Slash

(Side story) Freedom!

   "Why are you always moping around Todd? Aren't you excited about the new recruits coming in? We get fresh meat to terrorize!"

Dave asks me, my head still in my hands as I sit on the edge of this shitty cot I call my bed. I would had thought maybe over the years I would had grown to accept this life. But I haven't. I hate it here. I hate my douchey fellow guards, I hate having to share a big room will all of these men, and I hate all this stupid training. I feel like some hamster stuck in a cage, the only thing I can do is just run around on my little wheel and tell myself I'm going far. This is my second year here, and the longer I've been here, the more and more flaws I keep seeing. It's like no one else thinks! I see how snobby everyone here is, I see how greedy the king is, I see how stuck up all these guards are, they think just because they have the kings crest on their armor they are all that. They're not! Everyone is so....fake. I never asked to be a guard. I just got picked. Luck of the draw. I didn't really have a choice. Mom had told me if I came back home...I wouldn't be her son anymore. So...I just accepted my fate. Being a guard. But...I never really liked fighting. I like helping. I actually wanted to be a nurse, but that was a woman's job. Sometimes I would hide my wounds, just so I could learn to treat them myself. When I would get treated, I would always talk with the nurses, asking what they were doing, and ask for tips and advice about what does what and what goes where. The rest of the guards just tried to flirt with them, I seemed to be only one who treated them like a damn human. I grew up with a lot of sisters, so I guess I just have a soft spot for women.

"I don't exactly enjoy bullying a bunch of kids, Dave."

I mumble out as I lift my head up, frowning up at him, and his little cocky grin.

"Oh, your no fun. So damn sensitive..."

He grumbles out before walking off, leaving me alone in the guards quarters.

This place really is just a fancy prison. I hate being told what to do, where to go, everything! This place is so boring! But...it is what it is I guess. I don't have many friends here, actually I don't have any. All the guards just bully me. I try to be nice and joke with them, but they all are just so crude and rude and nasty! Every day that passes by, the more I hate them. I just want out of here so bad. This place...is sad. I've seen so much unfairness and cruelty. There are so many good people down in those dungeons for practically nothing! So many are there just because they couldn't afford the monthly payment to the king. Why does the king need more gold? He sits his ass on a throne of gold for gods sake! I would do anything for someone to finally stand up to this horrible patriarchy. One day I had been snooping around, and I found out that the king before king jackson was actually a super cool guy. He constantly took care of his people, had parades and parties all the time, took care of the bad people, and took care of the good people. The gates to the kingdom used to be open. Now...no one is allowed to leave or come in. So why are they closed now? The king says it's for our safety, that there is only low lives and danger outside. But...I can't help but think there must be something else. Something he doesn't want us to see. If only someone else would take the throne and teach him a lesson...

I hear the bell go off, signaling that the newbies are getting knighted. I let out a sigh, standing up as I walk out of the guards quarters, leaning against the wall as I watch all the guards standing in a line, waiting to become a guard. They all look so young too....except one. I squint at him, seeing how...strange his face looks. I can't quite tell what he is. His eyes...are so black and sharp. But he's completely hairless...he must like to shave. Most men don't though. His face is so sharp...yet so soft. I can't quite tell if he's just really young, or just soft for a man. I've never once seen someone like him before. He looks so different....i like it! He looks all scary and stuff...cool.