Kitanna
Chapter 45: IN RAGS

Chapter 45: IN RAGS

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: STILL ~ DVWN]

Axilla walked into the prison where Clephas was being held, carrying a basket filled with fruits and bread.

"Good morning, Clephas," Axilla greeted politely, setting down the items she brought from the palace kitchen.

"Axilla, dear," Clephas acknowledged.

Axilla frowned, "I thought everyone knows you are innocent, why are you still in chains, and your clothes are all worn out?" the young girl said, looking worried.

Clephas let out a small laugh, touched by the concern, he was happy that even though he did not have children of his own. He still had people who worried for him like they were his own family.

"I am doing just fine. They have to follow protocols. I will be released in no time, don’t worry your head," Clephas reassured her, gently patting her head.

Axilla decided to let the discussion go, thinking that maybe she would report to the princess after she leaves.

"I brought food; sorry I couldn’t visit yesterday. I was serving Queen Larel," Axilla said, cutting an apple into tiny bits and offering it to Clephas.

Clephas accepted the apple, chewing it slowly, although his face still bore the marks of the heavy blows he had received from the guards.

"I understand all of that, yesterday was terrific for everyone" the man gently chewed on the apple. He scrunched his face a little, because it was still hurting after the heavy blows the guard landed on his face when he was trying to speak up of his innocence.

"Why do you understand everything? Why do you accept everything? You almost died yesterday. The princess was so worried about you," Axilla said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Tsk.. tsk... Young one, stop now. The heavenly king did not let me die. Come on now," Clephas tried to console the girl who pouted her lips like a child.

After spending a few more minutes with Clephas, Axilla left the prison to continue her duties. On her way out, she encountered the head eunuch entering.

Axilla bowed and made her way outside.

Felipe walked to Clephas’ holding cell, "You seem to have people who already care enough about you," he remarked, making Clephas raise his eyes to look at him.

"Felipe, greetings to you," Clephas replied with a dry smile.

"Clephas, when you leave the prison, I want to process your retirement. Go to the mountains where our tribe retires from now on. The more you stay here, the more trouble. It is not healthy for your age. Look at you in rags," Felipe said, shaking his head in pity.

"I am fine; I will retire when I am sure the princess has no threat against her life," Clephas replied.

"She is not your daughter; we don’t get trained to get attached. You have allowed her to grow on you! Get a grip on yourself!" Felipe chided.

"Are you speaking ill of your princess, Felipe?" Clephas asked, causing Felipe to pause and sigh, realizing that Clephas had formed a strong bond with the princess.

"I have heard you; enjoy your prison time then," Felipe said before leaving the royal prison.

Clephas sighed when he noticed Felipe had stepped out of the room. Not that Felipe meant any harm, he wasn’t just worried about him. But Clephas was worried about the princess; the young girl hadn’t experienced the life of luxury a princess should. It all began when the former king passed away.

The rags he wore didn’t matter to him; the princess had come through for him when he least expected it. He was so deep in thought when he heard a sound from the cell room next to him.

Clephas jumped up, as he hadn’t noticed anyone was there, given that the cell room was located in the darkest part of the prison, and no food was sent to the room. He tried to see if it was a human or maybe a rat causing the disturbance.

When Clephas got closer, he still couldn’t get a good view of the area. He noticed a prison guard pass by, so he decided to call his attention.

"Good sir, please, I think something is moving in that cell room over there," Clephas said, pointing at the room. This prompted the young guard to follow Clephas’s gaze.

"Not something, someone is there. He was there even before our leader started working as a guard. I heard he is the oldest prisoner," the young guard confirmed, looking at the cell room with pity.

"But I don’t see food being passed to the prisoner," Clephas asked, concerned. Nobody even checked if the person was still alive, and Clephas wondered what kind of crime he might have committed to be forgotten in such a manner. Clephas felt sorry for the person.

"I heard the prisoner has given up on life; he doesn’t even remember who he is. Some say he has gone mad, speaking words nobody can comprehend," the young guard replied, shrugging his shoulders and turning to leave.

"Wait! Can I ask for a tiny favor?" Clephas called the boy back.

The young guard didn’t seem angry and returned to hear what Clephas had to say.

"What could that be?" he asked.

"Can you move me to that cell room? I know it sounds absurd, but please."

The request made the guard furrow his brow. He twitched his lips before unlocking Clephas’s cell to move him to the cell he had requested.

Clephas quickly packed the food he hadn’t touched when he got to the cell room. The place reeked with a pungent smell, appearing as though it hadn’t been cleaned for years.

"Are you sure of what you’re doing?" the guard asked Clephas, holding his nose against the irritating smell emanating from the cell.

Clephas nodded, "Can I get water and a broom, with new prison clothes, please?" He asked the guard.

When the guard got everything ready, Clephas started cleaning the cell room. At intervals, his eyes would trail over to look at the prisoner. It was an elderly-looking man, lying on the ground as if there were no life left in him.

After Clephas was done cleaning, he moved the man to the side, changed the floor mat, and replaced it with a new one. Clephas walked over to where the man was lying with caution. He wasn’t sure how to approach the man because the young guard had described him as mad.

Clephas bent down and began to clean the dust from the man’s face. The old man opened his frail eyes to look at Clephas before closing them again. Clephas cleaned the man up and changed him into a neater prison uniform.

Clephas noticed the length of the man’s gray hair; it meant the man had been in the prison for many years.

Clephas offered the man some bread, but he refused to eat, just continuing to lay there.

"What did you do to be forgotten like this?" Clephas asked, worriedly. But received silence as a reply.

"I am Clephas. An eunuch that work for the royal....." Clephas noticed the man sit up, he was not sure which part of his words interested the man.

"Run..." The old man finally said, his eyes coming to life.

Clephas tilted his head, he did not understand what the man was trying to say. The next thing he saw the man started hitting his head on the wall and murmuring to himself.

The guard rushed inside the cell room when he heard the noise " are you okay? I told you this man is insane. Let me take you back to your cell room" the guard directed his words to Clephas.

"Don’t worry I am fine. If there is any problem I will call your attention." Clephas smiled appreciating the young guard’s kindness.

When the guard finally left, Clephas moved closer to the man. He put his hand close to the man’s forehead so instead of him hitting it directly to the wall, Clephas reduced the impact.

"Did you work in the palace before now?" Clephas asked trying to test the waters first.

It worked because the man stopped and nodded his head.

"Are you from Clipartos?" Clephas asked yet again, to receive a nod.

Then it means the man was from his tribe and he used to be an eunuch. Clephas summarized in his head.

"Did you used to serve someone from the royal family?" Clephas asked again this time the man did not nod, he slowly turned to look at Clephas.

"She is the devil, she will come for you. Run" the man said reaching out to hold Clephas.

Clephas had confusion written all over his face. He did not know who the man was referring to as she. He watched as the man had a fearful look in his eyes.

Clephas became scared for the first time since his stay in the prison, he was afraid of ending up like the man in front of him.

Forgotten and rejected by people, afraid of the unknown.

"I will tell you an old story, Clephas. A story which should not be heard by anyone...." The old man’s voice sounded like a cold water on a very sunny day.

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