Dirty, stone floors and rusty, dry iron bars in a corridor of dozens of empty cells. It had been a long, noisy day to the boy, but only silence and the tapping of a mouse's toes against stone settled in the dungeons of Basilisk Fang, a deep and dark place where the enemies and rebellious characters would go to rot. It smelled terrible and hadn't been cleaned in what seemed to be eons. There were times that the raven haired youth had come down to these depths and tried to scrub the place spotless, but to no avail. The dirt and grime seemed to be embedded in the walls and floor, so the boy eventually gave up and returned to his normal activities.
Normally, the boy never bothered going down to the dungeons. But today was different, a very special occasion had occurred just hours before the boy had even thought of wandering the halls of the Basilisk dungeons. He had come across a crimson haired woman with pale, white skin and dark eyes which seemed to be a deep, dark red. That of blood, he assumed. Katherine was her name, and the events that unfolded upon Ahote saving her from a vicious ruffian descended into conflict and violence. The boy and woman had exchanged hurtful words and even more hurtful blows, ending in an unconscious girl and an upset youth.
Hours had passed, and Katherine did not so much as peep in his state of unconsciousness. Just before he had carried her into the dungeons, servants greeted him with worry, only to be told that when Famine was to arrive at the fortress that they tell her that Ahote had requested her presence by her cell.
With time to kill and the only company he had being an unconscious girl, Ahote found ways to occupy himself while waiting for her awakening. First, the boy had prepared soap and water along with a rag to scrub her clean of dirt and blood that may have settled over time, undressing her up to her undergarments, unveiling an array of scars and marks that stunned the boy. Instantly after discovering them, questions soon followed. Where did they come from? How did she get them? Is she still effected by them? Questions that would not be answered now or in the near future, it seemed.
Secondly, Ahote had fixed her a change of clothes from his own wardrobe. Consisting of a long sleeved, beige shirt and black, baggy sweatpants. He was sure that they would fit considering they were similar in size. Worst case scenario, they were too big.
Lastly, Ahote had taken about half an hour to prepare her a warm and comforting meal for her to eat when she woke up. A thick, rich corn chowder with slices of whole grain bread, water, and an apple, of course. You always needed fruit in your diet. With bringing the food and setting it by her body, he also brought a first aid kit with disinfectant and cotton balls, but decided not to treat her until she came to.
Over two hours had passed, and Katherine still hadn't woken up from her state of being. With a blanket wrapped snugly around her as she laid limp in a locked cell, Ahote sat on a wooden stool on the opposite side, watching, thinking. I don't know what to do with her,
really. Maybe asking Mom to come here wasn't the best of ideas, since it was Mom that she wanted to meet so badly. If she woke up to us both, I imagine she'd lose herself. . . and I'd hate to have another incident. Ahote pondered, but it seemed as if he quickly found himself drifting into darker thoughts. What am I doing? Killed a guy, hit a girl.
. . not pleased with what I've done. I should apologize when she wakes up. But am I really so soulless? I don't think so. . . I'd like to believe that I'm pretty. . . kind, comparatively speaking.
Maybe not in that moment, but me killing the brute left me pretty. . . jaded. Detached, maybe.
Maybe if that didn't happen, things would've gone differently. Hm. . . I hope she's alright,
none the less. The boy sat in the dimly lit corridor of the dungeon, staring in the darkness of the cell with he and the silence.