Lydia

No, no, no, no, no. Please no. Not again. It can't happen again. Lydia watched as Zavier crumpled to the ground, his sword clanging against the stone. Terror choked her. Please no. She stared at his lifeless body, waiting to see blood pool around him. Like it had for her family.

The world around her didn't exist, the fight of the guards with the attackers, the harsh shriek of metal against metal, the grunts of pain. Nothing but Zavier existed to her. Him and the fear that he was dead.

Please. Please don't leave me. Don't leave me too.

Strong arms wrapped around Lydia, dragging her away. She didn't fight the hold, still watching Zavier, silently begging him to move, to shift, to let her know he was alive. To let her know one more person she cared about wasn't leaving her.

When her captor twisted her around, Lydia struggled to look behind her. She had to know. She kicked out, contorting her body so she could find Zavier. But the man's vice-like grip was unbreakable and she couldn't see Zavier. Still, she squirmed in his grasp. A sharp slap struck her cheek and dizziness swept over her. She let go of her fight, slumping.

A rough hand yanked the hood of her cloak over her head. Shouts echoed around her, the words a blur in her ears. The man holding her, half guided, half carried her away. Lydia didn't protest. All she could see was Zavier's sprawled body which morphed into the guard's body that faded into Corwin's which shifted to Reen's. One by one the images of her dead family consumed her.

Gone. All gone. And now Zavier. She shook with the pain and fear of it all. One more person she lost. One person leaving her in this world, leaving her to live each day without them. She blinked, her surroundings blurry from her tears.

She tripped as the ground beneath her changed from solid stone to a vibrating plank. Her captor kept her from falling, his arm tightening about her. She winced at the harshness of it. Then suddenly his hold left and he shoved her forward. Lydia stumbled and crashed onto a wood floor. Jeering laughter clouded around her.

"I thought Princesses were supposed to be graceful," a mocking voice said.

As Lydia lifted her head, her heart jerked in her chest. Scarred, mean-eyed men circled her. The reality of where she was wiped away the fear of losing Zavier, replacing it with a fear of losing herself.

The ship lurched and Lydia whipped her head around, watching as the ship detached from Loria's harbor. The harbor and her safety. Her shaking renewed until she couldn't hold herself up.

"Take her below."

The same man hoisted her to her feet and hauled her towards a set of stairs leading below decks. Before she could plummet on them, the man secured his arm around her waist. At the smell of sweat on him, Lydia wished he'd let her fall. He forced her through the gangway to the captain's cabin. Opening the door, he pushed her inside. Lydia faltered and hit the floor. Still shaking, she twisted around.

He grinned. A vicious, gleeful sight.

"Don't worry, Your Highness," the man said, her title mocking on his lips. "The King ordered us not to harm you." He let his gaze travel slowly down her body and revulsion burned through Lydia. "Which is a pity."

She tried to scramble away from him but her trembling made it difficult. Still, the effort made the man smile with pleasure.

"Maybe a couple of days without food you'll be willing to make a trade."

Lydia fought against a surge of nausea. He laughed and Lydia shrank away from the malicious sound.

"Enjoy your stay here, Your Highness," the man said, giving her a bow.

He pulled the door shut and Lydia heard the heavy thunk of the lock engaging. Shuddering, she pulled her legs close wrapping her arms around them. She felt she might break apart, her terror so complete that it filled every inch of her. Alone. She was completely alone.

No, she wasn't alone. That was the worst of it. She was on a ship full of men who didn't care what they did to her. On her way to a King who wanted her for some reason. And she was powerless to do anything. How could she do anything against such circumstances?

From a place in her mind, Wilder spoke to her.

"Why didn't you fight back? You can't freeze, I need you! I can't lose you!"

Like when the two riders had come for Lydia at the palace ruins, she'd frozen then. They would have taken her if not for Windchaser alerting Wilder and Wilder coming to her rescue. But he wasn't here. Not now, but his words were.

Fight back. Don't freeze. Don't freeze. Don't freeze.

Lydia released her hold on her legs and shakily pushed herself up. She staggered but caught herself on a table. She surveyed the room around her. A bed with a single blanket, a table with two chairs, a cupboard, a stretch of window. Through the window, she could see Loria.

She couldn't fight these men, but maybe she could get away. Forcing her limbs to stop trembling, she took one of the chairs and wedged it under the door handle. Even if they unlocked the door, it would take them a second to get in.

Next, what to do next? Escape. The window. Break the glass. Swim away. The simple plan helped focus her thoughts. She looked to the skyline of Loria moving further and further away.

With how weak she felt, she wouldn't be able to make it on her own. She needed something to hold onto. After discarding the idea of the second chair, she walked to the cupboard. It wasn't the newest and when she inspected the hinges on the door, she found them weak.

Gripping the top of the door, she yanked with all her might. It didn't budge. She pulled again, using her body against it. Over and over, she released and pulled. The edge of the wood dug into her skin but she didn't care. She gritted her teeth, begging the door to give way.

Finally, the top hinge shifted. Lydia paused, panting, her arms aching. With one last wrench, the top hinge snapped off. Breathing hard, she pressed the door down, leveraging it so the bottom hinge broke easily.

The effort of getting the door tired Lydia and all she wanted to do was sink to the floor and lay down. But with a glance out the window, she knew her time was running out. If she got too far away from Loria, she might never make it.

Struggling over to the bed, she took the blanket and moved to the window. She pressed the blanket over the glass then hit the glass as hard as she could. The blanket muffled the impact.

Nothing happened.

Lydia hit it again. She heard a tiny crack. Encouraged, she slammed her fist into the glass again. A fraction of it rippled with fractures them shattered. The hole wasn't big enough, but using the blanket to protect her hand, she widened it.

She looked at the long cupboard door. If she dropped it through it was big enough someone was likely to hear it. She would have to lower it down. With weary arms, she tore the blanket into strips then knotted them together. She secured one end of the blanket rope to the board and gently lowered it to the water. When it hit, she left her end of the blanket snagged on a piece of broken glass.

All she could see of Loria was a faint outline and a glow of lights. Lydia didn't hesitate, she tore off her cloak and dress, leaving her in her underclothes. She untangled the blanket with the glass and let it fall to the sea.

Using the second chair, she climbed on it. The hole was big but the edges were razor sharp. Lydia stared down at the black ocean and paused for a heartbeat.

Then steeling herself, she jumped through the hole. As she fell, she tightened her whole body and pointed her toes. She dropped into the water with barely a sound, like a needle dropping into a glass of water.

The blackness surrounded her and cold shocked her. The intensity of it nearly froze Lydia as the disorienting darkness threw her into confusion. She panicked, twisting around, trying to find the right way but she could find nothing.

"Trust, Lydia. If you are ever pulled under trust your body to find the way up."

Her father's voice in her head startled Lydia into immobility. In the moment of hesitation, her body tugged towards the surface. She righted herself and kicked upwards.

Lydia jerked her head up, gasping. She coughed as she sucked in saltwater. The cold air filled her lungs and she drank it hungrily. She rotated and saw the ship. Loud voices and cheering floated from it. The men's celebration was her salvation, they hadn't heard her.

Searching about her, Lydia found the blanket bobbing in the water. She swam over to it, using it to rein in the cupboard door. She took hold of the door, angled her body to Loria, and began to kick.

Loria glowed in the overcast night like a beacon calling out to Lydia. She pushed the door onward, fighting the tide that drew her away. The cold started to sink into her skin, digging deeper until it set into her bones. An aching numbness crawled up her legs. Only the sight of the shore getting closer told Lydia that she was still kicking.

A wave crashed into Lydia, ripping her away from the door, her fingers too cold to keep purchase. She went under, water invading her lungs.

She struggled to the surface, hacking up seawater. Blearily, she searched for the door. It had drifted a few feet away and Lydia stared at it, moving up and down in the water, fearing that she might lose the fight to reclaim the door.

"Fight back."

Wilder's voice stirred her from her lethargy and Lydia lifting one arm then the other cutting her way towards the door.

When she reached it, she draped her arms over the edge and laid her head against it. Water lapped at her face but she didn't care, all she wanted to do was fall asleep. Sleep. Sleep would make it all better. She could drift off and slip beneath the waves. She wouldn't have to worry about making it back. She wouldn't have to worry about being Queen. She could simply fall asleep.

"You can't freeze, I need you! I can't lose you!"

Again Wilder's voice prodded at her. She didn't want to listen, she wanted to let go.

"I can't lose you!"

At the urgency in his tone, Lydia pried her eyes open and lifted her head. There lay Loria, waiting for her. A soft bed, warm sheets, a hot cup of something, waiting for her.

Slowly, Lydia started kicking again. With each inch forward, she fell into a mindless state of action. She kicked but no longer knew she kicked. She no longer felt her body. She no longer thought of time passing. She no longer registered the shoreline steadily growing closer.

Only when Lydia bumped into a solid wall, did she register any change. For a long time, she floated there, staring listlessly at the wall. A wall. It was a strange thing to have in the middle of the ocean.

A strong wave lifted Lydia and propelled her into the wall. Her knuckles scarped the stone and the pain of it shocked Lydia into realization. She'd made it. She'd found her way back.

The relief of it sent tears streaming down her face. Awkwardly, she guided the door along the wall, searching for some way to climb up. When she found a ladder, she choked out a grateful sob and let the door go. She curled her hands around the lowest rung, only knowing she was holding on because she could see it, even if she couldn't feel it.

One rung at a time, she climbed the ladder. When she reached the top, she barely had the strength to heave herself onto the dock. She lay on the slick stone for a minute, recovering her breath. Shaking from exhaustion and cold, she pushed herself up to her hands and knees. From there, she found a crate and used it to right herself.

She clung to the crate, her legs failing to work. She heard the pounding of footsteps but didn't focus on it, her strength slowly leaving her.

"Dear child," a deep voice said.

Lydia managed to stand and face the voice. Her whole world shattered.

"Papa?" she whispered.

More shouts and hurried footsteps. As Lydia stared up at her father, she could no longer stand. She felt her legs buckle but before she hit the unfeeling cobblestones, a pair of arms caught her.

"I got you, Princess," a deep, familiar voice said. A cloak wrapped around her as comforting arms scooped her up. "I'm here."

Lydia fought through her exhaustion to peer up at Zavier's worried face.

"You didn't leave me," she choked out.

"I won't leave you. I'm here."

The statement wrapped around Lydia and she finally let go, giving into exhaustion.

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*grabs your shoulders and screams I your face* GREAT SEAS!!! THAT JUST HAPPENED!!!

*you shove me and I let go*

Sorry, it's just...Our princess was her own white knight!! 😭😭 She rescued herself from her tower! Come on! You have to be as excited as I am about this!! 👑⚔️🛡

Oh holy tidal waves what a chapter *flops to the docks like a fish* she made it, by the stars she made it. Phew!

Honestly, I never knew this was going to be Lydia's moment. When I first planned it out ➖ was going to save her, then Wilder, then Zavier.

But then Lydia stormed, slapped her hand down and said heck no tech no! I'm saving myself!

(Okay I might be taking liberties with what she said exactly, but you get the meaning)

As I told you Lydia was supposed to have you fight back way back on the ship but I have to admit, this is more satisfying. I'm proud of our girl! She did it, she really did.

Thoughts on her father appearing out of nowhere??

A question for you dear deario reader: who are some of your favorite strong female characters?

For me, Lydia is moving up my list. I love a character who isn't initially strong but shows courage in the face of fear.

Vote, comment, follow cause honestly this was just a baby cliff hanger 😁

If anyone of you want to give me a quote about the book to put with the synopsis then just drop it here! 🗯🗯🗯