The slave convoy was taken to the war camp where they were all shackled hands and feet. HIs own case was a bit different though. He was taken to a woman who first used herbs to treat his wounds and his broken bones were reorganized before the leg was finally re-splinted and he was given a wooden rod to aid his walking. They could not put the shackles on with the splint, so it was just his hands.
It was time to start working.
There were no complaints from Artur, he was simply going to bide his time, waiting for that perfect moment. He was not staying a slave forever.
Kids like Artur were taken to a different part from the adults. Surely there was nothing their frail and tiny hands could do about breaking stones or mining steel but with joint effort they would be able to push a mill. That was their task and to Artur's dismay, he ended up in the same group as Eustace.
It was the worst experience for him but in a way, also the best. Eustace would not stop talking which annoyed Artur a lot but with that Eustace made him pretend like he was pushing the mill while he took the load of Artur's inability to push.
A guard that was watching them found it weird that Artur was pushing with a wounded leg but when he saw a bit of sweat, he ignored. Artur was thankful to Eustace but expressing that gratitude was a huge problem, so he just stayed quiet.
***
The first day had passed and it was dinner time. According to the soldiers, the food was to be eaten with gratitude because they weren't going to get it all the time.
Eustace hunted Artur down and sat beside him for dinner. The room was very small and crowded making it hard to get comfortable but for someone with a build like him, scaring the others off wasn't a problem. Artur was able to sit comfortably thanks to him but he was not ready to show the thanks. He was still mourning.
Eustace ignored his silence and continued to talk to him, whether he listened or not.
"It's just a tiny loaf of bread, why do they have to make such a fuss about it. My family used to work for a quarry, hence the name Stone. How about you mate, you still haven't told me your name"
Artur still did not reply.
"Your clothes speak nobility, were you kidnapped by any chance?"
"You can say that"
Eustace raised his eyebrows in surprise "You finally talked to me, yay"
"Yay? Are you a kid or something?" Artur said in a mocking tone.
"I am eleven years old"
"Come talk to me when you come up with a better lie"
"But I am really eleven years old"
"What? So you come from you a family of giants"
"No, like I said my family worked at a quarry back in Evershire, the biggest one actually. My village chief sold me after betraying my family. How about you?"
"Me? What about me?"
"Why are you here? What happened to your family?"
Artur was silent for a bit before he finally responded "I don't want to talk about it"
"Come on mate, spill the beans. You'll surprisingly feel a lot better when you do"
Artur was reluctant but Eustace kept pushing against it until he let it out.
"I was the son of a baron" Artur said.
"Was, wait don't tell me"
"Yes, my whole family is dead"
Eustace sighed "Sorry for your loss"
"Don't be, I'm going to avenge them anyway"
"Avenge them, how?"
"By escaping from this place"
"Escaping? Do you have any idea where you are. You are in the camp of the great Khan, the man who had brought down nations. Do you really think you can escape?"
"There is always a way"
"Not this time. This camp is heavily guarded and even if you managed to get out, there is about a kilometer and half before you reach the nearest cover. You will be spotted before you reach it"
"I will escape, then I will kill that Duncan bastard myself"
"You won't be able to, Duncan may not be one of Khan's greatest men but he is the most favored. Killing him would mean facing Khan's wrath"
"For someone who was sold, you sure do know a lot about this place"
"I have my ways"
Eustace tore out a huge chunk of his bread and offered it to Artur. "Here, have it"
"What are you doing, eat your food yourself"
"Come on mate, you need it more than I do. Your body is small and you're wounded, you need to eat as much as you can for fast recovery"
"No I can't take this"
"Stop trying to be polite and take the bread"
"What's the catch?"
"No hidden agenda, I promise" Eustace grinned.
Artur read him, he looked like someone who was just trying to befriend another but as the saying went, you can't judge a book by its cover.
'I'll keep him at arm's length, if he's a friend then we might get close. If he's a foe...' Artur thought. His eyes and aura changed to exactly the way they were when he attacked Duncan, so full of bloodlust '...I won't hesitate to kill him'
"Don't mind if I do" Artur said with a smile to mask his thoughts. He could not believe that he was letting such thoughts slip out. He took the bread from Eustace and greedily ate it.
"You haven't told me your name"
"My name, you want my name?"
"Yes. I mean, what else am I going to call you by?"
"I can't tell you my real name though. I don't want to garner attention so how about this. If we make it out of here, I will tell you my real name"
Eustace agreed quicker than Artur expected. " I have no problem with that. Let's shake on it" He offered a handshake.
Artur took his hand and they shook each other.
"Good. Until we get out of here, call me Victor"
"Victor it is, it is a pleasure you Victor"
"The pleasure is all mine"