Kingdom of Sicarius: The Fight for Freedom

{Rauwan}

     I wavered in and out of consciousness for what could have been minutes, hours or days -I couldn't tell-, until I could no longer tell which reality I was in. It was completely dark, with no light to guide me. I rubbed my eyes with my dirt-stained hands and let out a gasp. A groan forced its way up my throat as I clutched my broken hand to my chest. I pushed away the pain and tried to turn my attention to my surroundings. I blinked several times, accommodating my vision to the darkness of the area.

I felt the hard, grubby stone beneath my arse and jagged walls of rock behind my aching back. I was reliving the nightmares of a past I couldn't remember. The cold stone and musty smell, oddly enough, felt familiar to me. I shook my head. That would most likely be because I had been here for several hours, if not days. 

Unlike any of my past nightmares, Silver wasn't here to wake me up and comfort me. I would not be hearing her hushed kind words, as soft as the rosy petals of a silk Cameilera. A flower that we both loved. Its beautiful colour of pink was impossible to replicate and the softness of its petals bested the palace's most luxurious of silk pillows. As much as we adored the flower, father would never give us any. He feared that they would release their poisonous spores and render us blind for the three months it took for our mortal bodies to heal from it. 

So, Silver would formulate one of her cunning plans to sneak us out of the castle unnoticed. We would traverse the wide, open plains in search of the beautiful flower and when we did, there would be a never-ending field of pink.

I laid silently, gazing up into the grim darkness. I listened to the occasional scuffling of bugs, mice, and god knows what else that was hidden under the veil of black. It was amusing to think how fast a life could change, and how sharp life could turn off the peaceful trails it was meant to follow. 

I eventually reached my good hand to my sore shoulder and flinched. Pain screamed from my nerves and my very essence. Agony washed over me, wave after wave, so much so that I forgot about my crushed hand that was at my side. I felt around my waist where my coat still lay tied. I fumbled with the material until it started to unravel from my waist. I brought the garment up slowly and wrapped it around my upper arm. I winced as I laid it over my gnarled flesh. I clenched my teeth together and tightened the coat in a painful knot on my shoulder, attempting to halt the blood that still trickled from the wound.

"They are coming-" a sharp voice cut through the silence.

I shot up in alarm, "W-who's there?" I asked.

No one replied...

No less than a minute later, a dim light pierced through the darkness, illuminating the dank cobblestone cell I was sprawled in. I straightened up and tilted my head toward the eerie glow. I crawled towards the light, a clanging sound rang behind me. I realized that around my left ankle was a heavy cuff of metal, accompanied by a heavy linked chain. As I examined the cuff and chain, a shadow fell over the cell. 

A stout, yet lanky figure filled the entrance to my cell. The person was definitely a male, not quite a man nor could he be considered a boy. He wore a tight gray shirt and black trousers, completed with a pair of riding boots. He had olive toned skin, a thick build, braided black hair and gray eyes the colour of rocks. 

Another figure appeared beside him. She was the same height as the figure beside her. She had voluptuous hips and a curvaceous body blessed by only the heavens. Her pale skin shone and shimmered within the light, her curled black locks framed the sharp features of her face. Her eyes were narrowed and her red stained lips were drawn into a familiar toothy smile.

"Well, well, well..." she grinned and turned to the man.

"Here she is."

"I promise she's quite the looker if you scrub her up nicely," the man-boy shifted uncomfortably beside her.

"Oh, and look at those eyes." she cooed, as I glared at her harshly. He let out a meek cough to regain her attention.

"What?" she scoffed, disgruntled. She disguised her frown with a schooled expression.

"The lord is to question her, then decide her fate. Until then, you can do whatever you want with her. Just have her looking a little presentable, at the very least." she said bitterly, before stalking away, heels clicking behind her. 

 The man-boy entered the cell and knelt down in front of me. I flinched as he reached down, except his hands drifted to the cuff on my ankle. He fished out a ring of keys from his pocket and spent the next several minutes trying different keys on the cuff until it clicked open. He gripped my upper arm tightly in one hand and hauled me to my feet.

"W-wait, what? What's happening? Why me? Why am I here?" I croaked weakly.

"You'll find that out soon enough." He yanked on my hand and swiftly turned around, with me in tow. It took all my might not to scream in pain, but instead gritted my teeth and cried silently. The man gripped my broken hand as he half lead, and half dragged me behind him up and down the twisting corridors of the dungeon. 

Echoes of our footsteps sounded throughout the passageways. Chills slithered up my spine at the eerie silence. The hairs on the back of my neck began to rise with unease. Soon the halls became lighter until a yawning gap in the rock walls gave way to a sunlit, dusty clearing. The man-boy stopped, and turned to me.

"I am Rauwan," he said. I nodded meekly in response.

I nodded slightly, as he tugged me along a path outside the exit toward a nearby cart. Rauwan tethered my aching wrists tightly to one of the rails of the cart. I hopped onto the cart and made myself as comfortable as a girl could with her hands bound with rope in an awkward position. The worn, wooden planks creaked under my weight. I settled uncomfortably with both my arms tied to the railing. Rauwan climbed upon a sturdy, black workhorse, and with a flick of the reins, the beast started forward.

The cart jostled slightly as it rolled along the dusty path. The plain dusty scenery soon changed into thick, lush foliage. Green pine trees surrounded the cart on either side, the trunks so densely packed, that hardly any sun could penetrate the canopy of needles. 

As the cart continued, the air seemed heavier and an ominous aura loomed over us. The sound of toads croaking and the rustling of leaves reassured me that the forest was inhabited and not utterly deserted like I had previously thought. My eyelids began to grow heavy and it became increasingly difficult to remain awake. I was slowly lulled to sleep and it welcomed me with opened arms. 

~~~