Chapter 40: Comfort or Confront

Prince Eirik lay on his bed, his body stiff against the softness of the sheets that felt foreign beneath him. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

The lanterns cast a warm, flickering glow, painting the room in gentle hues, but even their light could not penetrate the darkness that had settled over his mind.

Sleep, elusive and distant, refused to claim him. Instead, his thoughts swirled in an unrelenting storm, dragging him back to memories he had tried so hard to bury. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to silence the voices that whispered in the shadows of his mind, but the past was relentless, sharper and more vivid with every passing moment.

He could still hear that man's voice, the sickening lilt of it as it slithered through his thoughts like a serpent.

"I will lock you up where no one will touch you or see you but me."

"You're mine, mine, mine."

"Stop struggling. I promise you'll enjoy it."