Mistress by Lonely Cage

The leader of rebellion group sentence to death had conversation with new lady recruit.

-:Mistress by the Lonely Cage:-
Thmp... thmp... thmp...

"For tonight, you have been specially chosen for guard duty."

A harsh voice echoed through the enclosed chamber of the underground prison.
"Y-Yes, sir," a gentle voice replied.
"You should be proud of yourself. Not everyone receives a direct recommendation from the Commander."
His voice grew colder. "Remember..." "Don't open the cage." "And above all..." "Don't let him get into your head."

Deeper.

Colder.

Calmer.

"As you say, sir!"
THMP!
Her boot struck the stone floor, shattering the silence of the chamber.

They walked in the dark corridor.
The lamp was the only source of light in that abyss.
They reached the last room.

The man sitting on the bench beside a prison cell handed over the keys to the young guard and leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"His words..."
A pause.
"D-Don't listen to him, he can—"
The other male comrade grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer.
"All right. You're in charge of him now." "And remember my advice."
"Aye, aye, sir," the girl replied confidently.

She sat on the table beside the cell.
The corridor was almost empty. Silent, as though no soul had passed through it in years.
Even the smallest sound felt heavy.

Chn... chn...
Chains rattled against one another.
Something moved inside the cell.
She raised her lamp toward the darkness.
The light revealed a face—scarred, bearded, rugged.
The light fell across his body.
His blood-soaked body glowed beneath the lantern's light.
Every scar... Every wound... Looked like jewels engraved upon his flesh.
"Can you pass me some water?" His voice was drained.
Exhausted.
Yet perfectly controlled.
She startled at the sound of his voice. She passed the water to him with a trembling hand.
As their hands parted, her gaze met his eyes.
Wide. Sharp. Almost glowing.

He stared at her.
As though he were looking straight into her soul.
She gathered herself and spoke in a tight voice. "What? Never seen a woman in your life?"
"Never one in uniform."
He replied immediately, as if he had read her mind.

She sat on the table thinking.
"Why are they so afraid of him?"
"I don't think he can do much with those heavy chains around him."

"Hey Mistress,"
A deep voice echoed in the empty corridor, shattering the silence.
"Are you from the First All-woman Battalion the King promised?"

She startled again at the sound of his voice.
She spoke, mimicking the Commander's tone.
"Yes, I am." "And don't call me 'Mistress.' I'm unmarri—"
"NO, YOU ARE NOT!"
He cut her off mid-sentence in a harder tone. Then he continued.
"The day you wear that uniform, you get married to the nation."
"If that's not what you feel, remove the uniform and walk home."
She trembled upon hearing such words.

At that moment, she understood what the warnings were for.
He settled himself, calming down. He spoke in a calm voice. "Sorry for freaking you out."
He leaned against the wall behind him.
He lit a cigarette.
She stood abruptly.
"Who gave you that?"
He took a long drag, then slowly released the smoke.
"Don't worry. It's my final wish, granted by 'your' Majesty," he said, reassuring her.
She felt a little embarrassed by her reaction. She couldn't believe she had lost her composure so easily.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke in a lower tone.
"Don't you want to know who I am?"
She replied in a surprisingly sincere tone.
"Are you kidding me?" "Everyone in the nation knows you." "You are the notorious leader of the rebel group," "the greatest threat to our king." "Above all, a veteran commander."
She shrugged.
"That's what the Commander said."

"Oh! I see." In a teasing tone, "So you are a pet parrot of the Commander." "You are good at reciting."
She pounded her rifle on the floor, attempting to shut him up.
"Be quiet, you no-good traitor!"
He spoke regardless.
"Traitor?"
"Me?"
"Interesting."
He smiled.
"I wonder."
"What do you call a king who gives away his people's land in the name of diplomacy?"
"A profound diplomat..."
"or..."
"A traitor to his own people?"
She froze, thinking of what he had just said.
The silence of the room grew stronger with every second.
She recalled the order.
"Don't let him get into your mind." She snapped out of it.
She gathered her courage.
"Don't speak ill of his Majesty." She spoke proudly. "We remain a strong nation because of his wise judgm—"
"Is that so?" He cut off her sentence halfway again.
"Tell me..." "Who fought in the wars?"
"The king?" "The commander?" "Or the soldiers who bleed on the battlefield?"
"Tell me." He stared directly into her eyes with confidence.
She was intimidated by his question. She dragged the rifle alongside the bars of the cell.
A metallic screech filled the void.
"You better stop this, or I shall—"
"What?"
He asked without flinching, sat like a fortress.
She was frightened. But after a moment...
She spoke.
"Then I shall...
Torture you."

He blinked.
Unh...hah...hah.
He laughed uncontrollably.
"If that's what you want..." "unh..." "Be my guest." "Mistress...hah."
His laughter continued for a moment.

She stood there, watching him laughing hard.
"I want to crawl under a rock," she whispered in embarrassment.
Upon seeing her deemed face, he spoke. "I'm sorry, Mistress." But—hah..hah.. He started laughing again.
"Quit it!" "How can a stupid fellow like you become the leader of the rebellion?"
She shouted.

He questioned. "So, you tell me what type of fellow can lead a rebel?"
Dead serious, piercing her with his gaze.
She flinched. "Someone more serious, like our Commander," she declared proudly.
"Hm.. like him?" He grinned.
"Oh, right. He's the one who captured you." "Hero of our nation." She spoke in a teasing manner.

He questioned.
"Tell me, Mistress... Who is a better leader?"
"The one who surrendered himself for the sake of his men?"
"Or..."
"The one who climbed to glory over their corpses?"
"What are you suggesting?" She asked, her voice suddenly serious.
He grinned. "You only saw him in parades."
"I saw him on the battlefield."
Smashing his hand on the ground.
In regret, he continued.
"I saw what he did to the civilians of the captured village."
Chn...
She tried to stop him.
"Stop it. Not a word."
But he spoke.
"I saw him torturing them for fun."
Chn...chn...
She, at her limit, shouted at him.
"That's enough from you."
Regardless, he continued.
"I saw him taking young girls for his nightly amusement."
Chn...
"Shut up!" She shouted, pointing the muzzle of her rifle at him.
"Say one more word about him, and I'll put every bullet into you." She said through gritted teeth.

He smirked and said.
"You think a mere rifle will shut me up?"
"Save your bullets. My fate is already sealed."
"But tell me, Mistress."
Chn...
"Will your violence change the sin he committed?"
Chn...
"Will it change the suffering of them?"
Chn...
"Will it revive the honor of their girls?" "Will it?"
With every rattling sound, the tension grew in that closed chamber.
The silence felt heavy with each passing second.
Overloaded by emotion, she took her seat and sat down.
Her thoughts had taken over. Each second created different scenarios.
"Who's right?"
"Captain wouldn't fall that low."
"He was just messing with my mind?"
"Every word he spoke is a lie."
But....
"What if he was telling the truth?"
The silence recaptured the corridors.
The chattering of rats echoed from one corner to another.
Mistress sat on the guard chair.
One hand supporting her head, a distinct look in her eyes, as she traversed through a rally of thoughts.
The emptiness of the hall only magnified her sensitivity. Her viewpoint shattered as she went deeper into her thoughts.
Frrch...
A sound of a lighting match echoed in that despaired corridor.
"Hey... Mistress."
The man spoke with a cigarette in his hand.
"Don't think too much about it."
"Time will reveal the truth itself."

"Don't talk to me."
She angrily shut him down.
"They warned me that you played mind tricks."
"So don't speak to me."
She pounded her foot on the ground.

He asked in a confused state.
"Truth be told,"
"I don't know when truth becomes a mind game?"
"Stop it! I can't handle it anymore."
She spoke in a sluggish manner.
"If you continue..."
"my perspective will change..."
"And I might side with you."
Hah..haah..haaah.

Upon hearing such words, the man broke into laughter.
He spoke, still laughing.
"You don’t need to side with me."
"You have an honorable post. Just work for others' sake."
"And ask questions before taking an action."

Bham...
The door of the underground prison opened.
Seven officers walked in, led by the Commander himself.
"Well, well. What do we have here?"
He questioned in a puzzled manner.
"Soldiers, four of you remove his chains and take him to his final destination."
"And you, my dear, you did a great job. Only a few can resist him."
He raised his hand towards her to applaud her.
In that instant, she hit his hand with her own and cried out,
"Don't touch me."
Everyone was shocked.
She stood frozen.
She didn't think before reacting in such a manner.
She immediately apologized for her behavior.
The Commander smirked.
"I see. He was able to taint your pure soul too."
He pointed towards a guard and ordered him,
"Guard outside the door until she comes up."
"And you," pointing towards her,
"Sit here and introspect on your actions."
"Yes, sir." She replied.
After the commotion was over,
She sat by the empty cell.
Thinking.

"Now, I know why everyone warned me about him."
"Not because he is dangerous."
"Nor because he is an enemy of the nation."
"But because of what he can do to your mind.

Hah..haaaaaaaaah.

She broke into laughter in amazement.

The end.

Bhairav Kālike Namostute.