"Wakey-wakey!"
ㅤWhat was supposed to have been the highlight of their trip, a warm bed and a roof over their heads, had been a sleepless nightmare. Riley had groaned and complained all night, tapping his feet, screaming through his gag. The sight of him sleeping peacefully in his chair now, his pale eyelashes shut against his cheeks in the gentle early morning glow, was an offensive blood-boiling sight.
ㅤRiley woke up in surprise, his eyes wide and pupils small and tired. In a fit of annoyance, James put either hand on the back of the chair and started rocking it back and forth aggressively. The chair legs banged against the wooden floor.
ㅤ"It's morning! Wakey-wakey, snake!"
ㅤThomas groaned, burying his head under a pillow.
ㅤ"Give it a rest," Alex complained, his voice gravelly and sleep-heavy. It sounded sexy, but James was too pissed off to appreciate it.
ㅤThomas sighed, tossing the cushion to the ground and staring at the ceiling. "Wait a night, huh? Yeah, Alex, James sounds totally calm now."
ㅤAlex sat up, the bed creaking as he did so. The dark bags under his eyes weren't as pronounced as they had been at the palace but the weariness was noticeable. Another surge of irritation filled his chest. James was a stranger to sympathy and he didn't like how Alex's misery spread to him, like a psychological disease.
ㅤ"Can we have breakfast first?" Fletcher squeaked, he had a pillow in his arms, hugging it to his chest like it would protect him. It was pitiful.
ㅤThe source of this torment was Riley.
ㅤ"I can torture him for information," James suggested to Alex in the royal language, "I've been tortured before. I know what works and what doesn't. You'll just need to distract the others for a bit."
ㅤRiley blanched at the suggestion and began struggling against the ropes, murmuring for help through his blocked mouth.
ㅤAlex sighed long and loud. "You're not torturing him," he said in plain Khearian, signalling his would-be plan to the others.
ㅤJames frowned. "He's scaring Fletcher, and making you tired."
ㅤ"You're scaring Fletcher," Alex shot back.
ㅤ"I'm not scared, actually," Fletcher voiced, rather unconvincingly.
ㅤOne glance around the room and James' heart began to pound erratically, the blood rushing through his ears and throbbing in his head. No matter how hard he clung to Eris, she could only soothe his emotional issues, the physical reaction of panic was still very much there.
ㅤToo many people were finding out who he was. The fact that none of the men in the room had brought it up again, whether they wished to confirm or invalidate it, meant that they most likely assumed it was true.
ㅤThe more people that knew him, the harder it would be to disappear.
ㅤHe was going to have to change his plans a little. He could escape earlier, perhaps after they sort out their business in Korcaster. He could leave the country instead, flee to Talum who would give him asylum. It wouldn't be too difficult to adjust, he already knew their language, perhaps he could even track down Milo again, see if the little boy was okay.
ㅤAlex could assassinate Fabian in his place. Alex's position in society was flimsy, doing this could solidify it— or put him on the chopping block, effectively killing him... one of the two. James was beginning to see the flaws in this plan.
ㅤHe stared at Alex for a moment, at the man's dark heavy-lidded eyes, his brown bed-head standing up in all directions. He looked sleepy and vulnerable. No matter how strong he was, he was a man made of flesh, a person weakened by better morals than James'. A good person.
ㅤGood people always die first.
ㅤSomething else began to tug at his chest, a warm soaking feeling. It wasn't a sensation he was familiar with, but it made him feel anxious, compulsive, and self-conscious all at once. He felt close to Alex even if he was on the other side of the room. Even if he couldn't put a label on the feeling, he knew it was a connection.
ㅤHe wanted to leave now, consequences be damned. He would run and run until he couldn't any longer. Everyone would know he was alive, King William would make sure of that. But, Alex would no longer have anyone to rely on. The room he stood in felt too small, the walls encroaching on his space.
ㅤEris wanted him to run. She had never been wrong before, she was the only one who had his best interests at heart.
ㅤ"James."
ㅤJames blinked, his eyes refocusing. He looked at Alex, who was staring at him with a tight jaw.
ㅤJames opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it, trying again. "What do you want?"
ㅤAlex didn't look sleepy anymore, he looked tense and cautious. No one else seemed to be paying particular attention to them, what was it that Alex was seeing that the others weren't? James was sure his face should be neutral.
ㅤ"You can't leave," Alex said, switching languages.
ㅤJames raised his eyebrows, not allowing any surprise to leak through. "Why not? If I want to leave, I'm not going to be asking permission."
ㅤAlex narrowed his eyes. He swivelled his legs around so his feet were planted on the floor, positioning himself in a more advantageous stance. The others had started watching their interaction, picking up on the unusual mood. Riley was silent, gaze darting between them. He was the only other man who could understand their conversation.
ㅤ"I would stop you," Alex warned him. "I need you, Prince Julian. I won't let you go."
ㅤJames blinked, his heart throbbed. Alex needed him? It felt like someone was reaching a hand into his stomach and mashing around his insides.
ㅤ"You're..." he hesitated, "you're not in love with me, are you?"
ㅤAlex gaped in disbelief, then scoffed. James waited, unsure what that reaction meant, unsure what reaction he wanted.
ㅤ"What are you hoping for by asking me that, James?"
ㅤJames shrugged, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He didn't know.
ㅤAlex sighed again, more aggressively, running both hands through his hair, grunting in annoyance when they got tangled and stuck. He flopped them on his lap again.
ㅤ"You need to get your head on straight," Alex said.
ㅤ"It was just a question."
ㅤ"Don't make fun of me," Alex warned him, "I need you because I need protection from the duke once this is over. Because you'll pay me back for my help, I'm sure of it."
ㅤHe'd known Alex was using him, he hadn't minded. He was using Alex as well.
ㅤWhat Alex didn't know, however, was that James had always planned to flee anyway. He was overcome with remorse, a suffocating feeling that made his throat feel rough and raw. Alex was risking a lot, behaving on the assumption that James could be king. He was taking a chance that James never planned to let come fruition.
ㅤ"I wasn't making fun of you," James muttered, turning around to distract himself with getting his day clothes from his bag. He couldn't stand to look the other man in the eye, not whilst knowing the consequences Alex would inevitably face because of him.
ㅤWhy couldn't Eris filter out these feelings? He understood she prioritised the worst of his traumas, but this sensation wasn't pleasant either. He couldn't tell if she was deliberately letting him feel these things, or if she was already overworked. Just as Fletcher said, his hands did look rather gorey; perhaps she'd reached her limit.
ㅤNot that she'd ever tell him.
ㅤ"Are you two done bickering?" Thomas asked.
ㅤJames heard Alex stand up from his bed, behind him. "I'm getting breakfast," he grumbled.
ㅤ"Put some proper clothes on, first," James said, glancing over his shoulder. Alex's thin cotton sleepwear didn't leave much to the imagination.
ㅤAlex sneered at him, slamming the door shut on his way out. James wasn't sure why he'd said that.
ㅤHe got dressed, unshy. He made sure to check Riley's eyes were still open every couple of minutes. He didn't deserve to snooze after that night from Hell. James reckoned sleeping on a battlefield would have been more peaceful.
ㅤ"You need to pull back," Thomas said suddenly.
ㅤJames regarded him, packing his sleepwear away. He didn't think it was a comment worth responding to.
ㅤ"He's—" Thomas blew out a breath, "he's already stressed out. You need to stop pushing him, you're making things harder. A lot has happened on this trip."
ㅤ"Nothing has happened on this trip," James denied, warning the other man to pretend otherwise. Both Alex's and James' secrets weren't up for discussion, regardless of the intention. He was happy Alex had a subordinate that would defend him, but he was also pissed off that he was the one being defended against. "I can handle him better than you can."
ㅤ"He's our superior, it's not our place to 'handle' him."
ㅤ"He's your superior," James corrected, "but that's not up for discussion either, is it?"
ㅤIt was a challenge, to see if Thomas would contradict him. Prince Julian was a subordinate only to kings but it wasn't a topic he'd allow to be discussed. Thomas looked away and slowly shook his head.
ㅤ"I suppose not."
ㅤJames nodded, satisfied. He pretended not to notice the way Fletcher shifted on his bed, shuffling closer to Thomas.
ㅤ"I actually already knew," he whispered. James overlooked it just this once.
ㅤAlex came back in with a tray of bread and honey yoghurt, enough for all of them. James didn't wait for Alex to hand it out, he strolled up and snatched a dish of yoghurt from him.
ㅤ"Thanks, handsome. I hope it'll be as sweet as you."
ㅤAlex rolled his eyes, though he didn't seem to be as grouchy before. Perhaps James had been forgiven.
ㅤ"Flattery will get you nowhere, Cherry."
ㅤJames barked a laugh. "It has, and it will!"
ㅤ"Please speak Khearian so the rest of us can understand," Thomas said, taking some bread. "This is getting annoying."
ㅤ"It's classified information, Thomas. You're skint and can't afford a better title, and that's why you can't understand it."
ㅤ"I'll purchase one after this is finished," Thomas replied, "I'll bring glory to my family."
ㅤJames kept an eye on Riley as the rest finished their breakfast and got changed. He studiously avoided looking at Alex as he undressed, but he noticed Alex didn't let his bare back show.
ㅤJames placed a hand on the back of Riley's chair leaning in close. Riley glared up at him, his nostrils flaring.
ㅤ"If you don't answer Alex's questions, I will kill you," he warned him quietly. "If you disrespect him, I'll kill you. Give me a single reason, Riley, and I'll end you. Do you understand?"
ㅤ"James."
ㅤJames didn't react to Alex's caution. Riley used to be a flat calm lake, unremarkable, without detail, he was now as hateful as ship-destroying waves, the indignation rolling off him.
ㅤHe went back on his heels and drew Eris, her grip warming, much to the alarm of the others.
ㅤ"Security measure," he said. "You can talk to him now, Alex."
ㅤAlex gave him a dubious look, but didn't argue. He came up to Riley, undoing his gag. Riley threw his head around, trying to get out and away from his mouth.
ㅤ"You cunts," was the first thing to leave his indignant mouth.
ㅤJames stabbed Eris into the floor, the wood creaked, challenging him to continue. Riley cautiously held back the rant of expletives that clearly wanted to spill out.
ㅤAlex brought round another chair, taking a seat in front of their prisoner, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
ㅤ"Let's start from the beginning," Alex said, "how did you know about this expedition?"
ㅤRiley clenched his teeth, the muscle in his jaw jutting from the tension. He was defiant, unwilling to answer.
ㅤJames kicked the leg of his chair, making him jump, his eyes wildly scanning erratically.
ㅤ"Come on, Riley," James cooed, "you're dead if you don't spill. Worse than death, I'm not scared of torturing you."
ㅤRiley spat at him. "Fuck you, you ivory rat cocksucker."
ㅤJames dropped Eris and used his bare hands, shoving one on Riley's shoulders and using the other to pull his head back by his stupid plaited hair, the back of the chair bending his neck over a sharp edge. His face flashed with a desperate fear, the kind of horror that comes from the bone-chilling dread that your life may end.
ㅤ"I told you I'd kill you if you didn't answer his questions," James said.
ㅤ"I'll be dead anyway!" Riley cried, "if I tell you, I'll be dead!"
ㅤJames tightened his handful, pulling the hair from his scalp.
ㅤ"You can either be possibly killed by this mysterious force you talk about, or you can be killed for certain by me. Which is it?"
ㅤRiley was cornered, he was pale, his breathing quick and shallow. "I'm going to die."
ㅤ"James," Alex said, worried.
ㅤJames let go, shoving Riley as he pulled away, the chair rocked from the force.
ㅤ"One last chance," he told the man, "tell him."
ㅤRiley licked his lips, gaze darting between them all, looking for an escape, for salvation. But, none would come.
ㅤ"I know about the expedition," Riley gasped, testing his trembling lips, "because King William told me."
ㅤ"Why?" Alex asked.
ㅤRiley tried to answer but then groaned in his chest, his body fighting the words from coming out. "I, erm—" he licked his lips again, "I know because I'm the one who tipped him off in the first place." He glanced at James nervously.
ㅤAlex nodded encouragingly, they were finally getting somewhere. James' use of violence had always been a good motivator.
ㅤ"What did you tip him off about, Riley?"
ㅤRiley squirmed, his breathing was heavier, his hands shaking under the rope that tied them. "King William was the only one I could go to," he insisted, "King Fabian is a puppet and the Theos royal house is a treacherous mess. King Godfrey is expected to die any day now and Prince Maurice will take his place..."
ㅤPrince Maurice, there was a name James hadn't heard for a very long time.
ㅤ"What was the tip?"
ㅤ"Prince Maurice is the successor?" James interrupted. Maurice was the third son of five. "Not Prince Edric, the first son?"
ㅤRiley looked at him for a long time before answering. "Prince Edric is dead."
ㅤ"Dead?" James had never heard anything announced as such. "And what about Prince Wulfwynn?"
ㅤRiley bit his lip to stop it from quivering, his eyes glazing over. "Also dead."
ㅤJames looked to Alex, who seemed just as confused and shocked as he was. The death of a prince was no small matter, they should have heard of this.
ㅤ"When?" James asked, concern brewing.
ㅤRiley looked down at the ground, glaring at Alex's feet, struggling to hold back tears. The apple in his throat bobbed with each hard swallow. "Four months ago," he ground out. "No bodies."
ㅤJames didn't recognise the man in front of him, mentally wounded, resentful, a mess. This is not the Riley they'd been travelling with, this was someone else entirely.
ㅤThe situation was suddenly dawning on James, what had been happening behind the scenes. He picked up Eris and sheathed her, turning his back to the men.
ㅤIt seemed like Alex couldn't quite believe it still. "How?"
ㅤJames shook his head, he already knew what had happened.
ㅤA long stretch of silence hung them. James glanced back and Riley's tense shoulders were shaking like rocks at the bottom of a river. His glare still pointed at the floor as he tried desperately to get himself together, to abandon his grief.
ㅤJames put him out of his misery. "It was Prince Maurice, wasn't it?"
ㅤSlowly, Riley nodded, a tear dropping past his face, straight to the ground. A shaky breath was released.
ㅤAlex gaped, struck silent. He began to fidget until he forewent the chair entirely and stood, pacing. James looked away again, listening to nothing but the creaky steps on the floorboards.
ㅤ"His own brothers?" Alex whispered, his voice pained. It wasn't a question that needed answering.
ㅤ"You shouldn't be so surprised," James said, gazing out the window, watching leaves sway. "There's no such thing as sibling love in a royal family."
ㅤ"But that's..." Alex choked on his words, "how could he..."
ㅤJames turned back to face Riley again. He tapped his foot, grabbing the man's attention. Slowly, Riley looked up at him, his eyes brimming with hate, with the desire to kill. James knew that feeling all too well.
ㅤ"I'm not with Fabian," he declared, "this is exactly what happened to me."
ㅤHe couldn't tell if Riley believed him or not, but that was okay. He understood, even if no one else could.
ㅤ"You called Fabian a puppet," James then recalled, "what's the situation between Fabian and Prince Maurice?"
ㅤRiley sniffed away his grief, trying to release a terse chuckle to shake off the tension. "They're conspiring," Riley admitted, his voice wet, "they want the mineral-rich mountains of Espar, the metals, the jewels, gold, all of it. Prince Maurice is currently in control and he murders anyone who gets in his way, that is why I fled."
ㅤAlex stopped his pacing and narrowed his eyes. "How do you know this?"
ㅤ"He told me himself. My dad pushed me to get close with the main family... I just got a little bit too close, in the end."
ㅤJames wasn't convinced. He sat in the chair Alex had abandoned, levelling a look at him. "You fled. You needed to escape for a specific reason, why? Why were you in danger?"
ㅤHe could see Riley shuttering his expression once again, kicking them out.
ㅤ"Oh no you don't," he grabbed Riley's jaw, forcing the man to look him in the eye. "Why did you leave, Riley?"
ㅤJames was sure he'd lost him again, the man's expression going blank. He let go of his face and sighed, unsure what to do next.
ㅤ"You said it was what happened to you, Prince Julian," Riley croaked, surprising him.
ㅤJames stared for a moment, processing what Riley was talking about. There was something the man was trying to indicate, something he was too scared to say.
ㅤ"To me?"
ㅤ"Why were you in danger?" Riley posed the question back to him.
ㅤJames blinked, once, twice, realising. "A relic." The word tasted sour. "You?"
ㅤRiley didn't immediately confirm or deny it, but eventually nodded.
ㅤJames sat back in the chair, losing the will to hold himself up. "Holy shit."
ㅤThis situation was way more complicated than James could have ever imagined, their similarities unbelievable. There were so many parallels between their circumstances that James couldn't help but feel pity for the man.
ㅤ"Could you explain?" Thomas asked gently, apprehensive of getting involved in the conversation. "Why is Riley in danger?"
ㅤJames chewed the inside of his mouth, tasting blood. "It seems that Prince Maurice is killing off any potential successor to secure his place as eventual king. Riley fled for this reason."
ㅤ"But, Riley isn't part of the main family..."
ㅤJames ruffled his hair, blowing out a stressed breath, looking between the men. Riley was done, his teeth clenched, imprisoning any more information.
ㅤ"No, he's not. But, he has been chosen by a relic. Even if he isn't a part of the main family, he now stands a chance at succeeding."
ㅤ"Is having a relic really that big of a deal?" Alex asked.
ㅤ"You have no idea."
ㅤ"I may get into an unfortunate accident if anyone knew," Riley sounded dead, hollow. It was amazing he still had the ability to speak. "Having one is almost a guarantee for succession regardless if you're of the direct bloodline."
ㅤJames kissed his teeth. "You're a fucking idiot, Riley. Why did you even touch a relic whilst knowing your situation, huh? You should have stayed far away. Or, did you actually want to succeed but then got cold feet?"
ㅤ"I didn't know it was a relic," Riley spat back, life returning to him, "I have no intention of putting my name down for the throne. None at all. But, Prince Maurice wouldn't care about my intention."
ㅤ"You've done this to yourself. Maybe if you weren't such a prick I would've believed you."
ㅤ"Look, I have to act that way, okay? It's one thing to be dense, it's another to be a loose cannon. I needed to be smart enough that I wasn't considered a risk of leaking information, but I needed to be stupid enough that I wasn't a risk to the throne. How else better to portray that than the way I already have?"
ㅤ"And you had to act that way in the Drykas palace too, huh?"
ㅤRiley looked him in the eye. "It's all I know."
ㅤJames had nothing to say to that. He knew he was the same.
ㅤHe stood, walking away, completely done with this conversation. Riley had been right to freak out, to get scared. They were travelling with two potential successors, two threats to two separate murderous kings. They had all been blind to that information until now. Riley had been carrying this burden on his own, it was inevitable that he'd snapped.
ㅤ"Does King William know this?" Alex asked.
ㅤ"Most of it," Riley admitted, "not the part about me."
ㅤ"Those fuckers are blindsiding you, Alex!" James exclaimed, appalled, throwing his hands in the air. "They knew more than they told us, they were testing us. And they put us in danger by withholding it."
ㅤAlex grimaced, he had no arguments against that.
ㅤ"Thomas, untie Riley," James said. "We're fucking done with this."
ㅤAlex put a hand out. "Thomas don't."
ㅤ"Alex, Riley is fucking right, okay? He was right to freak out and he was right to not tell us. How was he supposed to know what side we're on? Even then, any of us could get tortured for this information, accidently let it slip, and he'd be dead. He's right to be scared, and you should be too."
ㅤ"I don't have the luxury to be scared, James!" Alex argued, his temper rising with his volume. "I have a mission to complete, thousands of lives to save; all on my shoulders! It's our job to die for the necessary cause, and it always has been! I will not let Riley run away."
ㅤJames was shaking his head before Alex could even finish. "Alex, I can't support you on this. I don't care if Riley runs away— that's his right. Hell, that's what I've been doing my entire life. It's how you survive!"
ㅤ"It's the coward's way."
ㅤJames' breath got caught in his throat, he bit back the hurt.
ㅤ"Thomas, please untie Riley," he requested again, quietly.
ㅤAlex didn't fight it this time, remaining still. After a moment of silence, Thomas slowly untied Riley from the chair, looking grim.
ㅤSurprisingly, it was Riley who broke the silence, rubbing his sore wrists. "I'm not going to run," he said, "I want to know what happened to my cousin, Llwyd."
ㅤNo one said a word in response, even though they all heard it. James was too distracted by Alex's hard stare, his opinion. He'd thought Alex had respected him. It hurt to hear that from the first and only man he'd felt a connection to for a very long time.
ㅤWhat was James supposed to have done in his situation, other than run? He had been a boy when he'd started running and he'd never had an opportunity to stop since.
ㅤBut, that wasn't quite right. He'd had ample opportunity to stop and turn around. He'd had fifteen years to do so.
ㅤThe image became more incriminating when he compared himself to Riley. Riley had never run like James had, he'd simply retreated. Once secure, he'd made a plan, found allies, and immediately focused on the counterattack. He faced danger head-on, whilst James had always kept his back to it.
ㅤJames was a coward. It stung because it was true. He'd never even considered getting revenge, nor avenging those who had died; his parents, the servants; the innocent red-eyed citizens. He'd insultingly tried to forget instead, all because it had been easier that way. His behaviour had been a stain on their honour.
ㅤ"I'm going to check on the horses," he muttered, shuffling past them all.
ㅤ"It's dangerous—" Fletcher tried, but Thomas quickly silenced him.
ㅤHe shut the door silently on his way out.
A/N: Current word count: 109,589