Of Thieves & Kings

Prison Break

Cassian:

I rested my head on the wall of the cell with my eyes closed. It mattered not if I held them closed or open, for no difference would be observed as the dungeons were pitch black. It could have been hours that have passed, or a few days, and I would not have noticed.

Still thinking back of the scenario at Gaius’s coronation banquet, I felt a constant frown marring my distinct features. Queen Sophia’s arrogance and her son’s cowardice. Nilay and Lillian being forced to join the harem despite Advisor Lucien’s objections, the old man now sitting in the dungeons going against the evil queen’s will.

How can Gaius just sit idly by and watch his mother wreaking havoc?

“Cassian.”

The whispering of my name had me opening up my eyes and I hissed as a sudden bright torch lit up the cell. The flames illuminated the person’s features, and once I opened up my eyes, I could make out a black mane, trimmed beard, angular features almost identical to my own, and blazing golden eyes. Gaius.

I watched him struggle with a set of keys before he opened up the bars in a quiet manner.

“Cassian.”

“I heard you the first time,” I snapped at my brother.

He looked slightly taken aback, but quickly schooled his expression into one that displayed indecisiveness. “Uncle has sent me a letter.”

“How charming,” I sarcastically added. “Would you like a reward? How about a ‘well done’ praise from Mummy?”

“We are to meet with him in a few hours.”

“Well, send him my regards, as I am sentenced to die in the morning.”

I saw him frown. “What?”

“You heard me,” I told him, not even attempting to rise from my position. “By your Mummy’s orders, I am sentenced to die by the next morn. Did she not tell you?” I threw a glance at his confused frown and rolled my eyes in exasperation. “Of course she didn’t.”

“But… eh… why would she do that? You’re my brother!”

“Oh!” I exclaimed loudly. “Now I am your brother? How thoughtful of you to think that my death would grieve you!”

“Would you knock it off already?” Gaius retorted. “This whole situation has put me between a rock and a hard place.”

“Oh, spare me your self-pitying tirade, Gaius. Your mother played you like a fiddle!” I rose from the ground. “What kind of king makes his mother decide what is good for the empire? You think that you are in a compromised position? Take a look around you, Brother. Where do you think I am being held captive at the moment?”

“You’re not a criminal…”

“And you have only come to the conclusion now?” I ran a hand through my curly hair. “What stopped you from halting your mother’s insipid behaviour at the banquet? Allowing her to force my best friend into your harem and throw me in here like I have committed some vile crime against the crown?”

“Look, I’m sorry…” he tried to apologise.

“Sorry?” I scoffed. “You’re apologising?” I chuckled incredulously, before swinging a mild punch to my brother’s gut to let out some of my ire. The raven-haired man wheezed slightly, admitting that he deserved it.

“It’s just that… Mother can be a little overbearing at times, and even when growing up, Yasemin and I never had the chance to make our own choices. Mother always made it for us.” He let out a defeated sigh. “And whether Yasmin and I made our own choices in the past, well, Mother was always furious with us for not following what she wanted…”

The fire cast tired shadows on Gaius’s face, and though he was a young lad of twenty-five, he seemed like a man who had faced tremendous tribulations. Taking in his hanging shoulders and tired expression, I felt my heart go out to him. For most of his life he was told what to do, never fought in a battle in his life and never got to experience what it felt like to be a man, much less the son of a warrior king. I was fortunate to be raised by my father and spending time with him, even if it was during battles or strategic meetings during a council meeting. I spent time with Father, as he taught me everything I know: from how to wield a sword to fending for yourself in the wilderness, should things proceed to unfortunate circumstances during war.

Gaius was held in the palace, had his nose in books and was shielded from the hardships of the outside world. Though Sir Dante had trained him in basic self-defence, he was nowhere near to becoming a warrior. He was no soldier that was hardened by the clash of steel, blood, and death. He never completely risked his life for his fellow men, because of his mother’s overprotectiveness. Even when Father had asked Gaius to accompany us on campaigns, Queen Sophia always excused him from such affairs.

I pity him, for he was just being groomed as Sophia’s puppet, to serve as a decoy whilst she rules the empire with an iron fist. It was all a carefully orchestrated plan with Gaius having the fortune of coming from her womb.

“I pity you,” I told him, my voice low. His face lit up for an instant, maybe wanting to relish in my pity. “But I will not forgive you just yet. Not unless you can get me out of this wretched place to meet Uncle Haris at the temple.”

I dusted my tunic and fixed my sandals.

Gaius glanced frantically at the entrance of the dungeons, which seemed like the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

“How are we getting out of here unnoticed? If what you said is true about my mother ordering your execution, the warden will not hold back in informing her that I have escorted you out of here!”

“Easy enough,” I told him with a shrug. “You tell the warden that you wished to speak with me, but the putrid smell of the dungeons has made you uncomfortable…”

“You make me sound as if I am some wimp,” Gaius pouted childishly.

“Really? You don’t say?” I rolled my eyes and gestured with my head in the entrance’s direction. “Lead the way, Your Majesty.”

Personally, I knew the warden would make alarm if Gaius and I waltzed out of the dungeons, which is why another plan is forming within my head. Since Gaius was so shielded from reality and grew up in an age where the palace was not infiltrated or under siege, he knew nothing of the passageways Nilay and I explored in our childhood. Even if it led to both of us getting lost for hours, the king had commanded a search party to search for two five-year-old children within the palace, only to find us having innocent fun with the servants’ children as we snuck out of the harem. During a siege, I led the women of my father’s harem, a pregnant Sophia included, to a hidden bunker via the passageways. I was a silly little boy of twelve at the time, armed with nothing but a dagger my father gifted me.

Once Gaius and I neared a hidden doorway, I pulled him aside, closing his hand with my mouth to keep him from making a noise. He struggled, but nevertheless, as I was stronger physically, I managed to pull him towards the door with ease. Other inmates of the dungeons spoke to one another in hushed tones at the sudden movement of shadows before the oblivious warden slammed into the walls and iron bars to get them to shut up.

“What the hell?” Gaius retorted loudly, attracting the warden’s attention.

“Do you require assistance, Your Majesty?”

I glared at Gaius, hoping he would understand the message. Tell him no!

“I am quite all right, Sir. I wish to speak with my brother in peace.”

I sighed in relief after a few breaths. “You seem not to know of the art of subtlety,” I commented.

“How was I supposed to know you would suddenly pull me aside?” Gaius exclaimed, but in a whisper. “A brief warning would have been appreciated!”

“As king, I fear you must be prepared for the unexpected.” I gestured towards the hidden door which was concealed with the stone walls. At Gaius’s confused expression, I pulled at a secret lever and the door opened, a faint echo resonated in the dungeons. His golden gaze widened at the realisation.

“The palace has secret passageways?”

“Were your mother not so wary, you could have known the palace like the back of your hand,” I stated. “I’ll exit through the tunnels leading to the outside sewers near the falls. I shall meet with you in the city.”

“Wait, what?” He pulled at my shoulder. “Do you want me to go into the city alone at night?”

I pinched my nose bridge. “Yes, Gaius, that is exactly what I am asking.”

“Would it not be easier if I went with you?”

“Don’t you think the warden, knowing his king has visited his brother in the far side of the dungeons, will get suspicious once the king has entered but never came back out again?”

“I… I guess. But what would I tell Mother?”

“Think, Gaius,” I snapped. “Think of an excuse. Plan! Tie her to her bedpost! Do anything but make up excuses. You are crowned king. It is time to stop acting like a coward and start acting like a king wearing a crown!”

I entered the passageway, before glancing back at Gaius. He wore the same tunic he wore at the banquet and the circlet that was placed by the Great Sage still adorned his head.

“Cassian,” my brother started. “I… I am truly sorry about Nilay. I… I will see what I can do to avoid… bedding her.” If there was one thing Gaius was exceptional at, it would be that he wore his heart up his sleeve. He was like an open book and his expression could tell you what he felt at the moment. Despite my ire at his cowardice, I appreciated his sincerity.

I chuckled softly. “Trust me,” I rumbled. “She’s the one you need to be afraid of.” With that said, I closed the secret door and watched in fascination as the passageway lit up with mystical light appearing from the moonstones embedded within the walls. It was always a sight to behold!

The origin of the stones within the walls remains a mystery. However, it was no secret that the kings of the empire had appreciated their beauty, as well as their usefulness for navigating through the labyrinth of passageways through the cliff that held the palace.

My footsteps barely echoed through the void as I descended the path until the rushing of water became prevalent, along with the stench of sewage. These passageways have been constructed with an outlet that led to where the cess pits accumulated excretion and filthy water and was cleaned once or twice an annum, and though it was the least desirable course for escaping an attack, at least the palace could be exited. The only downside is that it led to the cave behind the waterfall, which still served as a gilded cage, but no enemy knew of it, thus it was considered safe.

Nilay and I promptly took advantage of this when we were teenagers fooling around shirking responsibilities and hid for hours on end.

I frowned. Both Nilay and Lillian would be watched over by the guards of the harem, eunuchs trained specifically to guard the king’s women and to keep them secluded from other men working within the palace. Though passageways can have you venture around the apartments the women lived in, the presence of the eunuchs made it tricky to escape. They were like eagles watching over the movements of a colony of ants – always observing.

I smiled as I reached the end of the cascades and relished feeling the mist on my skin and saw, with unbelief, my swords, which was confiscated at my arrest, neatly concealed between rocks. It was the place where my father had always hidden them. A small scroll and a black cloak were among the blades, and I recognised the neat, but rigid, strokes.

Safe journeys, my King.

Sir Dante. My father’s personal guard, of course, ordered his manservant to safely place my swords behind the falls, for he knew I would be passing through here.

It was a relief that even Sir Dante respected his late king’s wishes. I picked up my swords and situated then across my back as I usually do, before throwing the cloak over my head. I kept to the shadows as much as I could due to the patrolling guards around the palace gates and the bridge linking the city to the palace over the great stream that was fed by the waterfall.

Having climbed the boulders too many times, I made my venture to the city facile, and soon I disappeared between the foliage along the river and the sandstone buildings.