"Damn kids." The man lightly grumbled in his cell. "Just wanted to protect young love and I get myself locked up."

He really hadn’t expected them to turn him in though. That was just heartless. He even nodded at the boy hoping he understood his intention.

The man was actually walking towards the gate in order to pay the toll but the guards just wouldn’t believe him.

It was heartbreaking. But the man knew it was his own damn fault.

He would kick himself if he weren't shackled.

The one thing he couldn’t ignore though was the quality of the cell. All of them were as nice too. That Philip runs a good country. The guards were a bit overzealous but that's fair in the situation.

He wasted time by reading the random graffiti scratched on the wall. Most was the typical vulgar stuff. But a select few were rather profound and inspirational.

One said ‘To get through all this put your trust into...’

From there someone scratched out the word and wrote ‘Jerry.’

The man couldn’t help but wonder who this Jerry was, and why he should be trusted to such a degree.

Nonetheless if he ever met a man named Jerry he would surely follow this wall’s advice.

"Lunch!" A guard says in a harsh tone. Sliding a tray into the cell from a small gap in the bottom. "Don’t make a mess."

The reason for those words of course were the shackles on the mans hands. It did make eating a bit more difficult but the man managed.

"Roya…?" The man says in amazement as he drank the soup. "Didn’t expect this bit of home comfort."

Finishing the bowl in a single gasp the man smiled with satisfaction. He set the bread to the side and slid the tray back to the designated tray return area.

Minutes later a guard retrieved it. The man wondered if this was really how his life would be now. The sentence for entry without a permit was two weeks of prison time and hard labor. What the man found strange however was the labor was actual paying work. Once outside of prison the payment was given. For a two week sentence you could easily make enough to pay for an inn for a few days, let alone the gate tax.

The man wondered if people ever entered prison purposefully. Two weeks of a warm bed and you get paid. That philip… he knows how to run a country.

"Hurry, hurry. Unlock it." A familiar voice says to the guard nearby the man’s cell.

"Wha… I… Yes your Majesty!"

"Ah, Philip. What brings you to my home?" The man asks with a smile.

"You…!" Philip says shaking his head. "If you even attempted to explain who you were none of this would have happened. You could have used my name you know!"

"Yeah, yeah." The man says shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly its nice here, if I were still living in the hut I might just say ‘leave me here’."

"Well… I appreciate the words." Philip says using a key he retrieved from the frantic guard to unlock the two sets of cuffs.

"And there was Roya in the soup. It was good. I’d never tasted something like it before. I wasn’t even hungry but I still had to try it."

"Oh?" Philip says in actual surprise. "Excuse me… Uhm… Guard."

"Yes your majesty." The guard salutes, still frantic by the fact that this prisoner talked to the king in such a friendly manner.

"The lunches are Roya?"

"Yes your majesty. The cooks said it is cheaper than pepper. If its a problem I can…"

"No, no. No problem. Actually I’m impressed. You all made me look good in a slightly bad situation. Tell the chefs they have my gratitude."

"I…" The guard couldn’t figure out how to respond. Was arresting this man really such a huge ordeal. The guard had never seen the king so frantic than when he saw the inside of the cell. In fact the king even visiting the prison was somewhat rare.

If it weren’t for one of the builders noticing the arrest scene from a distance the king might have never realized the man had been imprisoned.

Everything had been lucky this time. The king sighed as the two walked out of the prison.

"You almost gave me a heart attack. When I heard you were arrested I fell back into my chair."

"Ah, it wasn’t an issue really. I had actually resigned myself." The man says again shrugging. He was of course grateful but he had already put his trust into Jerry so he knew he had nothing to fear.

"Well in any case. Welcome to my city. I hope this hasn’t damped your view of it. What would you like to see first?"

"I spotted some carts as I was heading towards the gate. They smelled delicious."

"Ah, in the slums area. Indeed some of our most innovative cooking happens there. Two of the five personal chefs I employ came from the slums area." Philip explains turning down a large street and nodding. "Currently the big thing is fried tongue cubes. They are crispy and delicious. And the sauce is a vinegary take on Roya Mayo. Or if not that, a lot of people have been making tea from the new powder form of Roya, the little silk bags make perfect tea bags."

Unable to break into the words the man simply listened attentively.

Having been unable to see it originally the man took the chance to inspect the city. The streets were wide and flat. Seemingly made from a concrete similar to what had been used on the stones at his house.

Carriages moved along each direction keeping to specific sides. People walked under overhangs from the long line of connected buildings along the road. The city could be described as organized. Even the area the king had called slums were well built and tended to.

None had the image of pending doom as slums typically implied. Even the children that lived there seemed somewhat carefree and healthy as children should be.

Speaking of children the man spotted two while they walked. He had hoped not to see them again, in order to properly maintain his ‘bad guy’ image. He prayed the younger boy and girl wouldn’t tell their siblings. Or perhaps they wouldn’t recognize him from the distance.

"Isn’t that the king?" A group from across the street mumbled, attempting to keep the talks quiet.

"Mhm, mhm. I thought so too." Another adds joining in on the gossip.

Philip lightly frowns. "Is my incognito outfit really that lousy?"

"Mhm well…" The man lightly shrugs. "I wasn’t even aware you were supposed to be incognito."