by Jude Marquez
“Is that what you want?” She whispered.
Alyx didn't realize that he was standing between her legs, her dress torn from the thigh down, until he looked down.
“Get on with it then,” she said and looked away. “Your father was a disappointment in the bedroom but maybe your back alley activities have taught you something-”
Her words stopped abruptly when Alyx shoved the shard of glass into her ribs, up and up and up as far as he could force and she tried to collapse.
Alyx made her stand and twisted the shard, five inches long and three inches wide, and it cut through her like all the ribbon Alyx had cut for her dresses.
“I would rather kill you than have your stench on me,” Alyx murmured and then let her drop, the blood making a sizable pool around her body.
He stood there and watched her blood drain from her, in a surprisingly short amount of time.
Alyx turned and made for the stairs, Elewisa's room, where he tore the curtains from her window. The rest of the house was quiet and Alyx realized it had to be close to midnight. He wondered about his stepsisters but pushed the thought from his mind. He didn't have time to worry about them right now.
Upstairs he wrapped Elewisa's body in the curtains and threw it over his shoulder. Blood was everywhere but it didn't matter. He would be gone or imprisoned by morning.
In the stable, he got the oldest and sweetest horse they owned, one of his father's, and threw Elewisa's body over the back of it. He took the reins and led the horse out of the stable and into the forest behind their house, never once looking back over his shoulder at the only house he had known.
Chapter Five
Evander, Gael, Cade, and Auelina all waited across the road from the Reimund house. Their clothes and horses were all black and Auelina and Evander's hair were hooded. It was near impossible to tell them from the shadows that they hid in.
“Do we have a plan?” Cade asked softly.
“I would like to kill Elewisa,” Evander said conversationally.
“I would like to kill one of the sisters. I'm not picky,” Auelina said.
“The butler is mine,” Gael said and leaned forward in his saddle, eyes watching the house. They were waiting for the last light to go out before they went in.
“I always get leftovers,” Cade grumbled.
Auelina patted his shoulder. “The burden of being the youngest.”
The candle disappeared from the top most bedroom and went out the door. The four of them tracked it as it made its way from room to room and then up when it appeared in the attic.
“Evander?” Gael said.
“Wait,” Evander whispered.
They didn't have to wait long until they heard a scream, and the light went out. There was another moment, maybe two, not long, before Alyx appeared in the big bedroom and they saw him jerk down the curtains.
Elewisa was nowhere to be seen.
Evander sat back and looked at Gael.
“Do you think he-?” Gael asked.
“He did something,” Evander said and they watched the house for a few more long moments and then Alyx appeared, leading an old horse away from the stables, something wrapped up in the curtains he had torn down.
“Looks like sweet Alyx didn't need a knight in shining armor after all,” Auelina said.
“He stole my thunder,” Evander said, sounding offended.
“Can we follow him?” Cade asked and sat up straight. He was suddenly far more interested.
“Might as well,” Evander muttered, sounding petulant.
He led the way and they followed the obvious path that Alyx had left. They found him after twenty minutes of slowly creeping along and Evander stopped everyone and signaled that they circle Alyx, who was digging a hole unaware that he had been followed and was now surrounded.
The horse looked up to the royal family and then dipped its head to eat some grass at its feet.
“This is for killing Johnny Boy,” Alyx muttered and Evander leaned forward to hear what he was saying. “For that times you made me kneel for a full day on rice. For that time you burned me with a candle for breaking a bowl when you saw Thea do it. For burning me, over and over. For shackling me everyday for two years,” Alyx paused and took a deep breath. “For breaking Gilbert's legs and not letting him see a healer. For calling me a whore, when you know that no one has even looked twice at me,” He was favoring his left arm, making it damn near impossible to dig even though the ground was wet. Evander looked over at Gael and then to Auelina and Cade.
They all looked impossibly sad.
Serlo had been cruel and when Gia wasn't able to distract him with wine or food or her body, Evander had taken the punishment for whatever imagined wrongs Serlo found. Evander's body was as scarred as that of soldier twice his age by the time he was twelve and led his father to a nearby river, drunk off too much wine, and pushed him in.
Rufus and Edward had rescued Evander from going over the side and Gia appeared at his side and they both listened, stone faced and unmoving, as Serlo drowned below them.
He told her quietly that no one would touch them again. Not as long as Evander was alive. Gael had taken the same vow when he turned twelve. The same vow when each of the royal family turned twelve. They extended that vow to their kingdom, silently killing or beating those that were reported back to them through their knights that were stationed throughout the kingdom.
Evander urged his horse forward and Alyx looked over his shoulder and met Evander's eyes. Those blue eyes were fiery and his right sleeve was soaked in blood. His face was flushed and his eyes looked bleary.
“Are you here to take me to the dungeons?” Alyx asked and gripped the shovel.
Evander looked at him critically. “Your hole is too small by at least two feet.” Evander said instead. “Nor is it deep enough.”
Alyx looked at him and then to his horse who raised its head when Evander spoke and they stared at each for a few seconds before the horse went back to the grass at its feet.
“I was injured,” Alyx finally said.
“I can see that,” Evander paused. “You will have to break her legs if you want to get her in there.”
“Aren't you going to put me in chains?” Alyx asked, confused.
“No one is going to tie you up, ever again. Not as long as one of us is on the throne,” Evander said.
“Us?” Alyx said.
Gael, Auelina, and Cade stepped out of the shadows, their faces grim.
“Oh,” Alyx said and looked around. “If you are going to kill me, can I make a request?”
Evander raised an eyebrow.
“Make it quick,” Alyx murmured and bowed his head.
Evander tipped his head at Cade and Cade swung down and stepped up to Alyx. To his credit, Alyx did not flinch and handed the shovel over easily when Cade reached for it. He let out a breath when Cade took it and the tension almost strangled Evander until Cade gently pushed Alyx away from his shoddy hole and began to widen it, deepen it.
“Always get the leftovers,” he muttered. He worked quickly but the forest was humid and thick with recent rains and he had to stop and take off his cloak.
Auelina swung off her own horse and began to rummage through her pack and gestured to Gael to come stand beside her. She handed him a small bag and stepped up to Alyx. She gestured to his torn tunic. “Do you mind?” She asked.
He shook his head no.
With a quick movement, Auelina tore open his shirt where the blood was thickest, and reached for the bottle that Gael was holding.
“It's water.” She said and poured a healthy amount over the gash. She frowned at it and sighed. “I will need to stitch him up.” Then she reached for the other bottle and held it up to Alyx. “Do you want a drink?” She asked.
He shook his head.
“Are you sure? Because this makes all three princes here cry like little boys for their mother.”
“I don't have a mother,” Alyx said.
“We
can share. Ours can't mother anyone enough.” Gael offered.
Alyx looked around at them.
“What are you doing?” He asked.
“My brother wanted to rescue you,” Cade said, huffing and set the shovel down.
“Deeper,” Gael and Evander said.
Cade threw the shovel at Gael who caught it and traded places with him.
“But you had it under control,” Auelina said. She shook the bottle at him and he took a big drink and coughed.
“Dear god,” he said.
Auelina didn't wait to give him warning. She poured half the bottle over the gash on his arm and Alyx's arm shot out and Evander could feel his grip around his boot from where he was still mounted on his horse. Alyx gasped and Auelina wrapped the cut up quickly, efficiently.
A few moments later found Cade and Gael tossing Elewisa's body into the hole and then they were closing it up.
Alyx was leaning heavily against Evander's horse.
Auelina fussed over him and looked up at Evander.
“What?” Evander asked.
“He's getting warm. Possibly a fever. He can't ride.”
Alyx muttered something about his horse, asked them to take her because Mariana would gladly kill the gentle creature.
“Alright,” Evander said. Alyx thought he felt fingers on his cheek. “Gael, Cade, help him up.” Evander said and gestured to the front of his saddle.
It took some work on everyone's part and Alyx was up in the saddle with Evander. The horse nickered and shifted, then easily bore their combined weight.
“Bring the horse,” Evander told Auelina.
She nodded and grabbed the reins.
“Cade, go quickly. Inform mother and she'll ready the others.”
Cade swung up in his saddle and turned away from them, gone in a moment.
The ride back to the castle was not as quickly done as Evander wished, but Alyx lost consciousness about halfway there and it was a struggle to keep a grown man in the saddle with him.
When they finally approached the back entrance of the castle, Elyes, Aldous, Geoffrey, and Ely were all there. Gia stood behind them, hair pulled back, Jeanna at her side. They helped Alyx off Evander's horse and down onto a stretcher and carried him up.
“Which room?” Aldous asked, barely straining.
“Between mine and Evander's-” Gia started.
“Mine,” Evander said.
Gia turned to look at him.
“He thought we were going to kill him. Once he wakes, he will be confused and scared. What if he's alone? That will only add to his panic,” he turned to the others. “My room.”
Aldous led the way to Evander's room and only hesitated at putting Alyx on the bed.
“Go on.” Evander said.
They did as he asked and then Jeanna, Gia, and Auelina fell on Alyx's body, still but for his rapidly rising chest.
“Run a cool bath,” Gia told Gael.
“Water,” Jeanna told Aldous.
“Thread and needle,” Auelina said to Evander.
There was a scurrying and everyone left. By the time Evander returned, Alyx was undressed, cool compresses to his forehead, the back of his neck, under his arms, and modestly across his groin.
“Sir,” Jeanna said softly.
“Yes?” Evander said, his eyes wide on Alyx's body. It wasn't desire. Rather, he was filled with a kind of rage that he hadn't felt in a very long time.
Alyx had lived a very cruel life and the scars on his body told the tale.
“Might I have a minute?” She said.
“Yes,” Evander whispered but it took him a moment to gather his thoughts and follow Jeanna to Alyx's side.
Gia and Auelina continued working on Alyx. Auelina was stitching his wound closed and Gia was working swift fingers under his shoulder, to feel for anymore damage.
But that wasn't what bothered Jeanna.
There was scarce a bare inch of Alyx's body that was not in some way covered in scars, burns, cuts, bruises, or poorly healed wounds.
“Sir, some of these scars are years old. He has been treated worse than slaves sold to us from the south,” Jeanna pressed her lips together. “It seems the only thing he avoided was the whip.”
“He killed her,” Evander said softly.
Gia’s fingers hesitated only slightly at Evander’s words.
“Good,” Jeanna whispered.
“Here,” Auelina muttered and her fingers ran over a small wound at Alyx hip. It was red and hot and it looked painful. “This is what's poisoning him.”
“What is it?” Evander asked and sounded strangled even to himself.
“A poorly treated cut,” Gia said. Her eyes were distant. She was removing her emotions from the situation so that she could work on Alyx. “It has caused his blood to go bad.”
“Can you-?” Evander started and felt Gael's hand on his shoulder.
“Possibly. We need to break his fever.” Gia said and Aldous stepped forward to carry Alyx to the bath waiting for him in the corner of the room.
Evander stopped him and picked up Alyx himself.
The compresses felt away, leaving Alyx bare but for the bandage on his arm and another on his elbow.
“What's that?” Evander asked and he barely stopped himself from touching the fresh bandage.
“A burn,” Auelina muttered. She stepped up to the bath and touched the water and nodded. Evander stood over the bath and looked from the deep water to Alyx, who was still unconscious.
Evander stepped into the water, fully clothed and sat down, gently rearranged Alyx in his arms and held him still for a moment even as his unconscious body fought against the coolness of the water. After a moment he stopped, sighed, and leaned back into Evander's chest.
Gia sat behind him on the couch and petted Evander's hair. He leaned into her touch and Gael turned to Evander's closet and began to rifle through for clothes, hopefully for the both of them.
“This is worse than even father did to me,” Evander said softly.
“I know,” Gia said.
“Why did this happen?” Evander asked.
Gia had no answer for him.
Auelina called Geoffrey and Tobey in to help get Alyx out of the bath and Evander waited patiently as Ely untied his clothing and he got into some clean clothes. Auelina's ladies rushed in and out, bringing in food, changing bedding, taking the old clothes out to be washed, or in Alyx's case, thrown away. Gia watched it all with Cade drowsing in her lap. Evander envied his ability to fall asleep anywhere.
Finally, with Alyx settled in Evander's bed, she stood, and nudged Cade awake. She felt Alyx’s forehead and looked to the small wound on his hip. It looked red and angry and swollen still to Evander but his mother's eyes looked soft instead of concerned.
“It's cooling. Rest and a good meal will do him well. As for the rest, we will just have to wait and see. Get some rest. I imagine in the coming days, you will need it.” Gia kissed Evander goodnight and everyone followed her out.
Evander climbed into bed and looked over at Alyx. The fire was still going in the fireplace and the flames threw a soft, golden light on Alyx's skin.
“Good night,” Evander murmured.
Eventually, he slept.
Even if he was plagued by nightmares of an angry man.
Chapter Six
Alyx opened his eyes slowly. He was sore everywhere. His mouth was dry and his eyes were sticky with sleep. He wondered if he could sneak in a couple more minutes of sleep or if Elewisa would start-
He was awake all at once, the events crashing through him like a river across a dry creek bed. The last thing he remembered were the knights helping him down off Prince Evander's horse.
Alyx slowly turned his head to the side.
Prince Evander was fast asleep, right next to Alyx. His mouth was open slightly and this close, Alyx could count the freckles on his cheeks and he could examine the dark honey color of his eyelashes. His eyes flitted down to Evander's full mouth and
even further down, to where he could see the Prince's bare shoulders and a small scar on the right one.
“Do you like what you see?” Prince Evander asked, causing Alyx to jerk back suddenly and realize, with a start, that he was without a shirt too.
In fact, Alyx was naked as the day he was born.
“Your Highness- I- What- I apologize, I don't know-” Alyx started to say, the warm glow of the morning fleeing like a cat from a dog.
“Hey, it's okay,” Evander said softly. “I was just giving you a hard time, since you haven't been much company the past two days,”
Alyx sat up and looked around. “Two days?” He said.
Evander pulled a pillow over his head. “You've been sick. My mother, sister, and I have been taking care of you. I didn't want you waking up alone.”
“Thank you. I- uh, what do I do now?”
Evander smiled and let the pillow drop on his face. “You are the guest of the royal family, Alyx. The world is your oyster.”
“I don't understand,” Alyx said.
“It means that we can do what we want. I would like to go back to sleep,” Evander said.
“But-” Alyx started and then stopped himself. If the Prince wanted to sleep, than he could sleep.
“What?”
“It's morning.”
Evander pushed the pillow away once more and looked at Alyx for a long moment and then Alyx laid back down.
“Sleep. When it's actually morning and not dawn, we'll have breakfast.”
“Okay,” Alyx murmured.
But Alyx did not sleep. In fact, he laid on the bed, his hands neatly folded on his chest and listened to the prince breathe and stared up at the ceiling.
This was not going how he thought it would.
He was surprised to be alive, first of all. And in the prince's bed? The thought clouded his mind and made it hard to think clearly.
Alyx must have dozed because when he heard a noise that made him open his eyes again, Evander was sitting up, his legs over the side of the bed, and the princess was looking down at Alyx.
“Good morning,” Princess Auelina said. She smiled at him while he continued to blink up at her. “How do you feel?”
Alyx furrowed his brow and looked away. The royal family was blessed in many ways and their beauty was foremost among them. Staring at them for too long was like looking into the sun. Eventually, it would blind him.