Another YouTube Fairytale: Nate's Life In The Prisons; Book 2

Chapter 3 - The Banished

Nate and Cristina rose higher and higher through the dungeons, eventually coming across the levels with their own torches, so they were able to put theirs out. They snuck around corners, bumped into a couple pillars, but they still held tight to each other's hands. 

Suddenly, above them, they saw a large, glowing light. Nate and Cristina squeezed together in a dark corner to hide themselves. They heard the sounds of clanking metal as they looked up through the cracks in the stone roof. The floor just above them held the entrance to the main castle. 

They could hear the sound of chains, too. A new prisoner was being put in the dungeons. They heard voices above them, so they listened in. 

There were at least two guards, by their estimate, a prisoner, and one other person.

One of the guards spoke first. "Congrats, Joey. You get to escort your first prisoner." 

"Seriously? He's barely older than me. How old are you?" The boy, Joey, had an almost... sassy touch to it. Cristina and Nate had heard of him. THIS was the new jailor? This... sass-master of a kid? They held back a giggle together. 

The prisoner said quietly, "12." Nate and Cristina suddenly stopped their giggles and gave each other a surprised look. Nate glanced up and mouthed one word, "him?" Cristina mouthed the word, "wait," before they listened in again.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover." Said one of the guards. "You want to tell the jailor what you did to get here, boy?" Chains rattled again, suggesting that they gave him a light shove. The prisoner didn't say anything. The guard answered for him. "He killed his employer, that's what. Murdered him in cold blood."

Nate and Cristina shared a shocked look. 

"Yeah, thought you'd think differently then." The guard said. "Anyway, escort this boy to a cell." The chains rattled again and the armor clanked - pushing him towards Joey, who took the chains in his own hand. 

"What's the name?" Asked Joey. 

"Sanders." 

"Got it. Sorry buddy, but no one is in the S section. Yeah, we alphabetize prisoners. I think it's convenient, but weird, so..." Joey's voice got farther away, as he went on and on, eventually fading out entirely. 

"So, not him then." Nate said quietly. 

"I know that they're all prisoners... but I didn't quite consider..." 

"Their crimes?" 

She looked away, slightly disappointed. "Then who else can we find here?" 

Suddenly, as if on cue, a voice came from the darkness. "Help, please." Nate and Cristina turned around, and almost instinctively grabbed her shoulders, protectively. Cristina obviously didn't need protecting, but she allowed it. A man emerged from the darkness. He was a little short, with black hair and an unshaven face. Even when begging for help, his voice was deep and strong. 

"Who are you?" Cristina asked. "A prisoner?" 

"No, I'm not." He had his hands extended in front of him in a calming gesture, as if taming a wild horse. "Please listen to me. My name is Dark. I'm a Hope." 

"Hope?" Nate asked. "What is that?"

The man, Dark, lowered his hands, looking slightly calmer. "You're not prisoners either, are you?" 

"We're Diggers." Nate said. 

"I didn't know that the Diggers were real." Dark said. "I've heard of you. That secretive group that lives in the dungeons, saving prisoners with good hearts."

"You know of us?" 

"Of course. Your secrets are hidden well, but when you're trapped in a place as dark as this, word of light travels far." He seemed to look upset. "I'm not sounding like myself. I'm sorry. A friend of mine... she was poisoned recently."

Instantly, Nate and Cristina's hearts softened towards him. "I'm so sorry. Is she okay?" Asked Cristina. 

"Not for long. She might be able to survive for a couple more years, but it will be in great pain. The worst part is, she's pregnant. There is no way she'll survive the birth." 

"Her child will be an orphan?" Nate asked. Dark nodded solemnly, then explained.

"I come from a clan like yours. We call ourselves the Hopes. We live on the surface, but we are no different from you, except for one thing." He chuckled, trying to hide his apparent sadness. "We're all cowards."

Nate and Cristina chuckled, now very much more at ease with this man. "So how did you get down here?" Cristina asked. 

"I was banished. Someone, I don't know who, framed me for poisoning my friend. So I was banished to the dungeons, by my own brother, no less." 

"That's terrible." Nate said. 

"My goal was to find my way to the surface again, create a new home with... anyone who would be kind enough to assist me in getting back on my feet."

Nate gave Cristina a quick glance. She smiled and nodded in approval. "Come with us." Nate said. 

"Yes, please." Cristina said. "We don't have much, but when all you have is nothing, there's a lot to go around."

Dark chuckled at that. "If you're sure, then I will go with you. Are you sure that your clan will accept me?" 

"Of course they will." Cristina said. "You clearly have a good heart, and as long as you keep that with you, we will accept you with open arms. Come with us, and we'll go down." 

Dark smiled, his lip curled upwards. Together, the three of them descended back into the very depths of the dungeons, to forever change the world of the Diggers forever.