Kathryn VII
There was a new prisoner at the castle and Kate needed to know who.
She shuffled toward the prison guards, carrying a tray of stale bread loaves and water, her eyes downcast. They glanced at her once, then waved her through the doors. The wood slammed behind her, leaving her in the darkness. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. Torches were set into the walls. She looked down a dark hallway, bars on either side. Kathryn saw shifting shadows in some of the cells nearest the door. Likely slaves being held for disobedience, or soldiers being disciplined. By the entrance was a gaoler, snoring on a stool. She stepped around him gingerly, walking down the corridor.
The war prisoner was the most dangerous of them all. He would be held near the back.
Kate walked down there slowly, the tray trembling slightly in her hands. She tossed a loaf of bread into the cells on either side of her as she made her way toward the back. A northerner. The second-in-command of their armies, if the rumours are true. I can't believe I'm getting the chance to meet another one. Kate forced herself to calm down.
She had always wanted the chance to meet another northerner. This man could be dangerous, but she still felt compelled to meet him. Luckily fate provided. Normally the prisons only held one or two unruly slaves at a time, but with the war spreading chaos and dissent amongst the Protectorate's ranks, the cells were filling up quickly. And with important prisoners of war being dragged in from the north, it was more important than ever to keep them alive. Whether it was to drill them for information, to eventually exchange them for captured Protectorate soldiers, or some other purpose, Kate had no clue. All she knew was that it was becoming too large a problem for the prison guards to handle alone. When King Arlyn had asked his servants for a volunteer to bring the prisoners food from the kitchens, she had stepped forward without thinking. Kate had felt a fool as the king looked at her, realizing he might remember her troubled origin. Captured from the north. Tried to escape there once. Likely trying again.
But Arlyn had just nodded and waved offhandedly. He had probably forgotten Kate's story, after months of her being the perfect obedient servant. No, that was unlikely. She was not giving the king enough credit. He was a smart man, much smarter than he let on. Kate doubted anything really slipped his mind. It was just that he was occupied these days. Terribly busy, thinking and brooding about the war. Always locked up in his chambers. Mostly alone except for when he received news from messengers. Kate felt bad for him, seeing how exhausted he was, until she remembered how fervently he was working to conquer and enslave yet even more innocents. Well that wasn't quite the way he viewed it. King Arlyn had noble intentions. . . it was just his methods that were troubling.
Focus, she thought as she drew near. You got your chance to visit the cells. See what this man's like.
Kathryn stopped outside the last cell. She squinted inside and saw a shadow detach itself from the back wall, then come toward her. She stifled a yelp and backed away as a huge man loomed up beside the bars. His skin was dark like coal and he towered over her by a few heads. The rumours were true. . . A savage warlord and general from the farthest fringes of the north. Second only to the Wolf King. How many men has he killed I wonder. . .
"Lunch?" He croaked softly. "Or dinner? It's hard to keep track of time in the dark."
Kate was taken aback by his gentle tone. It was a warm, inviting voice. Friendly even. She still tensed up as she approached the bars to slide the tray underneath. "Dinner," she whispered. "It's night outside."
The prisoner nodded with a tiny smile. "The food's still as foul as before. The company improved though." He scowled in the gaolor's direction. "Seeing nobody but Gaz would curdle anybody's appetite."
Kate couldn't help but laugh. She glanced back toward the entrance but the guard was still asleep. The prisoner took the tray and began plucking at a stale loaf of bread. "Your name?"
"Kate." She hesitated slightly. "Yours?"
"Joseph."
"Is it true?" She found herself saying. "You were the second in command of the north's army."
"Yes. Though plainly no longer," he said sullenly.
"What was the north like?"
Joseph perked up. "First time any of my captors cared to ask. Why?"
"I was supposed to be there," She whispered softly.
He tilted his head. Then recognition sparked to life in his eyes. "Ah. So you must have been with that patrol. The one that was attacked. Does the name Alexander sound familiar?"
She nodded. "The patrol captain. . . Is he alive?"
"He made it back to us and warned of the attack. He should be safe at the Hotspring Hold, guarding the Queen. Well, perhaps not quite so safe," he sighed. "Last I heard, they were under siege."
Kate looked at him with curiosity. "That's where I was supposed to go. In the mountains right?"
"Yes. I only visited there twice. Once for the king's wedding. The second time when he rallied all our armies. It's a beautiful place. Hot springs, bright peaks." He hunched down as he ripped chunks of bread off from the loaf, suddenly much smaller than he had seemed before. Sadder. "I wish I could have seen more of it."
Kate nodded solemnly. There were a thousand questions in her mind that she wanted to ask, but she could see time was running short. The door to the jail had cracked open a tiny bit and one of the front guards peaked in. Probably trying to figure out why it was taking her so long to deliver food to a handful of prisoners. The door closed again. I need to be back. There's so many questions I want to ask though! And the prisoners are only supposed to be fed once a day. . . I'll need to wait a while.
"Thank you for telling me Joseph. I need to go before the guards come look. . ."
Joseph nodded but he looked sad. "Thank you as well, Kate. It's nice to hear another human voice. To have another pleasant conversation, as if I were back home. . ."
She hesitated as she was about to leave. "I wish I had more time to talk. Maybe. . ." She glanced up. They were in the basement of the castle, the lowest floor. All the servant's sleeping chambers were above. "Are there any drains? I think my quarters are just above."
Joseph shook his head. "I looked. No holes up there." He glanced at her curiously. "You must be the one keeping me awake then. Practicing how to swordfight, eh?"
She froze. How did he know?
He laughed. A true laugh. "Don't be too shocked. I recognized the patterns. I've spent hours practicing the stances and drills myself, though I've always preferred the bow."
She breathed in relief slightly. "You won't tell?"
He shook his head. "No need to worry. It's a good skill to pick up. Especially for a young woman like you." His expression darkened. "The Protectors. . . That's why, isn't it?"
"I-" She swallowed. "Yes. I. . . I never want to be powerless again."
Joseph scowled. "These damned monsters. . ."
"I wish I had been able to get to the north," Kate blurted. "I wanted to be one of you. I hated every moment of being with these cruel men."
Joseph's gaze softened. "I wish you had as well." He glanced back to the door. "You should get going. Don't want you getting in trouble on my behalf."
She nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow."
She left quickly, her heart pounding. Joseph was nothing like what she had been expecting. It was said in the courtyards that it had taken Lord Keith himself to subdue the northern general. That Joseph and his company of archers had rained a storm of arrows down upon the army, slaying dozens upon dozens of Protector men before anyone could breach the top of the hill. But the prisoner she had just spoken to was not some battle-hardened killer like the rumors had left her to believe, but a sad gentle soul. The meeting left her curious. Moreso than when she had first entered the prison. There were hundreds more questions Kate wanted to ask, answers she wanted to know. And finally, I have just the person I need.
Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay, but I'm finally back with another chapter. As I said last chapter I cannot guarantee any posting schedule but I am fully committed to finishing this story. Thank you all so much for your continued patience and for sticking with me through this journey so far. Hopefully the next time you hear back from me will be much sooner. I will try to get the next chapter as soon as I can.
DinoNerd89, I knew I had to include a redwood tribe with the iconic Thylas lol. We'll be seeing more of them and a few other unique tribes soon!
1211, Lol any extra help is welcome to the north and in the coming chapters I think you'll see how much damage a relatively small force can still manage to do ;)
Nivexz, Thanks for your patience! Everything is going well, just unfortunately busy :(
Thunder, Thank you for the continued support I'm glad you liked the chapter! Even if these last few chapters were a bit short I'm glad that you still liked them!
thompmil000, The number of conquered tribes is definitely in the hundreds though at this point everyone has probably lost track lol. Wait. . . a whole book report on my story? :O That's so cool! I'd love to hear more details, how did that go?
Thanks for taking the time to check out my work, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize my story, review is always welcome! If you liked what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK stories on this site! Have a great day!
- DaRumpyBurr