Fall of the Nobles

It was the first time Scarlet had ever been in prison, and it was not where she wanted to be. However, she did befriend another inmate named Blackwood. She had given him her unappetizing sloppy meal that she had received. The stench was rancid and made her skin crawl. He was devouring the meal quite cheerfully. She was also confused, it seemed as if he was able to hear her thoughts. She watched as he bickered with the black bird, again. The bird never left him alone.

Can he really read my mind?

“Yes, I can.” He murmured.

Her heart stopped for a few seconds.

“Well, to an extent of course.” He tapped his finger along the cell bars.

“Now if your thoughts were running endlessly without stopping, I can probably only understand a few words. I would need to group the appropriate words together and form some type of conclusion from what you said.”

Scarlet pondered quietly to herself.

“If there’s something you want to ask me, go right ahead.” He insisted, while lying down again on his hay mattress.

“You said that you were framed, what happened?”

“Where do I start? This land used to be ruled by nobles before the Cosmocrats took over.

I was living with my family at the time; we were of noble lineage. For as long as I could remember, the Cosmocrats were merely our assistants. I was a teen back then, I noticed some of our family friends started to disappear one by one. The Cosmocrats were overthrowing us, and I was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

His eyes were stricken with terror as he started to remember.

Blackwood was coming home from school. He heard yelling from one of the rooms and then silence. He walked closer to the door and knocked on it.

“Hello? Anyone in there?”

A body rolled over, it was of an older female Cosmocrat.

He was paralyzed in shock and stood still until his senses came back. He went over to try to wake the Cosmocrat up. He did not know that she was dead, he also felt his hands were wet. When he moved his hands away, they were covered with fresh wet blood.

He shivered at the dripping blood. His friend noticed he had been gone for quite some time and found him in the room.

Then a line of Cosmocrats came over and saw the blood on his hands.

“We have to take you in Blackwood; it is major offense to murder a fellow person.”

Blackwood shook his head in refusal, “No, this is a mistake... I didn’t do this. I just found her like this.”

His friend sided with him and tried to block them from getting to him. They knocked him over and cast a spell on him.

Blackwood was dragged off into the cell.

Returning to the present, Blackwood banged his arm against the metal bars, it echoed around.

“They took me away without any proof. The Cosmocrats fear the royal bloods the most. Someone they can't control no matter how hard they tried. I still don’t know who framed me.”

Scarlet sympathized with him.

He went through so much. Who framed him? The Cosmocrats really are cruel.

He looked at her closely and sadness crept into his eyes.

"You look like someone I knew a long time ago. The Cosmocrats feared her, she was open, and her words could set everyone free. They couldn’t put her under their control.”

He paused.

“She was also my sister.”

He smiled to himself, "She was quite special. She could do magic and would show me any chance she had."

His memory showed a young girl running to him.

“Brother, look I can make the birds come to me.”

The birds looked like white opaque fluffy clouds with sharp beaks. They squawked and flew on the branches close to her.

Blackwood smiled at her, her happiness was contagious.

“How did you do that?”

The young girl folded her hands together and chanted.

A sweet bird’s smile,

Wings of the bird soar,

Come to me now,

And let your presence sing.

He moved his hand and rustled her head.

“Hey, you’re messing up my hair.” She pouted.

The memory scene dissolved.

Scarlet was curious, “What was your sister’s name?”

“It was Rose.”

Scarlet was dumbfounded.

Is he, her brother? She’s a noble? Is this the same Rose, I keep hearing about?

“My father was a great man. He would try to teach me poetry and spells, but I was never any good. I could never do it as well as my sister. He was as patient as he could be. My mother was kind, she didn’t mind if I was not good at academics, she just wanted me to enjoy living.”

“What happened to them?”

“I have limited knowledge, but after I was imprisoned, my father was trying his best to try to free me. It was of no use, the Cosmocrats fully took over at that point and the peace we once knew became different. Everything they said was the law and you can’t go against it. I heard that my parents went missing with my sister, I assumed they died.”

Scarlet listened intently.

“My father’s name was Kieran and my mother’s was Lumina.”

Scarlet thought to herself.

Those names were on the tombstone when she visited the gravesite near Theo’s home. So that picture must be his family’s photo.

She recalled the death for both parents were the same. There was not a date indicated for the young girl.

“Maybe Rose is still alive?”

“Perhaps, knowing her will power. She could surpass us all.” He chuckled to himself.

He looked away and stared at the dirt floor, “I’m uncertain though. I’m not sure if I would recognize her, it has been some time.”

“Now, I understand why those guards were so afraid of you. They probably thought you really did kill someone.”

He stared in her eyes.

“What about you? Would you be able to kill anyone?”

Scarlet was surprised by that question. She had never been asked that before.

“I’m not sure.”

Could I really kill someone?

He laughed, “That is a normal response not to worry. Any person would answer the same way as you did. I must admit I am a coward unlike my family. I’m afraid to die.”

Scarlet nodded in silence; she was slightly tired. They did not allow visitors and the only person who would keep her company was Blackwood, her next-door neighbor cell mate.

He noticed her weakened appearance. Her skin was pale, her body was much thinner, and her face was not bright as when she had first arrived.

"Cheer up, the longer you stay here, the more used to this place you'll be."

Scarlet was too tired to respond and homesick.

She was starting to get sick.

I'm trying to stay awake, but I can't.

She had never been isolated in this way before or had endured this type of torture.

His face changed to concern when she did not respond.
He stood up clenching the steel bars tightly.

There were little talismans around his cell that created a barrier to prevent him from using magic.

“I haven't done this in awhile. Let's see if I can remember.”

Small sparks of electricity emitted from the talismans began to shock his body.

He expressed deep pain.
There was a sparkling blue aura surrounding his fingers and grew stronger at his fingertips.

He was in deep concentration.

He moved his palm to face her. Then the deep blue stream of light went to Scarlet. It was slowly rejuvenating her energy, healing her.

He was receiving the shock this entire time. He was burnt to a crisp and fell backwards on the floor, briefly paralyzing him.

Scarlet's eyes opened slightly. She could clearly see again as she slowly got up.

She saw Blackwood on the floor in the other cell.

“Oh no, Blackwood, are you alright?!”

He was squirming around in agonizing pain.

“Does it look like I'm alright?” He held his legs and was crunched in the fetal position.

He was wincing when he tried to move one of his limbs.

He briefly glanced at her; she appeared better than she was before. He was relieved to see her moving.

“Good to see you're doing better. It looks like I still got it, my healing spell worked!”

“Thank you, I am feeling a lot better.”

He curled up into a ball.
"You have to stay strong in here, don't let them wear you down."

Scarlet buried her face into her hands.
"I just want to go home."

He slowly changed himself back into a sitting position.

“I have a one-way train ticket. This train's schedule is unpredictable, somehow from what I’ve been told, if you’re meant to be on it, it will show up in front of you. It's a place to escape from where you are at and take you to the place you want to be.”

His face changed to a serious look.

“I was given this ticket a long time ago, but I refused to use it. Using it would mean I'll be running away from my responsibilities.

He hit his fist into the dirt with a strong impact.

“Maybe you should have it.”

He slid the paper ticket to Scarlet.

“Thank you for your concern.” She picked up the train ticket and stuffed it in her pocket.

“I’m not leaving without you though, let’s make our escape,” said Scarlet with full determination.