Time to Leave

Having perfected his method on the first prison bar, Silver found the second two bars of the cell went much faster. Looking on, the two fairies munched on their payment and chatted in their high pitched voices. Occasionally tiny crumbs of bread fell to the ground from their full mouths.

The more Silver observed the tiny pair, the more he was sure they were children. They taunted him when his hands grew too cold, and they chuckled at his every mistake.

If the fairies were as young as he suspected, then where were their parents? He wondered if they had gotten lost on their trek across the globe or if they had run away from a problem.

Maybe they were hiding out until the next winter for their kin to find them once again. Silver occupied his mind with these thoughts to block out the obliterating cold assaulting his hands through the cloths.

Any warmth his tunic and the dainty handkerchief had provided was long gone from extended use. The Guardian's eyes shifted to the thing in his hand. What was going on with the little embroidered fabric, anyway?

'Ethyn has always had an odd taste in clothing, but this is something else!' Silver noticed the corner of the square and his face darkened.

"Are you alright?" The knight sensed the change in his friend's demeanor. "Do you need me to take a turn again?"

Ethyn had attempted to work at the bars, but he was not nearly as strong as the inhuman Guardian nor was he as able to resist the cold. Even a short burst of effort had nearly cost him his fingertips. But the knight was willing to give it another go if his friend was tired.

Silver's eyes flashed. "This cloth...where did you get it from?" His voice was a little too crisp to hide his agitation.

Taking a step to the wall, Ethyn steeled himself against the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Because it has my sister's lettering here in the corner and I want to know why..." The Guardian stole a glance at the other man before pulling extra hard on the second bar. It was proving more stubborn than the first.

"I...your sister gave it to me," Ethyn knew lying would be wrong, and he was also pretty certain that Silver's hands were currently frozen to the bar. If that were indeed the case, then the man would not be able to punch him if the answer was the wrong one.

"You kissed my sister, told her your feelings, and accepted a token from her...and you weren't planning on telling me? You realize this is almost tantamount to an engagement." The Guardian pursed his lips to indicate the delicate cloth-turned-glove.

"Some people are so thoughtless," the crazy man clicked his tongue dismissively.

The two fairies giggled and pointed mockingly as they ate their morsels.

Ethyn gave a sidelong glance toward the wall. "What?! I was not being thoughtless. And I'm not engaged. At least I don't think I am…I mean I would never intentionally get engaged to Rose without asking your thoughts on the matter." Ethyn thought Silver might be exaggerating to make a point, but he wasn't sure about all the intricacies of court. "But if I were to ask you..."

Without warning, the bar shattered like glass in Silver's hands. Ethyn shielded his eyes to prevent the frozen shards from piercing his face.

Silver's voice was barely above a whisper. "If you ask me for permission to marry my sister and don't mean it, your neck is going to end up like that bar."

"But if I ask, what will you say?" The redhead gulped.

Silver turned on his friend with a vicious look in his eye. He grabbed the knight by the back of his collar and shoved him forward.

The armor was peeled off of Ethyn before he could say anything. Twisting sideways and down against his will, Ethyn fit through the newly made hole in the bars…but just barely.

Ethyn was not fast enough to get out of the way, and his breastplate was shoved into his legs. "Ow!" he yelped quietly, biting his lip.

The knight scrambled out of the way just in time for the Guardian's body to slip easily between the bars at the base of the cell. Even without his cloak, Silver was graceful and silent in his movements.

All at once he was on Ethyn, with his knee in the man's back. Silver's voice barely audible. "If we get out of this alive and save my sister, then you can ask. Until then, keep your mind on the mission."

The pressure on Ethyn's back left as quickly as it came. He breathed a sigh of relief. His friend's presence could be very oppressive when he wanted it to be.

The knight wanted to joke about what kind of brother-in-law Silver might make, but he knew that would be crossing the line. He could make all the jibs he wanted after everything was fine again. For now, they needed to focus.

Donning his armor, Ethyn moved behind Silver and pulled the man's hands behind his back. The Guardian could tell what his friend had in mind and complied easily.

When they passed the other cells, those who were watching would think a prisoner was being escorted out by a knight. No one would sound the alarm about that.

They moved through the labyrinth with great speed. Although Ethyn had no idea where they were going, Silver had studied the underground maze when he had infiltrated Borit's office.

But the knight could tell when they were getting close to the exit. That is why he was surprised when the Guardian stopped and pushed them into the shadows.

'What?' Ethyn mouthed. A moment later he heard it too. People were walking towards them. The two men were heavily exposed pressed up against the wall, but those travelling the corridor were sticking to the more well-lit places.

This meant the shadows were a blind spot for them. As long as the men stayed absolutely still, not even the guard's peripheral vision should catch that anything was amiss.

If they stayed still...

Two people quickly came into view. One of them was clad in shackles and the other was following behind with a look of glee on his face. While Silver did not know the guard, he certainly knew the man in chains.

'Borit!'

Ethyn had noticed the Commander as well, taking a sharp breath of surprise. Silver wanted to slap his hand over the other man's mouth. But that would do more harm than good.

The Commander had clearly heard the sound. He turned his head and peered into the darkness. Silver looked straight into his enemy's eyes. The emptiness there was chilling. Borit shook his head.

The Guardian was unsure if the Commander could actually see him. Borit's face did not change nor did he mention the escape to his captor.

But even if he had seen them, would it be in his best interest to announce that Silver was escaping? That was a question that Silver had no way to answer.

Borit was deranged and no amount of guessing would give a hint of what went on in his head. He would be just as likely to out them from spite as he would let them go in hopes of being rescued himself.

Whatever went on in the Commander's head, he did not speak. He trained his gaze back forward and continued down the passageway without a backward glance.

When the Commander and guard were out of sight, Ethyn and Silver released the breaths they had been holding. Ethyn opened his mouth to ask a question, but the Guardian pressed his finger to his lips.

They needed to get out first. And fast.