Winter Swan

"It's too early to thank me, because I'm not done with you yet."

Jamal froze at the king's icy words. Silje, still hanging upside down, panted. She knew this was going to happen.

This was the kind of joke the cruel king liked to play: give his victims hope, then take it away in front of their eyes and make them despair.

The beautiful devil liked to teach his prey about the harsh reality of life. Kail always made sure they knew he was in control.

However, this game was between Kail and Silje.

"Wait a little while longer. I will let you go when the time is right," he said to Jamal before walking towards Silje while still holding his whip.

Yes, Jamal was just an innocent sacrifice. Poor Jamal… He shouldn't have been here.

Her heart ached for Jamal who was brought here to be tortured for no good reason. Kail was using Jamal to make her surrender to him. To give in to the king.

This had always been Kail's goal.

Silje said to the king, "If you are thinking about using that poor boy against me, you should stop because it will be useless. It's not too late, Kail. Why don't you let him go? If you do, I will pretend this didn't happen."

Kail laughed softly at her.

"Are you giving me advice now? I like it. I admit that even from the beginning, your daring attitude was what interested me."

Without reluctance, Kail swung his whip again, slashing her cheek. It was a precise and relentless move.

"Gyaa! Help! Somebody help us!"

Jamal screamed, but Kail continued speaking emotionlessly.

"But Silje, I haven't forgiven you yet."

Large red drops of blood appeared on Silje's cheek and Jamal moaned. Ignoring him, Kail said to her, "What you understand with your head and what you really feel in your heart are two separate things. I know you and that boy aren't together, but knowing it is useless. Even I can't believe that I am feeling this kind of jealousy, and I want to find out what the outcome of this emotion will be."

Kail stared at the streaming blood on her cheek and continued slowly, "You two will be hung like this for a while. It could be twenty-four hours, or maybe even forty-eight hours. Perhaps we will find out if a person can die from all the blood pooling to one's head."

"What? What are you saying? Help us! Please, let us go. Please stop. You have done enough. Please untie us!" Jamal screamed again in a pained voice, but Kail kept speaking without acknowledging him.

"Of course, there is a possibility that I might let you go earlier. All you have to do is say the word, Silje. Say that you surrender to me. That is all I need. Or else there will be no mercy."

This was exactly what she expected and Silje laughed.

Kail, what was the point of all this? To have her kneel in front of him? Did he want her submission this badly?

Looking at him standing like an unmoving rock, Silje's eyes wavered.

Of course, she had no intention of doing it. If she surrendered now, everything she endured so far would be for nothing. Besides, even if she said the word, she wouldn't mean it. She bit her lips in defiance.

"Fine, but you will not get what you want from me."

And with that, she firmly closed her mouth.

A cold wind blew, making the window rattle loudly.

When she closed her eyes, she could see the Oslo winter clearly in her mind. Blinding white snow, rows of birches, and the icy cold wind.

'Silje!'

He was calling for her.

The sweet yet forbidding voice of the grim reaper whispered, "I will say it again. This is your last chance. If you don't say it now, I am going to leave this storage building and no one will come to help you. You two will be left here to die very slowly. I promise you that is exactly what will happen."

He was still calling for her.

"Offer me your hand, Silje. If you want to escape this place, tell me now. Tell me you submit to me. That is all I need. You can leave this place if you just say the word."

Such cruel yet sweet temptation.

His words were enough for her to picture herself kneeling in front of him and begging for her life.

Instinct told her that Kail meant what he said. If she refused him now, she and Jamal were going to be left here in the cold. But even then, she couldn't surrender to him. Although she knew that this was their last game, she couldn't say the word.

She needed to refuse him and make sure he lost all control over her.

He made her heart cold, and she needed to stop him. Her heart was slowly freezing and turning into ice because of him, and she didn't want that. This winter in her heart needed to end.

So Silje firmly closed her mouth.

It felt like millions of large and sharp needles stabbing her entire body.

Time went by slowly. Feeling the constant shooting pain, Silje thought it must've been hours, but in fact, only a few minutes had passed by.

"…"

It was the most pain she had ever felt in her life, but she bit her lips hard and endured it with her head held high.

However, when she suddenly noticed Jamal, who was covered in blood and clearly in pain, she recoiled in realization.

Jamal. Poor innocent Jamal.

When she saw his pained face, she knew this had to stop.

It wasn't just about her and Kail anymore.

If it was just her, she would've endured it for 48 hours, or even 480 days. She would've never surrendered to him. She was certain of it.

But when she saw Jamal, who was in agony all because of her, Silje couldn't take it anymore.

Yes. Only for him. That was the only reason why she had to do this.

This had gone on long enough.

There was no need for this to continue.