Separated

Part X: Fredrick

I grabbed my pack and was already out the balcony window again when Rosaline left. I had to prove that I was dedicated to reuniting both sides of the kingdom. I would do it by entering the other side. Luckily, it wasn't too hard considering the large crowd towards the town square. I made my way through the noble's part of town without any issues. When I entered the peasant's part of town, it was a bit more difficult. The peasants were everywhere, searching for food anywhere they could. One approached me.

"Excuse me, your Highness, but could you spare us some food from the other side of town?" he asked, trembling with hunger.

"Of course, I'll be right back." Even though I had a task at hand, I couldn't help but have compassion on the poor peasants. I went back and found a nearby fruit stand. It was unattended. My first thought was to take a basket and run, but, to defend my integrity, I placed a small bag of pence on the wooden counter behind the baskets. I took two baskets of apples and came back.

"The prince is back! The prince is back!" the peasant I talked with earlier shouted. Everyone looked up. Their expressions slowly turned from confusion to glee. They raced towards me. Why didn't they have food? Couldn't they get food from the market stands? I had to ask them.

"Excuse me, sirs. Why aren't you able to get food from the market stands?" I asked loudly.

"The nobles don't welcome us in there," the peasant in front of me replied, taking one of the apples from the baskets.

"Why not?" I asked.

"We don't really know, actually," another piped up.

"Oh, shut up! Everybody knows but you!" another peasant shouted to the other one. Voices rose, and soon it turned into complete chaos. I didn't know what to do.

"Silence!" I yelled over the aggressive crowd. They hushed, and I continued.

"There has got to be a better way to settle this!" I said, trying to sound like a figure of authority.

I saw several peasants look between each other and smile, not like a kind smile, but like their problems would be solved in some kind of wicked manner.

"Say, who pays for the noble's necessities around here?" someone in the crowd asked.

"Well, we do, of course."

The two peasants in front smirked at each other. They made their way towards me, arms outstretched. I backed up, matching their steps.

"Now!" one of them said, and they launched themselves towards me. They tackled me down and pulled out crude ropes. As they tied my hands, I yelled for help. No one came to my aid.
♦♦♦
I gave up after several minutes of hopelessly banging on the cellar doors that the peasants trapped me in. I sat in the warmest corner of the small basement, waiting for something-anything- to happen. I heard muffled voices above me. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but they opened the cellar door, blinding me. A peasant threw an apple at me and laughed. All who were with him laughed along.

"Just wait until we tell the nobles that their prince is missing. Then they'll surely let us buy from their marketplaces!" a peasant said, chuckling.

"Even better, we might be able to walk through without being ridiculed!" another said. The others grunted in approval.

"They might even respect us from now on! It's about time we got the respect we deserved!" yet another said.

This was what this was about? I was the prince! I could simply tell the nobles to welcome them!

"Excuse me, sirs!" I said from the cellar. "I have the power and respect to simply tell the nobles to welcome you in their part of town!"

"Really?" the first peasant scoffed. "You, the young prince? Ha! Ol' Johnny here gas a better chance of convincin' him!" The peasants boomed with laughter. The one I presumed was "Johnny" laughed along.

"Please!" I begged. "Give me a chance!"

The peasants stopped laughing and stared in awe.

"You...the prince..." one asked.

"Yes...?" I said, unsure of what else to say. "I am the prince..."

"I like your begging, royal prince of this kingdom." The peasant paused, then he smiled. "Do it again."

I gaped. They were taking advantage of me! I was the prince! They should be respecting me! Part of me wanted to demand respect, but they could do something terrible to me. But...part of me wanted to cooperate, to have hope that by staying vulnerable, I may just be able to escape...

"Please. Let me go."

"Oh, and what are you going to do if we don't?" the peasant said, amused.

"I'll..." I stopped. What could I do? I had to get out of here somehow. I looked where I could, considering I was five feet below the ground and there were three peasants in the way. I spotted a cow pen about fifteen feet off. The fence posts weren't stable enough, so one good throw of one of the good-sized rocks from the cellar could...

"Nothing, I suppose," I said in mock defeat. "You win. Use me for whatever you want. I give up." I threw the rock as I said the last phrase, as if in frustration. Just as I had predicted, the fencepost gave away, and two cows came charging out. The peasants yelled at each other to catch the cows. The while area was in chaos as they tried to catch the cows. I quickly climbed out of the cellar and raced towards the Border without thinking. When I arrived, I tried to find the button that had activated the staircase. When I found it, the staircase appeared to the left of me and I scrambled down them, hoping to hide from the peasants. Just as the staircase closed up, I heard the peasant say,

"Find him, and bring him to me!"