Birth of Beginning and End

My friend in the dungeon

My first couple weeks as slave was easy. When I say easy I don't mean I got easy tasks to do and everyone was nice and welcoming. After my punishment, two days without water and food in isolation, Everyone looked at me like the worlds problems was my fault, even the humans. I go the hardest tasks to do, cleaning the main hall, polishing the diamond crown, as well as cleaning everyone's shoes. So how can I say it was easy? Well most of the time I spent in the dungeon, after every punishment, I did not change. I continued to talk back, I even purposely spilled the bucket of cleaning water in front of a supernatural. But they had it coming. Thinking I can't hear them when they talk crap about me behind my back. So everyone despised me, humans, supernaturals, slaves, servants and nobles. I'm not sure about royals, the only one I've met was the king, who seemed to not even acknowledge my existence, well screw him.

So anyway I've spent a lot of time in the dungeon. I guess I've gotten more skinny, I could count every bone I have in my body, interesting. Not talking about all scars from whipping and the many times they forgot to take of the cuffs, making the metal rub against my sensitive skin.

This time I got locked down because I stole food from the kitchen. Who can blame me? I'm malnourished, I need food. Guess it wasn't worth it.

"What do you think?"

I watched the rat sniff the wall next to me, before it scurried away.

"Yeah, you're right, it's just excuses." I sigh while staring up at the dark stone ceiling. The place stunk of blood, urine and vomit, a stench I've gotten used to by now.

"Talking to yourself is the first step to insanity." A gruff voice said from across the hall that separated the cells.

"Ah! I'm not talking to myself I'm talking to my friend over here, his name is Mr.Snuggle." I shouted back with my hoarse voice.

"Keep telling yourself that, princess." He snickered. Baivos, that's his name. He got locked down here ten years ago, why? He won't say. But the man is crazy that I do know, but just like everything else I've gotten used to him. His presence calms me, I don't feel as alone with him around, although I've never seen the man.

"You know instead of talking to them, you should eat them. It's the most you'll get down here, except the half bun and a cup of water a day. Take every opportunity, that's survival."

"I'll rather survive with a bit of pride as well, thank you." I mumbled to mostly myself, but seems like he heard me.

"Ah! Pride!" He laughed in his insane way he always does. "Pride is a mere illusion, what do you need pride for when you're dead? Especially you, a human, no one will remember you just because you fought to protect your pride, they'll forget you in a heartbeat, no not even that long it will take. But, if you were to fight to survive maybe they will."

"If I just fight to survive, then I'll be just like everyone else."

"Oh princess, tch, tch ,tch. You just don't understand, those humans is not fighting to live, their fighting as to not die, because they fear death. To fight to live and to fight to not die is completely different things, right?"

"No, I don't see how." I said honestly, the man was crazy.

"Ahh, so slow. I'll explain in terms that you understand, okay?"

"Please be my guest."

"So Someone who fight to not to die is someone who will do anything to prevent it, that also including discarding things that you love and hold dear. Like if it between you and your brother, you sacrifice your brother, if you have to swear loyalty towards your enemy, you do it! You stop feeling alive but you go on living because you don't want to die. You understand?"

Simple enough.

"But how is that different from wanting to survive?"

"I was coming to that." Baivos barked, he's very sensitive. "So someone who want to live is someone who does everything to do that. If they're starving and see a rat, they eat it. If there is an opportunity to climb higher on the social ladder, they'll take it. But here is the difference, someone who want to survive is someone who has a reason to survive, other than fearing death, to prove something, for revenge, to keep a promise, anything."

"But what if you just want to survive because you fear death?"

"Those fighting because they fear death is disgraceful but those who fight to survive for a different reason is the most beautiful, that's what I believe."

"But in the end, aren't they the same?"

"Shut up, kid, I'm having my dinner!" He really was sensitive, crazy and odd. But for some reason I liked him, he was different.

The next day something happened which made a big impact on me and what I did later on. It started with me waking up to the dungeon door open and slamming shut. Several footsteps could be heard, coming our way. I thought it was odd because I was sure it wasn't time for my release. But it wasn't me they came for, but Bavios. There were three men, guards, stopping outside his cell. I crawled to the front of my cell, grabbing the bars and leaning forward as much as I could to get a better look.

"What has given me this honor of such noble visit." Bavios asked in his same playful voice.

"Get up, Bavios, it's time." One guard barked as he opened the cell wide for him to get out. That was the first time I saw him. In ratty clothes and covered in dirt from head to toe, his hair covered most of his face and he had an unkept beard, but his body stood straight, not willing to slouch in defeat, no he looked like a winner.

"So it's time, huh?" He merely said as the guard slammed the cell door shut and roughly grabbed Bavios upper arm, dragging him along.

"Ow, ow, no need to be so rough, I know you're into that kind of stuff, but I really don't like PDA."

"Shut up!" The guard pushed Bavio to the ground kicking him once, twice, thrice, hard. Before dragging him his feet again.

"I don't want to hear from you again, you hear me?"

"Now, now, you have to decide one. You can't say don't speak and then ask a question, how would you feel if you were in my shoes, huh?"

"I said shut up!" The guard barked and threw  Bavio to the floor, the other two guards were standing in the back snickering at his misery and I could merely sit in my cell and stare at the scene cursing my helplessness.

"Get up." The guard again dragged him to his feet and down the hall past my cell. As they passed I stared at Bavio who was more dragged along than walking, but then I saw a smirk under all that beard and when I looked up his eyes met mine, eyes that shone with life, my view of him changed. His mouth started to form words and I had to lean closer in order to hear. Those words will always stay in my mind, up to this day I remember them well.

Who would have thought that the first time I saw the crazy man who occupied the cell down the hall wold be the last. Apparently Bavio knew he neared his time and accepted that, he accepted death, but till the last he lived strongly, never once admitting defeat. In the end I never knew what he was locked down for, even those I asked had no idea or just didn't want to talk about it. But Bavio will always be the strongest man I ever knew and he taught me something important, other than how rats taste like frogs, how frogs taste like I have no idea. Anyway he taught me what it is to fight to survive in this world, it's not all about being alive, it's about feeling alive.

"Live, kiddo." He whispered so quietly that I was afraid I imagined it. 

He was my first real friend, my friend in the dungeon.

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Show me mercy on this short chapter. Thank you for reading.

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