A Savior's Worth (Book #3)

Chapter Forty-Seven

Henry refused to lift his head as he, Leanne, and Eldon were led to the darkened corridor. He could feel the stares from servants—their pitiful gazes that made him feel worse than he already did.

"I never thought we would be locking a royal in a cell," said one of the guards standing post in front of the dungeon door.

"It's only temporary," another commented, urging Henry forward as the door was opened for them.

Henry spared a quick glance toward Eldon who appeared to be silently seething. They headed down the perilous stone steps and down the row until they halted in front of a cell toward the middle. A guard—Sir Alfred, Henry recognized—slid it open and tossed Eldon inside, causing him to land harshly onto the ground. Henry gritted his teeth and attempted to step forward, except the guard holding tightened his grip, preventing him from moving more than a few inches.

Eldon calmly rose to his feet and glowered at Alfred, which merely brought a chuckle from the older man.

"Now you are exactly where a scoundrel belongs," Alfred ridiculed.

Eldon tilted his head. "So, why ain't you in here with me?"

While the other guards appeared threatened by the statement, Alfred laughed again. He stepped into the cell and paused for a moment in front of Eldon. Then he punched Eldon in the side of his face. The impact dropped Eldon down again with a grunt.

Leanne gasped. "Eldon!"

Henry sneered at Alfred. "What are you doing?"

Alfred bent down and clutched Eldon by his hair, yanking his head back so that Eldon would look at him. "Orders by King Philip," he said. "We shall do what we must to get the answers from you, boy."

"I ain't tellin' you shit," Eldon growled.

"We will see about that." Alfred released him and kicked him in his side. Eldon groaned but remained still.

"Don't do this," Henry begged, earning Alfred's interest. "None of this was his fault. I... I forced him into going. He knew the consequences and could not bear the idea of getting into trouble, but I told him to stop being cowardly and accompany Princess Elouise. I convinced him he would be in even more trouble if he did not go." And he exhaled slowly, relieved at how smooth the words had spewed out of him.

Unfortunately, Eldon shook his head. "He's lyin'. If anyone was convinced into goin', it was him."

"Now that makes more sense," Alfred agreed.

Henry frowned and looked away, his cheeks becoming awfully warm. "Very well, then. What is the truth is that Leanne had nothing to do with this. We stopped by Ilsen, and she decided to come back with us. You must release her."

Alfred eyed Leanne curiously. "His Majesty did not mention your name. I suppose we can ask him about you."

She merely rolled her eyes.

Then Alfred grinned at Eldon as he punched him again—beneath his chin. Henry grimaced when Eldon turned his head and spat out blood. He then closed his eyes, frightened to see Eldon's healing power being revealed to the guards.

However, there weren't any astonishing gasps over such a phenomenon. So, Henry forced himself to look for himself.

Eldon wasn't healing at all as he endured more thrashings from Alfred. After a particularly harsh strike, Alfred grabbed Eldon by his hair a second time.

"Stop this," Henry urged, attempting to pull free from his guard's grip. "Do you truly think Princess Elouise would be happy to know about what you are doing to her knight?"