Thirty-Nine years later...

Auriella is thrown back into her cell, her back bleeding and throbbing from the whipping she received mere moments prior.

She laid on the concrete floor, too tired to even lift herself up. She knew she needed to tend to her wounds quickly before they became infected. She opened her eyes, seeing the bucket of water and a rag waiting for her.

Auriella used her arms to shift herself across the floor, her back aching with each movement she made. Her arms were sore from being hanged from the rope, but that was the least of her problems.

Once she got to the bucket in the corner of her room, she dipped the rag into the water, soaking it. She hovered the full rag over her back, crunching it, the water dripping onto her bloody back. She whimpered, the pain was almost unbearable. Her back stung with every drop.

Amarantha did not lie when she said that Auriella was hers. Twice a week, the Daughter of Dawn would have to suffer punishment from Amarantha in the throne room, while everyone watched her scream in pain, including her fathers' who still tried to reason with the Deceiver.

Auriella never looked at her fathers' whenever she was receiving her lashing. She did not want them to see her that way. Weakened, battered, and utterly useless. There was no choice but to let it happen. The violence and abuse she received were enough to launch someone over the edge, but she had to keep strong.

She put her palms on the rusty concrete floor, lifting herself up. She cried out, her back frail. It felt like she was being stabbed over and over again.

The guards had thrown her blood-stained shirt on the ground. Auriella dipped it into the water, the pail quickly becoming red.

Amarantha had not only wanted to punish Auriella, but she wanted to embarrass her.

The Daughter of Dawn was not allowed to wear anything that covered her upper body whenever she received her punishments. Her chest was exposed to the entire room, but Auriella wasn't able to think about anything else but the pain.

She saw that many of the men turned away, while there were others who stared, their eyes filled with dread of what was being done to her. Thesan would call out to Auriella, but she ignored him, knowing that if she laid her eyes on him, she would rather die right then and there than ever have to look at his fear-stricken face.

Auriella remembered the very first punishment she received.

Amarantha had her tied up, her arms over her head. She circled around Auriella, her devilish smile plastered on her face, "Ah, tonight's entertainment." She said.

One of the guards handed her a whip and she examined it well. "Daughter of Dawn, you have brought this upon yourself. I gave you a chance, to be honest with me, but instead," she flicked the whip once, making Auriella jolt, "you mocked me."

Amarantha looked to Thesan, who was in chains, "Now, your father has to watch you scream in agony because of the choices you made. He has to watch his daughter bleed all over my floor in order for me to prove a point."

She walked behind Auriella, "What a shame, isn't it?" She had said before unleashing the first strike onto her body. Auriella screams echoed throughout the room. No one spoke or intervened as Amarantha was letting out her anger.

At most, Auriella would receive at least one-hundred lashes, depending on the Deceiver's mood on the day.

There were times when Auriella thought she was going to die from the pain. She didn't know how long she would last before it all became too much.

But there were times when the pain would disappear. She had believed that her body was growing used to the pain or that she was dying, but it wasn't until she laid her eyes on the High Lord of the Night Court, when she figured out what was truly happening.

Rhysand was momentarily taking away her pain.

Their eyes locked for a moment. The High Lord nodded once, making her assumption right. But she knew that he couldn't hold onto the power for a long time. Auriella started acting like the lashings were affecting her, trying to make her screams believable to Amarantha.

And it would be that way for almost four decades.

On the days when she was free from Amarantha's wrath, Auriella would have to spend her days maintaining order Under the Mountain.

She worked, along with many other Fae men and women, who were trying to survive the torture that Amarantha inflicted on them. Many of them were young when they were taken Under the Mountain, forced to be Amarantha's slaves for eternity, and separating them from their families who didn't know where their loved ones had gone.

Eternity with Amarantha was closing in. In only a matter of days, the curse would be permanent.

Auriella knew what would happen to her, and everyone else, if the curse was completely sealed. She would be subjected to all kinds of torture, even worse than what Amarantha had inflicted on her. She would be an object for all to play with, even if she gave her consent or not.

The thoughts did not sit well with her, swallowing the bile that had risen in her throat. She would not let herself think of that, knowing that it was approaching, and fast.

When Auriella patched herself up and regained her consciousness, she stood up, holding onto the stone wall for support. She hissed at the powerful stinging pain, which almost made her settle back onto the ground, but she thought against it. She was not broken yet.

Moments later, the guards opened her cell, taking her by the arm, and leading her to the servants' hall, where she would be forced to do tasks that awaited her. Auriella blinks multiple times, trying not to let the exhaustion overtake her.

Once Auriella is at the threshold of the servants' hall, the guard shoves her in, his foot colliding with her back. She falls hard to the ground, her back arching at the unbearable pain. She couldn't scream, the air knocked out of her lungs.

Men and women crowded around her, picking her up and setting her on top of the table. A man stood above her head, telling her to breathe steadily. He made her follow his movements and she gained her breathing back in a matter of seconds, but she also felt more blood seep through her clothes.

The servants called for Ruth, the known healer, and she rushed towards Auriella. She told the men to turn her over, letting her assess the horrific wounds. Ruth hissed, "If I don't treat them soon, you will surely die, my light." She says.

Soon, Ruth sent people to get her supplies, which no one hesitates. Auriella stares at her, trying to concentrate on her features. Her dark skin is covered with soot and sweat, along with the beige clothing she wore, which had specks of blood all around it. Ruth's green eyes were filled with panic but focused.

"Then you should let me die, Ruth. You have done enough for me after all of these years." She tells her. 

Ruth scoffs, grabbing a bottle, "Daughter of Dawn, I will never let Amarantha have the satisfaction of knowing that she killed the one person who is not afraid to say the truth. You have to survive. I will never let you die." She said and poured the contents onto Auriella's back.

At this, Auriella truly screamed, tears immediately spilling out of her eyes. The alcohol affected her entire body, feeling as if she was melting altogether.

She felt the palm of someone's hand cover her mouth. "Breathe, love. Don't let them hear your agony. It brings them joy. You are a champion and they are nothing but insects." She heard Marcellus whisper in her ear.

Auriella sobbed into his hand, half from the pain, and half because she was tired of everything. She told herself that she could bear any obstacle that came her way, but after experiencing everything that Amarantha laid out for her, she was close to breaking.

"Shh, I'm right here with you, Auri. For as long as you need me to be." Marcellus says to her, taking her hand in his.

As Ruth patched Auriella, Marcellus gently explained her chores, telling her that she was to scrub and wash the floors of the servants' hall. Auriella groaned, "I can barely feel my back and everything you just described to me involves me crouching." She told him.

Marcellus chuckled, "Well, at least you aren't alone in doing this. I am going to help you, but I expect some teamwork, no matter how minimal." He tells her, making a small smile creep up onto her lips.

After Ruth was done, she helped Auriella onto her feet. The Daughter of Dawn lifted Ruth's hands up to her lips, "You are too good to me. I have no way to thank you other than my words." She says.

Ruth smiles at her, bringing a hand to her cheek. "You, Daughter of Dawn, are an honor to care for. I would heal as many wounds on your body for the eternity that we are here." She says, making Auriella's heart swell with terrible sadness. 

There was no hope here.

Later that evening, after cleaning the floors with Marcellus, she went to the kitchen to help Ruth, who was washing clothes along with many other women. They rubbed their hands into the dirty and soap-filled water, trying their hardest.

Ruth was sweating, using her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "I am about to dump my head into this filth. The heat in here is too much." She mutters.

Auriella shakes her head, grabbing a blood-stained shirt from the pile of clothes that were waiting to be washed. She dipped her hands into the water, seeing the brief red rising and then blending into the brown water.

"They are about to take you at any moment. Why don't you leave this to me? You have to rest anyway. Your back needs to heal." Ruth says, tossing the shirt to another servant girl who caught it with no problem, putting it up on the drying rack.

Auriella scoffs, "Until they call for me, I will keep doing what I need to do. Plus, I need the distraction. It helps me forget the pain." She says, rolling her shoulders, wincing from the shock that went down her back.

Ruth hums, "And spending time with Marcellus isn't enough of a distraction? I know you both have secret rendezvous when you think no one is looking. It seems like there are perks to being Under the Mountain." She says, trying to add light to the situation.

"I am not the only one who does it. It helps me forget where we are sometimes. Yes, it is pleasureful, but I do it mostly to..." Auriella's voice trails, her mind going down a dark path. She closes her eyes for a moment, hearing her fathers' scream her name and hearing the crack of the whip hitting her back.

Ruth's cold-wet hand touches her arm, "My light, you don't need to explain yourself to me. Everyone here has their reasons for what they do, just as you do. This place has damaged all of us. I don't blame you for wanting to forget for a moment." She tells Auriella, giving her a small smile.

Auriella takes a deep breath, opening her mouth to say something, but she hears the cell door of the servants' hall open. And when she turns to look, the guards are staring right at her.

The servants' hall becomes silent, heads turning to Auriella. She sighs, dropping the shirt into the water and cleaning her wet hands on her clothes. She walks towards the guards, her heart racing with every step she took, as it always did.

For a moment, in her peripheral vision, she could see Marcellus near the boiler, staring right at her. But she didn't dare look at him, knowing that the guards would suspect something if she did, even if their relationship was platonic. She cared for him as a friend would, as he did for her. She could not bear the thought of seeing him harmed in any way because of her.

The guards brought Auriella to her cell. A velvet silk dress was on the floor, wrapped in plastic. She sighed, quickly changing out of her clothes and into the smooth fabric.

Amarantha had always summoned Auriella to her weekly meetings, even if she was in no shape to be there. The Lady Under the Mountain liked having her "pets" near her like they were trophies made to be displayed for everyone to see, as if beating them wasn't enough.

Seconds later, the guards came again, saying nothing.

Auriella headed out the door and towards the throne room, where the doors were wide open, and Amarantha's gaze was already upon her.