by Donn, KL
Imprisoned
KL Donn
Copyright © 2020 by KL Donn
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
Synopsis
Introduction
Prologue
1. Arianna
2. Arianna
3. Ares
4. Asher
5. Arianna
6. Ares
7. Asher
8. Ares
9. Arianna
10. Ares
11. Arianna
12. Arianna
13. Asher
14. Callista
15. Asher
16. Asher
17. Ares
18. Arianna
19. Asher
Epilogue One
Epilogue Two
Also in the Sinister Fairy Tales Collection
About the Author
Also by
Synopsis
Once upon a time…
Isn't that how love stories begin?
Not this time. This is not a love story.
This is the untold story of Sleeping Beauty and how Princess Arianna of Graeline was conceived out of darkness and lies.
Born into a kingdom on the brink of disaster, she remains hidden away from the world as protection against a vengeful curse.
A love curse.
Malevolence has invaded the land of mystery, and the dark mage has decided it’s time to collect on her favor. The price…
The princess.
Until the king calls for a savior. Or two?
Asher “Apollo” McCall and Matthew “Ares” Norbury have worked countless missions together. Named after the Greek gods they resembled, they were considered the biggest and baddest until tragedy struck. Their team was slaughtered, and they were left for dead.
Neither man ever foresaw a life of peace, but gazing into the eyes of the young, defiant princess for the first time, they catch a glimpse of what could become their world.
How far will they go to make the enigmatic royal theirs?
Kidnapping.
Torture.
Imprisonment.
Can these two "princes" beat the odds, save the princess, and live happily ever after?
Or is Arianna destined to die, imprisoned by a curse out of control?
For my readers.
You’re taking a chance on this one,
And it’s because of you I kept on trucking.
Introduction
Welcome to Graeline
Once upon a time… Isn't that how love stories begin?
Not this time. This is not a love story. This is a tale of how monsters spring to life, innocents become broken, and the princess is saddled with an unsettling curse.
Back in the days of old, of wars past and wars future, there sets a tiny jewel in the Irish Sea bestowed with the designation of Graeline. A small royal territory split of Ireland and Scotland. Both countries fought for dominance, no victors prevailed.
The Graeline’s were one of the last royal lines of pure blood until a princess was born. With this miraculous event, hope should have been restored, but a sinister faction brought forth the dark mage to curse the newborn, with a hex so potent, it seemingly could not be broken.
“On her eighteenth birthday, with love's first kiss, the princess, Arianna of Graeline, will fall victim to a predator unlike any ever imagined. With this singular action, the princess will be taken from this world forever.”
And so, she became but a girl locked away in a tower, protected from the world until her knight—or knights—restored peace, love, and light. But only after they do battle with the dark mage herself. If they shall claim victory, the lands will be free of torment and agony for all eternity.
Curses, abductions, and magic abound throughout this untold story of Princess Arianna of Graeline.
Prologue
Arianna
Ten Years Old.
“Papa!” I giggle as Father tickles my belly after chasing me through the gardens. It’s my tenth birthday, and we’ve spent all day celebrating with the village of Cherish—the town our castle is nestled in. There are rows upon rows of rose bushes as far as the eye can see. They make for wonderful hiding spots when I get to play outside. Lately, that’s been less and less, though. Something is happening to our home.
The adults are worried, Callista—a real, live mage, a mystical being filled with power and light—has been having more and more trouble helping the people of Graeline. I love our home, and I would hate to see any harm come to it.
“How does it feel to be ten, princess?” Papa inquires as we lay in the grass, my birthday dress a complete mess. It's caked in leaves, flower petals, and dirt. Lots and lots of dirt. Mother will be so upset.
“Like I am still nine,” I tease. Truthfully, I don’t understand the fuss over me turning ten, but it was a big deal for everyone today, so I went along with it. I got to play with the children in the village, taste some of the people’s family recipes, and enjoy so much laughter.
A menacing cloud quickly rolls across the sky with thunder crashing through the silence, making me jump as a commotion stirs from the castle.
“Princess!” Callista runs towards us. Panic etches her face, and stress lines her eyes as I stand. “King Stefan, something is coming. It’s happening now. They’re making their way.”
I step back into Papa as he stands. A chill runs down my spine at the way Callista's eyes roll back in her head, turning white. Usually, I’m fascinated when she sees things, when she casts small spells, but this time, something is off. This time is different.
As she comes to us, my father urges, “Take Arianna to her room. Stay with her.” I watch as he runs to the house just as the skies open, and rain pours down on the land like a tidal wave. Thunder and lightning blast the grounds with a force that nearly knocks us off our feet.
“What’s happening?” I cry as Callista grabs my hand, and we rush to my tower.
“Quickly, princess, we don’t have time to waste.” Terror courses through my body, and I follow along as we trudge up the stairs and are met with a sight that leaves me horrified.
Outside the window, below the castle walls, the village men are lighting fires to homes, pulling residents from their dwellings, and slaughtering them at will.
“Callista! Make it stop!” I know she can. She has more power than any other mage in the world. Callista can do anything.
Climbing onto the windowsill, I watch as she closes her eyes, moves her hands in precise circles, and chants quietly. Sitting silently by her side, I place a hand on her knee for support, and the power that moves through her body as she concentrates on saving our people is potent. I can feel it rushing through my veins.
Another blast of lightning hits a tree, the light so bright that my eyes pop open in wonder as I watch her magic spread. Powerful positive sorcery rolls through the atmosphere and extinguishes fires, repels the evil, and soon, the clouds clear, revealing blue sky once again.
“This isn’t the end,” she murmurs as she slumps against the wall while we watch the chaotic storm return to a peaceful day.
I don’t need to be a grown-up or a mage to intuit that she’s right. Evil is in the air. Something life-changing is afoot.
Arianna
Present Day.
“Welcome to the world, Princess Arianna of Graeline. My gift to you, pretty girl, is the gift of everlasting love. A love so strong, you’ll be chained to its darkest promises. The day you meet your soulmate, you’ll begin t
he fight to find the goodness within the world you’ll soon believe in.”
“Princess Arianna of Graeline, my gift to you, on your eighteenth birthday, is for you to discover both heaven and hell. Good luck.”
Gasping awake, I stare around the room, searching for the source of the nefarious laughter. Every night for weeks, I’ve been having the same dream—a night terror, really—of a curse cast upon me. The trouble is, I don’t know who the source is or why.
The words, the evil intent, haunts my every waking hour now. It’s all I think of, and when I try to speak to Mother or Papa about it, they brush me off. They tell me it’s only a harmless nightmare. Trouble is, tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday, and I’m no longer able to ignore the niggling feeling that this is the day I will get sucked into hell.
Sitting up, I toss my covers back and stand. Grabbing the robe off the bedpost that I hung it on the night before, I wrap it around my body as the morning chill from my open window invades my body. Every year on my birthday, ever since my tenth, the village of Cherish holds memorials for the lives lost on that day those long eight years ago.
We still have no ideas as to how or why the attack happened. Nor who was behind it. We just know that we lost dozens of lives, and our people still reel with the loss.
I’ve been locked down on the castle grounds ever since, and I believe now is the time for me to leave. To seek the answers we have yet to discover on our own.
“You had one again, didn’t you?” Callista asks from behind me. She’s the only one who openly discusses my dreams with me.
“They’re getting stronger. The images, the words. I can feel the devilry filter through my mind.” I turn to assess my confidante. I have no idea how old she is, but she appears my age, with long blonde hair and bright violet eyes. Her beauty is unmeasured.
“You must be careful these next few days," she warns. "With the mourning that will take place today, we do not know who could be here.”
Callista is my only true friend in the world; I trust her with my life, but I can’t do as she requests.
“I have to get out there. I have to find out what happened,” I tell her.
“You know exactly what happened, Ari. We watched it together. We stopped it together.” She swears she was only able to end the ensuing chaos because I lent her my strength. I’m far more skeptical.
“No. Something caused that mayhem and destruction. Something we haven’t been able to look into before, but we can now, Calli. We can search until whoever it is gets brought to justice. Our people deserve that.” Guilt has eaten at me for years because, perhaps, if we weren’t celebrating my birth, then we would have foreseen whoever it was coming after us.
Striding towards me, Calli puts her hands on my shoulders and shakes me. “You have to get that notion out of your head right now. It was never your fault. You are not to blame!”
Taking a deep breath, I try to find the same peace in her convictions, but I don’t buy into it. Whatever took place that day was aimed at me; I know it was.
“Knock, knock!” I hear Mother's chipper voice and place a finger over my lips, signaling to Callista. I don’t like discussing this in front of her.
“Good morning, Mother.” I smile as she enters with a beautiful package in her hands.
“Good morning, birthday girl!” Her grin is infectious. “Your father and I have a small gift for you.”
Taking the white box with a bright pink ribbon wrapped around it out of her hands, I place it on the bed and lift the top. An envelope with my name neatly scrolled across the front rests amongst the tissue paper, and I instantly open it and unfold the note inside, reading out loud.
For our dear princess on her day of birth. May all your dreams come true.
I smile as I begin pulling back the wrapping and am stunned at the simple, yet elegant, chiffon dress as I lift it out. It’s a stunning mix of gold, pink, and light purple gradient throughout and flows to the floor.
“Oh, Mother. It’s gorgeous.” Placing the dress on the bed, I stride towards her for a warming hug. “Thank you. I’ll wear it tonight.”
“You’re so welcome, darling. I’ll see you downstairs.” Leaving with a kiss on my cheek, I turn to see Callista; her eyes have gone white. “Calli, what are you seeing?” I whisper. She doesn’t have visions often, and normally only as things are about to become weird.
“Get dressed, Arianna. Stefan is going to call for you soon,” is all she says as she exits the room as well.
I wish the people surrounding me would be a bit more honest about the way life revolves around me. I never know about anything until the occasion arises. I barely get to make a decision without someone else contradicting me.
Another knock on the door has me dropping the dress back into the box and calling out, “I’ll be right down, Papa!”
“How’d you know it was me?” he replies with a laugh, understanding exactly how I know.
Walking to my dresser, I grab a pair of jean shorts, the fuzzy socks I enjoy wearing around the castle, and a loose off-the-shoulder sweater. After getting dressed, I style my hair in a loose braid off to the side of my head and brush my teeth.
Before I’m even down the stairwell of my tower, I hear masculine voices conversing in the den and halt to listen before entering.
“Mr. McCall, we have a problem here. Teenage girls have been going missing for years, but we always just suspected they were runaways. However, over the last three months, there have been more than one hundred individuals in all of Graeline that have vanished without a trace.” My father sounds terrified. I knew there was trouble, but I had no idea it was so serious.
“Shit. That’s a lot. Do you have proof that they’re being taken?” the strange voice questions.
“Not technically. But years ago, there was a curse placed on our land.” He sounds so sad.
“A curse?” The man sounds skeptical. I see Callista in the kitchen and wave her over when she notices me. Peeking around the corner, I realize Papa is on speakerphone with this man.
“What?” Calli whispers.
“Tell me something about the person on the phone with Papa,” I beg of her. If he thinks this man can help us, then I’ll do anything I have to, to get him here.
“His nickname is Apollo.” She smiles triumphantly after a moment.
Entering the room, I interrupt the conversation. “Apollo, my name is Arianna, and if my father says we need help, then we need it. You can’t ignore our pleas.” My father’s eyes widen as I speak.
“How the fuck do you know that name?” he spits out. I grin.
“Language, Apollo. After all, I am the princess of Graeline.” Papa shakes his head at me, the side of his mouth quirking upward.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are. How the hell do you know that name?” he growls, and a shiver races down my spine.
Sitting in front of my father’s desk, I turn the phone to face me and lean closer as I speak. “My best friend is a mage,” I inform him, noticing the way his breathing intensifies. I close my eyes and imagine veins throbbing in his neck.
“A mage?” he scoffs.
“Like a witch, only better. She can see the future; she can cast spells. She speaks to the creatures of our land, and for the last eight years, we have been under duress. Please, Apollo, help us.”
Silence greets my request for a full minute before he speaks.
“I’ll be there in the morning.” The phone line goes dead, and I’m left slightly breathless.
What was that?
Asher
Graeline.
I know the name. The rumors. The mystery surrounding the small island country between Ireland and Scotland, but what I don’t remember is anything about a princess. When King Stefan had called, I was shocked to learn of his suspicions but unsurprised that such a small country has been targeted.
Human trafficking is likely the problem, and because of their lack of resources, they haven't been prepared, nor will they be able to fight b
ack. The best course of action is infiltration into whatever organization has decided to target the sovereign nation.
Booting up my computer, I should research who the top dog is in regard to trafficking in the UK and Eastern Europe. I need to get in contact with Interpol to see if they have any active investigations that they would suspect for the attacks on Graeline.
Instead, I search out Princess Arianna of Graeline. She sounded young, her voice soft yet whimsical. But she also seemed sad. The suffering of her people is affecting her on a grand scale. When my search doesn’t produce the results I want, I seek out photos of her parents. Stefan and Leah are in the news often, speaking of peace and the climate situation. They know they’re a small spec on the radar within the world council, but that doesn’t stop them from pursuing change.
And there she is…
Zooming in on the photo of the elusive princess with her parents and a woman standing slightly behind them, I sit back and memorize every inch of her features.
Long blonde hair that falls in soft waves down her back and shoulders.
Bright green eyes. A color I’ve only ever seen in paintings.
Her plump light pinks lips are curled up in a half-smile, like she found something amusing. The way she holds her body slightly turned away from the media’s flashing cameras speaks of shyness.
It’s her eyes that keep drawing me back, though. They’re full of wonder and curiosity. She has a driving need to explore the world, and I feel like I’m just the man to show it to her.
