Take the punishment. He might go easy on you.

It had barbed ends, carefully made to be an instrument that cut through the flesh. I looked up at him pleadingly. "No, no, please no..."

He swallowed

He swallowed. "Akira, get on your knees."

I was crying. I looked into his ocean blue eyes, trying to find any mercy or hope. But there was none. His eyes were dark and cold.

"On your knees, Akira."

My lip trembling, he let me go, and I got down on my knees. I tightened up, waiting for impact.

He held my head down by my horn, raising his other hand, brandishing the whip.

And he whipped me. I screamed.

Purple blood seeped from the wound, only to be smeared around by the second hit.

He gave me ten lashes before finally lowering his whip.

"What are you doing?" the King asked. "It needs at least forty."

"She's wearing her best outfit," the Prince said flatly. He scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder, and walked right out of the throne room.

Slam! went the grand doors.

I was still crying, squeezing fistfuls of his clothing to block out the pain.

"Sorry," he said quietly, and did his best to step lightly so his walk wouldn't shake me.

I didn't reply.

.

~ ~ ~

.

The Prince dabbed a cloth on the wounds on my back before applying a cream to each cut in my skin.

He wrapped me in bandages and gave me a bottle of ****. "Drink this. It's the only way to numb it that I've got."

He didn't eat dinner that night. He gave it to me and walked out of his chambers, leaving me in my cage alone.

He never locked my cage.

An hour later, he came back with a box, which he set by the door. He changed into his pajamas and went straight to bed, leaving the drapes open and my cage ajar.

As the moon rose, I opened the door and crept to the box. Peeking inside, I saw a shiny, newly sharpened dagger.

I held it up to the moonlight. It was freshly made, freshly bought from the swordsmith. Never been used.