Protector

my good friend Death

Someone was throwing pebbles at me.

Rude. Couldn't they see I was asleep? Maybe if I just ignored them, they would go away.

Nope, apparently not. That pebble hit my neck, too close to my face for comfort.

"Hunter."

I knew that voice.
Wincing, I pushed myself to a sitting position and the onslaught of pebbles stopped. The first thing I saw was Roden, still chained in the middle of the cell. On the opposite wall, Imogen watched me worriedly, before looking over at the source of the voice that had called me. It also happened to be the source of the storm of rocks. Jaron smiled widely at me from his place in the shadows. I smiled back at him, my heart so full of joy and confusion, I worried I might burst.

"Jaron," I breathed.

It was quiet for a moment, before Jaron and Roden asked in unison, "Are you okay?"

With a chuckle, I nodded. "Always."

It was such a relief to see Jaron alive. I hadn't known if he'd made it out of the camp. We talked for a bit, relating our stories, sharing injuries, and simply enjoying the company. After a little while, the conversation turned to the obvious dilemma at hand; escape.

"You do have a plan, right?" Roden asked Jaron.

"Oh. Not really," he responded.

Roden got all up in arms at that, as well he should. Jaron had given Imogen the key to her chains, but no one else had any means of getting out. In the end, Jaron came up with a "plan" that would allow Imogen to slip away into the secret passages of Farthenwood. It would require a big commotion from the rest of us. I could tell Jaron regretted not being able to help me, despite my full support of the plan. I knew he'd figure out another plan for us later. And even if he didn't, and this really was the end of our story, I was content to spend my last hours with my brother.

When Kippenger and his men came back for us the next morning, we were ready. As soon as Roden, Jaren, and I were pulled from our chains, we threw the biggest tantrum in all of history, which was in all seriousness, quite fun. It did end with a couple more bruises than it started with, but it also ended with Imogen successfully sneaking away. The three of us were roughly dragged up the dungeon stairs, through the expansive halls of Farthenwood, and into a nice-looking office. Roden and I were shoved to our knees, while Jaron was forced to sit in a chair at a large desk. A man he addressed as Connor was standing behind the desk, watching us enter with distinct malice. The two of them conversed for a good bit of time, before the door opened, admitting Vargan and Kippenger. Jaron made a comment that the king of Avenia obviously didn't like, and he sent the commander out to retrieve an obvious punishment for my brother. When he came back, however, it wasn't with something to hurt Jaron physically, but emotionally. He was dragging another prisoner behind him, gagged and bound.

Tobias.

"Not you too," Jaron breathed.

Vargan explained how Tobias had used himself as a bargaining chip in exchange for the King of Carthya. Our enemy seemed almost gleeful at this point, as he forced us into one last cunning game. He had plans to hang us, but not all of us. Outside on the gallows, there were only three nooses strung up. And there were four of us. Vargan was making Jaron choose which one of us would live. That was the cruelest trick he could have created, meant to tear the boy king apart. It seemed to be working, too. Jaron's eyes went immediately to me, and I gave him a stare to melt stone.

"Don't you dare choose me. We all know I'm the least imperative of our group, as the rest of the world still thinks I'm dead. You've all survived this long without me." I took a breath and continued, cutting off Jaron's abjection. "I vote you go free."

Beside me, Roden was hesitantly nodding along with Tobias, but a conflicted expression shone in his eyes. It was at that moment I realized that he cared for me more than I had thought. He desperately wanted to keep me safe.

Jaron looked positively stricken. He didn't know what to do, and I couldn't blame him. Choosing who lives and dies is something no one should have to do except the gods, and even they were a stretch. After a good deal of us trying to get him to choose ourselves to die, he finally made the decision to save Tobias, who put up quite the fight to stay. I could tell Jaron had wanted to choose me, but my speech had been true. Even he knew that. As soon as Tobias had left, Jaron went up to Connor's desk and signed the papers that surrendered Carthya to Avenia. Roden let out a gasp as he did so, and I felt the same way. It couldn't just end here... could it?

The three of us were pulled to our feet and roughly led out of the office, and down a hallway toward the large front doors of Farthenwood to meet my good friend Death.