Nico was curled up in the corner with his hands wrapped around his legs, for the past two days he'd been here enduring the guards mocking and beatings.
Three times a day, a plate of food was slid through the tiny compartment, but he never once touched the plate.
He remembered when he'd been eight, his father had trained him how to be a prisoner. The first lesson was to not eat their food, though that lesson had been a struggle.
The longest he managed was two weeks.
On the third day, a boy came to the cell and tapped on the door with the hilt of his sword. "Hey, come on."
He opened the door and Nico peered warily up at him. He scurried away from him when he reached toward him.
His face was swollen, bruised, and bloody from the amount of times he was beaten. It was so bad, that on the first day, they managed to get his eyes swollen shut.
The boy sighed, crouching before him. "Great mother, they did a work on you. Look, I'm not here to hurt you. Me and my brother have been trying to clear your name." he licked his lips. "But do you really not know what happened to the other elves?"
Nico pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes.
"Alright, Alright. I believe you. Princess Kaya and Prince Xavier have returned. King Kojo asked me to bring you to the throne room."
Princess Kaya was back?
Nico jumped to his feet, instantly regretting the sudden movement. His head started throbbing and the room began to spin. He stumbled and the boy moved to catch him before he fell.
"I wouldn't make any sudden moves. You've gone through hell." the boy grunts slightly. "I'm Luca."
Nico said nothing and allowed Luca to lead him out of the dungeon and into the light. It was blinding and he raised his hands to shield his face until his eyes adjusted.
Luca led him to the palace doors where two guards were stationed.
"King Kojo requested this prisoner be brought into the throne room," Luca said, nodding a greeting to each.
One of the men sneered at Nico before pushing open the door allowing them to enter. Nico felt horrible for having to depend on this boy to help him get around, but he could hardly stand on his own.
When they stepped into the throne room, Kaya was standing in the middle of the room wearing a dirty gown. Xavier was standing off to the side embracing a man that must've been his father.
"Goodness!" Kaya exclaimed when she saw him. "Luca! What happened?!"
She raced toward them and took Nico's face in her hands inspecting him from every angle. "I swear, whoever did this to you will pay."
Nico shrugged a shoulder as though he couldn't care less. If Kaya and Xavier were here where were his friends?
Were they alive?
Queen Ariana rose from her chair and slowly descended the steps toward them. She moved Kaya to the side and gestured for Luca to give him space.
"Y-Your...Majesty?" Nico rasped.
Queen Ariana hadn't said a word to him or his fellow elves since their arrival. Her presence was quite unexpected.
"I am terribly sorry for the horrors you experienced in that dungeon." she reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a vial with a dark liquid inside. "Drink this before going to bed, it should lessen the pain in some way and heal the bruises."
Nico took the vial and gave a slight nod.
Queen Arian hummed then turned and went back to her seat.
"What happened?" Xavier's father demanded. "I must know who did this to my son!"
Xavier sighed. "We're not sure Father. Kaya and I heard a commotion in the servant's quarters and went to inspect."
"We couldn't see the attackers' faces, but they shot us both with darts," Kaya said, wincing slightly and gripping her arm. "I'm not sure what they were planning to do with the elves, or why they only left my companion behind."
Nico studied both of their faces, trying to tell if they were lying, but struggled to read their blank expressions. the concern for his friends was bearing down on him now, and the question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "What of my...my friends?"
King Kojo's eyes flared. "You have no right-"
"He has a right to be concerned for his friends." Queen Ariana snipped. "Kaya?"
Kaya licked her lips. "I..I don't know about the well-being of your friends. I-we didn't see then when we awoke."
"How were they able to escape without leaving so much as a trail?" Xavier's father pondered.
"Maybe they had a different form of transportation," Xavier muttered.
"Are you suggesting that they had a dragon?!" King Kojo roared. "And I was under the impression that you, King Davis, had all the dragons in your kingdom."
"You act as though those beasts don't have a mind of their own!" King Davis snarled. "Their jaws could snap any man in half. Many have escaped, and breeded. There's nothing I can do to prevent that!"
"Some we were forced to release because the dragons had started attacking other dragons. It's what happens when they're ready to mate." Xavier explained with a lazy shrug.
Queen Arian sighed. "As always, bickering like children instead of coming up with an idea to prevent attacks like this from happening. My love, you should know that no dragon would stage an attack like that unless it was bonded."
"So whoever did this had somehow gotten inside information from someone in the palace?" King Kojo muttered.
But what did that have to do with my friends?
"Even still, bonded dragons wouldn't do something like this without reason. So the rider must've convinced the beast to go along with the idea." King Davis said.
Xavier flinched.
"What happened to dragons having a mind of their own?" King Kojo snipped.
"Nevertheless, both of our children have been rattled by this." Queen Ariana said, "We should give them and the elf some time to cooperate before bantering them with all sorts of questions."
She waved for them to leave and Luca and Kaya help Nico get to his feet and lead him out.
"Before you leave Xavier I want to bring some people..." the doors slamming behind them cut off the rest of King Kojo's sentence.
"I'm glad you're alright, princess." Luca said, he turned to look at Nico and blinked. "Are you alright? You've gone white as a sheet!"
Nico slumped forward and darkness swallowed him whole.