The Rebel (#Wattys2016)

40. August the Twelfth

A new set of fifteen guards arrived the next morning, giving Skander and the rest of the prisoners bandages to help cover Jasper's wounds. He hadn't been as badly beaten as Skander, but he still had trouble walking and his face was covered in bruises. The guards surveyed the captives as they bandaged their fallen prince, and when they were done, their leader, Zed, barked at them to stand up.

"We're going for a little trip today." He snickered and nodded, causing two guards behinds him to unlock the door. "Kieran, you and your team take the Selected and the King upstairs. Make sure they get their outfits. Eren, we'll take the princes to Catrin, make sure they're presentable."

Kieran, a boy who must have been no older than fourteen, stepped forward and nodded at his superior. He gestured at the rest of the guards, who went in the cage. Skander could only press the bandages to Jasper's bleeding shoulder as they went through the prisoners. The Selected whimpered at their rough touch, but they obeyed. The King kept his head low and allowed them to handcuff him. Skander's father was a monster, but a smart one at that, and he knew when he'd lost. The rebels pushed the prisoners out of the cage, and Skander held his brother down.

"I will not leave without him!" Lady June was saying as she pushed against her guard.

Jasper stared at her through half closed eyes, tears pooling at them, and mumbled her name.

"Jasper!" She screamed one last time before the guard pushed her outside the room.

An uneasy silence filled the room, interrupted only by Jasper's heavy breathing. Skander surveyed his captors. Zed must have been his age, and as he'd seen before, Skander knew he had experience fighting. If the Prince would have been healthy, he could have taken him, but he was not, and Zed was not alone. Eren, the other rebel, looked around sixteen. His hair was black and his eyes were a strange shade between blue and gray. His expression was blank, almost bored, as he surveyed the Princes.

Zed took the first step forward and entered the cage. As soon as he did, Skander stood up. Behind the Prince, Eren clicked his gun's safety off.

"Easy, Prince." Zed said. "What are you going to do? Beat me to death with those bandages?"

Skander clutched the bandages filled with his brother's blood harder. Zed continued to walk towards him, shackles in hand. Skander liked to think he hadn't inherited much from his father, but he knew when he'd lost, and let the rebel handcuff him. Then Eren stepped in and handcuffed Jasper. Both rebels led the princes outside the cage. Jasper could barely walk, and Eren had to pull him up a couple of times before they made it to the royal dungeons' hallways.

"Where are you taking us?" Skander asked, if anything to keep the memories of being dragged through the same corridors by Adeen.

"Hell." Eren deadpanned.

"I think I can do that on my own, thank you very much." Skander said. "Unless you're planning to stay with us as well. Already reserved your room, rebel?"

Zed chuckled and pushed Skander a bit faster. Finally they made it to the stairs. They had to go up one hundred and thirty two stairs, Skander knew. Every time he'd come here with his father, he counted the stairs as a way of preparing himself for the pain to come. Now, as he forced himself to go up them, he did the same.

At stair thirty, Jasper collapsed.

Unfortunately, Skander thought, he collapsed forward, so he didn't push Eren down the stairs. Instead, the rebel moaned and helped him stand up. After a few tries, Jasper finally stood up, and they continued to make their way up the stairs.

At stair sixty two, Zed must have become bored, and began speaking.

"How the hell are you so heavy?" He grunted with the effort of pushing Skander up the stairs. "I thought you only ate two slices of bread a day."