The Princes Street Rat

21 - If and only if

𓆩♡𓆪

The prison gate flew open with a loud bang. The familiar footsteps of guards echoed through cold floors.

Jisung had just finally found will to sleep, the details of his dream were already pre-set and freshly marinating in his mind. He could not find the strength to cut his dream short- not now. In his half delirious state, he could pretend that the rushed noises did not exist.

The noises meant nothing to him until the sound of keys clattered by his gate. A sound he could not ignore, it was much too close, much too real. He broke from the trance of the dream by opening his eyes. His body felt too heavy to move even though this was the first time they'd opened his gate. The last time he'd heard the gate fly open was the day he got stripped of his freedom.

He looked up at the two guards. He had nothing to say before they immediately tackled him into submission as they adorned him with chains and cuffs. On his neck, arms and feet. Isolation in the prison had killed off the last of fight left in him.

With an unexpected rush they ushered him out with a grip on his shoulders strong enough to bruise lhis skin. His feet scraped along the ground and he let himself be carried out by the weight of the guards.

They were leading him to his death, he could feel it in the burn of his throat. He had thoughts about how he'd be killed if the prince's balls finally dropped enough for him to see it through. He wondered if he'd be killed publicly, hanged, buried alive stoned, whipped maybe. Somehow he doubted the prince would ever do that.

The prince had way too much pride to have to publicly stone a person he'd chosen on his own judgement.

He knows the prince would kill him in a manner in which no one would notice. No one would notice he'd ever existed. Would he torture him first for good measure? Would he enjoy his pained wails, or would he do it in one clean job, then discard his remains appropriately?

He shuddered. Jisung didn't think that death would feel like this. He thought he'd have a revelation, or a feeling of contentment minutes, hours or even days before his death. That he'd start reaching a higher conciousness by now.

He didn't.

He felt pretty much the same, the only thing different was the numb feeling. He shocked himself by how apathetic he was to his imminent death. All he could do now was wish he'd fare better in the afterlife. He heard good things about it.

___________________________

The afterlife looked like a brightly lit room with high ceilings and draped walls. It looked eerily similar to the room the prince assigned to him before.

He fell to the ground when the guards tight grip on him loosened. Their hands worked on him and soon, the chains that enclosed him were off. They left him there without so much as a glance.

He blinked, confused.

"Take off your clothes, we ran a bath for you." A feminine voice called from the side.

He gave the uniformed woman no other response except for another blank gaze.

"Come now, hurry up."

Jisung stood up, giving his raggedy clothes an uncertain look before he removed the shirt that stuck on his chest like paste. Walking into the bath chamber he was met with a trio of maidens waiting ready for him with oils, lotions and bath salts.

They freed him of the rest of attire and he sunk into the pleasantly warm water just so he could rid himself of shame.

Nakedness was not something he was particularly too ashamed about, he did spend most of his days swimming about his peers, even well out of the days of his childhood. Now his concern was more a problem of hygiene. He didn't want to be perceived in his current state, despite the fact that the people around him were here to help redemdy that problem without judgement (and for a reason he still could not fathom).