The walls of the dungeon of Vizima were stained with centuries of damp and despair, water dripped somewhere in the darkness. It was cold, the only light came from a single torch mounted on the wall.
Sebastian sat on a rough wooden bench in his cell, his wrists bound in iron shackles, his yellow eyes fixed on the darkness beyond the bars. His swords were gone, his belt was gone, he was stripped of everything that marked him as a Witcher, reduced to nothing more than a prisoner waiting for a judgment that had already been decided.
A guard stood nearby, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his face twisted with the kind of petty cruelty that only men in positions of power could afford. He looked at Sebastian with contempt and amusement, his voice was smug. "That pretty face of yours will probably rot in here, you know that, don't you, mutant?" the guard said, his voice echoing through the empty dungeon. "You'll be forgotten. Your questioning will take place, but we all know what will happen to you here. They'll find you guilty, and then they'll hang you if they are kind, or maybe they'll just leave you here to rot. Either way, you're done, mutant." He laughed.
Sebastian did not respond. He did not even look at the guard. His gaze was fixed on the skeleton that lay in the corner of the cell, its bones yellowed with age, its empty eye sockets staring at nothing. It had been here for a long time, forgotten and abandoned.
Sebastian's voice was soft, almost gentle. "Hi."
He paused, as if expecting a response.
"Of course you won't respond," he said. "You've been dead for years. You have better things to do than talk to me."
The guard's face twisted with anger. "Are you talking to that skeleton? Are you mocking me, mutant?"
Sebastian's expression did not change. "I'm not mocking anyone. I'm just... passing the time."
The guard opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, footsteps echoed from the corridor. Another guard appeared, his face hard.
"Get up," the guard said, his tone flat and unceremonious. "Your questioning will take place now. Move."
Sebastian rose slowly, his shackles clinking against the stone floor. "Yeah, yeah," he said, "Let's get this over with."
The questioning room was little better than the cell, a small, windowless chamber with a single wooden table and two chairs. A single torch flickered on the wall, Sebastian was led to one of the chairs, his shackles still binding his wrists.
The guard who had been questioning him sat across from him, his face hard, his eyes cold. He held a quill in one hand and a sheet of parchment in the other, ready to record every word that was spoken.
"Your name," the guard began, he clearly had done this a thousand times before.
"Sebastian," the witcher replied.
"Your purpose here in Vizima."
"To meet a friend. Nothing more."
The guard's eyes narrowed. "And the men you killed in the street? Who were they?"
Sebastian's voice was calm. "I don't know. They attacked me, and I defended myself. That is all."
The guard's quill scratched against the parchment. "You expect me to believe that five armed men attacked you for no reason?"
Sebastian's yellow eyes met the guard's. "I expect you to believe the truth, what you do with it is your concern."
The guard smiled. "We'll see what the magistrate thinks of your truth."
Sebastian leaned forward, his shackles clinking against the table. "I would have found out who those men were if you hadn't interfered and brought me here. I didn't resist because I didn't want to kill innocents, and knowing full well that you would not have listened to me at all, it was pointless to even speak."
The guard's face flushed with anger. "You..." He rose from his chair, his hand going to his sword. "Are you saying we should consider you a hero of some sorts? You butchered men, freak. You are nothing but a.."
The door burst open.
Vernon Roche stood in the doorway, his face hard, he was clearly angry. Ves stood behind him, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
"What the fuck is going on here?" Roche demanded.
The guard who had been questioning Sebastian rose, his face pale, his voice stammering. "Commander Vernon Roche... this mutant is.."
Roche cut him off, his voice sharp and commanding. "I know who he is. I'm asking what you are doing here, having him in shackles like some sort of criminal."
The guard's face went white. "But... he butchered men in the streets. We were just.."
Roche's voice was cold. "We took a look at those men, and they were not Temerians. They were armed, you halfwit. The witcher killed them. If anything, he probably prevented a far more gruesome butchering that was about to unfold." He paused, his eyes boring into the guard's. "Now get the fuck out of my sight!"
The guard hesitated for a moment, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. Then he nodded, his voice barely a whisper. "My apologies, Commander, we didn't know."
He fled the room, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Roche turned to Ves, "Fetch me the key to his shackles."
Ves nodded and left.
Roche took a seat across from Sebastian, his eyes studying the witcher's face with intensity. "We are sorry for this, Witcher."
Sebastian's voice was calm. "I knew it would only take a while for someone to come and get me out of here. If it hadn't happened, I would have left myself."
Roche's eyebrows rose. "Oh, really now?"
Sebastian's shackled hands began to glow. Flames erupted from his wrists, white-hot and blinding, consuming the iron bonds in an instant. The shackles melted, dripping to the floor in a pool of molten metal. Sebastian waved his hands at Roche. "See?"
Roche was speechless. "I... I didn't know witchers could do that..."
Sebastian's voice was matter-of-fact. "Well, I'm a bit unique. My Igni sign is more powerful than most."
Roche shook his head slowly. "What the fuck is that?"
Sebastian smiled. "Merigold would explain it to you. Just ask her nicely."
Roche was silent for a moment, his eyes still fixed on the melted shackles. Then he shook his head. "Whatever... What I'm here to do is to get you out of here, of course. But we can have a chat first." His expression grew serious. "Do you know who those men were?"
Sebastian shook his head. "No. But I know they came for me. They attacked me in the streets suddenly, I didn't really get enough time to search them. I might have known something."
Roche nodded slowly. "You might still get that chance. Their corpses are in our possession. We are doing an investigation as well, but I can confirm to you one thing.. they are not Temerians."
Sebastian's voice was thoughtful. "Good. I'll take a look, then."
Roche leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Sebastian's. "Why do you think they came for you, Witcher? As far as I know, you are someone of no renown. Did you do something elsewhere?"
Sebastian's expression was carefully neutral. "Nothing serious that I can think of..."
He said to himself, however, 'Dijkstra's task, perhaps? But I left nothing behind, for someone to trace it back to me. I never leave trails behind. No, this is someone else.'
He met Roche's gaze. "Are you sure this is not your King, doing this so I won't be able to leave and do his task?" Sebastian said. "Yes, I know you were there, Vernon Roche. You listened to my entire conversation with Foltest. You also had your men watching me.. you were watching me yourself. That's also why you know for sure I'm innocent, even if they weren't armed, even if they were Temerians, and this is also why I let them capture me without even trying to resist, not even slightly. Because I know you were nearby as well."
Roche smiled. "You can't really keep an eye on a witcher and expect it to be a successful task... Yes, I'm watching you. But you've proven so far to be... just a witcher. Nothing more." He paused. "You need to understand why we are so careful."
Sebastian nodded. "I do understand, I'm not daft."
Roche's expression grew more serious. "But I can also confirm to you, this was not done by the King. Our beloved King is just, and he is not a good schemer. That is actually one of his weaknesses." He paused, his eyes meeting Sebastian's. "I don't really know you, Witcher Sebastian, but I do think you are a good man from what I've seen for a single day, and I am a good judge of character."
He leaned forward. "So now I also ask you to accept the King's offer. Be certain that if news of what happened reaches him, he will be furious that they captured his guest, the one he wishes to have as his Kingsguard."
Sebastian sighed. "More like guard dog."
"Think of it however you like. It is an honor to be hired by a king, let alone stand beside one of the greatest kings of the North." Roche said.
Sebastian was silent for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly. "Very well. Let's just leave this place for now. The smell alone is killing me slowly."
Roche's smile widened. "It must be ten times worse for you."
The door opened, and Ves entered with the keys and Seb's swords, her face flushing with surprise as she took in the sight of Sebastian's melted shackles and the molten iron pooled on the floor.
"What the..." Ves began, her voice trailing off.
Roche's voice was calm. "Give him his belongings, and let's go back to the palace."
Ves nodded, still staring at the melted iron. She handed Sebastian his swords, his belt. He took them with a nod of thanks, his fingers closing around the weapons.
"Let's go," Sebastian said.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Shadow Monarch: In One Piece / Shadow Monarch in DC
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my pat-reon / FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to More Chapters Ahead of Release on All of My Stories!