ꜱᴄᴀʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋᴇʏꜱ

Chapter 35: Rheton

 Rheton sat up slowly. His eyes adjusted to blinding light, his hands curled into something rusty and gold. Not a key this time. It felt like a floor of something.

He slipped under the metallic floor as he heard soft footsteps from his side. A girl around his age frowned at him with a surprised look on her face. She rested her hands on what Rheton realized was a cell. Her gray hair fell into her eyes.

Not again. "Papa usually tells me if he has new prisoners," she mumbled. "Guess he's been to busy planning my wedding to care,"

He cleared his throat to speak, but it was like his lips were sealed shut, though he could still move his lips. His throat was the thing that was sealed, but he could still breath freely.

"Oh yeah. You can't talk in this part of the castle unless one of the royal members give you permission to," she frowned slightly. "I would love to do that for you, but papa said only he can do that. Though I miss being able to ask people about how they got here," Her lilac dress had fluffy sleeves around her shoulders down to her mid arm. It went down to her calf, and there were tiny flowers made out of fabric scattered across the top. "I'm Ariella, the king's twins? Have you heard of us?"

He nodded slightly. He recognized this twin, the cheerful and extroverted one.

"My sister Adhrina might come say hello," she paused to smile at him. "Her dresses are always darker than mine, and ripped. Papa needs to teach her proper etiquette,"

A girl almost identical to Ariella walked into the prison and leaned against the door frame, her face was darkened by the shadows. "Papa wants us to go spar. He'll take care of the prisoners. Promise you," her tone was soft, but demanding in a way. "With the princes,"

Ariella giggled suddenly. "I get to see my fiance," she turned to Rheton. "His hair is always so perfectly tied and everything!"

The girl from the door made a grumbling noise and pushed off of the door. "See you soon, Ari,"

"See you later, boy!" she giggled gleefully and walked out of the room with her sister.

"Ugh. That princess is so bubbly and giggly. I don't even understand how Augustus keeps up with her!" one of the prisoners from his left side muttered as the pair left. "Adhrina on the other hand, is very reserved. She keeps to herself,"

"You're falling for the quiet one? Not even the bubbly one?" another one scoffed back.

"Yes. Won't spoil my thieving plans to her father,"

The other prisoner snorted. "Blackburn, settle down buddy. You don't have a chance with either girl. Have you seen the way Arilla looks at her fiance? She's in love with him."

Blackburn sighed, annoyed. "No. Did you see the way she was eyeing the new guy? She is definitely not in love with him if she's looking at another guy like that,"

Rheton grumbled. He really needed a paper to communicate with these guys.

The other prisoner chuckled darkly. "Well, you know those marriages are arrangements, right? She doesn't have to be in love. Ariella just has to follow her father's rules,"

"Zayden, you're the one that got us locked up here in the first place. Might as well have some fun taunting the new guy,"

The door to the prison swung open abruptly as the king leaned against the door. "Now that my daughters are occupied with their fiances, the new prisoners will be granted speaking terms, and a few of you will have them revoked," the king took a side-eyed glance towards Zayden. He chuckled.

The king first walked to Rheton and gripped the bars enough his knuckles turned white. Rheton had to resist the surprising feeling he felt at the sight of Cazzlyn's king, or so assuming this was her kingdom by the way she explained it, in pain. The king took his hands off his cells' bars and took a heaving sigh.

"Well then," he scanned the room for more prisoners. "I think my work is done here for a few days," A prisoner squealed suddenly.

"Nope. I told you a million times, Gia, he won't grant you permission to speak unless you grant it," Blackburn's voice was slightly muffled by the girl's begging squeals. "Or unless his daughters like to talk to you. That's how a newbie over there got his speaking permission," he gestured to Rheton. He resisted a comeback in front of the king. "The servants should be bringing food soon, bribe one of them,"

The king turned suddenly and stalked over to Blackburn's cell. "Why do you suggest bribing the servants, B1456?"

Blackburn didn't cower under the king's gaze, not even a tiny bit. It was like he knew the king's next move. "Oh you know. Over time you learn the things that work to get from the servants," he said dryly. "Just like to help my friends out. And my name's Blackburn, not the number name."

The king grumbled and stalked away.

Rheton heard the pair of thieves turn around to his cell. "I wonder what this guy's number will be," Zayden began.

"Does the king always give prisoners' their own numbers that correlate to their names?" Rheton asked quickly before Blackburn could get another one of his snarky comments in.

"Depends on how many times the specific prisoner has been on the fugitive list for, or how many crimes they've committed." This time it wasn't Blackburn or Zayden. It was the princess from the door. Adhrina. "You'll probably only get a two or three digit number. You're not too badly wanted, and you haven't committed any crimes," her tone darkened. That we know of." she yawned. "I wonder were Cazzlyn Epps has disappeared to, surprised she's not hear for injuring my brother yet,"

His ears perked at the mention of Cazzlyn. "Poor guys are still recovering from that weird possessive attack he had a few days ago. That girl and her physic abilites much,"

"She's not a physic," he blurted angrily. "She's an areo, she can control the wind and the air. It follows her emotions. I've seen it in person. Promise,"