Chapter 3: "it is all a dream,dear, dear princess"
2041 Words
Chapter 3: "it is all a dream,dear, dear princess"
~Anguish(n): Severe mental or physical distress, enough to overpower all positive thoughts.
William tried hard to not anguish over the anxiety that chewed at his mind and negated all positive thoughts. It was purely based on assumptions, he tried to convince himself but it did not matter how hard he tried to tell himself his imagery was exaggerated, it proved ineffective. He more than anyone knew how cold and brutal the king of hell was and any worries or suppositions he might have, the devil could amplify by a thousand times, so his fears and concerns were very much justified and he had every reason to be scared for his daughter.
He had fought a long, incessant and toilsome battle with the demons in his mind that made it impossible for him to find peace. The demons chanted and repeated multiple disconcerting mantras that were starting to push him towards the edge of losing all sensibleness and control.
"You are a terrible father", "Lorraine will never be the same because of you" they repeatedly tortured his mind, eating away at his sanity. As much as most of them were without a doubt simple truths, it was still hard for him to hear.
He went on the same way, facing a gruesome battle with his own thoughts till the self-inflicted agony became too heavy to bear and he drifted into sleep on his office desk.
Even then as he slept, the thoughts refused to subside and still bothered his subconscious.
His dreams kept depicting the horrors Lorraine could possibly be going through as he laid in sleep. Not knowing and lacking control over the situation was what gnawed at his soul the most, making him visualise the absolute worst imaginable.
A rough pinch to the bicep stopped all body contortions that William was making from his nightmares, bringing his body to a gentle halt as he awoke. His mind was still in a disoriented state as he reached for the area where he had just felt the pain emanate, rubbing it with a grimace on his face.
A second squeeze of his flesh took him out of his daze and his head jolted up from the desk immediately.
Before he could question anything, his confusion was cleared when he saw Ragus staring at him with a satisfied, menacing smile and crossed arms, maintaining his usual straight stance.
"Did I interrupt your peaceful sleep, Orsbont?" Ragus qyestioned with the same smug look on his face. He was only trying to patronize the king, it was evident to him that he was beating himself up already, but he would not be living up to his true demon nature if he let go of the opportunity to add fuel to the fire and make him feel more guilty. So he was doing just that.
William did not want to flatter him by giving an answer so he just chose to stare back at him, trying to put on his best poker face and act unaffected.
Something about his visit was uncanny and unsettling to him. It seemed unusual for him to return so shortly after dropping the note, so many concerns were on William's mind.
Of all possible reasons he would decide to make an appearance, he was hoping Ragus would not drop the worst bombs of all and tell him that Lucifer has decided to come for his bride much sooner than he had promised.
He also knew it would kill him if he decided he wanted Lorraine for the entire day, only to torture her.
Ragus finally put him out of his misery by initiating conversation, giving him the much anticipated reason behind his visit.
"Your little puppy is in the hallway shivering like there is snow in the house. It Looked like she had seen a ghost to be quite frank." His words were emotionless and his voice showed anything but concern. He actually sounded happy and had the face to play the part. The smirk on his face could not be wiped by any amount of worry on William's face. It could neither faze him nor provoke compassion or sympathy.
"Let me correct that, it looked like she had seen her future husband. You would think she would look happier than that!"
Ragus's final statement had William up his chair in haste. He worked up the best angry, intimidating face to flash but Ragus was still unbothered.
"The poor thing looked absolutely tortured, beyond traumatised, it's such a-" he continued but William cut him off, ready to put an end to the agony.
"I get it Ragus, just pass the actual message so you can leave at once."
"Patience, Orsbont. I was getting there, only giving you time to warm up to the situation, but since you insist you need to know so badly, here's your message. The puppy wants it's daddy. Maybe she has decided that you have not betrayed and sold her out enough. She must need more." He smirked as he noticed William's eyes grow wide.
He indeed was shocked. The last thing he expected to hear from Ragus was that Lorraine wanted to see him, especially if she was in the state that he was describing. But it was still pleasant news compared to the more bone chilling words that could have left his mouth.
"What do you mean she wants to see me? I thought we were not supposed to disturb-"
"Just go before she loses the sanity she has remaining." He instructed and William did not waste another second before he was out the door, exiting his office without looking back at Ragus.
The walk to Lorraine's room was a heavy one. The amount of steps he had to take on the stairs on his way down seemed added and the floors suddenly more slippery. That was anxiety bothering him. His biggest concern was whether or not Lucifer had decided to break their discretion pact and tell Lorraine everything and how he was behind it all.
William did not have a long walk in the hallway before he saw his sole daughter, looking frantic and disconcerted, her feet pacing back and forth as she shivered in her nightgown.
As soon as her eyes landed on him, she got the relief she'd been waiting for and ran towards him, engulfing his whole torso in a tight embrace.
William returned the hug just as warmly and patted her on the back to ease her disheartening cries.
"Daddy I am really, really scared, someone, something was in my room. I h-heard it. It was..It was-" she started but failed to continue, breaking down in tears.
William broke their hug and wiped the streaming tears off her cheeks. Her eyes looked up at him with hopelessness and fright in them and the guilt started to gnaw at his soul again. They were puffed and exhausted, obviously showing just how much she had been weeping.
"There there, everything is okay sweetheart, I am here now and nothing can hurt you. Let's just go to your room and you can tell me everything that happened." He took Lorraine by the hand and led them towards her door but met fierce resistance.
"Noo no no please daddy, we can not go in there, it is in there, it is in there please! Please!" She was loud and frightened and William was starting to worry that she'd wake sleeping palace workers whose rooms were very close to hers. He worried that they would think Lorraine was beginning to lose her mind if they saw her in her state and rumours would begin to spread in the palace, so he squeezed her hand reassuringly and looked her in the eyes, promising nothing would happen to her.
And that was all it took for her to trust him, a simple promise from her father who she trusted with all that is meaningful and important to her.
Lorraine held on tightly and followed her father to the same room where she'd lived any child's worst nightmare.
As soon as they got into the room, her adrenaline flowed and she kept remembering the entire ordeal, almost feeling the claw on her skin like it was still scratching at her hand.
William took a seat on a small couch that was set against the same wall that Lorraine's window was on.
Lorraine on the other hand was still frozen by her door, moving only her head to survey the area.
William called her over, instructing her to have a seat on her bed so she could face him as she talked.
She hesitantly walked to her bed,closing the door behind her and sitting with her butt barely touching the bed, facing William like he had advised her.
"What is wrong honey, did you have a nightmare perhaps?" William asked, playing it dumb in hopes of shifting conversation to something that was easier to talk about.
"No dad, it was real. It was like a nightmare but it was happening. Please tell me you believe me" Tears streamed down her face again as she relived the scenes in her head.
"There was a creature in here, I heard it breathing on me, it touched me daddy, with claws...sharp claws!" She paused to let out a sob. William started to swallow as the whole situation became more real to him. He had sold his daughter to a beast, a merciless beast that was bound to leave her traumatised, was already doing so, and there was no going back.
"Lorraine, it's okay. I am sure it was just a dream sweetheart. Maybe it felt too real, it happens sometimes, even to me." He smiled, trying to cheer her up but failed dismally.
She began crying even more, pleading for her father to believe her.
"Look" she stood from her bed and went right next to Wiliam by the window. She searched and searched for the scratch so she could finally prove that she was not losing her mind but it was gone, without even a trace of chipped wall to show.
Lorraine's next bet at proving that she was not having a nightmare was her bleeding finger. She stood in front of her father and extended her arm in his direction so he could have a closer look. "This happened when the beast pulled the blanket I was hiding under. This is proof dad. How else could have it happened?" Lorraine had done a good job of stopping the blood but the injury still upset and sickened William, however, he chose to hide how he truly felt.
He held the same hand that had been hurt and gave it a soft kiss to give Lorraine some amount of comfort in her state of terror.
"Well sweetheart I am sure you were just holding on to the covers so tight that you actually hurt yourself. Ragus told me he heard you making noises but when you did not respond when he knocked he concluded that you were asleep. That must have been when it happened." He continued to lie, poisoning and deceiving Lorraine's mind to a point where she was confused enough to actually consider that she did in reality wake up from a nightmare that felt too real.
" You should get back to sleep princess, you have to fit your dress tomorrow, remember? Tomorrow I will call in the family doctor to have a look at your wounds, just rest my angel"
It took a while to convince Lorraine to get back to sleep but holding on to a promise that her father would not leave her by herself, she finally gave in and slept.
William watched her as she laid asleep looking peaceful. He really did love his daughter but greed had gotten the best of him and soon she would be taken from her home and mother, who still had no clue that she would be losing her soon.
A/N:
Here is another chapter for you my wonderful souls. Please comment your thoughts, I want to know what you think of the story so far.
And do not forget to follow my author's page on f@cebook at Devious_Intentionsxx Novels
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