Thick quilts, furs, and bedsheets made from soft cotton embraced his entire body—Yu felt like he was floating on a cloud. It was a comfort that was so simple yet felt like a distant memory compared to what he had been through these past days. Consciousness floated in and out between half closed eye lids as his glassy blue eyes adjusted to the dim candle light that lit the room. Somehow, the sight of something as primitive and out of place as candles amused his half-conscious mind. It was one of the last things he expected to see when waking up after a long nightmare after all. He felt surprisingly comfortable as he tried to ignore the fleeting nightmare he had just had. Angiel trying to have him killed, being sent to the realm of Vhysps, and then ending up in some strange land on the brink of death. It was a ridiculous and outlandish idea, though the first part maybe not so much. Yu knew that his mother liked to collect odd trinkets from other lands such as candles, saying that their warm glow made her feel happier than the stark-white light the visiting Vhysps provided them. Though it was surprising that he could not spot at least one nor could he hear any of their voices. In fact, it was quiet. Too quiet for the comfort of someone who had just woken up from a nightmare.

As his eyes fully opened, a sudden wave of nausea and panic hit him all at once. He was in a room made from grey stone with a closed ceiling and wooden floors. There was not a room like this in the entire Empire as the empire was paved with the white stone and marble that was naturally found in their lands. Yu soon found himself retching over the side of the bed as he gasped for air and clung onto the edge with his aching stomach muscles. His hands were still bound and he soon noticed there was a metal shackle on his ankle too. His entire being ached from the end of his long hair that now hung in a loose mess around his back and shoulders all the way down to his cold, dirtied, bare feet. Trying to calm down, he slowly rolled himself onto his back to stare at the top of the canopied bed.

He was a prisoner in some unknown place. Yu had never left the walls of the Imperial City, let alone the empire before. The only things he knew about the neighboring lands and kingdoms were nothing that would bring him any comfort. Everything outside the Empire was barbarian land, men and women who fight their friends and foes to the death for sport. They were a race of monstrous people whom enjoyed preying on the weak.

Yu could hear a click in the door to his room and immediately shut his eyes again, but his nervous breathing would not slow again. Multiple sets of heavy boots belonging to maybe three or four people clattered against the floor as they entered the room. He squeezed his eyes shut in some desperate attempt to appear asleep, but his breathing gave him away in an instant. A heavy hand struck him across the face with such force that it twisted his neck to the other side. Involuntary tears streamed down his pale skin, soaking into the bedding, as he opened his eyes. He met face to face with a young man who looked strikingly familiar. His long, blonde hair was tied over his shoulder, complementing his pale, pleasingly shaped face and framed it nicely. The young man’s eyes were wide but narrowed with an inquisitive look on his face. He was kneeling on the floor so that they were at eye level with each other, but judging from the way he was sitting, the man did not strike Yu as very tall. He stared into the familiar face, his eyes still clearing,

“Angiel?” His voice wavered with uncertainty.

Large hands suddenly clasped on to the the scruff of his collar and pulled him back, knocking the wind from him in the process.

He choked for air as he squirmed in the grasp of the mysterious person behind him. The young man slowly got to his feet, talking the man who held onto him in a language he did not understand. A low, gruff voice in the same crude sounding language replied, tightening his grasp on the boy, forcing him to sit up in a way that made his legs quickly go numb.

With a better view, Yu realized he had made a mistake. The young man did not have his brother’s cold, scarlet eyes. They were a wide, stone blue gaze that were filled with light and pride. He was dressed in an ornate black tunic that looked to be of a fine cloth that one would not expect those of the outlying barbarian lands to wear. Yu looked upon the faces of his captors. The man who held onto him was the oldest, dressed in some sort of uniform, perhaps military. He was probably the largest man Yu had ever seen in his entire life. There was another well built man who was not as large, just broad shouldered and well built. But Yu could tell that he still looked young. There was also a woman in the room, whom he recognized immediately by her beautiful red hair. They were both wearing the same, blood-red military uniform that the man behind him wore, however judging by the difference of detail between all three of their clothing, he assumed them to be of all different ranks.

Yu opened his mouth to speak again but one of the large hands holding him barred his mouth shut almost immediately.

“Can you understand me, boy?” the man holding him spoke, his voice rumbling deep in his chest. His Soraeaian was coated in a thick, foreign accent that he did not recognize. The only thing Yu could do was nod his head slowly. He choked back his own breath, too frightened to even breathe properly, “What was Angiel? Are you casting your Aeastalth sins on us?” He felt the hold on him grow increasingly tighter as the man spoke.

He stared at the larger man in confusion, shaking his head quickly in a strong no. He did not completely understand what the man meant, but his answer seemed to please him as his grip loosened. The young man said something to his companion and they exchanged furious words. As they argued about something, Yu concentrated his energy on the spell of tongues. Suddenly, the man holding him turned his head around to face him, “The prince says that I am frightening you and should let you speak.”

The man, clearly begrudgingly, took his hand away from his mouth, but still held onto him with a firm grip. Yu concentrated on the spell of tongues that was engraved into his mind. It would not cause him to learn their language, however, it would allow him to speak his own language which would sound to them as though he was speaking theirs, and vice-versa.

“A-Angiel is a name. This boy looks a lot like my brother.” His voice was timid and soft, somehow his answer did not satisfy them for he was hit across the face again. The young man did not jump to his rescue this time, and instead stifled a laugh.

“Stupid child, that boy is the Prince of this country, and heir to the throne!”

The man threw him face first into the bed sheets and Yu lifted his head to look at him again. The Prince kneeled down to look Yu straight in the eyes, their blue eyes met with a strange connection that could not be broken. Yu studied him closely and it almost frightened him how similar he appeared to his brother. There were obvious differences now that they were face to face.

“How old are you?” Was the first thing he asked, which surprised Yu since he expected his questions to be a little more strict. This was still an interrogation, anyone with sense could see that.

“Seventeen summers. I will be eighteen come Spring.” He answered as honestly as he could, unsure how the people of this land kept track of their age.

The Prince laughed as he propped his elbow on the bed and leaned his head on his palm with a crooked grin.

“You are older than expected, but younger than me, I am afraid.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty.” His eyes lit up with a childish grin on his face.

“As are you.” Yu found it odd that he was conversing with this prince so casually. The Prince continued to stare at him with wide, curious eyes, causing Yu to involuntarily shrink back a bit, “What are you staring at?”

The young man shrugged, giving him a knowing look.

“You could not comprehend our language before and I did not see you mutter any sort of incantations or prayers, yet you are clearly using magic now to communicate with us.” The mysterious prince stated rather bluntly.

Yu tensed as he felt the looming gaze of the larger man still behind him. He cowered away, expecting to be hit again, “Now, Geredyn, this does make our interrogation a bit easier, does it not?” Turning his attention back to Yu, the prince continued with his questions, “What should we call you then?”

“Yu. My full name is Yu í Xenon vàr Saphir. I am the second prince of an Empire known as Sorae, and the chosen vessel of the Vhyspian gods that oversee our lands. But you already seem to know where I am from, and some bits of our culture. Which of the barbarian kingdoms is this? What are your demands? Ransom? Land?”

His voice had become calm, almost regal. Yu always spoke his full name with pride even though he hardly ever felt anything from his titles. The prince’s gaze immediately shot over to the man and woman who were standing at attention. They must have had some silent understanding for they immediately left the room before the Prince continued. Standing up to full height, the young man bowed to his prisoner with somewhat half-hearted respect.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Yu í Xenon vàr Saphir. My name is Zephèl í Malthius vàr Balthir, first prince of Balthae and heir to the throne. The man behind you is called Geredyn í Vollutais vàr Maeidyn and he is my father, the king’s, head military advisory, current regent king, and resident expert on the Aeastalth in your kingdom.” Zephèl’s voice was very matter of fact as he motioned for Geredyn to untie his hands which had gone numb too long ago for him to remember.

As the blood rushed back into his fingers, Yu felt a searing pain which caused him to double over and nearly black out. He buried his face into the pillows that rest on the bed as choked back more involuntary tears from his eyes that came with the pain. Zephèl continued to speak as Yu cried into the pillows, “We do not seek much of anything at the moment. However, we would like to know what has brought you to our humble borders, your highness.”

The young man sat down on the side of the bed and gently stroked his hair as though they were family or long friends. At some point, the tears of pain had turned to tears of sorrow, confusion, and heartache, and Yu figured that his interrogator must have somehow recognized this, for he had lost all sense of his role as frightening inquisitor. Yu continued to weep and unconsciously grasped on to soft, cotton sleeve of the princes tunic. His grip was tight enough to cut himself on the gold beaded ornamentation and his hand was visibly shaking. They remained like this, in silence for awhile, with the older prince stroking his hair and the younger prince crying into the arms of his captor as well as savior.