scowled, looking defeated. I wouldn't let the King harm my soulmate, even if it meant putting myself on the line for it. I lost him once and I will not lose him again. 

The King then uttered, with hatred in his voice, "You putrid, vile creature. How dare you stop me, I am the King!" I grumbled with disgust, This King demanded nothing else but power and I despised this. I hated people who took other people's voices. Though, I could do nothing about it because I was the one in chains, not him. I was just a fairy, someone that was not useful. Even so, I still felt like I should speak my mind. I was very upset with the King's actions and wanted to do everything in my power to protect my soulmate.

With this in mind, I conjured the courage to speak my mind, "You will not hurt him, he helped me so I will help him. Plus murder is immoral, you scum." I spit on the floor, showing my disgust. The hate that was inside me boiled, King Harold was one nasty person. All I wanted was to put him in his place, on his knees begging for scraps. To torture him in ways that damage his self-esteem, he deserved a life of eternal agony. One where his emotions would be stretched into a thin sheet until he can't take it anymore, or mental torment. 

Putting this aside, I saw the look that the King was giving me. Seeing anger in the King's eyes, he opened up my cell and shoved the Duke inside, locking us in the same cell, "Apparently, that magical being has feelings for you. So disgusting" He scowled in disdain as he turned his head away from the Duke. Seeing in his eyes that he truly felt uneasy about the situation. However, he kept his composure and leaned down to pick up his sword. Placing it back into his sheath, the King turned fully, taking a few steps down the staircase, then turned to leave his final note, "You join with her, you die with her." He then sauntered down the steps of this tall tower, leaving Mario and I alone. Not that I am saying it is a bad thing, I rather like the idea of spending time with him. Perhaps we could learn more about each other while we have the time. Yet my mind was filled with worry about the morning to come. Mario risked his life to save me but here we are sitting in the same confined space, waiting to die. I think it's quite profound really. History seems to repeat itself, Mario and I never got the chance to fully understand each other. I snickered to myself, why did I even get my hopes up? It's not like Mario came here because he loves me, he came here because of politics. Things are different now and I don't know if I will manage to steal Mario's heart. He was my soulmate and I wanted nothing more than to have him love me. Looking over at Mario, his expression seemed bleak and almost angry. 

He wanted to scream and yell but instead, in despair, Mario sighed in defeat as he sat down on the dusty floor and touched his head. It seemed like something was pressing on his mind and he showed extreme amounts of stress. Sadness fell over me as I watched him as he demonstrated extreme emotions. I felt like all of this was my fault, I was the one who presented myself in the battle to try and make a difference, and because of the choice that I made, Mario decided to defend me. I felt useless, I put Mario in danger. But if I did nothing, he would still be in peril. Guilt, however, built up inside me and I could no longer take Mario's frustration. Seeing Mario like that brought butterflies into my stomach, this made me feel like I was going to squirm. My desire to defuse the situation combined with this feeling, forced me to do something. 

Speaking up, I tried to apologize for my actions. Even when I did so my apology seemed ineffective, "Duke, I'm sorry that you have to deal with something like this." I should be doing something instead of saying sorry. I wanted to make up for this huge mess that I put Mario through. All this stress was pestering me like a disease and I couldn't hide it anymore. In our past lives, our first meeting was way more delightful than this. We got to spend quality time with each other and do things that we both loved to do. Now, in our current life, we are stuck being tormented by pesky humans. 

Mario tensed at my words, all his muscles clenching like I was about to do something harmful to him. Once he saw that I was filled with grief, he relaxed and sighed. What I didn't expect was for him to move from where he was sitting. Mario got up from his seated position and relocated next to me. When he did this, my heart skipped inside my chest. I began to feel flustered because he was close to me. With him this close, I could see all of his defined features. He looked more handsome up close. Thinking about Mario and how attractive he was, brought a burning sensation to my cheeks. I was blushing and I didn't know what to do. I had feelings for Mario and I wanted to express them, I wanted him to feel the same way about me. 

Turning my head to Mario, he was looking at me with a soft smile. Glimpsing into his eyes, I noticed that there was something there, a spark maybe. Mario was slowly starting to get feelings for me. Gradually, but it was a start. I smiled back at him and Mario pulled away from me, glancing in the other direction. He was also embarrassed, which made my heart flutter inside my chest. Perhaps there is hope for the two of us to connect.

Mario shook his head, trying to remove the embarrassed look on his face. Then he took my hand in his, I didn't expect him to do this and when he did, it gave me this electric feeling running up and down my spine, "Look, it's not your fault. The concept of magical beings as good hasn't always been a popular idea. We humans just look at magical beings as one type, the ones who will strike without warning or reason." Pausing he looked out the cell that we were being held in. This was a sign that told me he was contemplating. His eyes sparkled and he smiled as he revealed to me what he thought, "If I end up dying tomorrow, with you, just know that fighting with you and seeing you, willing to stand with us, has changed the way I see things, how I see you." Then, he smiled at me in a way that suggested he had sympathy for me. Looking away, he snickered to himself like there was something in his mind. I never expected humans to change so drastically in one day. My mother always said that humans hated fairies more than anything. As I sit here, in front of a human, I feel calm and not in danger. Mario gazed back at me and immediately I was in a trance. His eyes are so alluring, that I couldn't help but be caught in a fantasy. Imagine a world where both humans and fairies get along, so Mario and I can be together without others trying to tear us apart. My greatest wish was to have Mario and I spend time together in peace.

Suddenly, I had an idea, that I could use my magic to bust both of us out of there. My excitement couldn't be held back any longer, "You may not have to die. I could try busting us out of here by using my magic." Focusing my magic, I channeled my energy towards the chains to try and bust them open. However, the chains flickered and sent an electric charge toward me. This cell was intentionally made for magical beings so they would not escape, the chains were magically bound to counteract any escape methods. Sighing angrily, I stated, "Sorry, it seems like these chains are intended to prevent magical creatures from escaping. I can't do anything to help." Putting slack in my chains, some of the hope that I had for an escape attempt, left me. Mario and I were doomed and I was worthless in this situation. My magic has always helped me in troubles such as this. 

As I was about to call it quits, I saw that Mario had a metaphorical light bulb hanging over his head. Mario had an idea and it most likely would be better than my idea. I wanted to know what idea he had in his head but instead of explaining what he was going to do, he shuffled and grabbed the chains with his hands. I had no clue what he was going to do and I had millions of questions that were pestering me. Why can't he just tell me already?

Reaching into his left pocket he pulled out a dagger and began to pick the lock on the chain, "It might be magic proof but it is not Human proof." Using the pointy end of the blade, he somehow managed to get the chains off of me. Rubbing my wrists to try and relieve the pain, I contemplated why Mario was trying to help me. I know that he is different from everyone else but why would he give up his dukedom for me? Mario looked at me in a way that suggested he was waiting for me to do something. Maybe he was suspecting that I would attack him but I would never do that. I remained in my sitting position on the floor, looking at Mario as he sighed and began speaking again, "You can leave me behind, I will try to prevent them from following in pursuit." I didn't agree with his plan, I was not going to leave him behind. The King would most likely kill him for his efforts in helping me escape from death.

I stood up and moved towards him, taking his shoulder. I helped him off the ground, "I am not leaving you behind, you help me and I help you." Using my magic, I cascaded a blast toward a nearby wall and took Mario in my arms, "Are you ready?" He shook his head, signaling that he was ready. Hearing guards yell for more backup and that we were trying to escape, I looked toward Mario, trying to get a sense of what he wanted to do.