A Fairy Tale for Big Girls – 6. chapter

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The response took longer than she had expected.

Mark did not come until the afternoon. He slowly sat down at his table. Lili was sitting on the windowsill, quietly watching the courtyard below.
“I hear you refused all my gifts,” anger could be heard in his voice, along with the fact that he was still trying to hide it.
“Mm,” she nodded without interest.
“Nothing pleased you?”
“I want nothing from you. You won’t buy me. I’m not here by choice.”
“Lili, watch your words,” he warned, louder now.

She glared at him.
“You can do anything you want to me while you keep me by force, but you can’t make me agree to it! I’d rather live in chains.”
A flare of anger crossed his face. He rose abruptly.
“As you wish!”
And he strode out quickly.

He returned late in the evening.
He stood by the bed where she lay and said harshly,
“You didn’t want to choose a gift yourself. I’ll choose for you.”

He threw a small ring onto the bed beside her. She sat up and hesitantly reached for it. Gold, beautifully carved. A bit large for a bracelet. A strange clasp with a key. One small loop. And around the entire outside edge, an inscription had been engraved.

“Personal property of His Majesty King Mark. For its return, the finder will be rewarded with their weight in gold. Damage will be punished!”
She slowly lifted her gaze to him and recoiled as panic rose. He pulled out a heavy chain from somewhere and fastened it to an iron hook set into the wall beneath the window. He let it drop, returned to Lili, and motioned her over. She shook her head in refusal. He grinned crudely.
“Come here!”
“Mark…”
“I won’t waste time with you. You can get a beating, too.”

She shook her head again in fear and began sliding away across the bed. Mark took a step, reached out quickly, and grabbed her by the ankle. She tried to wrench free and grab the edge of the bed, but she lost her grip. When she kicked him, he flipped her onto her stomach and sat on her backside. Not with his full weight, only enough to keep her from slipping away. She screamed and struggled, but it was useless. With one hand he lightly held her slender calf, and though she kicked him with her other leg with all her strength, he ignored it. She felt the cold metal clamp tight around her ankle, heard the lock click shut, and the key turn.
“No!” she cried, and stopped resisting.
Mark put the key away, then took the chain and fastened it with another lock to the small loop on the bracelet. Then he released her.

He stood and looked at Lili. She lay still for a moment, then rolled over, sat up, and examined his work. The cuff held firmly. The chain was long enough for a few steps around the room. She stood and looked at him. Tears filled her eyes.
“Try running now,” he said in a firm, calm voice. “Even if a miracle allowed you to escape, the first vagabond you meet would return you to me. Everyone would want to catch you.”
“Mark, don’t do this,” tears streamed down her face. “I’ll behave however you want. Just take it off me.”
“No,” he replied harshly. “It will teach you to think twice the next time you decide to make me angry.”

She burst into tears and sat on the bed. He turned to leave, but paused briefly in the open doorway.
“I might consider leaving you on the chain for only a few days, if I were given an answer to the question of who you are.”
He saw her think and waited tensely.
“…Will you let me go after that?” she asked after a moment.
“No,” he said, shaking his head.
After a moment she shook her head as well, buried her face in her hands, and cried. He nodded to himself and left the room.

When he returned a few hours later, she was already asleep. Her leg with the bracelet and chain stuck out from beneath the coverlet. He was glad she was no longer crying and tried not to wake her. Carefully, he lay down beside her and fell asleep.