Part 6: The News

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Ursula released a loud moan throwing herself onto the dirty floors. The cell was too small for her bloated body, her tentacles spread against every wall of the prison. She let a large moan of defeat not knowing what else to do. Several of the inmates began making crude comments to her as she continued to weep.

She had failed flotsam and jetsam. First she allowed them to get murdered by her own father and now they'll probably think she's abandoned them. They will probably wait for her return for days in that cave before they realize she is never returning. When they figure that out, they'll probably leave to wander the kingdom, helpless and lonely, wondering what happened to their dear friend.

After several hours of crying, Ursula sobbed herself to sleep, residing in the most uncomfortable position. It was not until loud metal knocking filled the cell when she woke up startled. At the entrance was Stelios holding a plate of food, though it looked like green feces. He slid it under the gates waiting for Ursula to eat it. It was mandatory for all prisoners to eat, otherwise it would be abuse.

Ursula picked up the plate and smelled it. It was definitely some sort of kelp but no way was it pure. "I don't want this" she said bluntly. Stelios shrugged "force feeding is an option too if you'd like". Ursula scowled in response sticking a spoonful in her mouth.

The food didn't bother her too much, it was flavorless so it was impossible to make her gag, but she put down the plate anyway. "So force feeding it is then?" Stelios said.

"Stelios what happened to you? How are you even a guard?" Ursula asked. He looked at her perplexed "I was appointed by the king just like everyone else"

Ursula nodded but she wasn't actually content with his answer. "Stelios, remember in school when that girl uh, Cora I think her name was, tried to slip you a love potion but she was caught by the teacher. You knew if she got in trouble she would get expelled so you took the blame for her" Ursula said. She knew it was no use to jog his memory, that it was the King's mind that was set, but she didn't want to feel alone in the cell either.

"H-how?" Stelios muttered getting closer to the cell, gripping the bars but Ursula simply continued reciting the past. "Or when a spell mishap in class nearly blinded me, you tried to reverse it but only made it worse until a teacher came and fixed it" she chuckled nostalgically. Ursula always complained about the times she had in school but she felt if she wasn't so focused on shutting out the world, she may have enjoyed it. Maybe if her father didn't constantly force her to try to enjoy life, she would have found a liking to it on her own. But as she sat in her own prison, she remembered her father had a history of making bad choices for her...

"Holy shit Ursula it's actually you?" Stelios said taking off the helmet that masked his chiseled face. He began to pace the hall running his hands through his hair in anxiety. "How are you like this?" He finally asked.

Ursula filled him in on the entire story from the start: the men, the murder, and the bargain. She explained how she came back in an attempt to regain her rightful throne but ended up imprisoned instead. After hearing the story Stelios wanted to go and tell the king about the revelation but Ursula wouldn't let him. "His mind it set, I'll just have to find a way to escape myself" she said, but the truth was that Ursula was scared of Thalassis killing her if she provoked him further.

For hours Stelios and Ursula spoke, passing the time with whatever conversation they could come up with. "Honestly I think Thalassis appointed me guard in hopes that I would woo you when you came back" Stelios admitted. Of course he would do that Ursula thought to herself. All the other suitors probably darted after they saw her lash out, but Thalassis would not give up easily. He kept trying to control everyone in Ursula's life, getting rid of the eels, replacing them with a boy. After nightfall, Stelios had to leave the dungeons in order to abide by the guard's curfew, leaving Ursula alone.

Ursula couldn't sleep that night, she kept thinking of possible ways of how should escape. She knows the castle inside and out you'd think she could figure out a plan, but she also well enough knew the wards were practically unbreakable without the keys.

The cell felt even smaller than when she first came in, the walls closing in. Then Ursula began thinking how many others were wrongfully imprisoned like she was. My first thing as queen is to establish a trial system Ursula thought clinging on to the hope of regaining the throne. The kingdom used to have a court several centuries ago but was abolished during one of the major wars to make the execution process of enemies quicker. No reason not to bring it back now that the kingdom is at peace (besides the outrage her disappearance caused).

Then her mind wandered off to Agapi. Where could she be? She probably started her new life, forgetting all about Ursula. After her cruel imagination ceased, finally Ursula began to sleep.

It was a process for the next week: wake, eat, sleep, repeat. Stelios hasn't come down to visit her in days, instead it was one of the guards that first greeted her when she came to speak to her father. It became a routine that Ursula got accustomed to. She ate the horrid food and was constantly getting yelled out by the guard, taking his verbal harassment.

The vocal abuse wore her down. Ursula stopped bad mouthing security and stopped thinking about her throne; this was her life now and she just had to accept it. She was left alone to her thoughts until she heard the other inmates gossiping one day. Normally she would ignore their stupid banter but this time she listened with intent.

"You heard the King finally found the princess?" The old merman cooed, his raspy voice struggling for air. "Really? That sucks, I was really happy for a second the bastard got what he deserved. Lose his family the way he took me from mine" a loud lady responded.

"Yeah, she just walked in apparently all bright eyed waiting to see her father!" The man responded. After that Ursula spaced out beginning to hyperventilate. Her father hated Ursula so much that he convinced himself some imposter was his daughter. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know how to react.

"What's going on with the giant squid?" One of the guards pointed towards Ursula. The second guard started towards her. "Are you alright?" He said emotionless.

Ursula had her faces cupped in her hands, unreactive towards the question. "Excuse me, I asked you a question!" The guard ordered. She finally glared at him and got up slowly, her tentacles weak from sitting for so long. "Let me out" she muttered.

"What?" The guard asked. "I said let me out" Ursula repeated with more force.

"I can't do that, you're here under orders of the king"

"LET ME OUT" Ursula finally screamed letting it all out. She began to shake the gate while vigorously crying. Everyone she loved abandoned her, she was in a cage, by herself, and she's had enough. Her mother left her, Agapi left her, her father left her, even Stelios left her to rot like a piece of meat. She didn't care what would happen to her now, Ursula acted like the criminal they thought she was.

The scene only lasted several seconds however because instantly, the guard took out his weapon and with one blow to the head, Ursula went unconscious, relieving her temporarily of her pain...

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