Chapter 172: A Different Cage

Elise’s head throbbed with each jolt of the cart, the rough wooden planks beneath her doing nothing to cushion the impact. Her wrists were bound tightly behind her back, the ropes chafing against her skin with every movement. Beside her, Seraphina lay in a similar state, her knight’s face bruised and bloodied but her eyes—those eyes still blazed with defiant fire.

"Seraphina." Elise’s voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. "Are you alright?"

Seraphina turned her head slowly, wincing at the movement. "I am... functional, Your Highness. The ropes are tight, but my bonds are loose enough that I can—"

"Save your strength." Elise cut her off gently. "We’ll need it later."

Seraphina’s jaw tightened, but she nodded.

From the driver’s bench, a harsh laugh cut through the tense silence. One of their captors—a scarred soldier with dead eyes—glanced back at them with obvious contempt.

"Awfully optimistic for a pair of prisoners," he sneered. "But it won’t matter. Your monster friends? The ones who got teleported?" He spat over the side of the cart. "They’re dead. Or wish they were."

Elise’s blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

The soldier’s grin widened, enjoying their discomfort. "That spell wasn’t just any teleportation. It was keyed to a specific location—the territory of the White Dragon Orion." He let the name hang in the air, waiting for recognition.

Elise felt the world tilt.

"The White Dragon... Orion?" Her voice cracked. "That’s impossible. You can’t teleport someone into his territory—the barriers alone would—"

"And yet," the soldier interrupted, "here we are, and there they aren’t." He chuckled, a nasty sound. "Orion doesn’t tolerate trespassers. Doesn’t matter if you’re human, monster, or something in between. If you enter his lands uninvited, you leave as a corpse. If you’re lucky."

Seraphina’s voice cut through, sharp despite her injuries. "You’re lying. Teleportation of that range requires anchors, precise coordinates—things your ritual couldn’t possibly have prepared for a territory no one can enter."

The soldier shrugged. "Believe what you want, knight. But I know what I saw. And I know what happens to people who wander into that frozen hell." He glanced back at Elise, his eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction. "Your precious monsters are dragon food by now. Maybe Orion will leave their bones as a warning."

Elise’s breath came faster, her heart pounding against her ribs. ’No. No, it can’t be. Adam is strong—stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. Ignis is a drgon herself. They wouldn’t just—’

But the soldier’s words echoed in her mind. The White Dragon Orion. A name spoken in whispers, even in Melium’s royal court. An ancient dragon of such power that kingdoms gave his territory a wide berth, that armies refused to march within a hundred miles of his borders. A living legend, older than most nations.

And Adam and Ignis had been thrown directly into his domain.

"Liar!" The word tore from Elise’s throat before she could stop it. "You’re lying! They’re not dead!"

The soldier laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "Oh, the princess has claws. Cute." He leaned closer, his breath foul. "But denial won’t change facts. Your monsters are gone. And soon, you’ll be delivered to people who have very... specific plans for you."

Seraphina strained against her bonds, her aura flickering weakly. "Touch her and I’ll—"

"You’ll what?" The soldier cut her off. "You’re tied up, beaten, and your precious oath is barely a spark. You’re in no position to threaten anyone, knight."

"Don’t bother them, Arnold"

Derek approached the cart, his body wrapped in fresh bandages that already showed spots of blood seeping through. His face was pale beneath the grime, and he moved with the careful stiffness of someone whose injuries screamed with every step. But his eyes—those eyes still held the cold, relentless focus of a hunter.

Arnold straightened immediately, his mocking demeanor evaporating. "Commander. I was just—"

"I heard what you were doing." Derek’s voice was rough, damaged by whatever had happened to his throat during the fight. "Leave them alone. They’re prisoners, not sport."

Arnold’s jaw tightened, but he nodded and moved to the front of the cart, leaving Elise and Seraphina alone with their wounded commander.

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed as she studied Derek’s approach. Despite his injuries, despite the bandages and the pallor, he moved with the certainty of someone who had survived worse. Her voice, when she spoke, was cold and steady.

"Where are you taking us?"

Derek met her gaze without flinching. "The capital. Solaria’s capital."

Elise’s bound hands clenched into fists behind her back. Her voice shook—not with fear, but with barely contained fury.

"You’ll regret this. My father will not let this stand. When he learns that Solarian soldiers have imprisoned his daughter, he will march. Armies will cross the border. People will die." She lifted her chin, meeting Derek’s eyes with the full weight of her royal heritage. "For what? A few monsters that you couldn’t even kill?"

From behind Derek, another figure emerged—Tia, the vice guild master, her face drawn with exhaustion but her eyes sharp and calculating. She moved to stand beside the commander, her voice calm and measured.

"Princess Elise." Tia’s tone held no mockery, no cruelty—just cold, professional acknowledgment. "We are aware of the diplomatic consequences. In fact, that awareness is precisely why we chose not to execute you on the spot."

She stepped closer, close enough that Elise could see the exhaustion etched into her features, the dark circles beneath her eyes. "Your crimes are considerable. Entering Solarian territory without authorization. Causing chaos and destruction in Duke Arkwright’s domain. Consorting with dangerous monsters entities that have already demonstrated their willingness to kill human beings." She paused, letting the words sink in. "And those monsters you brought with you? The ones who fought alongside you? They are not just dangerous. They are an active threat to the world."

Elise’s breath caught. "That’s not—"

"The serpent-man alone killed over a dozen of my people," Tia continued, her voice hardening. "In the dungeon. He slaughtered them without mercy. And since then, he’s only grown stronger. More dangerous. More willing to kill." She met Elise’s eyes. "You traveled with him. You accepted his protection. You made yourself complicit in everything he’s done."

Seraphina strained against her bonds, her aura flickering weakly. "Her Highness had no choice! She was cursed, hunted—Adam saved her life!"

"Saved her?" Tia’s eyebrow rose. "Or simply traded one form of captivity for another?"

Elise’s voice cut through, sharp and clear despite her exhaustion. "Adam never held me captive. He protected me. He fought for me. He—"

"He is a monster," Tia stated flatly. "And you are a princess who chose to ally herself with monsters. Those are the facts that will be presented to the Solarian court. Along with the fact that we captured you alive, despite every justification to kill you where you stood."

She stepped back, her expression softening into something almost like pity. "Your father may be angry. He may even threaten war. But when presented with evidence of your collaboration with dungeon-spawned entities that have murdered citizens of two kingdoms? He will have no choice but to negotiate. You will become a bargaining chip, Princess. Not a cause for war."

Elise’s mouth opened, then closed. No words came. What could she say? Tia had laid out the situation with brutal clarity—every argument, every justification, every appeal to justice or mercy had been preemptively dismantled.

Tia reached into her pocket and withdrew something that glinted dully in the fading light. A collar. Made of some pale metal that seemed to absorb rather than reflect the sun’s rays, its surface etched with intricate runes that pulsed faintly with inner light.

"What are you doing?" Elise’s voice sharpened as Tia approached, the collar held between her fingers like a piece of jewelry rather than what it clearly was.

Seraphina strained against her bonds, her aura flaring weakly. "Stay away from her! You have no right—!"

"I have every right," Tia said calmly, not even glancing at the struggling knight. "Prisoners are secured. That’s standard procedure."

She reached through the cart’s bars and fastened the collar around Elise’s neck.

The metal was cold. Uncomfortably cold, like ice against her skin. Elise felt it settle into place with a soft click, and for a moment, nothing happened. Then a subtle pressure—not painful, but unmistakable—pressed against her consciousness. Her magic, already depleted, seemed to retreat further, curling up somewhere deep inside where even she couldn’t reach it.

"What did you put on her?!" Seraphina’s voice cracked with fury. "Remove it immediately! That is a princess of Melium you’re treating like a common criminal!"

Derek’s voice came from behind, rough and tired but carrying the weight of command. "It’s a suppression collar. Artifact from the Holy Temple. Designed to contain cursed entities—and those affected by them." He met Seraphina’s blazing eyes without flinching. "It will keep the Lich from reaching her. Consider it protection, not punishment."

Elise touched the collar with her bound hands, her fingers tracing the cold metal. A bitter laugh escaped her—soft, hollow, utterly without humor.

"Protection." She echoed the word as if tasting something foul. "You think this will protect me?" Her eyes, when they lifted to meet Tia’s, held an emptiness that was somehow more disturbing than rage. "It’s useless. This collar, your holy temple artifacts, your special chambers—none of it will stop him. You don’t understand what you’re dealing with."

Tia straightened, adjusting her sleeves with practiced calm. "It’s a precaution. And when we reach the capital, you’ll be housed in a specially prepared suite—wards upon wards, designed specifically to repel the Lich’s influence. We’ve dealt with possession cases before, Princess. You’re not unique."

She turned to leave, then paused, glancing back over her shoulder. "Until then, I suggest you remain calm and avoid causing further trouble. The diplomatic situation between our kingdoms now rests largely on your behavior. Make good choices."

Derek followed without another word, leaving Elise and Seraphina alone in the rattling cart.

The silence stretched between them, broken only by the creak of wheels and the distant calls of soldiers marching alongside. Seraphina’s breathing was ragged—whether from pain or fury, Elise couldn’t tell.

Finally, Seraphina’s voice emerged, rough with shame and helplessness.

"Your Highness... I’m so sorry. You’re being treated like this because I failed. I couldn’t protect you."

Elise turned to look at her knight—really look at her. Seraphina’s face was bruised, bloodied, her armor dented and torn. But her eyes held nothing but anguish, and it was that anguish, more than anything, that broke through Elise’s numbness.

"Sera." Elise’s voice was soft, gentler than it had been since the capture. "It’s alright. I’m used to this."

Seraphina’s eyes widened. "Your Highness—"

"Since the day I was born, I’ve been treated like this." Elise’s gaze drifted to the collar around her neck, her fingers still tracing its cold surface. "The cursed princess. The one who brings misfortune wherever she goes. People crossed the street to avoid me as a child. Nobles whispered behind my back at every gathering. My own father..." She trailed off, then shook her head slowly. "This is nothing new. Just a different cage. Different captors."

Tears welled in Seraphina’s eyes—the first Elise had ever seen from her stoic knight. "You deserve so much more than this. You deserve—"

"I deserve to survive," Elise interrupted gently. "That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Sera. To survive long enough to break this curse. To live a life that isn’t defined by fear." She met Seraphina’s gaze, and despite everything, a small, tired smile touched her lips. "And I will. I haven’t given up yet. Neither should you."

Seraphina’s jaw tightened. She nodded, once, fiercely. "I won’t. I swear it—I’ll get us out of this. I’ll find a way."