A/N: This is going to be a dark one, with recurring themes of slavery, angst, and stuff along those lines. If you're looking for fluff or something with more comfort than hurt, this might not be the story for you.
Andrew took in a long, slow breath and adjusted himself. His cell in Corona's dungeons was far from comfortable, but he wasn't about to complain. He knew that the cell was much more luxurious than what waited for him in the near future. The only thing that Andrew knew he could trust of the kingdom of Corona was that they wouldn't stand for a Saporian to remain free.
Andrew may be in the dungeons, but that wasn't good enough for Corona. As far as they were concerned the dungeons were for humans. Those that were considered the lowest of humans, criminals, the poor, and disabled, but humans nonetheless. Saporians didn't have the privilege of being seen as humans and equals by Corona.
Andrew and his people were seen as scum of the earth, worth less than the dirt under the feet of the people of Corona. Andrew wasn't going to remain in the dungeon for long. It was just his temporary dwelling until they moved him to his permanent prison.
Andrew knew what was waiting for him. He'd known his whole life, and he'd been preparing himself for it. He knew it wouldn't be fun or nice, but Andrew wasn't afraid. He was about to join hundreds of his people. If they could survive the torture that was awaiting him, then so could he.
Andrew had thought that he would be sent off within just a few weeks, that the Coronans would be happy to be rid of him, but it had been several months. The guards taunted him and said that any day now he would be shipped off, but that day never seemed to come. From what Andrew could gather they were waiting for someone. Someone like Andrew, who the Coronans were looking for any reason to get rid of.
Andrew wouldn't wish this life on anybody, especially not somebody that the Coronan's thought deserved it, but he couldn't help but be curious. Was there someone in Corona, a wanted criminal who was a descedant of the kingdom of Saporia, whose fate had been decided before they'd even done anything wrong, just because of where they hailed from, and yet they avoided capture for so long?
Andrew wanted to meet such a person if there was someone like that, partially because it was likely that they had Saporian blood, in which case that would make them one of his people. Mostly though he just wanted to see what kind of person could evade capture for so long when the guards were so intent on capturing them. Whether they were Saporian or not, they had Andrew's respect.
Andrew was doing his best to relax in the uncomfortable cell when he heard guards approaching, followed by the clanking of chains and quiet whimpers of a prisoner who had been treated a bit too roughly as they'd been brought in. Andrew was prepared to ignore the newest addition to Corona's dungeons when one of the guards knocked against the bars of his cell.
Andrew cracked an eye open to stare boredly at the guards standing outside his cell. Instead of the usual two or three guards there were about six of them escorting the prisoner, who was a child, just a young teenager. Andrew narrowed his eyes and sat up.
"I thought that Corona didn't arrest children." Andrew commented teasingly. It was way too easy to annoy the guards. It was the only thing that brought him pleasure in the dungeons.
"Turn around and put your hands against the wall." The guard snapped. Andrew raised an eyebrow as he stared at the boy, whose eyes were glued to the floor. Tears were streaming from his eyes, and he was sniffling, but he wasn't begging and pleading as much as Andrew had expected him to. The kid was either in shock, or he was made of tougher stuff than Andrew first thought.
"You're not seriously giving me a cellmate now, are you? Andrew asked, even as he stood up and did as he was told. Would Coronans really lock a child in a cell with an adult who they deemed a traitor and terrorist? He heard the cell open. He turned his head just as the guards gave the kid a harsh shove.
The kid stumbled and tripped over his own feet. He would have hit his head against the metal bed, which could have been incredibly painful, but Andrew caught him. The boy clung tightly to him as a sob finally escaped.
Andrew watched the guards carefully as they left. As soon as he knew they were gone he straightened the kid and bent down to be at the kid's level. He wiped away the tears, as well as some ash and blood on the kid's face.
"Save your tears, kid." Andrew said not unkindly. "I know it's not fun in the dungeon, but there are so many people who have it worse off than you." The kid's future looked grim, but not as much as Andrew's did. "Don't give the guards a reason to hate you, and you'll probably be just fine."
The kid sniffed and nodded. He took several deep breaths and steeled his expression as he pulled away from Andrew. He really was made of strong stuff.
"What did you do to get yourself thrown in here?" Andrew asked. He thought that most people that turned to crime at a young age was because they were desperate, either because they were starving or trying to get themselves out of an abusive situation, but this kid looked fine. He was scrawny, but not in a starving kind of way, and all his injuries looked recent enough that Andrew was pretty sure he'd gotten them from the guards, not from a bad home.
The kid stared at Andrew for a long moment in distrust before he sighed tiredly. "Officially, I kidnapped and threatened the queen. Before that I supposably attacked the princess." The boy scoffed. Andrew stared at the kid for a long moment. He didn't know whether he believed him or not. On one hand, the kid was, well, a kid. How could he possibly manage to kidnap the queen? Kids were known for telling tall tales. The boy was probably stretching the truth because he was trying to make himself appear as a larger threat than he really was, so he wouldn't be given a hard time.
On the other hand though, there had been way too many guards bringing the kid down here for him to not be a serious threat. And if Corona was going to arrest a child in the first place, he had to have done something more than just steal some food or attack his abuser.
"Well, if that's true then I think we have something in common." Andrew said. "I'm in for being a filthy Saporian traitor."
The kid frowned thoughtfully. He looked at Andrew curiously. "You're Saporian?" He asked the question casually, without judgement. Andrew didn't often meet Coronans who didn't flinch and cower in fear, disgust, and caution when they met any Saporian, let alone a criminal.
"Have you met Saporians?" Andrew asked. The kid nodded.
"There were a lot of people who claimed to be Saporian in Old Corona." The kid said. "I think about half the town were Saporian, or of Saporian descent."
Andrew had wondered for a long time what had happened to his people all those years ago when Corona and Saporia supposedly united. Some unification. Overnight Corona doubled in size, population, and renown while Saporia seemed to vanish completely. Andrew knew that his people had mixed with the Coronans, and after this long there wasn't much of a difference between them.
It was a comfort to know that there were still people who claimed to be Saporian, even if it was frustrating that so many of them seemed to live in Old Corona, which everybody knew was the part of Corona that the kingdom barely bothered to care about or acknowledge as its own.
Andrew eyed the kid carefully. He didn't exactly look Saporian, but he didn't look completely Coronan either. "What's your name?" Among Saporians this was one secret way that they identified each other. Corona had corrupted and pushed down a lot about Saporian culture, including their traditional names.
Most Saporian descendants that Andrew had met in Corona had a Coronan name, the one given to them at birth, but also a Saporian name that they went by when they were around allies. Andrew's Coronan name was Hubert, but he was distancing himself as far away from it as he possibly could.
"Uh, Varian." The kid said. It didn't sound like a traditional Saporian name, but it didn't sound Coronan either.
"Andrew, son of Albrun." He said. There was no recognition or awe in Varian's eyes, which was confirmation for Andrew that if the kid was Saporian himself he didn't know it. Every proud Saporian knew about Albrun, the man they considered to be the king of Saporia.
"Hey!" the patrolling guard stormed towards them. "We don't speak of that man here."
Andrew crossed his arms. "Can a man not talk about his own father anymore?"
The guard glared at him before he sneered and threw some slop through the bars. It was all Andrew and Varian would be getting for dinner tonight, and now they would be stuck eating it off the floor like animals. It was utterly humiliating, and a terrible way to introduce Varian to prison life.
"You'll be reunited with your father soon enough." The guard said. "You're being shipped out tomorrow."
Andrew jolted. He knew it was coming, but it felt so sudden. He tried to hide his surprise and unease with his quick wit.
"So you finally found the elusive wizard?" That was the nickname that the prisoners used to refer to the wanted criminal who had been able to avoid the guards for so long. A single guard had said that the one they were looking for had magic, and the rumor had spread from there.
The guard looked at Varian, who glared at him, snarling. "It was only a matter of time." The guard said. "We knew he was going to slip up."
Andrew looked from Varian to the guard, and back to Varian. "You…hang on, it took you all this time to catch a child?" Andrew smirked. Varian was definitely tougher than he looked. From what Andrew had heard about the wizard he had imagined a seasoned warrior and professional criminal, somebody on the same level as the Separatists of Saporia. He definitely hadn't imagined a kid.
"We could have brought him in at any time." The guard snapped. "We were just waiting for a reason, and he finally slipped up and gave it to us."
Tears started to form in Varian's eyes again, but he looked more furious than upset. "I knew it. You were all looking for reasons to lock me up. Why? What did I ever do to deserve this harassment?"
A cruel look came to the guard's eyes. "That's something you'll have to bring up with your old man."
Varian gasped and flinched. He started shaking. His father was obviously a sore subject for him, and the guard knew it. The man laughed and slammed his hand against the bars threateningly. "Don't get too comfortable in there. Tomorrow Corona will finally be rid of the two of you."
"Two of us?" Andrew's expression darkened. He wasn't surprised, but he was beyond disgusted. He understood why Varian had been arrested in the first place, despite him being a child. He really was like Andrew, seen by the Coronans to be beneath them. When they saw Varian they didn't see a child, they saw filth that needed to be cleaned up before it spread.
Still, Andrew was curious about why the guards had been watching Varian, waiting for him to commit a crime that he could be convicted of so they could arrest him. Andrew knew that Saporians were judged quicker than Coronans were, but this was the first time he had heard of something like this happening. Just who was Varian's father, if the boy was seen as so low that Corona was just begging for a reason to get rid of him?
"See you in a few hours, boys." The guard said. As he stalked off. Andrew glared at him as he went.
"Coronan scum." Andrew muttered. "Every single one of them."
"W-what did he mean?" Varian asked. His voice shook as much as his legs were. He looked terrified, and Andrew couldn't blame him. The kid probably didn't know what was waiting for him, but Andrew did, and it wasn't anything good. "What are they going to do to us? A-are they going to execute us?"
The poor kid looked like he was about to start crying, but he did his best to hold his tears back.
"No, no, nothing like that." Andrew reassured the kid, though he didn't know how much of a reassurance it was when he knew a lot of people who would rather die than face what Corona had in mind for people like them.
Andrew sighed. He wasn't the comforting type, but in this kind of situation he could make an exception. Varian already seemed traumatized, and this was nothing. This kid may be strong, but he would be torn apart if he had to do this by himself.
Andrew glanced outside the bars to make sure there were no other guards or prisoners watching them before he pulled Varian to the furthest corner of the cell. He knelt on the ground, pulling the kid down next to him. Andrew took a deep breath before he began to pull off his shirt. Andrew turned to present his back to Varian.
"That…that doesn't look like a tattoo." Varian said quietly. He gently touched the mark on Andrew's back. The man stiffened. It didn't hurt. The scar hadn't hurt for years, but it was incredibly sensitive. Varian immediately pulled back. "Sorry."
"It's okay." Andrew said. "Have you ever seen something like this before?"
"I know the mark." Varian said quietly. "That's the symbol of Saporia, but I've never seen it like this before." Andrew had wondered if Varian's father had this mark. He probably didn't, otherwise Varian would recognize it. It was difficult for parents to hide this kind of thing from curious children.
"It looks like a burn scar." Varian said. "Like a-a brand. One that wasn't properly taken care of." Varian crawled so he was in front of Andrew, looking at him with wide, sad eyes. "Who did this to you?"
"Corona." Andrew said.
"W-why?" Varian asked. "Why would anybody do this?"
"Why do people brand cattle and livestock?" Andrew asked with disgust. He'd always hated the inhumane way that Coronans treated animals, like they were mindless puppets and playthings that couldn't feel anything.
"To…to signify ownership." Varian looked horrified, as he should be. "But…but that's…Corona doesn't…"
"Have you ever wondered how Corona can be so successful and prosperous when it has so many extravagant parties and festivals, and the people can take a day off as frequently as they want?" Andrew asked. "And what about the way that Corona is seen as having a strong military force when the guards around the castle are little more than a joke?"
Varian's breath quickened as he started to hyperventilate. "Corona has…it has…and you're…and tomorrow I-I…" A choked sob escaped Varian's lips. He put his hands against his mouth, looking like he was going to be sick.
Andrew grimaced. He felt for the kid. He remembered how he had felt when he had first understood just how terribly his people were treated. He'd been just a little younger than Varian. It was a hard truth to learn, and Varian was learning it in the most cruel way possible, by direct exposure. Not for the first time Andrew wondered if the people of Corona were truly heartless. How could they convince themselves that this was a decent way to treat a child, regardless of his heritage?
Andrew scooted closer to the kid and put his arms around him. "You know how I told you to save your tears because there are people out there that have it worse than you? Well, considering everything, I think you deserve to cry a little."
Varian immediately burst into tears as sobs escaped him. He clung to Andrew and cried against him. The man held him close, trying to provide something that even just resembled security.
"I'm sorry." Andrew said quietly. "Nobody deserves this kind of thing, let alone a child." He ran a hand over the kid's back. "I can't make this go away, but I'll try to lighten the load."
"Wh-why?" Varian sobbed. "Y-you don't even k-know me."
"I know that Saporia hasn't been a real kingdom for a long time, but those loyal to Saporia still respect the royal bloodline. My father, Albrun, is a king without a kingdom, which makes me the prince. As heir to the metaphorical throne of Saporia, it's my responsibility to look out for my people."
"B-but I'm not Saporian." Varian said.
"You might be." Andrew said. Varian came from a place where Saporians were commonly found, and he was immediately being shipped off to the same fate as Andrew, who knew that most of those enslaved by Corona were of Saporian descent. "Since there's no saying for sure that you're not, well, I'll just consider you Saporian until proven otherwise."
It was how he rationed to himself to keep an eye out for the kid. Andrew's responsibility was towards his people. He felt bad for all people enslaved by Corona, but Andrew's priority had to be the Saporians. Varian may or may not be Saporian, it was too hard to say for sure right now, but he was the closest thing that Andrew had right now, so he would take care of him, at least for now.