Drakkar
TW: Graphic torture scene ahead
Earlier that day...
Heavy silence filled the hallway as I made my way toward the Master Office. I narrowed my eyes at the pathetic little guards that trembled as I passed them. I pushed the doors open, not bothering to wait for the guards to do it. Zeke and Zander sat in the lounging section on the black leather sofas.
Zeke was staring into space, his bruised hands holding onto his glass of whisky. The side of his face was swollen, but it was better than last night. Zander was reading something but placed it down when he noticed my presence.
I joined them as I sat on the sofa across from them.
"Wow, that took a while," Zeke smirked, despite his state.
I was about to say something when a few advisers walked into the room with Droga. They began the meeting right away.
"We found five more this morning who corresponded to the descriptions given by us by the previous prisoner. They were hiding in a small cabin by the borders of Nelovia. They were accompanied by two of their wives, who we brought back as his Majesty wished. We are waiting for your next instructions regarding what to do with them," General Droga explained to us as he gestured to the cabin's exact location on the map on the marble table.
"Were they the last one?" Zander grunted as he ran a hand through his hair. We all knew why he was asking the question. Our father, the King, wasn't happy with how slow this operation went. He assumed that we only needed a week to find all the remaining survivors. It had been three fucking weeks...
There shouldn't be anyone left. According to our intel, there were formerly thirty people in the rebellion against the King. The King had ordered that all the group members be executed, but a few seemed to have survived. He had not considered that most of them had descendants, kids of their own, who had survived.
After getting an anonymous letter from a "new" rebellion two months ago, we realized that their children had formed a new alliance and were coming after the King to avenge their parents and continue what they had started. My father then gave us the task of getting rid of this group which found itself harder than anticipated as they were scattered all around the kingdom.
Some were plotting revenge by themselves while others were grouped together, making this more difficult for us as they were not all aware of the existence of each other. So, we were stuck in this continuous loop where we found one, tortured him into giving us the name of another one, and found him and started the same process again.
The most frustrating part is we didn't know how many were left. It could be fifty or six. There was no way of knowing, and this was the main cause of the King's rage. That's why today when they found five at once, my brothers and I hoped they would be the last.
"We don't know, we interrogated them, but they refused to answer any questions," he added.
"What would your Highnesses like me to do with them?" He added as he regained a straight posture.
"Bring them over. We'll get answers," I told him, and he bowed before making his exit accompanied by a guard.
General Droga was one of the few people that my brothers and I could tolerate. He was one of my Father's most trusted men, very loyal to our family ever since he came. He had managed to become my father's right hand. I knew if we told him to do something, he would get the job done. He was at the King's side when the rebellion stroked, which is why he was very invested in this mission and took it to heart to find all of them.
The office door opened, and I gave it a bored glance. My eyes widened, my back straightening as my hands turned into a fist.
"Your Majesty," I lowered myself on one knee, bowing down at my father. Zeke and Zander did the same. He didn't acknowledge us as he walked further into the room, and Zeke unconsciously palmed the side of his stomach.
He took a seat right where I was previously sitting, looking around with a stern look. General Droga marched back into the office, followed by five men. They were all wearing similar attire, all torn and muddy, probably from spending some time in the dungeon's cell.
We didn't really make any effort to keep the place clean, so it was easy to know who had spent quality time there. Their hands were tied in front of them with ropes as they were hurried in before the guards placed them side by side in front of us. You could also easily tell by their state that the guards had fun with them as slashes and wounds covered their nasty skin.
I threw the King a look. He looked annoyed and irritated. I didn't have to say anything because Zeke threw his drink at them, making them flinch in shock. The glass collapsed on the carpet before breaking into pieces in front of them.
"Kneel, and look at us," he ordered them, and they instantly fell on their knees. I frowned at his words, knowing him well enough to see that he was doing this to be on the King's good side again. I could hear their subtle and silent hisses as their flesh opened under all the glass debris.
Each one of them was looking up at us, except one of them. He was smaller than the rest of them. Maybe that's why he had totally missed my eye. He wasn't shaking like the others. He didn't look as scared as the others. He looked calm. Interesting.
"Get up now," Zander growled, and they did. Small drops of blood stained their knees as they pulled themselves up. I heard the King chuckle behind me.
"I don't know if we've been introduced. Do you know who we are?" Zeke questioned them, still acting all mighty. They all bobbed their head up and down quickly. Zeke only hummed in approval.
"Well then, you know what we want to know," I added as I stared at the defiant little man. I was almost entertained to see him glaring back at me. A chuckle slipped through my lips. My brothers noticed him; Zander's eyes narrowed on him, not liking the defiance, while Zeke looked very entertained.
Zander stepped toward him. The smaller man seemed suddenly even smaller next to Zander's stature. The man's gaze hadn't wavered from mine, but he seemed a lot less confident when Zander pulled out his sharp dagger from his boot.
He shuddered in fright when the blade pressed against his collarbone. Zander glanced back, meeting the King's gaze. The King nodded, his eyes narrowing on the man about to die.
Zander slowly glided the blade along his arm, the sharpness of the object ripping the sleeves as it dug into his flesh. Tears pricked his eyes, but his gaze stayed locked on mine.
"Fucking prick," the King spat next to me.
"I thought you boys would give me a good show, but this is pathetic," he sneered my way, and I dropped my head in respect.
"Of course, your Majesty,"
Upon hearing his words, Zander carved the knife deeper into his arm, and the man winced as blood started dripping from his hand. Zander continued, but I could see he was getting irritated by the lack of reaction from his victim. The King scoffed, enjoying seeing his victim's pain as he slowly took their life away. So, torturing someone who looked so unbothered was driving him fucking insane.
Zander eventually got to the end of his limb as he reached the tip of his fingers, having cut open his whole arm. Dark blood was profusely leaking down his arm, dripping down his fingers unto the carpet. He walked back to Zeke, standing by his side as he waited for the King.
The other four prisoners had been watching the scene unfold with what could only be described as a morbid curiousness mixed with liquid fear. They seemed in more pain than the small man.
It was then Zeke's turn to walk toward him. He yanked the bloodied dagger from Zander before slowly approaching him again. It was an uneasy silence in the room.
"Cut his fingers," the King said with morbid amusement. Zeke nodded as he did just that. Cutting each joint. You could hear the bone breaking as the dagger sliced through the flesh. He took his time, dicing each of his fingers until all five were at his feet.
Tears rolled down his face, but his gaze never left mine. I only smirked at him as I crossed my arms over my chest. The small fingerless man was wheezing in pain.
"Are you willing to talk now?" I asked him, taking a step toward him.
"Fuck you!" He spitted, trying to look as scary as he could. His mates didn't seem surprised by his outburst, but they definitely didn't seem like they shared his fire.
Zeke and I chuckled while Zander seemed so pissed he would kill the man any second.
"Oh, come on. Don't be so mean. We just want answers. If you tell us, we'll release you," I said with a shrug. The remaining four turned their attention to me, probably surprised by my offer.
"We promise," Zeke added as he took a new glass of whisky from a maid. The men looked at each other as if unsure of their next step until the one on the very right.
"W...What...um...d...do you want to know?" He whispered, his voice trembling so much that I had a hard time hearing.
"How many of you are still alive?" Zander asked him, leaning against the desk.
"Not a lot... may...maybe one or t...two,"
"Three...um... if you count-"
The one on his left tried to chime in but was interrupted by the little man.
"No, two," he corrected, throwing a death glare to his friend.
"Who?" Zander growled so viciously that the room could have shaken. They all subconsciously tried to take a step back.
"Kill one of them," Zeke nodded at the King, approaching one of them. He grabbed the one who hadn't spoken a word since they had arrived. He threw him on the ground, making him hit the floor face first in the remaining of the shattered glass, unable to use his restrained hands.
"I think it's time we get real answers, don't you think, brothers?" Zeke smirked at us.
"Yes, I think so too," I hummed in approval. I approached the man and saw that his chin was open in half from the impact. The cut was so extensive that the bone was sticking out amongst the blood. I hunched down to his level until he was close enough to me that I could hear his distressed breathing pattern.
I glanced up at Zeke behind him and nodded my head in the direction of my victim, and he understood as he went to stand behind him. He grabbed his arms behind his back with such brutality that he dislocated both his shoulder as they were still tied. The man screamed in agony as he thrashed in his grip. I then grabbed both edges of his open chin, digging my fingers into the wound to tighten my grip as he cried and screamed in pain, but it was just the beginning.
Instead of holding the wound close by pulling both sides together, I slowly pulled in the opposite direction making the skin rip like paper. The skin separated itself from the flesh as I pulled harder, skinning him. His scream got so loud that Zander dug his dagger deep into his throat, making him choke as blood dripped from his mouth. I had pulled hard enough to skin his whole face leaving me with a mask of his face. You could only see the bloody flesh all exposed and glistening under the light.
As he was about to pass out, Zeke snapped his neck from behind, and I stood up before looking back at the four remaining prisoners staring with horror at their dead-skinned friend.
"Fine work, boys," Zander nodded at the King.
"Now, tell us what we want," I ordered in a deadly serious tone as I made sure to meet each of their gazes, wanting them to know we weren't meeting around.
"T...There's...um...a...r... rumor that the leader's son is still...um...alive. H...He...um...must be...working alone...we...um...h...have...never seen...hi...him," I was surprised that it was the cocky little man from earlier that spoke. He was just as weak as his friends. He caved easily. I sighed, lowering myself onto the sofa.
"What about him?" Zander asked.
"N...nothing, w...we know n...nothing," a blond one beside him replied.
"How useless then! Kill him, Drakkar," the King said with a chuckle.
"W...wait, y...you said y...you would l...let u...us g...g...go," the little man exclaimed, panicked as I approached him with my dagger. None of us replied, and a few seconds later, five dead men lay in front of us.
"We're really going to have to change the carpet now," Zeke said, and the King chuckled.
"Good one, Zeke," he said before storming out of the room. Zeke turned to us with a smirk.
"I'm back on his good side," he winked.
---Time Skip-
"Find me that fucking little bitch," the King spat.
"Of course, your Majesty. It will be our number one priority from now on," I agreed, and Zeke and Zander nodded.
"No business at dinner," the Queen scolded us, and the King rolled his eyes.
"Stop acting like a bitch," he spat at his wife, chuckling when she lowered her head.
"There's one thing that just doesn't fucking work with what those little fucks told us earlier," the King frowned. "I personally killed the rebellion leader and his wife, but there was no child,"
"Maybe it's just a rumor," Zeke suggested.
"Stupid fuck. Did I ask for your opinion?" Zeke shook his head, keeping his gaze low. He eagerly poured himself a bigger glass of whisky, and I watched the King do the same. One of the things they had in common.
"Zeke is right, your Majesty. Maybe it's not truly his son but someone who was close to him," Zander spoke with confidence, and Zeke glanced his way.
"Maybe," the King said.
The Queen pushed her chair from the table, taking her leave without saying a word. The door slammed behind her.
"Keep me updated," the King said, throwing his fork on his plate.
The servants backed away as he passed.
"This tasted like fucking shit, by the way," he spat at them as he passed them. They flinched, dropping their heads in respect. He stormed out of the room with a groan.
Zeke stood up without a word, grabbing the bottle of whisky from the table, not even caring about taking a glass. He walked out of the room without a word, and I followed behind with Zander.
"Zeke, stop," I called at our youngest brother as he kept gulping down the bottle. He whirled his head around, sending me a death glare.
"Don't you fucking tell me what to do, you motherfucker. Tell me what to do one more fucking time, and I'll rip your eyes out," he spat. He took a swing as if he was about to throw the bottle into the wall but stopped with a frown. He sighed, placing it on a table.
"Your Highnesses," The three of us turned at the sound of the voice.
"What?" I spat at the girl, and she flinched before quickly recovering, and the same seductive smile covered her lips.
"You look so tense. I'm sure I could help you relax," she spoke in a slow seductive tone.
"Who the fuck are you? What the fuck are you doing in my castle?" I scowled, taking a step toward her, really feeling like killing her.
"Your Highnesses...we...um...have met before. I'm...Ryenne...the painter remember?" Zander turned around at her last words.
"You know, Emriana?" He asked, and she frowned with disgust.
"What about that bitch?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Where is she?" Zeke asked, his hands twitching at his side, itching to kill her.
"How would I know? She got hurt or something—
"What?" I spat.
"That's what her pathetic little guard friend told us. She's so fucking dramatic, I swear. She's in her room probably,"
"What room?" Zander growled, and she frowned.
"303,"
"Why do you-
We were already long gone.