Kaze awoke in darkness. Something like the scent of warm grass and flowers lingered on the far edges of his mind. It stirred him, brought him further out of the darkness and he breathed deeply, desperately, chasing it even though his lungs ached. For a moment he'd thought he'd grasped it, but like mist or like a dream it slipped through him, faded, and was gone. And as his eyes fluttered open and his mind began to clear Kaze forgot that it had even been there. He took another breath and choked on the heavy reek of wet stone, dirt, and muck.

Breathing made him realize just how barren and stale his mouth and throat were. When was the last time he had something to drink? He couldn't remember—couldn't remember anything. The only thing he really thought was that a sip of water would be a joy right about now. He was sure that even just a drop would do wonders to rid the awful, bitter taste on his tongue. He sputtered, wishing he had the saliva to spit it out.

It was hard to try and keep his eyes open; the lids ached and were woefully heavy. Even when he'd thought he'd got them open, it was so dark he couldn't tell if he was blinking or not.

'I've lost my eyes now, have I?' he thought tiredly.

Before panic had its chance to sink in, he saw something. At first they were just spots on his vision— fleeting, without form. But as the darkness started to fade away, shapes appeared in sight. They were watery and amorphous, but they were something—although he could not tell exactly what.

He squinted, frowning, 'It seems I still have my eyes then. I just need to get them to see.'

He blinked a few times and it helped clear things a little. He thought of rubbing his eyes, but strangely his arms or hands wouldn't move; Kaze could hardly feel them. A small worry flickered in his chest, but he pushed it aside. His arms were numb, unfeeling, but he felt the weight of them, and with the weight came pain. They were there. He tried to yank them, pull them, but they hardly budged. He had the curious sensation that they were hanging, but how and from what he couldn't say. He noted that his legs did not share the same weightless sensation, and although it was painful, he was able to move them. He could feel he was sitting at least.

As he struggled he heard the soft clinking of chains. His awareness was coming back slowly, the darkness and numbness retreating to the last vestiges barely clinging to the edges of his mind. Even though it hurt, he moved his heavy and aching head. He looked up and found his arms firmly bound to the wall by a pair of old rusted shackles.

'…Ah.' The realization sank in slow and deep. He let his head drop heavily, hair falling over his eyes. The memories of what had brought him here came back in broken flashes: screaming, flashes of steel, cold panic, the smell of blood. Like the pieces of a puzzle it all came together and found form. This darkness, the chains, and the pain all found purpose. He sighed and it burned. '…Right.'

With the consciousness came a headache, pounding through his skull like a hammer in a forge. Kaze grit his teeth and tried not to make any noise. He thought back to his training, remembering a few simple mantras to calm himself and help kill some of the pain. He ran them through his head perhaps slower than he should have, but they helped even just a little. At the moment there were more important things to worry about than the pain.

He felt his body start to ease, his muscles relax and his heart settle into a steady pulse. He breathed deeply, ignoring the many unpleasant smells, and kept himself calm. Once settled, he opened his eyes, focused his awareness, and looked about the filthy cell he now called home.

It wasn't very big, the perfect size for two if the empty shackles on the wall across from him meant anything. Kaze was glad to see them rusted and hanging empty; old bones or a half-dead man were not the kind company that he cared for at the moment. To his relief, he found no remains on the floor either and smelled not even the faintest stench of decay. This cell must not have been inhabited until now for quite some time. The occasional scrap of wet cloth or string was the only thing that stuck to the stone floor. In the darkest corner of the room he spotted a small hole on the floor, and the smell from it told him all that he needed to know. He pretended he hadn't noticed it. Mold and dark stains crawled through the cracks in the stone walls like snakes and in the low light it almost looked like they were slithering.

Kaze quieted his breath to silence, straining his ears to listen for any sound. He heard no scurrying mice or the echoing tortured screams of fellow inmates—he counted that a small grace as any. A continuous drip-drop of water echoed from somewhere, and the whispering crackle of a burning torch burned somewhere from just out of sight beyond the door. Its light reached his cell in a dull flicker, doing nothing to drive back the gloom, and making the black bars of the door sharp and deep.

He sighed again. If it were possible though the lingering pain, perhaps he could close his eyes and fall back asleep. Even if it were just for a little while.

Just as his eyes were about to droop, a muffled jingling jerked him to attention. With deadly precision his eyes darted about the cell, looking for movement or light. It came again, low and quiet, and he discerned it as the sound of chains coming from behind the far wall. He realized there must have been another cell beside his. Was someone there? There was a little scuffling and grunting that followed, and Kaze recognized the voice.

He squinted, trying to focus. "Rinkah?" he called, his voice a hollow croak.

A voice came from behind the old stone. "Kaze? You still alive over there?" he heard more shuffling, "you were quiet for so long I thought you'd kicked it."

He looked down absently at his feet, trying to ignore the throbbing ache in his shoulders. "No. I am alive." Still. But for how much longer? He raised his head again, ignoring the kink in his neck, "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"A few bruises," there was more shuffling and jingling, "but not like that's ever stopped me before." Then a loud thud. "Damn these chains! If I could get them off, I swear I'd rip this door right off its hinges! Bloody Nohrians! Blaze 'em!" It was silent for a moment. "Wonder how long they'll keep us down here for, eh…?"

"I do not know. What troubles me more however, is what they plan to do with us when they do come." Execution was probably the most likely outcome; Kaze had heard it a favorite of the Nohrian King, especially for foreign prisoners. Lovely thought. The alternative to that was being forgotten down here in the deep and the dark for weeks… months… maybe even years. Both horizons seemed equally bleak, without a single star of light. 'If these are my only options then perhaps it would be best if it was just all just brought to a swift end.'

Rinkah cursed. "I'll take a good handful of them down with me if they think they can snuff out my flame! If I just had my club…!"

He heard her struggling with her restraints again. Kaze took a steadying breath and waited for whatever was bound to come for them.

Time passed slowly and painfully. He tried to stop himself from flinching at every drip of water. He'd given up trying to figure out where the sound was coming from and if he could try to shut it up. Rinkah struggled with her chains for a long time—Kaze admired her tenacity despite circumstances—but gradually fell silent. The torch fire was a low burn, it flickered, and after a long time grew darker. Kaze felt ill.

The sound of an iron door creaking open jerked him from the edges of a dark sleep. Footsteps thudded against stone, growing louder and closer to his cell. The shadows of about five or so soldiers crept up and to the bars. Their bodies moved strangely in the low light—swaying like shadowy smoke—and he saw the glint of blades. As if his mouth could get any drier.

He heard more than saw the jingling of keys as they opened his cell door. Spears were fixed on him as one soldier came over and unhooked his wrists from the chains on the walls. Quickly they reconnected his wrists together before he had a chance to do anything. As if he really could in this state.

It never paid to be too cautious it seemed, and he cursed that. Perhaps in that brief window he could have taken one or two out, grabbed up one of their swords and then… and then what? He looked up at the guards pressing in around him, and scoffed at his own foolish thoughts. The horizon really was black.

"Stand."

Gritting his teeth behind closed lips he forced his aching legs to comply, and they did. With a little bit of stumbling and slipping he managed to get to his feet. The spears followed his every move.

"Now, walk." The guard flicked his sword at the cell door. Weaponless and bruised, Kaze took a breath, steeled himself and started walking.

His legs and feet ached, making him shuffle and limp, but he managed to reach the door without falling back to his knees.

As he stepped out into the hall, he saw Rinkah being led out of the cell in front of him—although a little less compliantly.

"Get your hands off of me!" Rinkah shoved a guard roughly with her shoulder, knocking him into the wall. "Touch me again and I'll bite your filthy hands off!"

"Try to bite through this, Hoshidan filth!" the guard recovered and raised his sword. "I'll have no more of your struggling! Another stunt like that and I'll make you regret it!" the blade put at her neck wasn't an idle threat.

Rinkah didn't flinch, didn't even blink, just snarled and glared bloody murder at the guard.

Kaze watched, his heart frozen in his throat, silently begging her to back down. He hoped she would somehow hear his thoughts, however impossible. He tried to channel his plea into his face.

As if she'd heard him, Rinkah's eyes flicked to him a moment. Their gazes locked for a fraction of a second, and hope welled in Kaze's chest. And then she spit right into the soldier's eye.

"Rinkah!" Kaze could barely hear his own voice over the tumult of bodies and shouting guards.

"Hold her down!" "Tighten the cuffs on her arms, damn it!"

And Rinkah was roaring, cursing words so foul that it made Kaze's skin prickle.

Rinkah did make a valiant attempt, punching and shoving like some sort of wild animal, careless of if she smashed armor or skin. But outnumbered and without her club, the guards overcame her, and in one raucous burst they pinned her up against a wall with all their might—with four or five guards holding down any limb they could get their hands on. Even the guards holding Kaze nearly rushed over to help, but Kaze's hope died when the settled back into place. Almost got lucky there.

The clamor died in a breath when the soldier she'd spit on put his sword back at her neck. And for a moment time had stopped.

"I'm going to kill her! I'll cut her head right off!" he seethed, rubbing his eye.

Rinkah surged forward against her human restraints which barely held her back. "Try it! See what it gets you!"

"Don't!" one of Kaze's guards shouted loud enough to make them all jump. "You remember the king's orders. The prisoners are to be brought before him alive and unharmed."

"Bugger the king's orders," the spit-guard's voice nearly whined in frustration. "I'll gut her right here, I will!"

"Listen to me when I tell you this," the chill in the soldier's voice put Kaze even more on edge. The hall suddenly seemed so much colder. "You will not like King Garon when he is angry. Displease him by disobeying his order and any mark you make on that prisoner will be given back to you tenfold." The torch crackled in the hall, the fire flickering, casting deep shadows. "Let's go. Spilling blood here would bring you nothing. Besides, you're well aware of their fate. They'll not survive what awaits them."

The spit-guard was still for a moment. His sword moved and Kaze choked a breath. But instead of slicing Rinkah ear to ear, he sheathed the blade, rubbed his eye, and scoffed. "So be's it then."

The guards made to move on, but Rinkah was not quite finished. "Don't talk about me like I'm not even here, you filthy Nohrians! I want some answers! What is this king—!?"

"Rinkah!" Kaze hissed sharply, cutting her words and getting her attention. He looked straight into her and made her hold his gaze. Without words he pleaded to her. 'Please. That's enough.'

Her eyes were like fire and her teeth clenched tight. For one horrible moment Kaze thought she was about to lash out again. But instead she took in a huge breath and snarled a great sigh. "Fine!" and relaxed.

The guards looked her over cautiously, anticipating a trick, but when she did not tense or lash out at them again they relaxed a little. Exchanging wary glances, they made sure the prisoners were secure and lead them off again by the chains.

They left the dark cells and the dark halls behind, yet Kaze still felt like the horizon before him was now even blacker than ever. And every step he took made his heart weigh heavy as stone.

King… Garon…