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“I’ll fucking kill you,” Tommy growled, tugging on the restraints keeping him tied to the leg of the bed. They didn’t budge. And the king didn’t seem phased by his threat.
“Sure you will, son,” Phil answered.
“Don’t call me that!” Tommy barked. “I’m not your damn son! Fuck off!”
“Why must you insist on being so difficult, boy?” Phil sighed, shaking his head as if Tommy’s anger was just a minor inconvenience. It only fueled Tommy’s rage further.
“Because I don’t want to be here, genius!” Tommy scoffed. “Sorry, I don’t take to being kidnapped very well, dickhead.”
Phil laughed loudly, throwing his head back and putting a hand on his stomach.
“Kidnapped?!” Phil repeated. There was a sly, knowing look in his eyes. “You were just brought home. The town is celebrating our reunion. Their spirits are higher than they’ve ever been because of you. You’ve given them hope for the first time in years, son.”
“You are full of bullshit!” Tommy screamed. “I’m not your fucking son! You’re keeping me here against my will! That’s called kidnapping, dumbass!”
The king stepped forward, standing a few inches from Tommy’s face. Unfortunately, because of the ropes on his wrists, he couldn’t deck the guy in the face.
A firm hand gripped Tommy’s chin tightly, forcing their eyes to meet. Tommy’s eyes were full of anger and spite. Phil’s were mischievous and smug.
“Listen, we can do this the easy way– you accept this. You get to live a pampered life under my guidance. You get to be royalty, you ungrateful brat. The world could be ours– or we can do it the hard way,” Phil whispered darkly. “The choice is yours. Either way, you aren’t leaving.”
The threat meant nothing to Tommy. Phil could go fuck himself.
Tommy let him know that in the form of spitting on his face. The thick glob of saliva landed just under his left eye, slowly dripping down. Phil let go of Tommy’s face abruptly, taking a second to process the action.
“Very well,” Phil sighed, sharply wiping the spit off. “So be it.”
Phil turned around, walking towards the door.
“Techno!” he called. A massive guard stepped into the room, eyes focused on Phil. “Bring him to the throne room. Make him presentable and get a crown onto him.”
The guard– Techno– looked over at Tommy with a blank face. Tommy couldn’t read any emotion from the man. He was a stone wall.
Phil walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Tommy was stuck in the room with a guard, tied to a bed frame, utterly helpless. He had nothing other than his words. The guard could do whatever he wanted.
Tommy knew it was a bad idea to piss him off, but he wasn’t going to play nice for these psychopaths. They kidnapped him and tried to force him to play along with their sick, dumb fantasy. He wasn’t giving in. He wouldn’t become one of them.
“Kid,” the guard started.
“I’m not a kid,” Tommy snarled immediately. “Fuck. You.”
Techno sighed, walking around the room. He entered a walk-in closet, rummaging through things out of Tommy's sight.
He took the moment of being unsupervised to try and tug on the ropes holding his arms in place. His shoulders were hurting from being yanked backward for so long, but he wouldn’t admit that. They could torture him all they wanted. Tommy could withstand pain. He wasn’t budging.
Whoever tied the ropes did one hell of a job. Tommy couldn’t get them to loosen in the slightest.
Techno came back out of the closet with a set of folded clothes. They were shades of light and dark blues with gold and white accents. Antarctic Empire colors. On top of the clothes, there was a golden circlet with emeralds and sapphires embedded into the metal. It was something meant for a prince.
Not. Tommy.
Techno and Tommy had a brief staring contest. Tommy narrowed his eyes, challenging the guard.
Techno didn’t look impressed.
“I’m not fucking wearing that,” Tommy stated.
“Too bad it’s not up to you,” he said, sarcastically adding, “your highness.”
Tommy kicked out his legs, trying desperately to hit Techno in the shin or ankle or anything. He couldn’t reach.
“Fuck you!” Tommy yelled, continuing to flail his legs. He wasn’t a damn prince. He didn’t belong to the Empire. He wasn’t Phil’s long-lost son. He wasn’t any of it! He was just Tommy!
“Kid, you’re like fifty pounds,” Techno deadpanned. “You’re wasting your energy.”
If that was a challenge, Tommy accepted. Yeah, the guard could overpower him and hold him down, but that didn’t mean Tommy was going to make it easy. He would fight every single step of the way. Fuck the Antarctic Empire. They were all assholes.
“I will kill you,” Tommy threatened, glaring at Techno with a feral look.
Techno rolled his eyes, approaching the teen.
“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Tommy screeched. “FUCK YOU. FUCK OFF.”
♡
Techno was right. He could overpower Tommy. He could force the boy into the outfit made for a royal. It wasn’t difficult considering their size difference.
But Tommy made sure to try and kick, punch, bite, and scratch Techno at every opportunity he got. He managed to give the guard a short bloody nose, but nothing more. His knuckles and knees were bruised from slamming into solid iron armor over and over again.
When Phil caught Tommy, his direct order was, “do NOT, under any circumstance, raise a hand to him. If I find a single scratch or bruise on his skin, the one responsible will meet an untimely death. Am I understood?”
Tommy intended to use that to his advantage. If Phil wanted his “prince” to be unscathed, so be it. That only meant Tommy could be as much of a bitch as he wanted, and Techno couldn’t hurt him.
Yet, despite it all, Techno had Tommy thrown over his shoulder. His wrists were tied together in front of him, and his ankles were bound. They were walking down some hallway. The castle seemed to be nothing but endless fucking hallways.
Tommy tried to kick his legs and slam his fists into Techno, but it hurt Tommy more than the guard. Fuck his armor.
He tried screaming for help at anyone they passed, but the other guards wouldn’t acknowledge him or even make eye contact. It was like he and Techno were invisible.
“I hate you,” Tommy grumbled, going limp in Techno’s hold. Even when he tried wiggling, Techno’s hold didn’t loosen. He needed to reserve his energy for later– when he actually had a chance at escaping.
Techno didn’t acknowledge him, like usual.
“Where are we going?” Tommy complained. “I can fucking walk on my own.”
Techno continued walking. Tommy bounced uncomfortably on his shoulder.
“God, you’re just the life of the party, aren’t you, dickhead?” Tommy muttered.
Techno stopped walking for just a few seconds. Tommy tried to lift or turn his head to see what was going on. All he could get a glimpse of was two large doors opening before Techno started walking again.
They walked into some room, and two guards shut the doors behind the duo. Tommy didn’t bother trying to scream at them for help. They wouldn’t do shit. Tommy needed to get out of this on his own. Royal guards weren’t going to go against the king because a kid asked for help.
Briefly, Tommy considered how many people were brought in screaming and begging for mercy. The guards were probably desensitized to shit like that. The thought made Tommy shiver.
“Ah,” someone gasped. Tommy grimaced at the voice. Fucking Phil. Tommy couldn’t deal with that motherfucker again. “How nice of you to join us, son.”
“I’m not your damn–”
Tommy screamed (it was a very manly and very masculine scream). Techno suddenly dropped Tommy off his shoulder, sending the boy crashing into the floor. He landed unceremoniously on his stomach, unable to even stand up with his ankles tied tightly together.
He looked up, unsurprised to see the king staring at him from his ugly ass throne. Of course, they were in the throne room. Phil did tell Techno to bring him to the damn place.
“Fuck you,” Tommy huffed, trying to sit up. His hands slipped on the tile, sending him flopping back onto the ground like a newborn fawn.
Phil chuckled at his failed attempt. Tommy couldn’t do anything more than glare.
“Untie him,” Phil directed. “Bring him here.”
Techno stepped forward, grabbing Tommy’s ankles and yanking them up. Most of Tommy’s weight ended up on his face, shoving his cheek into the tile. His hands struggled to get traction and just slid when he tried to hold himself up. It looked like an awful attempt at doing a wheelbarrow exercise.
Then, Tommy’s legs were cut free from the ropes and dropped onto the floor. Next, Techno grabbed Tommy’s wrists, pulling the teen to his feet. He unsteadily stood up, legs wobbling slightly.
Techno stared directly into Tommy’s soul while untying the rope from around his wrists. By some witchcraft shit, the rope easily untied and fell away when he pulled on them.
Tommy immediately pulled a wrist back, curling his fingers into a fist. He swung at Techno’s face as hard as he could.
The guard stepped to the side easily, shoving the back of Tommy’s head. The forward momentum sent him flopping onto the ground.
Tommy cursed under his breath, scrambling back to his feet.
“Look, kid, I’m not-”
Tommy swung again.
Techno moved aside and shoved Tommy down again.
Tommy faceplanted. Again.
Tommy got up. Again.
“Stop humoring him,” Phil instructed. “Just bring him here.”
Tommy swung, ready for Techno to sidestep this time. The guard caught his wrist and pulled Tommy in so his back was against Techno’s chest. Tommy clawed at Techno’s arm caging him in. His fingers just slid off the metal.
“Why do you even bother?” Techno sighed. He began walking towards the throne, forcing Tommy along with him. He tried digging his heels in and making it difficult, but Techno had no problems just pushing him along. It didn’t help that the fucking tiles were slippery as fuck! Tommy couldn’t get any traction. Did they fucking wax the damn floor before he showed up?
Once they were close enough to the throne, Techno let go of Tommy and gave him a rough shove forward. He landed on his hands and knees at Phil’s feet.
“Gentle,” Phil chided, though it didn’t sound overly serious. “He is your prince, after all.”
Tommy heard Techno scoff somewhere behind him.
“Get up,” Phil said to the teen.
Tommy slowly looked up. Phil was on the edge of the throne with a hand held out. Tommy didn’t need his fucking help.
He looked over his shoulder. Techno was the only guard in the room. There were two guards outside, stationed at the doors. His limbs were free. He could run.
Correction: he could try to run.
“You won’t make it out of this room,” Phil interrupted as if reading his thoughts. “Come sit with me.”
Tommy considered his options. They were severely limited.
Before he could decide on a course of action, Phil leaned forward and grabbed Tommy by the arm. He yanked the boy to his feet and pulled him forward.
Tommy tried to resist, yelping and screaming bloody murder all the while, but Phil had no problem overpowering him. Before he knew it, he was sitting embarrassingly on Phil’s fucking lap. The king had his hands pinned to his side by a large arm crossing over his chest; his other hand was grabbing a handful of hair at the back of Tommy’s head, pulling back slightly to expose the boy’s throat.
“I’m going to KILL you,” Tommy growled, fruitlessly trying to struggle.
“Speaking of,” Phil hummed. Tommy could hear the sadistic grin in his voice. “Let me explain what’s going to happen here.”
“I don’t fucking care!” Tommy shouted.
“Techno is going to bring in some of our citizens. They can’t wait to meet the king and his son. It’s an honor. They all want to spoil and shower you with gifts. And you, son, are going to behave.”
Tommy didn’t fucking give a shit– actually, wait, no. If people were going to come into the throne room, Tommy could get help. The guards were used to listening to people scream while doing nothing. They were mindless drones for the king.
But random citizens? Tommy could get them on his side. Sure, they were loyal to Phil because he was their king or whatever, but they were more human than the fucking guards. Tommy had a chance.
It took a second, but that thought sunk in eventually. Tommy had a chance! He’d only been in the castle a few days, and he already had a chance to get out! For being a king, Phil was dumb as a doorknob. He was about to get outplayed by a kid.
“All you need to do is play your part,” Phil stated simply. “You’re going to be the new face of this country, after all. You’re the only thing giving them a slice of hope during these war times. Everyone is depending on the prince. Our reunion is the first bit of good news they’ve had in months. They’re all looking up to you, Tommy.”
Tommy stopped trying to fight against Phil. He let the king shift and maneuver him around.
For now, just for now, he’d go with it. All he needed was to see another person. They would help him. If everyone had so much faith in him, they’d want his happiness. I mean, who would deny a sad little boy help when he’s begging for his life?
Tommy was getting out of this! Hah! Phil was a fucking idiot. Why did he think exposing him to the public already was a good idea? His stupid ass threats wouldn’t keep him in line or make him behave. But he’d let the king believe that for a bit.
“Good,” Phil praised, loosening his hold on Tommy’s hair. Instead of pulling, he gently twirled and played with the baby hairs at the nape of his neck. “Techno, go get our first guest.”
Tommy struggled to stay in place and not shift eagerly. This was his chance to get the fuck out. All he needed to do was wait for Techno to bring in someone who’d help.
Techno disappeared out the doors for a moment. Phil continued playing with Tommy’s hair, humming softly. He seemed far too happy about this. Tommy couldn’t wait to ruin his mood.
“Don’t try anything foolish,” Phil warned quietly. The warning went directly in one ear and out the other. As if. Phil had no clue who he decided to kidnap. Tommy had a knack for disobeying authoritarian figures. Especially if they were assholes.
Techno reappeared a few moments later, ushering a woman and her young child into the throne room. She looked to be somewhere in her thirties if Tommy had to guess, but Tommy met much older people who had taken part in terrorist attacks. Age wasn’t any reason to underestimate someone.
Her toddler was carrying a large bouquet of red flowers. He seemed to be struggling to carry it given it was almost as big as the kid. It didn’t help that his mother was holding one of his hands; so, he had to hang onto the flowers with only one hand. He waddled in awkwardly beside her.
The woman, however, smiled brightly, staring around the room with wide eyes. Eventually, she turned her attention to Tommy and Phil. She gasped quietly, admiration lighting up her face.
When they got a few feet away from the throne, she dropped down into a bow and forced her toddler to do so as well. He nearly dropped his flowers. A few red petals fell out onto the floor.
“Your Majesty,” she greeted, keeping her head low. “Your Highness. It’s an honor.”
This was Tommy’s chance. He could-
Phil yanked softly on Tommy’s hair. It wasn’t hard enough to be obvious, but it forced Tommy’s attention to be on the king. It was clearly a warning. One Tommy wouldn’t heed.
“You may rise,” Phil said with a grin clearly in his voice. The woman probably thought it was from high spirits of having his “son” returned to him. Tommy knew it was much more sadistic than that.
The lady stood up straight, staring directly at Tommy.
Maybe it was a bad idea to ask the first person to help him escape. Maybe he should’ve waited longer to gain more of Phil’s trust.
But Tommy wanted out.
Their eyes were locked together. Tommy put on the best beggar, poor boy, little kid, puppy dog eyes he could muster up. It was a trick that got him far in life. He’d perfected gaining people’s pity.
Then, when he looked pathetic enough, he mouthed one simple word.
“Help.”
Her smile faltered and her eyebrows furrowed. Bingo.
“Techno,” Phil shouted suddenly, tightening the arm around Tommy’s waist. Tommy’s heartbeat picked up, his fight or flight mode kicking in.
What? Why did Phil want Techno? He was just escorting people in and out!
The guard stepped forward, standing just behind the woman. He nodded to Phil. Tommy couldn’t see the king, but he assumed the man nodded back.
No. This wasn’t part of the plan. Techno wasn’t supposed to be involved! He was meant to just stand there like all the other stupid fucking guards!
Tommy was on edge, staring at Techno so close to his key to freedom. Why didn’t she move away or do anything? She didn’t even turn her head!
The woman started to open her mouth– to ask a question, to call Phil out, to help Tommy, or whatever. The young boy would never know.
Techno pulled out his sword and drove it through her back.
No.
Tommy’s hands flew up to cover his mouth. The lady’s eyes doubled in size. She dropped her toddler’s hand and stared at Tommy with far too many emotions. That face would haunt Tommy for years to come.
Slowly, her eyes moved away from the prince and down. She stared at the blade protruding from her chest, covered in blood. It dripped off the sword and onto the ground.
If Tommy squinted, the blood splatters almost looked like some of the flower petals the boy dropped. That was a much nicer thought. But he couldn’t pretend for long.
The toddler screamed, a horrible sound Tommy hoped to never hear again. It broke through the boy’s shocked haze and brought him back to reality.
By the time he checked back in to his body, the woman’s body was on the ground with a rapidly growing pool of blood under her. Techno stood behind her, wielding a bloody sword with an impassive face. He stared at Tommy, watching his reaction closely.
The poor toddler continued screaming and sobbing. He dropped the bouquet of flowers into his mom’s blood puddle.
Tommy struggled to get air into his lungs.
He was familiar with death. But the people he watched die were bad people. Not uninvolved parties. Not innocent citizens. Not mothers. Never mothers.
Tommy should’ve screamed or something. But all he could do was stare at her in shock.
“Get rid of that one too,” Phil’s voice distantly said. He sounded so far away, like he was several rooms over, not right next to Tommy.
Tommy didn’t process what Phil was asking until Techno stepped toward the toddler.
Oh.
His nerves lit on fire, and he found the will to move, but Phil’s arms kept him stuck on the fucking throne. Why did he have such a strong fucking grip?! And why would he tell Techno to do that?!
“NO!” Tommy screamed, hurting his vocal cords. That was all he could do. “NO! STOP!”
Techno didn’t stop. He grabbed the crying boy by the back of his shirt. His cries became louder.
Tommy tried to pry and scratch at the hand around his waist. He couldn’t just sit there while Techno killed a kid! He kicked and fought with every ounce of energy in his body. He needed to help!!!
“STOP! PLEASE!” Tommy wailed.
Techno lifted his sword.
“NO!” Tommy screeched desperately. “NO! STOP! PLEASE! HE’S JUST A KID!”
Techno brought his sword down.
Tommy screamed, shutting his eyes and turning his head. He ended up hiding in Phil’s chest.
The toddler’s crying stopped.
The king gently pet Tommy’s hair.
He sobbed.
“I warned you,” Phil said.
Tommy couldn’t do anything but cry. Even with his eyes closed, all he could see was the mother and her son. He couldn’t get rid of the image of them lying on the ground together. His mind replayed the boy's cries over and over again. It was hard to hear Phil over that.
Tommy wanted to vomit.
Phil killed– Techno killed them. Techno killed a mother and her son.
No. Techno might’ve been holding the sword, but it was Tommy’s actions that got them killed.
Tommy killed them.
Phil told him not to do anything stupid. Tommy should’ve listened. Why didn’t he listen?
“Let’s try this again,” Phil hummed. “We’re going to get this cleaned up, and then we can meet Ms. Niki Nihachu. She’s a stellar baker. Everyone loves her. She gives baked goods to our poorer citizens every night. They’d starve without her. She makes so many people’s day.”
Tommy couldn’t stop sobbing.
Did that woman have a husband? Did she have other kids? Oh fuck. What if she was a single mother with kids other than the toddler? What were they going to do? Were they waiting at home, excited to hear about her meeting with the king and his son? What would happen to them? Would they starve?
Tommy cried harder.
He just ruined a family's life. And they were going to bring someone else into the throne room. Tommy couldn’t handle a repeat of that.
“Stop,” Tommy managed to say between sobs. “Please. Stop.”
Phil sighed dramatically.
“You’re the one in control here. You decided their fate.”
Tommy would argue that point later, but he didn’t have the energy now. And there might’ve been some truth in that statement. Was Phil wrong? If Tommy had listened, they’d still be alive.
“Stop,” Tommy begged. He wanted all of it to stop. He’d rather be tied up in that bedroom and tortured. He could handle getting hurt. When other people got hurt because of Tommy…
“If you want it to stop, you can make it stop,” Phil stated. “You don’t even have to talk to them. Just smile and accept their gifts. Is that so hard?”
“Why did you-” Tommy couldn’t breathe. The air seemed so thin. His lungs tightened up. “You killed them.”
Saying it out loud sent Tommy into another sobbing fit.
That poor woman. She was so genuinely excited to meet the king, but he only used her as bait to force Tommy into line. Phil didn’t care she was a person with a life. He didn’t care that the little boy should’ve gotten a chance to grow up.
Phil tsk-ed disappointedly.
“No, I didn’t. You did. Actions have consequences, mate. I warned you and told you to behave. You didn’t, so they died. Their blood is on your hands.”
Tommy cried into Phil’s robes for several minutes. He had to listen as guards or servants or whoever the fuck cleaned up the gruesome scene in front of the throne. All the while, Phil continued petting Tommy’s hair or rubbing his back. As pathetic of an attempt as it was, Tommy somehow found some comfort in the actions. He knew he shouldn’t have, but he did.
When Tommy’s cries were reduced to a few sniffles, Phil cleared his throat.
“Remember, all you need to do is smile and nod along. I’ll do all the talking.”
No. Tommy couldn’t go through that again.
But before Tommy could beg to stop, Phil called out for his guard.
“Techno, bring in our next guest.”
Tommy wanted to start crying again.