Jewels of the Crown

♛ 9 ♛

The crowd is silent, waiting for the man to open his mouth, and speak. I know what he's doing, as I've accompanied them in situations like this many times before. He's drawing the silence out to make sure that everyone is going to listen, as well as ascertain his control over the situation. Once he is certain that it has been established, he clears his throat, before calling out in a clear and strong voice.

"By order of the castle, every man of legal age, who is fit and healthy, are to gather at the gates of the castle. Anyone to be seen as not following those orders will be viewed as traitors, and will be dealt with accordingly after they are forced to join the group." After the announcement, there are a good few minutes of silence, before it is broken by mothers wailing out in despair at the prospect of their sons and fathers being forced to become part of the group going to the gates of the castle. They too are probably thinking along the same lines as I. Men, fit at that, are only usually asked to do such a thing if we were going into war. Fear rises around the square, and I know that I have to get back to the castle as soon as possible, to find out what is going on, as my second thought is that there was no inkling that there were any tensions between any kingdoms, let alone ours. Maybe we were under attack after all, and I was just kept in the dark about those things, as my mother didn't want me to worry anymore. Faron puts down his tool, and my eyes fly to him, realising that he's part of that group. I rush to him, placing my gloved hand on his arm. My eyes meet his, his blue eyes the serious storm that seems to be their normal state, but this time they look even darker than usual with worry.

"Be careful," I plead with him. He no longer has control over his fate, but I still want him to be safe, and do everything in his power to keep himself that way. He squeezes my arm in a reassuring gesture.

"We don't know what they want yet," he points out as he passes me and enters the square. I've not known him for long, and I'm already worried about him. I'm worried about the whole of the kingdom, but with Faron it's strong. It's because I've got to know him more than the rest of the kingdom, but I'm not sure whether I would feel the same about someone else if it were the same situation. What does that say about me?

"Wait," I say, walking after him. He turns, looking expectant. "Thank you for today," I tell him sincerely. It's probably one of the first days that I forgot about everything, until now, and just enjoyed being in the moment. I don't have much to keep me occupied in the castle, so it's a nice change.

"My pleasure. I'll seek you out later," he promises before returning to his walk toward the castle gates. I watch him go, placing his shirt back under the apron as he does. I watch the crowd, both men and women walking with him, all of them curious what awaits them when they get there. I desperately want to wait around for Faron to return, so my mind is put at ease, and I know he's safe. I know, however, that the best thing for both of us, is for me to be back in the castle. This will allow me to understand fully everything that's going on. Not delaying any further, I spin intending to get changed back into my clothes.

"Hey, boy!" a man, the guard specifically, shouts out in the square, and my heart goes out to the boy on the end of it. They probably don't want to be part of this and are being forced to do it. The legal age is 14 and as a result, it means that young boys, who aren't ready, will be pulled into situations that they shouldn't. I always think that the age is too low. They're just getting started in life.

"Hey!" the guard calls again, and to my surprise I feel a hand come down onto my arm and grip it tightly, spinning me. "You thought you could get away could you?" he snarls down at me. My eyes widen, and the words that I am trying to form won't come together and then leave me. They stay floating around in my brain. Should I reveal myself to him? I try and work out if it's necessary. Maybe I could get away without telling him who I am if he only believes that I am not male.