Garinor couldn’t believe this was happening, but he didn’t see any way to get past the trained guard. His shoulders slouched in resignation and he turned and faced the cell.
A blanket was in the corner. A hole was carved into the floor from which he could hear a rushing sound, as if from a stream. Iron bars blocked the hole, but it was obviously the place he would use for relief after meals. There were no windows, and the only light coming into the cell was from the meager torches in the hallway.
The guard laughed as he walked Garinor into the cell and then bolted shut the cage door. As all prisoners do, Garinor tested the hinges and the latch, but found them to be quite secure. There was no way he would be able to escape.
Soon, though, the prince would come and after a conversation he would be released. He knew it would be true. He had no desire to ever rule a kingdom. The prince was never in jeopardy of losing his throne. Garinor would make him understand that.
He spent the next few hours planning out the various things he would say to make his point. He was a simple person who enjoyed spending his time with his friends and hearing about places his father had journeyed. He even enjoyed helping his mother gather materials for her sewing or listening to her stories as she cooked up delicious meals.
Some time later, the outer door opened and Garinor jumped to his feet and pressed himself against the iron bars. A heavily suited guard came in with a tray of bread, soup, and water, which he set on the floor just barely out of Garinor’s reach. He then stepped back and laughed as the boy struggled to get his fingers out far enough to touch the edge of the tray and bring it closer.
This routine played itself out time and again while Garinor awaited the prince’s return. He had no concept of time since the meals seemed to come erratically and there was never a change in the amount of light, except when the burned torch was reset with a fresh one.
Garinor also lacked companionship. None of the guards would ever say anything more to him than to eat or to step back. He tried asking about the prince’s whereabouts or if he could get word to his family, but none of the guards who visited him ever even acknowledged that he could speak. Additionally, the other cells remained eerily empty. He couldn’t even swap stories with other prisoners.
All of Garinor’s well-planned defenses left him as the years went by, but he never fully gave up hope of being released, even up to the day he died there.