I am Reborn through Revenge

Incarcerated

I thought that when a prisoner is put in jail (even if he or she is a dangerous criminal) there is no need to chain the person's hand at his or her back— so far the person is inside a cell already.

Why was my own different?

Why was I was in imprisoned with my hands tied at my back?

I got sick in the head. I was also very thirsty. It should be midway to midnight and I had not taken water since the sun was above my head. My throat began to itch me, even without feeling it with hands, I knew there was waterless. There was a man outside my cell, a soldier or more like a special mercenary. He was a middle-aged man if I should take a wide guess. He was also a man of great height, maybe a foot taller than me and he had a large body mass as though he was a giant.

His blonde facial hair was considerable too bushy and unkempt for my liking. He had a face that could get a child crying by merely looking at him. I wondered if I could ask him for help. I decided to try out my luck.

“Hi Sir,” I said. He turned and shot me an angry gaze I presume. I choose to pretend I didn't notice it. “Can you please get me something to drink? I’m thirsty, please?” I told him.

After studying me for a while, he returned to his position without even saying a word. “Sir, I said again. “please get me water to drink,” I reiterated. He didn’t even look at me this time. It was as though I was talking to myself or preferably, taking to the walls. I was a dead man anyway so I wouldn’t blame him. Maybe that was why he refused.

“Get him water to drink,” demanded a familiar voice.

I turned and I saw Nightwinder coming towards my cell, alone. The big guy left immediately without uttering a word possibly to bring the water for me. I was left alone with Nightwinder.

“How are you doing?” he asked while approaching me.

“Still breathing.”

He smiled. He got close and put his hands on the bar then squatted down to my level. “You would have run away, Anon. Maybe by now, you would have been alive somewhere. Maybe you could have started a new life there too.”

I chortled. “Somewhere in hades, I guess?” I asked. I tried to keep my face as normal as possible. In fact, I tried as much as I could not reveal the content of my heart through my expression. Because I felt like strangling him to death that moment.

“C'mon Anon. There is no way anyone can save you tomorrow unless there is an eyewitness who would stand on your behalf. And eh—m, from the way I see it, you have none. It’s quite a pity.” Though his voice was very calm but it pained me so much that I wished he would stop talking. It was as though my skin was burning, simmering in a blue flame.

“I want to ask you something. I just need to be sure about it.”

“What is it?” he asked me.

“Did you send Knight Simon out there to fight me?”

He smiled; the type of smile that furrowed only one part of his chin. “What makes you think that I would do such a thing?”

“It’s not more than what you can do.”

He smiled again with both chins furrowed in a smile this time and lips slightly parted. I think the smile gave him out. it gave me the answer I was looking for. “It means you don’t know me well, brother.” He stood up. I knew he was trying to avoid the incredulous question I had just asked him. The scary, hairy guard he had sent to bring water for me returned with a cup of water. He brought it toward me and shifted it right through the bar and kept it carelessly. Some drops even poured away on the ground.

The guard shot me a weird look. “You can drink the water now.”

I hesitated for a while. “I don’t think I would be comfortable drinking the water with my hands tied at my back,” I told him. “Or don’t you think so?”

He looked at me for a while, studying me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking but I was sure that he understood what I mean. Of course, there was no way I could drink the water with my hands tied at my back unless he was going to give it to me so I could drink. He opened the door to my cell. I watched as he brought out a short Knife, the size of my palm from his pocket. “Turn around,” he said, his voice deep.

I turned around as he told me. He used the knife to cut loose the ropes.

I turned to him. “I think it’s better this way.” I picked the cup of water and drank it in one gulp. I could finish another cup of that size if I would be given the chance. But I wasn’t in a position to make more demands so I kept quiet. I handed over the cup to him, he collected it. He walked out of the cell and closed the door behind him.

“It is quite a pity that this might be the last conversation we will have, Anon. I never expected that this is how it will end” he said. I turned to him.

If I was to be generous with the truth, I never expected that this was how it will end. And now that he had just mentioned it, I began to realize that I was in very big trouble that doesn’t have solutions. I had just realized that I was inevitably going to die the next day and there would be nothing I could do to stop it from happening. So this was how all my plans would be ruined? All the things I thought I could do, all the revenge? It was unthinkable, it was shameful and it hurts.

“Good night, brother. You need to catch some sleep,” he said and turned around. When he was about to leave. I saw Brady rushing into the room towards my cell. He was looking traumatized. The big bodyguard blocked him and held him on his chest.

“Sir. . .!” he shouted while being dragged away. “What are you doing there?” he asked shockingly, forcing himself against the huge guy. While he was doing all he could to pass through the heavy guard, the guard in return held him like a child and stopped him from making a move from where he stood.

“Let him pass!” Nightwinder said to the guard. The guard looked at him and shot him a questioning glance and Nightwinder nodded at him. “Let him pass. Give his visitors the grace to see him today. After all, by this time tomorrow, he will cease to exist.”

I pretended like I didn’t hear what he had just said. Brady started to approach me, this time, slowly. His lips were slowly parting and his eyes; still. His round chin that was used to smiling was glimmering in red. His face was long like an old elastic skirt.

He put his hand across the bar that barricaded my cell and he knelt down. “Sir,” he said. His eyes were wet, almost crying. “How come you are here? Just tell me the rumors I heard are not true.”

Now that Brady came ( he hadn’t crossed my mind the whole day) I began to miss him. I was going to miss him so much. “Brad, where have you been?” I smiled at him but deep inside, I wanted to cry.

“I’m so sorry that I wasn’t able to protect you.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” I told him and brought out my hand through the opening. “I will miss you, Brad.”

Tears began to well down both of his eyes uncontrollably. “Don’t cry, Brad. It is not over until it is over. Besides, if you cry, you are giving my enemies what they want. You know I don’t want that. I don’t like dancing to anyone’s tunes.”

He looked at me for a while and he began to wipe his tears with his hands. I held out my hand and cupped the back of his neck, resting his face in the bar that separated both of us. I placed my head just opposite him. He closed his eyes momentarily. “They said that you killed a knight. I know all the accusations are not true,” he said, his eyes still closed.

“I did kill a knight,” I told him. He shot open his eyes, surprised. “But I didn’t attack him first. He planned to kill me but I got to him first.”

“Hmm!”

“Yes. That was what happened. He wanted to have me assassinated but I got lucky. He died first.”

“Then you need to prove your innocence to the people. Even if it means begging the Queen. She might offer you clemency.”

I let go of his neck, and withdrew back a little, studying him. “How could you say such a thing, Brad? Beg the Queen? For what?”

“This is honestly not the time to take chances. You need to do all you can while you can to get out of here. Please, I am begging you.”

I shook my head in disgust. “That’s not going to happen,” I told him. “She’s not someone you could beg for things like this. She wouldn’t listen to me. She would rather pretend to play by the rules which is getting me prosecuted according to the law. So. . .”

“Cut the crap, Anon. Don’t be arrogant.” He hit his hands on the bar angrily.

What did he just call me? Did I just hear him mention my name? Brady sounded so pained. It was true that I had wanted Brady to address me by my first name which he never did. This was the first time I heard him mention my first name without adding any title to it. But there was no way I could oblige to that kind of ridiculous request.

“Brad?”

“I’m so sorry for shouting at you but please, please, your Highness. I don’t want you to die. I’m not prepared for this. You still have a bright future ahead of you. If you die now, just know that you will be leaving a lot of things behind as well,” he said, crying like a child. I had never seen him this way. “You will be leaving me behind, your Highness. What’s the purpose of being alive if you are not here? Who is going to take care of me like a brother? Who am I going to talk to or play with when I am bored? You don’t deserve this at all.” He sobbed.

My throat began to hurt me. I just hate it when this happens. Because when it starts hurting me, it means my anger level has been raised to the highest level of tolerance.

“Brad,” I called him. He was still battling with his tears. “I’m so sorry. I understand how you feel but battles are meant to be lost or won. In this case, I already lost. The only thing that could save me now, is finding an eyewitness. Not just an ordinary eyewitness but someone who was there; a notable person who would defend me. And there’s none.”

Brady eyed me for a while, without uttering a word. Then he said, “I’m going to do anything in my power to stop this, Sir. Just hang in there while I do something. Don’t die yet.”

I saw him gracefully walking out. He looked at the guard with an angry gaze until he vanished. I began to think: what could Brady probably do to help me out? I knew it was not good to underestimate what people could do especially after my experience with Princess Diane. But in this case, it was close to impossible for Brady to do anything for me. If he tries to break me out then that would be worse because I knew that Nightwinder had added that to his list of “Possible things Anon could do to run away.” I really wished that Brady wouldn’t even think of it because I didn’t want him to die alongside me the next day. Eyes would be on him; that I was sure.