The guard was stopped by a knight in black armor.

“What do you want?” He asked simply.

“Sir Lot, this is the last prince of Deremoth.” The guard pointed at me and I felt that my heart started to rush. The knight looked at me and then went in the direction of the table, he whispered something with one of the men there.

“Kill him.” Short loud response. Just like that my fate has been decided, he didn't even look at me. I wasn’t even given a chance to do anything. I wished he could at least spit in that man’s face, but no. I was disposable. That’s it. Somehow it made me calmer. Deep down I knew it would end like that. Now I had nothing to lose. In my head I only asked my ancestors for courage.

“ Prince of Moreta.” My voice was loud and clear. The prince I called raised his head and looked at me. His black gaze seemed like an endless abyss.

“What, are you going to beg for your life?” He looked at me with disdain which fueled my courage.

“No your grace. However the people of Deremoth fought bravely for their country, they don’t deserve to die of hunger and thirst. As a warrior yourself, you should recognize their commitment and show them respect. They don’t deserve to be humiliated. They did nothing wrong, they only defended their country.” Those words suddenly came to my head and made their way through my throat. I was standing there with tied hands, dirty clothes and a tired face, yet the strength in me made me feel invincible, well only for a moment.

“Is that all you have to say?” After a short pause ,which the Prince used to look carefully at me, he  asked.

“Yes, your grace.” It was true, I felt worn out and had almost no strength left. The only thing that kept me upright was my pride, or what was left of it and adrenaline rushing through my veins.

“Lot, I changed my mind. Take that little boy to the room. I might have a use for him.”

That was a surprise and my feelings must have been clearly visible on my face.

“Come here, so you will be able to keep your life for a bit longer, hmm? “ The knight named Lot pushed me and now I was marching along the corridors of my own home. I knew the prison was in a different direction.

This was, no it still is my home but it felt so unfamiliar. All those strangers, walls stripped of decorations and the smell. The smell of unwashed bodies, blood and something else. I could still feel the smell of those burned corpses. To my surprise I was taken to my own room.

“Try to escape and you are dead.” The knight informed me before closing the door. I was left in my room, alone. As soon as the door lock clicked I almost ran to the connected bathroom. The water was still there. I would use it to wash my hands or face but now I was drinking it like crazy. Some of this water even spilled on my chin and throat but I didn’t care. It felt so good to be able to quench my thirst after such a long time. In the bathtub there was also some water left from the last time I was taking a bath. The servants didn't manage to clean it as the fight broke out. Now, I was grateful for it. The water was cold but it washed the dirt out of my body. I changed my clothes and felt much better. There were no secret rooms or corridors connecting my room with others. It was on the first floor, with no balcony. The only way out was the locked door. I sat on my bed, next to it were some cookies left from the time I was still the second prince of the Dermoth. I ate them until the very last crumble. I almost laughed at that point. Only yesterday I left those snacks because I was fed up with them, now I couldn’t get enough. How can someone's faith change within one day? At some point I fell asleep. 

I was woken up by somebody pulling my arm and shouting at me. I opened my eyes ready to scold anybody who dared to raise their voice on the second prince but I was met with a pair of angry steel blue eyes. It was that knight, Lot.

“Get up, now.” 

I stood up and made my way out of the room. I was wondering where they were taking me this time. To my surprise I was led to a group of young men and women. They were all standing behind a long column of wagons. I could see familiar belongings placed on them. 

Barbarians and thieves, that’s all that I could think of. 

“Move!” Another command and the whole caravan started to move. I immediately recovered from the first shock. The whole group was supposed to follow the wagons but where?

 I looked around at the other people surrounding me. There were mostly boys of my age as they still had the long braid, which in our tradition was cut at when you turn seventeen.  The women were all young, but they weren’t of noble origin. Well, not all of them. I noticed Adrian. She was the only daughter of sir Beril, the general of our army and my cousin. 

“Adrien.” I called her.

“Prince Kian? You are still alive, thank good.” She whispered, looking around anxiously.  

“Do you know where they are taking us?” I asked her.

“No, my prince, but I’m scared.” She looked at me with watery eyes. I grabbed her hand and forced a smile on my face. Don’t worry, I wanted to tell her but it would have been a lie. 

“Move slaves!” The guard shouted as the caravan left the broken city gates. 

Slaves? Did he just call us slaves? The lump in my throat returned. I was still holding Adrien’s hand. It felt dump but it was something solid and warm. In this unreal crazy situation that kept me sane.