the 12th Chapter

He recalled the great assembly and festival that was held in his honor on the day of his Going Forth upon the Dragon's March. It took weeks for him to travel from the King's City through the Great Kingdom and to the feet of the Shreken. Finally he had found the Southern Caves and to his great chagrin discovered that the royal map was incorrect. He had chosen the passage on the right and almost immediately encountered a strange warm breeze. The passage had not gotten any darker which was also strange, and then he was faced with another decision: follow a trail that led to light and possible detection too close to the surface or follow an underground stream. The choice was easy, the stream.

Fred continued scooping dirt and thinking upon how he had gotten to this strange imprisonment. He had followed that stream and the way became more and more dark. He had lit a torch and in that dim light had continued through curves and twists following the gurgling waters until he found himself looking at a pond of sorts and a floating chest thereupon. Fred scooped and still pondered what wonders were within that chest, floating as it did in mid-air above the cool waters of that pond. He waded into the pool with the intention to find out, but a sudden current dragged him downwards and he nearly drowned in seconds! He awoke wet and miserable on a beach and found soon enough a bottle with a strange letter within.

Fred still had the letter memorized:
Lord Fred... I was afraid you might end up here. I made arrangements for your safe arrival here, but that is the extent of the help I can offer you. If you follow the beach north, you should find some food and supplies I've stored for your survival. I'm sorry that I can't tell you more about what is going on. Time is short. You are not safe. I will tell you more when I can reach you. A Friend
Fred still had no clue who could have written it.

Hungry and bewildered, he had searched for who this 'Friend' might be. Instead he found the cave. He was too hungry, too tired, and too damn freaked by all that had happened, and so he slept, just slept, even when he had heard the noises. And now he was a prisoner, and it was all his own foolish fault. The few candles that burned outside the cage did not illumine much; only the guard really – a burly fellow with great big arms painted with tattoos. And so he scooped and continued scooping until his reverie was complete and he noticed with a full sense the shovel right beside the metal bars of the cage.

~~By all the crazy!!!~~ thought Fred to himself. Coming to his senses he put the spoon in his pocket and reached for the shovel. He began digging in earnest and praying all the while that the guard would not awaken.

1. The guard does not awaken.
2. The guard does awake.

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