TW// PTSD, Trauma, blood, corpses
Tivon ran down the hallway. He didn't know from whom he was running from, he just knew he needed to run. He knew those hallways, he was certain he would reach the end in no time. But he just kept running and running, and the hallway seemed to never end.
Tivon looked down to see himself dressed in beryl green coloured silk and sage coloured chiffon dress. He needed to escape. He needed to get out of there. He must've been running for hours now because the pain in his back became intolerable.
Tivon stopped and turned to see if he had been followed. He stared down a dark hall, no one in sighed. He took a step backwards, immediately bumping into someone. Cold hands wrapped him up. Tivon shut his eyes as wet, icy lips brushed against his ear.
"Open your eyes, Tivon." Said Alieana with her bitter, quiet voice.
Tivon shut them even tighter. She grabbed his chin, her nails digging into his skin. "Look!" She hissed.
He looked and saw stacks on stacks of bodies. Lifeless, bloodied bodies of young boys dressed in the same clothing as Tivon. Their eyes were glassy and dull. He wanted to scream, but Alieana was holding his chin tightly.
"This is all because of you, Tivon."
"N-no." His voice shook.
"No?" She gripped him tighter, forcing him to look at the bodies. "If you wouldn't have killed me, they would be alive." She moved his head towards her, her light eyes piercing him. Blood started dripping down her eyes and mouth as she spoke. "If you would've died on that mountain, this wouldn't happen, Tivon."
"No!"
He jerked his head awake. Cold sweat dripped down his brows and back. Tivon needed a moment to remember where he was. He was back in the dark room, body tied to a pillar, his hands bound in front of him. His hands were still covered in dried blood. The ringing in his left ear was beginning to drive him crazy.
They are killing them. They were supposed to save them. Tivon leaned his head against the column. How many of them had they already killed? The terrified looks on their faces, he bodies, their shallow eyes were so clear in his vison. If I'll have to see them kill the boys again, I'll go mad. I need to do something.
The Rose Sparrow wasn't moving. They must be anchored or somewhere in the harbour.
As he was trying to figure that out, Filp entered the shed. Filp placed down a cup of water and a bowl with food. "Eat." He turned to leave. "We need ya in ten minutes."
"I'm not going with you."
Filp stopped. "Ya have no word in this."
"Bring me your Captain." Ordered Tivon. Filp looked over his shoulder. "I want to talk to your Captain."
"And who are ya to order us?"
"I am the prince of Naydawin, and I want to speak with your Captain." It was a low blow, but it might have worked.
Filp started laughing. He crouched down and spoke. "There's no prince in this kingdom. This kingdom was given to a whor- "
Tivon slammed his head into his nose. Filp grabbed his bleeding nose and rose. "Ya little- "
"Don't say another word about Rea. I won't cooperate with your murder sprees anymore."
Filp brushed the blood away. "Fine." He grabbed his food and stormed out the door. "No food and water for ya."
He slammed the door shut. Tivon rested his head on the pillar. I need to figure out what is happening. There must be something that would explain their actions. He needed to think of a plan.
Tivon closed his eyes and thought.
He listened and waited for them to leave the ship. In the meantime, he managed to untie his hands. When his hands were free, he had no problem removing the ropes tied around his shoulders. Tivon grabbed his knives and his lockpicks. He crouched at the lock and began working on it. It gave away in a minute.
Tivon carefully opened the door and looked around him to see if anybody was there. No one was in sight. Tivon went to the crews' nets and looked through their stuff. He found nothing out of the ordinary. Then he looked at their kitchen. Someone might have fed them something to mess with their memories. He rummaged through every bottle and every jar, but he found nothing. Tivon sat down by a bucket of water. He could at least clean his hands and face. He kept telling himself that there must've been something to make them forget. They wouldn't just act like that all of a sudden.
He would need to look in Elias' cabin. Tivon quietly left the kitchen and went up on the deck. He looked around to see if the coast was clear. He only saw Nick by the helm, looking out at the sea. This was Tivon's chance. He ran to Elias' doors.
Tivon was glad to find them unlocked. His cabin was still the same. Unmade bed in the right corner, a table on the right, bookshelf with books Tivon has leaned him and a cupboard with his clothes. He rummaged through all of them.
He found nothing. No contracts, no bargains, nothing. Not even his ring. Tivon leaned his hands on the table and sighed. All hope had flooded down the river. He felt like he was going to lose his mind. He closed his eyes, trying to shut down his tears. Had all of them truly forgotten him? Has he really forgotten about me?
Tivon opened his eyes and saw a dried Hyssopy flower lying on the table. He picked it up and held it in front of his eyes. He couldn't just forget me. Could he?
"What are you doing?"
Tivon hastily turned around, dropping the flower to the ground. Elias was standing by the door. Tivon opened his mouth to speak but what could he possibly say to him? I was just looking for something that made you forget me, anything to make you remember me? He closed his mouth.
"You won't work with us, but then you think it's okay to rummage around our stuff?"
"Elias- "
He stepped towards him. "I don't know how you know my name, but you will never call me by it ever again."
"No." Tivon gripped the edge of the table. "I won't. Because I know you. You weren't the Captain of The Rose Sparrow, Sabur was. You killed him and that gave you the curse."
"Everyone knows that."
"You protected me from Pit. Have you ever thought about where he is?"
"He was a horrible person. I made him leave the crew." Said Elias, to Tivon surprise he found his voice uneasy.
"No. I killed him. Cornelis stopped his heart. B-but I was the one who k-killed him." Tivon took a shaky breath. "He wanted me for himself, so I killed him. I know that your eyes are blue, and I know about the hidden lagoon in Dalelry."
Elias flinched. "How do you know about Dalelry?"
"Because I was there." Tivon said desperately. "With you … All of you."
Elias stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the dried flower. He turned to him. "I don't know how you guessed this things, but you simply couldn't know about that lagoon. Only this crew knows about Dalelry!"
Before Tivon could contradict him, two of his crew ran into the room.
"We heard shouting, is everythin- "
"Get him back to his cell."
Tivon didn't resist as the two men grabbed him and dragged him back into the shed. He didn't say a word as they tied him against the wooden column. When they left him and locked the door, Tivon leaned his head back.
It was like Elias and his crew were living in their separate timeline. Everything was the same, it was just him that was missing. Like he wasn't a part of this story.
He didn't know what to do.
Tivon could only hope that Cornelis and Rea were doing better than him.