Welcome one and all to a very frosty Friday. The grass outside is white and crispy and I have a thick pair of fuzzy socks on to keep my tootsies from chilling. So now that my feet are warm, I am going to set the timer and get my writing prompt done. Everyone else ready? Excellent. Then lets go.
Well that prompt just cried out for a prison break didn’t it. Although I didn’t quite get there in the time allotted. I started though. I was just kind of slow this morning. Oh well. I’ve posted my take on the prompt below and after it’s posted I’ll put up next week’s prompts. Enjoy.
Friday, November 20th: Before today, no one ever escaped.
Before today, no one ever escaped. Bran was going to make history. He would be the first to escape. He would not spend his life wasting away here, serving time for a crime he didn’t commit.
‘A crime that never happened,’ he thought bitterly.
He knew why he was here. He knew why it was considered a necessity for him to be here. He was told.
Just before he was transported to the prison, Prince Renaldo paid his holding cell a little visit. The guards were sent away and the prince’s face slipped into a mocking grin. Bran was going away forever. He would be sent to prison and would be forgotten utterly by everyone. For a moment Bran thought to plead his case.
He protested his innocence. He claimed he had nothing to do with the murder. The prince listened and when he paused for breath, laughed. The laughter stopped Bran cold.
‘I know you didn’t kill him,’ Renaldo told him. ‘He’s still alive and working as one of my guards. As are all those who swore testimony against you.’
The prince was still chuckling to himself as he walked away. Bran was stunned. His mind whirled through the possibilities. There was only one that fit. The prince wanted Wendlo Castle. It along with the vast estate lands had been in Bran’s family for generations. With him jailed, the prince could claim the lands and castle for himself.
As he watched the guards outside his cell, counting footsteps to make certain that tonight there was no deviation, Bran allowed himself a small smile. Prince Renaldo would not find Wendlo so easy to take. There were reasons his family was sent there by the crown. Wendlo was never a reward, it was a punishment. The castle was beautiful, the lands rich and prosperous, but it was a trap and almost as much of a prison as the one Bran intended to escape from tonight. When he had his freedom Bran intended to get as far away from this prison as possible. He had no intention of going back to Wendlo, no intention of even staying in the Kingdom. He would leave and be the first member of his family to be free in generations. The prince was welcome to Wendlo. All Bran wanted was his freedom.
The guards steps paused exactly as usual and Bran knew he was turning the corner. He packed away his dark amusement and slipped his purloined key into the lock of his cell door. His cell was in a forgotten part of the system. Once a day someone dropped off food for him and then he was left alone. At first he thought it would drive him mad, then he realized there were benefits to being forgotten.
Ten til Midnight 