forum The Captive Prince (o/o) closed

Started August 12, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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After Levi assumed that the sun had risen for the third time since he left his kingdom in shackles and a blindfold, he was plain sick of traveling. Especially in this weather. His lips curled into an uncomfortable grimace while sweat seemed to drip off his face and neck, even his armpits and neck. He tried shifting every once in a while, but that of course did no good. The skin around his piercings had began to form red blisters, and his once neatly braided hair now just looked like a tangled mess. “How much longer?” He dared to speak to his captors about more than intermittently needing to use the “chamber pot” on the side of the road during the trip. Thanks to the blindfold, he hadn’t seen anything in at least three days, and he knew he wasn’t prepared for the scorching sun or whatever bright climate they were taking him to.

They were traveling by wagon, the gentle clop of horses feet echoing across what sounded like an empty road. The man steering the horses only grunted in response, but the man in the back with Levi tugged cruelly on the collar around his neck, choking him as a reprimand for talking without permission. "How long until you learn not to speak out of turn, princey?" He spat out the title mockingly. "His majesty will be far less forgiving than us of your loose tongue."

He grunted and jerked to the side when he was tugged. He let out a dry cough and croaked back, “You don’t want me to answer, that do you?” He mused in a partial, very breathy chuckle, despite finding none of this funny. In reality he was scared, terrified even, and stiff against the backrest of the wagon. His only movements were the bounce of the wagon against the roads.

The man smirked, not that Levi could see it, and released his hold on the collar entirely. Instead he grabbed Levi's face in his hand, grip just shy of bruising. "Took you long enough, princey. You keep those wits about you and Prince Fiori might decide to keep you instead of turning you over to one of us soldiers." He laughed and forced Levi's head to the side, admiring his graceful profile. "Not that it would be any hardship to us."

The man in front grunted in agreement as he turned the wagon, which soon slowed and stopped entirely.

Levi pressed his lips tighter together, tempted to comment but he stopped when he realized he was at a loss for words. What could one say in this situation without being yanked by the throat again? He swallowed anxiously when he felt the carriage stop. Was what these guards said true? He didn’t have many doubts about that…

They moved at a jerky pace, voices occasionally warbling into the wagon from outside when they stopped. They were clearly at some kind of checkpoint, slowly starting the journey through the palace gates. "Better steel yourself, princey," the man chuckled, finally dropping Levi's chin. "I hear the captain of the guard himself's come to check you out and he's not quite as kind as we are." A voice could be heard approaching, barking out curt orders as it inched closer and closer to the wagon.

“Of course he isn’t,” he muttered under his breath as he heard the voice approach. He shut his mouth at the last moment and began fidgeting with the silver ring on his finger for at least a small amount of comfort, twisting it around his forefinger underneath the second knuckle. He assumed they might eventually take that from him, along with whatever other precious jewelry he had, but at least he could savor having it for the moment, however long he had still being donned and considered a prince.

The back of the wagon opened before the man could raise a finger against Levi, the new voice ordering him to leave dismissively. Then, without much of a warning, calloused hands were forcing Levi's chin this way and that. The man tutted and pulled off the blindfold after his examination as almost done, noticeably displeased. "You're in some state, aren't you pet?" he murmured, voice gruff but sympathetic. "We'll need to get you cleaned up before you see the prince."

Levi squinted against the bright sunlight, his eyes watering at the vast change in brightness. Even as he gradually adjusted to the light, he continued to stare forward with an icy blue glare while he tried not to make eye contact with the captain. A layer of glossy sweat had formed on his face, particularly around his eyes and a band around his head where the blindfold inhibited any air to let his skin breathe. The word pet bothered him more than princey. It made his skin crawl and stomach turn: an odd mixture between humiliation and offense.

The captain shook his head, tugging on the front of Levi's collar to force him to stand. "Now don't tell me you object to the word, pet. After all, you are one, best to get used to it now." It was a gentle warning, but one that promised punishment if not heeded. He pulled Levi forward, steering him slowly through the maze like hallways. "I'll let it slide because you're still untested. Do you have a name you prefer? Something from your homeland?"

“…Levi,” he responded after a short hesitation. He had no choice but to follow this man, no matter the discomfort at being yanked around by the neck, but he should expect no less from being a prisoner in a kingdom that wasn’t his. He continued twirling the ring around his finger. He looked at the walls, trying to find anything interesting on them to distract himself.

"Levi," the captain echoed quietly, tugging Levi around a corner. "That's an interesting name, pet. It's not very often we get a Deigh around here." He said the word like it was a curse, and to some degree it was. A slur thrown at the people of Nord Widonia by Usigens like himself. "You're lucky you're to the prince's taste, poorly bred as you are. If you were any less pretty, they would've made you serve in the arena."

The corner of Levi’s lip twitched. He’d heard of the arena this kingdom used, and much like the rest of his kingdom, found the idea barbaric. He just couldn’t wrap his head around why fighting with your own people served as a degree of amusement. And to think of working there…”I’ve never understood your arena.” He spoke again, dismissing the comments about his looks for now.

"Of course one of you wouldn't." The captain chuckled to himself and patronizingly patted Levi's cheek. "It is about glory, pet. There is no surer way to prove your skills than to best a man in the arena." He sounded like he was explaining the concept to a small child. "Surely even an iceblood like you can understand that."

Levi stole a glare directed at the captain, stifling an annoyed groan “I would never find glory by taking another man’s life. But to each his own, I suppose,” he sighed drearily, his gaze falling back down to the ground.

The captain laughed louder. "Why who sold you that load of shit? Men die on the battlefield, not the arena." Levi was pulled more insistently through the halls. "There is no honor in a death like that, iceblood. And anyways, our prince would not allow it."

Levi wrinkled his nose and half coughed from the insistent yank at his neck, “It-It’s a rumor. We all believe it.” Okay, so maybe the arena wasn’t as bad as he assumed, but the heat was still agonizing. All this speak of the prince here, and the possibility of the prince keeping sparked a shred of curiosity in his gut, “What is the prince here like?” He was almost too afraid to ask.

"Big," was the captain's first answer, said with a cheeky smile. His grip on Levi's collar eased, giving him room to breathe. "And stubborn. And perhaps a touch reckless. But you don't need to worry about that, pet. He's an honorable man. He'll be a good master to you."

Levi took a deep breath once he was able to. He took in more breaths through his mouth. He stared forward and tried shoving down the thoughts about the captain’s last comment. Master. he didn’t have a master, he was a prince! Back in his own kingdom he was master of the house; how could things have fallen so low in the matter of three nights? They couldn’t just expect him to…submit to their every will, could they?

They soon arrived at a large set of double doors, carved intricately with what seemed to be a gathering storm. The captain threw the doors open and pulled Levi inside, tossing him carelessly to the ground. A large pool of steaming water sat in the middle of the room, revealing it as the royal baths. "Clean yourself here," he ordered. "Go into that room on the other side once you're done. The prince will be waiting."

Levi kept himself from falling on his face by letting himself collapse knees first. Against the hard ground it didn’t hurt much less, but at least he didn’t break his nose. He fell with a pained umf, waiting for a moment to catch his breath before taking the time to look around the room. Hopefully they had a brush somewhere close here. He hated the feeling of his tangled hair; he needed to fix it. “Can I have something else to change into? My own clothes reek.”

The captain laughed at the request, nudging Levi towards the pool with the toe of his boot. There was a ledge made of stone off to their left with a variety of soaps and brushes. "You weren't properly broken in before you got here, were you? Your clothing will be provided by the prince. Now clean yourself, he doesn't like to be kept waiting." He turned and left the room, closing the doors behind him with finality.

Levi watched the captain leave before he began peeling off his clothes. He sat down at the edge of the water, dipping his toes in to test the water. He relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief at the cooler water. He sank down fully into the water and reached for one of the soaps to wash the dirt and grime off of his skin and face. He didn’t bother to hurry, enjoying the calm atmosphere and solitude in the assumption that he wouldn’t get the chance to have that luxury for the rest of the day. Maybe ever. He set the jewelry from his hair on the ledge beside the soap and brushes. After washing and brushing the tangles out of his hair, he pulled himself out of the water and located a towel to pat himself dry, careful not to let the threads snag on his piercings.