A Trial Of Emperors and Empresses

Chapter 3 - Warden

Warden ducked under the cart, readjusting his hood. His heart pounded as he approached his target. A pouch of gold coins dangling from the waist of a merchant.

Reaching out, he snatched it and turned away, leaping out from the other end. The merchant cried out, but Warden was already gone.

Racing along the rough streets of Charlestown, Warden passed by starving children. Beggars slept in the dirty streets and the few businesses who managed to stay open had few customers.

Warden opened the pouch to see his reward. A few gold coins glimmered in the sunlight. Enough for a meal. Warden marched over to his own stall, removing his cloak and hiding it under the stall.

Various meats were displayed along the top. Hungry and unsuspecting victims fell into the trap. They came and bought the meat and other items. They realized too late that it was all the work of his artistic sister.

Closing up the stall and heading home, Warden opened the door to their small hut. It was tiny, barely enough space for the 7 of them.

Ever since their mother died in childbirth, their father had prepared all the meals and done all the household chores. But it was hard for 2 young boys to run a market stand by themselves. And so the responsibility went to Warden's eldest sister, Tavi.

"I want you to enter the Trial." Mr. Lang broke the news to his children. "Tavi, Castor, Warden and Amelia. We need this."

The four eldest children of the Lang family. Tavi at 19, Castor at 17, Warden at 16 and Amelia at 14. Little Rose at 11 and Nathaniel at 6 were too young to enter. Only children from ages 14-20 were eligible for the Trial.

Tavi, Castor and Amelia agreed without question. But Warden found himself questioning it.

The pleading in his father's eyes finally did it.

"Fine. I'll enter."

***

"Tavi Lang, 19. Castor Lang, 17. Warden Lang, 16. And Amelia Lang, 14. All residents of 48 Trufield Drive." Tavi piled all their ID onto the desk and the lady examined them. Tavi wrote their names down on a piece of paper provided by the woman and smiled.

"Very well." The woman said. And just like that, all four of them were entered into the Trial.

***

"Warden Lang."

The name shook Warden's eyes open. Tavi pushed him towards the stage where he slowly climbed the steps of it.

"Ariana Summers."

Loud cheering erupted in the crowd.

"Sadie Panu."

A crying sound came from somewhere.

"Luke Payl."

Thunderous applause.

"Henry Mirack."

More applause. While the others joined him on the stage, Warden noticed how big and strong they looked next to Warden. He was wimpy and skinny from being underfed.

In the crowd below, Warden spotted the anxious eyes of his father, Tavi, Castor and Amelia. Even Rose seemed concerned while Nathaniel played with their father's collar, completely oblivious.

But Warden was fast. And smart. A thief had to be.

***

"Goodbye." Tavi whispered. Warden gathered them all in a hug. Their father trapped them there.

"Come back soon." Rose told him. Warden smiled sadly at her. The rest of them knew that Warden could very well not come back. Alive. And judging by the looks of the other competitors in the Western Kingdom, his chances of winning were very low.

"Warden. Come here." Tavi instructed. Pulling him away, she pulled out a golden locket.

"This was mother's. She gave it to me before she died." Tavi paused to blink back her tears and swallow the bike in her throat. Warden did the same. "I want you to have it. She would have wanted it too."

Warden took it, trying not to cry. He failed miserably. The locket was lined with small silver stones and made of gold. He doubted it was real but still. It clicked open and revealed a family picture of them. All except for Nathaniel.

"I don't want to die." He said, falling into Tavi's arms. She hushed him.

"If I could take your place, I would do so a million times over." Tavi reassured him, "Now get on the train."

Warden nodded, hugged his sister one last time and hopped on the train.

***

Warden walked into a girl and a boy. An opened bottle of wine and two glasses were laid out in the table next to them.

The girl had raven black hair and striking electric blue eyes. Her skin was light and pale, extremely pale. Warden could tell that she was a Northerner.

The boy had Sandy blonde hair and ice blue eyes. His face was slightly tan and his face was rounder.

"Hello. My name is Mark Fields of the Eastern Kingdom and this is Evangeline Mirrors of the Northern Kingdom."

Mirrors. Northern Kingdom.

"Yes. Lord Mirrors' daughter." Evangeline beat him there.

Warden felt a sudden incline to bow. He did. After all, he was was in the presence sense of royalty.

Evangeline didn't seem to think so. She rolled her eyes. "Oh stop that. I'm not a princes anymore."

Warden obeyed her order and shot straight up, sitting down across from her.

"Drink." Evangeline said, handing him a fresh glass of wine she had just poured. Warden accepted it and drank it. It wasn't exactly new, but it was rare. Wine was expensive and scarce in the land of the West.

"Tell us about yourself." Mark pressed. The two of them seems to notice Warden squirming in his seat.

He took a deep breath and told them everything. All about his family, his parents, how his family were super poor. He told them all about the draw, his entering the Trial and all about Tavi. He told them about the pains he had suffered through. The highs and lows throughout his life.

The words spilled and poured out of him so fast like  a waterfall. Warden couldn't stop them. And Mark and Evangeline listened. They didn't interrupt him or judge him until he stopped. And even then they didn't tease them.

To him, royals had always been pictured as rude and snotty but Evangeline was none of that.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer through all of that." She said as she refilled his cup.

Then the train slowly pulled from the station. And it moved onto the Southern Kingdom. And towards the Trial. And towards Warden's inevitable death.