Prisoner
Matthias wakes up to a gentle light and the sound of muffled voices talking somewhere in the same room. He clenches his eyes shut immediately, hoping to hold on the peace and quiet of his dream for a just a little while longer, but then the topic of conversation catches his attention and he clings on to every word, still keeping his eyes closed and not wanting anyone to know he is awake yet.
"Are you sure that is what you heard him say?" one deep, gruff voice asks, easily recognizable as Berwald. "There was a lot of noise after that battle, you could have misheard something."
"No, I'm sure," the second voice insists and Matthias is sure it has to be Tino. "He didn't want us to kill that commander." There is a loud intake of air, Tino apparently gearing up for a rant. "I don't understand why he would want us to spare the man that almost killed him out there and that killed so many others. The commander is part of the reason why so many of us have lost our homes and so many people we care about, but he seemed almost desperate to make us stop. I just can't make any sense of it."
"I'm sure he had his reasons," Berwald says, but he does not sound entirely convinced. "He was probably just confused, that's all."
The person he assumes is Tino sighs heavily, as if he just realized he was being unreasonable. "I'm sorry," he mutters eventually. "I just," he sighs again. "I should go. We have a lot of work we need to do."
Matthias cracks an eye open just in time to see Tino march out of the tent they find themselves in and disappear, the sound of his footsteps rapidly growing fainter.
Berwald is standing frozen a few meters away from the tent opening, staring after Tino for a few long seconds before he walks after an disappears as well.
"It's not very polite to listen in on the conversations of other people, you know," a voice suddenly says and Matthias startles. So focused on Berwald and Tino, he never realized there was another person right beside him in the tent and it is none other than Eir, the bad tempered healer. She looks quite busy from where she is rolling up clean bandages and placing them in a basket, barely bothering to look up and give Matthias a lifted eyebrow that looks very judgmental. "You should have let them know you are awake, they would have been relieved to know you are alive and well. They have both been worried sick"
"Sorry," Matthias mutters finding his voice hoarse and weak. "I didn't want to interrupt them."
She snorts and smacks his uninjured arm, making it perfectly clear that she does not believe a single word he is saying. "You were trying to sate your curiosity more like it," she snaps, voice hard like usual. "You had a lot of people worried passing out like you did," she continues. "I have no idea of what happened to you, but you seem to be recovering just fine."
"How long was I out?" he whispers.
"About a day or so," Eir sighs and tosses her last few rolls of bandages into her basket.
Matthias heaves himself up on his elbows to get a look at his surroundings. It is a large open tent with people scattered over every available surface, leaving only narrow paths between them for healers to move between their patients. Some are making quiet sounds of pain, others are crying. Then the are the silent ones, those with thin sheets covering their faces. Those that did not make it.
Eir stares at the tent opening where Tino and Berwald disappeared just a minute ago and sighs. "You are all too young to have worries like war hanging over your heads," she says softly, her voice more gentle than Matthias has ever heard from her. "You know, Tino was just the happiest child growing up. He always ran around town with the biggest smile on his face, never watching where he was going. I swear, it feels like it was only yesterday I had scold him for stomping through my flowerbeds in his hurry to go on adventures."
Matthias looks at her curiously, wondering where the conversation is headed and notices the wistful smile on Eir's deeply furrowed face. She looks a little lost in memories as she apparently reflects of happier days.
She seems to notice and shakes her head, returning to the moment. "War is not something I would wish upon anyone to suffer through," she continues quietly. "So many of you are still so young, you should not have grow up so quickly." She smiles to herself. "I already miss the boy that ruined my garden on a weekly basis, despite how annoying it was. I just hope that when this is all over there will still be some of him left. Our people have too many bright souls already." She stands up and puts away her basket of bandages. "Your friend seems like he has a good head on those shoulders at least," she says.
"My friend, you mean Berwald?" Matthias asks, still confused as to where she is heading with the conversation.
"Certainly," she says with a sly smile of somebody that knows something others do not and is refusing to share. "They have been in here a few times to see you. he has kept Tino grounded, its good to see."
Matthias squints at her, wondering just what she is implying, but he does not have the energy to try and pry it out of her. He just wants to get out of the tent that smells like herbs and death.
Eir appears to be shaking her head fondly. "You'll figure it out eventually," she says lightly. "Now get some rest. I want you out of here as quick as possible and I have other patients to see to."
"I can go right now," Matthias insists. He is about to toss his blankets aside, but Eir is there in an instant to push him back down. He hisses quietly as the burn on his chest stings in retaliation.
Eir makes a snort of disbelief. "You are not setting one foot outside this tent until I tell you otherwise!"
"But I have to find out what happened," Matthias says.
"Find out what exactly?" Eir snaps back, immediately alert. "From what I heard, you did not pass out until the battle is already over and you were right there when it all happened." She grabs a hold of his jaw with one hand and forcefully moves his head so she can look at his eyes, frowning deeply as she concentrates. "If you don't remember, you might have hit your head harder than we thought."
"I remember that part." Matthias insists as he pushes her hands away. "I meant the enemy commander we caught. What happened with him? Did they execute him?"
"If you must know, the damned creature is still alive," Eir spits out the words as if they taste foul on her tongue and she lets go of Matthias' jaw. "Torleif and Brynjar are still trying to get some answers out of it first. Foolish mistake if you ask me," she hisses. "Magic is not to be taken lightly and anyone wielding it is dangerous. They might have that thing tied up right now, but it is still dangerous and slaughtered several of our people. I would feel far safer knowing it was dead!"
Matthias only returns a flat look, refusing to back down. "If you don't let me, I will just have to sneak out when you're not looking," he says in challenge. "As you said, you do have other patients to attend to. You can't keep your eyes on me at all times."
Her eyes narrows in return and it looks as if she wishes she could just wring his neck and get rid of him completely. "Fine," she says. "You can leave, but you are not going anywhere alone." She holds up a finger to stop Matthias from arguing back. "You either agree to my terms or I will tie you to the damned bed which neither of us will appreciate."
"Fine," Matthias says, feeling annoyed at being treated like a child, but also knowing that Eir is deadly serious with her threat.
"Perfect," she says smugly and pushes him back down against the bed, mindful of his injuries. "I will see if Berwald is free to guide you." She stands up with a rustle of skirts and heads for the doorway. "I know I can trust his judgement at least."
Matthias only lies still long enough for Eir to disappear and hen he sits back up to find out just how badly he is injured to have Eir so worried.
He quickly realizes he is pant and shirtless underneath the blankets. He has a number of smaller cuts and colorful bruises after getting throw off the horse, but do not appear serious. There is a bandage wrapped around his upper arm where Lukas managed to cut him and more bandages wrapped around his hand and chest where the garnet crystal burned him. The skin underneath the bandages feels numb and cool, which is unexpectedly pleasant after how much it hurt earlier. He assumes that Eir or one of the other healers must have applied some sort of salve to sooth the severe burns on his skin for which he is immensely grateful.
He panics as he realizes that he has no idea of where the crystal is, but he sees his pants folded beside the bed and quickly rifles through his pockets. He breathes out a sigh of relief as his fingers close around the garnet and the chain.
His clothes are disgusting after the combat, but he cannot see any other clothes available and he rather be dressed by the time Eir returns with Berwald and he pull them on rather reluctantly, trying to ignore the mud and blood on them. His shirt is in an even worse state and could use a few rounds of mending, but he gingerly works it over his head, careful as the movement pulls at the wound on his chest.
The tent flaps snap aside as Eir returns a few minutes later with Berwald in tow.
"You just make sure he does not injure himself further," she snaps and marches away into a corner of the tent, turning her back on them and angrily begins grinding herbs together. "If he comes back here in a worse state than he is in now, I will flay the both of you alive, mark my words!"
Berwald is quiet as he steps over and gives Matthias an uncertain glance. "Are you sure you're up for this? We can manage a few more days without you so you can rest and recover properly."
"I'm sure," Matthias replies. He looks around for his jacket and finds only the tattered remains as the healers have cut it apart to get to his injuries. "Just how cold is it outside," he asks sheepishly as he gestures towards the sorry state of his clothes.
Berwald sighs again. "Give me two minutes, I'll find you something to wear."
The new tunic and heavy woolen cloak Berwald finds him is not enough to block out the biting cold outside the tent. It would seem the temperature has dropped eve further in the day that Matthias was out, and his breath leaves him in puffs of white fog.
Berwald pulls one of Matthias' arms over his shoulder and hoist him up to take some of his weight as they move over the uneven ground between the tents and some of the remaining rubble.
The medical tent appears to be of the few of the soldiers' tents that remain standing after the stampede and following battle. It is far larger than the ones that the rebels brought and much better quality. The rest of the rebels have set up a temporary camp some distance away from the battlefield and closer to the hill where Matthias first saw the encampment to begin with. It is not likely there are any soldiers nearby that can launch a attack on them within he next few days while they decide to stay here.
It also appears that the work of clearing up after the battle is well on the way. People are milling about, moving weapons, armors, and other supplies and looking over each individual item to see what is salvageable. There is a pyre burning out on the plains, sending plumes of black smoke soaring to the sky. Matthias is glad he has not eaten in the last day when he realizes just what it is they are burning out there and his stomach attempt a revolt in protest.
"We had to burn the bodies," Berwald mutters in explanation and confirming Matthias' suspicion. "The ground is frozen and there was no way for us to bury them all." He pulls Matthias along, away from the fire and the stinging smoke.
They walk past the battlefield on their way to wherever it Berwald is leading them. The rebels have tossed snow over the trampled ground to hide most of the bloodstains for which Matthias is grateful. The blackened ground after Lukas' magical flames are however make a scar through the white of the snow and Matthias' mind vividly flashes back to when he flew trough the air and landed with a crash, only to wake up, surrounded by death.
Berwald seems to notice where Matthias' gaze lingers and makes a sound to clear his throat. "What really happened to you?" he asks. "You should have been dead after that."
"I know I should," Matthias replies quietly.. "I don't know what to tell you." It technically the truth, but it is not going to satisfy anyone's curiosity, so Matthias figures it might be wiser to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Is everything alright with Tino? I heard you arguing earlier." It is not his brightest choice of distraction, admitting that he heard them but did not announce himself, but Berwald does not seem to take notice.
"He's worried about you," Berwald sighs. "We thought you were fine and then you just passed out."
They walk in silence for almost a minute before Berwald speaks up again. "Are you sure you are alright? You've barely said a word since we got out of that tent, it's not like you."
Matthias huffs out a breath. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replies. "It is all just a lot to take in."
"I don't understand what you think you will get out of seeing the commander." Berwald says bluntly.
"Maybe I just want to understand why I'm not dead," Matthias returns a little harsher than intended, his voice cracking under his words. He has his suspicions concerning his survival, but he needs to confirm them with Lukas to be sure. There is also the itch underneath his skin to see Lukas and confirm for himself that he is still alive.
There is a long silence between them and then Berwald sighs again. "let's just get this over with," he mutters, and he does not sound excited in the slightest. "Torleif and Brynjar has taken turns to interrogate the commander since yesterday, but he hasn't said a single word to either of them. I doubt you will have any more luck."
They can hear loud yelling from one of the tents ahead and it only grows louder as they approach. Matthias eventually recognizes the voice as Brynjar, and he sound absolutely furious. He can hear a few remarks from Torleif as well, but no others.
Berwald stops by the doorway for that particular tent and unwind Matthias' arm from his shoulder. "I'm not going in there," he says firmly. "I want nothing to do with any of this business with the commander. I'll wait for you here. Just be careful."
Matthias takes a few calming breaths and then ducks inside.
It is also one of the larger tents left behind by the soldiers, but most of the interior has been removed. There are two poles hammered into the ground right in the middle of the tent and Lukas is tied up between them. He is hanging from his wrists, and the ropes appear to be the only thing holding him up judging from how badly he is beaten and how the ropes dig into his skin. He is still wearing pants and a thin undershirt, but they have taken everything else from him, including his boots.
Lukas' head is handing down on his chest, but at the sound of Matthias entering the tent, he looks up and he looks absolutely horrible. His face is a mess of bruises, his lip is split, and one of his eyes is so badly bruised he can barely open it. The arrows in his shoulder and thigh from the battle still remain imbedded in Lukas' skin, but somebody appears to have twisted them and broken them off, leaving the shafts on the ground and a game of cruelty.
Brynjar is busy pacing the room and does not even notice Matthias enter. He is nursing a bruised and bloody fist, cursing loudly as he marches up to their prisoner. "Where is the King planning to attack next?" he roars and when he receives no reply he punches the prisoner in the stomach with all his might.
Lukas barely makes a sound in response and Brynjar roars in frustration and lashes out with another swing of his fists. When Brynjar eases up for a few seconds, Lukas glares at him challengingly and spits blood at Brynjar's boots and grins at him with bloodied teeth.
Torleif is standing in a corner and silently observing as Brynjar takes the lead on the interrogation. He notices Matthias enter and breathes out a heavy sigh. "Why don't you just give up Brynjar," he says loudly and pushes off the wall. "He haven't given us a damned thing so far, and I doubt he ever will."
Brynjar ignores him and keeps his violent interrogation going, more focus on the violence part rather than the interrogation.
Torleif gives a solemn shake of his head and walks over to Matthias. "We have been at this for hours and not learned a single thing," he says tiredly. He puts both his hands on Matthias's shoulders and gives him a long look, lingering on his chest where the edges of his bandages are peeking out from a shirt he barely bothered to tie up properly. His expression turns relieved and warm in a way that reminds him of his mother and later Sigurd, the only parent figures he truly remember. "I am so glad to see you alive and well, dear boy. You had us worried there for a moment."
"Sorry," Matthias says and he cannot stop himself from nervously scratching at the back of his neck from the lack of something else to do with his hands.
"No matter," Torleif says. "It has been a hectic few hours, I know that all too well." He gestures vaguely towards their prisoner. "I know this is crazy and it took some time for Brynjar and me to remember, but we have seen this this commander before, even fought alongside him in the last war." He looks shocked at his own words as if he cannot even believe himself.
"What?" Matthias is quick to feigns surprise even though Lukas already told him this.
Behind Torleif's back, Brynjar is still busy throwing punches, but it would appear he has given up on asking questions completely and finds himself content with dealing out violence instead.
"We fought another Kingdom back then," Torleif continues. "This thing was a commander back then as well and he looks exactly the same." He spits out the words as if they are poisonous. "We didn't know he wasn't human, we would never have followed him into battle if we knew. We just knew he was strange and were told to not ask questions. The commander without a name, we used to call him for a while when none of the officers could hear, of course."
"There was another name as well," Brynjar suddenly interrupts and steps up beside Torleif. He is cradling a severely bruised and bloodied fist in his other hand. "You heard it from that scout we took down outside of Aeston. The soldiers trained in the Capital used to call him Trollbunden. Don't know what the fuck it means and I don't care, but there it is."
They can hear a quiet gurgling laughter and the two veterans turn around to stare in disgust at their prisoner.
Lukas looks more like madman than a high ranking soldiers as he laughs at them. He is beaten to a point where he can barely gather the strength to hold his own head up, but he still looks at them defiantly with the one eye he can manage to open and is steadily dripping blood on the floor.
Brynjar makes a grimace that is all fury and hate. "Fuck this!" he snarls and marches towards the exit where he disappears.
Torleif is capable of keeping a more composed expression, but Matthias can see the rage and unease lingering underneath the surface. He looks at the tent opening where Brynjar disappeared. "Well," he says. "I'm surprised that didn't happen sooner." He pulls them a few steps away from the prisoner. "I'll have to go after Brynjar, make sure he does nothing stupid. Was there something you wanted when you came here?" His hand is back on Matthias shoulder and his voice is quiet.
Matthias looks at their prisoner, but he cannot stand to look at Lukas' bruised face for more than a few seconds before he feels too guilty and has to look away again. "I just wanted to see this 'creature for myself," Matthias lies. He tries to keep his tone cold, but it feels all sorts of wrong to refer to Lukas as a thing rather than a human being.
Torleif looks rather confused at first. He glances between Matthias and the prisoner, considering his options. Matthias might not be in the best of shape right now, but Lukas is looking far worse with his head hanging low towards his chest now that he is seemingly done antagonizing his captors. "Well," Torleif says. "He is right here, and I could use a break." He sighs tiredly. "If you want to, I can send someone to stand guard with you?"
"No," Matthias quickly says. "I'm fine on my own, I am pretty sure the situation is under control." He makes a weak gesture towards Lukas.
"He looks harmless right now," Torleif says with a huff. "But remember, he took down almost twenty of our men with just a flick of his wrist." He looks worried and leans in closer. "Do not trust a single word that he says should he decide to speak and I am pretty sure I don't have to tell you this either, but do not loosen those ropes."
Matthias cocks and eyebrow at him. He might be impulsive, but he is not crazy enough to take a risk like that.
He receives a nod in return and then Torleif heads out of the tent in pursuit of Brynjar. Matthias can hear him exchange a few words with Berwald on the outside and then steps moving away and he is truly alone.
Matthias stands unmoving for a few more seconds, uncertain as to what to do next. He never managed to think any further ahead than this point. He looks at Lukas and now that nobody is watching them, he can afford to keep his eyes on him for longer rather than avert his gaze.
Lukas lifts his head slowly and gives him a long a curious look. He has stopped laughing manically and no longer looks like a crazed man, and Matthias is beginning to believe it was all an act to goad Brynjar and Torleif. If it was it certainly worked well as the two veterans are both gone.
"So, what were you plans from here?" Lukas asks. His voice is barely louder than a whisper, but there is still traces of a mocking tone underneath. His lip spits open again as he speaks sending a trickle of blood down his chin.
"I have no idea," Matthias admits quietly, overly aware that Berwald is right outside the tent and can hear them should they speak too loud. He is still also vary of Lukas, and hesitant to get too close. Memories from the battlefield are still fresh in his mind and he can all too clear remember how Lukas cut down rebels like they were wheat for harvest.
Lukas' eyes are sharp as they follow Matthias' every movement and he tilts his head curiously to the side. "Why did you not let your leaders kill me?" he asks bluntly. "I almost killed you, and I killed several of your people, and still you went out of your way to stop your people from killing me in return."
"I could turn that question right back on you, you know." Matthias replies.
Lukas smirks despite his split lip. It looks grim on his battered face.
"That crystal you gave me before the battle, is that what kept me from dying on that field?" Matthias asks. He instinctively puts his hands into his pocket to curl around the garnet to make sure it is still present.
He receives a slow nod from Lukas. The restraints allow him little other movement. "As I told you, it holds powers of protection and I put an additional enchantment on it in hopes that it could protect you against me."
"I figured I owed you after that," Matthias says. "You have saved my life more than once. It seemed only fair to return the favor and save your life at least once." He knows that it is weak and if the rest of the rebels have their will, then it will not last for long.
"If you wanted to save me, you are about 150 years too late," Lukas interrupts. The words do sound a little bitter, but Matthias wonders if there is something else hidden behind them. "You know, if you wanted to grant my freedom you could have easily done so by letting your leaders kill me. The spell I am under does not go beyond my death."
"You'll have your wish soon enough," Matthias grumbles, growing annoyed and increasingly unsettled with how calm Luka appears. "Everybody out there is just waiting for your execution, and I have no way to stop them. You're not exactly helping your case either, antagonizing Torleif and Brynjar like that." He breathes harshly. "Maybe I could speak for you, explain why you are working for the King. They might feel some sympathy if you explain the spell that binds you, that you owe the King your life."
"They would never believe you," Lukas says quickly, interrupting him and he is straining against the ropes as if his wants to physically stop Matthias from talking. "Neither would they care." His words are cold and sharp, making it very clear he does not want the conversation to continue.
"What are you hiding from me?" Matthias snaps, his mind spinning as he realizes there has to be a reason why Lukas suddenly wants the conversation to stop. "I thought we were done with the secrets." He glares at Lukas, going through their latest conversations in his mind. "It is something to do with how you came to be in the King's service, isn't it!"
Lukas looks uncomfortable and Matthias knows he is on the right track considering that this is the same man that never broke in the day that Torleif and Brynjar spent interrogating him and yet now he is squirming from a few simple questions.
"What does it matter if you tell me?" Matthias asks angrily. "You're about to be executed and what do you secrets mean then? Or did you lie to me about owing the King your life?"
"I never said the life the King saved was my own," Lukas whispers desperately, straining against the ropes as if to get closer. He licks his lips, seemingly nervous and considering his next words carefully. "I once had," he makes a grimace as he regrets his choice, "I have a younger brother."
Matthias is still not feeling forgiving and crosses his arms as he makes a vague gesture for Lukas to continue his explanation.
"Back then, 150 years ago, I was still considered young for those of my kind and my brother was just a child." Lukas begins hesitantly. "I was the one looking after my brother and we spend most of our time together. I made sure he ate, I made sure he slept, I was the only parent he knew." He breathes harshly and pulls even harder on the ropes. "I would tell him stories every night, and his very favorite was those I told him of the lights that would appear on the sky during wintertime and how they would dance across the night in a wonderful display of colors."
Lukas' voice falters and Matthias believes that he must be telling the true story this time as this is the most emotional Matthias has seen him.
"Our home was deep in the forests, where the trees grow so dense you cannot even se the sky. My brother so desperately wanted to see the light from my stories and he begged me day after day to take him somewhere we could see them until I finally gave in." He keeps his gaze down, speaking more to the floor than anyone else.
Matthias can already see that this is where everything went wrong for Lukas, and he dreads to hear how a simple desire to do something nice for his brother turned into decades of torment.
"It was early in winter when I took my brother from our home to find a place where we could see the skies and watch the lights together. We walked for hours and it was already beginning to get dark. Then we saw a clearing ahead of us and my brother was impatient and excited and ran ahead of me, like children do, fast as he could to get the best view." Lukas chokes on a breath and Matthias can see the agony written on his face. "It wasn't a clearing," he forces out. "It was a lake, and it was still so early in winter that they ice had not fully set. My brother was right in the middle when the ice gave out under him."
Matthias feels his own heart stutter and he holds his breath. "What happened then?" he whispers weakly when Lukas does not continue and knowing the story is not over yet.
Lukas looks up at him with his one unbruised eye. "My brother went under and I went after," his voice is surprisingly strong, showing that this is the one thing he would do again with no hesitation. "When I saw him disappear, I ran, and I threw myself in the water. It was dark and it was cold, but I could not let my brother drown. I had to dive three times before I finally found him and could pull him to the surface. I do not know how long it took me to get him out of the water, but when I did, his lips were blue and it took me minutes to get him breathing again."
"But you know magic!" Matthias interrupts, slightly louder than he planned and he winces.
"Magic is not always the solution," Lukas mutters, his voice sound flat and exhausted. "It costs a lot of energy to heal and that is if you possess a magic meant for healing, which I do not. Besides that, I was weak, cold and close to dying myself after dragging him to the shore of the lake. If I could have healed my brother, I would have, even though it would have cost me my life, but all I could do was start a small fire to try and warm him up. Anything more would have killed me and we would both have died there in the snow."
Matthias wants to apologize, but he bites his tongue instead. He doubts that Lukas will appreciate his pity.
"I screamed for help then and kept on screaming until my voice gave out, but we were too far out in the middle of nowhere," Lukas continues evenly. "Our homes was hours away and we kept away from cities and towns because we would rather avoid humans. Just when I was about to give up, the King found us. I should have asked more questions, I know that, but I was too desperate to care. Where he came from and what kind of magic he possessed did not matter to me. I just wanted to save my brother, and so I begged for his help, said I would do anything to earn it and he agreed."
Lukas takes a moment to gather his words and Matthias suddenly realizes he is biting down on his tongue to keep himself from interrupting.
"The King brought us back to his castle with a spell and placed us in front of a warm fire. My brother was breathing again and with the fire he was finally getting warm again. I was so relieved at first, but the time he was under water did more damage than I thought and he refused to wake up. I spent days in the room so generously offered by the King and my brother still would not wake, instead he was dying slowly before my eyes and I could do nothing to help him."
"I asked the King if there was anything that could be done for brother, and he told that there was, but it would not come for free." Lukas nervously licks his lips again. "I told him that I had already offered to do anything to repay him and he replied that promises were well and good but held no guarantee. Instead he offered me a magical contract, one not so easily broken. I was more than willing to have the necessary symbols drawn on my skin and say the words that gave the King control of my life as long as it promised life for my brother."
"The King held his word. I have no idea what kind of spell it was, but it brought my brother back from the brink of death. I was so relieved when I saw him open his eyes and to hear his voice when he asked what happened. Then the King called for his guards and ordered them to take my brother away for safe keeping. I argued back, but the King ordered me to be quiet and not move and I could do nothing but obey. That is when I realized the deal was a trap and I have not seen my brother since that day. The only reason I know he is still alive is because the deal I made is valid until death and that is the death of me, my brother or the King."
Matthias is mostly speechless and it appears that Lukas has run out of words as well. They are both quietly staring at each other.
"I can certainly understand why you want the King dead so bad," Matthias says weakly. He does not know what else he can say. He wishes he could offer Lukas some sort of comfort. Nobody deserves to suffer like that. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."
All Lukas gives him in return is a blank expression.
"I want to help you," Matthias whispers. "I don't know if we can really win this war, but I will do my best to kill the King and break the spell on you. I will save you and then I will help find your brother."
Lukas' expression does not change. "I admire your courage and your honor, but you seem to have forgotten already that my execution is imminent and there is little you can do to stop it. If I am not mistaken I can hear your leaders just outside on their way back here and they do not share your sense of mercy."
Matthias's jaw snaps shut and he instinctually takes a few steps further back, pretending to have kept a safe distance from the prisoner, cursing quietly to himself. He cannot immediately hear voices outside and he suspects that Lukas has far better hearing than he does, but it does not take long before he can hear them as well. He wishes he had more time to consider what he could tell the two veterans and to come up with a convincing excuse to keep Lukas alive even if he does not want to share his story with anybody else.
Brynjar and Torleif stop right on the outside for a few moments, exchanging a few words with Berwald and then there is a rustle of heavy fabric as the three men enter.
Brynjar has apparently not calmed down in the slightest. He glares at Lukas, hissing through his teeth as he marches towards the middle of the tent and cracks his knuckles. There is a cruel glint in his eyes that Matthias does not like the look of.
Torleif looks somber and moves far slower. "Has he said anything?" he asks and makes a discreet nod towards Lukas who has let his head drop again, assuming the image of a broken prisoner.
Matthias shakes his head slowly, not daring to speak.
"I guess we have tried all we can," Torleif says and stands up a little straighter. "Alive, he is nothing but a danger for us and we will have to move on from this place soon. There is no way we can bring the prisoner with us. Nobody will sleep sound knowing that this creature is in our midst." He spits out the last sentence. "It is high time we execute him!"