4:Locked up

     ZARA'S POV

They took us to a place, which looked like their base. there were a lot of bandits there and also a lot of hostages. They were locked in cages like animals.

The soldiers who were sent to accompany me, were also captured. Just about thirty of them, the rest were killed.

They took Lia to the cage where they kept women and took me to the cage, where they kept men.

I wanted to scream at them to take me to where they keep women because I'm a woman but I decided against it.

I sat in the cage, along with my remaining soldiers and other men.

"Your high... I mean Captain, I'm sorry we couldn't protect you," Jamie apologized, and I was glad he was still alive.

"It's okay, we just need to figure out to get out of this place."

"But prin..., I mean Captain, that seems nearly impossible, this place is heavily guarded.

"Even so, we still have to get out of here."

I looked around and saw that most of the men were alive, but they look dead. Probably because they were tortured.

"If you are thinking of escaping, you should just remove the thought from your mind, because if you get caught, they will kill you immediately,"  a man said, he looked worn out and a little thin.

"What's your name?" I asked.

He was quiet for some minutes, before answering.

"My name is Theon?"

I thought he was going to ask me my name, but he didn't and I was glad because I didn't know which name to tell him.

"Theon, why are these men like this?"

"Can't you see, we were tortured, and we worked all day and also get Little food. They all lost the hope of living because it was either we were killed, or sold. But we mostly get killed only women get sold, but if you are lucky, they could sell you."

I sighed, this was not going to be easy as I thought. Lia, oh my God Lia, I just hope they don't sell her. Now I wished we were in the same cell. I'm sure she would be really scared.

I need to think of a way to get us out of here. I felt someone sniffing me, and I turned around.

It wasTheon, he was sniffing me like a dog.

"What are you doing?" I asked

"You smell nice, and you have a pretty face, too pretty to be a boy, you must be from a wealthy family, You don't have to worry, I'm sure they will sell you," Theon muttered with a sad smile.

He looked at Jamie and sighed. 

"Sorry man, I'm sure they will make you work with us with those muscles of yours, and in just a few days your muscles will disappear."

"Theon, you are not like the others," I mumbled.

How? He asked

"At least, you're still talking to us."

"That because unlike them, I will always hold on to my hope, until the day I die, or if I'm ever going to get out of here alive," he replied.

I smiled, I already like him and if we make it out of here alive, I'm going to ask him to be one of my soldiers.

"I like you Theon," I blurted out, smiling at him.

"It's an honor to be liked by such a pretty boy, you are even more pretty than all the girls I've seen my entire life, Theon said, and Jamie cleared his throat.

"He has a wife," Jamie muttered and I chuckled.

"Your wife must be lucky then."

He faced Jamie, eyeing him from head to toe.

"You know I used to be like you, Theon muttered moving closer to Jamie.

Jamie eyed him, then he chuckled.

How so? Jamie asked

"I used to have muscles like you and I was also the Captain of a gang, who used to guard a rich merchant, but we were ambushed, and they fled leaving me behind. So now you understand, when I tell you that soon, all your muscles will be gone, and you will look thin like a stick."

Theon was a lively person, I was really glad that even with everything that had happened to him, he still didn't give up.

I sighed, thinking of a plan that will get us out of here.

"Theon, do you know how many bandits are here?" I asked.

"I think close to five hundred or more than."

"And how many hostages are here?"

"A thousand or more."

We are more than them, I thought, there is still hope after all.

"Jamie, Theon, I have a plan"

My soldiers surrounded me while I sat in their center.

"Theon, when do they take the men out for work?"

"Usually in the morning," he replied.

"Then, we have to fight them,"

"And how do we do that? they usually chain our hands," Theon muttered.

"But do they chain them when you work?" 

"No, they take off"

"Then that's when we strike?"

"How many men and how many women are here?"

"Three hundred men, and at least seven to eight hundred women, but with you and these soldiers, it should be Three hundred and thirty-one men.

More women and fewer men is a disadvantage, but we can work with that.

"Captain, how do we carry on with your plan, when they've all lost hope," Jamie questioned and the soldiers nodded in agreement.

"Then, we just have to give them that hope again."

I stood up, looking at the men lying on the floor.

"If you are going to die, why don't you die fighting, at least you can fight to survive, don't just give up without even trying?"

By now, almost all the men were standing up, and I smiled, looks like I was getting to them.

"Don't be cowards, we are more than them, if we stand together, I'm sure we can be free from these monsters.

All of them were now standing up, they no longer looked dead, but have hope in their eyes, perfect.

" I think maybe you were captured for a reason, and that reason was to save us," Theon muttered and they all nodded in agreement.

"Now tell us the plan pretty boy," Theon said

"We wait till mourning when they bring us out to work and after that, one of us has to go free the women, so they can join us in the fight. I know it's easier said than done, but we have to try it."

"You're right, we just have to risk it," Jamie muttered.

That night, they brought us food and threw it into the cage-like we were dogs. The food was small and barely enough to feed us all. So I told my soldiers to just let the men eat since we ate something before we were captured. Hopefully, we could have something,  in the mourning, that's if they give breakfast.

We all slept immediately after eating, we needed the strength, because tomorrow was going to be a tough day.

We woke up to loud noises, the bandit was hitting the gates, telling us to wake up.

I stretched my body, still feeling sleepy, it was as if the night was just a minute. I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

I was surprised to see that the bandits, were giving us breakfast, and it was more than last night's dinner. It was enough for all of us.

"Theon, how come they give a lot of food in the mourning," I asked.

"Because we have to work, they want us to have a lot of strength. but don't expect lunch and dinner are usually very small."

We all dug into the food, eating like hungry lions, and when we were done eating, they took us to where we were going to work.

Some were asked to make swords, while others were asked to dig wells and break stones.

I turned and signaled the men that it was time.