A Familiar Void

Chapter 21

A young man awoke from his slumber. A pair of blue eyes stared up at the grey ceiling of the room he was sleeping in, and slowly the owner sat up. The view changed from the ceiling to the grey walls of the room, the young man simply stared forward for a period of time.

After that quiet moment he got up from the bed he was sleeping in and went through his morning ritual.

The young man then found himself standing in front of a small mirror. Blonde hair that was once lustrous was matted with dirt and stringy from the months of rough treatment. Heavy bags hung under his eyes, with dark circles only serving to make him look more tired.

Then for a moment the young man allowed himself to look as miserable as he could. His face nearly melted as he let out a deep and tired sigh. His mouth hung open and his shoulders slumped forward.

For just a moment, the young man looked like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

Then as fast as it appeared, it vanished. A steely look replaced the miserable one that was on his face just before, and he straightened his shoulders. He then walked out of the room.

Standing guard by the door was a man covered head to toe in armour. He turned his head towards him as the young man left the room and nodded "Good morning, your highness."

Prince Wales of Albion returned his nod "Good morning Nelson."

The two of walked, the castle halls were quiet as they usually were. And soon the two found their way to the main hall.

Other armoured men were walking about, as were some of the maids. In the middle was a long table where maps and letters and plans were strewn about.

Sitting at the throne was the king, watching over the group with a narrowed gaze.

Wales couldn't help but turn to the king, his eyes then turn to the black metal torch that stood tall beside the throne. Even in the morning light, an ever so slight red glow could be seen.

The prince turned away and looked around. A scowl found its way on his face. He turned to the armoured man beside him "The search party didn't return did they?" He asked.

"No your highness," the man replied with a shake of his head.

"Damn it," he muttered, he walked towards the table with Nelson following him. He paused and looked around "Did they send a ransom letter or anything of the sort?"

One of them grimaced and shook his head. He reached for one of the rolled up scrolls and handed it towards the prince.

Wales unfurled it. His eyes looked it over and he resisted the urge to crumple it in his hands. "Bastards," he growled and tossed it back onto the table.

He turned away from the letter, and looked at the men talking around a map.

As if sensing his gaze being sent their way, both of them shook their heads.

"If you're going to ask if we have any kind of good news, then you're going to be disappointed your highness." One of them told him preemptively. He looked up from the map and his mouth pulled into a straight line "We're losing ground as you'd expect."

"And that's not all," the other one added as he leaned back into his chair "Because unless I'm reading this wrong, we might've gotten our supply line cut off."