A Hostage Situation

Lynne:

"At least she was around to name me." I snapped back. He didn't seem to like that.

"Whether you like it or not, I am the king, your father. You WILL speak to me with respect." He answered, his voice booming.

"I will when I feel respected," I said.

There was a long pause in the room, like he was trying to process the fact that I was challenging him. Since he wasn't saying anything, I spoke next. "Where am I? And how did I get here?" I asked.

"I brought you here." He responded quickly.

"You!? But wait… how? How did you even meet mother if you are from an entire other universe?" I asked, glad to get answers, but only now I have more questions to ask.

"This… you will find out in time. For now, all you have to know is that I brought you here because we need you. This kingdom needs you." He stated.

"W… What?" I asked. The reason my father brought me here was to save this place?

"Prophecy my boy. You, as my son will inherit a power, strong enough to stop this kingdom from being destroyed." He answered.

I couldn't even collect all the thoughts that were racing through my mind. My father brought me here… and…

"Now you want to use me as a weapon?"

There was another pause. Again, like he didn't know how to answer my question. "You will attend this academy. Become strong. And join the kingdom's army."

"You don't own me!" I snapped. "I want to go home!"

"Impossible." He stated. "However, I will send you back once this task is done."

"And what if I refuse?" I asked tentatively, thinking about the tone of each word I said. The way my heart pounded, I knew I should fear this man. However, my pride made me continue.

"Then I will make your time here a living hell."

I froze at the cold tone of his voice. From the way, he said it, from the way he looked at me. I knew he meant it. This was not the look of a father.

"I… I…" I tried to recollect myself, to stand firm. I realized now…

That I was a hostage.

"Fine. But… I have a condition." I stated.

"Do you think you are in any position to make conditions?" He asked.

"Yes. I do. You need me. Not the other way around!" I snapped. "So, do this and I'll comply with whatever you need me here for."

There was a pause. "I'm listening." He finally stated.

"I brought somebody with me. A red-head. His name is Clay." I explained. "Let him join this school as well."

The man's eyebrows furrowed. He glanced over at one guard as he stumbled over. I recognized him as one of the men who took Clay to the infirmary. The man leaned into the king's ear, quietly whispering, too quiet for me to hear. After the guard pulled away, the man's eyebrows furrowed again.

"You request for a peasant to join this prestigious school? Nothing but a slave for that matter!?" He boomed. It took everything I had not to take a step back.

"Yes! He can prove his worth to your army!" I announced. "He is strong!"

"Do you think that matters!?" He interrupted me. "I will not have a slave boy taint this school. I should execute him for his transgressions."

"HIS NAME IS CLAY!" I shouted. "He is no longer a slave. He is my royal guard!" I announced, placing my palm over my chest. "And I will not fight in this war without him by my side."

"Fool! You've only known this man for no longer than a few days. Why fight for a stranger so hard…?" He asked, but he didn't sound angry. He just sounded genuinely confused. Like he really wanted to understand.

It was a good question. I just met him. Maybe it was the fact that I never really had any friends at home. At least not real ones. Those who got close, I'd later find out they only spoke to me because my family had money. There were those who were jealous too, I remembered all the horrible things I was called. Everything I was told.

It didn't matter how charming I was towards everybody else, they all looked at me the same. When we met potential clients, when we met with other rich people, it didn't matter what they would say to me. Smile. Just smile. Be…

Charming. Perfect.

Weirdly enough, the charming act didn't work on Clay. It seemed he liked me better when I dropped all that. I could act how I wanted. I didn't have to be perfect. He was… a breath of fresh air.

"Clay, even if I have only known him for a few days… knows more about me better than anybody ever has."

The king stared at me with stony eyes. He parted his lips but seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. "I will give him a chance. IF he defeats a student of my choosing."

"He will," I replied.

"Then it is settled. I will have a challenger set and a reliable set of eyes to tell me the news of who is victorious." The king said.

The look in his eyes left an icy shiver through my body. Despite what he said, something about this promise seemed off. However, I couldn't prove anything. This was the best chance we were going to get.

"Good. Then we'll await your challenge at the infirmary." I answered, turning my back to the king. I paused for a moment, just to make sure he had nothing else to say. When no words came, I walked through the door.

It seemed like there was in an infinite number of hallways, but I remembered which direction the guards walked off in when we first entered the castle. To my surprise, this building was so big, yet there were so few people that I never ran into anybody.

I made it out the front door and looped behind the school. I didn't see it at first, but as I walked along, I noticed there was a small crevice in the wall, a place where a door could be. I pushed it in, opening up to a small, drab infirmary. The place was empty, except for Clay who was lying on the bed fast asleep.