Caught by the Guardian

20th Century

The witcher shuddered under the lord's intensive gaze. Here he was being locked up in the dungeon like a worthless criminal. His arms and legs were chained to the wall as if being beaten to unconsciousness wasn't enough. It was clear to him that he would join the realm of dead souls today. The first time he was brought to the dungeon no one hurt a hair on his skin, he was even treated fairly under the Witch Queen's orders but now it was different. He was tired of being threatened, strangled and mistreated.

His body felt numb and weak, his pale skin was covered in bruises although as supernatural creatures they have the ability to heal own their own, he couldn't because of the silver injected into his system. Silver turns to slow the healing process of Vampire and werewolf creatures. He yelped in pain as the silver rod slashed through his skin. He had become fed up with the people related to the Queen. Ever since he got the role of Queen's healer he has not found peace.

"Tell me what I want to know!" The lord demanded whipping the witcher again.

The witcher coughed out blood. It's been almost 24 hours since he got abducted by the Lord but it felt like weeks without seeing the black moon. His throat had gone dried due to constant begging and crying. With each stroke his flesh tears. He had been deprived of blood which made him weaker than normal. He wish badly to speak in order to free himself but he would be in far worse trouble with his Queen, the dragon and the Lycan king. 'It would be far better to die by the hands of this treacherous Lord than being burnt alive by the dragon,' He thought.

With the Lord's temper it seems it was a good decision by the council to hide information about the Queen's unborn child. 'He was acting like the broken-hearted lover or was it because of the mother and child bond that brings disastrous jealousy?' The witcher asked himself. Maybe he was a broken-hearted lover who was out to seek revenge. Their Queen was really something, having two men swooned to her feet wasn't enough but he the innocent healer had to be dragged into the battle of who wins her heart. A powerful whip drawn him out of his thoughts.

The Lord's hand wrapped around the witcher's throat in a suffocating grip, "you won't leave this cells alive until you tell me what I want to know. How did she get pregnant?" He questioned with menace.

Coughing out more blood, "By the creator, I utter the truth when I say I don't know how!"

"Then what was she being treated for?" he demanded roughly yanking on the chains.

Pain shots through his body making him gulp tightly, "S-she was weak and needed to regain her strength, that was all I was treating her for."

"You lie!" The lord seethed, slapping the witcher across the face.

"I dare not lie to you my lord for you are the right hand of the Queen." He lied effortlessly although the latter part was true. The lord watch the healer carefully wanting to read his body language but failed miserably. His instincts couldn't get the job done because of his strong emotions. But deep down he know the witcher withheld information from him. He wasn't stupid to know that and for him making a fool out of him he wouldn't live to see another black moon.

"Very well, since you have failed me as your lord, as the Queen's right hand I sentence you to d...."

"My lord!" A guard came to stand outside the dungeon cell interrupting the Lord.

"What is it!" The lord snapped, turning to look at the intruder with flaring nose.

"The Guardian lord has asked a search party to look for the witcher and he seeks your presence."

"The Damn Guardian pokes his nose where it doesn't belong." He yelled at the Guard.

Turning to the witcher with an evil smirk, "if you had heard of the afflictions caused by me unto people, you would have known how to value your present state." He stated and the witcher let out a sighed of relief.

He was grateful for the guard's interruption but more so to the Guardian for thinking about him. This made the witcher's heart lightened, "Huh, do not rejoice yet witcher. The evening is yet to come and I shall see to it before evening your miseries. Do you know why?" he whispered to the witcher's ears, making the poor man shiver.

"Because the sight of your misery is necessary to my happiness." He finished off saying. The witcher's relief of distress was short lived when a ugly slap made way on his cheek.

"Once you are free from the shackles of this dungeon, don't go blabbering to the Guardian. Remember it's your word against mine." His evil smile was now gone and it made him looked more intimidating than before. The guard who stood behind the closed steel bars, opened the iron door for the lord to step out.

"Make sure he gets cleaned before meeting the lord and watch his every move and eavesdrop on their conversation." He whispered to the guard.

"Yes my lord." The guard said before the lord left.

The lord came down from the dungeon to up the castle where the meeting chamber was situated. The guard at the door announced his presence and he went in. "My lord!" the Vampire lord address as he went in.

The Guardian's eyes shot up to meet the lord. He knew something was off about the lord the moment he came in. His eyes no longer held that soft gaze but anger. But what he found strange was the Vampire reeked of the witcher's cologne. Although he hadn't been around the witcher much, his sharp senses was able to pick up his scent the day he threatened to burn the poor man.

A fake smile plastered on his lips, "don't just stand there, come in." Waving his hand back and forth at the witcher who stood far away from him.

"Come here, sit!" He ordered, patting on the empty chair beside him.

Among the council board the most cunning and sneaky was Samurai whiles Nikolai was also cunning but quite repulsive which makes him predictable, but the man who sat before him was a snake under the grass, well hidden and difficult to notice. It was a known fact that although he couldn't sense emotion like the king, he was good at reading body language. His intelligence peaked the interest of the previous council and they made him head of the second council.

"You sent for me!" The Vampire asked as soon as his bum made contact with the chair.

"Hmm I did, If not you won't be here. What should concern you is why you are here." The sneaky Dragon said.

"I apologise my Lord. Please do tell!" He said returning the same fake smile.

The Dragon threw an arm around the Vampire, "why so stiff? Relax your muscles. I noticed you weren't present at the meeting yesterday." His gaze fell on the Lord.

"Which meeting?" He asked confused.

"Your Queen met her people yesterday. I even sent the Queen's Personal guard to call you. But it seems he couldn't get a hold of you." He watch the lord closely. He knew the man was up to something and he would find out soon enough.

"You refused the call of a council head, if not for the fact that you are a lord, I wouldn't have let this slide easily." The dragon said calmly.

"I apologise my lord but yesterday I wasn't quite well and must have slept during the time the guard came." He lied through his teeth.

'Such ugly lies', thought the Guardian.

"Quite funny isn't it, I thought Vampire's do not sleep except meditate. It's only the Vampire Queen who dies and that is not even considered as sleeping." He spoke harshly.

"I meant meditating my lord. I was deep in thought that maybe I didn't hear the guard's call." He said, regaining his posture. The Guardian looked him over amazed at the lies the Vampire uttered.

"That fine. It seems the witcher has gone missing under our nose." He pause waiting for a reaction but the lord was too calm and unconcerned to be innocent.

He continued, "how can a Vampire who is a guest of the Queen go missing within the castle walls?" He questioned watching the lord closely.

The lord knew the Guardian was the head of the council for a reason. He was never outsmarted. He nearly cracked under the dragon's accusatory gaze, "haven't you by any chance set sights on him?" he was sceptic about the lord. He knew very well the man was guilty enough to look away, which he did.

"No I haven't!"

"Hmm that what I've been hearing since yesterday from everyone, it's beginning to itch my ears." He sighed heavily.

He continued, "quite strange that one man could disappear without a trace."

The lord who was tired of unwilling keeping silent decided to speak, "maybe he left in the middle of the night to see his family."

"Maybe but I doubt he did since his family came looking for him today." Which was a lie to test the Lord.

"He could have gotten lost within the castle since the castle is quite huge or maybe he simply grew tired of serving the Queen." He bravely chuckled.

There was a knock on the door and a guard appeared, "sorry to interrupt my lord but it seems the witcher has been caught."

The dragon raised his brow at the word caught. The witcher wasn't a thief neither was he a criminal to be caught. "Let him in!" He said.

"Why is his hands shackled like a petty thief?" the dragon asked annoyed.

"He tried to run away from the castle and we caught him!" the replied pushing the witcher forward.

There were a lot of things that didn't add up, he knew the room was filled with liars, "but why would he run from the castle since he is a free man?"

"Maybe he committed a crime and is running before he gets found out." The Vampire Lord intervened.

The dragon lord was aware of the bruises on the witcher's skin, some where fresh while others looked a day old. His dragon eyes saw the torn skin under the clothes the witcher wore. "And could you explain why he is bruised?"

"My lord he was bruised and hurt when we saw him." The guard lied.

The Dragon wasn't satisfied with the guard's explanation. He ignored the guard and gave the witcher his full attention. "Tell me what happened to you?"

The lord saw how tense the witcher was at his question and how his gaze lingered more than necessary on the Vampire lord. The witcher's eyes had condemned the Vampire lord. The witcher gulped down, "I was attacked." He retorted.

"By who?" He interrogated the frightened man.

"I-I do-don't know. I couldn't see their face it was dark." He replied.

"When?"

"Yesterday!" His heart beats loudly in his chest.

"And those fresh wounds?" the Guardian brought up after a moment of silence.

"I stumble on my chained feet and fell off the stairs. He voice was shaking with every lie he told.

"Release him immediately and inform every guard and servant is the castle that the witcher is under my protection and a guest of the Queen. He should be treated with respect." The Guardian ordered.

The guard unlocked the chains around the witcher's wrist and feet and turned to leave but stop when he heard the Guardian say, "wait!"

Everything happened so fast that the poor guard had no idea what was about to happen to him and before he could blink an eye, he was on fire and his felt his whole body sting. He begun to scream. Both the witcher and the lord were stupefied. The guard was burning as he cried for the lord and witcher's help. But the witcher didn't know what to do even if he did he couldn't not, unless he also wanted to get burnt.

"In your next life, you would learn not to disrespect a guest of the council that is if you do come back." The Guardian smiled, ignoring the screams of the guard. The witcher watch as the dragon lord breathe out fire one last time igniting the dying flame.

The witcher had never been more terrified in his life. The horror before him, had scarred his mind permanently. The bruises on his skin will fade but what he had saw will never fade. The witcher eyes watered and couldn't believe the Guardian had burnt the guard just to prove a point. They all watched as the guard screams die down to his burnt body being the only thing left on the spot.

"Now that the show is over, do me a favour and inform all the servants and guards in the castle to treat the witcher with respect. If anyone lays a finger on him he would be burnt alive." The Guardian commanded with a pat on the lord's back.

The Vampire was shaken, he had never seen anyone burnt alive. One was burnt alive only of the highest treason. Now he was scared, scared to be burnt by the Guardian if the witcher tells the truth. His Queen won't even be able to save him. The Guardian was the head of the council and he could do whatever he damn pleases and no one would intervene. He gave the witcher a cold stare as if saying, 'don't you dare say a word'.

As soon as he left, "I speak the truth!" the witcher said quickly, getting on his knees without being questioned.

The Guardian's brow scrunched up, "I don't remember saying you lied." Although he knew well the witcher lied. The witcher instantly felt guilty and gulped down on an empty throat.

"Get up, you won't have to worry about him again. You will be leaving tonight with the Queen to the human realm." The witcher was shocked and terrified by the revelation, how did he know it was the lord.

"The Vampire lord won't lay a finger on you." He said casually sitting back down.

"My family!" he breath hitched when his brain screamed 'human realm'.

"They will go with you and the Queen to the human realm. Come sit, there's a lot to learn about the human realm. Did you know that their climate could burn your skin?" The Guardian chuckled amused at the terrified witcher whose eyes had gone wide.