The Missing Regent (A "The False Prince" Fanfic)

TWO

As Mystic galloped through the castle gates, I thought about what Imogen would say when she found out that I had gone out without any warning. I knew that she would be furious with me. Just thinking about her made my heart flood with a thousand emotions. I remember the first night that I had met her. She was just a servant girl in Bevin Connor's house. A mute. But now she was the queen of Carthya and my beloved wife. The cool night breeze brushed against the back of my neck as I traveled farther and farther away from the castle. I let my head sway back and forth as Mystic trotted along the jagged pathway.
    I hadn't exactly figured out what I was going to do when I got to Tarblade. Knowing my luck with the devils, I was fully prepared to run into danger while crossing into Avenian territory. Although Kippenger was working to rebuild a country that had been completely decimated by the war, I was still cautious. Avenia was known to be a violent country and I didn't want to take any chances.
    As I neared the Avenian border, I pulled on the reins and Mystic slowed to a brisk walk. I quickly checked my surroundings to make sure I was alone. I was about to continue forward when I heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around to see where the footsteps were coming from. No one was there. I reluctantly continued on to the edge of the border, but I felt that someone was watching me. Reaching into my satchel, I grabbed my knife and gripped it tightly as I slid off my saddle. The pathway was empty except for a few trees and bushes on both sides of the pathway. I tightened my grip on the knife, getting ready to lunge at anyone who dared to attack me. I stood silently next to Mystic, waiting for another sign of movement. Avenian thieves weren't exactly known for being discreet.
There was a rustle in the bushes to my right and I remained frozen.
Then as quietly as I could, I crept toward the bushes. When I was close enough, I grabbed whoever was there by their collar, held my knife to their neck, and yanked them around so they were facing me.
    "Fink!" I exclaimed, still trying to keep my voice down. "What are you doing here?" I lowered the knife and set him down. He scowled at me as he dusted himself off.
    "I followed you. Imogen was worried about you." I noticed one of the smaller swords hanging from a scabbard at his side.
    "Imogen was worried about me?" I asked raising an eyebrow. "I never told her I was leaving."
    "She knows you Jaron. You never run from a problem like this and never seem to be able to stay out of trouble."
    I chuckled at that. I had really married a woman who knew me well. "How did you get here so fast?"
    "I saw you leave the castle, so I took a horse and followed you." He nodded toward the trees on the other side of the path.
    "Right." I scratched my face, thinking about what I was going to do next. "Now that you're here what am I supposed to do with you?"
    "Let me come with Jaron, please! You know, the pirates do know me too."
    I thought about it for a second. "No."
    "Jaron!"
    "No. And be quiet, there are real thieves around here."
    "You're right. There are," a voice said. Then, someone hit me on the back of the head and all I saw was darkness.

                             ***

    I woke up on the dirt floor of what seemed to be a dungeon. The smell of rotting flesh filled the entire room. I gagged. This was definitely a dungeon. I had no idea where I was or how I got here. My head throbbed as I struggled to sit up straight. I rubbed the back of my head where a huge bump was beginning to form. When I had finally managed to sit upright, I looked around the dim room and noticed only one small opening in the wall directly across from where I was sitting. It was too high off the ground for me to climb out of. I attempted to stand up but the chain around my wrist prevented me from doing so. I had hoped that Fink had escaped before I was kidnapped, but a quiet grunt directly to my left proved me wrong. Fink was lying restlessly on the ground next to me.
    "Jaron?" he whispered, struggling to sit up.
    "What?" I replied, frustrated that he had gotten himself into this mess too.
    "Where are we?"
    I sighed. "If I knew that, we would've gotten out of here a long time ago."
    Fink was also chained to the wall, which made getting out of here much harder than I had anticipated.
There was very little light coming into the dungeon. The small opening in the wall, which was the only possible way out, was unfortunately blocked by rusty iron bars. The room was smaller than the dungeon back at the castle. The walls were made of solid concrete and several empty chains hung on the walls around us. The room was completely vacant with the exception of a small, torn up blanket in the far corner. Unable to stand up, I slumped against the wall thinking of a way out of this mess.
    I heard heavy footsteps approaching the room. Suddenly, the door was thrown open. Alarmed, Fink and I quickly turned only to see three men standing in the doorway. I didn't recognize any of them from my previous trips to the thieves' camp. The two biggest men started toward me. They undid the shackles on my wrists and yanked me to my feet. I was too tired to fight back. They dragged me across the room and out the door, leaving Fink alone in the dark room. The third man walked behind me, making sure I didn't try to escape, while the other two tightly gripped my arms. I had no idea where they were taking me, but I was convinced that it wouldn't be good. I had not been to the thieves camp in ages. I wondered what had prompted their sudden interest in me.