[IC] Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

[sukikyoufu]

Rising to her feet she moved towards his cell reaching inside for the empty glass. On top of that she grabbed the one that had been knocked over as she had noticed it earlier. Probably kicked more like. Reaching inside the jumper she was wearing shifted revealing the discolouration around her wrist, the bruises were still there from two nights ago, but she had barely noticed them now. Not with the bruise on her cheek. Taking the glasses, she moved towards the stairs that led to the door to exit he basement, she had heard his next questions but deemed getting water was more important than answering them. Plus, she didn’t know what to say, she didn’t understand herself why she had done what she did.

Why did I bring him here in the first place? What was I even thinking?

Frowning as she thought on it more, confusion swept her face as she rinsed out the glasses to refill them. He is thirsty, I’ll do the both of them. It’s the least I can do. Watching as the water filled the glass, she felt a bit dazed, zoning out as she held the glass under the tap it took a few minutes to realise they had overfilled, and water splashed down her arm. Shaking her head out of the daze she turned off the tap waving off the water before she headed back down into the basement, two glasses in hand. Readjusting to the dimmer light downstairs she placed the glasses inside his cell so he could reach them easily before returning to the chair she had sat at before.

“In answer to your questions, I-I don’t know.” Glancing over at Cas she could see the cut on his cheek now there was light in the room, and she winced knowing her father had been the cause of that. She was certain he probably had more injuries, but she didn’t want to think on it or ask because it would only worsen the guilt she felt. “I was gullible enough to think you wouldn’t get hurt. My mind was all over the place, I allowed myself to be convinced that you and your father would kill me. That it was the only option left.” Looking down at her hands in her lap she shifted on the chair, trying to get comfortable. “When you sentenced those two people to death, I didn’t know what to think, I was overwhelmed by the memories returning all at once and then I was fearful because I honestly thought I was going to die... I’m not excusing my actions or making excuses.”

Pausing slightly as she thought back on the events in the forest. “I hesitated in the forest, I wanted to tell you the truth and run, but… Ethan had other ideas and by that point it was too late.” Pulling up her legs on the chair she wrapped her arms around them hugging them close to her chest. “I know I’ve made a grave error; I know I’ve completely messed everything up and I will have to account for it.”

[Rogue Sloth]

As Iris left the basement without answering his question, Cas sighed to himself and resumed eating the bread she had left for him. It was probably for the best that he didn’t know the answer anyway. He didn’t know why he’d even bothered to ask. Maybe he was just a glutton for punishment, because he already knew she didn’t actually care about him. She was just playing an angle like she had been in the capital, and he was letting her get away with it. He had to stop asking her about her motives when all he was going to get were more lies as she tried to coax him to let down his guard around her.

When she returned, he tried to hold fast to his resolution by not speaking to her, but his eyes still wandered compulsively to the glasses of water in her hands. He’d only expected her to bring one, so the second cup came as a surprise. As soon as she reached inside his cell to set them down, he shifted closer to grab one and then paused. The sleeve of her shirt had pulled away from her wrist, revealing a dark bruise that looked like it had formed recently. He wondered where it had come from. Probably her father, he thought with a pang of frustration. After seeing the rebel leader strike her across the face earlier, he wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that.

He picked up one of the glasses and lifted it to his lips to drink as she settled down in her chair again. To his further surprise, she belatedly answered his question. The sincerity in her voice made his resolve waver, but he hid it behind the second cup of water, having finished off the first. The cool liquid felt heavenly in his dry mouth, and it brought some psychological comfort as well, since he was no longer concerned about succumbing to the effects of severe dehydration. Now, he only had two options: He would either succeed at escaping from the rebels or he would fail and be killed in two days. At least now his chance of surviving had increased from thirty-three percent to fifty. It was better than nothing.

Draining the second glass, he set it back down with a relieved exhale and scooted back over to the wall to lean back. Pretending that his feet were still bound with the rope he’d draped over his ankles was uncomfortable, but he didn’t trust Iris enough to let her know he was halfway free from his bonds. If she was still tricking him—and he was sure she was—she could tell Regis or Ethan that he’d slipped out of the ties, and one of them would bind his legs again. If the leader found out, he’d probably rough him up too. He shuddered at the thought.

“Hindsight’s a bitch, huh?” was all he said when Iris finished speaking. He purposefully avoided looking at her, knowing he would be swayed by the pain on her face if he saw it. Instead, he drew his knees to his chest and gazed up at the window, trying to see if he could distinguish any buildings outside that might give him a clue as to where he was.

[sukikyoufu]

Hearing his words at how hindsight was a bitch she wanted to agree, but she kept her mouth shut. A part of her felt like he didn’t want to talk anymore, and she didn’t blame him. After all the lies and betraying him if she was in his position, she would feel the same. Thankfully he had drunk the water, at least he was eating and drinking regardless on the quality of it. The bread was stale, and the water wasn’t purified, it was clear how the quality different from stuff in the Capital. Something she would never have known had she not eaten in the Capital, but he eating and drinking and that was something.

“Yeah…” Standing back up she wondered what the time was, I can’t risk him coming home and seeing this. It will only anger him. “I wish I could let you have ore sunlight, but he will hurt you for it.” Making her way to the small window she hooked the wooden slate back up making sure it was secure, the room enveloped in darkness once more and she grabbed the empty glasses from the cell. “I’ll bring some more water later.” Hesitating as she wanted to say more, she decided against it, it wasn’t the time, or the place and she didn’t want to have anymore arguments.

I hope he will be okay. I’ve done such a terrible thing.

Moving out of the basement she shut the door behind her gently as she headed into the kitchen to put away the glasses. There was no evidence that he had been given food or water so no reason her father would get mad if he came home. But what do I do now? Leaning against the kitchen side she looked out of the window watching for any passers-by, watching out for her father or Ethan but no one came. Not yet. Washing the dirty dishes that were in the sink she sighed as she thought on what had led her to this point in life, how had she become so disloyal and would betray someone. Who am I?

In a world of her own as she continued to wash the glasses with a dirty rag, she looked down seeing some plates alongside a few pieces of cutlery. Deciding that she may as well clean the rest whilst she was here, she continued to clean up the dirty dishes feeling on edge, scared of her own shadow. There was a pit in her stomach that she couldn’t explain right now and she had been so lost in her own thoughts she didn’t hear the sound of someone entering her home not until she felt someone wrap their hands around her waist.

Gasping she instantly turned around slapping whomever it was, but when she saw the man stumble back after her hand connected with their face she cringed. “Ah… Ethan. I.. I I’m sorry. I didn’t mean too. You startled me.”

Ethan nervously chuckled hiding the slight annoyance he felt at the fact she had hit him, rubbing his cheek from the hit as he looked at her “Ah no worries. I snuck up on you. It’s okay.”

“What are doing here?” Tentatively asking as she looked at the door, no sign of her father just yet.

“I came to check up on you and well… apologise. I know it’s not your fault for what happened. For cheating on me. I was mad, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” Ethan coughed as he looked out of the window, he wasn’t really sorry but between his father and hers nagging at him to get back together with her this would be the easiest option. Apologise even though it wasn’t his fault.

[Rogue Sloth]

Either there were no other buildings around, or they were spaced just far enough away that they couldn’t been seen through the vantage point the window offered Caspian. He clicked his tongue softly in disappointment when he conceded that the only sight he could glean was that of the cloudy sky overhead. Although it probably didn’t matter anyway. If he’d been taken somewhere outside the capital, he wouldn’t be able to recognize any landmarks in the area. He’d never left the border walls before, because the high born district was vast enough to keep him occupied as a child, and when he was older, the war against the Scourge had kept all upper class citizens barred to their home city for the most part. Since Regis had appeared once, he was pretty sure he wasn’t in the capital anymore.

He glanced at Iris and merely shrugged when she warned him that she was going to be covering up the window again. That didn’t matter either. The brief glimpse he’d gotten of the outside world had helped him orient himself at least a little, so he could stand to sit in darkness for another day. Plus, just knowing that there was a window in the basement was enough. Now he had an exit point to use when he made his escape. He wouldn’t have to risk running into any other rebels in the house because he could just climb out of the room and make a run for it once he got outside. Just the thought of it hastened his heartbeat with anticipation, and he had to look away from Iris to keep from giving away his eagerness. Only when the basement was bathed in darkness did he risk looking up at her again.

“Okay,” he said noncommittally when she told him she would bring more water later. The part of him that had been raised to say please and thank you squirmed at his lack of appreciation for what she was doing, but he needed to keep an emotional distance so he wouldn’t be duped again. Even if it meant dropping his manners for a while, it was the safer thing to do as long as he was unsure who’s side she was on.

The prince tracked Iris with his eyes until she left the room. The instant he was alone, he reached into his pocket to retrieve the screw he’d hidden away, continuing his work on the rope around his wrists. Now that he knew he only had two days left before the rebels would kill him, he needed to act fast. Just a little more… he thought urgently, biting down on his lower lip as he sawed at the threads. Once these are off, all that’s left is to figure out a way out of this cell, and then I’m out of here.

--

Jacob paced drummed his fingers restlessly against the arm of his chair, watching the surveillance team sift through thousands of live camera feeds. It had been one day since they had discovered their prince was missing, and they were making steady progress on narrowing down his location, but every second that passed was another second their enemies had to torture or even kill the heir to the Aspirian crown. They needed to track him down as quickly as possible or King Atlas would veritably massacre his own security team in outrage.

Yesterday, they had obtained the footage from a camera on a building near the forest, which showed the prince and his company exiting the vehicle and venturing into the trees. At that point, he still appeared to be in good health and acting on his own free will. However, as expected, the angle of the lens hadn’t caught what had happened after they had wandered off. On a hunch, Jacob had requested the reel from a camera on the other side of the woods, one that belonged to the border guard who monitored activity at the edge of the city. Lo and behold, the footage revealed their missing link, and he and the other guards had watched in abject horror as the two missing terrorists carried the unconscious body of their future king to the trunk of a car.

What was even more frustrating to Jacob was the fact that there was always a soldier on duty to keep watch of the forested part of the border, but no one had raised any alarms when the kidnapping occurred. He dug a little deeper only to find that the man who had been tasked to monitor the woods had been asleep on the job. Naturally, he fired him on the spot.

Now, fifteen hours since then, he had been working with the surveillance team to pull up footage from the cameras that had been installed throughout the rest of the kingdom. They were searching for the beat-up vehicle that the rebels had used to escape, hoping to use it to narrow down the district that Caspian may have been taken to. It was the best lead they had so far, but after going through camera after camera for hours on end, Jacob was starting to get impatient. If nothing turned up in the next twenty minutes, he intended to leave and—

“I’ve got a hit!” an excited voice interrupted his thoughts. One of the soldiers had frozen his screen on a camera, on which the car they had been looking for could plainly be seen. The plate number was a match. “The vehicle is in the Bel Bicis district near forty-third street and fifty-second avenue.”

“Good work, soldier,” Jacob said, his eyes widening as he stood up from his chair. Reaching for his com device, he began barking orders, “We’ve narrowed down Prince Caspian’s location to the Bel Bicis district. I want scouts heading to that area immediately to figure out which building the prince is being held hostage in. Focus search parties around the intersection at forty-third fifty-second, but don’t limit yourselves. We’re getting close, men. We can’t let them slip away.”

[sukikyoufu]

You’re not sorry, she wanted to tell him but held her tongue because she was not ready for whatever argument that would transpire from her statement. “That’s okay. I’m sure I would have reacted the same if I was in your shoes.” Iris was certain that was a lie because she didn’t think she would react the same, sure she would be hurt but if they had suffered from amnesia. If they hadn’t known who they were or understood their actions she was certain she would sympathise. Plus, I’d never be that angry, not to hurt someone like that. Well I’d like to think so.

“So, what do you think?” Ethan grinned as he looked at Iris, putting on his usual cheeky charm in hopes to win her over.

“H-Huh?” Wincing at him as she looked over Ethan not realising, he had been talking to her for the past minutes and she had completely zoned out. “What do you mean by that?”

Sighing as he let his shoulders drop, the smile turning into a frown as he shook his head. “That amnesia has really made you into a ditz you know.” Scratching the back of his head he grinned once more laying on the charm now he knew she was paying attention. Taking a step forward he touched her arm gently before pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear, “I was saying, how about giving me another chance? Perhaps we could start again. Get back to how we used to be. I’m sure I can muster up some romantic dates for us.”

Feeling her face drop at his words, the touch as he became quite friendly. “O-Oh… I-I. I.” Stuttering as she looked around feeling very awkward all of a sudden. “I just. Well.” Taking a step back as she rubbed her arm grimacing, hesitating on what to say. “I just don’t think I’m ready, not with everything currently. I ju…”

“You still like him don’t you.” Ethan sighed heavily shaking his head as he couldn’t help but tut. “Honestly wake up Iris, he doesn’t like you. You crushed his heart, betrayed him and you still think he would be interested.”

“N-No!” Taking a deep breath as she mustered up the courage on what she truly wanted to say to him. “I just don’t like you. There I said it, I don’t want to be with you. I’m sorry.” Iris sighed as she felt a huge weight lifted at admitting that she didn’t like him. Perhaps it was the amnesia that started this, but I feel nothing for him. Maybe this will stop him from making any sort of moves.

“Oh, I get it… crystal clear.” Ethan narrowed his eyes, turning on his heel he moved towards the door but stopped. “I never loved you anyway, you were just some fun in this shithole life.” Spitting out his words as he slammed the door behind him leaving her alone in the home once more. It was spiteful, he didn’t need to say it, but he wanted to last word. Ethan wanted to make her feel like crap just like he was feeling right now.

Great. That ended well. Folding her arms as she moved off to her room done with the day, she didn’t want to face anyone not even her father when he came home. “What an idiot.” Grumbling to herself as she moved to her room to try and get some rest, she wouldn’t risk taking Cas water until she knew her father had been home.

[Rogue Sloth]

After making a few more calls and sending a small team to tail the car they’d spotted, Jacob dialed up Atlas to inform him that they were on track to getting the prince back. Of course, the king made a point to tell him that the use of force was essential, and that they were to execute all rebels on site without exception if any were there when the rescue team arrived. Jacob had already expected that they were to use extreme measures, so he agreed to the orders without complaint. Any rebels who were in the area were almost certainly complicit in the kidnapping of Aspiria’s next monarch, so they deserved to be punished for their treason. He intended to make sure his men knew not to show them any mercy. No one who had joined the Scourge deserved it.

After hanging up the phone when his conversation with Atlas was over, he spent the afternoon waiting with the surveillance team for updates on Prince Caspian’s whereabouts. They hoped that when the vehicle moved, it would lead them straight to the building where he was being held. Instead, they came upon a surprise.

“What the hell?” one of the men who’d been watching the screen exclaimed, leaning toward his monitor with squinted eyes.

“What is it?” Jacob prompted. He tightened his jaw slightly, concerned that the soldier had seen something that would throw off their search.

“I think it’s…” the other man started and then trailed off, turning to a different computer screen in front of him to dig through the database for something. After a pause, his eyes widened, and he looked back up at the live feed. “It’s that bastard, Nox-Fleuret!”

“Are you fucking serious?” Jacob jumped to his feet and hurried to the man’s side to see for himself. To his shock, the leader of the rebellion was one of the people getting into the car. Their missing prince had unintentionally led them right to him. “I’ll be damned,” he shook his head, then suddenly remembered the scouts he had sent after the vehicle and quickly accessed his com device. “Keep your distance,” he ordered his team sharply. “I’ve got eyes on Regis Nox-Fleuret. If we play our cards right, we can bring this whole god damn rebellion to the ground in a matter of hours.”

Do you still want us to follow the vehicle, sir? One of the scouts asked.

“Affirmative,” Jacob replied. “Tail them, but don’t engage. When the car stops, tell me the coordinates. It may be the place where they’re keeping our prince.”

The soldier agreed to the commands, and Jacob ended the conversation. “I’ll be right back,” he said to the other men in the room. “I need to tell His Majesty that Prince Caspian may have just led us to the son of a bitch who’s been causing all of us so much trouble.”

--

After a few tedious hours of cutting in between more naps, Cas finally managed to break free from the rope that had bound his hands. As soon as it fell off, he sighed in relief and rubbed his sore wrists. All that was left was to figure out a way to escape from his cell. Now that he knew he was in a makeshift prison in the basement of a house, he felt more confident about his odds of getting out on his own. There had to be a weak spot somewhere that he could use. Determined to find it, he climbed to his feet and began examining the bars that kept him stuck inside.

This process also took hours. At a glance, the metal poles seemed secure, so he had to study each one individually, pushing and pulling on the bar in different spots and checking the bolts that held it in place on the floor and ceiling. By the end of it, he determined that he wasn’t going to be able to remove one with his bare hands, but he did have a few pieces of scrap that he’d found on the floor. One of which was the screw he’d used to get out of his ties.

On a whim, he toyed with the bolts on the floor of one bar, trying to fit the screw into the groove of each fastening. The pointed end was too thin, and the screw itself was too wide to fit lengthwise. However, when he tried slipping part of the flat end of the screw into the bolt, it worked. With a twist of his wrist, he could loosen the bar from the ground. The revelation sent his heart racing with excitement, and he set to work pulling up each bolt one by one, getting closer to escaping from the rebels with each passing minute.

[sukikyoufu]

Amongst all the madness Iris had found her phone, it had plenty of missed calls and messages from various different people with all different dates. Sat on her bed she began to scroll through her phone catching up, there was messages from Ethan starting out how he loved her, he worried for her to now she was a cheating bitch and didn’t deserve any happiness. It made her wonder about his mental state and if he was really okay because she had noticed the fluctuating moods of his, it did concern her but after everything she just couldn’t bring herself to message back. There were also messages from her father, again having a similar range of how he was proud of her, he missed her, and he loved her to don’t talk to the prisoner. Don’t give him food or water or else. Frowning she shook her head as she looked at the messages, she knew her father could be temperamental, so it made sense. Especially with the amount of alcohol he usually consumed on a day to day basis.

One message did catch her eye, the sender was called Maisie. Gasping she clutched her head as more of her memories returned, this time it was all about her best friend Maisie. Memories of how they used to hang out together, play in school. Sleepovers, laughter baking cakes and goods that they ended up burning. All innocent childhood memories and she knew this was her best friend, her best friend who worked with her father David in one of the bakeries here. How could I forget? Rubbing her head as she read the messages on her phone.

Omg, you are the talk of the town missy. Cosying up with a Prince!!! You’ll have to tell me all about it. Was he a good kisser?

Hey, your father and Ethan don’t want me visiting. Something about amnesia. I hope you’re okay. Let me know.

Iris. I’m worried. Ethan is in such a rage about you. I honestly don’t think you should be with him. That temper is nasty, you’ll get hurt. He hurt you badly before, I don’t know if you remember that, but trust me. He is not good for you.

Me again, Iris. You’re not a killer. I know you want what’s best for us, I know that’s the point of Hope. Not like this. Plus… I think you really like him; I know it’s your family on the line, but for once put yourself first. I’m here if you need me.

“Oh Maisie…” Iris sighed heavily looking at her phone, it was good to know she did have someone here on her side supporting her. It did also give her an idea.

Maisie, I need your help. You’re right, I can’t go into details, but I’m going to do something. I need supplies. If I get them it will raise suspicion. I’m going to follow my heart on this one.

Sending the text back to her friend she began to rummage through her wardrobe looking for something she could put Cas in, something that would hide him whilst running. Her mind had been made up, she had to break him out. She had to make this right and get him back alive even if she was killed for it. I hope he will trust me on this though. Shaking her head as she got one of her back packs packing in important things they would need; Maisie would get her the rest of the supplies she was certain of it. She could count on her. Feeling her phone vibrate she saw the message of her friend and felt the relief.

Say no more. I’ll disguise it with the trash. Iris. Be careful, I wish I could do more.

Smiling at the confirmation Maisie would get the supplies she returned to putting in what little supplies she did have; she would keep this hidden until the right moment. It would have to be tonight.

Regis on the other hand was making his way back home, he was quite merry already because it was going to happen. They were finally going to kill the Prince and be rid of the monarchy that had squashed them down. His daughter was behaving, she hadn’t caused any trouble and although she had refused Ethan he could work on that once the Prince was out of the way. “Everything is looking up.” Sighing happily as he stumbled into his home, merry for the alcohol he had already consumed today. Glancing at the time he assumed his daughter was in bed, unless she was with the Prince and had disobeyed his orders.

Anger swept through him at the idea of her down there with him chatting like the other day, giving away their family secrets. “He deserves no pity.” Growling to himself as he shut the door behind him, eyes looking at the door to the basement knowing he would have to go check to make sure she hadn’t disobeyed him.

[Rogue Sloth]

It took a while for Caspian to break out of his cell. Some of the bolts holding the bars were in place more tightly than the others, so they took longer to pry up, and at one point, part of the screw head he’d been using snapped off under the pressure. Fortunately, it was still just big enough to be useable, so he managed to keep going a bit more carefully than before. He only used the screw to loosen the fastenings enough for him to twist them out with his hand, then moved on to the next. All the while, he tuned his ears to the basement door, ready to hurry away from the edge of his cage at the first hint of a noise upstairs. He was so close to freedom; he couldn’t lose his chance by getting caught now.

A couple times, he shuffled back to his spot by the wall when he thought he heard someone coming, but luckily, the rebels didn’t seem to think he needed a guard today—tonight? He was starting to lose track of time again. Whatever part of the day it was, he knew he still had at least some time left, because no one had arrived to collect him to be killed. So, he worked diligently until he pried the cell bar up from the ground. The sight of the gap got him excited, and he gently propped the metal pole against the wall to keep it from clattering on the floor. Once it was safely out of the way, he stepped back over to the opening as quietly as he could and tried to squeeze through. However, to his disappointment, it wasn’t quite big enough for him to fit.

I would’ve thought I’d lost at least some weight after going a few days without anything to eat other than two slices of bread, he thought, whispering swears as his shoulders and hips caught on the closest bars. Even if he let out all his breath, he wasn’t quite skinny enough to slip through. He wasn’t overweight by any means, but he’d inherited a broad frame from his father and had some meat on him from his workout routine that he kept up with when his life wasn’t constantly changing. The effort he’d put in to stay fit was turning around to bite him in the ass now though. If he wanted to get out of the Nox-Fleurets’ basement, he was going to have to pull up another bar.

Accepting defeat, Cas retreated back into his cell and picked up the screw from the floor to resume loosening bolts on another pole. By this point, he’d gotten more efficient at the process, so he finished removing the barrier in what he guessed was around fifteen minutes. He pulled it out of place and set it next to the other one. This time, he had more than enough room to get out of his cage. Adrenaline pumping, he furtively stepped through the gap and turned toward the boarded-up window. This was the most progress he’d made so far, and he could feel the pressure setting in. If he messed up, he wasn’t going to get a second chance. He had to move fast before the rebels got curious and came downstairs to check on him.

With a silent clock ticking in the back of his head, he approached the wall and reached up to pull the strip of wood out of place. The light that poured into the basement made his eyes water, but he didn’t have time to stop and adjust to the change. Wasting no time, he doubled back to the chair that Iris had sat in during her last visit, picking it up and setting it beneath the window to stand on. He leaned up to the opening and traced his fingers over the pane, searching for a latch to open it. There was one on the bottom edge, and he grinned to himself as he pushed it open.

On the other side of the glass, he could see a few dilapidated buildings—the rebels must have hidden him on one of the old streets that hadn’t been reconstructed yet—but he didn’t think much of it. Hs first priority was getting away from Regis, Ethan, and Iris. After that, he could figure out how he was going to find his way back to the capital. One step at a time, he assured himself, placing his hands on the sill and tensing to pull himself up. While his toned muscles hadn’t helped him get out of his cell, they definitely helped him lift his weight off the chair, so he could climb out of the basement.

He was just about to poke his head through the passage when he realized too late that he hadn’t been paying attention to the door anymore. His eyes widened, and he hurried to scramble out as he heard the sound of someone else coming into the room behind him.

[sukikyoufu]

Regis didn’t know what he was expecting when he walked down into the basement, but what he laid eyes on sent an immense rage through his whole body. His heart began to hammer away in his chest as he saw the bars tampered with, the Prince trying to climb out of the small window opening no longer tied up in his cell. The rage that coursed through his body momentarily stunned him as he saw the scene, for a moment he had completely forgotten himself as his eyes narrowed at the Prince who was desperately trying to escape them.

“WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?.” Shouts left his lips as he rushed forward, hands grasping the Princes ankles as he pulled him harshly back inside not caring if he hurt the Prince. All reason had left Regis at this point. Pulling him down the floor he raised his booted foot and slammed it into the Princes stomach as hard as he could, as if he was squashing some insignificant fly at the bottom of his shoe.

“I swear to god I will kill you right here and now.” His voice had turned dangerously low as he knelt down to the Prince, hands moved to the brown locks of hair on his head as he forcefully dragged him back into his cell by his hair, however Regis wasn’t finished. He was far from done and felt it was high time he taught the Prince a valuable lesson today. “It’s time I taught you manners, it’s clear that it’s something you lack.” Spitting at the Prince as he rolled up the sleeves of his tartan red top. You could see the anger in his eyes, the rage that filled him and his body shook with anticipation.

Curling his hands into fists he wasted no time in punching the Prince, first the stomach area that he had already kicked. One, two… three hard punches one after the other as if Regis was tenderising some meat to cook for dinner. A wicked smiled crossed his lips as he looked Caspain in the eye, moments later the fist that had been punching his stomach went to his jaw. Grunting as his fist connected with Caspains jaw he felt the pain run up his right arm from the power and rage that fuelled the punch. Even though it had caused Regis pain his anger was being soothed as he used the Prince as a personal punching bag, releasing his pent up anger out on the Prince.

“Don’t worry. I’ll end your miserable life. Maybe I’ll move it forward to now.” Cold words left his mouth as he took a moment to compose himself. His hand went to his pocket and just like last time he pulled out a pocketknife, it gleamed in the light that was filling the basement and the wicked smile turned into a menacing one. “No one will care if I scar you.”

Standing back up Regis used his left up to push the Prince to his feet, pushing him against the wall in his cell as his left hand wrapped around his throat to hold him in place. Fingers pushing against the skin on his neck to make it difficult to breathe, showing the Prince that he had the upmost power in this situation. In his right hand he twirled the pocketknife as he licked his lips, madness and rage had consumed the rebel leader and he relished in watching the Prince in pain. Fingers squeezed his neck hard hoping to hear him struggle for his life as he considered killing him now, getting it over with.

“No one will care when your dead. Sorry excuse of a monarchy.” Growling out his words as he used the pocketknife to stab the Princes arm, “Won’t be able to push yourself up out of my window now.” Grinning as he twisted it in the Princes flesh hoping to hear a scream of pain, his anger levels had reached an all time high. “No one is coming for you here; you are going to die. Alone and unloved.”

[Rogue Sloth]

Caspian had barely pulled his shoulders through the window when he felt a firm hand grasp him by the ankle and yank. He tried to hang onto something outside to keep from being jerked back into the basement, but there wasn’t anything close enough that he could grab. With no time to kick at Regis’s hands, he inhaled sharply as the rebel dragged him back through the opening. However, his adrenaline had already spiked with the prospect of getting away from his captors, so he quickly swung his legs to get his feet underneath him as he fell back down the wall. He managed to land on the chair with one foot, but he missed with the other and blanched as he stumbled and fell to the ground, knocking the chair over with him. The corner of the backrest struck him in the side on his way down, just beneath the ribcage, and he gasped, clutching at his side with his hand. It had hit hard, and he had to bite his lip to keep from groaning in pain. He didn’t have time to nurse the bruise. Not as long as there was a violent man standing over him.

While he scrambled to turn around and face Regis, his mind was racing at lightspeed. He couldn’t believe that he’d gotten so close to freedom, only to be caught red handed by Iris’s alcoholic father. He had come too far to lose his chance now. He had to get away. His life was on the line. Flipping over from his knees to his rear, he tensed to stand up but didn’t get the chance before the rebel’s boot crashed into his stomach, knocking the wind from his lungs. He fell backwards under the weight of the blow, his head hitting the wall, and rolled onto his side with his legs pulled to his chest, coughing as he tried to get his breath back. The pain from the stomp seemed to resonate through his whole body, and even though he knew he was in danger, he found it difficult to move.

Regis didn’t give him a choice. As the older man pulled him up by the hair, Cas grimaced, grasping at his arm with both hands. The rebel leader was surprisingly strong for a man his age. Though he tried to fight back, he found it difficult not to stumble after him back into the cell. The best he could do was try to plant his feet until the pain of his hair being ripped from his scalp became too overwhelming, and he folded, only staggering away from Regis once he finally let go of him. The rebel’s threat to kill him was suddenly very authentic as the gravity of the situation hit him, and he tried to run past him on the left, fueled by his will to live in the midst of the aching in his torso and head. He wasn’t much of a fighter—with no prior experience, he had no idea how to fight back—but he still had two good legs. Attempting to flee was his Hail Mary, but he didn’t get further than two steps before his breath fled from his lungs again, and he doubled over, reeling from a punch to the gut.

Before he even had a chance to recover his breath, Iris’s father fell upon him like a lion, pinning his arms and dealing two more blows to his middle that brought the prince to his knees. He gagged, his chest heaving as he desperately tried to breathe. He was getting dizzy from a lack of oxygen, but he couldn’t let himself pass out. He wasn’t going to give up when this man was trying to kill him. Shakily, he started to rise to his feet again, only to drop one more time when Regis’s fist connected with his jaw. The strike made his vision swim, and he couldn’t stifle the breathless gasp that escaped his lips. He wasn’t ready to die, but the rebel wasn’t giving him a chance to fight back. Every time he made a move to get up from the floor, he was knocked back over. He couldn’t get out from underneath Regis’s thumb.

As the rebel threatened to kill him now, Cas felt cold dread shoot up his spine. This time, when Regis pushed him back up to his feet, he cocked back an arm to swing at him, but the older man was faster. He grunted as he was shoved back against the wall with a hand coiled around his throat. Regis’s fingers dug into his skin, and he let out a strangled gasp when he realized he couldn’t breathe. The rebel was choking him. Frantically, he writhed beneath his captor’s iron grip and clawed at his wrists, trying to push him away so that he could draw breath. He even tried stomping on his feet and shoving him away to no avail. He could feel his strength ebbing away as the seconds passed and he still couldn’t breathe. Fear gripped him, and his empty lungs burned. He wasn’t going to give up without a fight though, so he continued to struggle until he succeeded in pushing Regis away just enough to inhale—only to lose all the air he’d just sucked in when the rebel buried his knife in his arm.

A scream tore at his throat as the blade plunged into his bicep up to the grip. Having never been hurt worse than a fractured bone in his life, he’d never felt a burning pain like this before. He froze in shock, all fight momentarily leaving his body as the terror took over. Then, Regis twisted the knife, and he let out a second howl even louder than the first. The feeling of the blade rending tissue and muscle was enough to make his legs feel weak, but he didn’t fall. Instead, he threw a punch at the rebel’s face to knock him away and staggered to the side, trying to put as much distance between them as he could while he clutched his bleeding arm.

“Stay away from me!” he snarled, glowering at the rebel with the viciousness of a cornered animal. A switch had flipped when Iris’s father had stabbed him. He stood rigidly, prepared to do whatever it took to stay alive. He wasn’t going to be murdered by a madman in a cage. Not today, not ever. It didn’t matter that he had never been in a fight before or that he had no idea what he was doing. Even if he didn’t have any technical knowledge, there was something inside all humans that gave them the fight to live, and he was no exception. His limbs trembled with adrenaline, and there was a feral gleam in his eyes that indicated that if Regis came at him again, he wasn’t going to let him stomp all over him again. He may not have been as experienced, but he was younger and stronger than the rebel. Now that he’d had time to regain his footing, he refused to go down a second time.

[sukikyoufu]

Regis felt the punch from the Prince connected with his own face and he stumbled back distance now between them, shocked at first the boy had fought back. He felt the punch, it had hurt and for a breath moment the rage he felt had ceased, until he heard the snarl from the Prince. Grinning he could see the fight in the boy, the desire to live and laughed, he full on laughed in the basement as he looked at the pocketknife wedged in his bicep. The blood that was dripping down the Princes arm from the wound he had caused, he looked far worse than he did, and he was a lot older than the boy.

The screams of pain that Caspain had let out soothed the inner rage, but he wasn’t over. Regis wanted more, he desired to harm the boy more and he was one step away from killing him. Old eyes looked over the tremble, he knew that right now he was cornered and there was nothing more dangerous than a cornered beast with a will to live. Although the rage, the anger urged him to hurt him more the practical side of his brain was telling him not too.

Grinding his teeth as he took deep breaths trying to calm himself, he shook his head, he couldn’t stop. No. He had to hurt him, he had to hurt the Prince that had taken everything he loved from him. Although his steps were heavy, his breathing was heavy as he spat at the floor removing the taste of iron he had in his mouth from the punch. Regis edged close to the Prince, a dangerous look in his eye as his left hand curled into a fist readying up for a punch. This would be a fight, he knew the Prince would fight back and a part of him was excited.

Drove by madness, drove by insanity Regis cackled shaking his head, “Oh no no. This won’t be a fist fight.” Taking a step back he moved to the chair that Caspain had used in his escape, picking it up in his hands he smashed it against the wall so one of the legs broke off into a somewhat splintered poll. “You will die here, and now.” His voice was cold, void of any emotion as he headed towards the Prince, his intent was to kill him now and be over with it all. Raising the splintered wooden poll, he was ready to ram it at the Prince, aiming for his stomach.

“DAD! STOP!” Iris panted skidding to halt in front of him arms outstretched as she cringed waiting to be hit by the wooden poll in his hands flinching out of instinct, but luckily her shout had brought him to his senses because he had stopped.

“Iris… what are? I could have killed you, stupid girl.” Regis grumbled his arm dropping to his side, but the wooden chair leg was still in hand. “He tried to escape, I decided to kill him now. Get it over with.”

“That doesn’t solve anything. Think of your plan.” Iris pleaded, she had heard his screams, the crashes and bangs and honestly feared the worst. She had thought he had killed Caspain already but was relieved to see him still standing. Injured, but alive.

“I..” Regis frowned shaking his head the anger was dying down, the rage he had felt disappeared when he felt his daughters’ hand on his arm as if to support him. The gentle touch reminding him that he was still human. “I didn’t think. You’re right. It’s only a few hours anyway.” Running fingers through his hair he cringed as he started to feel the pain in his arm, the pain on his face. “Idiot.” Grumbling he moved to the window putting the wooden plank back in front of it, but this time he reached for a padlock securing it in place so the Prince would not be able to use it as an escape.

“I need a drink; I’ll lock the basement. Keep an eye and an ear out so he doesn’t escape. Cause if he does. You will be responsible Iris and you know what that means.” Glaring at Caspain as he climbed up the stairs the wooden chair leg in tow, he shouted at his daughter to follow who hesitated for a split second but left the basement looking at the door as he locked it.

[Rogue Sloth]

Regis’s laugh sounded maniacal to Cas. He shuddered but held his ground. Even if the man was mad, he wasn’t going to roll over and die without a fight. From what he could tell, he had the advantage now. The rebel leader’s weapon was still embedded in his arm, and he had managed to get on his feet with enough distance between them to brace himself for another attack. If the older man tried to come at him again, he was going to be ready. He just needed to last long enough to find a second chance to go for the open window anyway.

When Regis went for the chair, the prince’s eyes widened. The rebel was craftier than he’d thought, but it wasn’t over yet. He eyed the splintered pole in his hand. It looked like he was going to try to lunge at him like the rod was a spear. He just had to dodge the first strike and throw a blow in return once the older man was within reach. Feeling more confident with the plan he’d come up with, he tensed his legs to jump to the side like a matador with a bull, but just as Regis launched himself at him, they both froze as Iris jumped in the middle of the fight.

Cas stared at her in shock. He’d thought she was just pretending to care when she’d said she wouldn’t let her father kill him, but it was starting to seem like she’d been telling the truth after all. Of course, that didn’t mean she was his ally, but at least for now, she’d proven that she wasn’t on board with the leader’s decision to have him killed. Or so he thought. As Regis said that his execution was only a few hours away and she didn’t balk, his short-lived hope was dashed, and he averted his gaze, breathing heavily from a mixture of adrenaline and exertion. She had probably intervened to keep her father safe now that they were about to brawl on a more level playing field.

He watched in dismay as Regis covered up the window with a more secure fastening and left the room with his daughter in tow. There went his chance of getting out of his prison before the rebels killed him. In the quiet of the basement, he sank to his knees, suddenly overwhelmed with the reality of what had just happened. He’d been within seconds of escaping, but his captor had found him, beaten him, and left him to await a grisly fate at the hands of the crown’s enemies. With only a few hours left and his only way out sealed with a padlock, he didn’t have another way to get out. He was trapped unless, by some miracle, his father’s soldiers found him before he was murdered.

Fat chance, he thought dismally, sucking in his breath as his injured arm smarted. For a few minutes, he’d forgotten about the pain, but now that there were no more distractions, he was aware of how badly he’d been injured. He glanced down to examine the damage. In the dark, it was difficult to see anything other than the outline of the grip but knowing that there was a knife in his flesh made him feel sick. He rocked back on his heels, unsure what to do. It wasn’t like he had a first aid kit lying around to treat the puncture—not that he would have known how to use it. He didn’t know the first thing about taking care of serious injuries.

With a sigh, he leaned back against the wall and stretched his legs out in front of him. It didn’t matter anyway. He was going to be dead in a few hours, so there was no reason to try to do anything about the gash. He wouldn’t even see tomorrow, let alone enough days to heal from something this severe. Might as well get the damn knife out, he winced as the injury sent another wave of pain through his arm and torso. Reaching up, he grabbed the blade by the grip and took a deep breath just before giving it a sharp tug. As it slid loose, a whimper escaped his lips, and he gritted his teeth to keep from making a sound loud enough for the rebels upstairs to hear. Removing the pocketknife hurt more than he’d thought it would.

He tossed the weapon aside and leaned his head back against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to will the pain to pass. A few seconds passed, but instead of the discomfort easing up, he startled at the feeling of something warm flowing down his arm. “Shit, shit, shit,” he hissed, hurriedly pressing his opposite hand down over his bicep. Too late, he discovered that pulling the blade out had been a bad idea. Now, the open wound was freely bleeding, painting streams of crimson down the length of his forearm.

Maybe the rebels won’t kill me, he thought morbidly, his heart pounding as his hand came away coated in viscous blood. They can’t do it if I bleed out in my cell first… God, what a way to go…

[sukikyoufu]

“I’ll be back in an hour. We’ll kill him upon my return with everyone” Regis stated as he looked over at his daughter, “Think you can watch him for an hour?” His words came across colder than he meant too, he was just angry the Prince had managed to get in a few hits at him and cause him pain. He had not expected the Prince to fight back at all.

“But… that’s sooner than originally planned…” Iris frowned looking over at her father, her hand outstretching to examine the injury on his face. Cringing instead as she felt him slap it away harshly, not wanting her comfort.

“It’s more than he deserves. One hour. I swear to god Iris if you fuck this up for us.” Regis growled feeling himself get angry. “Ergh. I can’t think straight. Fuck.” His good hand ran down his face as if trying to wake himself up, his mind was all over the place and he could barely think straight without his usual alcoholic fix. “Sorry… just behave.” Sighing as he slammed the front door behind him to go meet with the others, to plan how they would kill the Prince in an hours’ time.

“An hour?” Iris whispered to herself as she looked at the front door, her mind began to race as her heartbeat quickened. “Shit… I.” Scrambling to her feet she rushed to her bedroom moving as fast as she could, grabbing her phone she quickly texted Maisie to say it had to happen now before shoving it in her pocket. “That arm… the blood.” Panicking as she realised, she did not have anything to help it with, she had to find something to wrap it in at least. “Vodka…” Talking to herself as she tried to get herself into gear, it was a small opening but now the only one she would have to get him out. Grabbing the backpack of items, she had already packed she slung it over her shoulder before pulling out an old top of hers, she could rip this up to cover the wound until she could get the supplies. Hopefully Maisie got some form of first aid kit.

Feeling the panic as her heart raced, she grabbed two of her hoodies that should conceal them enough to make an escape, running downstairs she headed to the kitchen grabbing the last bit of spirit left in the cupboard. Eyes darted around looking for anything else, other items that would help right about now. Grabbing one of the towels on the table she threw it over her shoulder with the two hoodies before heading to one of the kitchen drawers looking for the spare key to the basement. “Where are you. Come on… come on.” Urging herself to be quicker she found the key and rushed to the basement, time was against them and she already felt like she had spent twenty minutes gathering all the items she needed.

Unlocking the basement door, she propped it open to allow the light inside as she rushed downstairs, hesitating for a moment in case he reacted or thought she was here to hurt him. “Cas…” Calling out his name as she bit her lip, she edged towards him holding her hands up as if to say she meant no harm, “I know it’s a big ask but… please trust me.” Kneeling down to his level she pulled out the vodka and started to rip the top into strips to bandage the wound. Pulling down the towel she dabbed it with the vodka holding it out to him. “I meant what I said about not letting them kill you.”

Glancing back up towards the door of the basement that was left open she bit her lip, “We have an hour. Most likely less now, but I have a plan. To get you out, to get you back home.” Her voice was panicked, trembling as she spoke because she feared what could happen, he could turn the tables and try to escape himself. Leave her here to face the wrath of her father for letting him escape, but she hoped he would trust her. If only for one last time so she could help him get out.

“Let me sort that wound out quickly, then you’ll have to wear this.” Pulling down one of the hoodies that she had slung over her shoulder in a panic. There was a black hoodie and a dark navy one for them both to wear. As long as Caspain wore his she hoped it would conceal his face just enough for no one to look at them, to allow them to slip into the crowd unnoticed.

[Rogue Sloth]

For the next few minutes, Cas tried everything he could to slow the bleeding. He pressed his hand down firmly over the wound, cringing at the way his own touch burned his sundered skin, and whispered urgent mantras checkered with swearing when his efforts didn’t work. He had no idea how to make it stop. The viscous stream continued steadily, ebbing and flowing with each beat of his heart. The longer he remained in the rebels’ captivity, the more he had begun to realize how ill-equipped he was to take care of himself without servants and professionals to do most of the work for him. Now that he was alone, he couldn’t rely on anyone but himself, and he was letting himself down royally.

His face contorted with another grimace as the ache in his arm worsened again, and he drew his knees to his chest. By now, his sleeve and the left side of his shirt were stained with blood. He’d gotten some on his jeans too, and even his face when he’d reached up to scratch an itch on his cheek without thinking about the liquid on his hands. It was hard to believe such a small wound could bleed so heavily, but it was pretty deep. He’d taken a closer look at the pocketknife blade and found that it was a little more than five centimeters long. That was more than half the width of his bicep, so the weapon had cut him done to the bone. He shivered apprehensively, despising the mental image that the thought elicited against his will.

Just as he began to give up on taking care of the injury, he stiffened at the sound of the basement door opening. It couldn’t have been a few hours already, could it? He thought he’d only been sitting in his cell for about fifteen minutes. Cautiously, he watched as someone descended the stairs at a hurried pace. For half a second, he thought it was Regis, back to finish him off personally. However, the silhouette in the doorway wasn’t big enough to be a man.

At the sound of Iris’s voice, he blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to come back after her father had been so stern with her. He watched ferally as she approached him, still tense with residual energy from his fight with Regis. She behaved like she wasn’t there to follow in her father’s footsteps, but he had learned better than to trust a rebel. With deep bruises covering his body and an open gash in his arm, he wasn’t in any condition to believe anyone in this house was a friend. So, when she asked him to trust her, a quiet scoff slipped from his lips. Trust you? The woman who led me to this shithole in the first place? The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he restrained himself from spitting them at her. He could see that she was carrying something.

When she went on, he took her words in silence and turned them over in his head. He studied the vodka-soaked rag in her hands without touching it and then lifted his gaze to her face. The gesture was benevolent, and he couldn’t hear any deceit or mocking intonations in her voice. Although he was hesitant to believe her after she tricked him in the capital, he had to admit, she really seemed to be here to help him. And what other choice do I have? He admitted to himself. Worst case, she fooled him one more time and led him to his death—which he was already facing either way. Best case, he had one more shot at escaping with his life. He had nothing left to lose.

“Fine,” Cas murmured indifferently, his own voice becoming more blasé as he came to terms with the fact that he no longer had any control over his own life. Even if he pushed past her and made a bolt for the door, she could just tell her father that he was running, and he wouldn’t get very far. There was no point to do anything other than go along with her game, whatever it was, and find out what the outcome would be.

Having made his decision, he rolled his bloodstained sleeve back to give her access to the wound. “Have at it,” he shrugged with his right shoulder, looking off to the side to avoid her gaze.

[sukikyoufu]

Hearing his scoff, she felt her heart break, she knew she had caused this. Everything that had happened was all her fault and she had to live that. Sighing softly when he finally said fine agreeing to her help she reach out to his arm; thankful he had rolled the sleeve back. Taking the towel soaked in vodka she began to dab at the wound gently, cleaning it up so it didn’t get infected because if he was to get sick before she got him back to the Capital it was unlikely she’d get any medicine for him. “Sorry.” Whispering an apology knowing this was going to hurt, that each dab and clean of the wound with the vodka would cause him more pain. Not as bad as the pain of my betrayal though I’m sure. Spiteful thoughts crossed her mind as cared for the wound with a touch as gentle as she could muster.

Happy it was clean she used the torn pieces of fabric to wrap it, it was tight enough that he could feel it but not dangerous to cause any problems. Cringing as the fabrics colour already started to turn a different colour the blood flow was at least slower. It would hold for now until they could get away from her home. I don’t want to take any risks though. Deciding to add just one more layer to the makeshift bandage just in case things went from bad to worse. “There’s not a lot of time.” Whispering to herself more than anything as placed one of the hoodies on his lap, her mind racing at just how she was going to do this.

Feeling her body tremble, she zipped up her own hoodie pulling up the hood before grabbing the backpack putting it on her shoulders. Glancing back at Cas she felt her eyes water at the sight, he had been beaten, hurt and this was all her fault. All my fault. Shaking her head, she tucked her hair inside the hood as she stood back up glancing towards him, “Put the hoodie on and follow me. We have to be quick.” As much as she willed her voice to be strong it did not sound it one bit, her voice wavered but that was because she was blaming herself for his injuries.

“I… it won’t be easy. You have no idea how many members a part of this rebellion are. How much power he has and what he will do if he finds you.” Moving towards the stairs of the basement she hoped he would follow, she wouldn’t blame him if he made a break for it himself but she hoped he wouldn’t because he would get himself caught and this would be all for nothing. Taking a moment to listen out for any noises she glanced around her home, eyes catching site of the happy family photo of her and her mother and father all smiling like a normal family would.

I’m doing the right thing. Mother would have wanted this, not his death.

Heading towards the front door she opened it slightly to take a look outside, there was no sign of her father or anyone around. Her heart hammered with each step she took but she gave it a few minutes just to make sure the coast was clear. Okay… it’s now or never. Opening the door fully the creak resonated throughout the empty building as she took a step outside. The first place she had to go was by the old bakery, for the supplies she had requested and then she had to find them somewhere to sleep for the night.

Although she had a plan, she hadn’t thought out every aspect, like shelter but she knew that they had to keep moving. Her father would be hunting them down the minute he knew and for once she would rather the military find them, at least it guaranteed his safety. Placing hands in her pockets she kept her head down as she moved towards the run down street, glancing back to see if Cas was following her.

[Rogue Sloth]

Cas flinched when Iris touched the towel to his open wound. The alcohol stung, but he knew it was necessary to keep the area clean—he understood at least that much about taking care of cuts—so he bit his lip and soldiered through the pain without complaint. All the while, he pondered over her decision to treat him in the first place. Maybe she really was trying to help. If she had been about to lead him to the rebels who were going to kill him, there was no need for her to stop and tend to the injuries of a soon-to-be corpse. It would have been a waste of resources. However, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that she was still putting on an act to convince him to trust her, so he didn’t let his guard all the way down.

Once she finished tying off her makeshift bandages, he looked down at his arm to inspect her work. With no prior experience dealing with stab wounds, he didn’t really know what he was looking for, but it seemed like she’d done a good job. The cloth was tightly bound around his bicep, but not so much so that he was losing feeling in his fingers. Hopefully it would be enough to get his arm to stop bleeding so profusely, so he wouldn’t pass out from blood loss. If she really was helping him escape, he was going to need the strength to make it back to the capital without keeling over. He was already short on the energy he would have gotten from sufficient food and water, so bleeding out would probably worsen his odds of getting away quite a bit.

At Iris’s instruction to put on the hoodie she’d given him, Cas nodded and slid the warm fabric over his shoulders. Moving his left arm was painful, and he noticed that it seemed to briefly increase his bleeding again. Once the jacket was on, he made a mental note to avoid trying to move it again if he was able, so he could give himself a chance to start healing from the damage Regis had done.

Ready to go, he stood up from the floor to follow her and then faltered, leaning his good hand against the wall. The motion had made him woozy, and in retrospect, he realized he should have gotten up a little more slowly. Between the lack of food and water, the beating he’d taken from Iris’s father, and the blood loss, he was in pretty bad shape. Nevertheless, he walked carefully after her once he’d given himself a moment to recover from the dizzy spell, pulling his hood over his head somewhat awkwardly with only his right hand.

“‘Quick’ may be an issue,” he admitted with a sigh. Shuffling up the stairs, he felt like an old man. Everything hurt, and he had the urge to grunt and groan every time he ascended a step. He’d never been this sore in his life, and he longed to lay down in his warm bed at home with something warm to drink and a tablet in his lap to watch the current season of basketball until he got better. Some strong painkillers sounded heavenly too, preferably the kind that would make him a little loopy, so he could forget about everything he’d had to endure in Regis’s basement.

Fantasizing about the capital, he was jarred from his thoughts by the sight of the run-down street Iris was leading him toward. Where the hell are we? He thought, looking over the worn asphalt and the pockmarked buildings with distaste. This entire area is filthy… If I get back, I’ll have to let the city planners know they missed a spot in their restoration project. It was surprisingly to him that the unrestored area was so vast. He knew there were a few places in Aspiria that still looking like this, but he’d thought they were small enough that one could still see the accomplished skyscrapers and impressive, modern architecture on the skyline. Wherever they were, there was nothing to see but old, dingy buildings for miles.

“Which district is this?” he asked, too curious to keep his questions to himself. Noticing the way Iris held her head down, he mimicked the posture and lowered his own. As he did, he noticed in the daylight that both of his hands were covered with drying blood. His left had a few thin trickles that had rolled down from his upper arm, but his right was veritably covered since he’d tried to use it to apply pressure to his stab wound. With a grimace, he shoved both into his hoodie’s pockets. “I hope you didn’t want this back,” he warned her, thinking about how bloodstained the inside of the jacket probably was since it was laying on top of his soaked shirt and left arm. “I don’t think it’ll be salvageable after this.”

[sukikyoufu]

Walking into the streets of the lower slums of Aspiria it was like a different world, the streets were covered in potholes and the odd littered trash. Even some of the people looked dirty and unkempt. Buildings looked as if they were ready to crumble, dirty and dusted paint peeling from them as bin bags piled up at the bottom of most of the buildings. Although there were some cars on the streets it was faster to walk in most cases as some of the cars were so battered and beaten it took a while for them to start. Coughing at the change of air you could taste the pollution, bad smells surrounded them as she continued to lead him on into the streets further away from her home and her father who would be returning soon. No one paid them any attention, there was no idle chatter, no people talking like they were friends here and it felt like quite a bad neighbourhood.

Iris felt the embarrassment creep up on her, that she was leading the Prince to nowhere fancy nor luxurious and she only felt like he would judge her more for it as he now knew this was where she came from. “This is the twelfth district, the most overlooked district there is.” Whispering her words to Caspain so no one could overhear their conversation. “It’s the birthplace of the rebellion. My hometown.” Glancing around the street looking out for any onlookers she caught site of a couple of children sat in the doorway. They wore tattered clothes; dirt covered their pale sickly faces and they looked half dead in the doorway, but it was common here. To see kids and adults alike sat in doorways of residential buildings and even businesses, they didn’t beg they had no energy to do that plus it was useless here as no one had anything to spare.

Turning a corner, she led him towards a small street full of shops, you’d have thought it was livelier. Full of people, but it was just as run down as the rest of them. “Don’t worry about the jacket.” Shaking it off, that was the least of her worries right now because top priority was to get him back home.

“OI! GET BACK HERE!”

Iris felt herself cringe at the voice but as she glanced to the sound, she sighed thankful it was not aimed at them. A part of her had worried it was the rebels, finding them already but she knew she had a little more time to get them hidden somewhere. “Don’t make eye contact.” Hissing at Caspain so he didn’t look at the people shouting, they didn’t need attention drawn to them and she knew that often people in fights hated onlookers here and they would start a fight with them if they thought they were looking.

“I’m sorry! I need the food for my family.” Another panicked voice called out, the two people who had been shouting at each other was over some meat. One of them had stolen a cut of meat from the butcher and was running away shouting his sorrys as he made his escape, but the butcher chased after him without thoughts down another street leaving her and Cas alone once more.

Rounding another corner, they passed a bakery the paint was peeling on this building, but it didn’t look as gloomy as the rest of the shops, but she didn’t go inside. Instead Iris moved towards the side of the shop were the trash was located. Glancing behind her she could see the coast was clear so took the moment to rummage through the bags, smiling when she caught site of one tied with a pink hairband. It has to be it. Pulling it out to the side she grabbed her backpack stuffing the black bag inside, it just about fitted and as much as she would have gone through the supplies she didn’t want to stay here too long.

“Okay… Do you think you can last a little longer on your feet?” Glancing over to Cas from the pile of trash bags, “I have somewhere we can hide for the night. I don’t want to push you; you need to rest but it will just be a little longer getting there.”

[Rogue Sloth]

“Twelfth district…” Cas repeated in a murmur. That was Tongsen, just south of Bel Bicis, the two districts with the lowest GDP per capita in Aspiria, if he remembered his economics lesson correctly. Even though the number had been low, it still reflected a better quality of life than what he was looking at now though. He glanced at Iris. Whether she was helping him or not, she was still a rebel, so they were probably in the slovenliest part of the city and she was just playing it off as if this was what the entire district was like. There was no way the rest of Tongsen was equally as filthy. The numbers he’d seen just didn’t add up to that.

As they made their way into what looked like an abandoned shopping center, he lifted his gaze slightly to take in his surroundings. Like the rest of the area, he guessed all the buildings had been standing since before his great grandfather had made the decree to renew Aspiria’s architecture and infrastructure. There weren’t many people around, and all those he could see looked homeless. They were probably living here to avoid being arrested for trespassing in the more populated parts of the district. Not used to being around people who lived on the streets, he walked tensely behind Iris. He’d seen statistics that told him many homeless men and women were criminals, and they were both very exposed out in the open. His wallet had been missing since he’d first woken up in his cell, but no one else knew that. If anyone recognized his face, they might think he was carrying money and try to rob him.

Just as he was starting to feel paranoid about being mugged, Cas jumped at the sound of someone shouting behind them. Turning around, he watched confusedly as someone sprinted away from one of the stores. It looked like his hunch about thieves was correct. He shivered and averted his gaze, heeding his guide’s advice. If any of the people around them were potentially dangerous, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself. His goal was to make it back to the capital without taking any more injuries than he already had from Regis.

Subconsciously sticking close to Iris, he followed her around to the side of a bakery and stopped while she dug through a pile of trash bags. He shifted his weight restlessly from his left foot to his right, and a wary frown creased his mouth. She had said she was going to be taking him back to the capital, so he wasn’t sure what she was doing by sifting through literal garbage. For a fleeting moment, he worried she had brought him to this back alley because it had been a trap and she was going to kill him, but his anxiety was quickly laid to rest when she stuffed a bag into her backpack. It probably wasn’t a weapon. He relaxed, though a bemused and mildly disgusted expression lingered on his face as he wondered what she could have possibly wanted with someone else’s trash.

“I’m fine,” he answered without hesitation when she asked if he could keep moving. In truth, he was practically swaying on his feet with exhaustion, but he wanted to get out of the run-down part of the district as quickly as possible. “But I thought we were going back to the capital,” he added, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at her comment about finding somewhere to stay for the night. “Why don’t you just call a taxi? You can have them drop me off at the edge of the city, and I’ll go through border security on my own. The soldiers know who I am, so it doesn’t matter that your rebel friends stole my wallet.”

[sukikyoufu]

“It’s… not that simple.” Iris grimaced as she avoided looking him in the eyes, “For one we don’t have taxis in this area… well none of the districts outside of the Capital have Taxis. I thought you knew that.” Hesitating as she turned to him looking away from the trash, “I wish it was that simple to get you back to the Capital, to get you away from all of this… but I don’t have that kind of power.” Sighing as she shook her head she continued to walk on, moving away from the shops in the district knowing he would follow because he didn’t know where he was.

“Do you know how many men my father commands? He has all the districts under his thumb. Like your father no doubt has a council, he does too. All of them a highly respected recognised man from each district outside of the Capital.” Rubbing her arm as she felt the cool breeze past them, she hung her head knowing he probably didn’t believe her. “Each of those men command their districts, men, woman… the shops. It’s a bigger network than anyone probably realises…”

Walking on she knew where she was taking him, there was an abandoned building that her and Maisie had often played in as children. It wasn’t ideal, but it was far better than the streets where they could be recognised. It would have to do for the night. “As much as we could spend the rest of night and day walking you straight back to the border. We can’t. That’s where my father will look first, he will expect you to make haste to the border and in your condition, I doubt you could walk for hours to get there and I don’t have a car. I don’t have a taxi or anyone that can drive us for that matter because all the people I know would sell you out in a heartbeat at a chance for a better life.”

It was the cold hard truth, the only person she trusted here was Maisie. Everyone else would sell him out, he would have quite the bounty on his head and she knew her father would do at nothing to bring him back to kill him. “Cas… I’m sorry. I wish I could get you back there tonight… but. I physically can’t. I don’t have the resources… I… I-I.”

Shaking her head as turned away from him, hiding the hurt at how useless she was to him right now. All she could do was get them shelter, make it back to the Capital the long way as anyone could be part of the rebellion. Any one of these people could recognise them and he’d be dead in a heartbeat. Pushing on she moved towards a rather run-down looking bomb shelter, it was tucked just on the edge of the districts forest and it was far enough away from the streets of the people for them to be disturbed. Hands pushed at the door and a loud creak could be heard, a layer of dust surrounded them as it revealed a small enclosed space inside.

The old bomb shelter had a bed with broken springs inside, a broken table and a few dirty dusty blankets and it was clear this hadn’t been used in years. Coughing from the dust Iris sat herself down in the corner of the room, hands opening up the backpack pulling out the trash bag. Ripping it open she sighed with relief seeing some welcomed items. Maisie didn’t disappoint. Seeing the small first aid pack, she knew she could treat the wound better, ensure it didn’t get infected and Maisie had managed to get a painkiller. It was only one, but better than nothing. There were two bottles of water and thankfully Iris knew of a few streams to refill them in so she knew that would come in handy but then her hands pulled out some bread and some sort of pie. Maisie must have gotten into trouble for sneaking all of this.

“Here. You will need this if you are to regain your strength to walk back to the Capital.” Iris sighed pushing both the bottles of water, the bread and pie so he could feel somewhat human again. She was used to going without food, but she doubted he wasn’t “I’ll tend to that wound again with this… if you need it, we even have a painkiller. Just one, but it should help.” Tapping at the first aid kit before she leaned against the cold stone wall closing her eyes, she wasn’t feeling too great herself but with everything that had happened she put it down to stress.

[Rogue Sloth]

When Iris said the districts outside the capital didn’t have taxis, Caspian stared at her blankly. Cab services were something he’d thought existed everywhere in Aspiria, but here—he didn’t believe she was correct about taxis being unavailable everywhere else—the industry must have died off somehow. Maybe the people who lived here preferred to drive themselves around, or maybe Tongsen was so crime riddled, the locals didn’t trust the men and women sitting behind the wheel of a car to get them to their destination without robbing them before they got there. Whatever the case, the lack of public vehicles was quickly proving to be an inconvenience.

“Okay,” he started slowly, furrowing his brows as he thought of an alternative. “We can just take a bus then—” He faltered as she went on to explain to him just how deep the roots of the rebellion had grown. If she was right, it the Scourge was even bigger than their intelligence officers had estimated. He glanced over his shoulder at one of the people sitting on a doorstep, troubled. If his father found out that most of his kingdom had turned against him, he would probably strike many of the rules that were currently in place to keep civilians outside the capital safe. The war was close to exploding into something much more devastating than it already was.

As she went on, disappointment flickered behind his dark eyes. When they’d left her father’s basement, a part of him had begun to hope that he would be back inside his own home by the end of the day. Now, it was beginning to sound like he would be lucky to get there tomorrow or the next day. He loathed the thought of spending any more time among the rebels than he already had, but he had no choice. He couldn’t find his way back by himself, and if Regis was just going to cut him off before he could get to safety, he had to wait out the threat.

“Fine,” he exhaled reluctantly, following after her as she continued walking to wherever she had decided they were going to be spending the night. Even though he wasn’t happy with the way things were turning out, there was no sense in arguing. He just hoped that if they were going to a hotel, it would be cleaner than the buildings he was looking at now. The threat of getting an infection in his arm was very real, and he dreaded getting examined by a doctor only to be told that the limb had to be amputated. He would have felt better sleeping in a place that wasn’t covered in trash and dirt.

Unfortunately, it looked like the place where they would be staying didn’t even have room service. Cas watched in dismay as Iris opened the door to what appeared to be an old, abandoned bomb shelter. This is the best we’ve got? He was tempted to tell her that he preferred to stay somewhere with running water, but they’d been walking for so long that he wasn’t sure if he could make it all the way to the closest hotel. It had been yet another long day without any food or water, and on top of that, his wounds were making him feel stiff. All he wanted to do right now was lay down and rest. If that meant putting up with a hovel for a shelter for one night, then so be it.

Without a word, he followed Iris into the dark room. Earlier, he might have been hesitant to go with a rebel into a pitch-black space, but he was too tired to care if it was a trap anymore. He stumbled in the darkness until he found a bed and collapsed onto it with a weary groan. The mattress was uneven and dusty, but compared to the cold, hard floor of the basement that he’d been sleeping on for days, it felt heavenly underneath him. He sprawled on his good side and fitted his forearm comfortably beneath his head, tempted to doze off right then and there if not for the sound of his company rustling around on the other side of the room.

Curious, he tried to watch her, but it was impossible to make out exactly what she was doing when he could barely see her outline. Only when she came closer to hand him something did he realize she had been getting out supplies. He propped himself up on his arm and took the objects from her, his eyes widening with the realization that she was giving him food and water. Immediately, he sat up again and opened one of the bottles, lifting it to his lips to down the whole thing. Once he was finished, he dropped the empty container on the ground, panting to catch his breath.

“Why are you doing this?” the question escaped before he had a chance to filter it. He opened the package of bread and removed a slice to eat, absentmindedly fingering the plastic seal that held it shut to preserve the food’s freshness. Given the fact that no one had killed him yet, it seemed like Iris really was helping him escape. He’d decided she was an ally, but he still couldn’t figure out why she was putting everything on the line for him. “Your dad is the leader of the Sco—of the rebellion. And isn’t your boyfriend going to be mad when he finds out you’re helping me?” Just mentioning Ethan, the reminder that Iris had never really had feelings for him, left a foul taste in his mouth, and he took another bite of bread to get rid of it. “I just don’t get it. You said you came to the capital to kill me, but now you’re keeping me alive even though everyone close to you wants to see me dead. Why?”