Date: 1/11/13 (edited 22 Apr 2020)
Chapter 12: Into the Darkness
Nausicaa stirred awake and frowned sleepily, partly at the uncomfortably bright sunlight but mostly about something unknown tugging uneasily at her conscience. As the rest her senses pulled out of sleep she became aware of a man shouting from outside her room. She recognized that voice well, low and reverberating into the deepest parts of her soul reserved for those she treasured the most. The intense frustration she heard in it called her at once out of the warmth of her bed. In haste she threw on an outfit and flung open the door to see the commotion.
"What do you mean we're under arrest?" Asbel snarled at the guards that were quickly closing in on him. Nausicaa stood there bewildered and trying to make sense of the drama before her. The guard refused to back off and regarded him coldy.
"You are in fact under arrest and this is the only way to do it. Please come with us now or we'll have to use brute force." Then the man noticed Nausicaa frozen at her doorway.
"You as well, Miss. King's orders." Asbel looked up and instantly their eyes locked on each other. She confusedly searched him for an explanation, but only found terror ablaze in the fiery hazel.
"Why?" she fearfully asked the guard. "What's happening?"
"We're simply following orders," the leader enunciated with as much feeling as a stone statue. Before Nausicaa could object two more guards appeared on either side of her and took hold of her arms. Her muscles turned unresponsive and her tongue refused to move, while hundreds of questions flashed through her mind. Anxiety twisted into a deep, horrified betrayal, and incredulity washed over her countenance.
Asbel was in complete despair; had all their efforts gone to waste? Had they trekked halfway across the world, gone this entire way just to have their pilgrimage abruptly end with unexplained arrest? Even if Mulsa was fated to be out of their reach, could he not at least protect Nausicaa - the one person he swore to never let in harm's way? In torment he watched innocent confusion turn into fearful shock in her expressive brown eyes as she continued to absorb everything.
"No! Let her go! Detain me if you must, but not her!" He howled at them pleadingly, and struggled to free himself from their grasp. His anguish was reflected in Nausicaa's eyes in the form of pure heartbreak. She looked back at him like he was mad.
"Stop it Asbel!" she cried. "You'll hurt yourself!" He did not seem to hear her and continued thrashing angrily, until he was bruised from the restrictive contact of hands, ropes and weapons.
"I need you to cooperate..." the guard tensely muttered to him, tightening his grip on the obstinate Pejite.
"Asbel please! Stop for a moment and think!" She begged him. She was taking this road with him no matter where it led, or did he still not know that? Furthermore, they were so outnumbered that resistance was not an option. Eventually the man tired himself out trying to fight, and gave in defeatedly. On their way to the cells Nausicaa quickly realized that one member of their party was missing.
"Where's Kitson?" She whispered to Asbel with urgency.
"Don't know," he muttered in resignation. "He wasn't in the room when I woke up this morning." She speedily brainstormed all the places he could possibly be.
"You think the guards have him?" she whispered in an even lower voice so that the uniformed men around her wouldn't hear her.
"I doubt it; the guards had to search through my room to make sure he wasn't hiding anywhere."
"That's good to know..." she sighed in relief as a minuscule smile raised the corners of her lips. "Smart little fellow; he must have known something was coming."
They were led through a number of underground tunnels, each looking exactly the same as the last, until they reached the cells. The passageway itself was well lit, but hard and unfeeling stone walls gave everything a dismal grey appearance. Nausicaa and Asbel peered into barred cells, dreary but not torturous, containing prisoners that seemed relatively well taken care of - despite looking as unamused and bored as any incarcerated man would be. The couple entered their empty cell in silence; the lock clicked shut behind them.
"This is ridiculous." Asbel fumed, humiliated, pacing back and forth across the concrete floor. "There wasn't even an explanation." Nausicaa sensed his temperamental state and watched concernedly from the other end of the cell.
"Sarkil knew we needed the plant, we were treated as guests yesterday, and now we are in cell. Why?" He snapped, growing increasingly irritated at the current situation.
"I don't know." The woman sighed frankly.
"What exactly is going on?" He growled in vexation. Nausicaa gently took his hand and looked sympathetically into his eyes. The Pejite stopped his train of thoughts, his anger calmed by her composure as she quietly remained beside him. He noticed the same worried yet determined expression he had seen on her face years ago in the sandy cavern under the Sea of Decay. Instead of meticulously observing hollow tree trunks, this time she was carefully watching his every emotion.
Frustration was replaced by helplessness and Asbel eventually sank downwards to sit on the floor. Nausicaa lowered herself with him and rested her head on his shoulder, and for several minutes they absorbed the calmness of the silence.
"I'm sorry..." he murmured, "I couldn't stop it from happening. I was supposed to protect you, and I couldn't even do that."
"This is not your fault," Nausicaa comforted. "There was no way you could have foreseen this."
He sighed exhaustedly. She was right; he couldn't blame himself when neither of them had any idea this would happen. Tiredly he rested his head on top of hers.
Kitson crept stealthily along an empty hallway, cautious of every sight and sound that came his way. His only goal was to get out of the building without being noticed by too many people. So far things were going well; he had picked a quiet route and had a good sense of direction. As he progressed towards the front of the building, he passed a man that gave him a curious glance. Aware that a small boy walking alone looked inevitably suspicious, Kitson sped up his pace and pretended to have lost his way.
It had been one very bizarre morning. He had woken up before the crack of dawn that day, due to habit, and decided to go exploring through the building. The corridors were completely lifeless save for a servant with the odd housekeeping job. After a half hour he was familiar with the floor plan of a good portion of the building, much to his delight. But when he turned a corner and heard footsteps from the other end, he panicked. The clink of armor told him it was guards, and he quickly searched for places to hide. To his terror the hallway was completely barren of objects... except for a massive, antique flower vase.
"Not again..." He sighed to himself, then walked up to it and jumped in. As the guards marched by he overheard their conversation; from the footsteps it sounded like two men.
"We're arresting them now? But they just got here."
"I know, but it's the King's order."
"Well they certainly aren't going to take it very well; we should probably bring reinforcements. Oy, Arthur!"
"You two on the morning shift too, eh?" Came a voice much farther away.
"We've got some people to pick up!"
"Who's that?"
"The three that came in yesterday!"
"You mean the couple and the young boy?"
"Yes sir!"
"But isn't the girl a Princess from the Valley?"
"How should I know? King's orders."
Kitson lay motionless inside. He knew last night's ordeal was too good to be true; but what to do now? There wasn't enough time to warn both Nausicaa and Asbel and escape. His best option was to leave the Palace instantly and inform Tersa and Lord Yupa. Wasting no time, he crawled out of his hiding place and glided towards the exit. When he reached the main lobby, it was the busiest time of the morning, bustling with townsmen, merchants, and businessmen alike. He scanned the hoards of people and was shocked to see the same guards at the door as when they entered yesterday.
"Can I help you? Are you lost?" A voice startled Kitson. The young lad turned to see a kindly attendant and immediately put on his most forlorn expression.
"Yes please. Which way is the gardens? My parents were going there next and I lost track of them."
"Of course. Take those doors you see in front, and the gardens are to your right."
"Thank you!" He deftly snatched a hat from an unaware villager, and inched towards the doors. Covering his face with the hat and eyeing the guards apprehensively, the boy took a deep breath.
And then he ran.
"Mom! Dad! Wait up!"
The guards looked up in surprise and chuckled.
Late in the afternoon Sarkil sat pensively at his desk, gazing out the window overlooking his kingdom; his hand carefully traced the familiar knob of his golden seal. He was quietly mulling over something, and at the moment his thoughts involved two visitors he had just rudely thrown into jail. He felt slightly sorry for them; watching others' misery was not particularly entertaining to him. Nevertheless he made his decisions from a very practical standpoint, valuing first and foremost the security of his reign, and secondly the stability of the country. He gave little concern for anything else.
He experienced no remorse in imprisoning them. Anything related to Mulsa had to be settled with precision, and no risk of things going wrong. That plant hid his darkest secret, and he preferred to keep it that way. This particular situation was also unique; he was dealing with one very famous Nausicaa. His dark brows furrowed sharply as he connived how he might use this as an opportunity to benefit himself and Merinth...
He stopped his dark thoughts with a bemused chuckle; it was so considerate of them to waltz into the Palace. In fact, had he heard another report of 5 visitors relentlessly digging for Mulsa, he would have sent soldiers to hunt them down and bring them in. Annoyance resurfaced on his thin, sharp-nosed face as he sighed wearily to himself; how on earth did they even hear about the damned plant, let alone its origins? He thought he was done cleaning up that information leak from so many years ago.
He finished his current task on hand and called a servant into the room.
"Tell the guards to bring in Nausicaa and the Pejite; I'd like to speak to them."
Ten minutes later his two newest prisoners entered the room, escorted by a bunch of guards. Sarkil understood the agitated expressions on their faces, and decided to treat them in as civilized a manner as possible. After all, they were completely innocent and perfectly harmless.
"Apologies for the unkind treatment this morning. I had no other choice but to keep you here until I had the chance to talk with you."
"Arrest was hardly necessary!" Asbel snapped impulsively.
"Quite right; I wasn't really trying to arrest you... just ensuring that you don't go anywhere. So I would describe it more as 'under surveillance', shall we say." He explained casually.
"You could have just told us that." Nausicaa jumped in, disgust showing in her features.
"No my dear, I stopped relying solely on verbal orders a long time ago. A little bit of enforcement is always required." At this point Sarkil raised himself out of his chair and began to slowly circle around the desk towards them.
"I'm going to make a deal with you. I will let you go, and you can leave Merinth unharmed and in peace - but only if you swear to never speak of Mulsa again. Do not ask for it and do not tell anyone about it; just return home and pretend as though you never left.
"You're telling us to give up?" Nausicaa challenged defiantly. "Leave it all behind when we've travelled halfway around the world just for this plant?"
"If you want to leave Merinth in one piece, yes." He responded with a disturbing level of nonchalance. Olive green eyes then carefully regarded the two of them.
"Can Mulsa cure Gullera?" Nausicaa stepped forward.
"I cannot tell you the answer to that." A haughty smile curled the corners on his lips, highlighting his aquiline features.
Is that an elusive way of answering yes? she thought to herself.
"Where is it stored?" She demanded.
"You think I would tell you?" He retorted mischievously, eyebrows raised. But the expression disappeared as quickly as it came and the serious look returned. "You're wasting my time; this is your last chance to drop everything and leave. If you don't cooperate... well, be forewarned that I will go to extreme measures to get my way."
"Then you should know we won't leave until we find the answers." Asbel returned resolutely. The bearded man sighed, clearly disappointed.
"Then I'm afraid I cannot help you." He stated plainly. "Take them back to the cells."
Nausicaa and Asbel returned to their place of confinement. Their accommodations consisted of a simple mattress and a stone bench; near the back, behind a stone wall, lay a simple toilet. They sighed to themselves.
"We are going to get very bored, very soon." Nausicaa groaned.
"Better get used to it." Came a stranger's voice. Nausicaa and Asbel both turned to the barred window on their right. Presently an aged man shuffled up to the window. He looked nearly seventy due to his scraggly, bearded appearance and white hair.
"Hello." Nausicaa greeted him.
"Hi. Name's Findel. Lewis Findel."
"I'm Nausicaa, and this is Asbel. We're not citizens of this country."
"I can tell;" the man croaked, "You don't look Merinthian at all. What brought you here?"
"It's quite a long story." Asbel noted.
"We've got time." Lewis joked with a hearty smile.
They sat down to describe their entire journey: from Gullera, to Healer Kerlin, to their current hunt for Mulsa. The elder man seemed to pale a little at their mention of Mulsa, but his hair gave him such a whitish appearance that neither Nausicaa or Asbel could notice it in the dim light. He seemed particularly curious about the doctor Kerlin, and listened very intently to their story. At the end of it he sighed gloomily.
"Well, looks like you encountered the same fate I did."
"What have you been imprisoned for?" Nausicaa inquired. Lewis was about to answer when guards approached Nausicaa and Asbel's cell and began unlocking the door.
"The king would like to speak to Nausicaa."
"What now?" She grunted, getting up from her seat. "Pleasure talking with you Lewis."
"Same to you, Princess." The man returned. Nausicaa leaned over Asbel and touched her lips to his forehead.
"I'll be right back." She sang sweetly.
"Be careful." He urged her. On her way out the cell, she turned around and sent Asbel one last charming, affectionate smile.
"You are fortunate to have such sweet devotion." Findel remarked wistfully when she disappeared up the staircase.
"I know." Asbel sighed, already starting to worry about her.
Everybody good so far? Haha sorry it's been a while; even I had to go back and reread the chapters previous to this to remind myself what I was writing about. :P But hey, I liked my older chapters ... hope I'm keeping up with the standard. Review if you have time! Thanks everyone for reading.
