The Damsel and her Knight

26th ☾ Castle Walls

The words you said to me before you left,

They're scattered in my every dream.

26th ☾

Castle Walls

It started a week after my imprisonment. There was a loud thud that could be heard from all sides, and even the ground shook. I placed back the shackles, before anyone would notice.

The prison guards didn't seem to be fazed about it, or they were only keeping a calm façade in order not to let us know what was going on outside. I listened for other distinct sounds. It didn't help that the prison chambers were located underground. It wasn't easy to tell what was going on out there.

Hiding the key inside my clothes, I focused on my surroundings. Things were happening, and a chance for escape could come any moment now. I couldn't let the other guards know that I had a key for the shackles that were around my wrists and feet. They were rest assured that I couldn't do anything for as long as I was supposedly tied up. They'd been laid back and obvious about it.

It was dark where they had kept me locked up, and the other guards hardly looked at me. It appalled them, I supposed. They only left my food and water ration outside my cell, before going back to their posts.

As for the guard who had slipped the key to me, I had seen him from time to time. He never uttered a word of explanation or informed me from where the help was coming from. Instead, in secret, he also slipped ointments and medicines in my chamber.

I recognized the smell of the decoctions and balms. They were the same ones that Janshai created to treat our wounds in camp. I used the key so that I could apply the ointments without restraint wherever it was needed. It was the closest thing I could get for a proper treatment. Henry left me half-dead the day he had summoned me to his throne room.

I didn't know why I hadn't been called to see the tyrant again. He must be fed up with me, or there was something going on out there that had been taking up his time. Aside from the increase in the number of guards here in the chambers two days ago, there hadn't been any other significant changes. I was leaning towards the latter. After all, one of the tyrant's pleasure was seeing me die slowly. The only thing that could overcast that one was something much bigger than what he saw as a pleasure to behold.

A threat to reclaim the throne would suffice.

From a distance, I could hear several people coming in. It was a bunch of guards, judging by the sound they made. And the next thing that happened was that they'd started unlocking our cells. This hadn't been a surprise, but it didn't appease my queries about what was going on.

"Out!" the guard said to me.

I carefully stepped out of the prison chamber, looking around. Five guards had been assigned to each of the prisoners. We were only a few here in the underground chambers, not more than ten.

"Keep walking!" one of them shouted.

I was the last one in the line. They didn't let us carry on a conversation, nor had they permitted any eye contact. The guards blocked every means to which we could communicate.

Another thud echoed and rattled the ground. This time, it was more disturbing. Unsteadily, all of us swung around until regaining balance. The guards instantaneously checked if we were all still here, before ordering us to move forward once again. Nobody was saying a word, but you could feel the tension as it abruptly filled the air.