Cruel destiny imprisoning the first-born (6)
I believe the answer is:
eldest
'the first-born' is the definition.
(the eldest child)
'cruel destiny imprisoning' is the wordplay.
'imprisoning' indicates a hidden word (the answer is imprisoned within the clue).
'ELDEST' is hidden in the letters of 'cruel destiny'.
(Other definitions for eldest that I've seen before include "heir?" , "Most senior (E, not O)" , "Most senior of a group" , "Most senior of two" , "Of greatest age" .)