Chapter 1

The guards opened the main prison gate to let Prince Aldridge in.

Prince Aldridge thanked them and stepped in after nodding his head at the warnings they gave him, which were specifically to NOT interact too much with the prisoners for his own safety.

Prince Aldridge walked through the path that divided the jail cells from left and right. The prison smelled of rotting flesh and faeces leading him to cover his nose with his floral-scented handkerchief, masking the smell that made him feel repulsed; he was also incidentally covering his face so that the prisoners could not see him – adhering to the warnings the guards gave.

A guard followed behind him as he instructed earlier on with the cell keys in hand for when he needed them.

Aldridge frowned when he did not see anyone fitting his taste. They reached the end of the prison and all the prisoners looked dead while others looked crazy and disgusting.

Aldridge turned on his heels and looked at the guard behind him, "Is this all the prisoners?"

The man bowed and shook his head, "No my lord, these are all those who will be flogged soon. There is a separate place where we hold the murderers and sexual offenders in the lower east wing of the prison that are awaiting their deaths."

Aldridge hummed and ordered after thinking it through, "Take me there.”

"My lord?" The guard asked confused, did he not hear him say that it was where the murders were?

Prince Aldridge folded his arms unamused and demanded, "Take me there now!"

The guard had a conflicted look in his eyes. This Prince was being unreasonable and he could not understand what this prince wanted with the prisoners.

He nodded his head reluctantly and told Prince Aldridge to follow him. Prince Aldridge did just that!

They walked further into the prison, down three flights of stairs. When they reached the end of the staircase, the guard took a torch that was lit and led Prince Aldridge further down the pathway.

After walking for what seemed like an hour, they came to a stop at a door. There was a guard stationed at the door and after finding out that the prince came to view the prisoners, he was reluctant but opened the door for them.

When Prince Aldridge entered, he felt an ominous presence within the cold stone walls of the dungeon. The guard showed him to the first cell but still, he was not satisfied. The second cell, the third, and all the way up to the sixth cell he was not happy.

Prince Aldridge felt frustrated but held his frustration and composed himself. They reached the seventh cell where a prisoner was sitting on the floor in the middle of the cell with his legs crossed. His arms were bound behind his back and had an iron collar around his neck with five chains chained to it which were attached to the wall.

The man in the cell's head was bowed with his long hair hanging all over. When he heard footsteps stop in front of his cell, he raised his head and looked up. He saw a young man dressed in the finest clothes, groomed, enchanting and was looking at him. The young man hid most of his face behind his handkerchief showing only his enchanting sapphire eyes. His long ginger hair draped over his left shoulder, completing his frame.

Prince Aldridge turned to the guard and asked, "What was his crime?"

"This man killed a group of bandits who were kidnapping young girls from their families and demanding money in return for their safety. He not only killed them but butchered them because one of the girls who were kidnapped was his little sister and she was found dead amongst the group of girls whose family did not pay the ransom. He chopped their bodies into pieces in front of everyone and was thus apprehended and sentenced to life imprisonment. His Majesty granted him immunity from being executed because he did a great deed by saving the girls lives. He is in the lower dungeon because he is classified as dangerous, he was also a knight before all the kidnappings happened," the guard stated.

Prince Aldridge nodded his head, "Open the cell and leave us."

"My lord we cannot…" The guard started but stopped when he saw Prince Aldridge's glare.

He unlocked the cell and handed Prince Aldridge the torch and walked away to mind his business.

Prince Aldridge stepped in and walked towards the prisoner. He stopped in front of him and looked down at the man seated on the floor, he saw that although the man was locked up here, he seemed to be fit, maybe it was from his time as a knight?

The prisoner raised his head to look up at Aldridge. He saw that Aldridge had this odd look in his eyes but did not say anything. Aldridge turned and walked to the holder and stuck the torch in it. He turned back and stopped in front of the prisoner once again.

Aldridge let his hand holding the handkerchief fall to his side and stared down at the prisoner. The man looked up at Aldridge and looked at him closely. He saw that the young man in front of him was not looking directly at him and his eyes were trailing over his body searching for something.

Aldridge licked his lips then asked, "What is your name?"

Aldridge's voice sounded like birds chirping in his ears. It sounded sweet and pleasant like the wind gliding through the air, it has been years since he last heard a pleasant voice. He did not hear his voice before when he spoke to the guard but he heard the guard tell him his life story.

"My name is Shawn Seghatchian." He answered with a rusty voice that had not been used in years.

Aldridge bent his legs at the knee dropping to eye level.

He stared into Shawn's eyes as he said, "I am Aldridge Camionare, how long have you been in here?”

"It has been ten years," he answered feeling enchanted by the look in Aldridge's eyes that drew him into an ocean. The fresh smell of mint breezed into his nose coming from Aldridge's delicate and moist mouth.

"Would you like to leave here?" Aldridge asked him.

Shawn shook his head, "There is nothing for me out there."

Aldridge nodded his head and stood up. He traced his steps back and called the guard back as he took the torch from the holder. After the guard locked the cell, they walked back out to where the sunlight was.

Aldridge bid the guards farewell and headed to the magistrates' office by carriage. When he arrived there, the magistrate, Harry Winstein greeted him with a big smile and bowed.

"Prince Aldridge, did you find what you were looking for in the prison?" He asked as he helped Aldridge get comfortable and handed him a glass of orange juice.

"Yes, a fellow named Shawn Seghatchian. Please make sure that you have him ready before I leave town in three days, understand?" Aldridge said while slipping a dried tomato and egg tartlet into his mouth.

"Yes, by all means, my lord," Harry immediately agreed excitedly, he was benefiting greatly from this deal.

Harry immediately got the necessary documents together and let Aldridge sign them before he left. Aldridge left the magistrates office and headed back to the Garden Inn where he stayed for his visit to Lerriona.

*

Three guards stopped in front of Shawn's cell and opened it.

They unchained him and took him up to the magistrate's office.

Shawn looked at them all confused but did not say anything. When he stood in front of the magistrate he saw that the short fat man looked a bit too happy.

"Congratulations Mr Seghatchian, by order of his majesty of the Holy Land, you are free. You will be escorted to a room where you will be cleaned and you will accompany Prince Aldridge home," he said and waved at the guards to take the smelly man, Shawn away to the room they had prepared beforehand.