The steady drip of water was all that accompanied her. There was no light, no feeling, no sound, except for the endless plink of water on the concrete. And the cold... There was nothing else but the cold. It surrounded her, encased her in its frigid embrace. Nothing but the cold... And the water... The cold... Water.... An eternity passed. Maybe more.

She, or was she a he...? Who was she? Assuming she was a she, of course. Faint forms floated across the blank slate that was her mind; Flashes of people that she once knew. Was that blonde, blue eyed girl her sister or her mother? When had she seen a pyramid before? Who was that strange wrinkled walnut with a beard and a turban? Was it her father? Did perfectly sculpted Greek statues kiss her regularly? Is that why she was crazy...? What was her name?

She didn't know anymore. The person she'd once been was gone.

A harsh grating sound interrupted the steady drum of water, and light flooded into the tiny concrete room. The figure huddled in the corner hissed, bowing her head and throwing her arms up against the light. Her body started to shake, her mind filled with thoughts of electric chairs and ice cold water rushing into her throat. A sharp intake of breath could be heard in the still and silent room before it was consumed by the pulse of glacial fury.

Someone started to yell, a male maybe. The voice thrummed with power, and authority, but it was strained and cracking at the same time. The tap of shoes was heard before warm hands fell against her flesh, and she flinched away, whimpering.

"Lilly... It's me," The voice, familiar but tinged with anger and grief enveloped her. She pushed the hands away, slashing with her nails. The light still blinded her eyes, and she attacked instinctively.

"I will get you out of here. Trust me... You have to trust me." She lowered her hands, recognising the voice. Could it be?

"NEVER! That woman is a blight on humanity! She's demented, unhinged, psychotic, and a danger to the public!" This voice, she recognized and hated. Terror shot through her, and she cried, trembling with fear. Arms drew around her, encircling her against a firm chest. His voice rumbled through her, a thunderhead threatening to break and unleash his own storm. Water dripped onto her face, salty and sweet on her face. The woman in his arms had once been a hurricane of her own, an accumulation of all the good and beautiful things in the world. Her storm had broken, and his broke with hers.

*6 Months Earlier*

Lilly marched through the streets of London, leading her small band of followers. Patsy was beside her, as were Flora and Eve. A smile was ever present on her face as she saw the people lining the streets, some were screaming at them to get off the street, and still others were thoughtfully reading the signs. There was less of the latter, but any kind of publicity was good publicity. If the people of London, and possibly the world, saw women rising up in insurrection against the beliefs put against them by society, maybe they would act too.

"INDEPENDENCE IS HAPPINESS!"

"WE MUST ACT NOW!"

"RIGHTS FOR WOMEN!"

"EQUALITY FOR ALL!"

Lilly chanted with them, relishing the appalled expressions on the passerby's faces. This rally was two years in the making. After campaigning in the park for Women's Rights and Equality for three years, they'd finally gained enough support to march into the street and completely disrupt the normal Saturday afternoon. It was hard to organize the march. Some people -because there were both men and females within their ranks- were concerned that others would recognize them and ridicule them. So now they were all wearing the faces of innocent children, to symbolize what the union of men and women bore together to benefit society. Eve was quite proud of that one, for she'd thought of it.

The blissful march couldn't last long however, five miles before they reached Buckingham Palace, soldiers were swarming the streets and rounding the protesters up. Lilly refused to stop fighting, even when a burly man pulled her sign out of her tight grasp and ordered her to get down on her knees.

"You can't do this! We, as members of this society are making a stand against the unjustifiable treatment of women! We are the reasons you stand here today! Ever heard of a pregnant man? THAT'S RIGHT, there are NONE! You need us, and we demand to be treated fairly!" Lilly declared loudly for all to hear. Her friends screamed their approval, but already the protest was losing ground. Almost 50% of the protesters were prone on the ground, hands behind their heads. Only 25 of them were left, which wasn't very much at all.

"GET DOWN!" The man roared, shoving her down into the pavement. Lilly's arm cracked sickeningly against the cobblestones, and a burst of pain shot up the bone. Rage quickly followed, and Lilly scrambled up, tackling the man. All hell broke loose as he toppled, his gun falling from his fingers and misfiring into the crowd. Screams broke out as Lilly wrestled the man, and although he towered above her both in height and muscle, he wasn't expecting the assault from such a small woman. Lilly got two punches in, cracking his nose and spraying blood everywhere. Soldiers tackled men and women alike, and Lilly was proud to see Patsy fighting tooth, nail, and parasol. Distracted, a blow landed upon her brow, sending Lilly sprawling to the ground. Darkness closed in and the silence began its reign.

***

Lilly glared stonily up at the judges in their silly white wigs. The jury stared at her as well, anger and revulsion etched into every feature. The lawyer finished reciting Lilly's offences, and had sat back down. Included among them were involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and being a heretic. It was now her turn to say something in her own defence. Aunt and Uncle Brank hadn't bothered to hire a lawyer to defend her, and Lilly wouldn't have been surprised if they had already disowned her. She stood, facing the judges and the jury.

"I regret nothing except for the accidental killing of Marcus Green. I didn't mean for the gun to go off and hit the old gentleman, and I'm sorry. But I'm not sorry for speaking out against the tyranny of men against women. It is time to fight, and fight I will." She sat back down amidst silence.

The trial ended, and Lilly was acquitted of all charges. However, she was diagnosed with Insanity and sent to live at a Lunacy House until she was 'cured.' Lilly was enraged. What happened to spending nights in jail and getting publicity for the cause?! Instead she was labelled as insane and unbalanced, which wouldn't do well at all. She was NOT crazy!

Patsy was diagnosed with the same as well, and sent to the same hospital. Eve and Flora had luckily gotten away with it, to both Lilly and Patsy's relief. Even so, both cried to see their best friends carted away to Bedlam. In the prison carriage, both Lilly and Patsy were chained to a wall. Their dresses had been changed to uniform grey ones, Patsy's too small and Lilly's too big. They leaned against each other, comforting the other the best they could.

"We need to make a plan. They need to know that we haven't yet given up, and we'll continue to fight," Lilly whispered.

"I agree," Patsy nodded. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"I do," Lilly said with a smile. "If you're willing, we can do a hunger strike. If we don't eat, then people will take notice."

"Let's do it, Lilly," Patsy replied seriously. "We need to help the cause, however much we can." Sadness threatened to overwhelm the two women. How long would they be sequestered in Bedlam? A month? Two? A year? Lilly just hoped Mr. Ambrose wasn't too mad.

***

Mr. Ambrose stared intently at the door, waiting for his secretary to burst through. It was now 9:08, a full hour, eight minutes, and 45 seconds after she was supposed to have arrived. 'Did she get arrested again?' He thought darkly. 'She had better have a good reason, I have lost approximately 10 pounds of profit already.'

The thud of feet could soon be heard outside in the hall, but Mr. Ambrose knew that this was way too loud to be hers. The door flew open, and indeed, it was Karim. Mr. Ambrose straightened up further. There was something wrong.

"Sahib! The ifrit!"

"What is it?" He snapped.

"She's been sent to Bedlam!" At Karim's words Mr. Ambrose's blood froze.

"Why?" Already, Mr. Ambrose was up and marching out the door. Karim hurried after him.

"Where are we going Sahib?"

"The police station. I intend to enquire why she was sent there," Mr. Ambrose didn't even bother to call for a cab, or order Karim to get his chaise. He merely marched the mile to the nearest station at a pace that matched the carriage horses trotting alongside him.

"There was a Women's Suffrage rally this Saturday," Karim mentioned. His steps didn't falter from the same marching run that Mr. Ambrose was currently utilising.

Anger pulsed through his blood. "You did not think it important enough to mention this, Karim?"

"I did not find out until today Sahib." Soon, the two men had reached the station and were shown directly to the Sergeant

The thin, stick of a man stood quickly to greet his guests. "Ah, Mr. Ambrose! With what can I assist you?"

"Tell me about the people arrested at the Suffragist's rally this Saturday," Mr. Ambrose demanded, ignoring the Sergeant's outstretched hand.

"Ah. Well two women appeared to have masterminded the operations. Of course, we are still looking for the actual man in charge. Two such silly women couldn't have done that themselves." Mr. Ambrose bristled internally at him having called Lilly 'silly.'

"Who is in charge here? I demand for those two women to be released," he paused, "Immediately!"

"Mr. Ambrose, sir, I'm afraid I can't do that. It's an official court order you see, they're at Bedlam already."

"Take me to judge who convicted them." The poor sergeant looked as though he were about to argue, before thinking the better of it and complying. Not just anyone could deny Mr. Ambrose, and one of the only people who could was currently imprisoned.

***

Lilly's stomach grumbled angrily, the gurgling reverberating around the stone room. Her cell mate glared at her from the other bed, peering through the dark tangled curtain of her hair.

"Just eat." Her low gravelly voice did nothing to comfort Lilly's roiling stomach. "Eat is good." By now, Lilly knew it was absolutely pointless to talk to her roomie about women's rights and suffragism. Beth, the poor woman was well into her forties already and had been here for two decades. She was so firmly rooted in the past, and her mind was basically in shackles from the constant mental torture of being in this accursed place.

"For the millionth time, no," Lilly sighed, resuming her examination of the spider that was in the midst of weaving a web in the corner of the room. A couple million years later (or what felt like it), a guard came into the hallway and began to unlock the cells. Technically, it was just the doors to their 'own safe havens, where one can relax the mind and pursue the path to sanity,' but to her and the other wards in Bedlam, it was their own little corner of hell.

Lilly sat up carefully, her body weak after three days without food. Beth, who loved being outside, ran out quickly. Patsy, two cells down from her own, hobbled up, gripping her stomach. The effects of their strike were already showing on Patsy's usual round face. Her cheeks sunk in, and her face had taken on an unnatural, sickly pallor. As the two friends made their way down the hall in silence, their thoughts became filled with the wanting for food. It was lunch time, and as was customary, they were going to be fed. Though the food here looked and smelled disgusting, it was still food.

The wardens had noticed their lack of eating, but merely thought it to be part of their sickness. They hadn't yet figured out that it was an act of protest. The dining hall was filled to the brim with other 'crazy' women. Some did, in fact, seem to be losing their minds, like Beth. However the majority of them were just misunderstood people, who were just a little different than the rest of society. Some had speech disorders that made them slur their words, or come out strangely. Others were deaf, and couldn't speak at all. Still others, like Patsy and Lilly were just more independent and hard headed than the rest. They too, had fought for women's rights, and been shot down by the government. Jane, Lizzy, and Viola, were their only saving grace.

Lizzy, the perky brunette, and her older sister, Jane were convicted of the same things they were. They had rejected the amorous advances of courtiers and had attacked the two men. Both men had filed charges, and now, here they were. Viola did exactly what Lilly did every weekday, except she had gotten caught. She dressed as a man, her brother, and worked for a wealthy duke. When that duke had found out about her true identity, she'd been turned in, and her heart had been broken.

They sat a small table in the corner, whispering to each other the wrongs the other sex had caused theirs. It was quite a long list, and Lilly and Patsy did their best to remember each one. They could write a book someday!

After lunch (Lilly and Patsy salivating through it all), they went into the workhouses. Some women sewed, others mended clothing, crocheted, or made shoes. Each one would be sold by the asylum for funding. The inmates weren't allowed to stop or take breaks, except for the one bathroom break they were granted. The day ended at 9 o'clock, when they were led back to their rooms for a brief six hours of sleep. Apparently, Bedlam's way of treating their patients was to overwork them.

Two days after this, the warden, a severe middle aged woman noticed their thinning frames. She took them aside, demanding in her cool, detached voice why they were refusing their hospitality. Lilly's chest swelled.

"Hospitality?! These are deplorable living conditions, the food looks like poop, the beds are made of stone, and you exhaust us everyday! Plus, we were diagnosed wrongly. We aren't crazy, and we demand to be released!"

The warden's lip curled, revealing curiously sharp teeth. "From where I stand, you both look quite the lunatics."

Patsy growled, "The only lunatic here is standing right in front of us."

The Witch glared at the both of them with steel grey irises. "We'll see how long you last. You won't get any publicity with this, by the way. So goodluck with your hunger strike." She left, both Lilly and Patsy burning with indignation. Later that night while working on a horribly proportioned sock, they both agreed to continue the strike. It had become personal now.

A week passed in this way, and on the 12th day of their arrival, both Patsy and Lilly collapsed on the way from lunch. Jane and Lizzy caught them both, looks of panic crossing their faces.

"Get up!" Jane hissed, shaking Lilly roughly. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn't wake. A guard had spotted them, narrowing his eyes.

"Patsy! Lilly!" Lizzy pleaded. "Don't give up! They'll force feed you through a tube!" Viola, the braver of the three knelt down and slapped both of them, in vain. The guard reached them, easily dragging the two comatose females up. Viola clutched onto Lilly, before letting go, knowing that they had no choice. Jane and Lizzy did the same to Patsy, the three inmates watching as their friends were dragged roughly away.

***

"Mr. Ambrose," Judge Weatherby addressed him, "I apologize but I cannot revoke my decision. Those two women are in serious need of medical attention." He leaned in conspiratorially, glancing from side to side. "I've heard from Bedlam that those two have lost their minds! They've refused to eat, and any day now the Warden expects them to collapse."

Mr. Ambrose gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to reach across the table and punch the living daylights out of the man. "And there really is nothing I could do to change your mind, Mister Weatherby?" His voice lowered a few octaves, the threat clear in his words.

"No, no, it's against the British law you see, to release people who are deranged." Weatherby paled when he saw the frost lining the man's eyes. Sensing danger, he backtracked. "Unless... I can get a signed doctor's signature declaring the two to be mentally competent to return to society." Mr. Ambrose nodded. This was doable.

"I will contact you." Mr. Ambrose left without so much as a goodbye, leaving the relieved judge behind. Karim fell into step beside his Sahib.

"What is our next course of action to rescue the ifrit?"

"We need to find a doctor who works at Bedlam," Mr. Ambrose replied and started the long walk back to Empire House.

"Understood," Karim answered and separated from his employer, sinking back into the shadows in order to better blend in. Mr. Ambrose, in the meantime, returned to work, drowning himself in the silence of his office.

'Soon,' He promised himself. 'Soon, my ifrit will be back and safe with me.' He fingered the last pneumatic message she'd sent him on that fateful Friday, which was currently in his tailcoat pocket. In her messy scrawl,

See you next week, Sir!

Yours always,

MISS Lillian Linton

***

Lilly regained consciousness in a small white room. The lamps cast dim shadows along the walls, but they did not conceal the horrific looking chair she was in and the chains that bound her arms and legs. A gag was placed around her mouth, binding her head to the chair. On a small table nearby was a clear tube and several food items, and she began to put two and two together. She tried to break free of the restraints, but to no avail.

Two figures stepped out from the shadows, both dressed in an ominous white suit. One, Lilly instantly recognized as the Warden. Her steel eyes immediately found hers, a small smile lifting the corners of her thin lips.

"Ah, so nice to finally see our guest awake," She murmured, voice echoing softly in the room. "Ready for a five star meal, my dear?"

Lilly glared, conveying as much hate in the expression as she could. She recalled Mr. Ambrose's freezing glares, and she tried one here. The Warden only smiled condescendingly.

"Otis, remove Ms. Lillian's gag. I'm sure she'll enjoy what's to come." The hulking form next to her moved forward, and Lilly prepared herself for the harshness of his grasp. Instead, the huge man gently removed the gag, placing it aside. She couldn't see his face, due to the white mask covering it, but she could see his eyes. They were a deep brown color, and they shone with regret.

"Get me out of here," Lilly spat as the cloth left her lips. "You have no right-"

"Nobody needs to know that, and I doubt you'll be getting out of here and telling anyone anytime soon," The Warden sneered. "Enjoy your meal, Miss Lillian." She paused at the door. "And don't bother yelling, no one's coming to rescue you." Two other attendants in white entered after her and began their work.

Otis glanced at her again apologetically before sticking the clear white tube from earlier into her mouth. Lilly gagged, and struggled in her chains. "Don't struggle, Miss. It will only make it more painful." Still, she ignored him and tried her best to push the tube out with her tongue. Otis sighed, and presented with no other choice, used a hand to force her mouth open. Lilly struggled to bite down on his fingers, but he was strong.

The two other attendants advanced with cups of uncooked egg and milk mixed together; steak and potatoes mashed in a liquid goop; and various fruits blended in a juice. Lilly widened her eyes, wriggling in vain as Otis forced the tube further down her throat. She started to gag as the tube went further and further. The warm liquids dripped down the tube, causing her to choke. Her struggled only worsened the ordeal, and more than half of the liquid ended up on her clothes or face.

Lilly sobbed as she was literally force fed, the liquid gushing back up as she struggled to force it all down. Otis' unbreakable grip on her jaw would definitely leave bruises, as well as the chains that bound her body. This assault on her rights hurt more than the physical abuse however, and though her stomach had filled with more than enough food, that wasn't what made her sick.

Hello! Long time no see! So sorry for this late update, I just returned from a trip to Mexico. It was a lot of fun, but I'm so tan now lol. This will have a part two, which will hopefully come out soon. I became inspired to write this fic after watching the movie, 'Iron Jawed Angels' in Social Studies when we were learning about females suffragism. Anyone? Anyways, the main character was put into a jail and force fed after she staged a hunger strike. I also researched Victorian asylums. It's kinda historically accurate, but kinda not. In Lilly's time a few more reforms passed, which made Asylums like Bedlam (which is real, btw) more humane. In the next chapter more horrors will occur for Lilly and Patsy. I hope you like it, it's kind of dark at the moment. Ok. Bye!

-Manang15 

Edited by @Rena_H