Journey of Phantasia: Red Tongues

Red Tongues

The doors of the cage rattled in the dungeon as a tall, familiar shadow cast over the boy who was chained by his neck to the wall. In the vague light of the only torch, a man with grey skin and dark hair tied in a ponytail was seen standing in the opening. The grey man looked, with his black eyes and red, grief-and-guilt-stricken pupils before he sighed, and stepped towards the grouchy boy to undo his bindings.

"You really have to stop doing this, Ayan."

The boy shivered as the cold chain clanked loudly to the ground. He sat still with his arms over his knees while looking dead-pan forward.

"Your brother really just has a soft spot for hurting me, doesn't he?"

The grey-skinned man scratched behind his grey pointed ears, and then extended a friendly, armour-clad hand to the boy. "He can't help it either, if you keep behaving like that." Ayan sighed, and took the hand, using it as leverage to stand up.

"Sorry, Nandor." The dark-elf grinned uncomfortably, moving his hand behind his back as soon as Ayan had let go.

"No worries. Now please, come upstairs. The queen wants to speak with you."

Ayan washed and dressed himself before he was allowed to go to the throne-room to speak with the queen. He had a nasty feeling in his gut about it. Queen Tangrana had been just as mean to him as Ladanor had been, so he wondered what she wanted to speak to him about. "Probably nothing good." he muttered, and he cringed as he put on his weathered vest. He could still feel the sting of the whip on his back. 

Before long he stood in the throne room, with Her Royal Majesty Tangrana on the heavily decorated throne. Ladanor, the firm, tall, white-haired dark-elf stood fiercely still besides her throne, like a wind-dog waiting on the command of its master. Ayan didn't want to pay him any mind. He didn't like dogs. And he liked Ladanor and Tangrana even less. But, the feeling of disgust he had for them soon turned to unease. Tangrana began to speak.

"We have, once again, caught you red-handed trying to steal from the royal kitchens-" She said.

"That was because I was hungry." Ayan interrupted.

"Silence. And, once again, you have attempted to break into the princess' royal quarters,-"

"Because you locked her in there." Ayan interrupted again.

"Be quiet!" hissed Tangrana. Ladanor, still at her side, eyed daggers at the boy as one of his hands moved to the hilt of his sword. The queen merely raised her hand. Rings clinked and glimmered on her fingers.

"Calm down, Ladanor." She said as she turned her head to her guard. He stopped. She turned back to Ayan.

"We are, however, after some discussion, willing to let those, and all other previous transgressions, be forgotten."

Ayan blinked in surprise. Did he hear that right? She used difficult words to confuse him, that was for sure, but he kept quiet in case she decided to let Ladanor have a go at him.

"Simply said... We of the royal house of Eldivar are willing to let you go. And-" Ayan failed to see the smirk that graced Tangrana's blood-red-tinted lips.

"We have also, in our ceaseless mercy, granted you a chance."

"A chance of what?" Ayan asked, more curious than cautious. He could already taste the sweet, sweet freedom of no longer being on the run, and he cracked a smile of relief.

"Your last." Tangrana added, in such a strict and quick tone that Ayan almost fell. He blessed Nandor that he stood behind him to catch his fall. Nandor was there to accompany him to the throne room, even though he'd been here countless times before. Ayan couldn't do it himself. Not with these chains on his wrists and his ankles. He quickly got his attention back as Tangrana continued;