Chapter 2
Regulos
The stars were watching me, as if they were greeting me, as if they were saying, welcome to freedom, your time has come.
I jumped over the wall, falling on the other side, breathless, with a scraped knee, but I had to keep going. Several armed men were following me, and if they caught me, they would force me to return to the palace where my mother would be waiting.
With this in mind, I pushed my already tired legs harder as I ran after the blond who helped me escape. He wasn't as tired as I was, after all, the training for a squire was intense, but the pain in his eyes was noticeable.
"Prince Regulos!"I heard my name being called, but I ignored it. We couldn't stop, not now, when we were so close. I could almost smell the salty air coming from the docks, and the sweet night breeze tousling my long black hair. The seagulls were squawking up above, and the merchants were closing their stalls, in order to end another day of work.
"Remus."I managed to shout, with my lungs burning from the effort. I should have listened to my brother when he said I spent too much time in the library and too little doing something physical, like running or fencing.
"What? Do you think I'll ever run away like you did? " I thought at the time. The irony of the situation did not escape me.
"We have to cross the sea line to officially be outside the territory." I managed to say before my breath ran out.
"How are we going to do this? The boats over there are all rowboats."he replied, slowing down a bit to run at my pace.
How could we forget something so important, the getaway vehicle? So many hours of meticulous planning, just to throw it all away because we don't have the damn boat. No, not a chance, we wouldn't sink like that. After all, lost for a hundred, lost for a thousand.
"We tried to escape in those,"-I shouted, over the noise of the royal guards running towards us.
"Are you crazy? A wave too strong and we're done for. Do you realize how dangerous it is to sail at night, especially on a boat that was built to stay close to the shore? It's impossible to control that thing."
"Do you see another alternative? It's just that I don't. We've come so far, we can't give up now."- I grumbled, ending the conversation. And if that were certain death? I've endured much worse and survived, a few waves won't bring me down.
We finally reached the sand, which made our progress a bit difficult, but due to the weight of their armor, the guards sank more than we did, making them slower. With this advantage, we quickly reached the wet sand, where it was easier to walk, and soon we were inside a boat belonging to someone I didn't know. I got in, placing my bag inside, wedging it between two boards so it wouldn't move around too much. Remus untied the ropes, releasing the boat and gently pushing it into the water. Agilely, he jumped inside, passing me his backpack, before starting to row away.
When our pursuers reached the line between land and sea, there was nothing they could do, for now, we were outside the land where they have power. This law had been in place for some years and stated that any inhabitant who is in any sea or ocean is protected from being captured, as the waters do not belong to any king or queen, nor to any territory. It was this law that allowed the pirates to escape all this time without ever being punished. They just had to be agile enough when they were actually on land, and they wouldn't be caught.
And it will be this law that will allow us to run away from my parents without them being able to do anything.
"That was close."- said the blonde, drinking a bit of the water he was carrying.
I lay on the bench, hands behind my head, while admiring the stars above us. I sighed before wrapping myself in the blanket I had brought with me. The last thing I saw before falling asleep were those almost white eyes, looking at the horizon, focused on the sea.
I was in a dark room, with no windows, no door, no exit or entrance. One of the walls was full of holes, which I assumed were for air to breathe.
"Is anyone there?" I shouted, cupping my hands in front of my mouth.
No response.
The silence was starting to bother me, just like the cold. I wrapped my arms around my body in a futile attempt to warm myself a little, while looking around for something that would help me understand what was happening. That's when he appeared.
Before me stood my brother, or at least, the one I thought was my brother, since his face was hidden by the hood of his cloak. The tip of the sword, attached to his belt, clinked as it struck the stone floor, just like his boots, as he approached me. He stopped right in front of me, before grabbing my neck with one hand and uncovering his face with the other. However, in place of his face, there was only a skull, literally made of bone.
"Look what you did to me!" he shouted in my face, before pushing me to the ground with all his strength.
I couldn't move, I was terrified, I was shaking from head to toe. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out was air. I looked up again and, this time, I saw Sirius's face looking at me, with a displeased, disgusted, angry expression.
"You also deserve to suffer the same fate as me."- he said, and that's when I understood that the holes were indeed meant for the entry of something, but it wasn't air.
In an instant, the room began to fill with water. At that moment, I regained my movements, splashing across the floor, I tried to find some opening, some rock that was out of place, anything.
"Good luck," my brother laughed, while he remained standing in the same spot, not seeming the least bit concerned that the water was already up to his waist. But why would a dead person worry about the possibility of dying?
Despair took over my body. The tips of my fingers were already bleeding from scraping my nails against the wall. The water level was already above my head, so I used my legs to stay afloat, while my hands still worked to find a way out, but no matter how hard I tried, no wall would give, so when the room was completely full, I just gave up.
I let myself sink, as the oxygen left my body. I met my brother, who looked at me with an empty gaze as I hugged him. His body was too thin, different from the last time I saw him. He was always the more athletic of the two of us, always running, or horseback riding, or fencing, or any other activity that required physical effort. He didn't hug me back, and with my last breath, I whispered:
Sorry.
" Regulus!" - Lupin was shaking me, with a desperate look. He looked around, seeming afraid of something that I still didn't have enough clarity to understand.
"What is happening..."-and then, a wave crashed over us, capsizing the boat and all its contents, which, unfortunately, included us.
The shock of the cold water, almost freezing, was enough to pull me out of the trance I was in after just waking up.
I looked around, seeing Remus struggling to reach the surface, and so I did too, after managing to grab Lupin's backpack, which was near my feet. I emerged, holding onto the hull of the boat, seeing the blonde on the other side.
"I'll count to three and we'll turn it over," he shouted, placing his hands under the boat.-"One, two, three!" - we joined forces, managing to put the boat back to its original state, after exhausting almost all my energy.
With great effort, given that my clothes were wet, which added more weight, I tried to hoist myself into the boat, which proved to be an impossible task, while the ocean continued to try to pull me to its depths.
I threw the backpack, which was still caught on my foot by the strap, inside, and tried to catch my breath while holding onto the wooden edge as if my life depended on it, and, to be honest, it did. Remus wasn't much better, his wet hair was scattered everywhere and I knew I wasn't much different.
I brushed my hair out of my eyes, which were obstructing my vision, with one hand, while the other kept me clinging to the plank of salvation. Lupin managed to get inside the boat, helping me as well.
"That was the last thing we needed," he commented, while the sea roared in the background and the first thunderclaps of a storm about to break could be heard.
"What do we do now?" I asked, realizing how poorly we had structured our plan. We didn't have any alternatives, no plan B or C, in case the main one went awry, as it was happening. We only had one goal in mind, to escape the Hogwarts realm, but what to do after that was always an unknown that we never gave much importance to.
Oh, if regret could kill, I would have been long gone, much before the storm did it for me.
"Do you see that light over there?" questioned the blonde, practically shouting in my ear.
I looked where his finger was pointing, truly seeing a small light that danced in the wind. The closer we got, the clearer the outlines of a small island became. Several tents were clustered near the shore, and further up, it was possible to see some wooden houses.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"Do you have a better idea?" he retorted, already turning the bow towards the village.
Actually, I didn't. But, if the news of my escape had already spread, I don't know how welcome I would be. And Remus, for having helped me escape, would have a fate much worse than mine. Since I was the only heir available to the throne, I would be spared the most terrible punishments, but Lupin, for having helped the prince abandon his royal duties, could be punished even with death.
Moreover, knowing my parents, they would blame the blond guy, saying he was the one who influenced my escape. I would be humiliated in public before being decapitated for the entertainment of the wealthiest, who had nothing better to do with their miserable lives, and I would be forced to witness everything.
"We have to be careful," I said unnecessarily.
" And don't we always?" - he commented ironically.
"Tell me again, why did I choose you to be my squire?" I asked, while rummaging through the contents of our bags, seeing what had been damaged and what was still salvageable. Thanks to the gods, most of our inventory had survived the plunge, except for a few pieces of bread.
"Because you knew it was the right decision, perhaps the only wise decision you made in your short life."
"Can you stop that? I'm only two years younger than you."- I said, rolling my eyes. Lupin loved throwing in my face that he had been on this stupid planet longer and had blown out more candles than I had, but the truth is that it didn't bother me. Every day that I live, is another day that I remember that, despite being here, others weren't so lucky. And it's my fault.
I ignore these thoughts, shaking my head to rid myself of the negativity. I can't think about that now, I can't let the past interfere with the present. I may not have been able to defend my brother, however, I will do everything in my power to defend Lupin.
"What will we do when we get there?" I asked, uncertain. We were going at about 10 knots, with only two miles left between us and the island, which meant that in less than 10 minutes, we would be face to face with an unknown people who might or might not be friendly.
"What we always do."- he said, keeping his eyes on the destination.-" Impress and leave them speechless."
Well, considering we were worse than two cats that had been fighting, only to almost drown afterwards, I would say that leaving them speechless wouldn't be the hard part, but impressing them? I wasn't so sure about that anymore. I wouldn't pass for a prince, that was certain, I looked more like a beggar from the streets of Hogsmeade than anything else.
"Remus."- I called, placing my hand over his, which was steering the small vessel.- Remus. -" I called, placing my hand over his, which was steering the small vessel. - We don't know if they will accept us, and I can't even use my authority as the crown prince, because, let's be honest, in what world do I look like one? We don't know if they will accept us, and I can't even use my authority as the crown prince, because, let's be honest, in what world do I look like one? What are we going to do? We can't stay at sea forever, our food is completely destroyed, half of our clothes are lost, we have no geographical sense of where we are..."
The plan went awry, literally, and besides dragging me into this whirlwind of lies and problems, I brought Remus with me, one of the best squires in the kingdom. So much that he could have achieved with all his potential, however, he chose to be my friend, without realizing that it would have serious consequences.
"Sorry, Remmie," I said. It's been so long since I called him by the nickname I had created for him at the very beginning of our childhood together.- I shouldn't have dragged you into this plan that was destined to fail. I shouldn't have dragged you into this plan that was destined to fail. I don't know what got into my head. I shouldn't have even run away, leaving all the subjects under my father's mandate, without anyone.
What was I thinking? Where was my head at?
I didn't deserve to be here, after everything I've done, after disappointing everyone. My parents, my cousins, my friends, my brother.
My gods. My brother. How I miss him, I just wish he were here, that he would hug me and tell me everything would be alright, while singing one of his modified lullabies.
"Regulus, look at me," I heard a distant voice proclaim. I looked around, seeing Lupin leaning over me, with something I didn't understand reflected on his face.- "Please, Regulus, explain to me what is happening and what I can do to help."
Help? I didn't deserve help. I deserved to suffer in silence, to drown in my sadness alone. I wouldn't drag anyone else down, I wouldn't take anyone else down with me. I had to pull myself together, for Lupin. After all, the blame for him being on this suicide mission is mine.
"I'm fine," I replied, despite feeling my legs still shaky. I wiped away the tears I hadn't even realized I had shed and looked towards the horizon, ignoring the blonde.- "Follow to that dock, there we can dock."
"Regs."
I ignored him, a good way to deal with problems you don't want to have. In the blink of an eye, we were stopping, tying the fragile boat to the wooden dock that showed signs of rot. We took the few belongings we still had left and began our journey to the visible outskirts of the village. None of us said anything during the journey, but I could feel his eyes burning into the back of my neck.
Our footsteps in the sand were loud and heavy, our breathing shallow and gasping. It was a miracle that they hadn't heard us arrive yet, but I didn't dare to sing glory before the hour.
We had reached the threshold of civilization, it was possible to see the smoke from a bonfire further into the center of the village, however, before we could take another step, we found ourselves surrounded by dozens of individuals, with masks that covered their entire faces, decorated with something that, in a disturbing way, resembled blood. It had two holes for their eyes, although some only had one.
They were in a pyramid formation, and those closest to us, at the tip of the pyramid, wore more ornate, richer masks, with gold and lilac color. They separated their formation, while the one at the front shouted orders in an incomprehensible language.
They surrounded us in a circle, with spears pointed at us. I picked up a broken branch near my feet, wielding it like a sword. I was back to back with Remus, who was picking up larger stones with the intention of throwing them.
"Who are you?" asked who I assumed to be the leader. He was taller than the others, and much more muscular. A tattoo of what I thought was an octopus wrapped around his right wrist like a black bracelet.
"We come in peace," I shouted, even though it wasn't necessary, since the silence was such that the environment seemed more dead than a cemetery.
"That's not what he asked," a voice, extremely irritating, replied.
"I won't ask again. Who are you?" - this time, striking the ground with the spear, being imitated by the others.
"Well, if you don't ask again, I don't see why I have to answer you," I replied, being blessed with a blade very close to my throat. Me and my habit of not knowing when to bite my tongue.- "Ok, ok. I already realized that humor is not your strong suit. I am Renato and my brother here is Rafael."
"We don't want any trouble. We were sailing towards Hogwarts, but we ended up losing our bearings. The storm didn't help us regain our sense of direction, and we thought all was lost, but, thanks to the gods, we were sent to your island."- Lupin concluded.
Well played. If we say that it was the gods who brought us to that island, the villagers cannot expel us, as it would be against the will of a god, and no one wants to tempt fate.
"Very well, welcome to our island, foreigners, and try not to get lost," said the supposed leader, lowering his weapon, followed by the others.
"It went better than I expected," the blonde whispered to me.
"What do we do now?" I asked, as my backpack was taken from me.
"We waited. We earned your trust. We didn't create any problems." - he said, looking directly at me.
"This only happened once, and I am still being judged like a child."
"Maybe if you didn't act like one."
"Gentlemen! If you don't want to go back to the sea, I suggest you stop the whispers and follow us. We want to arrive before sunset.-" he ordered, disappearing into some nearby bushes.
I felt the rounded tip of the spear on my back and realised I had no choice but to follow them. I still don't know if finding this island was luck or misfortune, but in any case, let's see how long our "luck" lasts, and I hope it's enough for me to come up with the next plan.
Escape from the Mysterious Island: The Sequel.