//The Crown Thief//

//chapter eighteen//

It had been a few days. Since Kaminari had been thrown into this dark place.. At this point, the sound of dripping- whatever that was- from one of the other cells in the dungeon deep under the palace had gotten a bit rhythmic, like the droplets of water on the wooden plank deck of his ship as the rain poured down from above, all the crew members holding wooden cups and bowls to the sky for just a mouthful of the freshwater they usually didn't have much of it on the salty sea between ports if kingdom where they stole from Kings and princes of all different backgrounds to make their living. The memories were only painful now, like remembering when things were so fun, so simple, just brought around a more harsh side to what he was living now- remembering how he used to dance around the ship, climbing ropes with the sails raised high, the wind whipping through his golden hair as he started into the great blue beyond, the blue waves carrying on for as far as the eye could see, like an endless mass made just for adventure hungry people like Kaminari to explore. Now, about 9 feet in front of him, was a line of metal bars, the other prisoners clearly seen through the gaps between the rusty metal cylinders. Then, to the other side- another line of rusty metal bars.. And another pair of prisoners, scumbags, innocents, murders... All locked away deep below the earth for what crimes they did or did not commit. And behind him? The dirt and cobble wall where he had been.. Marked, at the very least. When he first got here, they marked him like cattle, delivering a harsh burn to his forearm with a glowing red metal cattle brand bent in the shape of flame, the mark of the todoroki kingdom.

He remembered it. The pain. The pain of that metal press sinking into his flesh, burning the living daylights out of him as he screamed and thrashed in pain, being held down to the mattress by three guards, one of which eventually put a cloth gag in his mouth as the skin steamed and bubbled and bled. In the midst of it all.. The blood that flowed from his arm was.... Some how peaceful. It flowed the same way blood always flowed, the thick red liquid flowing down his tan- now red, and pinkish arm- and spreading through the dirty everything went white in that moment. The pain bubbling up, a high pitched ringing pulsing in his head and ears as he stioed struggling, drifting off despite his hest inner protests. it wasn't safe here, he told himself. It wasn't a place to let your guard down, or fall asleep- or pass out in. But he did. The pain- the sharp, piercing, pain was too much for even Kaminari to handle. When he woke up, the skin was puffy and pink, the flame print a puffed line of skin, soon to turn into a scab, the a dark scar. He ran his fingers over it now, sitting back on the wall as he listened to mina, who was in the cell across from his, ramble on about God knows what.

Mina had been dragged in a day after him, something both of them believed to be none other than the works of fate. Their happy yells filled the long hall that day, something about their pure joy sparking a but of hope in all of the other prisoners, leading them to bang on the rusted bars of their cells, and yell for freedom.

'freedom!' they would tell, crying the word at the top of their lungs as Kaminari reached through the bars, scarred fingertips brushing against mina's moment before she was thrown into the cell. Silence fell as the screams started- the screams from that iron brand.. Everyone paused with a sigh, bowing their head as Kaminari cried, and screamed for mercy. Something he never did.

Now mina was safe. Well.. As safe as she could be in a dingy place like this, a place where the screams of torture victims echo through the halls as the guards laugh and the prisoners cover their ears. Kaminari just sat there though. Stuck in a box of emotions that he couldn't escape from.

Then it happened.

The ground shook, dust and small crumbly bits of cobbles stone rained down upon all the sinners in that dungeon. Kaminari stood, eyes lit with a light that hadn't been there for a long time.

"Captain?" mina stood, the hair on the back of her beck standing up.

"this is it, mina.."

"huh?"

"we're getting out of here! But.. But they won't know we're in the dungeons.." *he frantically hit the side of his head, muttering wildly to himself as mina looked at him like he was already a dead man. "We have to get out of here! Somehow.. come on kaminari think! Think think think.. come on.. come onnn.." he paced back and forth, his toe sticking out of his boot from all the pacing he had been doing as of late.

He sighed, flopping down on the rickety mattress, a long scream of the metal following. Mina sighed, clicking her tongue as she looked around. "we could.." She paused, her soft hand running up the old, rusty metal bar, her brows furrowed.

"We could push on the bars.. maybe if we gave it enough force they would pop out or break away from the cobble?" she pointed up, wiggling the bar as more cobblestone dust fell from the hole where the pole had been stuck years ago.

"It's worth a try.."

He turned, walking away from the bars, shaking his arms and bouncing on his feet, blond hair swishing as he got down.

He pushed off, launching himself at the bars. He turned, about to ram into it with his arm when his head butted the bar so hard he groaned, stumbling back as the world went hazy, arms out stretched. He saw mina, her arms through the bars as she yelled to try and make sure he was okay as he fell on his ass, so disoriented.. the whole world was spinny around him-

It went black.

And mina was left there, screaming out his name as he fell, his limp body hitting the ground, the dungeons rumbling as god knows what happened outside.

//1075 words//