Big Bad Wolf
(Chapter name Big Bad Wolf by Roses and Revolutions.)
Winry walked through the cold hallways of the dungeon. She found herself wandering down here a lot more than the other royal family. Perhaps because it seemed more real than all the fancy furniture and extravagant people upstairs. Down here, the reality of life shined brighter than the facade her own people put on. Guards stood watch as their eyes silently followed her. She knew they wanted to stop her, say anything to get her to go back up where she belonged, but as a princess, they held no power over her. Their job was to simply stand back and make sure no harm came to her.
A brown messenger bag clanged against her thigh as she walked straight towards the large double doors. A prisoner had been brought in months ago, but she had only just heard about him yesterday and she was determined to visit them and make sure they were being treated right. She knew that was doubtful. They had branded the man as a mage, a magic user, which was the worst crime in her family’s kingdom. Just being in the dungeons, Winry could hear the cries of the other prisoners, smell how they took away the basic need of bathing from them, and witness their pained expressions. It was all too cruel for her and if she could somehow bring any ounce of kindness to them, she would do whatever was needed from her. Strangely, though, all was quiet behind the doors.
Giant locks were placed on the doorknobs, and she inwardly cursed. She would have to actually ask the guards to help her in, and they undoubtedly would question her motives. Even though she could command them, she knew her orders would get back to her family and even more interrogations would occur. She was hoping her little adventure would go unnoticed, but now that was looking more and more unlikely. No, now she would just have to be upfront and deal with the consequences later.
“I need to get through.” Winry’s voice shook a bit. She was the one family member that never did really well with orders.
“Sorry princess, we are under strict orders that we’re not allowed to open the doors for anyone.” The guard cast his eyes down to the ground as he technically disobeyed her, yet his voice held more strength than her own.
“From who?” No doubt it was her father’s. He hated her outings down here, but knew his daughter was not one to stop just because her choices displeased him. This was a battle he didn’t want to fight and usually ended up just pretended to not notice whenever she was gone.
“Your father.” The guard unknowingly confirmed her suspicions. Winry fought the childish urge to cross her arms and pout; he was always making things harder for her.
“Well, now, I’m saying that I can go through. I’m sure he meant non-royalty can’t pass.” It was dirty, she knew that, but if she wanted to see who was beyond those doors, she would have to use her privilege.
“Princess-”
“Let me through, that’s an order.” She wanted to flinch at the harshness of her voice and how similar she sounded to her family; but at the moment, it was needed. “You know I mean no harm.” Her voice softened as she silently pleaded for him to concede.
The guard sighed heavily and grabbed the keys hanging from his belt loop as he silently gave up. Winry smiled thankfully at him, hoping the apology was clear in her eyes. She knew what position she had just put him; it was a lose/lose situation. “Thank you. I promise, no harm will come to your choices.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about Princess.” His eyes told a different story, and the way his fingers fidgeted with the keys betrayed his words. “That man in there, he’s one of the more dangerous ones.”
“I’ll be fine. He’s the one locked up and behind bars.”
“You don’t know about magic. How dangerous it can be and the type of destruction it’s cause.”
Winry had to stifle down the anger that bubbled up inside her. As much as she loved her people, they were so ignorant of those different from them. This guard, out of everyone, should see who were the real ones causing harm. “What’s his crime? Besides having magic?” Besides being different? She added silently; she didn’t come here for a debate and her curiosity was greater than her desire to talk in circles.
“Murder.” His words made her world stop and her breathing hitch. Suddenly, those locks and chains made more sense. The doors loomed in front of her, making her feel smaller than she was, and for the first time that day she debated her choice in going in. “He killed a family with his precious magic.” The guard spat that last word out as though it was poison.
“Are… Are they sure it was him?” It was a pathetic question, and Winry didn’t blame the sharp look the guard gave her in reply.
“He was the only one alive in a group of dead people. The only one with the power to do exactly what happened to them.”
“What happened?”
“I’m not going to repeat it to you princess, it’s not right for a lady to hear such things. Just know that this man isn’t one of your people to care for.” Without directly doing so, he was mocking her. Even in the dimly lit hallway, she could read the judgement in his eyes and the way he was trying to fight back a sneer. Right now, if she wanted to, she could probably throw him in one of these very cells and see how he liked his own treatment. Hell, she would walk right by him with fresh water and dried fruits as punishment, since he seemed to think her ‘caring’ was a joke. She liked to think she was nicer than that. Even the most cruel deserved some love.
Winry turned her eyes back to the doors that seemed more threatening than before. They held a dangerous man, one who had killed without a second thought, one who could end her life if she wasn’t careful. It was her turn to fidget nervously with the cloth of her sleeve, and for a second she wondered if it was worth it. “You don’t have to go in, princess. He doesn’t deserve any kindness.” That was exactly what she needed to hear to make up her mind.
“I’m going in.” Without looking back or even at the guard, she breezed past him, placed her hand on the cold doorknob, and walked through before she could change her mind.
***
As soon as the door closed behind her, the room became pitch black. Her heart raced as her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. Goosebumps ran up and down her body as she stood on high alert. She ran her hands along the damp concrete walls as she tried to find a torch to light. Damn that guard. He knew how dark it would be and still let the door close. She knew it was his way of getting back at her; all pity for putting him in a hard place disappeared as she continued to struggle.
As soon as her fingers brushed up against wood, the sound of chains dragging against hard cement made her freeze in place. She stood still, as if not moving would make it harder for the prisoner to see her in the thick darkness. “There’s no way he can see me.” She whispered to herself.
“Oh, but he can hear you.” His voice was thick and sounded thunderous in the otherwise quiet room. Winry panicked. How close was he? She couldn’t tell, and her fingers shook as she grabbed the torch before fumbling inside her bag for matches. Every sound she made seemed to echo throughout the walls and lead him closer to her. He murdered people. He knows how to kill. He won’t hesitate. The guard’s words repeated in her head, only interrupted by a loud rumble. Her movements stopped as she focused on the sound. It took a moment, but she realized the prisoner was laughing at her. “I can already tell you wouldn’t survive out in the wild, Little One.”
He sounded even closer now, but not enough that she could sense him in any other way besides his voice. Where his words would discourage others, it only encouraged her to prove him wrong. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the items in her bag rather than the fear surrounding her. Water… food… a book… matches! The items clang together and the prisoner was oddly quiet, as if he was watching her next move while planning his own. He couldn’t be. He can’t possibly know what I’m doing with how dark it is… Then again, you don’t truly know what he’s capable of… That last thought sent a fresh wave of terror throughout her causing her hands to shake even more as she attempted to light the torch.
Winry immediately let out a sigh of relief as the flame took over the torch and cast its light against the prison walls. Finally, she could see again. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the new light, she looked for the prisoner and close he truly was, not forgetting the panic he had just put her through. The room was small enough that it didn’t take long, but as soon as she saw him, all anger towards his actions melted into pity. The first thing she noticed were the chains cuffed to both his ankles and wrists, the skin burning red against them. He had a hand raised to shield his eyes from the light, and she wondered how long it had been since he had been out of the shadows. He was dirty too, his long dark hair matted against his pale skin that was marred by obvious whip marks and cuts from torture she didn’t even want to consider.
She sighed at his state; it was obvious he was treated worse than the others. Winry turned slightly to place the torch back in its holder, making sure to stay on her side of the prison as she did. Even though he was chained and there were a few feet between them, she didn’t trust the situation enough to completely turn her back on him. “I brought you some things.” The words came tumbling out before she could stop them, her nerves taking full control.
The man lowered his hand to peer at her with curious eyes; she noticed they were a deep brown and seemed chillingly empty. “What could you have possibly brought me?”
Winry ignored his rudeness and dug in her bag to pull everything but the book out. “Some fresh water and food.” She looked at him, expecting to see his face light up like all the others, but his expression stayed flat and unamused. If anything, he seemed bored with the items she was sure had been withheld from him since his sentence. Maybe he didn’t trust her. “You can trust me.” She assured him.
“How do I know this?” He looked at her as though she was a dumb child who knew nothing of what she spoke of. The anger from before rose. She had gone through all this trouble. The least he could do was pretend to be thankful.
“I’m not some guard who thinks it would be funny to feed their prisoner poisoned food.”
The man raised an eyebrow at her, tilted his head, and smirked. Well, at least he finally looked amused, but not in the way she wanted. “Oh? Then who are you Mrs…?”
Before she could stop herself and even think if what she was about to answer was safe, she found her name falling from her lips. “Winry.”
The man’s eyes widened and a storm of anger took the place of what once was only numb. He attempted to run towards her, but the chains pulled to their limit within a few steps and he stumbled from their tension. Winry felt herself shrink against the wall, her back pressing into the dampness as she put as much space between them as possible. “Princess?” He spit the word out and she remembered the guard doing the same with the word ‘magic.’ “Princess Winry?”
Winry swallowed, her mouth suddenly too dry to speak, so she only nodded in answer.
For a second she thought he was going to break his chains, instead the storm inside him suddenly died down as quickly as it started. She wasn’t sure if that scared her more or less than when it began. His eyes became distant as if he had disappeared into a world only he could see. Winry took this time to glance at the double doors that led to safety. All she would have to do was scream and the guards would rush in. The man noticed this and brought her attention back to him with a scoff while taking a few steps back as if that would comfort her. “You can trust me.” For the second time that day, she was being mocked with her own words and she was not amused.
“Oh? Then who are you?”
The man seemed to be taken aback by his own strategy, but regained his composure faster than she did. “Kailen.” He said simply. “And tell me, what brings royalty to my oh-so spectacular abode?” He moved his arms outward, as far as the chains would allow, as if showing off his prison cell.
“I-I thought you would like some water and food?”
Kailen rolled his eyes and walked back to his corner, where he leaned up against the wall, the bored expression returning. “Sure it isn’t pity?” His voice took on a dull tone. “Or… Something else?” He peered closer at her, and she wished desperately she could melt into the wall away from his piercing gaze. “Huh… So, you don’t know?”
“Know?” The confusion only mixed in with her regret at visiting him.
“No, you royalty don’t know as much as you think you do. The only true things you know are war and discrimination. But…” His eyes met hers and it was at that moment she knew she was no longer welcomed. “That is all about to change.” The adrenaline from her fear gave her the kick she needed to move. Grabbing her bag, she unceremoniously kicked the fresh water, food and book towards Kailen; grabbed hold of the torch and took the few steps needed towards the double doors. As they closed for the second time that day, his strange words hammered home the ill choice she made to even visit him in the first place. “Just so you know princess: Royal hearts are meant to break, because everybody has a big debt to pay.”
