Just as the night before, after his stepfamily left the keep he found a new pair of clothing from his mother on his bed, just as fine and well made as the others with a mask to match. It was black this time, a colour Zorian found more flattering and less to garner attention. He quickly dressed, rushing through the corridor in his black attire making it easy for him to blend into the darkened hallways hungered for light. He ran across the bailey and to the stables, where Ridley had already prepared his horse, but the boy looked sad and did not say a word to Zorian as he climbed on his horse nor acknowledged the words of thank you form Zorian as he rode off through the sables and to the gates.
He arrived at Stregan, finding again the row of servants lining the path way to the castle, he jumped off pirate, eager to see Mule again, feeling a tight knot in his stomach at the thought, and wanting to run away, but he fought through it, for within the fear there was a joy and happiness, at the thought of seeing that goofy looking smile, and Zorian could not help but spread one himself on his lips. He walked up the the steps, going at a fast pace, entering the castle and going up the stairs to the hall, he saw the guards who only seemed to smirk which was enough for Zorian to know what they were thinking as they opened the doors, and immediately the sounds of the hall came crashing to his ears.
but no sooner did he enter did he begin to search frantically around the room for Mule not able to spot him, he moved down the steps, walking through the crowd trying to find the boy, avoiding the wandering acrobats and jugglers, dressed in a myriad of colours and shades, he had even seen a man, catching knives with his teeth and another blowing flames putting them out in his mouth. He looked over lords and ladies shoulders and heads but he couldn’t see him, not even among the many servants that served wine. Zorian groaned heading to the feasting table, he grabbed a glass and had a passing servant pour him enough wine that spilled over onto his hands, he took a large gulp, still searching for Mule within the crowd, he stood there for several minutes.
“Back again,” a voice spoke, Zorian turned to see Will,
“Shouldn’t you be serving wine, or chasing after the prince,” Zorian grumbled in a frown,
“He told me that i can have the night off,” Will replied dryly, taking a bite out of a chicken leg he pulled off the roasted chicken on the long table, he wiped his mouth, “you look a bit-”
“Annoyed,” Zorian finished,
“Panicked.” Will said instead.
Zorian sighed, “do you know where Mule is?”
“Why?” his friend said between bites of chicken,
“He told me to meet him here,” Zorian rumbled taking a sip from his glass,
Will sighed, “of course he did,” he muttered. “I do not know,” he breathed, he took yet another bite of his chicken, “but,” he began to speak with a mouth full, “maybe try the gardens, he likes it there.”
Zorian downed the rest of the sweet tasting wine, slamming the glass cup back down onto the table, moving through the crowd again.
He headed to the open garden doors, seeing lanterns lit and torches placed to light in the darker widened space of neatly cut shrubbery, and well kept flowers and plants. He wandered through, getting distracted by the beauty of it, “came again,” a voice spoke, a voice that filled Zorian with anxiousness, yet there was a smile on his lips, he turned, but his smile faded as he saw who stood in front of him,
“Oh,” Zorian muttered, he looked away back to the lilies, and foxgloves, not understanding why he had mistaken the voice for Mules. “I thought it would be nice, I have after all showed up to the last two, hadn’t i?”
The prince chuckled, Zorian could hear him stepping closer to him, till he was standing next to the boy. “I was worried you would not, you are always in a rush to leave, I fear I have done something to scare you away.” Zorian remained quiet, “yet i always have a hope that you will return,” he took hold of Zorians hands, placing them gently on top his own, his thumb ran over the boys injured knuckles, Zorian noticed a blue rose in his other hand, he lifted the flower to the light, “here,” he spoke, handing it to Zorian, “i saw it today, and i had instantly thought of you.”
Zorian pulled away from the prince's touch, taking the rose, “thank you,” he mumbled, still looking at the flowers. But Remulus persisted, and took hold of his hand again pulling him away from the flowers and towards the chiseled stone bench that felt cold beneath Zorians legs. The prince took hold of both of Zorians hands, making him drop the blue rose onto his lap, beckoning him to look the boy in the eyes. Remulus took a deep breath as if the words he was about to speak were hard. “I must make you a confession,” he said, “for i know it in my heart that i love you, i do not care if any think it wrong that i chosen you out all, but i do, i truly do love you.” he paused, “there has been nothing but you in my mind since the day we met and-”
Zorain pulled away abruptly, picking up his rose, ceasing the prince's words, “love me?” he questioned shocked in a quietened voice. He jumped up from the seat and began to pace, he turned to the prince with a confident expression, “i am sorry, but i-i love someone else.” he told him, “and-and i am sorry if that is hard to hear, it is hard for myself, but i love him, i know that now, and i am grateful to you for that.” he stopped, “not that i feel bad not returning your feeling.” Zorian sighed, “gods, i am in love with a boy with a name so ridiculous i shall not even dare to speak it, but i love him,” he smiled, “i love him,” he cheered loudly, “and-and-” but stopped his face dimming, “And i think he has only been playing games with me,” Zorian looked to the hall still searching for Mules face, but not finding it, he began to chuckle, “gods i am idoitic,” his voice broke gazing down to the ground, he closed his eyes, shaking his head. He did not have time to think as he dropped the rose, and near ran out of the gardens and back into the warmth of the hall,
The Prince jumped up from the stone bench, “Wait!” the prince shouted, immediately running after Zorian,
Zorian bit into his tongue, he saw Will still standing by the feasting table, “Zorian? Are you alright, why were you-” but he stopped,
“Mule,” Zorian began, “if you see him tonight, tell him that i-” but he was halted as Will began to look behind Zorian with a odd expression, Zorian looked behind himself, his eyes widened as he saw Remulus charging his way towards him, “shit,” he cursed, “i hadn’t really thought through my words, i must have really pissed him off,” he muttered,
“What? What have you done?” Will questioned slightly concerned,
“I don’t have time,” he rushed. “I need to leave,” he breathed fast, as he quickly sprinted across the hall back to the steps,
but the prince yelled after him, “Gods, wait!” but that only made Zorian run faster, he sped past the two guards by the doors, as he ran down the steps he heard the prince talk rashly to the guards something that compelled them both to chase after Zorain, they yelled for him to stop, but Zorian raced down to the doors and to the steps below the castle, he prayed to the gods hoping in which he was about to do would work, he whistled through two of his fingers in his mouth alerting his horse, who immediately galloped up the steps to reach him, Zorian climbed upon his horse as fast as he could, ignoring the yells and shouts of the guards and the prince. He tightened the reins, and pulled them down as hard as he could, kicking pirate who went into an instant sprint down the steps and through the pathway.
Zorian didn’t look back for he feared they were following close behind, he took a shortcut through the woods hoping to lose them if they were behind. He heaved in heavy breath after a heavy breath till he saw the keep close in view trotting through the gates, and to the stables once again. He unsaddled the horse, suddenly feeling all too tired but urged himself not to sleep on the bundle of barely on the paddock floor. He walked back to the keep yawning, stretching his arms above him. As he walked through the main doors, he was surprised to see his stepfamily home early, they all sat in the great hall at the end of a large table, “ah,” his stepmother said, “the snake among us has finally arrived.”
Zorian walked into the room but stayed by the frame of the door, “M-my lady, what are you doing here i had that you would still be-”
“At the festival,” she finished, “no, we saw no point, you see the prince had already set his sights on someone else. But I suppose you already knew of that didn't you?” she narrowed her eyes on the boy. “And here i thought, i had left you with more work to keep you occupied for days, yet i find you sneaking-” she snarled, “-behind my back to the castle!” she screamed, “how dare you,” she spat, “who do you think you are, to defy me?”
“I hadn’t-”
“Spare me your excuses,” she hissed, “he would be asking for Gwyns hand right now if it weren’t for you.” she looked down to the table, Zorian saw how strangely quiet both his step siblings were who didn’t raise their eyes up from the ground, he took notice of a red swelling mark on Gwyns right cheek, below her eye, and the bruising that had began on her nose, seeing a stains of blood from her nostrils, and Zorian wondered if it had happened before he had arrived.
“Luckily for us,” his stepmother continued, “I had gone to town yesterday, I had made a deal with a man, a fine deal. You dear,” she said slowly, “will be collected tomorrow and taken to a ship where you will then be sent to the south to be sold as a slave. I had planned to sell you in a month's time, but these new developments had made me speed up my plans.”
“No,” Zorian breathed in disbelief, “tomorrow? My lady please-”
“This has been a long time coming, Zorian, and finally I will be ridded of you.”
Zorian was silent, his fists tightened, his nails digging into his palms, “rid of me,” he echoed. “I have done all you have ever asked!” he yelled, looking up to the woman, allowing all the anger he kept for years in his chest unlocked and pouring like rain, “-and never given you reason to rid of me, i have been obedient and silent to every harsh word, hit and scorn! Why do you hate me so much?!”
“Enough,” she spoke softly, “before you anger me further.”
“Oh dear, I wouldn't want to do that would i? What more can you do? you have already sold me off like cattle,”
She tilted her head to her side, “I do not care for the challenge,” she said.
“You heinous bitch!” he spat, “I do not know why my father saw it fit to marry you, perhaps it was pity, but I know he is looking down, hating you, with all he could possibly possess!”
His stepmother rose up from her seat, she trailed along step after step, clicking along the stone floor, “i give you a chance to take that back,” she warned. Stopping directly in front of him,
Zorian spat on her shoes, “I'd rather die.”
She looked on at the boy enraged, her face looking nothing like he had ever seen, she shrieked and shouted for two male servants, the two came rushing in, “take him outside,” she told them in a harsh command, they hesitated for a moment, not wanting to do what they knew she would, “now!” she screamed, they took hold of Zorian dragging him through the keep, till they got to the bailey stopping at a large wooden post. “Get me the whip,” she said to one of the men they gulped but made no objects, Zorian saw his step siblings behind their mother looking on in horror,
“Mother-” Gwyn tried,
“Quiet,” she ordered, and Gwyn went silent, as she leaned on her brother and watched as the other man tied Zorian to the post, removing his jacket and shirt, so that the mistress could see his bare back, the other came back the whip.
She gave no word of warning as she began whipping Zorian relentlessly, each he grunted and hissed in a breath, feeling the sting of the lashes on his skin, he arched his back with each and every strike, but he would not give her the pleasure of crying out in pain, so bite his tongue and descended into silence. She did not stop even as the blood trickled down his skin, nor when Rob begged her to stop, he had tried to wrestle the whip away from her hands, but she only ordered one of the servants to hold back her son and hold his face to Zorians back so he could watch ever pericse hit.
But eventually she did and allowed the two men to cut Zorian down, “take him cells,” she orders aimlessly with ease, not sparing Zorian a glance, walking away without care, as if not spending a better half of an hour whipping a boy. Zorian was too weak to stand, and the two men had to carry him down to the cells, they placed him carefully down. Zorian could barely see a thing down there, the squeal of his caged cell doors sung to his ears, as they pulled him along the dirty floor, which he knew would be home to many insects and rats. but he heard the gentle mutter of the men as they apologized to their lord, leaving him to wallow in the darkness…
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