I wake up in the morning with excitement I can barely contain in my bones. I look around and its empty. I wonder where Aria is. I hear her coo in the other room and I smile to myself. I get off bed and I walk to the washroom. I find her holding and playing with both our children on the tub.

"Started without me, dove?" I say as I pull of my shirt.

"Papa!" they shout. Mama and papa are the only words they know. Aria was mad when they said papa first. She thinks I cheated, and I used my orc powers to make them say my name first.

"We didn't want to wake you yet and your children were boiling hot." She says as she tries to keep our very energetic children above water as they splash water everywhere. They love water as much as we both do.

I get in the water on the opposite end, and they swim to me.

I smile at them, and Aria rolls her eyes.

"You can come too, dove." I tease her and I smile with pride as they reach me. They are very competitive. Aria comes closer and she lays her head on my chest and I hold our children on each of my hands.

Right here I have everything. Right here I am king. Right here I am—

Something violently yanks me out of the dream, and I am thrust back into the world again.

"Wake up!"

It was all a dream. I have to take a steadying breath, wishing I could go back to sleep. For the past 2 weeks, I have had the same dream every night.

However right now I stare at the cruel smile of Shamus. He stands to his full length with a soldier on each side. I am guessing it's time for another parade.

Although I won't reveal it, but my body is starting to get immunized from the poison. I have not acted because – like Hanser mentioned – the cage is fortified with magic and so are the restraints.

But I know there is weakness. I am getting more and more anxious because in one week, everyone will know Aria isn't carrying Shepherds child when she doesn't give birth.

Hanser has been coming every day to do various things from overseeing my poisoning to overseeing my trips to the arena. I think Shepherd still doesn't trust him and it is his way he tests him and Hanser hates it.

He thought he was in the inner circle. That he would get honored by selling me out, but he is just a low-level guard at best that Shepherd keeps just close enough that he doesn't get loose but far away enough still.

He just uses him. A king or leader worth his salt knows not to trust such a man. A man who betrays his comrade, is more dangerous than the poisonous snakes that slither the earth.

"At least smile, beast. You are going to get some air." Shamus taunts but I don't open my eyes or move.

They administer the poison again and I pretend it still hurts like it used to. I clench my teeth fiercely until blood slides out from bruising my lips with my tusks. It pleases them because the cage moves. Though the poison isn't damaging me like it used to, it still does make me drowsy.

The only good thing is I may see her again today. It isn't much to see her so far away, but it makes me strong and keep me fighting. Sometimes I do catch her scent when she walks by. But it isn't enough.

And the dreams of our family aren't helping with my focus. I look down when the sun hits my face. My eyes are half open. just enough so I can see everything, but not fully open or aware. I don't want them at unease. I want their confidence high.

As usual my cage waits, and Aria and Shepherd pass my cage to go to their carriage. Me and Aria's eyes meet, and I see the stress on her beautiful face. She looks so worried for me, but I wish I could tell her she shouldn't worry about me.

That she should worry about our children that I can now feel faintly from here. As their father I am also connected to them, as she closes into her date of giving birth. I confirmed it was twins last week.

Though I am not sure she knows it. All the humans seem to think it's one child even now. I open my eyes a little wider and she winces. I see why quickly when Shamus emerges on my left. I hadn't seen him.

I watch her mount the carriage with the help of the guards. Shepherd won't even help her. I can never understand why he hates her so much. It clearly can't be for the mere fact that he likes other men, it has to be more.

The fervor with which he hates Aria is nothing I've even experienced with my enemies in the past. Especially because he hates her for no reason at all. Aria was nothing but a devoted wife to him who has never harmed him.

But he hates her like she personally killed his father. I watch the rest of the dignitaries mount their own carriages before I am pulled to be in front of Aria's carriage.

The parade starts and as usual, the city's people have all sorts of dirt to throw at me. They throw stones at me. I don't close my eyes, but I take them all in. I make sure they see my face and they see me seeing them.

Because one day I will be free, and I will come back to hand revenge to each of them. They will each pay for the evil they rewarded me and my family. So, I listen to every insult, and I watch every face.

I scan the crowd and I see the suspicious woman once more. There has been this strange woman in the crowd the past week. She never throws anything at me, but she just stands there. She watches both me and Aria.

She isn't caught in the frenzy of everything, but she just stands there until I pass. She is never there when we return and sometimes, she disappears in the crowd. I don't see much of her, but I see her eyes. Her eyes are so dark, they are almost black.

They remind me of something I don't remember. I watch her closely as the cage gets closer to where she is. Her gaze darts to Shamus and then Shepherd. Her eyes lock with something but she looks away quickly.

Shamus lifts his hands like a hero coming back from war and the crowd goes wild. In that time the woman reveals her hand, and she throws something in my cage.

"Eat." She mouths and then she turns away.

I quickly hide it under my thigh.

Strange encounter. I don't look back where the woman disappeared because they might catch it's something odd. But I sit there as they curse me with every curse known and unknown. I can only hope Aria is holding on. How I wish I could go up and comfort her.

I feel like a failure. I have not been able to protect my family and the time of our execution draws near.

Goddess, if you are really out there, give me strength to rescue my family. All I need is an opportunity. But I breathe and I try to focus my energy on getting stronger.

The whole thing is a blur. So much so I almost miss Shepherd's announcement of the arena tomorrow and apparently, they have special guests from a neighboring kingdom.

They take me back to my prison and I remain there. the guards outside the cell are beginning to be complacent. They don't stand right outside anymore to make sure I'm in my cage. They talk to one another. They are bored.

When everything has quieted down and I'm sure I don't hear the soldier walking up the corridor, I take a chance and look under my thigh. It's a lump of cloth. I unwrap it and I find a vial inside. I look out of my cage.

This could go one of two ways. This could go really well, or really badly. This could be the poison that kills me.

With minimal options I pray to my god before I open it and I empty the bitter liquid in my mouth. I swallow it and almost immediately, my body feels lax. My eyes feel heavy.

Frack. I'm dying.

Run.

A voice telling me to run jolts me awake after what feels like a few seconds after I blacked out. I move my hands. I feel new energy course through me.

I need to get out of here.

That is all I know. I lift my hands and I break the chains easily with a roar. I get up and I take the bars. I press my teeth together as I bend the bars. The little humans barely register.

I need to get out of here.

You need to run, now.

I step out of the cage, and I throw my obstacles away from me. One soldier comes with the bow. The bow I know very well. Unbridled rage fills me, and I growl. The arrow connects with my skin, but I feel nothing. I grab him and I separate his head from him. I advance, pulling limbs and ripping out hearts.

I need to leave.

I mow through the soldiers, and I can't hear anything they are saying, not even their screams. The only thing in my mind is I need to get out of here. The only voice I can hear is telling me to run.

I make it out into the night after kicking the iron gates of this building down. Archers stand and soldiers line outside. I advance and I rip more limbs and the strength I have is unexplainable. After I lay dozens down, more come.

But they are wasting my time. I need to get out of here. I sprint towards the back where I can smell water. I pass orchids and I punch through a wall, and I disappear into the forest after I swim across the river.

I know where I need to go. I run all night, not stopping. I can't stop. All I know is, I can't stop. As dawn touches the horizon, I finally see my destination. I see a familiar face and my legs collapse under me and blackness claims me.

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