Page 36 of The War God’s Favorite

The guards brought her underground to the cells, all aligned down a long hall, and put her in the farthest one. It only had a bed made of straw and a very small window at the very top of the wall that allowed in a very small amount of natural light. The guards weren’t rude, but they also didn’t say a single word to her. Instead, they just left.

Cassandra sighed. She had been in worse situations, but still… Her own stubbornness had landed her in the dungeons. She checked her cell for any rats or stagnant water, and arranged the straw to sit on. She sighed again. No doubt the Prince would be mad about this upon his return.

“Cassie!”

She had only started dozing off when she heard Nebora. She raised her head, and saw her new friend standing on the other side of the bars as she walked up to her.

“What are you doing here?”

“I should be the one asking you that, you stubborn woman! I told you this would happen! Don’t you have any instinct of self-preservation? You would be dead if you weren’t His Highness’ concubine!”

“Did he do anything else after he put me in here?”

Nebora sighed deeply.

“No… I think you scared him a bit. He chased everyone out. I told the girls to ignore him for now, but… Girl, you have to spend a long time in here!”

“I’ve been in worse places. What is this?” she asked, pointing to the little basket Nebora had brought.

“It’s for you. I brought you some food, and a blanket too. It gets cold here at night…”

She handed her everything through the bars, under Cassandra’s surprised eyes.

“How were you allowed to…?”

“It was easy, the guards aren’t bad guys. They let me through without arguing when I said you were His Highness’ concubine. Well, that, and I promised them each a kiss.”

Cassandra chuckled. She was truly grateful, and thanked Nebora for all she had done to make her imprisonment better.

“Just wait until His Highness gets back… I hope his dragon will chew that damn Governor slowly!”

“I just hope he leaves you alone for a while…”

“Don’t worry, we are used to it. And Patrina is pissed you got thrown in the dungeon, she isn’t going to let him act as he pleases.”

“Nebora! Five minutes!” yelled one of the guards from down the hall.

She sighed.

“I have to go, girl. Take care of yourself, alright? I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise.”

She left quickly, leaving Cassandra completely alone again.

The night was extremely cold. If it wasn’t for the blanket Nebora had brought her, she would probably have gotten sick, but at least there weren’t any rats. Cassandra fell asleep remembering the warm embrace of the Prince, and the soft feel of a fur cloak…

“Where is she?”

A cold voice suddenly woke her up. She heard a scream, and a dragon’s furious growl. Cassandra stood, keeping her blanket around her, totally confused. It was still the middle of the night, but countless lights were lit up outside.

She heard several people walking quickly through the dungeon towards her cell. A bit wary, she took a couple of steps back into a corner.

The Prince suddenly appeared in front of her.

“My Lord…”

He drew his sword and, without warning, brutally shattered the hinges holding her cell’s door, breaking through them as if they were as flimsy as a sheet of paper. He was clearly furious when he walked up to her.

“What are you doing in here?”

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