Dave did not know how long he had been sitting in the dungeon when the door finally opened. from how hungry and thirsty he was he would guess that it had been some days he had been sitting here in the dark.
The first few hours had gone easy enough, he had had fun sitting and playing with his cell mate. He may not be the big talker, but it was fun to see what weird positions Dave could place the skeleton in. After a few hours of enjoying the skeleton standing in all sorts of weird ways, he got tired of it. and lay down to sleep. When he was fully rested, Dave had toyed with the idea of fleeing, but just as when the sergeant arrested him, he came to the conclusion that a life on the run was not for him.
In the now open door stood a figure whom he would know everywhere. the bright light from the hallway meant that he could only see her outline, but there was nothing to be in doubt. As he was brought up to do, he fell with a bang to his knees and bowed his head deeply. them worthy to sit on and a cup of their favorite tea, but he can either get hot water or mint tea. ” Dave chattered off with a formal voice that, like his guest, belonged in the king's throne room.
“It's good to see you young Davelius, we'm sorry it's under these circumstances, but it's really good to see you again. But now lift your head and look at your mother-in-law "The queen said as she slowly lifted Dave's head up so he looked her in the eyes. "Please don't make yourself dirty by touching this low 1" Dave replied as he wriggled away from the queen. She stood for a moment looking angrily at Dave before saying anything.
“Now you just go and hear here your stupid kid. It may be that they have taken your name, your status and your wealth from you. But they can never touch the bonds you have formed with people around you, and they can never take your family's secret from you. So get together and find your family's pride again. ” She started out with a lot of anger in her voice.
“doesn't it take more for my son-in-law to lose heart. Is you not the one who stole my little girl's heart during the first day you played together. Is it not you who without problems asked if you could invite my little girl into the city and swore on your family and life that nothing would ever happen to her when she was with you. Was it not you who made my husband, the king himself, say that you were promised to one another? ”
Now she was working her way up completely. “Wasn't it you who broke all your family records by reaching from one end of town to the other in under 10 minutes at the age of 5 years. Was it not you there, at the age of 7, snuck past all the castle guards and into the princess' room and sat and talked to her all night! And the worst thing was that we could not say anything about it, as you did nothing but sit and talk and you had made an in-depth report on where there were gaps in our patrol !!! ” her rage made the air begin to vibrate now.
“Are you not so loved by the people that you have not slept a single night on the street since you lost your rank? Haven't there always been some who have taken you in and protected you. Did you not stand on your 15th birthday and did not have a home or any family to celebrate it with.
but even though you were standing on the street all alone, didn't a family take you in? Did a master blacksmith not take and give you a job and then did you not in spite of all get your party? Did not the whole city take and party in your honor? Did you not take and move through the city in a way and a speed that only a true Rue would be able to do. Can you with your hand on your heart say that your ancestors would not say that you were a true Rue? ” The latter was said with a hiss, and small tornadoes begin to appear around her.
In front of Dave stood not the beautiful and graceful Queen Ingrid of Redstone Castle, but the fearsome wind witch Ingrid storm eye. “You did not flee when your peers ripped everything from you, no you sought the support of your people, you did not hide under a rock, no you fought on, you did as your ancestors did and walked on the street among everyone else! Many a time my service people have come back and told me about your goals. Everyone knows you have not given up and this cascade of throwing yourself here in the hum just proves how much the other nobles fear your power. My service people have often said that you have been seen standing and saying your promise again, how did it sound now? ” the latter had been asked as a question, but Dave knew there was no way around answering her.
"Wait for me… .." Dave replied weakly. "I can not hear you, speak louder so I can hear you." Cried the queen to drown out the tornadoes she herself had created in the cell. "I said wait for me princess… .." Dave replied somewhat louder this time, but the queen was not satisfied yet. "I can not hear you" she shouted over the sounds of the storm in the cell. "I SAID WAITING FOR MY PRINCESS, BECAUSE I HAVE NOT LOST MY WAY AND WILL COME BACK TO YOU!" Dave screamed with the full force of his lungs.
Suddenly the storm subsided and everything became quiet. “Well you are ready, let's go out and meet those fools and see what they really have to say. Remember the strength you just showed and remember the promise you gave my daughter. ” Finished the queen before she left the cell and two guards came in with chains and picked up Dave.
Slowly, the guards led Dave until they reached the great courtroom, where all the noble family were gathered. The room was built up as a large auditorium, where depending on your rank you could get a seat, to see what fate the accused would be bestowed.
The low-standing 1s and 2s could stand on the floor and had to struggle to look over each other, while that 3 and up could sit on rows of chairs which were slowly raised higher and higher up, the further away from the center they were located. The highest noble 6s, could enjoy having a ring raised above all the others, where in that they could sit and watch the whole process. Upstairs sitting in 6 balconies then sits the 6 basic families. Dave himself had a place up there, at the top between the noble snobs, and the highly respected royal family, before they took his name from him. Now here he stands looking up at them here from the elevation that was built into the floor.
"We are gathered here today to find out how this young man can be punished for his misdeeds." Started a man in nice red clothes coming in by the side door. Dave knew him right away as one of the nobles who hated him the most. "Has it accused anything of saying." Asked the man scornfully without giving Dave anything else to work with.
“I ask the gracious advice to inform me of what it is I have reportedly done. Because I have never been informed about what I have done, so how do I defend myself ”Dave said with a strength in his voice that did not belong to a 15 year old who had just spent 2 days in a dark cell.
A loud noise erupted as Dave finished saying his opening remark. Everywhere in the hall, people's outbursts of anger rang out, from the street children who had found their way in there to support their friend, to some of the high-ranking 5s who were furious that there could be a prisoner who had not even been told why he was captured and chained.
"SILENCE!" Shouted the man in the red clothes. It took some time before people calmed down again. “Davelius Serpinas Rue, you are accused of fraud, stealing from 3 noble families and deceiving the Crown Princess and her family. In addition, you are accused of having called several times in the past year for people to make a revolution against the king and as recently as 3 days ago you should have held a party, which should be a hideout for the rebel leaders to meet and plan this revolution. What do you have to say to yourself? ” Asked the man as he tried to descend Dave.
“I want to start by saying that you have taken that name from me. I only go by the name Dave. but is this the court's official recognition that the name and the titles and rights that belong to it are still mine ”Dave asked loudly and again there was a loud noise in the hall. Although some knew that the noble families had taken his name from him, not everyone knew how much they had actually taken from him. It took almost 10 minutes before it managed to calm down the crowd again.
It was another 10 minutes before the noble council had anything to do with a decision. "Davelius Serpina's Rue no longer exists and only Dave is left in the future you will be charged as such." Started the man again before being interrupted by Dave.
"The next thing I want to say is that I know nothing about these thefts and frauds I reportedly should have committed, and would like to ask you to present your evidence." Dave said calmly as he straightened up. He knew for sure that they had nothing on him there.
"Bring in the evidence of the thefts." Was the only thing the man said. In came 5 guards carrying pillows, on which several different pieces of jewelry could be seen. "These pieces of jewelry were found in your cave inside the bell tower and they have been identified to match heirlooms stolen from various noble families' homes over the past 2 months." Shouted the man out to the hall as he lifted one necklace up.
Dave was about to lose his jaw completely. They had gone so far as to plant evidence.
"I will invoke the right of a priest to come and testify that I am telling the truth." Dave shouted loudly to make sure everyone heard him.
"As the 1st, you have no right to say such things." The prosecutor laughed scornfully. Dave knew that right there that he could not twist out of these accusations, how was he going to prove his innocence without a priest to testify his innocence now.
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"I am innocent and you know it very well, but I can not prove it, as I can not get a priest in here who can confirm that I am telling the truth. But if you have decided that I should be punished, then let me hear how I have deceived the princess. ” Dave shouted loudly now with a lot of anger in his voice.
“You are accused of having lured the princess into sin with sweet promises and black magic. How else do you explain that the princess would associate with such a little 1. as you. ” Shouted the man now full of confidence. Again, the crowd erupted in rage, not because they thought Dave had done it, but over how absurd the accusations were. Everyone knew how happy they were for each other and most could sit and watch the tears run down the cheeks of the princess.
Before Dave could say anything, the king's voice resounded in the hall, with a rage that no one had heard from him before. "What nonsense is this, I have personally seen their relationship grow while they were growing up and I have also given them my blessing that they could get married before you fools, skinned name and rank from young Davelius." Cried the king furiously. Like with his wife, the air vibrated around him.
"I tell you, if you do not let these accusations fall away at once, then I will personally take and find all the rubbish that is at all to be found on your families and tear them out into the light so that everyone can see it" The king rumbled, while small bullets of fire gathered around him.
"Calm down now my dear" the queen started "I think they have got it now" she finished, while an icy wind blew all the windows in the hall up and in with a bang.
"... Yes ... yes of course their majesty, we drop those accusations right away" muttered the accuser, no one wanted to stand up to the king or queen, and not both of them at the same time. No one wanted to fight the calm flame, or storm eye and not at all if they combined their magic.
"The last charge we have against you is that you have called for rebellion against the king." Begin the man again, but quickly fell silent as the people again began to shout and buu of him and when he was about to say something, the oxygen disappeared around his head and a small flame sprang forth right in front of him. He took very deliberately and tore that piece of parchment over and was then allowed to breathe again, though the flame did not disappear.
"The only thing I have heard here today which is not pure nonsense is some simple thefts" Begin the king. When the prosecutor was about to say something again, there was a smell of burnt hair, and the man again wisely chose to remain silent. "So what does the council say, what shall we punish this young man with?" Asked the king, staring down at everyone around him.
After some time, a runner with a piece of parchment came to the prosecutor. After reading the document, he straightened up and shouted loudly. “The Noble Council has found the accused guilty of theft and has chosen to sentence him to one year of military service. Before the convict returns to his cell where he's going to be in in a week's where the new consignment of recruits is to start, let him start with them.
It may be that Dave found himself back in his cells, but this time he was then served some food and drink. His cell mate was still there. Now that he had some food and water, Dave could afford to play a little himself. He had not had the opportunity to practice this since his mother disappeared, but now that he just had to sit here and do nothing for a few days, he might as well find it again, and he would need it when he now ended up in the military, especially if he ends up being sent out to the front line.
Calmly, Dave squatted down and closed his eyes. After a few slow breaths, he pressed his finger down against the hard stone floor of his cell. Suddenly it was as if an almost invisible wind was slipping from Dave's finger.
“Let us look out the door here, the corridor goes in two different directions, one goes further down towards the other prisoners, and the other goes up towards a staircase leading up to the castle square. At the stairs there are two guards, one is human, but the other is probably an elf. If you follow the stairs up and out to the castle square, there are two more guards, both people.”
While Dave sat mumbling to himself, his fingers drew so lightly into the hard stone floor that it looked like he was sitting and running his finger around in a round of soft mud, there was never resistance and he never had to rest his finger, despite that he scratched complex patterns in the hard stone floor.
On the seventh day he was finally visited by something other than the guards who brought him his food. A young woman walked in the door, she stood a little at the edge of his cell and smiled at Dave, who seemed to have not even noticed that she was standing there. She could not completely stop laughing, she had seen him seem so immersed and far from reality so often when they had played together as children that it did not irritate her at all. She knew he was fully aware that she was there, there was just one detail in one of the hallways over his cell that teased him to get the drawing.
"What's your reach up now Dave?" She asked in a wonderfully soft voice. "I can see details at a distance of almost 80 meters now, and my general vision is at just over 200 meters now." Dave replied as he drew further around the blind spot he just could not get the drawing.
"I think it's my dad standing there" The girl interjected as Dave returned to the blind spot.
“That explains a lot, his energy is too strong for me to see him properly. But what do I owe the honor of the princess coming down and visiting me? ”Dave asked, as he directed a big smile at the princess.
"I thought I would come down and hear how my fiance is doing," she said with a big smile as she walked over to Dave. Dave just raised an eyebrow when she said that. The princess just laughed even more and put her arms around his neck. "Did you really think my father would cancel the engagement between Davelius Serpina's Rue of Redstone and Crown Princess Johanne of Redstone just because he is temporarily absent?" She asked, snuggling into Dave's neck.
"Now that I think about it, the answer is no of course he would not, think if his little girl got one of her famous rage flip over it." Answered Dave, and was rewarded with a pair of nails pressed against the skin of his neck. “What was it I heard you say? it probably has nothing to do with my temperament ”asked the princess with a dangerous tone in her voice.
"No said that the king would then never risk hurting his beautiful amazing and merciful daughter, who could never think of doing a fly harm." Dave said quickly as he prayed to death that it was not his turn yet.
“I thought that was probably what you said. But enough about that, how are you? ”She asked as she leaned a little away from Dave, but still had her arms around his neck.
"I'm doing just fine now." Was all he said as he pulled her in to him again. "Especially now that I have you here again in my arms," he continued quietly as he stood hugging her.
“It's so good to see you Dave. Just wish it was under better circumstances, miss you so much. ” The princess whispered quietly into his ear.
"I miss you too, but look now that they have forced me into the military, they have given me a way up again. If I can be strong enough, I can claim my place as a noble back, and then we can be together again. ” Dave replied quietly.
The young couple sat for a long time talking about everything and nothing, Dave told stories from the past year about how he had coped after losing his title. The princess told of how many suitors her father had flatly rejected and how much she could not wait for him to regain his rank. She told about how much she missed their trips out into the city and how much she hated being barricaded inside here at the castle.
“I also think you must leave soon my beloved. We can not have them get some funny ideas about what the princess is doing down here in the dungeon. ” Said Dave as he winked at her with a big smile on his lips.
"Yes you are right, we can not have them think I would let myself be tainted by such a lowly bastard as you." She replied with an equally big smile.
"I'll miss you now when you're in the army for a year," she muttered sadly.
"I'll miss you too, but if we'm lucky then when the year is over I'm impressed enough that I can regain my status and we can have each other" Dave replied quietly before leaning towards the princess and pressing his lips in towards her. It was only a short kiss, but there was so much passion in it it almost hurt.
They stood there for a long time and just holding on to each other in the dark, Dave had missed and could smell her long beautiful blonde hair that always smelled of strawberries. Suddenly, Dave pulled away from the princess. Before she could see the wound, he pointed to the door. Before the princess could fully grasp what Dave meant, a guard came in. "Your Majesty, I'm sorry to disturb them, but I've been ordered to get the prisoner ready for transport." Said the guard as he bowed deeply to her.
“All right, I also finished talking to him now. Goodbye Davilius and may your time in the military benefit you ”Was the last thing the princess said before she stormed out the door. Dave, who was still keeping her magic going through all of this, could feel how she was stumbling on steps up the stairs, but she just managed to get her balance back.
"Forward with your hands, have been told to treat you as if you were a high risk prisoner" said the guard in a weak voice.
"I'm really sorry it's going to happen to you, Dave. Your father was a good man and you did not give me any reason to believe otherwise. ” He said as he gave Dave the chains back on.
"I do not take it personally, but could you just give me a moment, thinking it's best I remove all this." Said Dave as he slammed against the floor and walls, with his now chained hands.
Only then did the guard notice the completely overdrawn walls and floor. “Who… .what ... how… .what…. What's this about?" Asked the guard in shock.
"It's a map of what of the castle I could just remember, I had to do something." Dave lied quickly.
“Okay yes it makes sense. But why is it important that you get it removed and how do you want to do it? ” Asked the guard confused.
"What would happen if a prisoner had reasonably detailed records of the nearest of the castle if he wanted to run away?" Dave asked as he began to gather his mana again.
"He would have a really good chance of getting away." Answered the guard and it was clear that he had not thought about it until now. "How will you do it?" He then followed up with when the first surprise had subsided.
"Like this," Dave replied, stamping his foot once more. From where his foot hit the ground it was as if a wave of energy was rolling across the floor and walls as if they were the surface of a lake and his foot was the stone thrown in. Where the ring passed all traces of Dave's little one disappeared Map. The guard just stood there glowing strangely. "By both light and darkness, how did you get an earth cube at such a young age?" Asked the guard again in shock when it finally dawned on him what had happened. "It's a secret," Dave replied as he walked toward the door.
The guard cast one last glance at the now shiny walls and shook his head before quickly leading dave out of there. out and towards his new life as a soldier.