Don't Forget

#6 A Prisoner's Plight

Prince Adam is barely conscience after being stabbed. Black spots cover almost all of his vision. The Piscus had left him to die, knowing that all the soldiers in the area were already dead.
     The prince lays curled up in the fetal position next to his mother. His mother. A woman that Adam barley knew. He can't even think about the idea of it with the pain stabbing at his insides. Adam dimly wonders if this is what death is like. His limbs are already going numb from blood loss.
     Adam doesn't see the figure step into the room from the hall. The man looks nervously around the room before dashing over to the prince. To his credit, he confirms the woman's death before turning back. The man has brown hair, is short, and looking to be in his late teens. Adam only sees the purple blob of his cloak.
     "Hey Adam, um, you don't know me, but I know you. If that makes any sense.....", the teen awkwardly mumbles the last part. He seems to be in a hurry. "You won't understand why, not ever, I won't see you again. That means I can't help with your future. I could heal you now, but that's only your current injury. I will give you my healing ability instead.". The Sorcerer, for that's what he is, looks wildly around for listeners as he talks. Adam can only understand pieces of what's being said.
     The Sorcerer takes a deep breath before placing both his hands on the prince's chest. Slowly, light purple wisps comes down his arms. They look like they're being forcefully dragged out of the teen in jerky motions. Adam can't see what's going on. All he can feel are the hands on his chest. The stab wound still bleeds, but it's staring to feel numb to him. 
      Exhaustion slams into the Sorcerer when his healing ability is finally transferred over. He falls back with a groan. Adam finally feels his eyes closing against his will. No, he has to stay awake!
     "It's ok. You can sleep now", the Sorcerer calms him, moving back over. He starts bandaging Adam's wound with practiced care. The prince is only awake for another few seconds before darkness claims him.
     When Adam wakes up again, his mind is groggy. It takes time to remember what had happened. Didn't he die? No, the prince isn't dead. Adam's chest gives a sharp jab of pain when he tries to move.
     He's not in the bedroom like he was before. Instead, he's been shoved into a dark closet. The room instantly reminds Adam of his mother. The thought is still too much for his young mind to bear. The King has always been distant from his son. Was it because Adam's mother was a lowly servant? Is that why his father always kept his distance? He's the bastard prince.
The prince is still in a lot of pain, but it's not nearly as bad as it was. He doesn't really understand everything that's happened to him. It feels like he hasn't moved in ages with how stiff Adam feels.
      Finally sitting up in the dark closet, Adam sees that bandages wrapped tightly around his lower torso. He briefly remembers the Sorcerer who put them there. Who were they? What did they do to Adam? The prince is too scared to take off the bandages to check if he's still bleeding. They already looked soaked through. How is he even moving?
      Adam can't stay in the closet forever. He's smart enough to realize that the castle still might not be safe. He needs to get out and find help. Clumsy and painfully, Adam uses a shelf to pull himself up. Every movement still feels like another small stab.
     The prince is afraid of people recognizing him. Now his father's rule makes more sense. Adam looks around in the closet before seeing a large coat on one of the shelves. He shakily pulls it on while leaning against the walls. Hopefully the hood will cover his face and the coat won't let the bloodied bandages show.
     He shakily grabs onto the door handle and almost falls over when it opens. Adam whimpers when it aggravates his wound even further.
The closet opens up right into the hallway. A small group of three squids had been chatting nearby when the door swung open and banged against the wall. The three were suppose to be doing one last sweep of the castle. It shocks them all to see Adam's small figure burst out of the closet. The oversized coat hides all his features.
"What the hell, a kid!?", one of the squids reacts, "Grab it and take outside. No one ever does what they're suppose to! The last wagon leaves in five minutes".
The ones closet to Adam grabs onto him and pulls him away from the door. She almost lets go as the boy's legs buckle. Instead, she swears and starts hauling Adam outside
In truth, Adam had been in that closet for nearly two days. It was just pure luck that he wasn't found. The prince still doesn't understand what's going on. He's terrified of the squid pulling him away. What happened while he was asleep? Where are they taking him?
Sunlight blinds Adam at first. It's hard for him to make out the empty beams driven into the ground. His wound screams when he tries to keep up with his captor. It's easier just to be dragged. Adam is too weak to fight it.
The shade of the building is a slight relief, but the heat inside confuses Adam. Why's it so hot in here? He looks around at the metal work until he spots the forge. Is this a blacksmith shop? The Squid suddenly shoves him into the ground. The prince yelps in surprise. He's held down while the sleeve of his too big coat is pulled up. Adam only glimpses the red metal before its being pressed into his skin. He screams.
Tears are streaming down Adam's face by the time they pour water over the brand. Why would anyone do this to another living thing? His vision starts to swim once again. Adam refuses to fall asleep again. He needs to know what's going on. The pain is still paralyzing.
His captor and the brander exchange a few words before Adam is brought out of the blacksmith. He feels a stab of betrayal when he realizes that the brander isn't a Piscus. How many others have betrayed his father? Adam can only assume that the King is dead.
     "We found one more in the castle", the squid escorting Adam says. She's speaking to another squid who stands next to the end of a wagon. The wagon is pulled by a pair of horses, and is completely boxed in except for the small cracks between boards.
      "We were just about head out, good thing you got here on time", he replies, "Throw the kid in the back". The Squid leading Adam takes him to the back of the wagon, but waits for him to climb in himself. He would of fallen out if she hadn't steadied him at one point. The stab and burn wounds don't let him climb very well. Adam looks back at her before crawling forward. Her face is conflicted with emotion
The door closes and locks behind him. Wheels start tuning as the horses pull the cart. Adam slumps against the wagon wall and pulls his knees up to his chest before looking around. It's dark inside, but he can just make out a figure laying on the floor in the back of the wagon. They look like they're unconscious. Adam jumps when a voice speaks up.
"So where'd they get you?", they say. The prince whips his head around to see a boy sitting across from him. He looks to be a year or two older then Adam, with the same brand still fresh his shoulder. He takes the pain better then Adam
What's shocking about him is the layer of dirt on all his exposed skin. A street rat. The boy is obviously an orphan from the streets. His feet are bare, clothes torn and dirty. Brown hair falls in front of his eyes. He gets up and shuffles next Adam when he doesn't respond.
"Yeah, not a talker? It is pretty crazy out there. What's your name?", he asks.
"U-Umm, I, my name is....", Adam trails off. He doesn't want to be rude, but he can't say his real name. The prince's mind is in shambles.
"Well nice to meet you Um, I'm Ty", the street rat laughs. Ty seems to be handling the invasion much better then Adam. "So.... do you like watermelon? It's my favorite fruit", he continues.
"..... Yeah, it's pretty good", Adam answers, turning a little to face Ty. The strange conversation is taking his mind off the pain.
"I knew that you would agree with me! I really like the ones that the ladies in the square bring every summer", Ty smiles. He's just trying to cheer up the younger boy. He can see his fear.
      Ty doesn't know what do do when Adam starts shaking and crying. You don't have friends when you live on the streets, only competition. The prince's mind was brought back to his mother with Ty's words. It's all too much for him to handle so soon.
Adam is still curled up on himself when Ty hesitantly reaches over and hugs him. Adam reflexively buries his head in the older boy's chest. Ty can only awkwardly pat him on the back. He doesn't know how to comfort him. Little does he know that he is helping. Adam's lost everything. Ty's never had anything to loose. Just having someone there with him makes the prince finally start calming down.
      "Whats happeneds?", a new voice groans. Adam and Ty flinch away from each other as the other person finally wakes up. The wagon hits a rut and roughly jolts them all. It makes the stranger curse out loud. He looks older then Adam and Ty, maybe around 19 or twenty. He's dressed like a trader.
      "Oh ya know, just the end of the world", Ty quips. Adam snorts at the truth of it. Everything he's ever known is gone. Sitting still has helped lessen the pain from his wounds. "Who're you?", Ty continues.
     "I'ms Barney. I works on the docks", he answers. Barney wears a purple hoodie, green is streaked through his brown hair, and an eye patch covers his right eye. The GoldenEye emblem is stitched into his sleeve. Adam can't help but think how old Barney is. He's almost an adult, so surly he'll know what to do?
"Hey Barney, I'm Ty, and this is Umm-I", Ty giggles.
"No! That's not my name", Adam protests, surprising himself the volume. Barney looks confusedly at the pair. He might have asked what Adam's real name was, but the wagon suddenly heaves to the side. Horses are screaming from outside the wagon. Tears prick Adam's eyes as he covers his ears. People are screaming and yelling again.
     "What's happening?", Ty gasps, finally showing his nervousness. The wagon lurches again before he gets an answer. It doesn't go back down this time. The entire cart falls over onto its side. Adam yelps when he lands heavily on his stab wound. The light of the setting sun fills the space since the locked doors had broken off in the fall.
"The wagons are being attacked!", Barney shouts, scrambling to his feet, "The troops are helping us escape, come on!". He smashes what remains if the wagon doors before motioning the other two to follow him. The squids are already reorganizing and fighting back. A little less then a third of the prisoners have gotten out in the chaos.
Ty jumps up and follows immediately after Barney. Adam tries to follow, but his stab wound brings him right back to the ground. It's staring to bleed again. The strange healing that it had done couldn't keep up. Ty looks back to see that Adam had collapsed.
Where Ty grew up, you only look after yourself. Caring for other people is a weakness. Ty's had to fight every day of his life just to keep living. Still, he hesitates. He can clearly see now that Adam is hurt. He won't be able to get away without help. But Ty can't escape and help him.
The attacking troops are quickly fleeing again. Ty ducks when a squid tries to grab him, bolting for the forest. Adam can only watch him go. Ty and Barney left him.
It's as over as fast as it began. Only a few of the wagons were actually tipped over. The rest were reloaded with prisoners and the horses are hitched back up. The rebelling troops won't attack again; some of the attackers were shot down.
Adam is put into another wagon with even more strangers. He doesn't want to talk anymore. The prince is staring to go numb to all the bad things happening around him. Hope seems very distant.