The Crown's Entrapment

Shila didn't know what to expect as she made her way down the dungeons of Cordon Castle. While she had heard from her son that Pinra was going to be moved to a more comfortable location eventually, the finalization of the plans for it hadn't gone to effect just yet. This, in turn, left Pinra to remain detained in her usual cold and dark cell down in the deepest depths of the castle, far away from any sun or warmth that could possibly help and get her back to sanity.

Or at least, that was what she was told.

"In here, Lady Shila."

Looking up at the guard, the old woman simply gave him a grateful smile before making her way up to the door separating Pinra from the rest of the outside world. With each step, the very essence of the outside world seemingly evaporated, replaced with the dark and depressing aura of the dungeons as ghosts from the proverbial past seemingly haunted the empty cells around her.

'Calm down...' she inwardly chanted. 'You're safe here... You're surrounded by guards...'

Keeping up appearances, Shila took a deep breath before finally stepping right in front of the door to Pinra's cell. A few bars separated her from her late husband's daughter, and she almost found herself wanting to ask the guards to open the door for her just to have a better look at what she was sure was her suffering Pinra.

Clearing her throat, Shila took another deep breath before she addressed the cell's occupant. "Pinra? Are you there?"

Her voice echoed against the walls, and the silence that followed could only be described as suffocating as she waited for a response. Seconds passed. Then almost a full minute. The faint rattling of chains within the room told her that Pinra was awake, but they could also be coming from some of the empty cells from the nonexistent wind making them move...

No, there weren't any ghosts in there with them. Surely it was simply her old mind playing tricks on her.

Taking another deep breath, Shila asked once more, "...Pinra? Are you there?"

Another bout of silence passed, and she was just about to give up when a hoarse voice finally replied to her.

"W-Who's asking?"

Her eyes lit up. The voice was unmistakably Pinra's, but the confusion in her tone almost threw her for a loop before she remembered that her niece might not even remember her anymore.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to try and see if she could remember her.

"It's me, Pinra, your Aunt Shila," she introduced herself, hoping that the young girl would at least recognize her name.

From behind the door, Pinra audibly shifted, and Shila couldn't help but look through the bars, finally getting a glimpse of the young woman that once wanted her dead.

"You... Your name sounds familiar..." Pinra weakly mumbled, her crazed eyes partly focusing on Shila's face as she squinted. "You said you're my aunt... Are you... Ugh... it hurts..."

Pinra's voice trailed off, and Shila almost wanted to beg the guards to give her a chance to tend to the poor girl. Now that she finally saw her current state, she knew that Gilas's words didn't do his cousin justice. The girl was thin and disheveled, with gashes on her arms and legs practically draining her of blood as she sat dejectedly on the floor like some sort of animal. There were no beds or even a clean floor. It was utterly inhumane, and she wouldn't stand for it any longer.

"It's fine, my dear," she cooed through the bars. "You don't have to stress yourself over me. Just know that you have a family outside of this cell, and we're already trying to help you get better."

"Family... Get better..." the poor girl mumbled through her teeth, her tone audibly betraying the pain she was feeling. "B-But... You're related to Gilas, right? Are you his mother? Can I see him?"

Shila bit her lower lip as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, my son is currently far too busy to visit you at the moment. But rest assured that he's doing his best to look after you."

Pinra visibly stiffened, her eyes growing desperate before she forcibly gritted her teeth and dejectedly lowered her head. Seeing this, Shila felt the pity in her chest grow hotter and stronger, her niece's suffering striking a chord in her like she wouldn't believe.

"A-Alright..." Pinra weakly replied, almost sobbing. "I-I can wait..."

The older woman felt a tear run down her cheek as she quickly reassured, "Just hold on, alright? We'll get you the help you need."

Her niece didn't reply, and Shila took that as her cue to turn around and leave. Clearly, the girl would no longer respond to anything she said, which meant she could now complain to those that were responsible for Pinra's care.

She shook her head in disappointment as she left the dungeons, a guard quickly catching her displeased look as he asked, "Is there something wrong, Lady Shila?"

The moment the older woman heard the guard ask her, she almost fumed as she replied, "Yes, there is. Why does she look like nothing more than a rabid dog left to die? She's just as much of a person as we are."

"...That's standard procedure for those locked within the dungeons, Lady Shila," the guard recited, his gaze averting hers as he continued. "While her transfer is already a done deal, its finer details are still too vague to warrant giving her better accommodations."

"What's keeping them so long then?" she neutrally asked.

"It's... It's not really slated as a top priority, I heard," the guard replied. "The petition still has to reach the court and the King's approval."

"I see..." Shila held her tongue as she nodded. "I'll be taking my leave then."

"Thank you for understanding."

Leaving the dungeons behind her, Shila had it in her mind to give her son a stern talking to. Seeing Pinra like that reminded her of some of the worst days in her life, and she refused to let others go through the same pain she did.

Perhaps she can fast-track Pinra's recovery and give her the family she desperately needed. Maybe even offer the Keen Manor as a place for her house arrest.

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