Contrary to what Mirthal had been told, the Royal Scholar never appeared. He and Sakshi languished in the dungeon, alone together, for what felt like ages. Telling the time of day in such a dark place was impossible. That should have meant that Mirthal could sleep as much as he wanted, but no. Not with Sakshi around.
Mirthal may not have been used to the conditions he was in, but sitting in one place for long stretches of time was not unfamiliar to him. It was to Sakshi, though. She paced constantly and chattered at every opportunity. At first Mirthal had responded to her, but he soon stopped. Not that his lack of response slowed her down at all. It would have been nice if she could at least talk about something useful, like how to escape, but she was still fuming about the king's nephew.
Periodically, the younger guard Mirthal had seen before brought food and water to them. Each time he appeared, Sakshi gave him the cold shoulder. For some reason. Mirthal had been asleep the first time, so he woke up to a hard loaf of bread and a bowl of water, which was nice enough to wake up to in this kind of situation. Gnawing on bread gave him something to do. He hadn't thought to start counting the times the guard had come to them, but it had happened a few times.
The next time the guard appeared, Mirthal watched him closely. He had likely just reached the age of majority. His armor was too big on him and he constantly readjusted the wing-like coverings on his shoulders. Unsurprisingly, he always gave Sakshi her share of food and water before he gave any to Mirthal. But he never made it seem like it was a burden.
"Excuse me," Mirthal said, his voice scratching his throat on its way out. "Just how long are we going to be down here?"
"I don't know."
"I...I can't stay here."
The guard did not reply.
"Karthik," Sakshi said, voice firm. "We've been left to rot, haven't we?"
The guard's, Karthik's, shoulders drooped. "King's orders. I'm not supposed to be bringing you food or water."
Sakshi sniffed. "King's orders! As conveyed by Yash, no doubt. I didn't have that much power when I was the Royal Scholar."
"He is his nephew," Karthik said tongue tripping over saying a familiar phrase in another language.
"We wouldn't be having this problem if the queen hadn't died. The king is a sentimental old fool, in more ways than one."
This was completely irrelevant to Mirthal. This castle and the people and politics within it were all just one big obstacle.
"Is there any way we could get out of here?" Mirthal asked with gritted teeth.
"I can't help you. I shouldn't be here in the first place."
"So we're going to die in here."
Karthik flinched, but was silent.
"Karthik. Has Yash done anything about the mountains? Dispatch people to investigate, anything?" Sakshi asked.
"Not that I know of. He's mostly been in the king's chambers."
"Conveying orders."
"Yes."
Sakshi sighed heavily. "Karthik. You need to leave this place. Leave Dorssur altogether."
"Yes... I know." Karthik looked down at the floor. "But not yet. I'll keep bringing you food as long as I'm able."
"You shouldn't. Just go; don't worry about me. I'm almost fifty, anyway."
Mirthal had been willing to let the two of them talk, but hearing that infuriated him.
"That's very noble of you, Sakshi, but I'm not willing to lay down and die like you are!"
Sakshi glanced at him and grimaced. "I'm sorry you were dragged into this, but there's no need to drag Karthik into it, too."
Cursing in Elvish, Mirthal tore himself away from the conversation. He had been stuck in his dungeon for days and he had made no progress towards escaping. The entire room was made of rock. Rats were able to get in, like the one that had been sleeping on him earlier, but Mirthal couldn't figure out where.
Maybe he should come to terms with his situation—it wasn't like he could do anything else. His magic was worthless and he couldn't get a message out to the outside world.
Wait. Maybe he could. Karthik was at least sympathetic and could be convinced to take a message out of the castle.
But what would he say? If I don't return home in a few years, I was killed in Winlea would be a message that could only lead to war. What happened to Winlea was none of his concern, but if it led to elves losing their lives it wasn't a good course of action. As far as Mirthal was concerned, the people of Winlea probably deserved some kind of war after how they had treated him, but his own people did not.
Karthik and Sakshi had switched to Winlean, speaking in hushed tones. Somewhere along the way, Mirthal had become a third wheel—someone who didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It was a feeling he was wholly unfamiliar with.
When Karthik finally left, Sakshi heaved a sigh and sat hugging her knees to herself.
"That idiot won't leave Dorssur as long as I'm here," she said, as though Mirthal gave a damn.
"Why would he care?" Mirthal asked.
Sakshi smiled wryly. "It's strange, isn't it? The king isn't the only sentimental fool in this castle."
"You didn't answer my question."
For a long while, Sakshi said nothing. It seemed to Mirthal that she was finished talking. That suited him perfectly and he made good progress on his loaf of bread until Sakshi spoke again.
"Karthik lost his mother a few years ago. As far as I know, he has no father. The king, fool that he is, allows almost any man to join the castle guards if they prove themselves able. Karthik was too young, but other men in the castle helped train him to pass the tests required. They bring in a certain amount of new blood every year, you see. I saw him on his first day in the castle—he was terrified, nearly cowering. So... I told him that he was a man and to stand up straight.
"That was all it took for him to become attached. He would bring lunch for both of us and eat it with me. I often skipped lunch otherwise so I could get as much work done as I could, but suddenly I was eating it every day.
"At first, I was uncomfortable. People usually avoided me and I was happy with that. The idea of someone bringing food for me every day, when I live more comfortably than they do, was baffling. I asked him why he was spending time with me when there was an entire castle of friendlier people closer to his age. He told me that I reminded him of his mother."
Sakshi abruptly paused, shifting in her spot on the ground. It was only after she took a deep breath that she began again.
"I've never been close to someone like that, not since my own parents died. Work was always most important, but I found myself looking forward to lunch with him and listening to how his day went. Sometimes he would ask for advice and I would give it to him. It wasn't as though he made no other friends—Karthik is a pleasant boy that anyone would like. But he always made time for me. And he still does, can you believe it? Every day at lunch time..."
Sighing heavily, Sakshi buried her face in her hands.
Mirthal waited for her to continue, but Sakshi was finished. She had retreated into herself, leaving Mirthal essentially alone in the dungeon.
He took another bite of the bread Karthik brought him, chewing it slowly. After Sakshi's story, the bread almost tasted sweet.