A Court of Sun and Flame

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

"Live a little or die a lot. The choice is hours."
~Anthony Liccione

Bronwyn

Fifty years.

Fifty years in this damn dungeon.

Fifty years on this damn island.

"A new day, a new prisoner."

I look up at the guard in front of me, "And if I refuse?"

"You know what happens if you refuse."

Sighing I get up off my floor and stand before the bars of my cell waiting for it to be unlocked, "You gunna let me out or you just gunna stand there all day?"

The guard wearily unlocks the door as if afraid I'll attack him, which to be fair could happen. I heard that the last guard is still healing from his wounds.

Welp. What's a female to do?

We walk towards the room in which their new prisoner awaits their fate.

"So what do you guys want from him?"

"The usual."

"Right," I open the door to find a small male sitting in the chair, gasping at how similar he looks to Asher's brother, Flint, "How old are you?"

"I am twelve summers old."

I take a step back, tears coming to my eyes. Images of the young boy I raised flooding my mind, ending with his lifeless eyes staring back at me, an ash arrow embedded into his chest.

"I-"

"They want information from me don't they," I can only manage a nod, "How are you going to get it?"

"You could just tell me what they want to know."

"And if I don't know anything."

"They won't allow you to leave alive."

"I suppose the same goes even if I do know something."

"You're one clever kid."

"How will you do it?"

I don't answer him. Instead I just stare at him. Images of Flint still running through my mind.

His smile.

His laugh.

His cheeky personality.

"I'm going to tell you a story."

"What sort of story?"

"It's a story about a boy," I walk closer to the child, "his name was Flint, and he was someone who could find happiness in any situation," I slowly release the restraints on his arms, "Autumn had finally come into season across the whole of Prythian, the leaves falling from their trees, covering the ground in little piles of brown and orange," I move to his legs, "Flint loved the falling leaves you see, he'd always try and catch them to find the prettiest one to give to the prettiest female," I finish unbinding his legs, allowing him to move and sit on the floor with me, "Once he found the one he wanted, he would then seek out the female he deemed the prettiest, but not before collecting as many leaves as possible and placing them in his basket, demanding his companions do the same, and so they did. By the time all three baskets were filled, he had found his pretty female," I let the tears fall as I reach my hands to the child's head, brushing the hair out of his face, gaining enough trust for me to enter his mind and get the answers Hybern wanted, "Turning to his companions, he looked to the male one, the biggest most cheesiest grin on his face and he said 'you're no female but you do have a pretty face, sadly this leaf is for a female and so it must go to my mother' and as the last word left his mouth, he turned to the other companion, a female," tears rolled down the child's face as he knew his ending was coming along with the story, "and said 'you may not be my mother by blood but you have raised me to be a brave young male who will save the world and so this leaf is for you, my pretty mama', the female knelt down to the Flint's eye level 'thank you my handsome boy'. As the female took the leaf from the child, an arrow lodged itself in his chest, his blood pouring all over the leaves still sitting within his basket. He fell forward into the arms of the woman that became his mother, as his last breath left his lips. The female sat cradling the child in her arms," I do the same with the child in front of me, the same words leaving my mouth as they did that same day, "I'm sorry."