golden bells can't hide a cage.
She was so sore, so tired and so sick, half mad with isolation and hunger, and the grief that seized her every time she thought of Eugene, which was every waking second. There was nothing but darkness and the odd flickering candle whenever one of the shipmates brought down a small, meagre meal for her and the horrible taste of vomit in the back of her throat and the constant smell of it from the small pail which she continually threw up into, stomach constantly churning on the rough and stormy waters of this sea. The muttering she heard from the sailors who brought her food, and occassionally water to wash with, told her that they had been delayed because of weather, and when she asked how long they had been at sea for, she was shocked to find it nearly two months; she had lost sense of time when locked in the dark underbelly of the ship, and the month and a half she had spent either sleeping, crying, or being sick had all blurred into one never-ending haze. When they had at last come for her, to carry her to her prison, she could no longer fight anymore - the tall man with the frightening face ordered the smaller man who had once been masked to carry her up, and she was afraid of his strength as he had easily slung her over his shoulder and climbed steps after steps. Her eyes had watered, but not leaked, not until she had been set down in a room that was apparently her own.
The walls were stone, and the floor wood, but it was new wood, with a fresh smell, unlike the wooden flooring outside. The tall man cut her bonds, freeing her hands and feet, and she rubbed at them where the rope had chafed her, red welts in the skin. Looking up at him as he watched her, she felt almost afraid, unsure of what he would do to her.
"You look nothing like your mother." he remarked as his harsh eyes roved over her, and a sneer appeared on his face. "At least you are obedient. This room was constructed especially for you, and it's surely spacious enough. New clothes will be sent for you, but you've been left this for now, and you may wash. Gothel will wish to see you soon. Quasimodo will keep you company - and I assure you my dear, should you try and escape, you will be punished. If you don't fall out of the tower first. Quasimodo will ensure your stay is comfortable. Change first. We'll visit later."
For a second, staring up at his frightful face, fear struck her heart. And then he turned and swept away, closing the door behind her, leaving her alone in the somewhat cold room with only her thoughts for company. Automatically, she stripped out of her soiled and dirty dress, quickly washing and shivering in the cold air before she changed her underclothes and slipped on a rather plain grey and blue dress, shrugging on a grey jacket-esque wrap. Slipping her feet into some too big grey slippers, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door to explore her new home, spotting the man who had carried her up the stairs into her new prison. Huddling into her wrap and holding it closed with one hand, feeling her wedding ring as she clenched her fist, her eyes filled up with tears once more as she thought of the man she left behind before she turned to this new stranger who was to be her gaoler.
"Are... are you Quasimodo?"