Keith closed his eyes as he heard the balcony door close behind his short salvation.
As soon as he knew Lance couldn't hear him, he let out one, short sob, his shoulders shaking in pain and grief. It hurt so much, though the Prince wasn't sure if the pain was caused by his injuries or the departure of his lover. His Lance.
But there were no tears on his face, he didn't cry. He couldn't. Guards would soon be here, and showing weakness to outsiders was strongly discouraged. So he took a few deep breaths and attempted to suppress the pain. It didn't really work.
At least there were no tears when, a few minutes later, the door opened to admit a bunch of guards who's names Keith didn't know.
Why wasn't Shiro there? The commander would have done something, would have helped him somehow.
The guard in charge awkwardly cleared his throat and looked glanced up at the Prince before looking down again. "Prepare for the arrival of the King."
Keith nearly wanted to laugh. How was he supposed to prepare? 'Oh sorry, just let me fix my hair. How do I look?'
But he wiped the amused expression off his face as the familiar footprints approached, and he forced himself straighter on his feet. Don't show him Lance was here. Let him think you were alone all night. He looked up as the feet stopped in front of him.
"Father," he spoke, a slight crack to his voice. Emotions rushed through him, but none of them showed on his face.
How was he supposed to feel? He had always been fine with it, accepted the pain that came with his position. But Lance had shown him something else. Maybe it wasn't completely his own fault...
He was sad, and angry, and incredibly in love. But his face just showed submission, and a little bit of curiosity as to what would happen next.
"I hope you have already meditated on your actions and the meaning behind your punishment. After all, I gave you plenty of time to think last night," the king stated firmly, looking down at the scene the boy was in.
"Pitiful," he scoffed in disapproval. "Such deplorable state must have had implemented sense of duty in you, am I correct?"
He took special care in analizing Keith's tone when he replied in agreement, staring at those eyes he so terribly loathed, the eyes that haunted him day and night like a ghost of the past.
Of course his son couldn't look worse than that, but for some reason Zarkon could've sworn that tiredness and fear just weren't there. Perhaps because it was the first night and Keith was trying to prove himself worthy of redeeming. It had to be that.
"However you shall show me how truly compromised and effective you can be, how hard you are willing to work for your kingdom. Therefore after being deep in thought, I've concluded you shall work through the day filling the castle's paperwork, from royal documents to politics, events, laws, give consent to certain actions and keep in touch with our kingdom's representatives and their individual conflicts. I will try to gather some spare time to advise your progress and see if you are mature enough to run real business."
He steadily walked around him to take a look at his back. Just as he'd left it.
"Due to work the rest of your schedule will be on hold, including most foods and training, until the Commander gets back. You shall get your wounds treated, but if you mess up again, trust me to burn them open once more."
He warned the prince behind him as he walked around to face him again. "You shall be chained at night until further notice, your punishment will be how I see fit and that is not negotiable."
Keith didn't turn down his gaze this time, but kept staring ahead, in some sort of silent defiance.
His punishment was about what he'd expected. Little food, that was logical. It was a relief to hear his wounds would get treated properly, though. If it got infected...
He forced himself higher on his toes, just to make the chain stop hurting his wrist, and ignoring the cramps in his feet.
Paperwork wasn't too bad. He'd handled small things like that before, and he was adequate at it. Too bad he would be chained at night again. It was difficult to get rest when you were suspended in mid air, trying not to break your wrists. But, like always, he would survive. He would fight.
"Yes, father," he spoke, his tone clear and with just a spark of rebelliousness, though he wasn't sure anyone could hear it. It was like Lance had left something with him, something valuable. Hope. And right now, it was causing him to stare into his father's eyes, a look in his own that was neutral, but slightly less submissive than usual.
"Thank you, my King. I shall do my best to handle this task." His best. Yes. Not like that had ever been enough before. But still, he would try, for Lance's sake. If he got hurt again, the boy would try to help him and risk himself once more. Yeah, he couldn't let that happen.
One of the guards stepped forward, keys in his hand, but then stopped, looking unsurely at the king, not daring to speak. He needed to wait for permission to unchain the boy.
But the king wasn't moving yet, just staring back at his son with that inquisitive look, which Keith was glad to return. For a while, they just stood there, Keith growing more and more uncomfortable but never showing it.
What was it, in his son's eyes that sent a small yet persistent feeling of uneasiness to his body? Zarkon's senses told him something was off. A small change in those hideous indigo eyes, subtle and almost imperceptible to the human's eye.
His own hazel eyes glared at them with maliciousness for minutes, trying hard to decode whatever had changed into his perfectly submissive son, whatever that had happened on the trip and stayed with him. Did it have to do with the enviroment? With the rebels? With the hunter?
But behind those eyes a thick strong wall of nothingness kept him from finding out the truth, if there was any. Perhaps he was seeing things.
"Unchain him, you fool," he suddenly spat loud and clear to the guard, almost making him jump in fear as he hurried to select the right key with quivering hands and insert it on each handcuff, freeing the prince.
"Treat him and feed him a proper breakfast, I do not want him to faint due to lack of energy in the middle of work." With those orders given he turned around and left the room, ordering a guard to go with him and carry the paperwork for him.
The air slowly escaped his lips as relief swept over him. The tension sipped away, and then he was loose and nearly fell again.
The Prince managed to lean on the bed behind him, groaning loudly but not crashing to the floor as he'd feared. He, of course, wasn't as hungry as the King thought he was. Lance's sandwich preventing his stomach from screaming out loud, but the hunger was starting to return. Luckily, the King had allowed him breakfast for some reason.
He rubbed his wrists, being careful around the burn, and actually managed to stand on his own legs. And a few minutes later, he preceded one of the guards to his own study, the man behind him carrying stacks of papers for him to review.
Another servant had been ordered to get him a proper meal, and the prince was already looking forward to it.
He settled in his room, took a deep breath and started. The kind of things he had to do differed a lot. There were invitations and wedding announcements, news of war declarations and victories, many, many complaints of his people, even his own workers in the Castle, and of course other royals congratulating him and Lotor on their engagement. Those messages might have been the worst, constantly reminding him of the coming doom.
After breakfast, which consisted of an abundance of bread, meat and fruits - the best meal he'd had in days - the healer came by and treated his back with many herbs and cremes, Keith forcing himself to focus on work instead of the burning pain.
After half an hour, the man wrapped Keith's back in thick bandages, and another half an hour later his forearm had gotten the same treatment. That felt better, though Lance's work had already taken away most of his pain.
He worked for hours, until the sun was high in the sky and then some more. His father hadn't included lunch in his orders, but Keith didn't mind. He wasn't burning much energy anyway.
The guard stood by the door, not knowing himself whether he was protecting the Prince or keeping him prisoner. Maybe both. It didn't matter, Keith wouldn't try to escape.
He just worked, all day, without pauze. When the stack of unfinished work was done, new papers and raports were brought, and it all started over again.
...
-"Ance... La..ce... Lance!" The hunter growled to be left alone, his face almost glued to the pillow and his body slumped on the now messy blankets of their room. If his sister kept poking him he swore stealing wouldn't be his only crime.
"Don't 'grr' me. First you come without saying a word, go to sleep without saying a word, and now you won't talk to me either!" She sighed.
"You look sick and you're obviously hurt. Mom and dad are worried about you. We've all been. You took a long time to come back.. What happened while you were gone?"
Lance really wished he could explain. More than anything, he wanted to exclaim how awesome and difficult their journey had been, how happy he was to have met his prince charming, how utterly worried he felt and to express his rage towards the king out loud. But he couldn't.
Rachel, as well as the rest of his family, hated royalty. They would never understand. How could he explain he wasn't feeling well due to stressing out wondering if the prince, the love of his life, was okay, without being yelled at? He sighed and rolled over his back to glance at his sister leaning against the doorframe.
He remembered arriving at his house and eating breakfast - all a blur - before letting himself doze off on the bed. By the light coming from the window he could tell he'd missed lunch, it was late in the afternoon.
"Nothin'... The rebels kicked my butt and we-- the prince, decided we should return and get reinforcements. Apparently things are more serious than we'd thought," he summarized lazily while sitting up, rubbing his eyes, yawning and ruffling his hair. God, he'd slept so much yet he still felt off. "I'm fine, just hadn't slept much, don't worry."
"Yeah sure. I bet Prince Salty ordered your ass around all week and didn't give you a chance to breathe," his twin scoffed with disdain, rolling her eyes.
Lance had instantly opened his mouth but closed it again, biting the inside of his cheek to avoid spilling things he'd rather keep to himself.
"The blood on your clothes was damn hard to wash away, you know that?" She started throwing to his face all his clothes, now clean and mint fresh, and he raised his arms in a defensive position. He knew she was trying to make him laugh, but he was still too sleepy to try to catch 'em all.
"Luckly mom does magic. She's outside by the way, she told me to come get you. She wants to know what's up. Don't make her wait too long." With that said, Rachel turned around on her dress and headed off, leaving the brunette with his thoughts for a bit.
Since he was a kid and until now, he'd told pretty much everything to his mother; from how well his first hunt had been, his class with Allura, his first confession and first heartbreak, to how the village was changing and the world moved.
Despite her not being able to answer nor give any type of advice under her paralysis, Lance felt so much better after getting his worries out of his system. He felt listened and understood, and he knew he could always trust her and rely on her, no matter what.
No matter what.
After giving his father and his brother Marco the same brief summarize of last week, he headed outside to their back garden. He'd changed into more loose clothing, and descended the steps to sit on them next to the most important woman ib his life.
"Hey ma," he greeted her with a smile softly, shifting his gaze on the sun setting to her fragile but precise hands, now currently working on a dark brown necklace with some lighter beads and what looked like a carved wood half moon in it. So far it looked beautiful, and so did she.
He was glad to find her just as he'd left when he came back, however, he knew what that necklace meant exactly; It was a family tradition to gift one's child a carved necklace when they turned twenty, symbol of a new era and their new responsibilities as full adults. But he wasn't anywhere near twenty yet. Why was she making it so soon?
"You wanted to see me?" he asked with more care than before.
His mother didn't look up, but smiled softly and hummed. Every day her son, her Lance had been gone was spent with the whole family, comforting each other and processing her miraculous recovery.
But she had been the most worried of all. Lance was capable of handling his own out there, she knew that. But the mother inside her wanted to keep him close, keep him safe in her arms. And when he came back, the relief was incomparable to any feeling, even the feeling of getting her body back from that evil disease.
But the boy seemed... different. He'd been hurt before, many times. He was a hunter, after all. But this time was different. Even after his wounds had been properly treated and bandaged, his eyes showed some sort of fear. Had someone hurt him beyond his body?
"Hello, cariño," she mused, still focusing on the delicate work in her hands, and motioning for Lance to sit down beside her. "I wanted to ask you about your journey. Your earlier words were a bit... short. Tell me, did something happen?"
There was something missing in Lance's eyes, something usually so clearly apparent. That boyish cheek was gone, replaced by a seriousness she'd rarely seen there before. When he didn't respond immediately, she put down her work and turned to face him, a frail hand raised to his cheek and a look of kind encouragement in her eyes.
"Mijo, you can tell me anything." Her soft but dry lips pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, not having trouble reaching it despite being more than a head shorter than her son. Lance was hiding something, even though she hadn't heard the story yet. He was debating in his head, trying to decide whether to say something. And all Rosa wanted was for him to trust her.
The moment Rosa asked the question, Lance felt the urge to spill absolutely everything from beginning to end, but there was a reason his body still kept his mouth shut. Out of any member of his family or friends he knew his mother wouldn't judge, she would try to understand.
But what if she didn't approve? It was highly dangerous after all, to do what he was doing. What if she thought his feelings weren't genuine and tried to persuade him to let go? Her opinion was more important than anyone else's, if she said no, if he didn't have the support of his dear ma...
But then he focused on the gentle touch, on her warm darker blue gaze and her incomparable motherly kiss. She was right, he could tell her anything. If there was anyone who would listen till the end, it was her. He trusted her, blindly and completely. He looked from down to her eyes again, leaning on her hand some more seconds before sighing.
"What didn't happen?" he laughed nervously, chewing his lower lip. "...Before the trip, I'd already had a few encounters alone with the prince. He knew who I was from the very beginning. I guess I made a quite memorable first impression." He grimaced, still not proud of that.
"But on the actual trip we somehow grew closer, even if it wasn't intentional. Through all the experiences and us seeing through each other... It was like some outer force was pulling us together, and I... I gave up. I didn't fight it. It just happened," he murmured, leaning his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand, staring at the horizon.
"He's nice, ma, he's the kindest soul I've ever met. He's innocent and naive in some aspects, but in most he's wary, mature, serious and responsible, with the sense of duty perhaps too implanted on him. But he's so caring and smart and honest and... pretty." He smiled absentmindedly, focused on the mental image of his lover in his head.
"So, so pretty... He has this mysterious eyes and elegant features and he's so adorable when he looks at me like that, and when he smiles?" He sighed, lovestruck. "Your whole world shakes. There's nothing I desire more than making him happy... I... I love him, ma."
He glanced at her with that smile full of affection, his cheeks slightly reddish and his heart fluttering along. He couldn't deny it.
"And I know it's love. It has to be. It's so strong and amazing and bright... It's the realest thing I've ever felt for someone. And I know he's a prince and I'm nowhere near his reach, I'll probably never be. But being a prince isn't even half of who he is, and he makes me so happy mamá... Incredibly happy. We understand each other, trust and care for each other, protect each other, he... He loves me too! He loves me..."
His eyes glittered from the amount of love he felt towards him, but his eyes trailed down to her hands and took both on his darker ones, pursing his lips.
"I know it's wrong, dangerous... But it just feels so right...!" he said in a now trembling whisper, betraying how troubled he felt inside.
"I don't- I can't let go, ma. I can't deny or ignore my feelings for him, despite having all the odds against us. Despite our family not approving. I love him. I love him so much it scares me..." he breathed, squeezing her hands with his own.
Rosa stayed quiet during his whole speech, taking in every word and never letting go of his hands.
"Oh, mijo," she let out when he was done, and pulled her little boy into her arms. She loved Lance unconditionally, but even she had to admit this situation was... difficult. Lance stood far below the Prince in society, no matter how much more important he was than some Prince.
And a part of Rosa felt a certain hostility towards the royal that had stolen Lance's heart. Lance had been played before, and there was so much more danger this time. What if the Prince was not the person he pretended to be?
But then she saw the look in Lance's eyes, worry mixed with so, so much love. She couldn't have changed the boy's mind if she wanted to. Love was something to be celebrated, to be persevered, no matter the obstacles. That was one of the many things Rosa herself had taught her children. And she couldn't change that perspective now.
"Shush, mi querido. Don't you worry about it. This.. This Prince, he has your heart? Well, I say he better have earned it." She chuckled softly and let him go to look in his eyes.
"The way you talk about him tells me your feelings are true. And you know how I feel about love. But.." She hesitated. Lance had always been difficult to deter once he'd set his mind to something, but had he thought this through properly?
"But he ís the prince. To get involved with someone like that... You'd be endangering your life just talking to him, let alone be a real couple. What do you imagine your life to be like together? He's-"
Her voice stopped for a moment as a second reality hit her, and her voice lowered to a sympathetic musing. "He's getting married, Lance. To another prince. You already knew that. You need to think hard whether you're willing to take such risks for.. for a prince."
She really tried to keep the defiance and disgust out of her voice, but didn't quite succeed. The things the royal family of Daibazaal had done to her and her family... Unforgiveable. Besides...
"Lance, are you sure he's telling the truth? I don't mean to doubt your judgement, but maybe... maybe he has different motives for keeping you close." It wouldn't be the first time a prince sought a little action on the side before getting married.
And she would hate to admit it, but Lance was an easy target in that way. Like said before, he had gotten played many times. And everytime, she was there to console him when he came home, hurt and crying because another man or woman had used him by pretending to return his affections. This time, it wasn't just Lance's heart at stake. It was his life.
The moment he stayed in her arms, Lance closed his eyes, breathed slowly and let himself relax to the sound of her constant heartbeat, let her motherly embrace wash away part of his worries. At least she didn't doubt the seriousness of his own feelings, good.
He wished he could stay like that forever, but then he was pulled back to reality when she gave him a doubtful look. How would their life be together? He... He wasn't sure.
His heart sunk at the venom on her tongue directed to his lover, grimacing slightly. He knew exactly where she was going with her last words, and he did not want to step into that garden.
"Ma, I know what you're thinking, I thought the same at first," he declared with a knot on his throat. "Believe me, I tried so, so hard to keep a distance from him when I got aware of my own feelings, but I... I couldn't. I know he's being honest with me, ma, I can feel it. I see it in each and every one of his actions.
He's been through a lot and may seem like your every day spoiled prince, but he's not like that at all. He has a kind soul, he's against the injustices of his kingdom and he wished he could do things right. He's the way you described Queen Krolia, ma." He smiled, a hand on his heart so his words would match his feelings.
"He's had plenty of chances to let me down, to leave me and forget about me, but he hasn't. He saved me from the rebels when he didn't have to, he's treated my wounds when I didn't ask him to. He truly, truly cares about me, with no ulterior motives behind. I trust him, blindly and completely. No silly adventure with a peasant would be worthy the risks we're both taking."
He sighed, his gaze falling to the steps.
"We've talked about Prince Lotor many times now, but he's selfish and egocentric and mean, with everyone, especially with Keith." He used his first name to show how close they really were.
"He doesn't want to marry him, but he has no choice in the matter. He's never had a choice. He'd be miserable with him, mamá." He looked at her with pain In his eyes.
"That's why I have to be there for him. He... The king... He's a monster to him. He's hurt and alone, he doesn't have anyone else he can fully rely on. He needs me. I've been showing him life can be better, that there's beauty In it. I'm aware doing this, trying to be with him is... risking my life. I know what I'm exposed to, and he doesn't want me to risk this much either, but what choice do I have? Giving up is not an option."
He sighed, letting his frown relax and closed his eyes for a moment, before looking at his own hands again.
"Look, I... I don't know how our life could be. It all depends on what happens inside the castle, what the royals do. All I know is that... Keith and I... We're just two people, who were never meant to fall in love. But we did, and there's no going back now." He pursed his lips.
"If there's anyone worthy of risking my life for, it's him. That prince. Because he... He's so much more than a prince. He's my other half, mamá. He could gain power some day, fight and make things better, but for that he needs hope. I'm the one giving him hope. Things could be so much better for our people...! This is bigger than me."
He took both of her hands and placed them on his own cheeks, slowly fluttering his gaze to meet hers with his heart in his fist, silently pleading her to understand. This wasn't a childish crush, a meaningless summer romance, this wasn't a game. He wanted her to see he was aware, that this time, he was serious about his lover. That it had to be done. It was a matter of destiny, since...
"You can't decide who you fall for, who owns your heart. Keith owns mine, mamá, and I own his, as well. It's mutual, healthy, with mutual respect and sacrifice. We're in love."
Rosa pursed her lips for a moment, but then allowed her lips to form a soft smile. Her son was in love. And despite her distrust of royalty, this Prince seemed to love him back.
"I'm happy for you, Lance," she smiled.
"But," she said, her gaze hardening for a moment. "If he does anything to you, if he is dishonest in any way, I don't care that he's the prince, I will neuter him. Don't let love blind you, pecas."
Then her smile returned and she pressed yet another kiss on his forehead. "Now, come on. Help me prepare dinner. And Lance-" She stopped him from walking away.
"Maybe.. Maybe not tell the rest of the family yet. They might not understand. I have to admit, it was hard to accept your love for a... for a prince. Okay?" His soft nod was reciprocated by Rosa and she let him go and followed him inside.
The kitchen was empty, luckily, so the woman could safely question her son some more. "So, the prin- Keith doesn't want to marry that other man? That must be awful, being with someone you don't love." She started cutting carrots and potatoes to stew.
"Put on some water," she told her son.
"Why don't you tell me some more about him. About Keith." Maybe it would be easier to accept this.. this situation, if she knew a little more about the one who's stolen Lance's heart.
It seemed unrealistic, a sweet boy, burdened by the pressure of having everything and being the boss over everyone. It was difficult to feel pity while a kid had everything while families starved to death in the kingdom he was supposed to rule.
Of course, it was still the king who was in charge. That man was... cruel, to his people. She'd always imagined his son to be the same way. Spoiled. Arrogant. Rude.
But Lance had spent more time with him, and had obviously changed his opinion. Who was the Prince? What had he done to Lance?
She suppressed a giggle at the thought that the prince was just really, really good in bed. Yeah, that was unlikely. Though, he had probably had some practice with the servants and guards.
That's what everyone thought, anyway.
Lance did as he was told and boiled the water before adding what her mom was cutting, still half lost in thought.
'Don't let love blind you'. He clearly remembered the times she'd encountered his evil exes on the street and gladly slapped them in the face. Lance tried to stop her a few times, knowing it was his own fault for falling so easily for other people's lies.
Sometimes a part of him was aware he was being played, but he continued to play along, feeling too hollow to care. At that time, pretending was the closest thing to feeling loved, a beautiful lie.
Now that he felt truly loved, he could tell the difference between what was real and what was not. Indeed it was awful to be with someone you don't love, he thought. He'd been there. But unlike his experiences, Keith didn't have a choice.
He glanced at his mother after she'd shot the question and caught a glimpse of her sassy expression, instantly turning red as he knew what she was thinking about.
"Mamá!" he whined in embarrassment. She always had that knowing, perverted look when she asked him private questions about his current partner. And every time he did not want to, but ended up talking about the subject one way or another.
"It's not what you think," he cleared out with a frown. "In reality he's completely inexperienced." They were kind of opposites in every way, but that's one of the things the brunette liked about him.
He took out kitchen thighs from their preservation box, which consisted on a cold box full of salt to preserve their food, and started removing the skin with the help of a knife.
"...Keith is pretty innocent." He smiled to himself in amusement and adoration, focused on his work and keeping his tone low so no one else would hear.
"He's been taught royal things like politics and lots of languages. He even speaks spanish! He's a great rider as well, and he's good with hand to hand combat. He's smart, I guess he's a good leader, although he doesn't really like giving orders, nor acting superior."
He set the chicken on the cooking pot along the other food and leaned against the counter.
"He thinks things through most of the times, though he can be pretty stubborn. He thinks he can and has to do everything by himself, but part of that is due to how he's been raised. I'm not saying he's not capable though, he is. He's incredibly strong and determined. It took me a while to crack his ice armor." He looked through the window with a small grimace.
"He's been repressing his feelings all along, but once you get to know him he's empathetic and a really sensitive boy. He's incredibly cute and sweet" he smiled softly.
"He can be pretty funny when he allows himself to speak his mind. He's also a big tease." He chuckled and looked at his mom again.
"He's talented and learns quick despite not admiting it. He's not picky either and adapts easily, and he's a good listener too. I just see so many qualities in him he doesn't see for himself." He sighed, his gaze falling down.
"Life's been hard on him. It's hard for him to value himself. His father- the king, he puts too much pressure on him. Unnecessary pressure. He..."
His tan hands gripped the wooden counter with force, his expression twisting in anger and pain. It was hard to say this things out loud.
"He's inhuman. He's done things- he constantly hurts him in horrible ways for stupid things he considers as mistakes. He's so cruel, physically and emotionally, if I told you the state he's in right now you'd be horrified," he muttered.
"That's why I'm so worried. I wish I could take him out of that stupid castle, far far away, it's so unfair...!" His heart clenched.
"I feel- I feel so powerless, so useless to him... I can only do so much, and it's still not enough. It makes me so angry... To be unable to be the knight in shining armor he needs me to be."
Rosa tried to keep her defiant attitude towards the Prince, but the way Lance described him was actually pretty... nice. The flat royal asshole she's imagined evolved into a three dimensional character with feelings and quirks and talents and fears. Someone real. Someone hurt.
When Lance spoke of the king, Rosa froze. She lay down her knife, and turned to her son.
"Oh, Lance," she breathed, taking two quick strides and taking the boy into her arms. What had happened, what had caused her to actually feel sorry for a Prince?
"You are not responsible for saving him, okay? You can't, not right now. If his father.. If he does the things you say he does, there is nothing you can do about it, I'm afraid." She stroked a hand over his back, trying to comfort him.
"All you can do is be there for him, and get him through it." When had this become so complicated? "I don't like saying it, but the Prince is right in some aspects. You can't risk yourself needlessly." She threw a glance to the bubbling stew and led Lance to the table.
"He sounds like a responsible young man. I do hope you're right about him. It would be a good change to have a just ruler. He'll be able to help the kingdom, even by prince Lotor's side." She lay an arms over Lance's shoulder and pulled him close once more.
"Things seem hard right now. But you can't give up hope yet, not until I say you can, okay? You have helped him so much already, by what you're telling me. What has happened to him? What did his father do this time? And how do you know?" She wanted Lance to always be able to confide in her, even if she wasn't completely behind his decision to date a prince.
Being in her warm embrace always managed to soothe Lance's worries, and somehow everything that she said made sense. He had no power, the best he could do was bring him support and hopes, although he didn't entirely approve when his mother mentioned he was risking too much.
He guessed he was stubborn himself regards fighting for what he believed in, no matter what, and he would never give up. At least not when it came to Keith.
But the moment the king's name came out of her lips, his eyes fell to his feet. A part of him didn't want her to know, it was beyond cruel, and he knew she would be touched by it. Especially because it had to do with fire, and for his family, that was personal.
His mother's condition had gotten worse due to worry when his brother's house was set in flames with them inside under the King's order. It had been Lance who'd helped them and his nephews get out unharmed, burning himself in the act. It was such a big burn they'd thought he wouldn't make It. Plus, telling her how he knew wasn't... Ideal.
But... His heart screamed to let everything out. He wanted to be held and comforted a little longer by his mother, thing these late years he hadn't been able to do, when she didn't have enough strenght to lift her arms to him. He'd craved it so much, he still did. It's alright, mamá will understand, he told himself sighing.
"...It's- It's terrible, ma. He punished him for not succeeding, he-" he trailed off, swallowing hard and embracing himself.
"He burned him, his right arm is full of second grade burns, and he craved Daibazaal's symbol on his entire back...!" His voice trembled and he nervously chewed on his lip, forcing himself to continue.
"He chained him to his own bedpost at night and he can't even reach the floor properly, he's hanging, and he's starving him! His own son, mamá! He's so sick..." He dug his nails onto his skin with rage. If only he could smash his head with a rock, or make him suffer slowly so he would pay for everything he's done...
"I... I know because I've seen it, I climbed the castle tower at night," he confessed, instantly looking at his mother and hurrying to explain.
"But it was necessary! If I didn't take care of him he'd suffered all night by himself, mom, they hadn't even treated his burns! I had to do something, I-" he winced, pain glimmering in his eyes. "I thought- I was scared, ma, for a moment I thought he'd..." He trailed off and lowered his head.
It's not like he wasn't in an incredibly bad state, but he'd thought Keith was even worse. Much worse. All the things he'd seen, his people suffering to death, horrifying images forever burned in his head, he didn't know what not to expect from the king.
One of Rosa's hands lay over her heart as she listened, cringing at every word. She stayed quiet for a while after his voice trailed away.
She'd known the King was a horrible man, of course. The things that man had done to his people, to their family... But to do such things to your own son was beyond evil. And this had been going on for years. That poor, poor boy.
"Oh, Lance," he breathed. "I am proud of you." She raised his chin with two fingers, forcing him to look in her eyes. It pained her to see those beautifully familiar eyes tainted with tears of worry.
"I am so proud of you. You found love, true love." There was no use denying it. Lance loved this boy, and the prince apparently loved him back.
"You found love, and you fought for it. You're still fighting. You've grown into such a strong, handsome man, and anyone would be lucky to have you care for them like that." She stood back up, pulling him along into a hug.
The image of the Prince, tied up, starved and bleeding, wouldn't leave her mind. The young royal seemed younger in his head than he'd ever seemed before, more innocent, more like a victim of this cruel and unfair world. She could only imagine how much worse it had to be for Lance, to know his lover was in such extreme pain and not being able to do anything about it.
Yet.
Because Rosa also knew her son, and knew that he'd do anything to help those he cared about, and wouldn't stop until they were happy and safe.
"You'll save him. But for now, have dinner with your family, get some rest. You need it. And we've missed you, a lot." She let go of him and stepped back to the counter to add some more ingredients to the pot on the stove, boiling with juicy vegetables and tender meat.
"Why don't you set the table and call your siblings. It's time for a proper family meal."
Lance smiled at the sweet woman, her gentle words having almost brought him to tears, and nodded. She really did manage to get to his heart through her point of view. She always gave good advice, always seemed to know what to do, tried to understand him and really empathized with him. His mother was sich a great woman, and he was so, so lucky to have her.
"Gracias, ma," he murmured, eternally grateful. "I've missed you too." More than he'd realized he would when he went away.
However, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing on what state his lover was right now, what had happened over the day. What if he got chained again? He would never be able to close his eyes without the image of him hanging on the bedpost hunting him on his mind. He'd wait until the moon was high on the sky, then visit him, he decided.
But for now he could enjoy some quality time with one of his greatest treasures; his family. He retrieved some bowls from the cupboard, cleaned the wooden table, set flasks, bread, cutlery and drinks on it and proceeded to take and set down the bowls with delicious smelling soup in them.
"¡Marco! ¡Rachel! ¡Veronica! ¡A la mesa!" he yelled, and it didn't take them two minutes to gather in the room with hungry vulture eyes. Their mother's cooking was something they'd greatly missed over the years, and It now tasted like sweet memories mixed with pure bliss.
He took a few minutes to go to his father's workshop and call both him and his brother Luis, both gladly letting the tools down and following him to the dining room/kitchen as well.
It wasn't a big house. They were already lucky to have more than one room, and he currently shared his room with his sisters - although Veronica occasionally spent the night god knows where -. Even so, the rent was incredibly high, and the entire village knew the landlord was probably swimming in gold by now.
But that was okay.
They had his mother back, they were united and happy again, and everything would be alright. With that joyful thought they all sat for dinner, telling each other how their day had been and laughing together.
Lance really wished he could share his joy with them, too.