by Lan Dang
Chapter 12: A Botched Escape
When Eric arrived at the front door of the castle, he made a mental note of the entrance and managed to find his way back to his room without any help this time. As he opened the door, he noticed that he was not alone. There was a low beautiful humming sound emitting from the bathroom followed by a clanking noise. He took a deep breath and mustered enough courage to open the bathroom door.
His eyes were met by the same young boy with the snowy, white hair that had led him to the dinner last night. The boy seemed as surprised as him. But he turned around again to continue with his work. He was replacing the cloth linens and taking the old ones, including his clothes, to be washed. However, he had stopped his humming tune, due to Eric’s presence. Eric decided to politely make conversation with him.
“Hi, there.”
There was no response. Eric decided to speak louder even though it was quiet in the bathroom and there was no other noise except for the clanking sound of the chains.
“Hi. My name is Eric. What is yours?”
The young boy turned around to face him. His brow was furrowed.
“I’m not deaf. I heard you the first time. And we are just mere servants. We are forbidden by the Elders to speak to the guests.”
He deftly moved around Eric to the bathroom door and vanished in an instant. Eric was surprised not only with his speed but his voice, which was abnormally deep, given his age. He stared in shock but quickly followed the boy out of the bathroom door and into his bedroom. The boy was wiping the round table and straightening the chairs.
Eric decided to approach him with caution. He said in an apologetic manner, “I’m sorry for raising my voice earlier. I didn’t know that you’re not allowed to speak to us. But don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. I just want to know your name.”
The boy stopped and stared at him with a suspicious look. “What for?”
“Well, I was hoping we could be friends.”
“But that’s not possible. I’m your servant.”
Eric shook his head, vehemently. “I don’t believe in servitude. I told you my name. What’s yours?”
The boy bit his lip and cautiously whispered, “Yulik.”
Eric rolled his eyes. “There, now. Was that so hard to say? It’s not as if I asked for your kidney.”
Yulik’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why would you want my kidney?”
Eric had forgotten that they were from different planets and there were bound to be slight discrepancies. Maybe they had never heard of organ transplants. He wasn’t surprised, considering that although they were the more advanced life form, they lacked running water.
He shook his head. “That’s not important. I’m just curious. Why are your legs bound in chains? Are you being punished for something?”
The boy looked frightened. “I have to go now. I am only allowed a certain amount of time for each room and if I stay too long in one room, they will get suspicious. I have a lot of other rooms to clean.” His eyes darted back and forth as if he was being watched.
“Who will get suspicious?”
Before his question was answered, the frightened boy had already walked pass him.
Eric did not want him to leave. He thought of a question he had to ask him. “Please wait. I just need to know where the…er…um….toilet is? I’m new here.”
Yulik turned around and asked, “You mean the outhouse?”
Eric nodded his head.
“It’s outside of the castle near the cottage where the horses are kept.”
With that being said, he opened the door and quickly left.
Eric shook his head. “That was strange. But at least, I am getting to meet different people here and I know where the restrooms are.”
His mind quickly went over what had happened this morning. He had made a friend and started an escape plan. He smiled at the progress of a day’s work. Already he had known which horse he would take, but as for the guards, that would pose as a problem. They seemed to be stationed at every corner, not allowing him the distance he would need if he wanted to escape successfully. But the greatest fear he had was that there would be even more guards stationed at the main entrance or to him, his exit to freedom. He sighed. He decided to take a brief nap while he worked out the details of his escape later. He was exhausted from today’s excursion.
When he woke up several hours later, well-rested and alert, he smelled a delicious aroma in his room. Instinctively, he got up out of bed and went to the table where several plates were set up. There were grilled chicken, fried fish, bread rolls, a salad and some fruit. There was the same sweet drink and a bowl of chicken soup with vegetables. Everything smelled delicious to him and he devoured everything, chewing happily away. He made a mental note to thank Yulik for his good room service.
After he finished eating dinner, he contemplated his escape plan more seriously. Since there were so many guards, they must be changing shifts every couple of hours. They couldn’t possibly stand there for the whole day, especially at night. He didn’t care how dedicated these guards were, they had to sleep some time. Perhaps, they would be less alert at night, especially since it was dark and they couldn’t see clearly. Also, they would be sleepy and tired even if they slept during the day. It would be the best time to escape at night.
However, Eric had a guilty feeling that nagged him. He had tried to ignore it earlier but it was to no avail. He was the last of the Guilden royal family, like the Elders said. He had an obligation to stay and rule his people. Besides, from what he had experienced so far, the people seemed rather friendly but odd, the food was delicious, and he had his own personal service. It was definitely better than staying at home. He lived in a castle and he didn’t have to go to school. He could practically do whatever he wanted since his mom wasn’t here and only the Elders seemed to know his true identity and they were keeping it a secret for his protection.
He sighed. But deep inside, he missed his mom, his friends back home, and even schoolwork. It was rather boring here. He missed Pizza Lovers, soccer, the neighborhood, and his own room. This place was nice but it didn’t seem real to him. It was like some sort of dream come true. He wanted to go back home and return to his normal life as an innocent kid, no responsibilities, and no expectations. Well not exactly no expectations or responsibilities, there were a few minor ones. His mom did expect him to finish high school, at the very least, and to perform chores at home to help her out but it was nothing big. It was nothing like being a prince or future king and having to make decisions that would affect the lives of people.
He saw the way Yulik or the guards looked at the mention of the word ‘Elders,’ and he didn’t want to be anything like them. He didn’t like that look of intense fear. He wanted to be a fair and just king who cared about his people, not a king to be feared. But why should he care? These were not really his people. Honestly, he didn’t even know them. Emmers would have made a better king than him. He sighed. He may have been born here but he wasn’t raised here and he couldn’t be expected to stay. He had to leave. He had to return home to his true home, not this fantasy world.
Sure, his true home wasn’t perfect. He didn’t know where his dad was, his mom was moving on with her new boyfriend, and he wasn’t the most popular kid in school but he had people who cared about him. He had his mom who loved him, friends and neighbors and teachers who cared about his well being. He shook his head. Why was this decision so difficult to make? It wasn’t right for him to stay here when he didn’t belong. Besides, he had no positive characteristics that would be fitting for a good king. He was lazy, stubborn, indifferent, selfish, and generally, not the typical good king. But one thing was certain, he was nothing like the Elders. He knew that they would leave once he became king and the people and the guards would be a lot happier. They could relax and smile more and he could release the chains that b
ound poor, miserable Yulik. He shook his head. He hated guilt trips.
But tonight, he was curious. He hadn’t made his final decision to leave yet but he had to scope out the main entrance tonight. He wasn’t sure what time it was because there was no clock here but it was dark outside, pitch black. He figured it must be night time. He crept slowly out of his room, careful not to make a sound. The hallway was empty as usual. He never seemed to see the other guests leaving and entering their rooms. It was all very odd to him.
By now, he was quite familiar with the way out of the castle. He quietly went down the stairs which took him a long time because he noticed a slight creaking noise that he made with every step. At last, he reached the final step and opened the door to the hallway. That was when he saw one of the Questors.
The Questor, cloaked heavily, glided to him, making no noise, and asked, “What are you doing out this late?”
Eric’s heart was beating frantically. He had to make an excuse. All he could think of was the outhouse that Yulik had informed him about.
“I have to use the outhouse.” He jumped first on one leg and then, the other, pretending as if he was about to relieve himself in the hallway.
The Questor looked at him suspiciously. “The castle door is locked at night. This is to keep everyone safe, especially when they are supposed to be asleep.”
“Well, can’t you make an exception to this rule, just this once? I really have to go. It must have been something I ate.” He jumped even faster, making it appear as if the urgency to go was somehow increased during this brief conversation.
The Questor said, “I really don’t want to get into trouble. The guests are not supposed to leave at night….” He pondered for a moment, staring at Eric, who blinked back with complete honesty. “But I guess I could unlock the door this once. Just be quick and don’t go anywhere else. I will be here waiting for you.”
Eric smiled. “Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this. I promise.”
The Questor unlocked the door and allowed Eric to leave the castle. Eric walked quickly through the empty streets, remembering the way he was led on his first day here. It was pitch black and hard to see but his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness. His heart was beating. He knew he only had a few minutes before the Questor got suspicious and would start to look for him or worse, to sound the alarm.
It was rather odd but the streets were all empty. There was no one outside at all. Perhaps, because it was really late at night and everyone was asleep in bed, where he should be. His pace had quickened to a run as he ran through the streets until he finally saw the entrance. There were a total of four guards walking back and forth. There were two guards on each side of the double doors. They were all armed and before they could see him, he had run behind a shop nearby and crouched closely to the ground.
He cursed quietly to himself. “Darn it! They have so many guards, even at night. There is no way I could get out of here….alive, anyways.”
He poked his head out to get a better look. The guards were heavily armed with swords on their side and bows and arrows on their backs. They looked highly alert and one of them, even stopped walking back and forth, to stare in the direction of a noise he had heard. Eric poked his head back into the safety of the shop’s walls. His heart was pounding loudly. He could just imagine what they would do to him if he was caught.
The guard, who was staring at the direction of the noise earlier, had started to come over to investigate. He was reaching rather close to where Eric was hiding. Eric closed his eyes to prepare for the worse. But just as the steps were coming, they stopped. A bark sounded and he heard someone curse loudly.
“Aw crap, it’s just a dog. I thought it was someone. It’s just a false alarm.”
He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the footsteps retreat back to the main entrance. This was followed by male voices.
“Did you see anything?”
“No way, it’s too dark. I’m practically blind here.”
“Me too.”
“Are you sure it was just a dog?”
“Positive. I checked. You saw me walk over there.”
“Okay. Don’t get all upset. I was just checking. I wanted to make sure. That’s all.”
There was a slight pause.
“Lately, there have been strange things happening here. First, there were all sorts of strange guests coming to stay at the castle. Then, there was that day when that kid came out of this door. I mean we have never had any visitors coming from outside before. It was truly unusual, even for me.”
He heard murmurs of agreement.
“Anyways, I just want to warn everyone, be careful okay? Just be alert and keep your eye out for anything out of the ordinary.”
“You mean, even that kid?”
“Especially that kid. I don’t like the looks of him. He was wearing odd clothes and he seems out of place. And the way, the Questor came to save him at that exact moment, it was more than a coincidence. It was planned.”
“I don’t trust those Questors.”
“Me neither. They have all been brainwashed by the Elders.”
“They act funny now. And they wear those cloaks that cover their faces so you can’t even recognize them anymore.”
There was a sniffle. “I remember when Qinler, my nephew, was just a kid. He was so cute. He had big blue eyes and blond hair but ever since he was selected to work for the Elders, we don’t even see him anymore. I miss that kid.”
Someone sighed. “Everything’s been messed up since the Elders came here. They just ruin everyone’s lives. I wish they would just leave.”
Again, there were murmurs of agreement that followed that statement.
Eric realized he had to leave now. There was no way he could escape tonight. The door was too heavily guarded. He had heard enough and his curiosity was satisfied. He didn’t want to get in trouble with the Questor, who was no doubt, waiting impatiently behind the castle door. He walked quietly away from the main entrance and when he was a safe distance away from the guards, he ran quickly back to the castle. He smiled in spite of the danger he was in. Being an athletic soccer player does have its perks. He was hardly breaking a sweat when he came back.
He politely knocked on the door. He heard a quick turn of the key and a hand grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside the castle.
The Questor dared not raise his voice for fear he would wake up the other guests or worse, cause his fellow Questors to investigate the commotion but he was furious. He demanded in a loud whisper.
“What took you so long? I could have gotten in trouble.”
He looked at the Questor. He couldn’t see his face, which was mostly covered by the cloak, but he had a hunch that this Questor would not harm him.
“I’m terribly sorry. I got lost because it was really dark outside. And then, I had to…” He gulped. “Do a number two.”
The Questor stared at him and blinked. “A what?”
He smiled. His humor was obviously going over his head. “I had to relieve my solid waste.”
The Questor stared at him blankly, no smile at what seemed to be a good joke. He simply shook his head and said, “Yeah, whatever. Get back to your room immediately and don’t go out at night again.”
Eric was curious. He had to ask another question. “Why is it so quiet when it gets dark?”
The Questor looked around him. It was still empty in the hallway. “The Elders forced a decree that people are not allowed to leave their rooms at night without their permission. It’s for their safety. Now, go back to your room before I get in trouble.”
Eric smiled. His hunch was correct. This Questor was not going to harm him at all. In fact, they may even be friends. “Thanks for sticking your neck out for me. Good night.”
The Questor stared at him suspi
ciously and watched him retreat to the staircase.
When Eric finally returned to his room, he immediately went to his window. He opened the thick drapes and looked outside. There were no street lights, no noise, nothing at all.
He shook his head. “No wonder the people are not even allowed to go outside at night. This doesn’t seem right.”
He knew he had to work on his escape plan. There was no way he could escape from the main entrance, unless he could somehow, defeat the guards. They were heavily armed but maybe, he could poison their drink or something.
But a more pressing matter was now at hand. He shook his head. The information he had heard from the guards made him feel queasy inside. The Elders were taking little boys from their families to be used as their own personal servants. He knew since elementary school that slavery was wrong. The United States Constitution strictly forbids slavery and here on this planet, they were enslaving the inhabitants at a very young age. He doubted that the boys had any choice, whether they wanted to serve the Elders, and given what he had witnessed so far, a life of servitude was no boy’s dream. He surely had to do something about this but what? None of this was his problem.
