Lion's Cage

Chapter 2

"Alea acta est"

I turned to Damien and then to Amelia. This is just a mistake.

I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't let Amelia convince me to go. It was a foolish move to come here. From my experience I shouldn't have trusted anyone connected to Main House. They serve to Prince and they would easily see what I'm capable of.

Every time before I was in my house, no matter what I didn't get out and with doors shut tightly I convinced myself I'm safe in those four walls of my house.

Sometimes they wouldn't even check my room, but here on square they wanted to have fun. Making fun of, beating and even killing peope - in here everything was allowed.

"There is no good soldier without a practice," I heard him say once. It took me three missing people to realise Prince is using them. And no matter how they disappeared, people never doubt when a fine embowed letter would come saying they joined an army. But they never came back, and in my mind I remembered the last visit. It was a cook's son, he just disappeared. 

"Feel free to shoot them. They don't feel. They can't move," the Prince said.

I felt a cold shivers running down my spine when I saw soldiers dressed in red suddenly lifting a frozen man before they shook their head in unbelievable, free from Froze. Seconds later I saw him getting killed.

It was cruel.

Not once I wanted to say leave them alone, not once I wanted to fight with them, but I knew that the same destiny would wait for me. They would kill me and I would die without a word. It would be a letter, behind me and a year later another one. It would say I died and they would thank for my service.

So, I remain in my house, pretending to be frozen, but my tears couldn't be frozen. They kept falling and falling. My soul was in pain because I was useless and I couldn't help them. It's my people, I should have been able to help them.

My heart beat quicker when I saw horses and guards. It was a hot day, and the ground was dry. After every hard step, ground would crack. Tiny pieces of earth were flying everywhere, and I had to close my eyes. They were already teary. I convinced myself those were tears from dust. Not fear, not from Prince, and certainly not from a soldier standing next to me.

After a few minutes I heard footsteps and then a door opening. The Prince was here.

I was paralyzed, not being able to close my eyes. I had to pretend I'm just like when he froze me. Damien can't know. No one does. Even Amelia didn't know. The only persons were my parents. My father never spoke a word about it, but my mother forbid me to say anyone. It was like that part doesn't exist.

Prince had his plan. Every froze, every visit an hour longer. When I was eleven, the freezing was just a few hours long. But now, these days he held them frozen for a day. When they could move it was already dark.