Savior (A Yogscast Fairytale)

Chapter 1

I teleport to the castle, right inside the gates. I run through the gardens, aware of the guards chasing me. I turn behind me, sure enough there are three guards chasing me down, one with a whip. I am not watching where I am going, so I crash into a man, and we both fall to the ground. The guards reach us and one of them grabs his whip and hits my back, causing me to scream. The other two grab my arms and tie them behind my back, and I am held, facing the man I ran into. I growl when I see the man's face. None other than King Xephos, ruler of this land. I see a girl look out from behind him, and my eyes widen.

The girl I saved, all those years ago in the woods. The girl I saved from the Enderman. I see her eyes widen, she must recognize me as well. She turns to the king and starts whispering. Meanwhile, one of the guards kicks me in the back of the shin,causing me to sink to my knees. The king looks at me angrily, but his face softens at what the girl says. When the girl stops talking, she looks back at me and smiles. "Your majesty, I am terribly sorry for what happened. This boy was trying to escape from us, he is an orphan who needs to go to the trade. He tried to run, and he ran into you. I promise he will be punished accordingly." The lead guard says, bowing. The other guards force me to stand and push me forcefully away from the king and the fire-haired girl.

Suddenly, I hear the girl speak up. "Wait!" She yells out. "What is it, Princess?" The lead guard asks. Wait. I saved the princess? "I would like to buy that slave, my father already agreed." She says. I look up at her in shock. The three guards wear similar expressions. "Surely you don't want this piece of scum! He is a rebel, trying to escape and on his way to the breaker!" The guard exclaims. The princess smiles. "Exactly. He is strong-willed and powerful, and that is what I need. I need a new personal bodyguard, and I feel  that this boy will be perfect." She says. I can't believe my ears. The princess wants me? "O-Okay, I guess. He would most likely have gone for about $1,000, so I will give you that price." The guard says, shocked. The princess turns to her father and he smiles in a regal way, handing the guard a sack of coins. The guard counts the money and grins, and the other two give the rope tied to my wrists to the princess. The three bow and disappear, back to the slave trade. The princess and the king walk back to the castle, and I walk with them. For once, I am not fighting. I will fight later, but I refuse to hurt the princess.

We arrive at the castle and the princess leads me inside, past the guards and into what appears to be the throne room. The king goes to sit on his throne, and I see Queen Lomadia seated next to him. The princess hands the rope to a guard and takes her seat next to the queen. The guard forces me to my knees, and I growl at him. "Zoeya, why did you buy this slave? He is rebelious and unbroken." Queen Lomadia says. Zoeya. So that is the princess's name. "Mother, I feel that he is strong-willed and powerful, and he will be a magnificent bodyguard for me." She says, using the same argument as before. The queen sighs. "Very well, dear." She gives in. The guard holding me loosens his hold, and I take my chance.

I yank the rope out of his hands and spin, kicking the guard to the floor. The queen gasps and the king yells out, "Guards! Get him!" I ignore the king and run to the door, which is still open. I bolt through it and down the hallway. The exit is in sight when someone grabs the rope and yanks hard, bringing me to the ground. I stand again, and two guards grab my arms, holding me up. A guard kicks me in the shins, and I fall to my knees, letting the other two drag me back to the throne room. Or so I think. King Xephos is standing outside the throne room, frowning. "Punish him, you know what to do." He says to the two guards holding me. One of them elbows my back, pushing me down a hallway. It is much less grand here, this must be the dungeons and punishment area. The guards untie my wrists and hold my arms out, one on each side, so I am facing a wall. I feel air blow against my back as my shirt is torn off. Then a searing pain strikes my back, and I know what my punishment is. A whipping.

I am whipped for about an hour, until the floor is covered in blood. My wrists are still being held by the guards. They drag me out of the room and back to the throne room, I assume. I have my head down, looking at the stone floor beneath me. I hear a gasp from the princess, which confirms that I am indeed in the throne room again. I refuse to look up, which angers the guard who whipped me. He kicks me in the back and I shoot up, screaming in pain. I am now on my knees, my hands held on either side of me by guards. "Please, let me help him!" The princess says to her parents. I am confused. Help me? No one has ever helped me before. Why should they? I'm just a slave. A boy, at that, and an unbroken rebel. "Zoeya, why would you choose him? Unbroken, rebellious, and only your own age! We are returning him to the trade at once!" The queen exclaims angrily. I growl, and the guards loosen their holds slightly, still holding on tightly. The princess protests more, and I can't help but wonder why she isn't telling them about me saving her life.

Suddenly, the guards release my wrists, and I fall to my stomach. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I look up to see the princess kneeling next to me, pity on her face. "Ravs! Tee'! Come help me!" Two guards come up and grab me under my arms, hoisting me up. The princess turns and walks away, and the two follow her. She walks down a new hallway, knocking on a large white door. A blonde girl answers, looking confused. "What is it, Zoeya?" The princess points to me, and the blonde waves us inside. They lay me on a white table on my stomach, and the girl thanks the two. The guards leave, and the girl turns to Zoeya. "Whipped?" She asks. Zoeya nods. The blonde girl then turns to me. "I'm Minty, the head doctor. I've been here since I was born, my mother was here before me. I've dealt with whippings before." She says, cleaning the blood off. When she is done with that, she tells me to sit up. I silently comply, and she wraps my torso with bandages.

Zoeya jumps up and takes my hand, pulling me out of the room. Minty laughs and waves, and Zoeya pulls me down the hallway. We are intercepted by a guard, who is holding some handcuffs. Zoeya releases my hand, and the guard cuffs my hands together in front of me. Zoeya continues leading me down the hall, the guard behind me. We arrive at a room and the princess opens the door, walking inside. The guard shoves me in after her and closes the door behind me, staying outside. Zoeya walks up to me and leads me to a chair. "Sit down." She says. I decide to listen, so I sit in the chair. "Thank you." She says I look at her, confusion in my eyes. She smiles. "Thank you, for saving me all those years ago. Why did you do it? Was it because you wanted to save a princess?" I think for a moment. I guess I should finally speak. "I didn't actually know there was a princess until I ran into the king today." I answer truthfully. She smiles. "Well, we've never been properly introduced. Tell me about yourself." I frown. "My past is not something you should know about, Princess Zoeya." I say simply. "Please, just call me Zoey. Zoeya is too... formal." I nod. "Say, what's your name?" She asks. I sigh. "My name is Rythian. Rythian Enderborn."