Author's Note: Mikhail Antonov is played by Aidan Gallagher in this Story. Look him up if you don't know who he is. Since the image won't post on here.
"Here we are," Richie said as they all arrived at Wrangler Castle. An overarching stone palace with stables and a village underneath. They were one of the main vassal houses to the monarchy.
"Bigger than I expected," Mike said, behind him on the same horse.
"And lots of things to ride," Mikhail quipped. Who was an immigrant from the Motherland of Misery with a thick accent. And also Richie's page.
"That's what he said," Richie responded. Grinning at him before continuing onward.
Mikhail laughed raucously. The two shared the same humour. Which made Mike dread being in the same room as them.
...
"The Queen didn't tell me she sent both of the Tozier sons," Vance said, crossing his arms. Meeting them and the rest of the men in the courtyard.
"Forgive his bluntness, it's nice to meet you two." Bruce took both of their hands.
"And who might this page of yours be?" He gestured to Mikhail. Who was around Vance's height, 5'7". Taller than Bruce but shorter than the twins by three inches.
"Mikhail. Mikhail Antonov. My father, Dmitri, is one of the soldiers here."
He gestured to the older but handsome man coming to greet the lords. The two shared a heavy resemblance with light eyes and brown hair. Except his father's was mouse-brown and grey.
"It's nice to finally meet you two. I hope we can serve you well in this war, Your Grace." He bowed to Vance.
The horses were put in the vast stables. Thank the gods the Yamadas were horse traders. Because there wouldn't be enough room otherwise.
"Have you and the men eaten yet?" Vance asked the twins.
"Yes, before we left," Mike answered.
"And when was that?"
The two boys looked at each other.
"Two hours ago, Vance."
His blue eyes widened.
"You have been riding for two hours? Holy shit, I normally wouldn't feed men every two hours. But you've had a long journey. Gather your men and bring them into the kitchen."
"Right, Vance." Richie, who had the louder voice, yelled to the men, "MEN! Because we've been on the road for two hours, we're gonna go eat in the kitchen! That way you'll be stronger for your training!"
Some of them whispered amongst themselves. Seemingly relieved.
Vance, Bruce, Mikhail, and the twins all sat together. The first two are across from the three. Richie was in between Mikhail and Mike.
"So, why exactly did your father send both of his heirs?" Vance asked, before biting into a drumstick.
"Because we have one thing: Magic."
"So do I. I'm part demon like you two."
"Yeah, but there's a difference between a sorcerer and a Cambion."
"Oh, you think you're better than me simply cause your parents were married?"
"Not their parents, their grandparents. Remember? they used to be considered Wentworth's bastards."
"Right, but still. The only difference between us is that they can learn sorcery and witchcraft and I can't."
"Aren't those incredibly powerful arts?" Bruce asked.
"Yeah, but have you ever thought about why we chose blue as the field of my sigil?"
No one knew the answer. They hadn't really thought about that before.
"It's cause the Hargroves, who have demonic blood, can control blue flame."
Richie's jaw dropped. "You're serious? Your family can control blue fire? Almost no one can do that! It's too hot."
"Well, they can. And according to my grandma, there was a prophecy about someone in our family."
"What is it?" Mikhail asked, very curious.
Vance cleared his throat and spoke theatrically:
"From the blood of the traitorous rose, come the Manticore. He will wield blue flames as his sword and win the war."
"Who's the traitorous rose?"
"I think it's my great-grandma, Lucenyra Belrose. She was the twin sister of King Aethan."
"Stellarian? That's right, she supported the Queen during the war. But is the Manticore you?"
"Maybe. it could only be one of four people:" He used his fingers to name them off. "Neil, Billy; my mom; Nicole; or even me."
"Hmm, who do you think it is?" Mikhail asked while eating his food.
Vance looked to the side. As if he was deeply anxious. "I just pray it isn't Neil or Billy."
...
"What did Vance want us to find again?" Richie asked, alone in the supply closet with Mikhail.
"I think one of those silver sponges?" He said looking in all the drawers.
"The ones that scratch?"
"Yeah."
They kept looking for said item. But to no avail.
So Mikhail decided to ask about a sensitive subject.
"Did you love Eddie?"
Richie looked at him, confused, "Excuse me?"
"I asked: did you love Eddie? Or had any romantic interest in him."
He paused, looking back on his own emotions. He was betrothed because the two were friends due to their shared group with Stanley and Bill Denbrough. But he never got to see him. Lady Sonia didn't exactly approve of the match.
"I had a crush on him, yes. But I don't think he thought of me like that."
"How do you know?"
"Us demons, we can....we can sense a human's more carnal emotions. Usually with romantic interest comes some sort of lust. That's how we usually know. But with him, it never was like that. It was love, but in a platonic way."
His voice had started croaking at this point. And Mikhail couldn't help but hug the guy.
(But he had to be on his tippy toes, unfortunately)
"Richie, it was his loss. Maybe you're meant to marry for love."
He laughed and wiped his tears. "That's like finding a needle in a haystack. It's impossible for anyone but commoners to marry for love. At least you guys don't need to care about status."
Mikhail smiled and danced his fingertips on Richie's chest. "Well, to tell you the truth: I like you. I have ever since I met you and it's only grown stronger."
Richie grinned. He knew those feelings he sensed weren't for someone else.
"If you like me back like I think you do, don't feel bad. Don't feel guilty for trying to move on with your life. Eddie would want that for you. And so would Stan."
Richie looked at him with only love. "Thank you, Mickey. I have feelings for you too. But I don't know if others would approve of our relationship."
"Who cares about what they think? As long as your father says yes and mine says yes, we're good. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."
Richie smiled and put his forehead to his, "You're right."
Mikhail smirked and kissed him. Surprising him at first. But he quickly accepted.
It also quickly escalated. Turning into a make-out session with Mikhail's legs around his waist. And his back against the drawer.
And by the time someone walked in, they didn't know how they got there.
"What the fuck? I told you guys to get sponges!" Vance yelled.
Both of them were incredibly embarrassed.
"Sorry, Your Grace. We let our passions get the best of us," Mikhail explained.
"Clearly, Rich, are you trying to make him a witch?"
Mikhail was confused but Richie blushed an even deeper red.
He stormed out. They guessed he was deciding their punishment for later.
As they walked out, Mikhail had some questions.
"Rich, what did he mean by 'becoming a witch?'"
He clearly didn't want to answer. "Well, it's when a demon or someone of that blood makes a deal with an Ordin. And they make a soul tie."
"Oh, what kind of deal would we make then? And what's a soul tie?"
His hands covered his face and he stopped in his tracks.
"Ever heard of marital consummation?"
The dots connected in his head.
"Oh, so I become magical by marrying you and fucking you?" He realised. "That's not a bad deal. Is that all we would have to do?"
Richie nodded, "Yeah, we could make a different deal if we didn't wish to be together. Like evil demons will give you wealth, power, whatever for like your soul or something. But that doesn't make sorcerers, does it?"
"No, but I gotta know: did demons help place kings in power?"
"Pretty much, why do you think us Toziers are the most powerful of the great houses? It's cause of this one legend about our ancestor: Back in the days when fairies and elves roamed and rode the deer, there was this man, named Stellor, after the stars in the sky. Sound familiar?"
"I think so, the House of Stellarian, right? With the Crimson King Aethan?"
"Yes, that's his descendent, but we'll talk about their family later. In those days, the land was divided into tribes and clans. Which fought a lot. Stellor hated wars, especially ones that could be avoided. He thought that they needed one clan to rule them all. After all, he was the heir to his own clan. Whose name has been lost to time."
"Is this the part where your 'Tozier' ancestor comes in?"
"Yes, it wasn't his real name though. He worked with making wool into fabric. Which is where the nickname came from. Because he was a demon, he never gave his true name. To do so is like suicide."
"Right, and what happened next?"
"He looked for Stellor and found him in his home amongst the Hartlands. He was desperate to strike a deal. And he found the perfect opportunity. He became acquainted with Stellor and learned his desires. So he forged a contract. He would use his reality powers to make him the one king if he gave him the Hartlands to rule in exchange."
"That's fair, so from the looks of it, did it happen?"
"Yes but not without its tragedy. Later on, Stellor grew paranoid about his vassal's power. So much so that he started a 'demon hunt'. To kill all demons who could take his throne."
"Including Tozier."
"Including my ancestors, and even his in-laws. His wife, her name unknown, had become a witch. So he killed her and her family. He luckily escaped with their children."
"Did he go to a different land?"
"Yes, guess which one. You'll be surprised."
He raked his brain of all the different kingdoms.
"Greenwood?"
"Nope, close."
"Bountiful?"
"No, again you're close."
"Crystal Isles? I know the Queen was raised there."
"No but you're right, it's a great escape place. But it's the last kingdom."
"The Motherland of Misery? Why?"
"Because who would go there? And besides, demons feed off of negative energy. Which that place is chalk full of."
"Make sense, but who ruled the Hartlands?"
"No one remembers, and that's for good reason."
Mikhail thought for a second. "Did your family, like, cast a spell or...?"
"Yes, Tozier cursed the man to be sterile. His wife made the other man's wife barren. Their eldest son made their young kids die of sickness. The younger made their family name lost to history. Which would've happened anyway cause all the kids died."
"I almost feel bad."
"Don't, they were usurpers. They deserved every bit of that and more."
"Didn't they have other family members though?"
"Yes, they killed them off when they came back. My ancestors were just cold-blooded. They were kicked off of the home they earned though."
They returned to the courtyard. Where they found Vance and Bruce in front of the men. Who were training.
"Speaking of demons: isn't Vance one?"
"Yes, if Bruce truly marries Vance then he'll become a witch sooner or later."
Said boys then saw them and walked over. Fury in their step.
"Did you two really make out in a supply closet?" Bruce asked.
Mike overheard, "What? Dad is gonna kill you!"
"He won't if he doesn't find out."
He rolled his eyes.
"Because of your neglecting, you will be punished accordingly," Bruce said while Vance got out one steel bracelet.
"You, Rich, will not be able to use your magic at all from now until tomorrow at this same hour. It's made out of angel steel, which blocks any and all demonic power." He put them on. They were cold to the touch.
"What? These are basically shackles!"
"Be grateful I'm not having you wear them for more than a full day. You really pissed me off back there. The only reason you're getting mercy is 'cause of Bruce."
The boy smiled with his lips.
"As for you," he turned to Mikhail, "You'll be running 5 laps around the stables."
He groaned, he hated running laps. He'd rather train with the other boys. But this was brought on him so...
"Richie, go train with the others. Every time I see you trying to take them off, I'll make you run a lap."
He groaned, he also hated running. It's not like he could cheat his way using magic either.
...
"You are one mean general, Vance. My dad would be proud." Mike smiled.
"Thanks, Thomas suggested I toughen them up."
"And he was really mad about slacking off," Bruce said.
"I was too, to be honest. I was out here scrubbing the damn floor while my brother was kissing his page! Could you imagine the scandal if everyone found out?" "Yikes, I don't even want to. Especially with Richie being Crown Lord. That would follow him for the rest of his life." "Let's just hope none of you tell anyone." It was almost a threat, from Mike. And one of the boys both believed.
"We won't, if Wentworth asks I'll tell him they were just playing hooky."
"They definitely were getting hooky. If you know what I mean." Bruce teased.
"Bruce shut up," Vance said.
"Anyway, what's gonna happen with the Houses of Uris and Kaspbrak now that their sons are dead?" Bruce asked Mike.
"Oh, I think my dad said something about the Denbroughs taking over both estates. At least for the meantime. I imagine Bill's children will take over with their consorts. Which will usher in new families."
"Right, it really is unfortunate what happened to them," Vance said.
"Especially with little Georgie. I can't imagine what his brother's going through." Bruce sympathised.
"Mhm, and as an act of war too. Imagine your younger brother getting killed because some dipshits couldn't ascend the seat of Leona, Gartenhall, and Jardin. It wasn't even personal, it was just chaos."
"Yeah, that's exactly why I'm fighting to have the seat instead. I can't have violent fuckers like that, ruling in any capacity."
"Will you kill them yourself?"
"If I'm being honest, I'm leaving Billy to Steve's mercy."
"Aren't they married?"
"Yes, but it's a loveless one. I've overheard some nasty shit about Billy from him. I'll kill Neil, but I'm putting my cousin into his spouse's hands."
"He'll appreciate it, probably. The funny thing about Billy becoming lord of Leona one day is that....He's already a Harrington consort. It was always you that would ascend. Because who's gonna take over Harrington when their Lord dies and Steve's at Billy's side?" Mike pointed out.
"You're right, but power blinds men. It turns them into violent beasts. That's why none of this even makes sense when you really look at it. Why do you think my great-grandma had to kill her own twin brother?" Vance said, recalling the story of King Aethan and Lucenyra.
"Whoa whoa whoa, I knew Aethan was betrayed but I didn't know it was his-"
"Own family? Yeah, Lucenyra pretty much disowned him after he tried to kill the Queen's parents. She married her fiancé, Brett Belrose, to join their family and spite him."
"Isn't that part of the reason why the Leons were absorbed into the Belroses? Because she was meant to inherit Leona Castle?"
"Oh yeah, I mean her father, King Lucelor Leon, had no siblings. So his second child was always going to be his heir. His marriage to Queen Aerysia is what put it in motion though. That's why you never marry first-born children to each other."
"What about Gartenhall then?"
"Oh, that's just the seat of the Hargroves. But we prefer Leona because you know, it's a castle."
Mike laughed, "So you would rule two lands?" He held that many fingers.
"Yes, Neil and my mom, Nicole, were going to split it between them. She was getting Leona, he was getting Gartenhall."
"But she died. So why couldn't Billy split it with you then?"
"Greed."