Brigwald was on patrol. Alone. An act that was out of the question for some of the lower level Watchers. However, you might say that Brigwald had some confidence in his abilities, he was still alive after everything he had seen after all. Though, this particular day turned into one that he would come to regret. Most of his route went off without a hitch, it was actually a quiet night. Then he entered the Stone Quarter after a lap around Beggar's Alley.
Three hooded men appeared out of the hedges a considerable distance away from Brigwald. However, his gut told him that they were a potential danger and through his past experiences, he learned that his gut was rarely wrong. It didn't take him long to realize that this was no exception. Each man had a club in their hand. Brigwald began to draw his sword and then everything went dark.
When he woke up, it was in pitch darkness. There was a large, painful lump on the top of his head. When he tried to stand, he immediately fell back down. It seemed that the wound had done more damage to him than he would care to admit. With time however, he was able to push himself to an unstable standing position and drag his feet around to move. It was then that he discovered the nature of his location. His hand found the familiar cold iron of a cell. The only difference was this time he was on the inside.
Almost as if on command, as soon as he touched the bar a cellar door was thrown open with considerable force. The light flooded into the cell, it was all too much. Brigwald stumbled back, trying to escape the light to save his eyes from any further pain. One of his legs gave way to his body weight and he took a tumble, smacking his head off the back wall. This time, his consciousness remained intact but he couldn't move. A figure opened the cell door and put a loaf of bread and a cup of water down before moving to crouch confront of Brigwald. Due to his current condition and the location of the open cellar door, Brigwald could only make out one distinct detail. The person's left ear was missing.
They ran their hand gently against Brigwald's face, like one lover may do to another. Then, they got up and left, closing the cellar door behind them and leaving Brigwald in darkness. This same process occurred for days. Though the person never did enter the cell again. On about the seventh day, the usual person came down and gave Brigwald his bread and water. But this time, they didn't leave. They stayed to watch. Brigwald resisted eating or drinking out of pure stubbornness. However, even Stoneheart is subject to basic necessities. So he took a hungry bite out of his bread and a gulp of his water. Then another bite of his bread, though he never did get to swallow that one. A spasm sent him onto his back and he began to seizure. The person on the other side just stayed and watched. Foam erupted out of Brigwald's mouth, his teeth clenched together on top of his tongue. His his entire body was cramping, there was no comfortable position to retreat to. For the first time in a long time, facial expression was pure desperation. Desperation to survive, at any cost. Though he was powerless to do anything, his biggest fear had been realized. After about ten minutes of pure hell, the cramping became less and less until eventually ceased. The person got up, put a new cup of water inside the cell and left. Brigwald drank it out of necessity. Nothing happened.
The days and the different cups of 'water' that came after put Brigwald through the most challenging time of his life. One day, the water caused him to vomit for hours on end. Another made his throat collapse on itself, limiting the amount of oxygen he could inhale. Brigwald could feel a physical difference on his face after that one. One day, the water made his entire body feel like it was on fire. Each time, after Brigwald had felt the effects of each cup he was presented with a fresh one, that was pure water. As a reward of sorts. Then there came a day when Brigwald's resolve had escaped him.
"Please. PLEASE!" He exclaimed to whomever was doing this to him. They offered him no response. However, they pitched out the cup of water they had on the ground and filled it up from the barrel that Brigwald knew to be fresh. Then retreated upstairs. Brigwald enjoyed his day off.
But it was not as great as it seemed. Two days passed, the person never came down. Brigwald was not fed or given water during that time. At first, the pain was so bad that he began to run into the cell door over and over and over again. One time, his shoulder made the primary contact with the door and he heard it crunch under his body weight. He emitted a scream of pain and desperation. It was then that he gave up, pulling himself to a corner of the cell. That's where he waited for his inevitable death. However, when he was at his weakest. The cellar door opened again something odd happened. A body fell hard from the cellar door to the floor. Brigwald thought it was the regular person at first, who had simply made a bad mistake. Though when a second figure descended, Brigwald immediately recognized the gait to be the regular. They came bearing two cups of water and bread. Brigwald accepted the first cup and chugged it hungrily. Then did the same to the second. After drinking the second, his body was rendered useless. He was unable to move, but was fully aware of his surroundings. The regular opened the door and dragged a body into the cell before turning their attention to Brigwald. Without uttering a word, they drew a knife and run it across Brigwald's face multiple times. Brigwald could not scream, but he felt everything. Then, with a slight giggle, they cut off his pinky and ring finger on his left hand. They then left for a time, leaving the cell door open, before returning with medical equipment and stopping Brigwald from bleeding out. Then they left.
When the other person awoke, they began screaming as a primary reaction. Brigwald deduced that they were male because of that. But he was powerless to respond to him to at least let him know he wasn't alone. The boy began exploring the cell before coming across Brigwald's body. Brigwald could tell he wasn't sure what it was at first, but upon further inspection the boy began sobbing and sat in a corner of the cell. It was hours before Brigwald had the power to speak to him.
"Crying won't help."
"Y-you're alive?"
"Barely. What's your name?"
"D-Dracius."
"How old are you Dacius?"
"Sixteen."
Brigwald sighed. Now, he was stuck in this cell with a boy who was completely oblivious to the horrors that would now befall them both.
