Castle on the Hill

Chapter 6

The following days were grueling. Skeppy sat in his cell thinking over what Bad had said to him. Bad hadn't returned in the days following their conversation. Skeppy had been given his rations by the guards. There were three in total that guarded his cell at different times. He had tried talking to each of them, but none of them had been very receptive to his attempts. His mind swam with thoughts of war, his past, and Bad. Especially Bad.

Skeppy was going to propose to Bad that they come up with a way of ending the war together, but Bad was certainly not willing to talk. What had happened to the naive, young adventurer he had been friends with all those years ago? Being stuck in Belansoa had hardened Bad, and with no external views like Skeppy used to bring him, he seemed changed.

Shaken from his thoughts, Skeppy heard the sound of hushed whispers outside his cell. He snuck over to the door to listen to what was happening outside.

"I know, and I don't care, I need to speak with him."

"You can't! Your parents gave strict orders-"

"I said 'I don't care what they think.' You're going to let me speak to him alone or I'll have you fired."

"If you're caught, I'm going to be fired anyway. Go on then."

Skeppy slithered back to where he had previously been sitting, pretending he hadn't heard the conversation that had taken place outside his door. As expected, Bad unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Hello," was all Skeppy could offer.

Bad stared at him, a nervous look in his eyes. "Skeppy," he whispered. "I have a plan to stop this war, but I need your help."

...

Skeppy paced his cell anxiously, so much to the point that the guard, Sam, who stood outside his cell told him to settle down. He sat down for a moment after that, but was quickly on his feet again, pacing back and forth, waiting for the time to come. This plan had to work, they had to get it right, there was no other choice.

There was no indication of what time it was, thanks to the darkness of the cell, but Skeppy knew it couldn't be long now. The two had plotted meticulously, coming up with a plan that had no way of failing. Well, they hoped so at least. Skeppy tried to settle himself so Sam wouldn't suspect something to be wrong, but his excitement and anxiety for the night ahead kept him from sitting still for long.

Forcing himself to lay down on the bed and keep still, Skeppy pretended to be asleep, hoping Sam would ignore the fact that he had been pacing for several hours. The silence was practically killing him by the time he heard footsteps approach his door and muffled whispers from outside. He could just barely make out what the two were saying.

"He's been pacing all night, there's something wrong."

"That's odd, I'll keep an eye on him, thank you Sam."

Footsteps retreated and Skeppy heard the clicking of the lock on his door. Bad peered in and locked eyes with Skeppy, who had sat up on the bed. Without the words, the two nodded in agreement and Skeppy followed Bad back to the door they had snuck out of a few nights prior. Bad had left clear instructions that he would be guarding the cell for the entire night and to not interrupt him no matter what, but only time would tell if they could stay out undetected.

Once they were out under the night sky, a practically full moon beaming down on them, the two took off in a mad dash down the hill. Skeppy knew they were headed toward the stable, but his mind grew fuzzy with the adrenaline rushing through his body. Reaching the stable, the two quickly untied their horses. Skeppy found Diamond, who had remained tied up during the duration of his imprisonment. She seemed well fed, but glad to see Skeppy again. Bad's horse was brown with white patches in various places, similar to the knight horses in Katini.