Chapter 7

Sampson imagined by now they would have realised he had gone missing and would be searching for him. By the time they realised he had left the castle he would be long gone along with Minnie and Perity.

They had carried on with their duties to avoid suspicion and were meeting him after dark. When he escaped he had forgotten to take a cloak with him and so he was currently shivering. The grass was ice cold and his feet were damp.

When he heard footsteps approaching he got up from his hiding place behind a large cedar tree only to find himself standing in front of the Prince. He faltered in his steps, his mouth gaped open in horror as his breathing rapidly increased. "How….how did you know I was here?". "It was obvious. If I were a servant I would escape through here too. There's minimal patrols and the forest leads out past the other Kingdoms".

He thought of Minnie and Perity, they would be coming this way and when the Prince saw them he couldn't be sure he would spare them even if Sampson asked him to. "How far did you think you'd get?".

"I was hoping to at least make it out of the forest", Sampson answered. The Prince's lips curved into a displeased frown. "I told you to rest your legs". As the Prince spoke Onyx called out to him. "Linshanth are you here?". Sampson's eyes widened. Is that what this was? Had the Prince taken the opportunity now that he was out of the castle to kill him? Had chivalry he had shown all been a lie?

As the Prince turned to answer Sampson turned on his heel and ran. He wasn't waiting around for them to kill him then dump his body for a lone fox or a wolf to eat. At least this way he was giving himself a chance. He was sure Minnie and Perity would forgive him for leaving seeing as he had no other choice.

"Sampson stop running, these woods are dangerous". The Prince ran after him and he was close. Sampson's legs were severely damaged and so he couldn't run as fast as the Prince but he knew this forest path well and so knew how to hide himself into his surroundings.

He dipped from the path and took a secular route, he wasn't sure if it would eventually take him out of the forest since it was large and it would take him a few days to know if he was going in the right direction or not. He only slowed his pace when he could no longer hear the Prince's footsteps behind him.

He had never been so deep into the forest path and given how dark it was he couldn't see what he was stepping on. The ground was harsh on his bare feet and he crunched over branches and leaves. He stopped entirely when his feet landed in something soft, much too soft for it to be mud but he prayed that it was considering the alternative.

He found out what it was without having to look as the longer he stayed stagnant the more he inhaled the putrid scent. He had smelt dropping from cows, sheep, horses and pigs but this was something in an entire category of his own. It was so sharp it made his eyes water.

He continued on his way wiping his feet along the grass to get rid of the smell. He made it three steps when he heard a low growl causing him to halt once more. The growl didn't seem to be coming from anywhere near him but it was loud and it came from a creature he had never heard before. He looked around, turning around fruitlessly but he could see nothing but dark and the large shadows of trees. The growl was getting louder and closer and Sampson still couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from or what it could be.

There was nowhere to hide either, having walked so far into the forest he was out in the open where the trees grew more sparce and the grass was thicker and untameable.

A hand clamped over his mouth and an iron arm wrapped around his waist. He tried to scream but given the hand was clamped so tight the only sound that came out were small muffles. He was half dragged towards one of the trees and pushed against it. He tried to scream again but as soon as he smelled the familiar peppermint scent he stopped resisting.

The Prince removed his hand from Sampson's mouth but kept him tightly pressed up against the tree. "Keep quiet", he hissed. The growling had only gotten louder and it was nearing them. "What is it?".

"Have you never heard a night beast before?", he asked to which Sampson shook his head. "You're in for a surprise then". By the sounds of it he would have rather he spent his whole life not knowing what a night beast was.

"Why? What is it?". "See for yourself". He followed the Prince's line of sight. From behind the cover of the tree he could see a gigantic beast. It was built the size of a horse with 4 bulky legs but it's body was small and round like a spiders. It's eyes were bright red, it's pupils black and it had sharp claws that scratched at the ground as it stayed growling into the dark.

"How long do we have to stay here?", he whispered. The Prince was so close that Sampson was talking directly into his earlobe. "Until I can find a way to kill it". "Kill it?". It was a task even for a Prince, the beast was twice the size of him and it looked lethal enough to kill him in one strike. Only someone with a death wish would choose to go up against it.

"Night beasts hunt for prey. It was following you which means it's caught your sent. It won't stop until it's ripped you to shreds and eaten your remains. It's not a nice way to go, believe me". Sampson shivered and not from the cold.

"The beast has gone, we've got to find somewhere to find camp for the night". "We have to keep going to get out of the forest". "I'll track you wherever you go, there's no leaving the forest. Besides I'm taking you back to the castle as soon as I've dealt with it". Sampson held back his comment that he wasn't going back to the castle mainly because he would only be wasting his breath if he did. He wondered why the Prince had bothered to follow him in the first place and not send one of his knights to do it for him.

"Stay close". He had grasped onto Sampson wrist when he had pinned him up against the tree and he still hadn't let go. Sampson shook his wrist up and down slowly and then violently when the Prince made no attempts to remove his hold. "Why are you still holding onto me?", Sampson finally asked having given up.

"You'll run away again if I give you the chance". "Not with a beast running around trying to eat me, I won't". "I wouldn't put it past you. The last time you tried to escape you were going to climb down the castle using bed sheets you had tied together". Sampson had marvelled at it being a good idea at the time but hearing the Prince saying it out loud he realised how ridiculous it was. He would have probably fallen to his death.

They walked on for some time until Sampson could no longer feel his feet and his legs throbbed so much he contemplated letting the night beast take him to relieve him of his pain. Finally they came across a clearing that was hidden behind the canopy of trees and shrubbery. "We'll rest here for the night". Sampson let out a relieved breath as soon as the Prince spoke.

"I'm going to get some logs to make a fire. Stay here". Sampson nodded tightly and the Prince dropped his arm. He hadn't hurt him, it was strange he had held Sampson in such a tight manner and yet hadn't left a single bruise on his skin. There wasn't even a red mark to show that the Prince had held him at all.

Now that the Prince had gone he drew his robe up his legs and inspected his legs. His feet and ankles had endured some cuts from having ran through the forest path with no shoes but they were merely scratches and would heal quickly. He was surprised to find the bandages the Prince had wrapped were still in tact. He thought they would have unravelled by now.

"Your bandages will have to be changed as soon as we get to the castle". He tugged the robe back down again and looked at the Prince who had an armful of branches in his arms. "Are you a cat? Do you enjoy sneaking up on people?".

"Would you rather I declared my presence so that you knew I was here". "I would rather you stopped showing up where you're not wanted", Sampson mumbled under his breath. The Prince made a fire whilst Sampson sat cross legged watching him. Since he had become Master Duncan's personal slave he had thought of the Prince incompetent. He had people for everything and he never lifted a finger. His perception of the Prince was changing whether he liked it or not.

"How do you know how to make a fire?". "Doesn't everyone know how to make a fire?", the Prince answered. When it was lit, Sampson stayed as far back away from the flames as he possibly could. He wasn't afraid of fire but he had been burned once before and he wanted to avoid it happening again.

The Prince seemed to have the same thought as he sat across from him. "I didn't mean to burn you back then Sampson. It was an accident".

"I don't know what you're talking about". He feigned that he wasn't the person the Prince thought he was, even now. "Why do you still deny it? I know it was you, what do you have to gain by pretending it's not?". The Prince felt like he owed him which exactly the reason why Sampson refused to admit it. The Prince wanted to help him and so badly wanted to believe he was the lost son of Vahda.

"I don't have anything to gain or lose which is exactly why I'm telling you the truth. I'm not the person you think I am your highness". "Must you keep calling me that, only the servants call me that". Sampson raised his eyes to meet his from across the fire.

"I didn't mean it like that but I would prefer it if you called me by my name, Linshanth". It still seemed to improper to Sampson to address him by his first name. If he were still a servant, calling him anything but the Prince would get him whipped.

"Those scars on your legs, how did you get them?". Maybe it was because he was tired and the thought of sleep was far from his mind or because he thought he would go mad with the boredom of sitting with the Prince he decided to entertain him. "Have you ever heard of the long brush?".

"The long brush? No, I can't say that I have". "Well it's the size of a broom but instead of the wicker ends it had metal poles attached to it. The cook got a blacksmith to make it for her".

"And she beats you with the long brush?". Sampson nodded. He couldn't see his face from across the flames but strangely he thought the Prince looked angry. "For what reason would she have to beat you with the long brush?". "I've been beaten for lots of things. Dropping plates and bowls, coming into the kitchen when she's busy but that's only because Master Duncan has a request for her to make something for you. The last time I was beaten with it was because I was trying to steal scraps from the dogs. She caught me and hit me with it eleven times".

"How often does she beat you?". "As often as she can. It's her very own method of torture". "Does she beat the other servants?". "She'll beat anyone that's below her in status and crosses her". The Prince didn't speak for some time and Sampson rolled his head against the tree he was lying across. This position only aggravated the knots in his back but lying down would only make it worse.

"The cuts on your knees are different", the Prince said after some time. "I said before I'm clumsy, I trip over things", Sampson mumbled. He could never tell him that it was Master Duncan that had beat him. The Prince had been in attendance a handful of times when Master Duncan had beaten up and had never spoken up so he doubted he cared at all. But if it affected Master Duncan's position at all Sampson would live to regret crossing him.

"Is that why you didn't want me to see your legs before?". "I was trying to save you, it's ghastly to look at", he murmured. "I've seen ghastly things in my time Sampson and your scars are not". He was sure the Prince was only trying to make him feel better and so he didn't know how to respond. It didn't seem like there was anything else to say on the matter so he changed the topic.

"Why did you run after me? The knights were right behind you, you could have sent them to collect me instead". "I wanted to ensure your safe return to the castle myself". "Then you've wasted your energy. I won't be returning to the castle".

"Really? Not even to see those two serving girls you're so close too". Sampson jumped up in alarm. "What have you done to them?", he demanded. "Keep your voice down, there's still a night beast out for your blood. They're fine. I caught them sneaking away and so I followed them. When I saw they were going out into the woods I stopped them".

"If you've hurt them in anyway", Sampson threatened. "I haven't hurt them Sampson". "How can I trust you?". "You'll have to come back to the castle and see for yourself". He didn't think Linshanth was lying but he couldn't be certain. "Why are you intent on running away? You are well protected in Toombak, nothing will happen to you. As the lost son of Vahda you have your own status".

"How can you be so sure I'm the lost son of Vahda?". "I can feel it". "You can feel it? How?". "I felt it the first time we met as boys and I feel it now. Toombak's and the Vahda tribe both possess the use of black magic". "If I possessed black magic why would I not have known before?", Sampson asked.

"You most likely supressed it before. The souls were made with black magic but it was a dangerous type of magic that they had no business messing with. There are consequences for those who try and bring the dead back to the land of the living".

"You said you can feel I have magic then prove it. Show me how to do magic". "Not tonight, you're not strong enough". "I am", Sampson pressed. It was dangling one of those glorious apples in Sampson's face and telling him he couldn't have a bite. He would go mad if he didn't try it.

"Okay fine, but when I say to stop, we do". "Fine". Sampson shuffled over to the Prince. "This is something we're given to do as children". He took a rock from the ground and pressed it into Sampson palm. "What am I supposed to do with this?".

"Make it float". "How?". The Prince took it back from him, holding it out into his own palm. No more than a second later the rock started to lift from his palm and drift into the air. Sampson watched it on awe. As the rock lifted right above their head and then dropped back into the Prince's palm. "I thought you needed say words in order to do magic".

"We're not sorcerers Sampson, we don't need words to do magic, it comes from within". The more Sampson thought about it, the more it sounded incredibly difficult. "I don't understand. How does it come from within?".

"You try it. Here". He placed the rock in the centre of Sampson's palm. "Nothing's happening", he spoke after a moment. "It isn't going to happen unless you try". Sampson stared hard at the rock willing it to float from his hand but it didn't move an inch. "See, I told you I possess no magic", Sampson spoke on defeat. "Staring at it isn't going to help. You have to move it with your mind".

"How am I supposed to do that?", he spat irritably. "I find thinking of bad memories helps with my magic, considering the life you've had I'm sure you're no short of them". Sampson scowled at his words. "Settle on one and focus on how you felt in that moment". There were so many memories it was hard to pick a specific time. He thought of Master Duncan hitting him with his cane and subjecting him to his abuse, the cook and her long brush and even the Prince who sat there and did nothing.

When he opened his eyes again the rock was still there centre in his palm. "It's not working". "You think you're the only one that's got it first time. It's been a long day you should rest your head, you can try again tomorrow".

"And what if it doesn't work again tomorrow?". "Then you try the day after". "And if it doesn't work again". The Prince responded with poignant expression on his face. "When are you going to accept I'm not the person you think I am".

The Prince shifted, lying back against the tree they were leaning on. "You're exactly the person I think you are. You just don't believe it yourself but in time you will". "Do you enjoy never giving a straight answer? Don't tell me that's something they teach you when teaching you how to be a royal", Sampson murmured distastefully.

"Everything can be taught but not everything can be learned". Sampson rolled his eyes, before he made his way to shift away from the Prince. "What are you doing?". "Moving over there to sleep". "You should stay close. We may need to run quickly if the night beast finds out".

"Fine". Sampson shifted as far away as he could whilst still being at arms length for the Prince to reach him. He closed his eyes for a while but the knots in his back were so unbearable that it wasn't long before he opened his eyes again. When he did he saw the Prince staring at the fire. "Are you not going to sleep?".

"I'll stay up and keep watch". "It's a good idea, we'll take turns". "I will take watch myself". Sampson rolled onto his side only to give him a searing look. He should know by now nothing worked on the Prince. "Do you not trust me to keep watch?". "Considering you have no experience with night beasts I cannot trust when you would know that it was about to attack us. They are extremely intelligent creatures and know how to sneak up on their prey. You would only know it's caught you until it's bitten your neck in half".

"How do you know so much about them?". "I've hunted them for many years. We need to keep their numbers low so they don't come into the castle". "How do you hunt a creature like that? It doesn't even look like any beast I've seen". "I'm sure there are many things you haven't seen". It was true so he didn't dispute it. The more time he spent with the Prince the more he realised what a sheltered life he lived.

"Is that something I will have to learn, to hunt night beasts?". "Not yet. You need to know the basics first". "I don't understand. If I can control the souls why can't I just tell them to leave. Why must I be trained?".

"Do you know how to kill a soul Sampson?". "No". "No one does. The souls cannot be killed, you telling them to leave only brought them to the next nearest Kingdom, you only moved them along". "What?", Sampson asked in disbelief. "They are destroying the Kingdom of Enriv as we speak". "But I thought I stopped them. I stopped them from destroying Toombak". "The souls were created in a powerful curse by the Vahda tribe and it's only a member of the Vahda tribe that can break it".

"What if I can't break it?". "You doubt everything, you are nothing like the boy I met in the woods. He wanted to grow up to be a knight one day". Sampson drew blank. Did he really think he could have been a knight? He couldn't even remember what it must have felt like to dream anything was a possibility.

"That boy hadn't learned of his position yet". The Prince tugged his arm, his thumb circling over the burn mark once again. "Why did you run away? I could have saved you from the life you lived until now if you would have let me", he asked seriously, his eyes wide and burning with anger.

There was a reason Sampson left after making a pact with the Prince that he would stay by his side forever and that was because he didn't believe it could really happen. It was the first day he had been put in Master Duncan's charge and the old man had scared him. He didn't have the cane then and instead used his hands as a weapon. He had slept Sampson hard making his nose bleed and then he had slept him again when the blood had dripped down to the floor making a mess. Sampson could never tell the Prince he was afraid and he still couldn't know.

"You keep acting like I don't have a good life. I have never once complained about the things I have been given". "What have you been given other than the scars on your legs?", the Prince spoke lowly. He traced the scar. "After all these years, it still hasn't faded".

"Burns don't tend to fade". He let out a low breath before he spoke again. "I will come back to the castle with you but I have certain conditions". "What conditions?". "I want Minnie and Perity to be relieved of their duties. They are to be my personal assistants instead". "Minnie and Perity? Are you talking about those two servant girls?".

"They have names", Sampson spoke through gritted teeth.

"The brown haired girl was the one you were trying to save in the grand hall. Are you…?". If he had asked before Perity had told Sampson to marry her he would dispel any truth to it but now he wasn't so sure. Making her his personal assistant would give her a higher status which meant they both would receive more attention and not all of it good. At least he could ensure any man she did marry would be someone she chose.

"We are close friends. Minnie and Perity and I all arrived at the Kingdom at the same time". "Is that your only condition?". "No. I don't want a servant so don't assign me one". "You will struggle without one". "I will manage", Sampson murmured. "And..". He thought hard, if the Prince was going to agree to these conditions he would have to make them worthwhile.

"And the knights can no longer kill any of the servants". "Knights do not kill servants. They protect the Kingdom from harm". The Prince's bold arrogance irritated Sampson so much he wanted to shake him but he refrained. "The knights have killed more servants than those who have died from working too hard. These are my three conditions, if you cannot agree to all of them I won't come back to the castle". The Prince held back the words that he had no choice regardless, Sampson had to come back to the Kingdom whether he liked it or not.

"I agree to these conditions, but if you try to run away again I will lock you in a cellar at night and only take you out for training". Sampson smiled brazenly. It made him want to escape just to see if the Prince would make good on his word but he wouldn't because then he wouldn't keep the promises he had already made to Sampson.

"Go to sleep now Sampson, we have a night beast to kill tomorrow". Sampson snorted. He would let the Prince kill the night beast whilst he stood back and watched. It was not a creature he ever wanted to encounter again in his lifetime.

He faced away from the Prince and levelled his breathing. He wouldn't sleep, the pain was too unbearable but talking to the Prince had made it disappear for a while.