The Raven

Thirty-Two

"I cannot be certain, but I believe I saw the queen over there just now," Earl informs the newlyweds once they have stopped kissing.

With a sigh, Prince Henry says to his beautiful raven, "I suppose we should get you to the tower for now, then. At least you have always been safe up there before."

Caleb nods in agreement, reluctantly so, not wishing to leave Henry's side, especially now that they have been joined together by the bonds of marriage; he understands that the queen will likely start a rampage if she really has witnessed the union. He knows, though, that if he does not return to his room, they will have two angry mothers to deal with. Anyone who has a mother knows that being on the receiving end of her wrath is undoubtedly not something one would want to experience.

The boys part ways at the castle entrance, Henry in pursuit of his mother to make sure that she does not cause any further damage now that he has wed his beloved; it would be just like her to stir the waters and wreak havoc among the otherwise peacefulness. He cannot even begin to imagine what she could be plotting at this precise moment, knowing that her son deliberately disobeyed her without even a slight hesitation.

Upon returning to the tower, Caleb is unexpectedly met with several castle guards huddled together in his small room. "By order of Her Majesty, you are under arrest for treason. You shall be imprisoned in the castle dungeon and await your sentencing," one of the men declares, his gaze fixed firmly on the wide-eyed boy. "If you try to escape, we have been directed by the queen to punish Prince Henry in your place."

How easy it would be to simply turn into one of his magical forms and get out of the tower; Caleb could effortlessly evade the guards by shifting into a shadow and hiding among the other darkened figures clinging to the walls. But that is not an option, given the circumstances. No, he has to protect Henry in any way he can, even if it means surrendering himself to the angry guards and leaving himself at the mercy of his furious mother-in-law. Nodding once at the guard in understanding, the raven does not move as the men apprehend him, dragging him down to the dungeon as ordered by Her Majesty. Upon arriving in the cells, the boy is roughly tossed into his detainment unit, the door tightly secured behind him.

"Caleb?" a voice asks, startling him from his thoughts. Not many people call him by that name, and it certainly was not Henry's voice. "Have they hurt you? Are you alright?"

Peering into the cell beside him, the raven's eyes widen as they land on Earl; the loyal servant must have been arrested for his involvement in the wedding. "Earl!" he exclaims in surprised worry, tears gathering in his eyes as he realizes it is entirely his fault that the elderly man has been imprisoned. "What are you doing down here? Are you okay?"

"I am fine, my boy," Earl assures, his tone comforting and reassuring in an attempt to soothe the obviously upset new prince. "I am just fine. What about you?"

Caleb nods slowly, his eyelashes fluttering rapidly to prevent the wateriness held within his eyes from escaping down his cheeks. "I am alright," he murmurs, his voice unable to gain any more volume as he tries desperately to contain his emotions. "Why are you locked in here?"

A short silence follows the raven's words as Earl contemplates how best to break the news to him. He understands that Prince Caleb likely realizes the truth behind the situation, deciding to simply rip off the bandage. "Accomplice to treason," the older gentleman replies quietly.

"Oh, Earl," Caleb whispers, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the impending torrent of tears about to flood his face for his newfound friend. "I am so sorry we got you into this mess. It is my fault you are stuck in here."

"Now, now, none of that," Earl consoles the evidently upset young man. "It was my own doing, Your Highness. I knew the risks when I decided to go against the queen's wishes and did it regardless. I would do it again, too." He smiles brightly at Caleb, displaying no remorse or sorrow for his actions, a genuine sincerity held within his expression that elicits a small smile from the boy in return. "I am glad you boys are okay."

Henry. Is he really alright? Did his evil mother do something to harm him, even after Caleb willingly obliged his own imprisonment in order to save him? As the raven's mind begins spinning through all the possible ways the queen could hurt her son, he determines he must try to reach him telepathically. Suddenly, Caleb feels saddened and guilty that he had not thought of it before; he can at least make sure Henry is well and inform him of his current whereabouts. Closing his eyes, the raven focuses on his prince, trying to reach out to him in his mind. After trying for several minutes, Caleb realizes there must be a spell on the dungeon preventing him from using his magic.

Just as the ruby-eyed boy is about to give up, his mother appears in front of him. She places her hand on the bars separating their bodies, a small smirk tipping the corners of her lips upward. 

"Well, you have certainly landed yourself in quite the predicament, have you not?" she asks.

Caleb swallows thickly, a new wave of fear crashing into him at his mother's sudden appearance. "Yes, Mother," he replies quietly.

"You can tell me all about it later," the witch says, lifting her hands from the bars and holding her palms upward. "First, let us get you out of here." The raven's mother mumbles some words, and the spell is instantly lifted--she must have been the one to cast it in the first place, Caleb assumes. The door to his cell pops open with a loud creak, and his mother steps aside, waiting for him to make his exit.

"What about Earl?" Caleb asks his mother, a pleading tone overtaking his voice. "Can you please free him, too?"

The witch nods once before shrugging her shoulders and responds, "I could, but I do not believe this is the right time for that. The queen will become suspicious if he is seen in the castle."

"I cannot just leave him here," Caleb says sternly, a newfound conviction held within his words.

"We have got work to do, Raven," his mother says. "The servant will be safe here for now. However, we must hurry; we are running out of time to save Prince Henry. We must make haste."

"Go on, my boy," Earl encourages, smiling warmly at the young man. "I will be okay for now."

After another moment of hesitation, Caleb nods at the man, then follows his mother out of the dungeon.