Castle on the Hill

Chapter 4

The lack of light in the cell made it impossible to tell what time of day it was, and after all five of them had fallen asleep at one point or another, it was impossible to guess either. Skeppy estimated they had been in there for two nights, as they had received two rations of food and Skeppy had slept two times. It was hard to stay entertained, as they couldn't speak about much without fear of the posted guard overhearing.

Skeppy told Ranboo stories about the first time he had seen the ocean. Ranboo had listened contently, never interrupting. Ranboo had told his own story. He explained that he was from a poorer family near the edge of the village but had jumped at the opportunity to work at the castle in order to provide for his mothers. Skeppy gained a new wave of respect for the boy upon hearing his story. He was only 17, younger than the majority of the guards and knights that worked for the castle, but was determined to prove himself.

After a while, Skeppy yawned, preparing himself for a third sleep, but a knock on the cell door sent a wave of adrenaline through him. The door was opened and a guard looked in at them from the entryway. The five of them began to stand up before he raised his hand to halt them. "Only one can come and speak to the king."

Skeppy glanced around and his gaze settled on his father, who smiled back at him. "Go on, you've got this." Part of him wished his father would've volunteered in his place, but he knew this was his biggest test to see if he was worthy of becoming the next king. He looked over at Ranboo, who nodded at him, not saying anything. He nodded back, taking a step forward in front of the guard.

"Come along then," the guard said, waiting for Skeppy to exit the cell before shutting the door again and locking it. The other guard who stood beside the door nodded at the two before they headed down the maze of hallways. Skeppy followed the guard quickly, trying his hardest to pick out any identifying features of the hallways that might help lead him back to the cell, but all the stone walls and torches looked the exact same. Left, right, left, left, right, left, right. The directions were impossible to remember and the guard rushed him on with such urgency that he couldn't remember if he tried.

After a seemingly endless run through the maze, the two finally emerged in a large room. The room had high ceilings and small windows at the very top of the walls, letting natural light filter in. At the far end of the room sat three thrones, and seated on those thrones were three people. A tall man with dark brown hair and a shiny golden crown sat on one of them. The King, Skeppy thought. Next to him was a woman with lighter brown, almost blonde hair. Her crown was silver with red jewels. In between the two was a second man, clearly younger than the other two. Their son, the Prince of Belansoa. He had brown hair, a red robe and glasses.

"They sent their prince?" The king's voice boomed in the empty room. Skeppy wasn't sure how he was easily identifiable, but the king guessed who he was immediately. "Very well, Ant, you are dismissed." The guard who had brought him in quickly bowed his head and disappeared back into the hallway from which they had come. Skeppy focused his gaze on the king, who stayed seated in his throne. "If the king has sent his only son, then I'll match him," he said, placing his hand on the prince's shoulder. "You decide what to do with him," he gave the prince a light nudge.

The prince stood up and crossed the room to stand eye to eye with Skeppy. Skeppy could feel his heartbeat quicken, worried about what the prince would say. "Well? You came to speak to us, we're here, so speak!"

Skeppy struggled to find the words, the mumbling of a voice in the back of his head clouded his thoughts. He tried to push the voice away and say what he came here to talk about. He steadied his voice before speaking, "there have been rumors," he began. "Rumors circulating in the other kingdoms that Belansoa has been threatening to start a war." He searched his mind for the right words to say. "I have come here to prove to the other kingdoms that, surely, it was only a misunderstanding, a simple rumor, and that you are not planning an unprovoked attack on any of the other four kingdoms." He finished his thought, "is that true?"