I didn’t remember much of the journey to the cells, once we had willingly surrendered, I had been hit over the back of the head with something, I don’t know long I was out for but as my eyes opened, I was greeted with the darkness of a cell.

The smell was odious, like we had been thrown into a sewer, the stench enough to force me into a gag as I sat bolt upright with a startle.

The floor where I was sat was wet and their was a dampness that clung to the air.

As I breathed in, I winced, raising a hand to my rib. My health bar was at sixty percent, but I would survive. I sure as hell could do with a health potion. I looked through my inventory but the health potions I had were gone, along with everything else I had been collecting.

I checked over my body, half expecting them to have taken all of my clothes but thankfully they hadn’t.

I let out a groan as I rested my head on the cold stone wall behind me. A small plume of light from the tiny window above landing on my outstretched legs.

“How’s the head,” Galahad spoke from the shadows, startling me, his voice sounded pained and weary.

As my eyes adjusted to the dark I noticed his feint outline, he was stood up against the wall.

“I feel like I have been hit by a truck,” I said, standing up and walking around the cell to get my bearings.

“What’s one of those?” he asked.

I was just about to explain when I simply said, “never mind,”

The cell looked simple enough, it was a squarish shape with three sides being stone walls and in front of us floor to ceiling bars that had a three to four inch gap in between.

I grabbed hold of the bars to test their flexibility and they were not for budging.

“What now,” I asked, we had planned up to this point, we knew we would be thrown in the cells. We could only hope now that e had caught enough peoples attention too.

“We wait for the opportune moment.” Galahad sighed and examined the cell, he tapped the wall with his knuckle until he hit a hollowed point. “Ah brilliant,” he said as he pulled out the stone and sat down on it, before reaching his arm inside.

When he pulled his arm out their was a large flask.

“I was on a good run, not been in these cells for a while. Still it has given this time to ferment.”

He popped the lid of the flask before taking a sniff and pulled his head away quickly, “Good gods that is quite the potent drink,” he laughed to himself before taking a swig.

“What the hell is that?” I asked as Galahad recoiled from the harshness of it. He coughed and spluttered before passing the bottle to me.

“Just some dried up peel from the fruit that they gave me last time I was here, simply add a bit of water use a tiny bit of fruit as the sugars and let it sit. Nature will do the rest.”

“Seriously, you spent your time in the cell making your own liquor?” I laughed at his ingenuity, I was however curious for just how potent this was.

I took the flask of him, judging by its smell this was strong, “How long has this been here,” I asked.

“Couldn’t tell you.” Galahad said.

I questioned what I as about to do but with a shrug of my shoulders I figured that I had nothing to lose.

“Bottoms up,” I said, before taking a swig of the home brew.

I swear the room lit up like a Christmas tree as soon as II tool a swig, this tasted strong enough to put hairs on your chest. A bitter aniseed taste with hint of banana, a combination that quite frankly should be banned.

I coughed and chugged, before passing the bottle back to Galahad who gratefully received it, saluted me with it before drinking from it again.

“Wait a minute,” I said as I gathered myself, “Don’t you need water to ferment things?”

Galahad looked away sheepishly before taking another drink. “I regret nothing, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

I instantly spat out of my mouth what I could, the taste even more bitter now that I had the knowledge that Galahad had made it with fruit peels and his piss. If I had had the energy I would have dived across the cell at him.

“You bastard,”

Galahad started laughing, it was the first time I had seen him laugh and I didn’t expect it to be in a cell. It was a deep laugh, more of a chuckle, despite the circumstances a felt a smile tug at the corner of my lips and started laughing myself.

“What’s so funny?” The voice caught me of guard as a shadowy figure emerged on the other side of the bars.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

“Why don’t you come inside this cell and we will show you old boy.”

The light from above revealed the guards captains stony face as he drew level with the bars of the cell, his upper lip curled in complete disdain at us. Like it repulsed him even being in our presence.

“I have no idea what has brought on the disturbance you have both created but I will be sure to make you both see the error of your ways while making sure that no one else gets any thoughts of starting a rebellion.” He sneered, his teeth were crooked and stained, he had one of those faces that you just wanted to punch.

“I wouldn’t quite call it a rebellion, there is only two of us?” Galahad said, playing dumb.

“Funny that, we were told there was three of you, I have even heard on the streets that your third member may in fact be a Reaver, not just any old Reaver too.

“You would know all about the streets wouldn’t you,” Galahad sneered, “Tell em just how long have you been in the pocket of the mindless thugs.

If the captain could have reached through and throttled Galahad I think he would have

He straightened himself up, regaining his composure before offering Galahad a teasing smile. “I have no idea what you are talking about, but spreading rumours like that will lead to you losing your tongue.”

“Very well,” Galahad said, “You have had your chance to repent for your indiscretions but I can see that you will always be a self righteous arse.”

“Save your words Galahad, your days of being a shit stain on this town are over.

“What do you mean?” I said.

“Oh so it does talk,” The captain said. “You should have listened to me when I told you to keep out of trouble when you first got here, you will live to regret crossing me and causing so much trouble.”

His whole demeanour had changed from the person that I had met when I first arrived here, his features were sharpened, like a poised viper waiting to strike. He may have comphiscated my weapons that day but he had come across as friendly all in all, such a far cry from what I was witnessing now.

“Well sometimes you need to stand up for what is right,” I said. “Otherwise what is the point?”

“The point is that you will not be standing up for anything, come sunrise,” The captain said, his smile becoming more menacing.

“How so?” Galahad asked.

“We can’t have you putting on a show like you did and humiliating my men and get away with it, no, no, no, that just wont do.” He placed his hands behind the small of his back and puffed his chest out. “The stocks simply will not do, as I said, we need to set an example, one for all to see.”

“What do you mean we?” Galahad said, “There was me thinking it was you that was in charge, lets face it, you are just another puppet on a string.”

The captain laughed, “I do what I need to keep order in this town,”

“While lining your pockets,” Galahad snorted, “Look how far you have fallen captain.” he feigned an over exaggerated bow. “Whatever it takes eh,”

“Say what you want Galahad, I would savour the air you breathe while you can because in the morning, you will both meet the hang man.”

“What?” I said, this was not what we had wanted. We knew the guards would be pissed at us, but aside from Helga who was nothing more than a street thug we had not seriously injured any guards.

“Let’s just say that you have pissed off the wrong person.” he said with a incredulous laugh. “Something you will live to regret. Honestly the headache you two have given me with all of this.”

“I am glad we could be of service.” Galahad bowed again before taking a seat, “Now if you don’t mind, I could do with a little nap, be a darling and switch of the lights on your way out.”

Galahad’s ability to infuriate anybody was simply incredible, the captains jaw tightened as he shuffled himself before taking a deep breathe and turning to leave.

“I will see you both in the morning,”

“We cannot wait captain,” Galahad said sarcastically, before sitting down on the stone and leaning his head back and shutting his eyes.

The captains footsteps faded into the distance until they could be heard no more.

“Execution!’ I said, my voice elevated and more than a slight hint of panic.

“What did you think would happen?”

“A flogging, the stocks maybe, I didn’t think it would be a public execution?”

When the sound of a door closing echoed down the dungeon block Galahad shot back forward and stood back up. He pressed his head against the bars as if he was waiting for something. “Finally,” he said, “I thought the oaf would never leave.”

“What are we going to do Galahad?” I said, “How are we going to get out from here.”

“Remember this was all part of the plan, we knew we would be inside the dungeon, at least I knew they would over react and want us dead, especially now that we have confirmed that we have the Gods Father’s attention and the captain has confirmed what I already suspected. That he is in cahoots with him.”

“Did he actually say that though?” At no point had the Captain mentioned the Gods father by name. “If we are going to go down that route we are going to need a little thing called evidence.”

“Don’t worry I have a plan for that too?”

Galahad reached for the piece of metal protecting his groin, it was like a medi-eval jock strap and I found myself recoiling in horror.

“Galahad!” This wasn’t the time or the place as he reached in and started rummaging around. “The hell are you doing?"

Galahad wore a determined expression as he fished around with something, only stopping when his face lit up.

“Aha,” he said, he pulled out something that jingled around, it was a familiar sound that I recognised from when we were running around all of the alleys in town.

“Wait is that?”

Galahad was stood holding a set of keys attached to a large metal hoop, he was wearing had the smuggest of grins on his face.

”How? Where? How long have you?”

Galahad laughed to himself, “As I said old boy it has always been part of the plan?”

“But when did you get these?”

Had he always had them on him? How had he been so resourceful, I had so many questions that I wanted to ask.

“It was the other day when we first started scouting the guard tower,” he said. “When that guard was being somewhat of an arse with me, but he played right into my hands and got too close.”

My jaw hit the floor, I could remember the guard being dismissive and Galahad being over familiar when he wrapped his arm around the guard. Shortly before being kicked to the dirt.

“You son of a bitch,” I smiled. I could have hugged him, why didn’t you say anything?”

Galahad didn’t say anything, instead he started sorting through the keys and testing them in the lock to the cell. When he found one that worked he simply said.

“Now we wait until dark, to try and make an escape in daylight would be madness.”

“That makes sense,” I said, I still couldn’t believe that Galahad had played this entire situation, bumbling around as the town drunk.

“Hey Galahad,” I said, “Thank you, I couldn’t have got this far without you.”

“I would save your thanks for when we are free from this cage and those guards have paid for everything they have allowed to happen here. Now rest up, while you can at east. When night falls we make our move.”