"Just as everything was about to come crashing down, Isaac crashed in real life too"
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⚠️ attempted SA (sexual assault) (but very light and doesn't happen), crying, fear of death, mention of blood, insomnia ⚠️
What happened that day, wasn't the best experience.
Isaac is heading through the wide, empty marble corridor. It's so empty and lacking of furniture, that he feels cold. Shivering, Isaac wraps his arms around himself, and tries to keep warm. His simple shoes tap lightly against the hard stone floor. A single candle is standing by the wall every few steps, giving a faint glow of light. It's just enough to make sure that Isaac can see where he is going.
Every now and then, a window appears as he walks. Outside, it's dark and gloomy. Rain falls down rapidly, and the wind blows through the open hole of a window. It makes him more cold than before, and Isaac avoids the windows from then on.
Nighttime has fallen. That's why it's so empty. A few stray guards could stand around here and there, but on the third floor, where he is, no guards are currently patrolling. At least he hasn't seen any yet. The corridors are endless and silent, to the point where he could sigh and it could be heard from miles away. Or maybe that's just an exaggeration, created by his confused mind at such a late hour. Either way, except him and the guards, everyone else is asleep. It's nighttime after all. Isaac wonders why he isn't asleep right now.
He just can't. Although his eyelids feel heavy, no matter how hard he tries sleep doesn't want to take over. He's been laying in his bed for hours already, twisting and turning but not getting any rest. It's exhausting to try to sleep but not manage to do so, which is why he left his room three hours in and began wandering through the corridors of the palace. After all, Emperor Anaxagoras gave him the freedom to walk anywhere and everywhere he wants in the palace, after Isaac had managed to shyly complain that he feels locked in, scared and bored all the time. Now he can explore, even though it's late at night and nobody is around.
Or maybe that's what he wants. Privacy, freedom to do whatever he wants without having to face anyone else. All the guards and officials and servants working here are so nosy. They stare at him with their scary eyes whenever he passes by even once.
They stare at him for so long and so intensely, by the end of it he feels so timid and small he could just disappear. Everyone here makes him feel small, and not just because he's the shortest one around. It's because they seem so confident, and so sure of everything while he's still scared they'll hurt him. Emperor Anaxagoras is the only one who has held a proper conversation with him, and Isaac can tell that the emperor is fascinated by him. Maybe to an extent that Isaac doesn't want, but who is he to complain? The only person he knows here is the literal ruler, the person who has power over everyone else. And somehow, he's the least scared of the guy who has the most say of what happens to him. It's confusing, and maybe that's what's been keeping him up tonight.
Isaac continues walking through the corridor. He isn't very sure where he's going, or how to get back. But at the moment, that doesn't concern him. Rather than feeling more tired than before, he feels more confused and more awake. There is no point in trying to sleep now. Maybe he'll just skip the whole sleep thing all together. It's not like one sleepless night has killed anybody, right? As Isaac continues walking, his mind continues running from question to question, theory to theory.
Sure, he's been getting some language lessons lately, but he still doesn't understand anything that is going on here. He doesn't understand why the women and men are separated, he doesn't understand why everyone seems so fascinated with his simple presence, and he doesn't understand why the emperor constantly wants to be with him. Everything is so confusing and different from the life he had before. Oh how he misses his old life. His sister, his village, and most of all, he misses knowing everything about the world, he misses when everything made more sense. Now it's all scrambled up into a huge pile of what? and how?
Suddenly the corridor comes to an abrupt end. Just as he thought it would continue on forever, maybe spiral towards the middle and then stretch outwards again, it stopped. And all that's left, is a staircase downwards. To the second floor. Isaac grimaces as he tries to figure out his options.
He could continue the slow, fifteen minute walk back to his own room. Or, he could walk down the stairs to the second floor. The second option seems more tempting. He doesn't want to go back to his room, he won't be able to sleep anyway. He feels more awake and energized now than during the previous day. But even though Anaxagoras gave him the freedom to walk around wherever he wants, Isaac isn't sure if he should go down the stairs. It leads to the second floor, a place he has never really been to properly, and not to mention it's the middle of the night. Isaac gets frustrated at how conflicted he feels.
Then a sudden thought pops up in his head. Why is he hesitating? Since when was he so scared of doing things like this? He used to be a fisherman! A guy who sailed the dangerous seas ever single day, almost dying five times in a short span of ten years and getting through twenty three storms before the one that lead him here. He's seen rain, snow, ice falling from the sky, a volcano erupting on the nearby island with smoke covering the skies, and a sun so bright and hot that he almost passed out fifteen times before getting close to shore. At the young age of ten he was already working twelve hours a day to get any kind of food on the table for him and his sister.
He's seen a lot. And he's been through a lot. Walking down the stairs is nothing compared to that, no matter how scary it feels to a hazy mind in the middle of the night. So Isaac takes the first step, and then the next, with a determined glint in his eye. There are no candles down the narrow staircase, and he almost stumbles three times before getting a hold of himself. Upon getting to the second floor, the first thing he notices is how much brighter it is. Isaac gulps. He really wants to continue his walk, and he really wants to continue to explore, but there are definitely going to be people here.
Ignoring his thoughts and fears, Isaac continues down the even wider corridor. There are chandeliers and candles by the walls giving light. Here and there, couches of blue and purple velvet appear along the way. Isaac walks much slower than he did before, and this time he's looking around himself like he's being followed by some creepy murderer. There are less windows here on the second floor, so it's much warmer. Isaac can let go of the death grip he has around himself, and actually try to relax a bit. The walk becomes interesting and calming, he feels himself smile slightly at the beautiful paintings along the wall.
Especially one painting makes him halt. Turning to the side, Isaac inspects it a bit closer. It's standing right above a green tinted, blue sofa. It's painted in darker colors, or maybe that's just the bad lighting. But for the first time Isaac recognizes the man in the picture. It's the emperor. He is standing in a ballroom of sorts, looking all high and mighty. The emperors hand is slithered around the neck of a slightly shorter man, and he seems to be threatening him with the most deadly glare Isaac has ever seen. Anaxagoras looks exactly the same as he does in real life. With his long hair and fierce eyes, strong arms and wide shoulders. Isaac wonders what the painting is about, because he can't read the text underneath.
Just as he is about to continue walking, sudden laughter startles him to the core. It's not exactly loud, but the sound of three men talking and joking with each other in an otherwise quiet hallway is almost deafening. It echoes along the marble walls, so Isaac can't tell if they are close or far away. He can't even tell which direction they are coming from, and doesn't dare to run away to either side. But one thing is for certain, he can't recognize their voices. It's not someone that he knows, or has seen before. Isaac wonders what they'll do when they see him, but he decided to act natural and try to stay out of their way, just in case.
The plan doesn't go well.
The guards end up coming from the left. They are way more quiet than Isaac first thought that they were, but still oddly loud for a bunch of guards after midnight. Each one is dressed in the classic guard uniform, a white shorter gown with brown sandals and a few pieces of golden armor here and there. They have heavy swords in their belts, ones that always make Isaac nervous. Who knows? Maybe they'll get tired of him one day, and a sword like that will cut through his throat to end his life. Who knows? Isaac sure doesn't. But that's not the only factor that makes him nervous and frankly scared. It's their misplaced confidence, well trained bodies and tall figures. Taller than him, stronger than him, and reckless. More reckless than him.
And just as Isaac expected, their eyes immediately fall to him once they pass by. He avoids their stares, as his hands start to sweat and skin shiver. The guards have stopped talking by now. They look at each other, and even though Isaac isn't seeing them directly, he can sense what they are doing, and it terrifies him. Why is he so scared? It's not like they have done anything yet. But something about the way they act is weird and wrong. Especially when sly smirks stretch over their faces, as they look at him up and down. Definitely wrong, and definitely weird.
Isaac takes an instinctive step back when one of them, a red haired one, steps forwards. Unluckily, Isaac was just standing next to a painting, so he doesn't have much room to back away. It's just two steps, two small ones, and his back has hit the wall. Panic takes over, but for some reason, Isaac doesn't dare to run away. Maybe it's the knowledge of the fact that they could chase him and catch him in less than ten seconds. Or maybe it's just the fear that they'll hurt him, maybe even kill him, if he tries to run away or resist too much.
"You know, our senior was right, he's really pretty"
Isaac doesn't know what they are saying, but he doesn't like they way they say it. He also doesn't like when they reach out and touch his chin, inspecting every mole and particle of his skin from a close distance. Isaac resists the urge to shut his eyes really tightly, because who knows what they would do if he didn't see anything. The next one to speak up has suddenly gotten too close, and he drags his hand over Isaac's arm. Isaac is too shocked to do anything.
"I thought all outsiders were ugly, but they seem rather small and cute instead. Who knew?"
That snaps Isaac from his previous shock, and he immediately starts fighting against them. He pushes away from the grip around his arm and snaps his head away from the red head's touch. But it only seems to widen their smiles. He tries his best though, tries his best to get away. Sure he might be weak around these guys, but he isn't stupid. He's got his height working for him. Isaac surprises them by slinking in between, and making a run for it. He knows that he won't be able to escape for long if they try to chase him, but he can at least try.
His heart is beating a million times per minute as he runs down the corridor, the same one that he came from. Candles pass by him, looking all blurry in his vision. At first Isaac thinks it's because he's running so fast, but when he hears their footsteps behind him, Isaac begins to think that it's because he's crying. Tears run down his face. His drowsiness starts to catch up with him. The shock and adrenaline goes up and down, as Isaac begins to realize what almost just happened, and what could happen very soon if he doesn't run any faster. Their footsteps get closer. His chest is burning and his breathing is so quick, he can't keep up anymore. All he can do, and all he can think of, is to run. Run as fast as he possibly can. Run as fast as his legs will take him.
But it's not going to be enough. Isaac makes the mistake of looking behind him, only to see their angry faces just a few steps away. He gasps desperately for air. More tears run down his face. He wants to scream for help but he doesn't know if it'll be worth it. Will the people here help him or only make it worse? He can't tell. He can't trust them. He can't trust anyone here. Just as everything is about to come crashing down, Isaac crashes in real life. He crashes right into the one person he can trust.
Emperor Anaxagoras.
Isaac happens to recognize whatever shampoo or scent that he uses, and immediately hides behind him. Obviously the emperor is confused. He was just making his way down the hall, all alone after working another night in his office, when his little crush comes running down the hall with tears running down his eyes. It's even more shocking when Isaac throws himself at him and uses him as a shield of flesh and blood. But it's not very confusing for long after that, when three of his guards appear right after Isaac. Although, upon seeing the questioning and increasingly frustrated face of the emperor, they halt immediately.
It's the seconds worth of fear that flashes over the guards faces, that makes Anaxagoras realize what is going on.
"Care to explain?"
His voice is dangerously calm. Isaac relaxes slightly behind him, not even realizing what is going on. His fist is shut tightly around a small piece of Anaxagoras gown, to the point where his knuckles are turning white. New tears flow down his cheeks without him even feeling them. And it's the quiet, stuttered breath that he tries to take to regain oxygen into his lungs, that really ticks Anaxagoras off fully. That and the fact that the guards are not answering him.
"CARE TO EXPLAIN WHY HE IS CRYING?"
Even Isaac flinches at that, but it's nowhere near how terrified the guards become at his extremely angry tone. The emperor is practically taller than everyone and he towers over every single guard and servant at the palace. Making him angry is not ideal. But making him angry to this point, to the point where his anger is justified, that's basically a death sentence. Since none of them answer him, just looking shell shocked, Anaxagoras decides that a night in the dark and cold dungeon without food and water will clear their throats up.
"Guards!"
Isaac manages to recognize the word behind his tears and fear. The emperor is obviously not calling for the guards standing right in front of him, he is calling for guards who haven't just scared the sh*t out of Isaac. And they come, five of them to be exact. Bowing down while trying to hide their confusion, the half asleep guards that were in their rooms previously stay disciplined in front of their leader. They heard him yelling before and realized that his angry tone is not one to mess with.
"Take these three to the dungeon, if you don't, feel free to join them"
The five half asleep men are too tired, frightened and confused to protest. They quickly take ahold of the three other guards, their friends, and start leading them down the hall. As Anaxagoras said, if they were to resist sending their own friends to the dungeons to suffer, they could join them too. Although the emperor doesn't expect them to be awake enough or stubborn enough to care about their friends in this situation.
Once they have disappeared, their footsteps fading away in the distance, Anaxagoras tries to regain his temperament. He sighs in and out. Despite being beyond furious, he knows that Isaac is the one suffering right now, and he needs a gentle approach rather than something angry and frustrated. A few seconds later, Anaxagoras turns around to face Isaac. He grabs the shorter's hands lightly, trying to make eye contact with the boy who's just staring out into space. It's quite concerning.
"Are you okay?"
When reviving no answer, Anaxagoras decides there and then exactly what he's going to do.
"Come, let's go to my room. You're never getting out of my sight, ever again"
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