Last Man Standing

Chapter 10: A Little Sidetracked

The scruffy man tried to starve me for the next five mornings as punishment for my stunt, but Bash was kind enough to sneak me some pieces of his bread. I left the scruffy man alone, hoping that he would feed me on the sixth morning for good behaviour.

We were never allowed out of our cage; my back and knees were in endless pain from sitting on the floor, cramped in such a small space with four other bodies. We took turns standing in the free space, but none of us could stay vertical for very long; we were too weak.

The cage began to smell foul as we were all forced to defecate ourselves. The men started the week by peeing through the cage bars, but now they just decorated their pants. I was pissing my pants the whole time; what other choice did I have? For the sake of our dignity, I won't go into detail on bowel movements...

The one upside to this trip was the fact that I had no excuse to exert my body, giving it time to heal after my hazardous day in Brixen and previous injuries in Kent.

The sun was setting on the fifth day. The other men were already asleep. After waking each morning from the horrible memory of the Brixen orphan boy's death, I wasn't too keen on falling asleep to be trapped in another bloody dream. It was a break from startling myself awake from the memory of my father's execution, but one can hardly say that it was a welcome change.

I chose to distract myself until sleep unwillingly claimed my mind. I pulled on the ribbon around my neck to remove it from the cover of my shirt. I stared at the two rings for a long time, flipping them between my fingers.

I couldn't help but wonder what Evander was doing right now. If he was smart, he would get on with his life and choose a new bride. If he was brainless, he would be waiting for my return.

I didn't know which option I wanted more.

Maybe it was just the thought of something waiting for me back home that intrigued me, acting as extra motivation to find my brother and get back to our small town life. As asinine as me getting married really was, it was still something to cling to.

But at the rate things were going, my rescue mission would surely end with my demise. I made peace with this. Evander deserved to be happy; he should find another bride.

I began to play with the other ring: the earring that Decimus gave me years ago.

I avoided news from the Capitol, especially when it concerned the royal family. By the time gossip hit Kent, it was usually so minimal and broken that it was hard to believe. Most of the news had to do with Galacian battles or Capitol celebrations. All I knew about Decimus was that he was seventeen years old, ready to become Emperor if his father ever died or gave up the throne... but this was just common sense.

Sometimes I wondered what my life would be like now if my father was still alive. I would probably be married to the Prince, waiting to be crowned Empress of Romallia. My brother would be married to a distinguished lady of the court, and we would both become accustomed to the lifestyle of the wealthy. My father would have ended the war with Galacia as commander, using his strength and mind to lead the Romallian armies to victory. He would always be remembered as a hero...

But instead of the glamour and happy family, I was stuck living a life that resulted in my current state.

"What are those?"

I didn't realize that Bash had woken up.

"Memories." I quickly tucked the rings back down my shirt. Bash could tell that I didn't want to talk about it.

"You need sleep."

I nodded. "Whose turn is it to stand?"

"I think second man."