"Now that's interesting..."
The voice wasn't loud. But it carried through the throne room. Soft, laced with mockery, and was aimed right at the king.
All eyes turned to Alexander, who stood calmly despite the tension. He met the king glare with a faint smile.
"Trust me," he said lightly. "You don't want to do that. The Executioner... is not someone you want to provoke."
A flicker of unease rippled through the room.
Even Lu–the king's advisor–felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He knew all about the Executioner after all. And hearing the king casually issue orders that might offend such a being, he couldn't help but curse in his mind.
'Damn it! You do it yourself if you're so brave.' Still Lu kept a straight face.
A soft voice cut through the tension.
"Brother."
Freya stepped forward, her tone calm, but firm.
"This won't lead to anything good." She said, "Right now, we have two valuable prisoners from the Eternal Dynasty in our grasp. It's best if we consider negotiation with them."
She gestured towards the window. "The soldiers I returned with... aren't many. We're at our weakest right now. Even though he's the so-called Crippled Prince... If we do anything reckless and his father catches wind... I don't think we'll be able to escape his wrath."
Arkan studied her for a while, and then he exhaled and nodded subtly. "Wise, as always, dear sister."
"You must be exhausted. You can head back to your quarters and rest."
Then, staring at Alexander with his scowl returning, he ordered:
"Take the prisoners to the dungeon. Make sure they get a nice, warm cell. One fit for a... Crippled Prince." He said with a cold smile before fading entirely.
"Tomorrow, we'll decide what to do with them."
Without another word, soldiers materialised from the shadows and dragged Alexander and Ren away. They were led away while Freya watched silently, face unreadable.
As they were led down a long stairwell, Alexander let out a soft whistle.
"Quite the reception," he mused. "Though I'm not flattered they consider me that important."
The air grew colder the deeper they went. Growls and snarls echoed in the dark, and the smell of rot hung heavily.
Then, finally, they arrived at their supposed cell.
With the door opened, they were roughly pushed inside. And the cold sound of locks clicking echoed for a moment.
'Nice and warm, he said.' Alexander muttered. "How I so want to rip him apart now." Shaking his head, he turned to Ren.
"How do you like our new home?"
"We'll manage." Ren said with a shrug. Though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The cell they had been locked in was dark and reeked of filth and decay. Bone littered the uneven ground, and the stench was thick enough to taste.
Alexander was having it rough the most.
Then he heard it.
A deep guttural growl reverberated through the cell.
"Hold on. Did the idiot lock us inside a beast cell?" He asked, slightly amused.
Peering through the darkness, Alexander gaze landed on a large beast chained to the far wall.
Three meters tall, its once white fur now stained brown. Glowing red eyes, which stared back at him from the darkness. Saliva dripped from a mouth filled with rows of jagged teeth.
"He did lock us with a beast." He muttered, eyes twitching.
Just then, the creature lunged forward with a snarl but was yanked back by its chains just in time. Its claws scraped against the floor as it growled at them.
"Bloody hell." Alexander muttered with a small smile. "What a way to treat a prince." With a sigh, he took a seat on the cold ground and then turned to the beast.
"Poor thing. You must be starving. Quite the master you have, huh."
The growl of the beast only grew fierce, spittle dripping from his mouth to the ground.
"Just give it a few days, and you'll have the feast of your life."
He yawned.
"But for now... shut the hell up. I'm trying to get some rest."
Ren chuckled as he positioned himself beside Alexander, sitting cross–legged.
"Go on. Laugh all you can." Alexander muttered dryly.
"Y'know... I could kill it and prepare a broth for us... Or wolf stew." Ren said, grinning.
Alexander burst into laughter.
"gods, Ren... you're crazy."
He leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling. A strange silence settled between them.
Then he spoke softly.
"Do you think... my... father will care? That I've been captured."
"Hmmm." Ren hummed. He didn't answer immediately.
"Your father is a... complicated one." He said at last. "Strange, too. I doubt he would be the one to act. More likely, your brothers will."
Alexander's face darkened slightly.
"Ah... My brothers."
He never had much of a relationship with them. Well... maybe except one. The youngest. But the rest?
Powerful. Distant. And dangerous.
"If any of them come," he muttered. "Drakarhold will cease to exist. And my plans will go up in flames."
A beat of silence followed.
"They better remain in their grand castles. I've made it this far without them," he added, clenching his fist. "I'll keep going. I've got everything under control."
They spent the remaining night in silence.
The beast had quietened down. Maybe even it needed to conserve energy for the next day.
Though Alexander couldn't sleep. His mind wandered...
What the future had in store for him in this world he had been tossed in.
He was slowly accepting this body... this world. Yet he wasn't worried like the first time in losing his previous self.
His mind wandered to the world he had left behind. A world that had taken everything from him. His family. Joy.
He was powerless then, unable to do anything. But not anymore.
This time, he promised himself, he'll become so strong that... even death itself will tremble in his presence.
Eventually, his eyes slipped closed.
***
The footsteps of the guard walking towards the cell woke him up. With his senses sharper than ever, he could hardly sleep deep.
The lock clicked.
"Get up!" A gruff voice barked, tossing something towards him.
But Alexander made no move to catch it.
"Idiot. That's your food. Don't think you're getting another one."
Alexander stared at the stale bread and raised a brow. "You can feed it to the poor beast over there. Or better yet... shove it up your ass. I don't really care whatever you do with it." Alexander said, patting his clothes.
He had slept late last night and was hoping to get enough sleep before the dimwit came.
The guard's nostrils flared and, for a moment, lifted his hand to strike Alexander. Then, as if coming to his senses... or maybe it was the killing intent, which nearly choked him to death, he dropped his hands.
"The king has finally decided what to do to you. If you are not eating, then follow me." He grumbled.
Alexander stretched lazily. "Ahh. About time."
Ren chuckled quietly as they were led from the cell to the throne room.