A Ghost's Wish [MxM]

47. A Golden Cage

Oliver watched the sunrise through the windows of the bedroom. He counted this as the seventh sunrise since he had been trapped in this damnable place. But tonight was Piers' coronation, so he would not be here watching Oliver. He looked forward to the moment of peace.

His body shuddered from the lingering pain that wracked his body. The burns on the bottom of his feet had mostly healed, but the process was much slower than before. He still couldn't put all of his weight on them. His hands were chained above his head, and he hung limply from the shackles. The skin had been rubbed raw from the iron, but it wasn't the worst he had experienced. 

He clenched his hands into fists, a practice he completed multiple times a day. He always had to make sure that he could still use his arms.  

Although he was in considerable pain, he refused to beg or look weak in front of Piers.

His clothes had been ripped to shreds by the whips and lacerations, so now he stood bare except for a sheer wrap around his waist. It had once been white but now had been stained shades of red from his blood. Even his white hair had taken on a red hue.

He had long stopped caring about his appearance and focused and surviving every round of torture. And when he was done bleeding for the bastards, they would hose him down with cold water and clean his body of the blood.

Although he was washed, his back and chest were ripped apart by the whips that cut into him. A terrible burn was on his shoulder, attempting to cover the bite mark that had lingered. The burns were already healing, but the bite mark was still prominent. For Piers, it was the most hated feature of Oliver's body.

Piers had asked once about who gave him that mark. Oliver answered honestly with a smirk.

But when the words 'My husband' left Oliver's lips, Piers raged and tried to burn it away. However, a dragon's bite does not disappear under fire or blood.

After that, Piers chose to ignore the marks Draco had given Oliver. He changed his rhetoric and demanded that Oliver submit to him, be a loyal dog, and give him Wynter.

Every time Oliver refused, he would experience another round of torture.

By exchanging banter, both men learned how much they hated each other. Piers only wished to marry him to have a stronger foothold in the kingdoms. 

He had started to fear for his legitimacy. Before his father died, Piers found a record of Gideon's son, and he realized that someone could contend for his crown. Shortly after his discovery, his father suspiciously fell ill and died. 

But Piers still did not feel comforted. He remembered the advantages of having Oliver as his fiancé.  He was a good safety chess piece to control to maintain his power. No one would dare fight against both Belelot and Kardos.

To grab ahold of power, Piers would marry someone he despised. Initially, he was hesitant, but the Ravager King, his associate, convinced him this would be ideal. 

However, he was coming to understand that Oliver would never compromise.

This morning was different, though. Oliver had been looking forward to this day because Piers would finally be pulled away from his room.

Piers woke up, and Oliver was immediately on guard. Not wanting to have a cumbersome conversation with him, he dropped his head to his chest and closed his eyes.

Piers pulled a robe around his shoulders but still exposed much of his body. He then sauntered over to the cage. He placed his thin hands around the gold bars as he stared at Oliver.

"I must admit, I'm impressed that you have endured—almost to the point of being enamored." Piers said. "Just say the word, and I'll unchain you. Swear to me, and I will dress you in silks and gold. You have proven to be worthy of being my Royal Consort."