With his shackles off Beleth could finally move freely, not that he had anything to do. It was something he was used to but only this time his whole body wasn't hurting.
He stood up, stretched and sat back down. His cell was empty except for the chains embedded in the floor. The cell in front of his was empty, the walls stained in old blood. It was quiet today, so much he could hear the whisper of the outside wind.
Time stretched and he got tired of switching his position from laying to sitting. Laying on his back he looked at the barred door with saddened eyes.
It is the same as back home. He thought before curling into a ball. I failed him…. He will never accept me again.
He stretched out and crawled to the door before grabbing the bars. Unless I escape from here on my own. When I do, first I need to find Noir. He placed his head on the bars which had just enough space for it to go through, though only his head.
With his head out, he scouted the area. There were a total of six cells, all of them empty except for his. On his right was a wall that ended the corridor, and on his left was the beginning of that corridor. It was blocked off by a massive wooden door with a small barred window on the top.
A shadow moved on the other side of the door as it began to open. Beleth quickly backed off stumbling in the chains on his ground, in the process creating massive noise which echoed the silent corridor.
He curled up into a corner of his cell and shielded his head with his hands.
The sound of steps began to encroach on him as they got louder with each second. He steeled himself and prepared for a beating.
The steps stopped right outside his cell and he could feel the presence of another being. The door opened, the old metal screeching as it was being pulled.
The boy began trembling awaiting his punishment.
"Is everything alright?" A calm masculine voice echoed throughout the cell, as he felt warmth on his shoulder.
Beleth slowly stopped trembling as he turned to look at who was there. Behind him was a man in a woolen cloak with its hood off his hair tied in a bun with a thick black beard on his face. He was looking at Beleth like no other ever did, the man's eyes were filled with concern for the boy.
Beleth looked everywhere in the cell before locking on the hand that was on his shoulder. There was no force behind it, as it gently lay on his shoulder.
Beleth's breathing became uneven as he snapped back, pushing the hand away from his shoulder and taking position in front of the man as if ready to fight him.
The man backed off, "I am sorry for doing this. I saw you poke your head through the bars so I thought you needed something." He explained with a smile.
"I do not need anything." Beleth whispered as he curled up and looked down.
The man let out a sigh, "I figured as much." He said as he started untying his cloak, "Although, the night is probably going to be cold." He took it off revealing heavily plated armor and a broad build underneath. The man folded the cloak and put it down next to the boy. "Feel free to use it if you get cold during the night."
"I do not mind the cold." Beleth's voice echoed through the cell.
"A little warmth will not hurt now would it." He laughed as the boy remained silent. "Now I am going back to my post, I will come back in an hour to bring you dinner but if you need anything just call for me."
Beleth nodded in an agreement. Shortly after the guard took his leave.
The boy stood there, stunned. He began throwing glances at the cloak on the ground.
A few minutes passed, and he processed what had happened. A little warmth? He thought to himself before taking a tiny step towards the brown cloak on the ground.
For each tiny movement he waited a whole minute to see how the cloak would react as if it was alive.
After some time he finally reached it and touched it. It was soft and fluffy, "Noir." He whispered as his eyes teared up and he lunged at the cloak embracing it in his arms.
***********************************************
The boy had lost track of time, he had just donned the cloak and gotten himself into the corner of the cell. With the hood on he had leaned on the wall, finally something soft between his head and the hard wall.
The now known sound of the guard's door opening echoed throughout the corridor, this time though Beleth only trembled slightly at the steps approaching him.
He did not move much, he only straightened up and locked his eyes on the cell door, as he held his breath in wait for the one approaching.
The same guard as before reached the boy's cell. The man held a wooden plank with both his hands and somehow managed to open the door.
He stood before Beleth and knelt, revealing the plank to be some sort of a plate with some mushy green porridge inside of it and a brown slab on the side.
The guard placed it down and smiled, "I see you are enjoying the cloak. I hope this is also to your liking."
Beleth blushed and looked to the side before his nose was filled with the scent of the warm food. His stomach growled and he could not keep his eyes off the wooden plank.
He reached out and pointed to the brown slab, he then pointed to the other side of the plank at a long wooden stick with a circle on one end. "What are these?"
The guard scratched his beard, as he pointed to the slab, "This is bread, it is a very important food for children to grow strong and healthy." He said with a smile, he then pointed to the stick, "And this is a spoon." He spoke slowly as he picked it up and dipped it in the porridge before lifting it off. "As you can see we use this to scoop food up."
The boy looked at him like a lost little lamb, "Why not just use your hands to scoop it up?"
The man laughed, "You will get burned obviously. Now enough with the questionnaire, the food will get cold." He pushed the wooden plate closer to Beleth.
The boy observed it, his stomach growing, he suspended himself above it and sniffed it more carefully as if he was a dog. The smell was something indescribable, it didn't smell gamey like the raw meat he used to eat, nor was it metallic so it probably didn't have any blood or bones in it. The closest thing to come to mind was a pinecone from a tree, something he would never have thought to eat.
Beleth straightened up and looked at the guard, "Is this really something that can be eaten?"
"Of course it is." he maintained his smile.
The boy wondered for a bit before pushing it back to the guard. "I am not that hungry, I am sorry."
The guard's smile vanished, replaced by a frown he let out a sigh. "You have to eat it, you have not eaten anything since you got here. And I guarantee you, you will not be able to sleep it through like you have been."
"I am not hungry!" The boy protested, "Give it to someone who is hungry."
The guard sat on the floor before him and crossed his legs. " I am not leaving until you eat everything on that plate!"
They looked at each other for a good minute before Beleth finally bent. The boy started with the bread. He picked it up and took a bite, it felt something like bird bones slightly hard on the outside but soft on the inside and it was just as bland as them and definitely way more dry.
He swallowed cautiously as if the bread was poisonous.
He then started with the porridge. He picked up the spoon like the guard had scooped some of it. At first the boy just dipped the tip of his tongue into the spoon, to his surprise it was slightly sweet and slightly bitter.
Before long he took a full bite of both, and in less than five minutes he had eaten everything. Now full he exhaled.
The boy flinched and closed his eyes as the guard reached out for his head. He slowly opened them as he felt patting on his head.
"Good job." The man said with a smile. "Did you like it?" He asked.
Beleth nodded.
"I will leave you alone for now." The guard got up and took the empty plate. Preparing to leave he was stopped by the boy tugging on his armor.
"Sir. Can I ask what your name is?"
"My name is Conrad. What about yours ?"
"Beleth."
"That is a wonderful name, although can I call you Bel for short."
The boy nodded once more and the guard's face lit up. "Then. Until later Bel, I will make sure to bring you something even more delicious." He said as he left the cell and walked back the hallway.
Once again alone in the cell Beleth curled up and touched the top of his head as a momentary smile appeared on his face.