The days went by and we could now see the country of Ithaca through the forest. "Finally, my homeland!" he shouted sprinting at full speed. I ran and we reached the gate. "Tourism or do you live here?" asked the guard.
"Tourism" I said. They opened the gate and let us in after we paid a small fee. I walked through the crowd and looked at the tall buildings. "Odysse-" he wasn't there. I turned around and ran through the crowd, trying to find him. I needed to get a house to stay for a short while and money as well. I paused. I had a source, the golden water. I opened the bottle and it was clear water. How, I could swear that I collected golden water. I went back to the entrance gate and asked, "Did I come in with someone else?". He looked at me confused.
"No, you came in and paid the fee for one". I stopped. Of course I was alone, gold water didn't exist and we'd learnt about the war which happened twenty years ago. I walked through the streets aimlessly and sat down in an alleyway. "Hey, Taragmenos". I looked up and saw Herma. I looked at him dumbfounded. "How did you find me?" I asked standing up.
"I'll tell you later but Delaever told me that the orphanage was destroyed" he said coming closer to me. "You mean Ha-"
"No, he and Pearl escaped and were seen at the docks you went through, Appo and Artemi also escaped but their location is still unknown, let's go search for them" he said dragging me by my hand. I pulled back. "No, I don't want to".
He turned back and looked at me shocked. "What do you mean, your brother is missing!" he shouted in my face. "And, why should I care about that bastard!" I said getting angry back at him. "Your telling me that you value a country you've been in for less than ten minutes than your brother?"
"I said... I don't wanna go!". I pushed him and ran down the alleyway. Why would I search for him even though he abandoned me for some girl he'd known for less than a year. I wandered through the streets of Ithaca, searching for a comfortable place to sleep as he sun was setting. I found a bench and dragged it under a bridge I'd passed by. I lit a campfire and ate before going to sleep. The next day, I woke up in a carriage. I was tied up along with four other kids. I looked out of the back and saw two more carriages besides us. I was about to ask why I was here but stopped myself. It was probably because I was sleeping under a bridge. We arrived at a castle and were thrown off. We were tied together and taken underground. I was thrown in a cell and they gave me some bread and water. I didn't eat since I wasn't angry but looked at the others. About eight were there and each carriage could hold six so most of them weren't here.
The next day came and a second set of carriages arrived. They were placed in the other cell near the other hall so I didn't see them. "You're all be tested to see if you're fit enough to serve the King's children" said a man dressed in an extremely posh attire. "Tomorrow Prince Telemachus will arrive and see you all" he said turning the corner. Through the wall I could hear him repeat the same thing to the second hall. I ate my bread and drank my water then went back to sleep.
The next day came and the third set arrived which made me come to the conclusion that there were far more cells than what I thought. The Prince was set to come at midday but I couldn't tell the time. I prayed that he'd take me so I could escape at some party or something when everyone was distracted. The prince came in and eyed us all. "Why are they all so young?" he asked looking at the kid sat across me. "They seem to have potential and some may know the secret of the apple" sid the man who'd come in yesterday. " Tell me who knows the apple's secrets and who has potential" he said looking at me. "This boy was found with rabbit food and even deer meat and he came through the gate alone meaning he got that himself and as you enjoy hunting, we say he can help you in that" said the man.
"Interesting but I'll wait for the other carriages arrive in case there is someone more suited to assist a great prince like me" he said walking down the hall. The man told him about the others' skills. "Now then, who is the one who knows the secret of the apple" he said turning the corner. He exited with a wide grin on his face.
The next day came and another set came. A slightly older group of people came. Two of them were close together and one even had the same long brown hair as Han. I began to lose hope. They were older than me and were probably more skilled. I was probably gonna be executed at the young age of twelve. I ate my bread and water then went to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night and looked around. I could hear a quiet voice talking to someone else. It sounded like a teenage couple. "Hey shut up!" shouted a guard. They stopped and I slipped back into sleep.
The fifth and final day before judgment came and the last set of carriages arrived. They were all adults and looked badly beaten to the point of near death. Unlike us, they'd put up a fight to no avail. The guards took us out of our cells and we were sent into the castle for judgment
(Chapters will update from five to six from now on)