Moon found himself drawn to visit Zeb every day although he never spoke to him and only sat there staring at the crazed man mulling over his own thoughts. Somehow it found it to be a very claiming exercise the quiet a welcome relief from the usual battle or talk of war plans.  After a week and a half of this strange routine Moon was surprised when he sat down as was usual and found Zeb stared back.

  This became a sort of game between them for the next couple of weeks. Moon would sit and stare and Zeb would sit and stare back. Each patiently waiting to see if the other would stop first. Moon still hadn’t seen him in another spot of the cell and wondered if he ever moved at all.

  In dismay Moon continued to watch as the man refused to eat and became even skinnier as a result. The only healthy thing about him was when they had their staring contest and Zeb’s eyes would go from wild to razor focused and sane.

  A little over a month after he had first started visiting Zeb, he arrived at the cell the same as any other day to find the man had become so weak from malnourishment that he couldn’t even raise his head.

  With a sad look on her face the cell captain wordlessly handed over the key and left the corridor shaking her head.

          It had become unspoken but common knowledge that all the guards in the dungeon held a certain high regard to this particular prisoner. That fact that even after a year he wouldn’t give more than his name spoke volumes and even his determination to slowly kill himself, although sickening, was admirable for his strength of willpower. As they watched the man slowly dying all the guards mourned for it. It was not a death any of them would have chosen and to see one they admired so much slowly succumb to it greatly distressed them.

 Moon felt an unreasonable amount of anger at the man.  For the first time Moon used the key to open the cell swiftly crossing it to the rank smelling man. Hoisting him upright like a rag doll took little effort and Moon shook him.

  “What kind of a soldier are you if you can’t even bring yourself to maintain the smallest amount of selflessness? How are you supposed to do anyone any good wallowing in self-pity?”

“I’m a soldier with nothing left to fight for and even if I had what good would it do as I’m chained and cannot be free myself.” The man struggled with his raspy unused voice.

  “And do you think she would have been proud at what you’ve let yourself become? Do you?” Zeb remained silent. “That’s what I thought.” Moon dropped the man feeling no remorse for the grunt of pain he uttered. It was about time someone kicked some sense back into him. Striding out the door Zeb left it open and returned the key to the cell captain who seemed surprised at how brief the visit was when Moon usually stayed for an hour or more. The guards that were assigned to the in the cell block quickly hid their card game and scrambled to look busy.

  Moon ignored this completely.

   “Return to Zeb’s cell and unchain him. Leave the door open and the hall unguarded for the duration of the night. In the morning you are to place a small plate with one slice of toast and a glass of water just inside the cell door and no further, you will then relock the door but leave the chains off. Do you understand?”

   “Yes sir.” Although she clearly had questions, she held her tongue and immediately sent guards to carry out the orders to the letter.  Moon made a note of this. She could be very useful to him in the future if he needed something discreetly done.

   “What is your name Captain?”

  “Taris, sir.”

   “Taris, I will not forget this. You have done well.”

 “Thank you, sir.”

    “That goes for the rest of you as well. I enjoy a good silence and dishonest rumors tend to make my trigger finger itchy.” He added turning on his heel to look at the rest of the guards in the room. He proceeded back up the stairs. He had a war meeting to prepare for.

  Moon returned to the dungeons the next day eager to see what he would find. Taris and all the guards were already waiting in the guardroom, and she handed him the key without a word.

   Moon didn’t waste time with questions but proceeded straight to Zeb’s cell. An empty place and glass sat just inside the door Zeb himself was sitting propped up in the middle of the far wall with his legs stretched out leisurely. Moon wondered if he had been aiming for a impressive I’m better than you impression. If so, it was ruined by the fact that he had fallen asleep and was snoring.

    Evidently his plan of mocking him and his feebleness had worked beautifully in motivating the man.

  Now he just needed to keep up the pressure until the Zeb was back in control of his facilities. Taking the key, he slammed it harshly against the bars creating a loud clicking noise that startled Zeb awake.

  “You need to learn some manners boy.” He croaked immediately spotting him.

   “From whom? You? Please can barely speak clearly can’t walk. I bet you just dragged your useless weak self over to eat your meal. A baby could do better.”

   “Well at least I’m making an effort.” He growled.

   “Is that what you call that?” Moon turned and left the corridor before Zeb could reply.

  “Hey!” Came in a raspy shout behind him.

The next day Taris informed him that he had been humming to warm up his vocal cords for most of the day and he had crawled to his morning meal.

  For the next couple of weeks this became the new routine. Moon would purposely belittle him for not being able to do normal everyday things and get him so riled up that Zeb ended up spending most of his days engaged in various exercises so as to not be beaten by a child.

    One day when Zeb came for his usual visit, he found Zeb standing in the middle of his cell with a smile on his face.

  “Well, it’s about time you got here you little brat and look you can save your energy because I’m not being your little monkey anymore. I’ve come a long way in a short period of time and that’s thanks to you. I appreciate it. You were right. Eval would have abhorred the man I had become, and I’d like to get back to being the one who she loved. Not to mention I do have someone out there to keep going for.”

  “Your voice has improved greatly certainly. But you’re still a bit of an old man and you stink too.” Moon took a couple of steps backward fanning the air in front of him as if fending it off.

  “Gee thanks. Has anyone ever told you that you have terrible people skills.” Zeb grumbled.

  “Yes actually.” Moon smiled thinking back to when Yorick had used those exact words.

  “Well do yourself a favor and take a hint and consider improving them. Being nice to people can be very rewarding you know.”

   “Did you completely lose it? We’re in the middle of a war. People skills aren’t required.” Moon rolled his eyes.

  “You’re always in the middle of a war and why not? Last I checked there an abundance of people in wars which makes it a great environment for practice. Besides if you offend the wrong person, you have a fifty-fifty change that they’ll be killed in battle soon enough.” He argued back.

   “And you claim I have bad social skills?” Moon raised an eyebrow.

  “What? It’s true. Now how about you get them to send me a bucket of water and a bar of soap so I can rid myself of this foul smell?”

          Their banter slowly turned into friendship over several months. One day Moon arrived with an old man following behind.

  “This is Castor Zeke. I brought him here to cast a spell on you if you’re agreeable. Emperor Valos has consented to this being sufficient means to ensure you don’t run away. Zeke will essentially cast a spell that leaves you imprisoned in the city unless you have express permission to leave the boundaries by the emperor.

  “What do you think?”

  “It’s a great idea. I would be able to explore this city you always talk about and explore your libraries too. I haven’t been to a library in years!” Zeb thought if all the things he could do, including hunting for knowledge on how to get back through the portal to Nari.