Dark was the cell and cold it air is, only a torch of light roamed the underground. On the floor Brone sat chained, all by himself, no fear or worry across his face.
Step… Step… Step.
Brone looked at the cell's entrance to find the grand lady of House Waster standing straight, by her side one of the Sigel knights of the Kazar stood guard, he had a shield sign, she waved to him to leave them. She can't possibly unlock the cage and ran towards the door while he stood their so he left her.
"Did you come to curse at me?" said Brone the great reader of the Varish kingdom
"Did the rest do the same?" Grand lady Rose replied
"Not really, although they wanted to kill me. Your family is indeed inpatient" replied Brone
"Did you do it." Said Grabd lady rose, her eyes cold, tired, desperate
"Does it really matter" he said with a false smile, until he checked how serious she looked, that old wrinkly face wanted an answer from him
"Sigh… if this will help you, then no, I did not do it" said lord Brone "Although sadly the slaves I brought for the festival did, so it is on me"
"I just know you are not that stupid" Grand lady Rose said "There is no way that you of all people would kill a part of my family, and in such an obvious way that leaves you the only suspect"
Brone did not replay, he just moved his head back to its position, leaving his back to continue the conversation
"We will catch the escaping slaves, and by bringing them to justice we will question them—" said Grand lady rose before lord Brone cut her off
"And then what huh? even if what you are speculating in the back of your mind is true, do you think the king would rather start a civil war with his own houses?" Lord Brone said, glancing at her with a side eye before continuing
"It makes much more sense for him to start it with the Varish kingdom, the relationship is already torn out from, I don't know, forever?"
"I will not let whoever broke a part of my family go like this! and on top of that blame it on you?! You are like a son to me," Grand lady Rose said trying to get him to stand up for himself
"If you had just stayed in the Kazar, you had so much potential in here" she said sad and defeated before leaving
One step after another, the light she held fading with each sound, until he was once more left in the dark
He looked to the dark corner in wish his bed was placed and spoke
"And what are you doing here? Don't you have matters to attend to at the Varish kingdom"
Standing from it the masked man holding a paper
"I finished them in less then 3 days ago" replied the masked man
"What?! How did you reach here already" replied lord Brone in shock
"No need to tell you that, I just came here to check on you, not so good it seems" replied the masked man
"Stop the lies, the last thing you would do is come all the way here just to check" said lord Brone before looking at the masked man's hand and saying
"Is that something you want to take?" meaning the paper that was held
"Not really" the masked man replied opening it, it was the same paper the king showed the lords underground, the same torn out parts and bell painting
"I wanted to tell you to stay here and ended up finding something entrusting", said the masked
"It is not like I can just leave this place whenever I want," said Lord Brone
"Just settle here until the air calms down" said the masked man staring at the paper
"What ever you say. Any ways, are you intending to take it? Burn it? Leave it?" said lord Brone
"I just want to check if it is readable for them, indeed it is, this saves years of work for me, now I don't have to roam the desert searching it myself" said the masked man rolling it back
"Anyways, you better leave now before they come back to interrogate me," said Lord Brone
"Oh, don't you worry I will be leaving, and they are just beginning their talk so you won't be dragged out anytime soon," said the masked man
"At least tell them to bring me a blanket, it is very cold in here, hey, hey!" said Lord Brone hearing the masked man open the cell with a key, just to leave him alone
Before the king sat both lord Kailer of house Waster, and lord Varyon of house Hallow stones
"Those slaves will be handed to us once they are caught" said lord Kailer "We will handle the rest, alongside Brone of course"
"I can't just hand you everything, especially that Lord Brone of the Varish," said the king
"I can't go with my wife's corpses home; I can't drain blood of the criminal's corpses" said Lord Kailer, annoyed, his eyes boiling with anger he couldn't pour anywhere near
"Why? Do you have some special political ties with them that we don't know of? Or do you have any trading routes connected to them?" said Lord Kailer
"Those things, you have with us! Or would you rather weaken or ties for foreigners "said lord Kailer
"Lord Kailer" said King Gerdon "I am deeply apologetic for the loss of your wife, but you know well that this is a setup, who in their right minds would do something so obvious to put him in such a tight spot"
"Wither it was him, his king, their slaves, or any other part I don't know of" said lord Kailer giving a side eye to lord Varyon
"I will be carving it out of their skins once they are caught," said Lord Kailer
"Sigh... we will be dealing with that once they are caught," said King Gerdon, before looking at lord Varyon and saying
"Do you have something to say?"
"I would like my family to leave this place, even if I am to stay," said Lord Varyon
The king confused said "Well you better know the castle is where everyone will be staying at for the time, or do you think it is not safe enough?"
"With how weird everything is, I don't feel safe for my heir in here" said lord Varyon
"Leaving in such a time is very weird two," said Lord Kailer
Lord Varyon looked at him, knowing what he meant by it
"And naming your youngest the heir, just because of a disability on your eldest's face," said lord Kailer
Lord Varyon grew angrier but did not talk
"Do you think I would use my wife's death as an excuse? And bring a fitting scar for your son to match his sister?" said Lord Kailer
Lord Varyon stood in anger wanting to start a fight before the king shouted
"Stop this at once!"
Lord Kailer went silent as Lord Varyon sat back down
"There will be no torture to the prisoner, until we catch the criminals and find out the truth, no one shall leave the walls" said the king ending the conversation
"Now, lets go join the funeral, "said King Gerdon
Both lord Varyon and Kailer alongside the king reached outside the castle, they saw as everybody was ready from lords to ladies from multiple small noble families stood
"My deepest apologies my lord" said the nobles, one after another to each of the water family, Lord Kailer of house waster, Grand lady Rose his mother, Lord Torden and Lord Fraymon, children of the house's lord
Slowly the dead lady's Coffin was brought down into the hole inside the garden, these flowers hold the ancestors of the king
"Such an honour for her to be buried alongside royal blood," some nobles said from behind the crowd
Fraymon angry looked back but his brother forced him to face forward, even their father was annoyed but he kept it inside
Slowly dirt was poured down, as each gave his respect by planting a flower of their choice upon her grave, until the dry hole became colourful
Sadly, only the surface was colourful, deep inside it was still as dead, cold, and full of scares as ever