While Arek is having the time of his life, Sean is having a very different experience. Learning about the upcoming festival, he knew that it was the ideal time to explore the castle. Let's see what that wolf in sheep's clothing prince is hiding...He thinks to himself as he slips into the empty kitchen. Of all the places in this building, the one that I've never been assigned chores in is the kitchen and that clearly doesn't make sense considering what busy places they are. Regardless, this is a golden opportunity to search while everyone is out. I'd be a fool not to take it.
So he slips through the kitchen, fingering nooks and crannies along the stone walls and wooden cupboards. Finally, after nearly an hour of searching he finds a hole in the side of the massive central fireplace. It's a place that'd be obscured any other day when the fireplace would be roaring. But now it's dark and empty and there's no one to tend to it.
So he stoops and half crawls through the dark, damp hole that starts to slope down at some point. After what feels like ages, he sees a dim light in the distance. He continues to follow it when suddenly he hears a noise. Straining his ears, Sean hears something that sounds almost like a bark, then there's some shuffling, before what sounds like a shout. The noises are varied and meshed together. As Sean approaches closer and closer, they become louder yet it's still difficult to differentiate between the sounds. It almost sounds like there's a zoo at the other end of the tunnel.
Finally, covered in dirt and sticks, Sean steps out into the light....and freezes. Before him, in the dim lighting is what appears to be a...dungeon? It's a dimly lit clearing with metal grates, similar to prison bars, aligning each side. And through the bars one can see glowing eyes, all fixed on him. There's something odd about the eyes, some are overly bright, others are yellow or vibrant green, and some are distorted and animal like. The bodies of the "creatures" are obscured in the darkness yet, at the very least, their figures look hulking and inhuman.
If this is just a prison then it shows that the prince is ruthless with his enemies. However, these people-these creatures, simply don't look human. Is the prince hiding some kind of secret weapon here?
Sean softly pads closer to one of the cages to take a closer look at what's behind them.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sean freezes, hearing a voice from behind him. That familiar deceivingly warm but commanding tone...the prince.
"Sorry for the difficulty. I wasn't sure which entrance you'd take, but in the end I suppose you chose to take the most troublesome one." The prince continues nonchalantly chatting, as if talking about the weather. However, each word makes Sean's fist tighten. He knew what I was doing? He had me monitored? ...He wanted me to find this place.
"Anyway, how do you like them?" The prince says. Sean glances towards the glowing eyes, however he refuses to say a word.
"Awe inspiring aren't they?" The prince asks. At this, Sean finally turns to face the prince and sees him casually standing with a small smile at his lips. Glancing around, Sean can't see anyone else but he's sure that there are more people here than just the prince. However, being unable to see them in the darkness, he returns to looking at the prince while keeping his senses alert. After several moments of a staring contest, the prince speaks again. "Aish, I suppose hoping for you to respond is too much, you remind me of the captain of my guard. Not Gus of course, the other one." Still getting no response, the prince continues.
"Let me tell you a story." Sean narrows his eyes.
"Once upon a time there were two boys. They were born together and grew up together, as close as brothers. They were both talented, and excellent, and each had their own skills." The prince says, the same calm smile on his face. "They were both famed, beloved, and closer than anyone could imagine. They fought together, ate together, played together-no one could fathom how close they were..." The prince looks up, his gaze dreamy and far off. "Then one of them discovered a talent...for magic." Prince Lennox, suddenly looks down his gaze icy cold. "And the other one didn't."
"Sean..." Sean jumps, hearing the prince directly address him. Lennox looks up, his gaze looking straight into Sean's eyes, a fanatic gleam coloring his orbs. "The world is an inherently unequal place. Some are wealthier, others are poorer. Some are of higher status, and others are lower. Some have magic...and others don't...and it's all random!" At this, the prince's pitch increases and suddenly, he bursts into laughter.
"Isn't that funny? It's all just random! People simply gain their lot in life whether they deserve it or not!" Seeing his maniacal appearance, Sean instinctively wants to back away. Seeing this, the prince coughs a few times to clear his throat and calm himself down.
"So," he continues, his voice calmer, "I decided to intervene. I don't know if you've seen the town surrounding the castle? You probably haven't with how busy you've been." The prince answers himself with a chuckle. "The people are happy, because of my policies. I find talent, find those who deserve it but don't have the means, and I give it to them. Some of the city's finest entrepreneurs, started out as nothing but now they're flourishing and increasing the overall wealth in the town and even the whole kingdom. In that same vein, I have no space for those useless nobles who know how to do nothing but squander their own riches."
Sounds like a fairytale. Sean muses. ...But all fairytales have a dark side. "What about yourself?" Sean asks, with a raised brow.
"I...am the arbiter, the manager, the judge."
Ha, so he thinks himself a god. As if sensing his thoughts, the prince continues. "Well someone has to do it don't they? Otherwise everything will fall apart."
"The people can govern themselves-"
"But will that truly work out? Be honest with yourself. They'll squabble and take forever to get things done. Furthermore, the privileged will protect their privilege regardless which will simply increase inequality if anything."
Sean opens and closes his mouth for a second, yet he has no way to disagree. But that still doesn't explain..."What about them?" He asks, pointing to the glowing eyes behind the bars.
"Ah.' At this, the prince's eyes once again alight with that fanatical gleam. "Well, if wealth and power can be given to those who deserve it, what about magic? Magic, more than wealth and power, is one of the most unfairly innate items there is. However..."
"You..." In his heart Sean has a guess, taken from fantasy and sci-fi novels yet he doesn't know enough about this world to verify whether it's possible. Finally, he decides to take a guess. "You're doing human experiments."
The prince frowns. "I wouldn't call it that...but yes. Certain races and certain people have such easy access to magic, why shouldn't others be given the chance?" As if echoing his words, one of the creatures behind the two men makes a strange sound, somewhere between a bark and a moan.
At this, Sean feels his back turn cold. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Ah. Well Sean, you and I are very similar. We're both not simply ordinary people, I noticed it from the moment you arrived."
"So you..."
"Well, I want to bring you to my side." The prince replies with a smile, clapping this hands. A man, clad in all black, appears at the prince's side with a small stool, sheet of paper and quill, and a chalice with some unidentifiable liquid. He sets the stool down, places the paper and quill as well as chalice on top of it, then retreats back into the darkness. "A contract." Lennox replies, by way of explanation. Sean eyes it warily.
"You and I, we are both smart men and we both deserve more. Regardless, I won't say more. I hope you make the smart choice both for you...and that boy."
Sean's eyes narrow at this. "What do you want to do to him?"
"Well...he doesn't seem any good at training but he certainly does have a burning desire to prove so...I was thinking something more creative for him. Lennox says, glancing back at the glowing eyes behind him. At this, Sean's heart turns cold. His heart is still cold ten minutes later after the prince has him escorted back to his room after giving him a deadline of three days to make his choice.
That night, the prince's words repeatedly play in Sean's mind like a tape recorder and after tossing and turning he only has one thought left: I have to get Young Master Arek out.
