Andrew had tried to prepare mentally and physically for life as a slave, but there was only so much preparation he could do. It was hard, and draining, and a lot worse than he remembered it being. About ten years ago, when he'd decided that he wasn't about to just sit back and let his people suffer, he'd started trying to come up with a plan.
It wasn't the best plan in the world. It basically boiled down to trying to single-handedly tear down the Coronan monarchy, and if he failed there then he'd be carted off as a slave and figure out what to do from the inside.
Well, plan A had failed, so now he was onto plan B, which so far amounted to nothing. Don't get Andrew wrong, he was glad that his dad was safe, and almost everybody that he vaguely remembered from his childhood was still around. They were struggling, and hurt, and seemed like shells of the noble people they were born to be, but they were alive.
Andrew didn't want to say that he was disappointed, but...yeah, no, he was disappointed. For twenty years he'd been raised by Saporians who had been watching, waiting, and praying for their leaders, their nobles, to save them. They were waiting for a sign to tell them that it was time to rise up and fight back against their oppressors.
As Andrew grew older he did his best to live up to the expectations that his people had for him. He was their prince, one of their leaders, and that meant giving everything he had, everything he was, for their sakes.
And now here he was, ready and willing to do just that, and just not knowing how to go about doing it. He had been hoping for some backup, that the other nobles would be coming up with a master plan that he could help with. After meeting up with his father again, Andrew had been sure that it was just a matter of time before this was all over. It had been so many years, surely there was a plan, or at least a vague hope, for freedom.
Not only was there no plan, but the slaves seemed even more hopeless than all the other Saporians that Andrew knew. They had a right to be discouraged, but these were the Saporian nobles. The aristocracy. Their people looked to them to be an example, but Andrew's dad and everybody else was just lying low and keeping their heads down because they didn't want to get hurt.
There was no fighting spirit in them. If anything, the enslaved Saporians seemed to resent fighting spirits, thinking that it brought them nothing but trouble. Andrew could understand the feeling, but that didn't make him feel any less disappointed. He didn't want to just roll over and take the Coronan's beatings, but if he disobeyed would his father just sit back and allow his punishment to happen like he did for Hector?
Andrew knew that he wouldn't. His father cared about him, but what if he was forced to choose between Andrew's safety and the safety of his people? He would probably reluctantly choose his people. Andrew knew this because he would probably do the same thing if he was forced into an impossible situation. He just hoped that it never came to that.
It had been nearly two weeks since Andrew had been brought here, and he was already feeling the strain. The work wasn't physically exhausting, as most of their slavery was symbolic more than anything. Most of Andrew's day-to-day work just involved doing demeaning and humiliating tasks, often with his father, and mostly for the warden. She seemed to find some sick pleasure in pushing royals down in their place.
Some days Andrew didn't do any work at all. He was just pulled into the warden's office and forced to kneel submissively in front of her as she worked. If she had to move somewhere else Andrew had to crawl on the floor to follow her.
All of the slaves were only given one meal every day, at dawn. They couldn't portion out their food and save some of it for snacking on later in the day. If they didn't eat at breakfast they didn't eat at all until the next day. At dawn they were also given the chance to fill their canteen with fresh water, and that was the only chance they were given. They had to ration out their water, which was challenging.
On the one hand, if they didn't want to faint or get sick from heat exhaustion they needed to drink water while working in the sun. On the other hand, if they drank too much too quickly then it wouldn't last them the whole day.
Andrew was tired, frustrated, and he felt like he was coming down with something. He felt like he didn't have the energy to even climb out of bed, but his dad dragged him out every morning.
"The Coronans don't generously give days off." Albrun said gently as they walked towards the center of the compound, where everybody ate every morning. They were given no utensils, no chairs, and no tables. They all just sat on the uncomfortable ground and ate with their hands. Andrew remembered this as a child, just because it had taken him years to learn table manners afterward.
Andrew didn't mind this too much, but he was young and healthy. People who did physical work every single day, people whose bones and muscles were old, tired, and sore, looked like they were suffering through every minute that they ate. It wasn't fair for them.
Andrew found himself starving every morning, but he also lacked an appetite. Eating was hard. Andrew ate as much as he could stomach, and then he did his best to give his food to one of the older slaves, Saporian or otherwise. He figured that they needed the food more than he did, and at least they would be able to keep their meal down.
"I'm guessing that days off aren't actually a luxury." Andrew said.
"So-called days off are only given when it's physically impossible for somebody to work." Albrun said. "Mostly it only happens to those who are dying, those who are in solitary, and those who are so hurt that they can't move."
Andrew frowned as he looked down at the gruel that they called food. Just the thought of eating it made his stomach churn, and not just because the food itself was unappetizing. Hey, dad, if you haven't seen somebody for a few days, or weeks, what does that usually mean?" Andrew asked quietly. His dad gave him a sympathetic look.
"Is this about that friend of yours?" Albrun asked.
"I don't know if I'd go so far as to call us friends." Andrew said. "But I said I'd keep an eye on him, and I'm a man of my word." Andrew hadn't seen Varian since that first morning, when the kid had been led off to the main building to see the warden.
Albrun sighed. "I asked around, and I'll tell you what I know if you eat at least half of your food."
Andrew narrowed his eyes at his dad as he tried a bite. His dad looked so smug. He watched as Andrew ate five more bites before he seemed satisfied. "Somebody saw him dragged off to solitary." Albrun said. "Adira and Edmund are still there, so at least he's not alone."
"Solitary is no place for a kid." Andrew scowled. His dad nodded.
"It's no place for anybody." Albrun said. "Now eat a little more. You need the energy."
"Food won't give him energy if it just comes back up again." A woman said. Andrew turned to see a tall woman with long white hair walking towards them, but the one that he cared more about was the young teenager walking by her side.
"Varian." Andrew smiled. The boy looked a little skinnier than when Andrew had seen him last just two weeks ago, and his face was flushed, but he was smiling and there was a small light in his eyes. "Where've you been?"
"Cabin arrest." Varian said. He sat on the ground next to Andrew. Varian held up his branded hand. The scar was red and angry looking. "This got a really bad infection, and I've been bedridden with a fever for a week. It finally broke yesterday."
"If I had it my way Varian would rest until he was completely better." Adira said. "I want to give it another week or two, but it's not really my choice."
"Do you know how Hector is?" Albrun asked as Adira sat down.
"As feverish as Varian was at his worst." Adira said. "And his legs show no sign of improvement." She looked at Varian as he began to dig into his food. He didn't seem to care about how unappetizing the food was. Varian ate like someone who hadn't eaten in several days, and if he'd been confined to his cabin, sick and bedridden, for nearly two weeks then he probably hadn't eaten very much.
"Have you seen Edmund?" Adira asked. Andrew's dad shook his head. "He must still be in solitary."
"I'm sure he's fine." Albrun said. "It will take a lot more than solitary to bring that man down."
"I thought you weren't friendly with the Brotherhood." Andrew didn't know exactly who Edmund was, but if Adira was close to him then he was probably a member of the Brotherhood, since as far as he could tell the people of the Dark Kingdom minded their own business.
"Our relationship has become strained, but we were once great allies." Albrun said. "And I don't have to be friendly with somebody to acknowledge and respect them."
Andrew really didn't understand his father's relationship with the Brotherhood. He hoped that it continued to improve though. Maybe if the Saporians spent more time around the Brotherhood then they'll pick up some of their rebellious nature, and then they could finally start the revolution that he knew their people were waiting for.
Varian quickly ate through his whole meal, and Andrew still had more than half of his left. He really couldn't stand to eat more. He handed his plate to Varian. "Here. I'm not hungry."
"Andrew." Albrun said in a warning tone.
"I can't eat." Andrew said. "I really can't."
"This kind of life takes the appetite from the strongest people." Adira said. "Quirin was ill on and off for several months when we were first taken from our home."
"Oh, I think I remember that." Albrun said. "You did something to help him get better."
"I gave him ginger." Adira said. "It helps with nausea. Unfortunately, that's not something I have access to right now. I just happened to have some with me when we were brought here."
Albrun looked thoughtful. "I can speak to Julien, see if he can bring us some. He should have no problem bringing me something as simple as ginger." Adira ate some of her food, but set aside most of it. Albrun raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you going to try to sneak that food back to Hector? You know you get caught half the time."
"But that means that I succeed the other half." Adira said confidently. "And if Hector ever needed food, he needs it now."
"Alright, enough socializing." The warden came by. "It's time to get to work." She looked straight at Varian. "I hope you've learned your lesson. I gave you a job to do, and I don't want any more resistance."
"I didn't try to get sick." Varian rubbed the back of his hand. He ignored Albrun's warning glance. "I told you that alchemy can be dangerous. It's important to wear protective gear, or else this kind of thing will happen." Varian held up his clearly infected hand. "If I was working with something explosive it could have been a lot worse."
"Giving you protective gear will defeat the purpose." The warden said. "If you don't want to get hurt, you need to learn how to be careful."
"I-it's not about being careful." Varian said. He seemed oblivious to the way that everybody was watching him like they were expecting a terrible catastrophe. They all knew better than to question the warden. "Alchemy is experimental, especially if you want me to do something I've never done before. I have to figure it out through trial and error, and some errors can get really dangerous. If you want me to do this, then I can't get hurt, but I will if I work unprotected."
The warden was seething. Andrew was impressed with Varian. The kid had guts, seemingly more than all of the Saporians combined. Everybody watched tensely, glancing between Varian and the warden. Finally the woman crossed her arms, squaring her shoulders back.
"You're right about one thing, we can't have you out of commission for weeks at a time because you got yourself sick or injured." The warden said. "If you believe that an incident is unavoidable then we need to make sure that you are not the one that gets hurt."
The warden looked at Adira. "You will serve as Varian's assistant. You will be the one to handle the chemicals, and you will do exactly what he tells you. If you get hurt and can't assist him further, we'll find somebody else to replace you." The warden gave Varian a stern look, smirking at the horror in his eyes. "Sooner or later you wil learn that I'm not somebody you can win a fight against.
"You…you're terrible." Varian's voice broke with equal amounts of terror and fury.
"I've heard worse." The warden came up to Varian, grabbing his arm harshly and yanking him to his feet. "Let's go." She started dragging Varian to the main house. Adira was quick to follow them, though she did look over her shoulder at her plate of food meant for Hector. Andrew grabbed the plate and pulled it towards him.
"I'll take care of it." Andrew said. Adira probably couldn't hear him, but she understood. She nodded and turned back to Varian. Andrew picked up the plate and got to his feet. He looked at his father. "Can you show me where the Brotherhood's cabin is?"
"Andrew, the warden is not in the mood for further defiance." Albrun hissed. "Do not test her."
"I'm just getting Hector some food." Andrew raised an eyebrow at his father. "I'd barely count that as an act of rebellion."
"It's not worth it." Albrun said.
"Making sure somebody starves isn't worth it?" Andrew stared at his father in shock. "When did you become so selfish that helping an old friend isn't worth a few days in isolation, or a few strikes of the lash?" Andrew wasn't just talking about Hector, but about all of this cowardice and unwillingness to do anything to fight against the warden and the other Coronans.
"That…Andrew, that's not what I meant." Albrun said. He sounded tired. "Things are complicated."
"The situation is complicated, but this shouldn't be." Andrew said. He looked towards the cabins. He'd find it without his father's help. "You either roll over and submit to the Coronan's authority, or you stand up and act like the king you're supposed to be." Andrew walked towards Julien. He knew he wouldn't get very far without at least some assistance from a guard. Hopefully the man had enough respect for the Saporians to help.
Andrew was subjected to some interrogation from Julien, but the guard eventually and reluctantly agreed to escort Andrew to the Brotherhood's cabin just for a few minutes before he started work today.
"You have two minutes." Julien said as he unlocked and opened the wooden cabin door.
"I'm just dropping off some food." Andrew said. "Two minutes is all I need." Julien scoffed in disbelief. When Andrew entered he closed the door behind him. Andrew was allowed some privacy with Hector, who was lying on the bed, staring at him.
"What're you doing here, kid?" Hector asked.
"I come bearing food from your sister." Andrew said. "I hope you don't need me to feed it to you, because that's where I draw the line."
"I can feed myself." Hector growled. "I'm not an invalid." He tried to lift himself up into a seated position. It was painful to watch, but Andrew didn't offer to help. He doubted that Hector would appreciate it.
"I also wanted to ask you about something." Andrew said quietly. He looked over his shoulder, just to make sure they weren't being overheard. "How can you keep fighting? I feel like my dad's given up, and that's not the man I remember."
Hector groaned as he finally sat up. "I can fight because I don't really have anything left to lose. The Coronans aren't holding the well-being of the entire Dark Kingdom population over our heads. We're the only ones they have, and I don't have to worry about my siblings, because they can take care of themselves."
Hector gave Andrew a curious look. "Your dad is a good man, but he still doesn't know how to best serve his people. Don't ask him how he can be better though. I'm too self-absorbed to be a king. I'll leave that job for Edmund and Albrun."
Andrew handed the food to Hector, who gratefully started eating. When was the last time he'd eaten anything of sustenance?
"Your old man's trying his best." Hector said. "But just because he's the leader of the Saporians doesn't mean that he's the only one that the people see as an example."
Andrew sighed. "I guess it's up to me to pick up some of his slack." Andrew's father may think that submitting himself and not causing more trouble was the best thing to do, but Andrew respectfully disagreed. If Andrew's dad wasn't going to be doing something, he'd just have to take it upon himself.
It was time that Andrew actually developed a plan B. First thing's first, he was going to rebuild their alliance with the Brotherhood. After all, they had a lot more experience defying the warden than Andrew did, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to do this alone. After that, well, they'd just have to figure it out from there.
There was a knock on the door. Andrew didn't have long. He looked at Hector. "I'm not my father. I won't just sit here and let the Coronans get away with their abuse. Will you help me resist them if I agree to help you?"
"Kid, if we're going to cause an upraising we'll need more than just the two of us. We'll need a powerful ally." Hector said.
"We'll figure that part out later." Andrew said. "But until then," He held out his hand. "Allies?"
Hector eyed him for a long moment before he smirked and took Andrew's hand. "Sure, your highness, allies."
"Time's up, Andrew." The door opened. Andrew and Hector quickly dropped each other's hand before Julien could see.
"Alright, I'm coming." Andrew followed Julien outside of the cabin. He didn't look over his shoulder. There was no need to. All that would accomplish was alert Julien that they were conspiring something. For the time being Andrew would follow his dad's example. He'd keep his head down, not cause trouble, and wait for the perfect time to figure out a game plan with Hector and the rest of the Brotherhood.
Andrew wasn't afraid to play the long game, just so long as he was playing the game at all and not just being a punching bag for someone who was stronger than him.