The Green Shield of Camelot

[Isabelle]

I slowly woke up, my head spinning as I attempted to regain my vision, a cold sweat dripping from my pores. Or so I thought anyways.

As it all came back, I realized I was in a prison cell. Large stone brick composed the three walls and large metal bars made up up the fourth. I was laying on a dirty old bed. Small specks of dirt dotted the sheets, or at least I hoped it was dirt. I could see the pillow cover had green stains that rolled in lines where my mouth was. I was both hoping and dread prospect that those weren’t mine.

I sat up in my bed to get a better view of my room. It had a basic sink and a tiny hole in a floor I guessed was probably for pooping. Flies were travelling in and out from it, signifying that it hadn’t been cleaned out for a while.

The room itself was tiny, clearly meant for one occupant, not counting the rats scurrying about. The air was moist, leading me to realize that my sweat was merely the water in the air. The scent of mold was pungent.

I got up and peeked out through the bars. Long rows of cells, each one containing a prisoner. I could barely get sight of the ones further along, but across from my cell was a bulky green man who simply looked sternly back at me. In the cell next to it was an old woman. Both were clothed in black and white striped uniforms, though the green-man’s uniform was a lot less faded and ragged. I wondered how long the old woman had been here.

Suddenly, I spotted an armored guard walking down the hall, spear in hand. The metal clanging of his feet got closer and closer. Fearful of being reprimanded, I ducked back further into my cell and sat down on my bed, pretending I was minding my own business.

However, to my surprise, I heard the door to my cell slide open. I turned my head to see the same guard standing there, looking down at me.

“Come with me, you are to be audience to the Princess right now.” He said.

I was baffled, I’m just coming to terms with being a prison and suddenly I’m getting a royal invite. Reluctantly, I slipped out of my bed and stepped towards the man. He does a spinning motion with his finger, and I turned around, assuming that’s what he wanted. I feel him slide cuffs onto my wrists.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Now please, come with me.”

I followed the man down the hall and I finally get a good view of the other prisoners. People of all colors were represented, from the reds to the dark blues. But for the most part, the population was mostly some shade of green. I had been told about racism of sorts, how humans would judge each other for the color of their skin, but I haven’t really seen it practiced so widespread and openly. The closest I’ve encountered such a thing was in the underground against me, but I could understand their anger there. This however…

I was escorted up several flights of stairs. The change in tone from the prison to the first floor was jarring. The beautifully decorated main hall nearly took my breath away. If I didn’t know of the ugliness that went on below, I would have thought it to be quite the sight.

The second floor was a long series of desks, each one attended by a finely dressed sirs or madams accompanied by piles of paperwork. Many of the desk had men and woman of varieties of clothing sitting at them, either talking or listening intently. The place reminded me of the time Toriel opened a bank account. The teller sat us in a booth with a desk and explained to us how Mom couldn’t get an account without a social security number. Were all these people here for the same reason? Was this a bank?

We eventually made it to the top floor. Amongst an entire squadron of guards, there stood a young woman in a green dress. She had knee-length jet black hair, lime green eyes and a tiara that decorated her forehead. She took one look at me and gave me a pleasant smile.

“Hello! Hello!” She said, her voice sweet like nectar, almost sickeningly sweet. “My name is Princess Bonbon Sunshine. Please, come in! Don’t be shy!”