Ticket to the Abyss and back

Rustys day

Rusty sighed. This mission of his turned out to be a bit harder than he thought. It wouldn't be easy to get the kid to talk, even though Rusty had a feeling that he wanted to or at least needed to, somewhere deep down.  No, the kid surely was a hard shell at the moment. Not even  all the cookies in Corona would help with that, if he had liked cookies, Rusty reminded himself.

Rusty was in deep thoughts when he arrived back to the yard for his next assignment. Castle Patrol.
He had done something that most people would frown upon and even considered as treason, if he would to be found out, though he had a security line. But that wasn't what was worrying him.
No, the worries he had was geared towards the young boy. The criminal.
When he first had laid his eyes on him he felt pity for the kid. How could they put a little kid in one of the worst cells the castle had to offer.
Rusty knew of course of Varians crimes, and also his reasoning behind them. But even so, he thought that the boy in the cell was just as much of a victim in this tragedy as the Royal Family was.
The boy had pleaded for help during a critical moment for Corona, an unstable and abnormal snowstorm , the King and Queen missing, of course The Princess couldn't come to his aid at that moment, everything was in a turmoil, but afterwards... after the storm, no one had bothered to check up on the kid. And because of that no one had known just how much the kid suffered, his father being encased in some kind of amber from those hideous black rocks.
Rusty shrugged, he felt cold even though the sun was high up and it was a warm day.
No, he couldn't understand it. How was it fair to just lock him up in there? Even after what he had done in his moment of despair, how could they treat a kid like this?

And that was the reason as to why Rusty had made sure to get the morning patrol in the dungeon, but it wasn't entirely his own idea.  No, his mission cam from someone else.

The mission was to keep an eye on the boy, observe and talk to him and hopefully get him to open up. Of course, this was needed to be top secret and no one else could know -yet.
There was actually someone  that was concerned about the boys well being, but everyone was still very upset. It had been nearly three weeks since the "incident".
But maybe, just maybe, Varian would come back to his senses again, but there wasn't a big chance that he would talk willingly or calmly with the royal family or it' s court , at least, not for a long while.  Rustys...reputation made him the perfect and unsuspected one for this mission, he sure had a way with people, always a smile on his face and a joke in his pocket. He definately was the right person for Varian to open up to, if anyone.

Rustys took a deep breath, it sure was a mess. But once he had seen the little boy alone with his racoon in the cell, he just couldn't back away.

In a way, Varian reminded him of his little brother, only lonelier. 
Even if he couldn't do much for the kid, he wanted to help him somehow.
Suddenly Rusty was slung out of his thoughts by a deep voice:

-Hey Rusty! Look alive! You are supposed to be on guard not daydreaming.

Rusty shook off his thoughts and put on his usual happy face.

- Oh hey Rowan. I wasn't daydreaming... I was...
- Thinking up some trouble? Isn't it enough that you got scolded and Morning patrol in the dungeon ? The Cap ain't so happy with you right now, I wouldn't slack off if I was you.
- Eeh Don't worry about it. The Cap will cool down eventually... besides, I like early mornings.
- Yeah but... the dungeons...?
- Well, got ya' there, it ain't rainbows and sunshines exactly...
Rusta chuckled, Rowan was his roomie at the moment and probably the only one in the Kings Guard that still tolerated him. Rusty surely was a joker, and sometimes he went just a bit too far...
- Sooo have you... you know, seen him? The criminal genius? I've heard they keep him on total lockdown.
- Mmh...
- Oh come on. Tell me!
- He's just a kid. A scared and lonely kid.
- Are you kidding me ?! Rowan exclaimed waving his arms.
- He threatened and nearly killed the royal family, and many others to mind you.
- I know, and I'm not excusing him of his actions, it's just... he's just 14 and alone and scared, he practically was abandoned by those he called friends. It's understandable.
- Rusty! Listen to yourself! The kid is unstable and dangerous, he's playing you! Get yourself out of the dungeon duty before he gets to you even more!

Rusty didn't answer. He couldn't exactly explain why he needed to be on morning patrol in the dungeon.
The both guards was looking out over the castle garden. The King and Queen was eating lunch in a gazebo, Rusty spotted an owl soaring down from the sky. Cassandras owl, named Owl,  surely it had a report on the Princess's journey.

- I hope they'll come back soon. Rowan murmured while looking at the Royal Couple. They look sad again, it must pain them greatly to be away from their daughter again. He continued.
Rusty hummed.
The King bashed his clenched fists into the table, causing it to rumble. Queen Arianna smiled softly and placed a comforting hand on her husband's right fist.
- Bad news it seems. If he bangs any harder on the tables there soon won't be any left in all the castle. Rusty tried to joke, but it fell flat. Rowan glared at him.
- We should get going.
The two guards continued their patrolling along the Castle garden in silence.

Later that day Rusty snuck down to the dungeon when the Captain was preoccupied with one of Rustys failproof practical jokes.
He hurried down the stonelaid stairs so fast that he almost tripped on his own feet, when he finally was on the bottom floor, deep under the castle he had to pause for a bit and catch his breath, he was panting heavily. "I really should get in better shape", he thought to himself while his eyes wandered down the musty hallway and he made a frightening discovery.
Varians prison door was open.

"Shit!!"

Rusty spurted down the hallway with his heart racing faster the ever. Hoping that his eyes was deceiving him in the bad light.

"No no no"

He rammed in through the halfopen doorway with panic in his head thinkinng he might be the reason one  of Coronas most dangerous criminal was loose.

Rusty was in chock. The boy was still in his cell, even though the door was open, for some reason he couldn't understand, Rusty was certain that he had locked it.

Varian sat on his little bench that also served as a hard bed. The racoon in his lap. Rustys mouth hung open.

- I thought you had escaped, kid.

Rustys sank down to the floor, his body was shaking from the adrenalinerush.
Varian slowly pat his racoon.

- I thought about it. He finally responded.
Rustys eyes widened.
- It was easy to pick the lock. Childs play actually.
Rusty thought he saw a faint smile on the kid.
- But where would I go ? I have nothing.
- You... Rusty bit his lip, he didn't really know what to say, this was not what he had expected.
- I'd have to be on the run, leaving Corona and the Kingdom for good, live in hiding. Not... not be able to help my dad...
- Kid...
- Don't call me that!! I'm not a kid! I am a criminal, kids arn't kept in prison, so I can't be a kid!  Varian spat out, clenching his fists.
Ruddiger startled by his humans sudden outburst of emotions jumped of Varians lap and hid under the bench. Rusty sneered. He got up from the floor and walked over to Varian, he took the boy by his shoulders and looked him straight into the eyes.

- But you ARE. You are a kid. And kids make mistakes, I make mistakes, HUMANS make mistakes. The important thing is that we try to fix them if we can.
Varian swallowed.He tried to look away from Rustys green eyes, but everytime he tried the guard just followed.

- Kid! Are YOU willing to fix your mistakes ?

No answer. Maybe he had gone to far, maybe this was all he would get out of the little boy this time.
Rusty let go of the much too tiny shoulders and turned around, he walked in a small halfcircle and gestured around with his arms while he continued:
- Or would you rather stay here? In this dark musty hole? Wasting away?

The guard finally did what he had come for initially, he picked up Varians old trashed clothes. Varian still kept quiet, he made tiny faces, probably gritting his teeth.
- It's your choice , kiddo. Choose your way.
And so he walked out from the prisoncell and closed the door behind the kid once again.
Rusty sighed, his heart felt heavy. He didn't like to feel this way, this wasn't him, but even if he didn't like this assignement, he couldn't leave the kid to his faith.

Rusty gathered himself before he went up the stairs.
It was time to report to the Queen.