Breaking Lies: Stars and Fire

Chapter Two (Part One)

It was early in the morning. None except the guards were awake. And me. I'd been awake for an hour, staring at the stone wall. Idly, I traced my finger against the stone, tracing my finger over the cracks and bumps that I'd memorized years ago. Faintly, I could hear some commotion, maybe on another level.

Thoughts were coming as they pleased, and every so often I'd have a moment of panic when anxiety began to rise. But like I'd been practicing, I let the thought come, breathe out, and gently push the rhought away.

The sounds of the commotion were getting louder. I turned over so I had a better view of what went on outside the bars.

"-we need them now, orders of the Crown Prince!" a man shouted. I rolled my eyes. Probably some prisoner making a lame excuse to get out of his cell.

"The Crown Prince?" a man responded back, "why would he want them?"

I perked up. Perhaps it wasn't a prisoner.

"He didn't tell us," the first man huffed, "but those were his orders."

They got quiet. I could hear snippets of words, but none that made sense. I strained my ears, trying to hear more of their conversation.

Suddenly, the guards rapped their swords on the bars making the cell ring with metallic sounds. I nearly jumped out of my skin, but Cedric just looked. How long had he been awake?

"Get up, girl," one ordered me.

I tilted my head and stood up. I remained out of reach though. Not until I knew what was happening.

"The Crown Prince has demanded your presence," they barked at me.

My lips parted. My eyes swiveled around the room. What did he want with me? Two of the guards gripped me by my upper arms, wrapped them in chains and led me forward. I was so numb with shock and confusion I didn't even put up a fight. I vaguely heard Cedric yell something to the guards and turned back around. Cedric was crouched on the floor, holding his stomach as though he was hit again. Maybe he had been.

I had realized that I had never seen the upstairs. I've never been inside the actual castle. I almost expected it to be evil-looking, with skeletons and dark suits of armor laying around, but of course, that's not what it looked like.

The guards led me up a spiral staircase, only wide enough for three people.

My mind reeled back to all the times my parents were called up here. They never came back down looking too good.

But what had I done wrong? I've always been a rule follower in the jails – I knew of the consequences. We passed several windows, and each time my mouth gaped open. The courtyards and gardens were massive. They probably covered more ground than the dungeons. There were a couple of servants outside too, some trimming the hedges and some sweeping the ground.

We burst through another door. This one led to a long and extravagant hallway, filled with paintings of all sizes, and expensive carpets. Compared to the dungeons, everything was so clean. I'd never seen a room so clean. Everything sparkled and gleamed. I wouldn't have been surprised if my eyes started to hurt because the sun reflected off all the glass.

The guards rapped their knuckles on a dark oak door. A clear voice called to enter and a guard's hand dropped to his sheath, reminding me what would happen if I didn't cooperate. But they didn't need to worry. I always followed rules. For the most part.

The doors were opened. Not a single creak was heard from them, again, something that shocked me. Up here, everything was taken care of. Down there, nothing was.

Crown Prince Cassius, who was about my age, stood in front of the throne. He wasn't dressed in Royal clothes as far as I was concerned – they didn't look like royal clothes. The pants were simple tight-fitting black pants, with a sword belt roped around his waist. His shirt was a white blouse covered with a brown vest. The gold crown on his head was the only thing that signified him as royalty.

Seeing such a man of status made me feel small all of the sudden. He may not have looked impressive, but I knew he was. I kept my eyes lowered and held my tongue.

The guards announced me, bowed, and backed away. The Crown Prince gazed down at me, intimidatingly. I tried not to squirm under his gaze.

"Look up at me, girl," he ordered in a booming voice.

I timidly lifted my chin. Holding my head up at a man like him felt unnatural. His eyes moved up and down, studying me. I tried to swallow, but my throat seemed dryer than normal.

In a loud, clear voice he said, "Do you know why you're here?"

I shook my head.

"Fourteen years ago, your family was found committing treason, correct?"

I nodded my head. I didn't point out that it wasn't fair that I was in jail too, since it was the rest of my family who did the treason.

"Aelia, you don't deserve to be in jail."

My breath caught. I raised my eyes again. Was he serious? Was I about to finally go free?

"The records show that you had nothing to do with the treason, and after all, you were only five at the time. When my father decreed the sentence, I wasn't in power to do anything, but now I am. It was never just of my father to have placed you in the dungeons, and now it's time for you to come out."

He paused. He paused long enough to realize that they wouldn't let me go without gaining something from me. He opened his mouth, then closed it.

He wanted information.

His next words confirmed my suspicions. "The boy who was brought in, what do you know about him, Aelia?"

I scrunched up my eyebrows. "Nothing, Your Highness. Only his name."

Cassius closed his eyes. He suddenly looked twice his age. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "Aelia, you will go free, I promise that much. But until you give us some more information, I can't let you go. The boy won't talk to anyone, but we need you to get information out of him. The information you give will earn you your freedom."

I couldn't believe him. He just admitted himself that it was unjust for me to remain in the prison, and now he is bribing me with my freedom with information? If Cedric wasn't talking to anyone, what made the Crown Prince think that I could talk to him? But if that was the key to my freedom, I'd get the information. Quickly.