The stone roof was bland, he could see a man tied to the opposite of him in another cell but they seemed much lighter chained than him.
There was bread on the floor that the thief wouldn't touch, there was a slice of meat in it despite being able to reach it he wouldn't touch it.
The faint cackle of torches lighting the dungeon halls Mikel didn't have any visitors anymore; all the men that fawned over him weren't allowed to enter.
It was suspected that Shi Fei and Coy assisted my escape which is why neither of them came, or rather were allowed to come.
There were guards handing out food twice a day, first rice, then bread with meat.
However, that meat seemed suspicious. The bars were wide enough for Mikel to squeeze through due to his lack of a diet, which is possibly why his chains seemed extra heavy.
He hasn't been here for long and quite frankly he couldn't care less, seeing the dull stone surrounding him gave him a sense of security.
Lynn.. I wonder who he was looking for. A woman? But judging how there was not a single woman throughout my journeys… Assuming this is an all man world, putting a woman in here would be a nightmare, not much different from where I'm from…
But… Where am I from?
A question that had been weighing on his mind for so long, wherever he was from always seemed to carry a negative undertone. Even just thinking about it made his head ring.
Women, a simple concept, but he hasn't seen one since coming here.
So he isn't from here either?
Where am I from…
Wherever his legs lead him they always seemed to go in circles.
"Otherworlder.." Mikel repeated to himself.
If I am.. Why am I? The question of the universe huh, why am I.
—
"So we won't tell the public?" A knight knelt before a throne, his blade hanging by his waist.
"Please request Prince Cassiel to prepare the Captured posters."
The knight fell silent keeping his gaze lowered.
"Is there a problem?" A soft voice questioned.
"Well, your highness…" The knight cleared his throat. "It's been difficult to reach Prince Cassiel ever since the incident."
"Is the fight still going?" He slammed his tea cup on the table beneath him.
"Worse.." The other man seemed to not have the courage to speak up.
"Surely someone as mighty as you isn't afraid to share some news."
"No your majesty.. Prince Cassiel's brother has recently gone missing during his battle with Zikan. He was reported to be seen with the thief but the thief was found in the Shibu region all alone throwing up, there could have been no possible way for him to travel such a distance in less than a week without anyone catching even a sight of either."
"MISSING!?" His cup shattered on the table. "HE'S SUPPOSED TO MARRY KIOSHI! WHAT IS HE DOING CONCERNING HIMSELF WITH HIS BRAT OF A BROTHER!"
"Well.." The knight meekly continued. "To add on that, the thief is currently being contained in the Shibu nation but it's been suspected that two high standing Generals had been aiding the thief in his escapes."
The room fell silent.
"What are two high standing generals doing with a pesky little thief." The royal waved his hand vaguely.
With the wave a servant quickly approached to pick up the shards and replace the broken cup.
"It has also been rumored that the thief may have been involved with a martial artist who had isolated himself with meditation."
"Has the news reached him yet?" With the clink of his new cup the frail man questioned.
"I believe not yet, his isolation had been quite the drama for quite some time, his return would take a miracle." The knight explained further.
"Since Prince Cassiel is unreachable, and we don't intend on spreading the news of the thief's capture just yet, request another to prepare the captured posters, release them the moment rumors spread of the man being detained." Lifting his cup he took a light sip.
"If I may ask, why is this being kept a secret?" The man dared to question.
"Bad omen.." The other man let out an exhausted breath. "If the thief had two high ranking royals attempt to save him, imagine who else would come to save that thing. The martial artist can be quite dangerous if the rumors are true. Let us keep this hidden until my son's awakening ceremony. What's important is to let as little attention as possible go to it."
With that final statement his cup was put back down on the table with a soft clink.
"I shall send the news of the letter to a professional, I shall keep the capture of the thief hidden, and most importantly I'll ensure to report anything back." The knight finished his listing of tasks.
Once set he quickly got up with a deep bow before walking out of the room.
"Has Tair returned yet?" The Mother questioned with a sigh. When suddenly he realised his centaur man isn't here.
"Where is he!?" He immediately screeched in frustration.
"Your majesty… I believe he'll come soon."
The man quickly readjusted himself at his maids words and took a calming sip of his tea.
"We have to keep this hidden for as long as possible." He claimed while taking out a sheet of paper from beneath the table.
"Allow me to-"
"NO NEED." The royal raised his hand and a faint glow of magic began to formulate and follow wherever his fingers lead.
He hummed peacefully while writing a letter with his own magic. The Maids watched in awe, to have so much magic to waste on a letter!
Once done the sheet suddenly raised up into the sky splitting in two, then four, then eight. The paper neatly folded themselves into halves before a flow of magic seemed to create envelopes to place the very same letters into.
Once shut and sealed a neat ribbon bound around it keeping it formally shut.
"Amazing as always!" The servants praised. "Your prime never ends!" "Magnificent!"
The room filled with soft praises and faint applause when the galloping of hooves quieted down the room.
"There you are." The man huffed with crossed arms. The envelopes swirled around the centaur, one specifically stopping in front of him while the rest flew past him out the door.
The old centaur let out a huff before taking the letter. "You don't need to address me with your letters, you can tell me what's in it."
The centaur commented though still opened the ribbon only to have sparkles shoot in his face sticking onto his skin and body.
"My love…"
"Yes..?" The frail man rested his elbows on the table using his hands to prop his head up.
"Dismissed." With a firm command the servants quickly hurried out to not enrage the shorter tempered one.
The door gently shut behind them leaving the couple alone in the room.
"Tair went missing.. Our children have been unruly." The Centaur hummed his heavy steps moving closer.
"Where was Tair last seen?" Kioshi's mother asked while shifting himself to make room for his much larger husband.
"We don't know, but someone caught Prince Kioshi sneaking out. He came home but it's time to lock him down." His movements were fluid despite the weight of his body. Positioning himself behind his wife he wrapped his arms around his waist.
"Kioshi is still young, he'll know better. He's coming back, he's scared. He's not going anywhere. He can't defy mama.. He loves mama.." He chuckled while tracing the jawline of his Centaur.
"He doesn't seem the same ever since he got better."
"Let's just hope the thief won't cause any more trouble."
He chose to ignore his husband's concern.