Snippet #2372529

Sianas was always a place that Rihtarion had always tried to avoid, and with good reason. The city was not known for being kind to his family. Yadaras had always hated the royal family of Ialeos and anytime any of Rihtarion's family would visit the capitol, the ruler would barely acknowledge the other royals. The Prince had only been to the city once before and he'd not been impressed with the way things were handled there. The King of Sianas hadn't received any of his subjects to hear their pleas nor had he been overly kind with any of those that worked for him. That had been almost two-thousand years ago..before everything had gone so very wrong. Yadaras had at some point decided that he should not only rule Sianas but Ialeos as well. The crazed Dragon had at first attempted attacking the beautiful stone city to no avail. Rihtarion's father and their forces had protected the city well. Yadaras had been forced to withdraw. After his defeat, Yadaras had potted for some time, attempting to figure out a way to break the other King when he finally figured it out. The other King had a son. What would happen if the only heir to the throne was captured by the enemy? It was then that Yadaras sent his best warriors and trackers after the Prince. They searched for several years before they finally came across the handsome Prince. He'd been by himself in the Lower Lands..in a large forest far upon the edge of the world. He'd been there because his father had sent him to one of the outlying towns to speak with the Elves about trying to reconcile with the Humans nearby. It had been in the dark of night when Yadaras's men had ambushed Rihtarion. He'd not even had a chance to fight back.

That had been one-thousand years ago. Rihtarion was still Yadaras's captive and why he'd been kept alive this long was a mystery to him. He was being kept in the lowest dungeon in the palace. Currently, he was chained up by his wrists, his back pressing into the cold stone wall. The Prince felt as if his entire body was on fire. The two guards that watched him had just finished torturing him once again. He could feel wetness, his blood, running out of the various wounds that he now had. Even his aching wrists were beginning to bleed. He could no longer stand, but was almost hanging from the chains. Rihtarion's face was quite dirty and smeared with the blood that slowly ran from the wound upon his forehead. His face was emotionless, though, even through all of the pain. He would not allow his captures the enjoyment of seeing how broken he was truly feeling. His once silken black hair was now hanging partially in his face, dirtied and filled with dried blood that had never been cleaned out from previous tortures and beatings. He looked almost nothing like the proud Dragon that he once was. His golden eyes were closed, concentrating on healing himself. The Prince had discovered over the past one-thousand years that if he concentrated his healing would speed up. There was really no point in trying to heal, though. He'd been informed that Yadaras would be coming down that day and that meant more torture.

Rihtarion at first had not understood why the crazed Dragon had him captured and brought to Sianas. It had made no sense to him. He'd done nothing to wrong the King or his people so what reason did he have to torture the Prince? It wasn't until twenty years later when the King had finally informed the Prince of the reason. He was purely leverage. Rihtarion's family could do nothing to Yadaras if he had the Prince. Even now, Rihtarion wondered how keeping him was benefiting the King. He was sure that his family had attempted to rescue him. They would never leave their own blood in such a horrible place. Why hadn't Yadaras accepted any of the terms? Rihtarion would never know.

As he hung against the freezing wall, Rihtarion sighed softly. He could feel his ragged body slowly pulling itself back together, though the pain was excruciating. His breathing was slightly labored and he didn't even move when the dungeon door slowly opened. He kept his head down, wishing against all odds that the King had decided against coming down to bother with him that day. Three days earlier, when Yadaras had visited him, he'd been informed of his family's death. They'd all been slaughtered in the night. He'd been furious at first, swearing at the mad Dragon, but over the past few days that anger had slowly turned to a deep sadness that felt like it was seeded into his heart. He'd tried so had not to cry and had failed miserably. He felt as if everything had been ripped from him. He felt that now, he would forever be Yadaras's captive. There was no one fighting for him now. What he didn't know, nor did Yadaras, was that his mother had escaped the slaughter. Rihtarion could hear the voice of the King as he mocked him. He did not move or speak, only allowed the insults to continue towards him. The men laughing didn't even bother him anymore. All of this he was used to, though not reacting would only cause him pain. The King noticed Rihtarion's lack of reaction. The man slowly walked towards the saddened Prince. Kneeling down so that he could eye the boy, Yadaras leaned in close. "What is this? No fight left in you? Surely this can not be." he said mockingly. The King was smiling evilly. He was pleased that the Prince at long last seemed to have given up. "You are pathetic. Nothing in this world. Why your family is held above mine is a mystery. It is better off this way, boy. Better that your family is gone from this world." The King then roughly grabbed hold of Rihtarion's chin, forcing the younger Dragon to look up at Yadaras. The Prince opened his still bright golden eyes, hate flowing freely from them. "You will suffer." the King said, almost too low for anyone outside of the room to hear. He smiled evilly, laughing.

It was then that the Prince sensed a knew presence in the room, though he could not see the newcomer. The King released Rihtarion and turned to speak with the new being. Once he was released, Rihtarion's head dropped back down. He just had no energy to keep his head up. He remained silent, listening to what was being said. "Ah! Daughter! Glad am I that you have decided to join us. It is high past time for you to meet our guest." Yadaras said, motioning towards the hanging Prince. He'd not given the Princess a choice in coming down. He'd decided that she was old enough to see what happened to those that opposed them. He moved out of the way, allowing the girl full view of the ragged Dragon. Yadaras stood back and allowed the guards to approach the chained Dragon. "You will see what we do to those that dare stand against us." the King said. The first guard, a plump Dragon, pulled out a long knife while the other, a thin and ancient Dragon, held Rihtarion's head by his hair. Pain seared throughout the Prince's head. The Dragon holding him wasn't being kind, making sure that his hair was pulled very tight. The plump guard placed the knife at Rihtarion's throat, smiling. He waited a moment before moving in to a spot just behind the Prince's ear. He then allowed the sharp instrument to slid from its resting spot to the Dragon's slender neck, just above where his chest started. Rihtarion didn't allow himself much reaction, though his eyes had opened during the action. Pain shone through his eyes. The King smirked and turned to his daughter. He watched for her reaction.

The guard once again approached the Prince. This time, he placed the point of the knife against Rihtarion's side. The guard turned to Yadaras for a signal of continuing. Once he'd received the nod, he plunged the knife into the Dragon Prince's side. This time, Rihtarion did react. He jerked violently, trying to get away from the instrument. The guard that had been standing behind him, holding his head, made sure to allow almost no room for the prince to move. The sound of Rihtarion's now ragged breathing filled the cold room. He was trying to breathe through his nose, hoping that the action would allow him not to make any noise. Apparently, the guard noticed this. The plump guard quickly began to slowly twist the still embedded knife towards the left. Rihtarion could no longer remain quiet. The sound of his pain filled cries filled the room. The men were all laughing at his expense, though Rihtarion wasn't even thinking about that. All he wanted was to get free of the object that was embedded in his side. He knew only too well that would not happen anytime soon. As he cried out in pain, a thought crossed his mind. What did the girl, the King's daughter, think of what she was being forced to see? Did she take pleasure in his pain? It mattered little. Either way, Rihtarion did not see himself ever being free again. He heard the King speaking once again. "To think that he is a Prince. Evelyn, can you see this creature as ever ruling? The thought makes me laugh." Laugh he did. Rihtarion was still struggling and crying out. He couldn't even fathom what they would do next. He only hoped that it would end soon.