I awoke to the screeching sound of metal on metal as me cell door was opened. Pain shot through me as I sat up. I raised my eyes and could barely make out the shape of the two creatures before me in the darkness.

"You are to attend the Pardoning." One of them said, before they wrapped their hands around my arms and pulled me up, placing my hands behind me.

There was a sudden burning in my wrist and, when I tried to bring my hands forward to see what it was, I found that I could not. I yanked against the invisible restraints, but to no avail.

"An extra precaution." The guard at my right said in a gravelly voice. "You can't get very far with your hands tied behind your back."

Feeling a great sense of indignity at this, I walked with the two guards upstairs and to the ballroom, where these sort of events were often held.

"Why am I invited to the Pardoning?" I asked, my heart speeding up with the thought.

The Pardoning, I'd learned, is an annual event held at Mariana's palace. Fey royalty from other lands gather here and each one must pardon one prisoner of Mariana's. I do not know what happens to the prisoner once freed, if they are let go, or go to work for the royal who pardoned them, or if they are only subjected to more torture, just in a new location. I was not chosen at the Pardoning last year, and I do not expect to be pardoned this year either. Mariana has hundreds of prisoners, outnumbering the amount of royalty invited to the ceremony, it is very unlikely that I would be chosen to be excused from incarceration.

"Mariana requested it. However, she does not believe that anyone would actually pardon you. She only wants to see if you'll break by the thought of being so close to freedom, but never being able to taste it again." He smiled viciously.

My stomach clenched but I only stared straight ahead.

We reached the throne room, and I found that there was only a handful of prisoners lined up before Mariana's throne. She was sitting there, her bone crown resting on her head as she gave me a superior smile.

"I've been waiting for you, Lyra. I didn't think you'd want to miss the Pardoning." She said in a mocking voice.

I knelt beside another prisoner, ignoring her taunts. So far, there were only about thirty prisoners in here, only two rows before her throne. Looking around, each prisoner had their hands tied by invisible shackles behind their backs, their heads bowed, and each one wore the same despondent expression. They'd all been broken down, beaten to nothing. I doubt any of them had even a shred of hope left to hold on to. I knew just how they felt.

It did not take long before the room had filled with both prisoners and royalty. Rows upon rows of prisoners were led into the room and made to kneel before Mariana. The royals stood next to Mariana's throne, all of them looking down at us, judging us.

Mariana's court stood to the side, watching with eager anticipation. They talked softly among themselves, waiting for Mariana to speak.

When the chatter had finally died down, Mariana stood on the dais, and every head turned to her.

"Good morning," she began, her voice ringing out over the room. "Welcome to the Pardoning. Each fey standing beside me will have a turn to pardon any prisoner that they wish. This prisoner will then be theirs, to do with as they wish. There are hundreds of prisoners, so most of you will end up walking back down to your cells after the Pardoning. But thank you for participating and maybe you will be chosen next year . . . if you live that long." With a haughty smile, she took a seat once more and motioned for the first faerie to step forward.

"Queen Amaryllis of Androvia." Mariana announced as the girl stepped forward.

She was tall and beautiful, with fair skin and pale blue eyes. She had golden-red hair that fell down to her waist in soft waves. She looked young, though she was most likely centuries old.

She paced back and forth before the prisoners, her eyes roving over each face, taking in every detail, looking for the right one.

Her eyes fell on someone farther back in the room that I could not see. She walked over to Mariana and whispered in her ear.

Mariana nodded and pointed to the person that Queen Amaryllis had requested. I heard shuffling and a girl was brought forward. She had mousy brown hair and was hunching forward, as though she could protect herself from something.

The queen smiled as the girl came forward and was shoved to the floor before Queen Amaryllis. "You'll do." She said.

Mariana motioned for them to step aside and the two walked to the back of the group so that the next royal could choose a prisoner.

"King Melchior of Rathney." The voice announced as a powerfully built male faerie, with dark skin and dark eyes to match, stepped forward and began surveying the prisoners.

After he'd found the one he wanted, he spoke to Mariana and she motioned for the guards to bring that prisoner to her. The prisoner was another girl, scrawnier than the first, with fiery red hair and pale skin covered with bruises.

The girl was forced to her knees before Mariana, before King Melchior led her back behind the others to stand next to Queen Amaryllis.

"Queen Kestra of Wickham." The voice spoke up.

The girl I assumed to be Queen Kestra strode to the front of the group and looked out over the prisoners. She was tall and thin, with dark hair and green eyes that sparkled mysteriously. Her mouth was turned up at the corner as her eyes leisurely ran over the prisoners before her. She stepped back and told Mariana, who motioned for the prisoner to come forward.

The prisoner was pulled from the front row. It was an attractive male that did not look too beaten down. He obviously hadn't been here that long.

And, from the hungry look in Queen Kestra's eyes, I knew exactly what use he would be to her.

Several other royals chose the prisoner they would pardon, and with each one, my chances of being choses grew slimmer and slimmer. That little sliver of hope that I'd had was now gone and I was just waiting for this to be over.

At one point, a prisoner in the back burst into tears, begging to be pardoned. He was executed immediately, killed on the spot and his body was dragged away.

"King Rylan of Lithanium."

I dragged my thoughts back to the present as King Rylan stepped forward. My eyes widened slightly.

He was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. He had black hair that was slightly tousled and he had dark blue-violet eyes that saw everything and gave away nothing. He was tall and lithely built. He would certainly not be someone I would ever cross.

I watched him as his eyes slid over the rows of prisoners. His eyes met mine and paused. My pulse quickened, and my gaze remained locked on his for only a moment, before I looked down at the floor and let his eyes pass over me.

I glanced back up as he turned and strode over to Mariana and said something softly to her. She raised an eyebrow and her eyes met mine. Me? My heart was pounding wildly now, both fear and anticipation beating beneath my skin.

She pointed at me. "Come here." She commanded and I was pulled up and dragged forward and thrown at her feet. I knelt before her, keeping my head bowed.

"Well, I never expected you'd be chosen. But, I suppose I have no choice but to accept. I'd grown tired of you anyway." She shrugged and motioned for me to stand.

I obeyed and looked up at her, watching the slow smile spread across her face. "So long," she said softly, her dark eyes haunted me as I followed King Rylan back behind the others. I found that the invisible restraints had been removed, leaving only a small ring of burns where they had been.

King Rylan did not even glance at me as we stood with the others. One of the fey queens—I could not recall her name—met my eyes and smiled, before turning back to watch the next king choose his prisoner. He chose a huge prisoner from the back, most likely to work as a slave. I could tell by his pointed ears that this prisoner was a faerie.

The ceremony dragged on, but I found that I was not paying attention. I was thinking about why I'd been chosen, out of the hundreds of others in here. Would he force me to be his sex slave, or would I be a servant to him, or would he place me in his dungeons and torture me until I die a slow, painful death? So many possibilities.

Freedom. The word was only a whisper in my mind, but it caused my pulse to quicken and my stomach to tighten. I was so close. Almost to freedom.

And then what? Maybe I would be allowed to go home. I could go see my family. I'd been to one Pardoning before this, which meant I'd been here over a year. I had not seen my family in over a year. Had they changed? What had happened in the time I'd been gone?

I pressed my lips together and waited for the ceremony to end.

⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡

After the Pardoning, the rest of the prisoners were led back down to the dungeons, where they would be until they died. King Rylan was speaking with a fey Queen to his left. She smiled at something he said and then replied.

He spoke with a few others before he began walking toward door that led out of the throne room, motioning for me to follow. I could feel Mariana's eyes on me until I was through the door and out of sight.

I walked beside the king, nearly jogging to keep up with his long strides. "We will be leaving almost immediately. I will have servants prepare you for the journey." He said shortly, I nodded but did not speak.

We walked down a long hallway and up a set of stairs, to a part of the castle that I had never been to. There was a large set of double doors along one wall. He opened the door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind me.

The room was lavish, with a large, plush bed and a desk, and expensive-looking rugs. He turned to me and looked me up and down, his eyes calculating and serious.

I felt suddenly self-conscious under his piercing gaze. I looked down, waiting for the examination to be over.

When I looked back up, he was still watching me, a small smile playing on his perfect lips. He cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "What is your name?" He asked me.

"Lyra, Your Majesty." I answered laconically.

"Call me Rylan." He said, smiling slightly.

I raised my eyes to meet his and he nodded, as if encouraging me.

"Alright . . . Rylan . . ." I said slowly, unsure.

He nodded and walked toward the door. "Someone will be in shortly to prepare you for the journey." And, with that, he disappeared through the door and I was left alone.

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This was the end of Chapter Two of On the Other Side! I really hope you like it so far! Let me know what you think, I am always open to feedback! That goes for if you see grammatical errors as well. Another thing: the title is temporary. I don't think it fits that well with my story, so if you have any ideas please tell me! You can message me privately, leave a comment, or post on my page!

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