Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/13503654.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage, Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Original_Work
  Relationship:
      Original_Male_Character/Original_Male_Character
  Additional Tags:
      Medieval/Fantasy, Royalty, Nobility, Rebellion, IDK_I_don’t_do_tags, It’s
      a_gay_fantasy_story_ok, It’s_also_my_first_so_plz_be_gentle, names_of_ppl
      and_places_r_in_Spanish, everything_else_in_English, I_wanted_to_be
      different, use_of_dead_words_like_wizardess, Traditionalism, Magic_Eyes,
      Cats_and_horses_that_talk_all_modern, You’ll_see, Betrayal, Fluff, One-
      Word_Titles, Confusing_family_trees, Sexuality, I’ll_add_more_if_it’s
      important, Manipulation, Sacrifice, Puddles_of_Blood, Suspicion, emotion,
      Forced_Prostitution, Religion, wet_dreams, First_Kills, Graphic_ones_too,
      just_warning_you, Intrigue, world-building, when_u_try_to_be_subtle_but
      it’s_fluffy_AF_anyway, Don’t_forget_the_‘minor’_characters!
  Series:
      Part 1 of Ravarra
  Stats:
      Published: 2018-01-28 Updated: 2018-03-31 Chapters: 11/? Words: 34489
****** Ravarra ******
by LatinoGamer123
Summary
     The Kingdom of Ravarra is a land of rainbows, a realm of equity and
     prosperity, thriving under the fruitful rule of their beloved
     monarch, Queen Reyna the Gracious. But, when the Queen’s son and the
     future of the Kingdom is kidnapped by an evil nobleman, chaos ensues,
     and the realm is divided. In this time of desperation, a commoner boy
     is chosen by prophecy to end this conflict, and to rescue the young
     Prince...
Notes
     Welcome to my first ever work! (plz don’t hate I’m very sensitive) A
     gay fantasy story, just because I enjoy gay shit and fantasy shit.
     If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I’ll answer
     (unless it’s meant to be confusing or gets explained later).
     Enjoy!
***** Gracious (Prologue) *****
“I assume you are aware of my reasoning for requesting this meeting, your
grace.”
The Queen picked up her chalice and raised it to her lips.
“I assume it has something to do with the situation regarding your wizard's
apprentice,” she responded before taking a sip. “What was his name again?
Bernardo? Bonito?”
“Benedicto.”
“Benedicto, yes!” She remembered, “Bright young man.”
“Indeed,” her guest replied, “But, his antics have cost me a great many of my
forces. Some of them were my finest warriors. Some land was destroyed as well.
My recourses are depleted thanks to him.”
The Queen lowered her chalice with a disappointed look on her face.
“He was only trying to help from what I’ve heard, Lord Malvado. The riverbank
next to your lands was overflowing rapidly, and at that rate, it would have
cost the lives of many villagers—“
“—And thanks to his failure, the lives lost were that of not only my men, but
my dragon as well,” the man interrupted, “House Del Fuego is nothing without
it's dragons. In fact, without us, the Kingdom would be overrun with untamed
dragons—“
“—Yes, yes,” the Queen interrupted, “And, without House Del Mar we would be
overrun with sea monsters, House Travieso, with trolls, and House Mendoza, with
goblins. I’m fully aware of your role as the lord and protector of the
Kingdom’s north, Lord Malvado, and I am truly grateful.”
“Thank you, your grace. We are not called the Fire simply to sound
intimidating,” he continued, “just like our fruitful Queen Reyna and her family
are not called the Crown simply because they look pretty wearing them.”
Queen Reyna chuckled at his compliment, “Indeed, House Reyes has ruled the
Kingdom for generations, and will hopefully continue to do so for generations
to come, and may they all have as fruitful a reign for all as I have had.”
“Indeed!” Lord Malvado raised his chalice in a toast, “To the Kingdom!”
“To the Kingdom. And, to House Del Fuego. ‘Untamable.’”
He smiled appreciatively, “And, to House Reyes. ‘They’ll never take you
alive.’”
Their chalices clinked, and they sipped their contents. After she swallowed,
the Queen returned to the subject.
“You should be proud to have had the one dragon, Lord Malvado,” Queen Reyna
stated, “Do you know how hard it is to tame such a beast? I’m sure you do,
since that’s exactly what you did!”
He nodded, “I did. And, I’ve had her since I was a boy. Tamed her on a journey
into the Páramo Salvaje. Still have the burn scars. So, now you can see why I
would seek justice for her death?”
“I suppose,” the Queen pondered, “But, as I recall, she seemed to have given
birth some time ago, did she not?”
“Indeed, she did,” Lord Malvado confirmed, “a fiery, young male. Incendio. And,
he shall be the one to carry out said justice. He shall feast on the young
apprentice as vengeance for his mother.”
“I do not approve of this course of action,” the Queen sighed before taking
another sip, “But, what you do within your domain is your business. Now, what
does this have to do with me?”
The elder Lord raised an eyebrow as if it were supposed to be obvious, “Your
grace, it was your people who sent the young apprentice to my House. Forgive me
for overstepping my position, but I do believe you are partly to blame. I would
like some form of reimbursement for what I have lost.”
The Queen chuckled, “Is this your way of demanding a marriage alliance, Lord
Malvado?”
The elder Lord chuckled a bit himself, “A tempting thought, but some basics
will do for now. A few dozen knights, to help protect the north. Some
remittance for the damages, of course. And, perhaps a few more silvers for my
troubles.”
The Queen sighed. Her generosity had her recourses spread thin already, “I'll
see what I can do.”
“Thank you, your grace. I assure you, this will not be forgotten.”
They continued to sit in silence, sipping the wine from their chalices, until
Lord Malvado spoke again.
“Since we are on the subject of marriage, my curiosity gets the better of me.”
The Queen lowered her chalice, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, your son,” he stated with a little more force than necessary, “I
understand that the Grand Wizard has foreseen that the young prince will...
prefer the company of men.”
“Indeed,” she confirmed with a chuckle, “I've already caught him staring so
deeply enamored at my castle guard.”
“And, what is it that you plan to do about that?” He asked as he raised his
chalice.
“Nothing.”
The chalice stopped just short of his lips, “Nothing?”
“Nothing,” she stated again, “He is who he is.”
The elder Lord lowered his chalice slowly. “I must admit I am a bit surprised,
your grace. Being the ruler of the realm, I would have expected you to do
whatever it took for your family to produce heirs.”
“Esteban is much too young to worry about producing heirs. We'll figure
something out when we get there. But, that's not the point. I'm trying to make
Ravarra a place where people can embrace who they are without judgement from
others. My kingdom will be a place where true equity shall prevail. Trust me,
they don't call me ‘Queen Reyna the Gracious’ for nothing,” she then looked at
the elder Lord in a confused way, “You of all people should be grateful, Lord
Malvado. I understand that you have... slightly similar interests.”
“Indeed, I do,” he admitted instantly, “And, I am grateful, your grace. But, I
am already a father, so who I spend my nights with now is not a problem. Your
son, however, is not. And, if you allow things to progress the way that they
are, then he may never be.”
“Again, Malvado, that's something we can worry about when he is of age.”
“I began exploring my interests when I was his age,” he stated, to the Queen's
uncomfortable shifting as a response, “Younger even. I'm sure Prince Esteban
can too.”
“I don't think I approve of that idea, Lord Malvado.”
“My mother disapproved, as well,” he stated. Then, a pondering look grew on his
face, “But, I just may have the solution to your heir problems.”
The Queen raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“As you are aware, I have a daughter. She's strong, pretty, and the Prince's
age. Not to mention she was born gifted in magic. No doubt there’s a spell
somewhere to get your son excited without help.”
The Queen shifted again, her treacherous thoughts unwillingly picturing her
son’s excitement, “Thank you for that image... What exactly are you suggesting,
Lord Malvado?”
“I am suggesting that we forget this whole preference ideology and marry them
to one another.”
The Queen nearly jumped at that. She leaned back in her chair to avoid doing
something unfortunate, “I'm afraid that's out of the question.”
“Why not?” Lord Malvado protested, “You need an heir. My daughter is unmarried.
She also happens to be quite fond of the young Prince—“
“—But, he is not fond of her,” the Queen interrupted, “In fact, Esteban seems
to despise little Sombra.”
“That is beside the point. I’m certain her magic could easily fix that. You
need my daughter,” he tried to convince her, “I'll tell you what, forget the
knights, remittance, even the silver! Marry our children, and all shall be
settled.”
“It is out of the question, Lord Malvado. As I said, my kingdom is a place of
equity. I will not marry my son off to someone that he does not like nor will
he ever be attracted to... naturally, I mean.” The Queen stated. Then, she
sighed and lowered her head, “You know, I share... interests that are slightly
similar to you and my son. Similar, but... different.”
The elder Lord raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”
“Yes,” she admitted, “My son likes boys. You like both boys and girls...”
The elder Lord nodded in confirmation.
“...But, I like something else,” she continued, “I like... people. Just certain
people.”
Lord Malvado gave her a confused look, “What kind of certain people?”
“There’s not really a kind, it— it’s sort of... random,” the Queen sighed, “The
first person I was ever attracted to was a handmaiden I had as a princess.”
The elder Lord nodded with some form of understanding, “And, this handmaiden
was the only one you’d ever been attracted to?”
“At the time, yes.”
“Did she share your feelings?”
“Yes,” she chuckled, “Her name was Camila. She was wonderful. She was kind,
caring. She had these beautiful, purple eyes... She was my first love.”
“What happened to her?”
The Queen took a shaky breath, “My father happened. He walked in on us one day.
We were... well, I’m sure you can guess what we were doing.”
Lord Malvado nodded, “And, I imagine King Basilio the Proud wasn’t too proud.”
“He wasn’t, no,” she could feel tears forming in her eyes, “He had her sent
away—where, I don’t know—and he gave me this whole speech about how that kind
of intimacy was meant for man and woman alone.”
“Ahh,” Lord Malvado nodded again, “This is why you want your son to be with
whomever he desires, because you weren’t allowed to do the same.”
“Yes,” Queen Reyna confirmed, she felt a tear roll down her cheek, “I thought I
would never love again,” she sniffled, then smiled, “Until I met Esteban’s
father.”
“King Reynaldo.”
The Queen chuckled and nodded, “Back when we were still children— I a princess,
him a young lordling from House Del Mar. I knew I was attracted to him, but I
was still trying to get over Camila, so I ignored my feelings. He, however, did
not.”
Lord Malvado let out a hearty laugh, “Your husband was certainly a persistent
fellow.”
“He was,” she found herself laughing too, “He used to actually come to my
balcony to serenade me, can you imagine that? He was a horrible singer... but,
he wasn’t going to let that stop him. He was going to do whatever it took to
earn my hand... Eventually, I couldn’t resist anymore. I accepted. Of course,
my father approved, since he was a man, so that was that. After my father
passed, we got married. Not long after, Esteban was born... then, not long
after that, the war, and—“ she squeezed her eyes shut to stop the tears from
coming. She looked up when she felt Lord Malvado’s hand on hers.
He had a sympathetic look on his face, “He’s in a better place now, your
grace.”
“I know,” she wiped away the tears, “I know. It just hurts. Our son doesn’t
even remember his own father... But, I’m not stupid. I know he did it for a
reason. Without him, we would all be dead, or living under the rule of the
Duarte invaders from the west.”
“Then, you must also know that he would want what’s best for Ravarra,” he tried
to convince her, “King Reynaldo was a wise ruler. He knew when to make
sacrifices for the safety and prosperity of the Kingdom. It’s what lead him to
make the ultimate sacrifice. Because of him, the Duarte Empire is gone, and
Ravarra is free. And, I know your father seemed a cruel man for tearing you
away from Camila, but think about it! If he hadn’t done that, you would have
never met Reynaldo. You would have never had Esteban.”
The Queen hated how much that made sense. If she had stayed with Camila,
everything would be different.
“Your right,” she admitted.
“Then, you see!” The elder Lord exclaimed excitedly, “You see that you need to
do what’s best for the Kingdom too! Not only the Kingdom, your House! Your
family! Your grace...” he took her hand again, “Marry our children, unite our
bloodlines, and ensure that they continue to prosper for ages to come.”
He was right. She hated it, but he was right. If Esteban was going to rule
someday, he needed a legacy to carry on. He may not like it, but if he went
through his reign without heirs, who would inherit the Kingdom? Their closest
relatives were House Mendoza in the Sierra Dentada, protectors of the south.
They were smart, but they weren’t rulers. They could barely control their own
territories with all of those goblins running around. The people probably
wouldn’t even accept a Mendoza king. If Esteban married Sombra...
No. No! This was not the Kingdom she had promised her people! Like she had
stated earlier, she was going to make this a land of equity, where everyone was
free to be who they were. If she forced her son to marry someone he didn’t want
to, how could she uphold her promise then? A gracious ruler who couldn’t keep
her promises was no gracious ruler at all. She knew what she had to do.
She gently removed her hand from the elder Lord’s, “I’m sorry, Lord Malvado, I
can’t.”
The elder Lord fell back into his seat with a look of sadness and annoyance.
“I know, this isn’t what you’d hoped,” the Queen continued, “But, you were
right. I need to do what’s best for the Kingdom. And, what’s best for the
Kingdom is what’s best for it’s next king, my son. What’s best is to let him be
who he is. To let everyone be who they are.”
Lord Malvado shut his eyes and bit his lips. Queen Reyna understood. He was so
set on getting something, and now he was being told that he couldn’t have it.
It was like her with Camila...
“I assure you, you’ll get everything that you previously demanded. You will be
fully reimbursed, and though I may not like it, my people won’t interfere with
whatever you have planned for Benedicto. Your getting nearly everything you
wanted, but I am going to have to say no to the marriage—“
Lord Malvado stood instantly, and the Queen jumped in surprise. The elder Lord
began to glare at her from across the table, “Your grace, you owe me for the
damages to my estate! You owe me this marriage alliance! Esteban will marry
Sombra, the Crown of House Reyes and the Fire of House Del Fuego will combine,
and our children will produce an heir, whether your boy-loving son has to be
magically seduced or not! We will both benefit from this alliance! Besides...
you don't want me as an enemy...”
That was a threat if the Queen had ever heard one! She couldn’t believe this!
She had just opened up to this man, and he had had the nerve to lash out at
her, just because he couldn’t get what he had wanted! She’d heard the stories,
but never seen any evidence before today that they were true. This was truly
the most evil man in the Kingdom!
She considered calling the guards. No, she didn’t need guards! What kind of
Monarch hides behind their guards? She could take care of herself.
The Queen stood and did everything she could to make an even more intimidating
glare, “You are speaking to the Reigning Queen of Ravarra and the most powerful
woman in the realm! And, threatening a Monarch is an act of treason, punishable
from the dungeons to death! If I wanted, I could have you executed right here,
right now, and little Sombra will grow up without a father, and without
experience in leading a House, much less protecting the north!”
The elder Lord seemed surprised, but continued to glare. Queen Reyna then
managed to calm herself down, “But, as I have stated, they do not call me ‘the
Gracious’ for nothing. You shall have your knights, remittance, and even the
silver, as promised, because you are protector of the north, and you are an
important asset to the Kingdom. But, that's all you're getting. There will be
no marriage alliance between the Crown and the Fire, and when my son is of age,
he will get to be with whomever he chooses. This is the best deal you're
getting, Lord Malvado, so I suggest you take it and leave,” she pointed toward
the exit.
Lord Malvado continued to glare for a moment. Then, he chuckled, stood
straight, and bowed, “My apologies, your grace. It appears we’ve both had a bit
too much wine. I should go before I start staggering as I walk.”
He backed away and headed for the door. The Queen watched him all the way. No
amount of wine they’d had could have triggered such a confrontation.
Then, the elder Lord stopped at the doorway and stood for a moment. He turned
back to her with a sly smile.
“They do indeed call you ‘the Gracious’ for good reason. I... appreciate
everything you've done for me, your grace. If you plan on allowing your son to
marry another man, then by all means, let him. And, who knows...” his sly smile
widened, “...Perhaps, even I may take him.”
Queen Reyna scrunched the tablecloth until her knuckles whitened, “It is time
for you to go, Lord Malvado.”
And with that, he left, smile still on his face. The Queen fell back into her
chair and let out a long sigh. Running a Kingdom with her resources already
spread thin was bad enough, but now this. But, it would be fine. It had to be.
There was no way House Del Fuego would dare attack the Crown.
Then, she turned to see an unusual shadow in the corner of the room. To anyone
else, it would have appeared to be an average shadow, but Queen Reyna had been
in this room too many times to believe that.
The Queen rolled her eyes, “You’re not fooling anyone. Get out here.”
An old man in black robes, a large, black pointed hat, and a long white beard
limped out of the shadows as they seemed to disappear behind him, supporting
himself on a staff made of pure obsidian.
“My apologies, your grace,” the Grand Wizard croaked.
“You're forgiven, Geronimo,” she waved, “But, you should really learn to stay
in your part of the castle and mind your own affairs.”
“My affairs are that of the safety and prosperity of the Royal family and the
Kingdom, your grace,” the old man informed her, “I sensed a threat to my Queen
and came as quickly as I could. You shouldn't have allowed that man to speak to
you in such a manner, your grace. You should have sent him back north with
little more than the clothes on his back. Perhaps, not even those.”
“And risk open rebellion?” The Queen scoffed, “I won't cave into his demands on
the marriage alliance, old friend, but he was right, I don't need enemies right
now, especially from a protector. Besides,” she straightened her posture from
within her seat, “I have an image to maintain.”
“You may face open rebellion anyway,” the old man warned, “Heed my warning,
Reyna. You should double the castle guard, for your own safety, as well as that
of your innocent boy.”
“Trust me when I say that no harm will come to my innocent boy,” she assured
the Grand Wizard, “I am not afraid of House Del Fuego, Geronimo. If Lord
Malvado wishes to make empty threats, let him. He's a coward who hides behind
his words and the men at his gates. And, apparently neither they nor his
precious dragon could even protect themselves from a flooding river. Have the
commanders pick a few dozen knights from the north and send them back to their
homeland, I'll deal with the remittance personally.”
The old man bowed as low as he could on his obsidian staff, “As you wish, your
grace.”
***** Boy *****
Chapter Notes
     This was added right after the Prologue, because I think prologues
     shouldn’t be posted without the actual first chapter of the story
     next to it.
     Again, plz don’t hate, and plz enjoy.
“Wow... that was the worst shot I’ve ever seen.”
“Never trust someone left-handed.”
“Perhaps, if he didn’t spend all day beating up straw dummies, and picked up a
bow, he would be better.”
He pulled his arrow out of the tree, “I’d like to see either of you do better.”
“We could. It’s just easier to make you do it for us. That is, if you could
ever hit your target.”
“Shut up, fat-ass! You’re so lazy, you can’t even pick up a book.”
The fat boy flipped him off. The skinny, dark-skinned boy to his left
snickered, “He’s got a point, Cordero.”
Cordero flipped him off too, “Fuck you, Bartolo! I may not look like I’m made
of sticks like you, but at least my parents were married when they had me!”
Bartolo glared at him, “Don’t say it!”
Cordero put on a smile of fake innocence, “Say what? Bas—“
POW
Bartolo punched Cordero in his chubby face.
“I’ll castrate you like the pig you are!”
“Oh, will you, farmer’s boy?”
“Can you two not argue for once, please? Your constant screeching is scaring
away supper. Will your parents be happy if you come back empty-handed?”
They both glared at him.
“Shut up, Victor!” Cordero demanded, “You started this!”
“Yeah!” Bartolo joined in, “If you and your left hand didn’t spend all day
swinging your sword around, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
There was a pause before the previously-quarreling boys started laughing,
realizing what they had just said.
Victor, however, was not amused. “I’m going now, I’ve got a deer to hunt.”
He began to walk in the direction of where his prey had run off to. Cordero and
Bartolo rushed to catch up to him.
“What’s the matter, Victor?” Bartolo teased, “Mad that no one wants to swing
your sword?”
“Maybe they’re repelled by his ugly face,” Cordero added.
“Or that light skin.”
Cordero looked offended, “My skin is light.”
“Not like his,” Bartolo stated, “He looks like a reject from the Valle
Amurallado.”
Victor sighed loudly.
“I can’t help it if I was born like this,” he pointed to his face, “You can
blame it on my father! Besides, I still have the prettiest eyes around, and
don’t even think about disagreeing! And, don’t forget who I got them from!”
His companion’s both rolled their own eyes.
“Yes, we know,” Bartolo sighed, “You got them from some merchant on an island
far away.”
“I got them from my great-grandmother!” He continued, “Who was a famous
merchant on the Isla Del Mar!”
They rolled their eyes again.
“And, I don’t need help swinging my sword!” Victor whined, “My own hands are
enough.”
The other boys snickered. Cordero ruffled Victor’s wavy, light-brown hair.
“I’m sure we can blame you a little for your face. Also, you have the prettiest
eyes at home, the Río De La Luz. This is the Bosque De La Luz. It’s very
possible that someone here has prettier eyes than you,” though he said that,
they all knew it wasn’t true, “And, no one’s stopping you from making love to
your hand, right or left, but don’t you want a girl for that?”
“Err, well—“ Victor was about to tell him before Bartolo cut him off.
“Victor likes cock.”
Bartolo began laughing when Victor stopped walking to glare at him. It was the
truth, but he would have rather said it himself.
Cordero had a surprised smile on his face, “Really!?”
“Yeah, you didn’t notice?” Bartolo said between snickers, “He was totally
staring when you were pissing on that tree before.”
“I was not!” He most definitely was.
Cordero put his hands on the front of his trousers, “You want to suck my cock,
Victor? It tastes good!”
“I’m sure you would know!”
Cordero flipped him off again as Bartolo kept laughing. They continued to walk.
“You don’t have to be ashamed, Victor,” Bartolo stated when he was done, “Times
have changed for the better around here.”
“Yeah,” Cordero agreed, “The Queen’s making everyone happy with her whole
‘equity’ plan, whatever that means, especially for people like you. I hear her
own son shares your interests!”
Victor had heard the rumors about Prince Esteban. As a commoner, rumors were
his only source, but these were the kind of rumors that usually turned out to
be true. And, he was supposed to be his age too. Maybe, if he was a nobleman,
and if the Queen actually made it legal for two men to marry, she would make
him marry the Prince.
Victor ceased in his thoughts when he saw movement up ahead. He raised a hand
for them to stop.
“Get down!” He whispered. They snuck to a bush and hid behind it. They poked
their heads up when they were sure they hadn’t been spotted.
Sure enough, their elusive deer was munching on the grass, completely unaware
of their presence.
Victor nocked an arrow and raised his bow.
“Please hit it this time!” Cordero whispered.
“Yeah,” Bartolo agreed, “I don’t want to be out here ‘til dark!”
Victor took aim.
“Just sit back, relax, and watch what a left-handed cock-lover can do.”
He released his arrow and sent it flying.
***
“Told you I’d get it today, didn’t I, Lina?”
Victor rode proudly on his horse as she dragged the deer carcass behind her.
She seemed to nod in agreement, as if to say, ‘Hell to the yes, you did it!
This heavy-ass bitch will feed you guys for a long-ass time!’
Victor laughed at the funny way that he imagined she talked. For some reason,
his whole life, his mind had just seemed to make up words for the noises that
the animals he was close to made. He’d never questioned it, and because he
spent most of his time with them, he just started talking back to them. There
was no way that was what they were actually saying—animals couldn’t talk!—but
it was still fun to talk to them, especially because they were the ones that
really listened.
Bartolo and Cordero had went their separate ways earlier to the farm and the
bar, respectively, where their individual parents worked. They had returned
home with smaller prey, allowing Victor to keep the prize, as he was the one
who shot it.
“All it took was a little practice!” Victor continued. Then, a thought came
into his head, “Hey, Lina? Do you... do you think I’m unnatural? Because... you
know... because I like boys?” This wasn’t the first time Victor had thought of
this. In fact, he thought of it often. But, this was the first time he’d said
it out loud. Even if it was to a carcass-dragging horse.
Lina shook her head as if to say, ‘Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout, Vicky!? You trippin’!
It’s completely natural!’
“It’s just...” he continued, “I can’t have children because of this. And, most
boys prefer girls, so I feel sort of... odd. You know?”
Lina shook her mane again, ‘Uh-to-the-uh-uh-uh! Fuck that horse-shit—I can say
that ‘cause I’m a horse! West side, mothafucka!’
They actually lived northeast of the capital, but Lina had come from the west
with Victor’s mother.
“But, it’s not like I chose this, right? I can’t choose! If I could, I’d—...
well, actually, I don’t know what I’d choose... But, the point is, I can’t!
And, if someone doesn’t like that, then... too bad! Right?”
Lina seemed to whinny in agreement, ‘Damn right, Vicky! You tell them
traditionalist bitches nobody messes with this boy-fucker—No offense—That’s how
we do it in the Río De La Luz!’
That made Victor feel better. He patted her mane gratefully.
“Thank you, Lina. You’ve always been such a good friend to me. I’m glad I
decided to keep you.”
She whinnied again, as if to say, ‘Me-to-the-bitch-ass-too!’ He’d had her since
she was an infant and had raised her like his own child. Once, when his family
was running out of money, his mother had pressured him into selling her. He’d
be lying if he said he didn’t consider it—they were desperate—but, in the end,
he decided not to. And, it all worked out. They got more money through other
means and he got to keep his horsey friend. All was well.
He finally reached home. His mother was an innkeeper and his father was a
blacksmith, and the inn and the shop were conveniently located right next to
each other. Sometimes Victor wondered if the inn would ever have a guest that
complained about the noise next door, but it hadn’t happened yet.
He rode Lina up to the stables where his mother and father were waiting.
“Now that is a beast!” His father exclaimed, “You shot that thing!?”
Mewl
Victor looked down and saw his cuddly cat, Leo, rubbing up against Lina’s front
legs as if to say, ‘Thanks, buddies! I’ll eat for days, now! I’ll be fatter
than your fat-ass friend!’
Lina whinnied, ‘Uh-uh! Getcho flea-bitten ass away from this mane!’
Mewl, ‘Fuck you very much, horse-buddy!’
Just the thought of that made Victor chuckle.
“All by myself,” Victor confirmed as he dismounted.
“I’m so proud!” His father stated as he untied the carcass from Lina’s saddle,
“Carina, get the horse, would you, dear?”
Victor’s mother took Lina’s reins and led her toward the stable. Whinny, ‘Hey,
hey! Easy on the mane, you dumbass ho!’ Victor wasn’t sure he wanted anyone,
even Lina, talking about his mother like that. His mother stopped momentarily
to plant a kiss on Victor’s cheek. Victor smiled and politely returned it.
He’d finally caught an animal that would keep them fed for a good, long while.
He felt great! And, his conversation with Lina had only made him feel even
better about himself, even if she only responded with what he interpreted as
what she was saying when she was whinnying and shaking her head. Now, how was
he going to reward himself?
How else?
He went to the back and picked up his wooden sword.
But, before he could start massacring his straw dummy, he heard galloping—lots
of it—coming down the road.
His father came back with a confused look on his face, “Do you hear that?”
Victor nodded. His mother came back with a similar look, Leo at her heels.
Mewl? He seemed to ask. ‘What is that sound, Mami? It’s disturbing to my
massive, yet obviously adorable cat-ears!’
“It sounds like horses,” Victor’s mother stated, “Lots and lots of horses,” she
looked down the road and then pointed, “Over there!”
Victor and his father both looked where she was pointing. Sure enough, there
was what looked like a whole army of armored horses coming down the road. They
all had heavily armored knights in dark armor riding them.
“Those don’t look like the knights of House Rivera,” his mother noted.
“Nor House Ramos,” his father added, “Who are they?”
“Let me see,” Victor looked closely at the knights.
Some of them were carrying banners. Victor had had a strong fascination in
Ravarra’s nobility since he was a small child, and had practically memorized
every House sigil by heart, so he was confident that he would most likely be
able to decipher where these unusual knights were from. He looked closely at
the banners.
Their sigil was a red dragon in a circle of orange fire on a black background.
“The sigil of House Del Fuego,” Victor said aloud.
“What are they doing so far from home?” His mother asked.
“Carina, stay close to the inn,” His father ordered as he began walking toward
the northern knights, “Victor, stay close to your mother.”
He walked onto the road just as the northern party was approaching. The knight
commander, an elderly, light-skinned man with a stern expression, stopped just
in front of him, and the rest of his men followed. He looked like he commanded
with great respect, but something in his face told Victor that he didn’t want
to be here.
“Good day to you, Sir,” Victor’s father called up to him.
“Indeed, that it is, blacksmith,” the knight stated in a neutral tone.
“Might I ask what you are doing so far from the Tierra Del Fuego? If you’ve
come to visit Lord Ramos or Lady Rivera, I’m afraid their castles are back a
ways from whence you came.”
“We haven’t come for them,” the knight stated, “We have business in the Ciudad
Del Fundador.”
By now, there were more villagers that came out to see what all the commotion
was. Why was this army headed for the capital? Victor’s father had the same
question.
“Might I ask why you are traveling there with all of these men and horses...
and weapons.”
“You may not.”
A wave of confusion radiated from all of the villagers. There was a long pause
before Victor’s father spoke again.
“And, why not?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“I’m not sure I can let you pass if you—“
“We’re on a tight schedule, blacksmith. We’re under orders from Lord Malvado
himself. Now, if you’ll excuse us—“
“No,” Victor’s father remained right where he was. Some of the villagers were
getting worried.
Finally, the commander let out an annoyed sigh. His hand reached for a necklace
buried under his armor.
“Forgive me... Ya!”
Suddenly, he snapped the reins of his horse. It whinnied and began to stand on
it’s hind legs.
CLUNK
It kicked Victor’s father in the face.
He grunted and fell backward as villagers began to scream. Leo hissed.
“ANDRES!!!” Victor’s mother shrieked.
Without a second thought, Victor ran to his father. Once he reached him, he
dropped to his knees. His father was groaning. He had a nasty cut on his
forehead where blood was starting to seep out.
“Father!” Victor shook him, “Are you all right!?”
“Damnit, boy! Ya!”
Victor looked up just in time to see the horse’s hoof about to connect with his
own face.
CRUNK
***** Eyes *****
Chapter Notes
     Thank you all for the amazing support on the first two chapters, I
     would have never expected it!
     If you don’t read the comments, I was originally supposed to upload
     this on the weekend, but then I found out that I’m being sent out
     into the woods for the whole weekend with no WiFi whatsoever for some
     religious-type thing lol. So, if you make a comment anywhere between
     Friday-Sunday, I most likely won’t respond until Sunday night, (it’s
     not cuz I don’t love u guys, it’s just cuz I won’t be able to see it
     :P). Hopefully after that, I can return to my weekend plan.
     As for the chapter, sorry for all the thumps, and I’ve never actually
     had a real vision before, but I assume it looks something like this.
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Victor woke with a start. He looked around. He was on a bed in one of the inn’s
rooms.
Mewl!
Victor looked to the foot of his bed and saw Leo, loyal as always, cuddling at
his feet. He seemed to be saying, ‘You’re awake! I was worried about you,
buddy! I stayed here the whole time, because I love you! Also, I’m lazy! But,
mostly I love you!’
Victor reached down and pet his head, “I’m okay, Leo.”
His head throbbed and he reached a hand up. He felt a large bump on his
forehead, but luckily he didn’t feel any cut from the impact. Not like his
father...
His father! His mother! Where were they!? Were they alright!? What did those
northern knights do to them!? And, why!?
He heard a door opening.
“You’re awake! Thank God!”
He looked over and saw his mother rushing toward him. She knelt beside him and
placed a quick kiss on his throbbing forehead, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” he stated, “Where’s father? What did they do to you? If they—“
“—They didn’t touch me, darling,” she said stroking his hair, “And, your
father’s fine. He’s resting. In fact, the knights didn’t do anything. To
anyone. They just rode straight through the village.”
That gave Victor a moment of relief. If they didn’t do anything to his
village...
‘We have business in the Ciudad Del Fundador,’ the commander had said.
Victor’s relief faded instantly.
“Mother, where did the knights go? The capital, the Ciudad Del Fundador, did
they go there? What did they do there?”
His mother looked down in dismay. Even Leo looked disappointed.
Victor’s heart started racing, “Mother, what did they do!?”
Finally, his mother looked up with a saddened face.
“They... they attacked the capital. Apparently, House Del Fuego is now in open
rebellion against the Crown. They attacked, stormed the Queen’s castle, and...”
“AND WHAT!!!???”
“...And... and, kidnapped Prince Esteban.”
***
THUMP
Victor beat away mercilessly at his straw dummy. Leo was chasing a mouse around
the yard while he did that, seeming to say, ‘Look, mouse! Mami doesn’t want you
in the inn, so the only place you’re welcome in is my mouth! So, just come here
and jump in!’ But, Victor barely noticed.
THUMP THUMP
The knights of the north had strode through, attacked the Crown, and kidnapped
the Prince, and where was Victor while that was happening? Asleep! He had been
asleep! To be fair, he had been knocked out, but he still didn’t help at all!
He was asleep!
THUMP
Who were those of House Del Fuego to rebel against the Crown!? They would be
nothing without the Crown! Did their allies in House Travieso help!? Did they
get a bunch of sell-swords to help!? How could they manage to attack the
Crown!? It was like a repeat of the War that Victor was too young to remember,
except this time, the threat was from within, instead of from across the Mar
Salvaje! Suddenly, his straw dummy was starting to look more and more like a
northern knight.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
They had rebelled, and they had kidnapped the Prince! Was the Prince still
alive!? If he was, what were they doing to him!? There was no telling! Lord
Malvado Del Fuego was the most evil person alive! That man was capable of
anything! He could be torturing him, enacting upon him what he had planned to
enact upon his mother! He could be castrating him, ensuring the extinction of
House Reyes!
Then, Victor remembered something. Something that Lord Del Fuego supposedly
quoted when passing sentences for prisoners after the War. Something that had
become the secondary words of House Del Fuego.
‘Fuck them to death!’
If everything they said about Lord Malvado Del Fuego was true, what was to stop
him from passing that sentence onto the Prince!? Personally!?
The poor, innocent Prince!
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP
Victor could have stopped this! Somehow, he could have stopped all of this from
happening! Somehow!
...But, he didn’t.
He didn’t stop it.
Why?
BECAUSE, HE WAS ASLEEP!!!
THUMP THUMP THUMP
THUMP
THUMP
***
The carriage rattled as they traveled down the dirt roads. The Grand Wizard
Geronimo was surveying the lands, inspecting the damages from the attack, along
with the Queen. As suspected, the Ciudad Del Fundador was the northerners’ only
target.
The northerners. The northerners had attacked them. They didn’t need to see the
banners to know who was responsible.
Geronimo had tried to warn the Queen of the threat of Lord Malvado and House
Del Fuego. But, she hadn’t believed him. She had chosen her own naive trust,
over her advisor’s warning.
Now, the capital was in ruin, their armies in shambles, and the Prince was
gone. Abducted by their relentless attackers, who had now declared open
rebellion against the Crown of House Reyes.
With their security in shambles, the threat to the boy’s safety, and their
vulnerability in full view of the whole Kingdom, there was no one left to
rescue the young Prince. He was all alone.
Her grace was staring blankly out the window as they rode, tears slowly falling
from the sides of her eyes.
Geronimo couldn’t be mad at this woman. She had just lost her son. The only
thing she had left of her King Consort after the War with Emperor Cesar and the
Duarte Empire. Like her son, she was all alone now, too.
“We’ll get him back, your grace,” the old wizard promised, “Somehow, we will
find a way to rescue your son and make House Del Fuego pay for their treason.
Mark my words, your grace, Malvado’s entire bloodline will be obliterated for
this!”
She continued to stare blankly out of the window.
“...How do you know?”
The question hit him like a spell cast by the Supreme Witch himself.
“Wh—What?” He managed.
She turned to him slowly, blank expression still plaguing her normally-lovely
features.
“How. Do you. Know?”
Geronimo had lived for a long time—Longer than any normal human ever could, and
even longer than most wizards, witches, or even sorcerers ever got to—and, in
his time, he had heard the most obscure questions, with the most obscure
answers in the world. But, there were still answers to those questions. Answers
that he knew. Answers that he gave to those who asked—politely, of course.
Every time, he knew all of the answers. He was a wizard. Not just any wizard,
he was the Grand Wizard of the Order of Light Magic! It was only natural! He
always had all of the answers!
But, this question, ‘How do you know?’ was something new entirely. And, at that
moment, it didn’t seem to have an answer.
“...I don’t,” he admitted reluctantly.
Just saying that hurt.
The Queen chuckled dryly, “None of us do,” she stared back out the window,
“None of us know anything anymore... What are the words of my House?”
Geronimo remembered, “‘They’ll never take us alive.’” Words known to have a
meaning mostly prior to the Unificación centuries ago, but had become a cry of
hope during the last War.
“Yes,” the Queen agreed, still staring out the window, “And, what did they do
to my son?”
“...Took him alive...”
The Queen chuckled again, “How humiliatingly ironic... I know you remember,
Geronimo. You remember what he is. It’s why his protection should have been
everyone’s top priority... But, it’s too late now. He doesn’t stand a chance
with that man... He may as well be dead already. It would be a better fate than
the one he’s got now.”
Seeing his Queen in such a state made him feel something he hadn’t felt in a
long time.
Failure.
It was his job to protect the Royal Family. And, he had! He’d done a better job
than even the Warden of the Royal Guard! He’d protected the Queen!... But, at
the cost of the Crown Prince. Out of all his years of living, he hadn’t
realized until now that, when he was to protect the Royal Family, he was to
protect the entire Royal Family. Not just the reigning monarch.
And, she was right. Geronimo knew what the poor Prince was. He was the one that
discovered it when he was born. He didn’t know why the magics, why God, had
chosen to place this upon him—it wasn’t just the curse, it was the worst of the
curse Geronimo had ever seen—but he had no choice. He got it, and he had to
live with it. They were going to protect him, and if all had gone as planned,
he would have never had to know.
But now, it was too late. He had been taken, by no less than the most evil man
in the Kingdom. He really didn’t stand a chance.
Geronimo had failed.
For once in a long time, he didn’t know what to do.
He stopped in his thoughts when he heard something outside. A sort of thumping
sound. He looked out the window.
He saw a boy.
He was a commoner, around the Prince’s age, with light skin and wavy, light-
brown hair. He was whacking away angrily at a straw dummy. Based on the way he
held his sword, Geronimo figured he was left-handed. He knew someone else left-
handed, and it only made him sadder.
Then, momentarily, he caught a glimpse of the boy’s face.
SWOOSH
There was a flash. Time seemed to stop. The boy had had a reasonably plain
face, not much worth noticing. Nothing, except the eyes.
The eyes!
Hazel eyes, in a beautiful oval shape. The most beautiful eyes Geronimo had
seen in all of his years! But, not just beautiful. No. They were magical!
Actually magical!
And, he’d seen those eyes before. On a past individual of great influence.
Then, the world turned white.
New scenes replaced reality.
New, magical scenes.
He saw those eyes.
He saw those eyes on a knight, in the shining, golden armor of the Royal Guard,
wielding a sword made of sparkling rainbows.
He saw those eyes travel across a map of the Kingdom, straight to the north, to
the Tierra Del Fuego, where their enemies lay in their seat of power.
He saw those eyes enter a dungeon, tame a wild fire, and rescue a bright star.
He saw those eyes venture deeper into the dungeon with it’s new companions,
avoiding many obstacles, and finally reaching the structure’s center. There was
a demon, wearing robes of darkness, with eyes of fire. It stood in front of a
chained up figure. A figure of light wearing a crown.
Those eyes and it’s companions fought the demon, defeated it, and subdued it.
Those eyes then unchained the crowned light and helped it stand.
Those eyes cupped the crowned light’s face.
Those eyes fluttered shut, and pulled the crowned light in, slowly closing the
space between them. There was a union of thighs, of torsos, and finally, of
faces.
SWOOSH
There was another flash of light, and Geronimo was back. He was in the
carriage, across from the Queen, staring out the window.
Staring at the boy.
The boy with the beautiful, magical eyes.
He knew what had to be done.
“W—Wait! Stop the carriage! STOP!!!”
The Queen jolted as the carriage came to a sudden halt. She stared confusedly
at the old man as he scrambled to the door.
“What—What are you—“
The old man blasted the door open and all but stumbled out, supporting himself
on his obsidian staff.
“Geronimo, be careful!” The Queen called, “You’re going to get yourself
killed!” A guard scrambled back and started to help her out of her transport.
“I’m two-hundred-and-thirty-seven years old, your grace, and still kicking!” He
claimed while rushing as fast as he could with his staff, “I think I can handle
a little stumble out of a carriage! Boy! You, there! BOY!!!”
***
Victor hadn’t even heard anyone approach until he heard a croaking voice
screaming in his direction.
He looked over and saw an old man in all black with a long beard, limping
speedily toward him, supporting himself on a shiny, black staff. His parents
had emerged from the inn to see what was going on. His father had a huge
bandage wrapped around the top of his head from the attack. Even Leo and the
mouse seemed to take notice.
“What is that old man doing?” Victor’s father asked.
“I haven’t a clue,” Victor’s mother responded.
Victor just continued to stare in confusion as the old man kept rushing toward
him while screaming ‘boy.’
“Boy! Hey, you, there! You, with the eyes of magic! BOY!!!”
A somehow-familiar, bronze-skinned woman emerged from behind him.
“Geronimo, slow down! What’s this about a boy!?”
Victor’s heart nearly stopped. Almost as a reflex, he dropped to one knee and
faced the ground. He heard his parents shuffling to do the same behind him. He
could have swore he saw Leo and the mouse doing the same to the side!
He didn’t need to see the rings, the flowing, regal dress, or even the sparkly
tiara to know who it was. Like everyone in the Kingdom, he knew that face by
heart. She was their fruitful ruler. Their monarch of equity.
Queen Reyna the Gracious.
He heard the old man’s heavy breathing stop in front of him, and could smell
the regal perfume that his Queen was wearing. He had never thought he would
ever, in his life, be so close to this woman. This woman who had made his whole
existence so much easier, simply by saying a few words. He had never felt so
alive. So happy.
So honored.
The moment stopped when he felt the old man poking him in the head with the
bottom of his staff.
“This boy! Right here! This boy!” He sputtered, “Reyna, this boy, I saw him! I
saw him do it! He’s going to do it, Reyna! He’s going to! He’s going to defeat
Malvado Del Fuego! He’s—... He’s going to rescue Esteban!”
Chapter End Notes
     Now that you’ve read the third chapter of my gay fairytale, I would
     like to take this time to briefly advertise a REAL gay fairytale,
     like an actual, children’s book, gay fairytale.
     It’s called, “Promised Land,” by Adam Reynolds, Chaz Harris,
     Christine Luiten, and Bo Moore, dedicated to the 49 taken from us
     during the Pulse shooting in June 2016. Here is the summary from the
     back cover:
     “When a young Prince and a farm boy meet in the forest, a growing
     friendship between them blossoms into love. However, when the Queen
     re-marries, her sinister new husband seeks control of the enchanted
     forest and the land the farm boy’s family are responsible for
     protecting.”
     It is the most adorable thing ever, and is available in hardcover AND
     iBooks. I REALLY recommend it to anyone who likes gay fairytales (If
     I ever have children, I’m definitely reading it to them). Also, there
     are different bugs on every page, and a small challenge is to find
     them all, it’s fun! (And, if someone happens to find the bug on Page
     20, please let me know, cuz I can’t find it ANYWHERE).
     Also, as I’ve noticed, the way I describe Queen Reyna and Prince
     Esteban seems very similar to the depictions of Promised Land’s Queen
     Elena and Prince Leo. This was NOT intentional, but if you really
     want faces for my characters, then you are free to use these two as
     examples, though I think Elena and Leo have rounder eyes than my
     Reyna and Esteban. :). (I also noticed that my Prince’s name, Esteban
     Reyes, is basically a Spanish version of Stephen King. THAT WAS JUST
     A COINCIDENCE I SWEAR!!!).
     But anyway, I love Promised Land, and I totally recommend it to
     everyone!
     Thank you for your time!
***** Hero *****
Chapter Notes
     Had to school some ignorant people on my racial history yesterday (so
     hard being mixed). But, that’s not why you’re here! You’re here for
     this chapter! Now, the story REALLY begins!
     So, without further ado, here you are!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
The Queen of Ravarra, in his village, in his mother’s establishment! The
monarch labeled ‘Gracious’ that reigned supreme over their Kingdom here! Right
here! The very woman that made it possible for him to live with the same rights
as everyone else, and to not be judged by the way he was born!
Here!
She was right here!
Victor had never been so proud!
“Now—now hold on a moment! Magic eyes? Dark-robed Demons? Crown-wearing lights?
I’m going to need more of an explanation!” His father protested.
“Manners, Andres! Look who you’re speaking to!” His mother scolded, “Please,
forgive him. His head injury sometimes clouds his judgement.”
“Yes, yes, of course!” His father corrected himself, “Please, excuse me, your—
your grace.”
Victor and his parents were sitting at a table—only the best table, of
course—in his mother’s inn, drinking wine—only the best-aged Vino De Rosas, of
course—and speaking with her grace and the old man from before, who enjoyed
poking people with his staff, about an apparent vision he had had.
Apparently, the man was the Grand Wizard of the Order of Light Magic. That
explained a lot. If he was a wizard, then his shiny, black staff must have been
obsidian. It also explained how he was able to walk so fast at his age. How old
was he? Obviously, older than any normal person.
What Victor didn’t approve of was this man’s choice of wardrobe. He looked like
a witch in all that black—though he didn’t say that out loud, of course, he’d
probably get turned into a cat, like Leo. That was one thing he didn’t like
about wizards. While witches and sorcerers dressed in dark and gray shades
respectively—to reflect which magic they practiced—wizards chose to have no
specific coloration scheme. They should just all wear a light color for light
magic! Sure, it’s not exciting, but neither is gray or dark! Besides, if
everyone else has a color scheme, the wizards should just get with that!
“I understand. You’re forgiven,” the Queen stated, “On a more pleasant note,
it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Carina.”
“Your grace?”
“Geronimo just informed me that you are the granddaughter of the late merchant,
Evangelina.”
“Oh,” Victor’s mother smiled, “Well, yes, your grace, but it’s hardly
praiseworthy.”
“Nonsense. Your grandmother played a key role in the Crown’s trade agreements
with the Isla Del Mar, and your aunt and uncle continue to do so to this day.”
His family was important! His family!
“Actually, it is of some other importance,” the Grand Wizard stated, “Allow me
to explain. You see, it was with the aid of Evangelina’s recourses that we were
able to end the occupation of the Isla Del Mar during the war.”
Victor hadn’t known that!
“King Reynaldo was especially grateful to her for freeing his home, and he even
had her ennobled. But, Evangelina, humble as ever, chose to keep that fact a
secret, so that she wouldn’t be seen differently from the others in her
community.”
“Hold on,” Victor’s mother cut in, “Are you saying that my grandmother was a
minor noblewoman?”
“Yes,” the Queen confirmed, “That is correct.”
Victor thought he would faint! His mother’s grandmother was a noblewoman! Did
that make his mother one too, by descent?
Did that make him one?
“Actually, the point of bringing her up is something different,” the Grand
Wizard continued, “As you may or may not be aware, Victor’s slanted eyes are
inherited from her. She had magic eyes, too.”
That made so much sense.
“After the War, she was secretly ennobled in the presence of the Queen and I.
But, it was during her ennoblement that I had a small vision. A vision of
someone, wearing her eyes, running to the defense of a crown. At the time, I
thought it symbolized her recent freeing of the King Consort’s homeland, but
now, with this most recent vision, I see that I was mistaken. That vision was
of Evangelina’s descendant, your son, defending what can only be the Prince.”
Victor had to process this. There were two visions about him. This clearly
meant something.
Mewl
The Queen looked down and petted Leo’s head, who purred in response. ‘You smell
good, Queen buddy! I like you! I’ll hunt mice for you anytime!’
She was petting his cat! The pure, pure pride!
“Well, that’s quite a revelation,” Victor’s father cut in, “But, let’s get back
to all that with the demons and lights.”
“Agreed. Now, I understand your confusion, master blacksmith, madam innkeeper,”
the Grand Wizard croaked, “but it is imperative that you listen carefully to
what I’m saying! As you know by now, Victor, your son, has eyes of magic! But,
it’s not just that. Those eyes were chosen! Twice! He has been chosen by the
magics for an important task! He is to go on a quest, one that rivals those
carried out by King Reynaldo during the War in importance!”
“To the Tierra Del Fuego?” His father asked, “Where those knights came from?”
“Not just to the Tierra Del Fuego, master blacksmith!” The Grand Wizard
explained, “To the lands of House Del Fuego, and straight into Lord Malvado’s
dungeons, to—“
“Will he be receiving any aid?” His father asked, “Any help from anyone?”
The Grand Wizard looked like he’d rather not answer that question.
“Well... no. Ahh-I assure you, he will not go unprepared! He shall have
supplies for travel, and only the best armor, worn by the Royal Guard! There
was a special sword in the vision, and of course, he shall have a mount of his
choosing—“
“No!” His father cut in, “Absolutely not!”
“But, he is to rescue Ravarra’s Crown Prince!” The Grand Wizard protested.
“I will not allow it!”
“Andres!”
“Carina, they want to send our boy to his death! Forgive me, your grace, but I
have no desire to see my own son sent away to the dark heart of evil!”
“I understand caring for the safety of your son,” her grace stated calmly, “I,
too, have a son. A son that was taken from me by Malvado Del Fuego. If young
Victor were in his position, I’m sure you would, too, do whatever it took to
get him back.”
“I would!” His father stated, “But, Victor is not in his position! He is here!
And, I intend to keep him here! Don’t get me wrong, your grace, I’m sorry for
what’s happened to your son, and I sincerely hope that he is returned to you,
safe and sound. Just not at the expense of my son!”
“You don’t understand!” The Grand Wizard pleaded, “The magics have chosen him
to rescue the Prince! No one else, just him! You cannot defy prophecy!”
“I can and will!”
“Andres, calm down! Perhaps he has a point.”
His father looked a his mother, betrayed, “How can you possibly back them!? Are
you insane, woman!?”
She glared at him like daggers would shoot from her eyes. He wisely backed
down.
“Your wife speaks the truth!” The Grand Wizard continued, “Madam innkeeper,
please convince your husband to listen to reason!”
“If he is in a vision, then it is to be,” his mother explained, “He has been
chosen for this, Andres. And, as he said, you cannot defy prophecy.”
“When did you become such an expert in magic!?”
“You forget my niece is a wizardess. I know more than you think.”
He was about to reply.
“Enough,” her grace said calmly. Everyone shut up and turned to her.
She then turned to Victor, “We have all been trying to decide this young man’s
fate, justifying our claims with safety and prophecy. But, we haven’t stopped
to consider what he wants. If we make everyone’s decisions for them, it will be
as if the times never changed. Sometimes, there is no choice, but that doesn’t
mean we cannot at least try to make one. Victor, what is it that you want?”
The Queen just asked him what he wanted! While everyone else just talked about
him like he wasn’t there, she intended to let him choose!
To let him decide the fate of her son!
His father had been right about many things. Even with whatever they were going
to supply him with, the fact still remained that he was diving straight into
the heart enemy territory alone. From what he’d heard, the prophecy didn’t even
state if he would come back dead or alive. He could be riding straight for his
death.
No. No, he couldn’t think like that! He was a boy in a prophecy! He was the
chosen one! He was the boy with the eyes of magic!
Perhaps the magics had chosen him for a reason. Just before the Queen and the
Grand Wizard had shown up, he had been beating himself up—and his straw
dummy—over not being able to stop the northerners from attacking. Perhaps this
was their way of letting him redeem himself.
And, magic or not, Prince Esteban didn’t deserve whatever Lord Malvado was
putting him through. He was just a pawn in the Del Fuego’s game. Like Victor,
he was just a boy. An innocent boy. An innocent boy that needed help. That
needed him.
He looked down at Leo for confirmation. His furry friend seemed to wink at him
as if to say, ‘You know what to do, buddy! I believe in you!’
Victor knew what he had to do.
“I’m going to rescue the Prince!”
***
“So that’s that?” Bartolo asked, “Some old fuck in a black hat runs up to you
and says you’re part of a prophecy, and you just decide to go north to get
yourself killed?”
“That ‘old fuck’ came with her grace, don’t forget,” Victor explained, “And, no
one else is going to rescue the Prince, so if some vision says that’s my job, I
may as well go through with it.” He was about to add that he was technically a
minor nobleman, by descent, and he really wanted to brag! But, his great-
grandmother had wanted it kept secret, so Victor chose to honor that.
“And, you have to go alone? Just you against the whole north?”
“I’ll have Lina with me.”
“You know what I mean!”
“Can you two grumble about this someplace else?” Cordero called over, “I’m
trying to piss!”
As he said, Cordero was pissing on the wall in the alley outside of his
father’s bar. Victor tried not to look down on instinct, but he couldn’t help
but wonder if this was where he always went to relieve himself. Maybe that was
why most people went to Victor’s mother’s inn for drinks instead of here. Maybe
they were repelled by the fat boy pissing on the wall outside.
“Anyway, yes,” Victor continued, “As the vision supposedly states, I am to go
on this quest alone. No help from anyone whatsoever.”
“Your father’s right,” Bartolo stated, “You’re headed straight for your death.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m worried too,” Victor admitted, “More than anything.
But, prophecy or not, the Prince—the future of our home—is in danger. It’s my
fault they got to him. I have to at least try to save him.”
He felt Cordero come up behind him and ruffle his hair, “Come now, Victor,
you’re the only one that blames you for what happened. You don’t have to run
off and play hero for that.”
Victor tried not to think about what that hand had been holding before his
hair, “Even so, I’ve been chosen for this. This is my duty. Not just to the
Queen, but to the whole Kingdom. I have to do this. It’s what must be done.”
Cordero and Bartolo looked at each other, then back at him.
“Clearly, we can’t stop you from doing this,” Cordero noted.
“Clearly,” Victor confirmed.
“But, that doesn’t mean we can’t help you somehow,” Bartolo claimed. He looked
around the alley, as if something to give to him would just pop up. Then, his
expression lit up, and he took the bow from his shoulder and offered it to him.
“Oh, no,” Victor protested, “I don’t need—“
“My grandfather gave me this,” he explained, “He told me that with it, I could
prove myself as a person, not just a bastard. He also told me to pass it on to
someone worthy when the time came. I think that time is now.”
Victor could barely believe that he would be willing to part with something
like that. Reluctantly, he took the weapon from his hands, “Thank you,
Bartolo.”
Cordero reached back and pulled out a small dagger and presented it to him,
“This was my mother’s. She always kept it between her tits in case a customer
got to handsy. Perhaps you can use it to defend yourself against some handsy
Del Fuego thugs.”
He was suspicious of where he’d pulled it from—it certainly didn’t look like
he’d pulled it from his fat-boy-tits—but he took it anyway.
“Thank you,” Victor nodded, “Thank you both. I promise, I’ll use these
respectfully, and with the greatest of care.”
“We know,” Bartolo stated. Then, he pulled Victor into a hug, followed by
Cordero on his other side. Victor hugged them both back.
“I’m going to miss you two,” Victor admitted. He didn’t know if he would ever
see them again, but he had to believe that he would. For everyone’s sakes.
“Us too,” Cordero agreed, “Come back alive, cock-lover.”
***
Victor had strapped on the fancy, golden armor of the Royal Guard, which was
surprisingly lighter than it looked, and, even more surprisingly, came with a
scabbard for the left-handed. Obviously, they were prepared for anyone to join
the Royal Guard. Victor had even seen a female knight among those accompanying
the Queen—a rare sight, but not unheard of.
Afterward, he was tying his supplies to Lina’s saddle. As promised, he had been
given the essentials for survival—foodstuffs, water flasks, a tent, and two
sleep rolls, as well as a decent-sized purse of gold coins for more food or
supplies, or shelter for the night.
The Queen had also supplied him with a large cloak to disguise his armor when
necessary, and what she seemed to consider commoner’s clothing to disguise the
Prince. Neither were regal, but they were still fancier than any commoner’s
clothes that Victor had ever seen. If the Prince had his mother’s bronze skin
tone, he could probably pass off as the relative of a nobleman or a merchant
from the west. Victor was all of that already, being the grandnephew of western
merchants, and now, apparently the great-grandson of a western minor
noblewoman. This was going to be easy!
Mewl
That, ‘mewl,’ sounded muffled. Victor looked down to see Leo—who’d apparently
finally caught his mouse. He looked up at him with the dead rodent between his
teeth as if to say, ‘I believe in you, buddy! Here’s my going-away present!
It’s yummy! Better than any bow or knife in the world, right!?’
Whinny, ‘Oh, Hell-to-the-no, Mista Kitty! That is not goin’ in this saddle!’
Mewl, ‘Fuck you, horse buddy! This is for him!’
Victor smiled and took the corpse from his mouth, “Thanks, Leo. I’ll keep this,
but it’s not going in the food sack.”
Leo then rubbed up against his legs as if to say, ‘Good luck, buddy! I’ll keep
Mami and Papi safe while you’re gone! All the thugs will die from my absolute
cuteness! You’re cute too! You make boys swoon with your pretty eyes! If I was
a human boy, I would totally kiss you right now! I love you! I’ll miss you,
buddy!’
Maybe he hadn’t said all that, but Victor was sure it was implied.
He bent down and pet his furry friend, “I’ll miss you too, Leo.” He got up and
turned to his protesting horse, “Sorry, Lina.”
Whinny, ‘WHAT THE BITCH-ASS FUCK, QUIT SUCKIN’ THE CAT’S DICK! YOU ALWAYS
TAKIN’ HIS SIDE, KISSIN’ ASS AND BUSTIN’ NUTS! IF I WAS LESS THAN A FOOT TALL
AND HAD POINTY EARS, WOULD YOU LISTEN TO ME THEN!? I’D THREATEN TO SHOVE THIS
HORSE-SHOE UP YO ASS, BUT YOU’D PROBABLY GET OFF ON THAT, SO WHY DON’T I TAKE
IT AND KICK YOU STRAIGHT IN YO DANGLIN’, BOY-FUCKIN’ NUTSACK, THEN—‘
“I must say that armor suits you, young man.”
Victor turned to see Lady Brenda Rivera—a woman with tanned skin, brown hair,
and eyeglasses—in front of him. Despite referring to him as ‘young man,’ she
looked like she could be younger than him, and in truth was no more than ten
years older than him. He stood up straight to show it off.
“Thank you, my lady,” Victor stated politely, “I hope I can live up to
everything that it represents.”
“I should hope so too,” Lady Brenda warned, “You’re not just representing
yourself, Victor. You’re representing the entire Río De La Luz! I hope you
don’t end up giving us a bad name.”
Of course Lady Rivera would be worried about something like that. Even Lina and
Leo seemed to shake their heads. ‘Predictable, Lady buddy!’ ‘I can’t stand this
bitch, let’s get outta here!’ Normally, Victor would politely argue with the
Lady, but he had no time for that now. As soon as he was done tying down his
supplies—and tucking Leo’s mouse away from the food—he mounted Lina and
prepared to leave.
“Don’t worry, my lady,” he assured her, “I promise, I will give us a good name.
I will defeat Lord Malvado and rescue the Prince as ‘prophecized.’”
“Prophesied,” Lady Brenda corrected him, “I swear you commoners come up with
the most idiotic words.”
“We learn something new everyday,” Victor replied, “I’ll be off now, then.
Goodbye, my lady.”
Lady Brenda nodded at him. “‘Follow the light,’” she recited the words of her
House.
“‘Follow the light,’” Victor repeated.
Whinny, ‘It’s lit!’
She smiled, “Good luck, Victor.”
Mewl ‘Good luck, buddy!’
Victor rode through the crowd that had gathered to see him off. It seemed like
the entire Río De La Luz had come to say goodbye. Some clapped. Some waved.
Some even through flowers. One boy even blew him a kiss. He kept his eyes
forward and tried not to blush.
Whinny, ‘Ooh! He want some of that hero-D!’
“Shut up,” he whispered.
When he reached the end of the crowd, his parents, the Queen, and the Grand
Wizard were waiting.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” Victor stated sarcastically.
“A sword,” the Queen noticed.
“Correct, your grace,” Victor patted his empty scabbard. He turned to the Grand
Wizard, “You said there was a special sword in the vision, yes? Does my father
have to forge it or is there a ‘Royal blacksmith’ or something for that?”
“No, no,” the old man croaked, “That’s my job.”
Before Victor could ask, the Grand Wizard began chanting and waving his staff
around. Victor would have thought that the old man had gone mad if he hadn’t
noticed the rainbow-colored sparkles appearing in front of him. Two objects, a
hexagonal emerald and a long strip of obsidian, emerged from the wizard’s robes
and floated into the sparkles.
SWOOSH
In a flash, the sparkles appeared in front of his face, on a long, shiny sword
that seemed to reflect rainbows onto the whole world from both it’s silvery
blade and it’s golden hilt. It had one, long, main blade, with the obsidian
encrusted in the middle, but it also had two smaller blades alongside it about
a third in size sticking out of the jagged cross-guard. The pommel seemed to
have a sharpened bottom, and had the emerald encrusted in the middle.
“This weapon is yours,” the Grand Wizard explained, “It cannot be broken,
unless by the most powerful shattering spell. It was made specifically for your
strength, and to handle swiftly, yet powerfully. It shall protect you and the
Prince from any danger that stands in your way. Use it well. Use it wisely.”
Victor was entranced by it’s beauty. If it were a boy, he would probably ask
it’s hand in marriage, legal or not. He reached out and picked it up. He could
feel a magical surge of power course through his entire body, as the weapon
itself seemed to flash even brighter on impact. Victor felt it. It was a part
of him now. He swung it around a few times to test it. As stated, it weighed
itself perfectly in his hand.
He sheathed the magical weapon. It fit itself comfortably in his scabbard.
“I will. Well and wisely,” he stated, “I promise.”
He hugged his parents as best he could from atop Lina.
“Be safe, my son,” his mother ordered tearfully, “We love you.”
“I love you too. I won’t let either of you down.”
Finally, he turned to the Queen and bowed his head.
“Farewell, your grace. When you see me again, I shall have your son with me,
and I shall return him safely to you. I swear it, upon God and magic.”
For the first time, Victor saw the Queen smile.
“I shall hold you to that. Farewell, young hero.”
And with that, Victor reined Lina northward, with his people cheering behind
him. He turned and waved one last time.
Then, Victor set off, northward bound, on his noble quest to the Tierra Del
Fuego, to the lands of House Del Fuego, to rescue Prince Esteban.
Chapter End Notes
     The story is just now beginning! I hope you all enjoy what is to
     come!
     See you next week!
***** Sacrifice *****
Chapter Notes
     This chapter actually turned out to be longer than expected, but hey!
     The more the merrier!
     These next few chapters are gonna be sorta filler, but also sorta not
     since they’ll all be important to the plot in their own ways.
     In this chapter, we get a hint of the confusing family trees, and the
     return of a character that you probably never expected to see again.
     ;)
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Victor had been riding for a few hours now. This had to be the farthest to the
north he’d ever been from his home. Farthest north period.
His father’s family was from the south, a mountain village on the east side of
the Sierra Dentada. Victor’s father’s grandfather had been a famous knight
commander, and had ended up settling in the village where Victor lived now.
Sometimes on holidays, Victor would be dragged off to the Sierra Dentada to
visit family that still lived there.
His mother was originally from the Isla Del Mar, and their family’s story was
far more elaborate. Even more so now.
Victor’s great-grandmother, Evangelina, was an influential merchant on the
island, and she had five children, Héctor, Horacio, Gloria, Dulce, and
Margarita. When Victor’s mother was little, Evangelina paid for her daughters,
Gloria, Victor’s grandmother, and Dulce, to move to the mainland, to a village
west of the capital. Victor had known that she refused to give in to the
occupation during the war, but he hadn’t known of her role in breaking it. No
one had. And, no one knew of her ennoblement. Though Héctor was the eldest, he
renounced his birthright, because he was gifted in magic and chose to become
and remain a wizard for the rest of his life, so when Evangelina retired, she
left the merchant business to Horacio and Margarita, Victor’s great uncle and
aunt.
Victor’s parents had met, and later married in the capital, and his mother then
moved to the village with his father, where Victor was born not long after.
Victor was sometimes taken to visit his grandmother and aunts and uncles, but
he’d only ever been to the western village, and had only met Uncle Horacio and
Aunt Margarita once when they visited there. Victor had always wanted to see
where his mother was originally born, but it was simply too far away for a
commoner to travel, even a commoner with such connections as him.
Victor had only ever been to the south and to the west. He’d once ventured a
little to the east into the Selva Traviesa to hunt, but even then it was only a
little ways.
But, never north. Never at all.
He’d never had any reason to go north. It was fairly pretty so far, but that
was because he was still in his home territory. Soon, he would be traveling
into the Bosque Oscuro, the rival forest of the Bosque De La Luz and, by
loyalty, the Río De La Luz. Victor figured it would be safer to keep the fact
that he was from the territory of the Bosque De La Luz’s allies to himself.
From there, hopefully he could avoid the charred Bosque Quemado, but he was
going to the Tierra Del Fuego, which wasn’t better at all. The Tierra Del Fuego
was a scorched land of fire and ash. How anyone put up with it was beyond him.
But, he could worry about that later. Right now, his main concern was where to
stay for the night. He would use the tent if he had to, but he wanted to save
that for when he really needed it, like when he was smuggling the Prince back
home, so he planned on staying mostly at village inns along the way, but
luckily he had a cousin in a village not far from the Tierra Del Fuego, so he
could stay with her before he—
He ceased his train of thought when he noticed something to the side of the
road.
“Woah,” he pulled Lina’s reins and she stopped in her tracks.
Whinny, ‘What the fuck, Vicky, I was—EWW, WHAT THE FUCK!?’
Victor dismounted and walked over to a suspicious puddle, “Is that what I think
it is?”
Whinny, ‘IT’S NASTY IS WHAT IT IS, I’M KEEPIN’ MY BROWN ASS OVER HERE!’
He knelt down and touched the oddly-colored puddle. He examined his now-wet
fingers. They were coated with a sticky, crimson fluid with a coppery smell.
“Blood,” he concluded, “Lots of it.”
Whinny, ‘NO SHIT, QUEEN SANTANA, I GUESS THE SKY’S BLUE TOO!’
He looked off into the forest and saw a little trail of it leading inward. This
looked bad. If someone was hurt, Victor figured he should probably help them.
It would only be the right thing to do.
He rose slowly, “Lina, stay here.”
She whinnied as if to say, ‘Hell to the yes, I’m staying here! As if I’m
following a trail of blood!’
Victor followed the blood into the forest. Whatever—or whoever—it was, they had
lost a lot of blood. Victor wasn’t even sure they were still alive in this kind
of state. They could be long gone.
However, his questions were answered when, not long after he’d entered, he
began to hear a light coughing coming from up ahead.
He picked up his pace, carefully trying not to slip in any of the large blood
puddles all over the place, until the trail lead behind a large rock. The
coughing was definitely coming from there. He slowly rounded the corner.
There was a man in dark armor sitting against the rock while clutching his
blood-drenched side.
Victor was about to say something, until the man turned to him.
Victor’s eyes widened, “You!”
The man stared dumbfounded for a moment. Then, he chuckled and shook his head,
“The blacksmith’s boy. Knew something like this would happen. He told me, ‘If
you go, your fate will be decided by one that you’ve wronged.’ I just thought
it was some more of his depressing bullshit. And now, here I am, bleeding out
in front of a blacksmith’s son wearing the armor of a gold-knight,” he coughed,
“Such irony.”
Victor could barely believe his eyes, “It is you! The knight that lead the
attack. That kidnapped the Prince!”
He nodded slowly, “That was me. Nasty business. Business that I couldn’t even
complete,” he coughed again.
“You almost killed my father.”
He seemed to have a look of regret at that, “That I did. But, judging by the
use of the word, ‘almost,’ I’m guessing he survived. Lucky that,” he coughed,
“Should’ve never agreed to this shit. Should’ve listened,” he coughed again.
Agreed?
“So... you weren’t bound by duty to serve Lord Malvado?”
He chuckled, “Me? Serve him? Hah! Never! Malvado and his whole bloodline can
rot in hell!”
Victor was only getting more and more confused. If he didn’t serve House Del
Fuego, then why was he leading their attack?
“If you’re not bound to Lord Del Fuego, then what is your stake in all this,
Commander...?”
“Severo,” the old man coughed, “Severo Duran.”
Victor’s eyes widened even more, “The Lord of House Duran!? The Kingdom’s
master of war!?”
The man reached a shaky hand up and pulled out the necklace tucked under his
armor. When he did, it revealed an obsidian pendant of a fist pointing upward;
the main sigil of House Duran. It glowed with magic in a clear reference to
their House’s words.
“‘Fistful of magic,’” Victor recited.
He nodded, “Correct. You know your nobility.”
Victor was just barely processing all of this.
“You led an army of Del Fuego knights, for Lord Del Fuego, on a raid of the
capital and kidnapped the Prince, igniting an open rebellion between House Del
Fuego and the Crown. If not for them, then why, Lord Commander? Why would you
betray your Kingdom? Why?”
“I didn’t start this rebellion!” He croaked, “Malvado did! I didn’t help
because I want House Reyes dethroned, and I certainly didn’t do it out of
loyalty to House Del Fuego!... I did it for my people. For my family. Because,
we’re desperate. We’re in danger. Tell me,” he coughed, “What do you know of
the Valle De Obsidiana?”
Victor began to recall, “Well, it’s your family’s seat, of course, as well as
the seat of the Order of Gray Magic. It’s also where the whole Kingdom gets
their obsidian supply, and because of their Order’s strategic location, the
sorcerers demand full cooperation from the wizards and witches, otherwise they
would have no obsidian for their wands and staffs.”
And, that would be bad. Without wands or staffs, magic users would have nothing
to focus their power with, and it would be impossible to control.
Lord Severo nodded, “But...?”
“...But, because it’s so close to the Páramo Salvaje, it’s also a very
dangerous location, and is constantly under attack from dragons and other
creatures from across our uncharted northern borders.”
Lord Severo continued to nod, “Indeed. The Arch Sorceress and her people do
what they can to defend our shared home, but even they have their forces spread
thin. Lately, it’s been getting worse. The attacks have gone from constant to
full-on war with those beasts. We’re barely getting by as is. A little while
ago, Malvado approached me. He offered manpower and protection, but I had to do
something for him first...”
“The kidnapping of Prince Esteban,” Victor concluded. Lord Severo hadn’t done
it out of loyalty at all. Lord Malvado had manipulated him into doing it, “My
lord, did you ever even stop to consider that Lord Malvado may be the cause of
your recent problems?”
Lord Severo looked offended, “I don’t consider, I know! Do you think I’m an
idiot!? The protector of the north just happens to offer an exchange when
northern creatures just happen to start attacking more frequently!? I know he’s
the cause of it! I know it!... But, I can do nothing. Without his aid, the
Valle De Obsidiana will be completely overrun, and my people, my family, will
die. So, I agreed. I led a raid on the capital and kidnapped the future of our
Kingdom. And now, I’m paying for it,” he coughed, “I was injured by the gold-
knights during the raid and I just barely escaped with my life. The Prince’s
screams... I can still hear them. Taunting me. Haunting me. Telling me what I
did was wrong. Unforgivable... Riding only made my injuries worse. When I fell
from my horse, Malvado’s men ignored me and just left me here on the side of
the road to die. Fucking flaming fuck-nuts,” he coughed, “My only hope is that
that evil bastard will see the importance of keeping the Valle under control
and lives up to his promise.”
Victor’s opinion of this man had drastically changed. At first, he thought he
was just another evil Del Fuego thug, eager to serve, doing his master’s
bidding. But now, he saw who he really was: a caring and compassionate leader
who had been forced to sacrifice himself and his status for the good of his
people. Of his family. Victor couldn’t blame him for that in the slightest.
“I don’t condone what you’ve done, my lord,” Victor stated, “But... I
understand. You did what you had to do, what you thought was right, for the
good of those whom you swore to protect. You sacrificed yourself for your
people. Just like King Reynaldo.”
Lord Severo chuckled, “The King Consort. Our martyr. Our hero. Heh. I’ll never
be like him. I’ll never be anything like him at all. He sacrificed himself to
save the Kingdom from the invaders. I sacrificed myself for my own lands, and I
betrayed the Kingdom to do so. I, the master of war. A very member of the
monarch’s court. I’m surprised the King Consort’s ghost doesn’t come to kill me
himself for what I did to his son. It would be a more honorable death than the
one I’m being given... Perhaps that’s why,” he coughed, “A traitor to the
Kingdom. I am without honor now.”
Now, Victor just felt bad for him. After everything he’d been through,
everything he was forced to endure, this was what he was getting for it. It
wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.
“I’m sorry,” Victor admitted.
Lord Severo nodded, “My son. He’s your age. A sorcerer’s cadet. He’s the one
who warned me of this confrontation. He will be Lord Duran now. Whether he
likes it or not. Our new master of war. So young,” he coughed, “He’s already
walking down a path of sorrow and self-hatred. Why, I don’t know. This will
destroy him... I guess I have some idea of what the Queen feels now. No one
deserves to suffer like that. That poor woman. Her poor boy. Her poor,
innocent, scared boy. Knowing Malvado, he’ll probably literally fuck him to
death.”
Victor didn’t want to hear that! He didn’t want to believe that! He wasn’t
going to let that happen! He couldn’t! He had to save him!
“I’ll save him,” Victor stated, “I will. I was chosen. By God and magic. This
is my duty. To the Kingdom... and to myself. I will save him. I swear it.”
Lord Severo looked him up and down, “I suppose that’s the only thing else left
to hope for... I know I don’t deserve it, but please, do me a favor,” he pulled
the necklace off and held it up to him, “I know the Valle is out of the way,
but please,” he coughed, “Get this to my son. I’ve accepted that I’ll never get
to see him again. See that little, boyish face of his as he grows into a man.
That face that reminds me so much of his mother... I understand that I deserve
much worse. But, please. Get this to him. The future of House Duran should wear
this.”
Victor was on the verge of tears. This man had resigned to death so easily. He
was never going to see his son again. To watch him grow. To pass on this family
heirloom. His son was going to have to take over his impossible duties, while
he died here, bleeding out in the forest.
Victor couldn’t let that happen!
He pushed his hand back down, “You’re going to give it to him yourself, my
lord, because you’re going to survive! You’re going to live to see him again!
Because, I’m going to see to it. That’s a promise!”
***
Victor had absolutely no idea how to dress wounds. He’d needed his mother’s
help whenever he’d so much as scraped his knee, but now he was dressing a huge,
bleeding gash across someone’s stomach all by himself!
But, somehow, he managed to do it.
He’d cleaned the wound with the odd, green healing fluid that came with his
supplies, then wrapped an insanely long cloth around the old man’s stomach.
And somehow, it had worked. He had stopped the bleeding, and had somehow gotten
him to stop coughing. He was getting better already!
Victor helped him out of the forest. Lina whinnied and backed away as if to
say, ‘OH HELL NO, I DID NOT LEAVE THE WEST SIDE FOR THIS! Keep that bleeding
kidnapper away from this saddle!’ Victor was going to ignore that.
“I can take it from here,” Lord Severo suddenly stated as he left Victor’s
support.
“Are you sure?” Victor asked, “You’re still healing. I can get you to the
nearest village—“
“—I assure you, you’ve done far too much for me already. Much more than I
deserve. Without you, I would be dead in that forest. I am forever grateful,
err... what was your name again?”
“Victor.”
“Victor,” he repeated, “Let us hope you are, indeed, a victor. If you’re going
to save the Prince, your going to need my help.”
“Oh no,” Victor protested, “Forgive me, my lord, but you’re in no condition to
fight, and besides, I’m not supposed to—“
“—There are patrols,” he cut him off, “Lots of them. Just waiting at the edge
of the Bosque Oscuro for anyone to attack. They are extremely well-hidden. Lord
Del Fuego has no intention of letting anyone come for his new prisoner.”
“Oh...” Victor hadn’t known that. He could have been walking straight into a
trap if not for him, “Well, I thank you for that, Lord Duran.”
“It’s only the start of me righting my wrongs,” he stated, “I should go now
before it gets dark.”
Victor mounted Lina, then turned to Lord Severo, “When you see your son again,
give him the necklace. Don’t risk dying in the middle of nowhere again without
passing it on. Like you said, the future of House Duran should wear it.”
He nodded, “I will. And, thank you again. When you rescue the Prince, give
Malvado Del Fuego a message from House Duran. With your fist.”
Victor smiled, “I will,” Lina began to ride off, “Goodbye, Lord Duran.”
“Good luck, Victor. May you emerge victorious.”
Chapter End Notes
     Due to the events in this chapter, I’m going to be adding these
     respective tags: Manipulation, Sacrifice, and Puddles of Blood.
     See you for more “sorta filler” next week!
***** Hair *****
Chapter Notes
     I know it’s only been a week, but it feels like so long since then.
     This chapter is pretty long, so perhaps that makes up for it.
     Fair warning, there is a lot of emotion near the end, so read at your
     own risk.
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“Tread lightly, Lina. We’re nearing the Bosque Oscuro.”
Whinny, ‘Way ahead of you, boy-fucker.”
They had been riding for another few hours until they began nearing the natural
border separating the Bosque De La Luz and the Bosque Oscuro. It was beginning
to get dark, so Victor wanted to get to the nearest village as soon as
possible, stopping only once to don the large cloak to hide his armor, though
he knew that it wouldn’t stop the patrols from intercepting him—They had no
intention of letting anyone through without permission.
The smart thing to do would have probably been to wait until dark, so he could
sneak passed the patrols without being seen, but doing that would most likely
only get him lost in that dark and creepy forest. The Bosque Oscuro was
supposed to be damn-near impossible to navigate at night, so he chose to enter
while he could still see what was ahead of him.
What Victor didn’t understand was why House Robles was just allowing these
traitors to roam freely through their lands. They had no ties whatsoever to
House Del Fuego, so it was unlikely that they would side with them in this
conflict. Maybe the Del Fuego forces had somehow kept them from learning of
their betrayal, or maybe they were being held captive. Maybe they had
absolutely no idea of the traitors hiding within their lands. Lord Duran had
said that they were very well-hidden.
Victor hadn’t a clue.
All he knew was that he had to somehow get past them without being noticed. How
he was going to pull that off, he had no idea.
Suddenly, Lina walked off to the side and off the road, headed toward the tree
line.
“What are you doing?” Victor asked, “We have to get to the Bosque Oscuro before
it gets too dark.” He tried to rein her back to the road, but she resisted.
Whinny, ‘Chill the fuck out, I see a side road!’
Victor didn’t understand why his mind thought that it was a good idea to put
imaginary words in his head that made no sense, and would most likely get them
lost. Due to the seriousness of the situation, he didn’t even bother to
respond—It’s not like she could understand him anyway—and just continued to
pull at her reins.
Whinny, ‘Vicky, chill! I’m serious! See for yourself!’
Victor’s imagination must have had a mind of it’s own to keep pretending this
animal was leading them somewhere while the rest of him knew it wasn’t true.
Sometimes, he really didn’t understand—
Lina jumped through the bushes and ended up on a tiny road hidden in the trees
pointing back the way they were originally going.
Victor was dumbfounded.
Whinny, ‘You’re welcome, bitch!’
Victor looked down at Lina as she began to walk down the path. How had she seen
that path? How had she known to go down it?
But, most importantly, how did he know that that’s what she was doing?
Maybe his imagination did have a mind of it’s own after all.
He patted her mane, “Erm... Thank you, Lina.”
Whinny, ‘No problem, ho!’
Victor chuckled. He had no idea what had happened, but at this point, he didn’t
care to question it. He had found a path that may just lead them somewhere that
the Del Fuego patrols weren’t. How he came across it didn’t matter in the
slightest.
He just hoped that this path really did keep them from getting caught.
***
After more time riding, they finally reached what was obviously the border of
the two forests. It was easily distinguishable.
The side Victor was currently on still had light, the green and brown of the
trees still clearly visible. Then, in front of him a ways, the light was cut
off, and the forest grew dark and covered from the sky by thick, crowded trees
with visibly darker bark. Victor was almost too afraid to go in.
“Well,” he said aloud, “Here goes nothing, I guess. Into rival territory, we
go.”
Whinny, ‘Boy, you sound like one of them cheap-ass plays!’
Victor chose to ignore that. As soon as they entered, a gust of wind blew over
them, and it instantly got colder. Victor had the sudden feeling that he was
being watched from all sides, giving him that feeling letting him know that
there was no going back now. As long as he wasn’t being watched by the thugs of
House Del Fuego, Victor could probably live with that. In his own, paranoid
way.
They rode further in until they could see the main road again. They were about
to get back on it when Lina suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She whinnied lighter than Victor had ever heard, ‘Hold the bitch-fuck up! I
smell fire!’
Victor was about to dismiss that, when he started to smell the smoke. Victor
found himself dumbfounded again.
This time, he decided to listen, “Follow it,” he whispered.
Lina started walking off to the side, still hidden among the trees. A little
ways ahead Victor started to see an orange aura around the corner.
“Woah,” he tugged lightly. Lina stopped, and he dismounted. He crept forward,
hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. Thankfully, the armor under his cloak
didn’t clank and creak like most armor—it really was meant for the best.
He rounded the corner and crept up behind a bush. He began to slowly peak his
head up.
It took everything in him not to gasp and scramble off.
Ahead of him, there was a small clearing, where a campsite was set up, the
banners of House Del Fuego clearly visible, and a group of four or five knights
gathered around a campfire. They were fully armed and armored, looking relaxed
at the moment, but ready to pounce when something came by. Victor looked over
toward the main road. He would have never seen them from there.
Without Lina or his overactive imagination, Victor would have fallen straight
into their trap.
He slowly ducked back down and crept back to where he had left Lina. When he
arrived, he just let his imagination take over.
“There’s a campsite up ahead where the patrols are hiding. Can you get us
around it?”
Lina nodded.
Maybe she could understand him. And, either way, she had kept them safe twice
before, so Victor chose to put his trust in her again.
He just hoped this time wouldn’t be different.
He mounted her and allowed her to lead the way.
***
Somehow, they’d not only managed to evade the patrol, and others hidden on the
side of the road, but also managed to find a village before it got pitch black
outside.
Victor didn’t know what to make of it, but from now on, he was going to trust
Lina’s instincts over his own.
The village was in a clearing and was of a fair size similar to that of his
home. The place was quiet, and as he rode through, the only people still out
were those that were closing up shop, a normal sight for this time of night. He
got a few brief glances in his direction, but nobody seemed to really pay any
attention to him. They probably got lots of travelers going through their
village, and most recently even more.
Finally, Victor rode up to what was obviously an inn, with a sign hanging over
the top that simply read, ‘Adora’s.’ The owner must have been named after
Princess Adora, the sister of King Basilio, who was said to be one of the most
beautiful women in the Kingdom. Victor couldn’t judge, obviously, but he
wondered if she was named that because of her beauty, as well.
Victor dismounted and tied Lina to a post, then patted her in appreciation
before entering the building.
It was a fairly decent-sized establishment, with a few tables off to the side,
a bar on the opposite wall of the door, and stairs leading up to the rooms on
the other side.
A few seconds after he entered, a tired-looking woman with curly, dark hair and
a golden skin tone emerged from the back of the bar tying an apron around her
waist and nodded at him. She was fairly pretty. Well, as pretty as women could
look to Victor.
Victor nodded back, “Are you Adora?”
“Ay, that I am,” she confirmed, “Adora Herrera.”
Victor remembered that name. House Herrera used to be a minor noble House from
the Ladera Bonita in the south, which explained Adora’s golden skin, but their
lands were destroyed during the war, and House Robles had offered them a new
place in the Bosque Oscuro. While the twenty major noble Houses were of great
importance in their overseeing of each region of the Kingdom, the numerous
minor noble Houses were of much less importance, being little more than people
with money, influence, and family names, so considering what House Herrera had
been through, finding one of them running an inn wasn’t all that surprising.
“I need a room for the night.”
She scoffed, “Well, I could have told you that.”
Victor smiled and walked up to the bar. Adora picked a key off of the wall and
placed it on the counter, “Two coppers for the night. Four for two. So on.”
“I’ll only be here for one night,” Victor informed her as he dug around for his
purse.
“Got it.”
Victor pulled out the purse and opened it, digging around for the coppers.
That’s when he came to the horrible realization.
He had no coppers. He didn’t even have any silvers! Her grace had only supplied
him with gold coins!
“Well...?” She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
Victor tried desperately to come up with an excuse. Why did the Queen of
Ravarra have to be so damned generous!?
He couldn’t come up with anything. Reluctantly, he pulled out a gold coin and
placed it on the counter.
Adora’s eyes widened. She certainly didn’t look tired anymore.
“That’s worth more than this establishment!”
“I don’t have anything smaller,” Victor admitted.
She scoffed, “You must work for some very important people.”
Victor tensed at that. He did work for important people. The most important
people. The most important person! But, nobody was supposed to know that!
Victor realized that he should have come up with a cover story before he left,
instead of choosing to wait until he saved the Prince.
He stood up straight and made his best important-person-face, “I’m just someone
with big money.”
Adora chuckled and pocketed the coin, “I can tell, what with that fancy cloak
and all.”
Victor tensed at the that too. He knew it was too much! Again, overly generous
Queen, who knew nothing about commoner attire!
“Well,” she continued, “this is worth far more than the room, so I feel I
should give you something else in return.”
Victor shook his head, “Just a room for the night and a stable for my horse
will be fine, thank you.”
“Well, there must be something else. I can prepare a large feast.”
Victor wasn’t hungry, “Thank you, but I’m quite alright.”
“I can resupply you for your journey. Are you sure you can only stay the
night?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” he continued, “And, I’m fine, thanks.”
“Come now! There needs to be something! Hey! How about a girl!?”
Victor’s heart skipped a beat, “...A what?”
“A girl! I can get you a girl! You know, to help you relax and keep you warm at
night! With money like this, I could get practically anyone’s daughter—“
“NO!!!”
Adora jumped and stared at him. Victor hadn’t meant to raise his voice like
that.
“No,” he repeated calmly, “I won’t be requiring... that, thank you very much.”
She gave him another suspicious look, “...Are you sure?... There’s a lot of
young and pretty girls—“
“I’m fine.”
She stared confusedly at him for a moment. Then she readjusted her stance,
“Well... alright then. At least let me take care of your horse. It’s tied up
outside, yes?”
“She is, yes,” after all she’d done for him, Victor couldn’t let someone call
Lina ‘it.’
“She,” Adora repeated, “Very well. You’re upstairs, last door on the left.”
“Thank you,” Victor stated as she walked toward the door. When she exited,
Victor sighed. Something about being offered a girl for the night got to him.
That’s what normal men did, right? They jumped at the opportunity of having a
female presence in their bed? Victor didn’t do that. He couldn’t, even if he
wanted to. That just wasn’t him. He wasn’t normal.
He was... abnormal.
When he was done contemplating, he turned and headed up the stairs. He walked
down the hall to the last door on the left, as described. He put the key in and
entered.
It was a nice room. A bed in the center and a nightstand, a chamber pot, and
even a desk.
Perhaps this could help him calm down.
***
Victor had stripped out of his armor and was about to remove his underclothes
when he heard a light knock at the door.
He panicked. His armor was out in the open for whoever it was to see!
“Err—Just a moment!” He looked around for something to cover it up with and
found his cloak. He quickly pushed it all together and draped the large fabric
over it.
With that out of the way, he calmed down and turned to the door. He opened it,
expecting to see Adora, probably trying to offer him something else.
It wasn’t Adora.
When he opened the door, a little boy no older than twelve jumped back.
“Oh! Umm... my apologies, sir!”
This boy’s presence confused Victor. He assumed it must have been Adora’s son.
He had golden skin, like her, and curly, dark hair.
His hair, though. It was just long enough to cover his ears, and was parted in
a way where it flowed over toward the left side of his forehead. But, there was
just something about it. Something... relaxing. For some reason, Victor had the
sudden urge to touch it...
Victor snapped out of it and smiled down at him, “It’s fine. How can I help
you?”
“Oh, umm...” he looked down at his feet, “My mother sent me up here.”
That confirmed his lineage, “Why did she do that?”
“Err, to...” he began to shake a bit, “To... make you happy.”
Victor was confused again.
“Umm...” the boy tried to explain, “My mother sent me up to... well, she sent
me up, because she said that you didn’t want any girls, and then she said, ‘He
only pays in gold. Make it worth his stay. Make him happy.’”
Victor’s heart sunk.
Adora Herrera was so bent on making his stay worthwhile that she was willing to
do anything to make it so. She had sent this little boy—her own son—up to
satisfy Victor’s supposed needs. Victor may have been only a commoner, but even
he was offended at the fact that someone fortunate enough to be born with a
family name would subject their children to this! Hell, anyone subjecting their
children to this was offensive! It just wasn’t right!
She was whoring off her own boy!
Despite the situation, Victor chuckled.
The boy looked confused, “Umm, sir...?”
“You’re mother is too smart for her own good.”
“What?”
“What’s your name?”
“Gilberto.”
Victor smiled again, but this time, it was an accident.
Gilberto was a funny name!
“Gilberto,” he repeated.
“Yes.”
“Gilberto Herrera.” Then, Victor opened the door wider, “It’s nice to meet you,
Gilberto. I’m Victor. Come in, please. But, don’t touch the cloak.”
Gilberto’s eyes widened, but he did as requested. Victor closed the door and
walked slowly to the bed.
When he turned to sit down, Gilberto already had his tunic off.
“Hey, woah! No!” Victor sputtered, “Don’t do that!”
Gilberto paused with his hand on his trousers, “Umm... did I do something
wrong, sir? My mother told me that it would be easier if I got it over with
quickly.”
Victor realized he should have been more clear.
“Please, put your clothes back on,” Victor told him, “I just want to talk.”
“Oh...” Gilberto seemed confused, but relieved at the same time, “Alright.”
He put his tunic back on and sat next to Victor on the bed when he motioned him
over. They got to talking, and after a few minutes, Victor was already shaking
his head.
“Your mother shouldn’t be selling you off like this. It’s completely wrong.”
Gilberto looked down, “My mother does what the customers want. Their happiness
comes above all else.”
“But, you’re nobility!”
“It’s really in name only,” Gilberto explained, “My mother is just a simple
cousin of Lady Herrera. Sure, we sometimes meet for family gatherings and such,
but not much else besides that.”
That actually made sense. If they’d been a part of the main line, they would
have likely lived on their family estate, rather than in an inn.
Southern families were known for usually being quite numerous. The golden
skinned ones especially. Victor’s paternal family were light-skinned
southerners, the descendants of migrants from the north after the Unificación,
due to the harsh environment up there.
But, that didn’t make them northerners, oh no! It didn’t matter where their
families had come from originally. They were southerners now, plain and simple.
Just like House Herrera was now northern due to their migration.
Obviously, western families were known for being numerous too—Just ask Victor’s
countless maternal relatives.
So technically, due to where he’d been born, that made Victor a north-easterner
of southern and western descent, with very distant northern ancestry. He had
some eastern ancestry too, but he didn’t know the full details on that. Oh joy,
Victor had ancestry from all four corners of the realm!
Wait, how was this relevant? What had they been talking about? Oh yeah!
“Has she done this before to you?” Victor asked.
Gilberto looked up, “Well, no...”
“You’re so young. Have you ever even been with anyone before?”
He blushed, “No... But, mother’s always saying that there will come a day when
a traveler will want me like that, and I’ll have to let them... do it to me. I
thought that day was today.”
“It’s not,” Victor promised.
“Thank God. I’ve never even been kissed.”
Victor chuckled, “Me neither.”
Gilberto looked surprised, “Really!? But, you’re so...”
“So what?”
Gilberto blushed, “...handsome.”
Victor was genuinely surprised to hear that. Admittedly, it wasn’t the first
time he’d been called handsome, but it was on very rare occasion.
Victor chuckled again, “You won’t find many people who will agree with you on
that.”
Gilberto kept blushing, “I don’t know. You’re just... nice-looking. And, you
have pretty, western eyes.”
Victor smiled, “Yes, that I do.”
“They’re beautiful. They really are. None of the other boys around here look as
nice as you do.”
“Do you even like boys?”
Gilberto’s eyes widened in a confused way, “Umm... well, I’ve never really
thought about it like that before, but... yes... I suppose I do.”
Victor was surprised. He hadn’t expected that. Aside from the rumors about the
Prince, Victor thought that he was the only other boy that liked boys in the
Kingdom. Apparently, he was wrong.
He smiled and patted his back, “Nothing wrong with that.” Victor’s attention
then landed on the boy’s hair again. He didn’t know what it was, but there was
just something about his hair. He really wanted to touch it.
“Well,” Gilberto continued, “What I mean by that is, now that I think back on
it, I’ve only ever wanted to look at other boys. I never really put a label on
it, or categorized it with anything, it was just... me.”
Victor smiled again, “That’s completely fine. You’re completely fine. I
promise.”
Gilberto smiled a bit himself, “Thank you, sir.”
“Victor,” Victor stated, “My name is Victor.”
“Victor,” he repeated with a smile, “Thank you, Victor.” Then, he adopted a sad
face and got up from the bed, “Well, I suppose I’ve served my purpose now. I
should be returning to my mother. I hope you sleep well, sir—Victor!”
Victor couldn’t let him go back to her. At least, not now. That woman was a
monster. She was going to whore off her own son just to satisfy the needs of
someone that didn’t even ask. Victor couldn’t let him stay with her.
“No,” Victor told him, “Stay here. You’ll sleep with me tonight.”
Gilberto’s eyes widened again and he started to visibly panic, “W-what!? B-but,
you said you—“
“No, no, no, no!” Victor assured him, “Sleep. Just sleep. Nothing else! Hey,
come here,” Victor got up and walked over to him. He wiped a tear from the
shivering boy’s face.
Suddenly, Gilberto jerked forward and wrapped his arms around Victor. Victor
was stunned for a second, but then returned the embrace, “It’s okay. I’m here.”
“I’m so scared!” Gilberto cried into him, “I’m so scared, Victor! I don’t want
to do this! I don’t want to be thrown into someone’s bed! I don’t want to be
used like that! I don’t want to be ripped open and thrown away! I don’t want to
be a whore! VICTOR!!!”
He was all-out wailing into him now. Victor could feel tears of his own forming
in his eyes. Seeing Gilberto cry was making him cry. Victor could keep him safe
up here tonight, but when he left in the morning, he would be a target again. A
potential satisfaction for a potential traveler, to be sold off by his mother
like an object. A possession. Victor couldn’t let anything like that happen to
him!
“I’ll come back for you,” Victor’s voice cracked. He took the boy’s face in his
hands and looked him in his teary eyes.
“I’ll come back for you. When I’m done with what I have to do, I’ll come back
for you. I’ll set you free. You’ll never be made to satisfy a traveler ever.
I’ll take you with me. And, you’ll get to live your life like the nobleman you
are. However you want. With whomever you want. I swear!”
***
After they’d calmed down, Victor had convinced Gilberto to sleep in his bed
that night. He needed security right now, and at that moment, Victor was the
only one he could trust.
They both stripped into their undergarments and climbed into bed. Victor lied
on his back, thinking for a moment. If he was going to come back, he would be
bringing the Prince along with him. How was he going to explain what he was
doing to Gilberto? Could Lina even fit three people? How were they even going
to get back? These were questions that really needed answers. But, not right
now.
Suddenly, Gilberto crawled over and cuddled up to him. Victor couldn’t even
blame him. After everything that had happened, he needed to feel safe right
now. And, if, ‘safe,’ was in Victor’s arms, then so be it.
Then, he looked over at him and found himself staring again at that hair. The
dark, curly hair that he wanted to touch so badly. It was as if it were
purposefully telling him to do so. Now that he was in the position, Victor
decided to finally go through with it. He slowly reached a hand up and gently
placed it on his hair.
A calming sensation seemed to flow inside of him. He could feel something
relaxing coarse throughout his body, especially in his eyes. He began to pet
him lightly. He had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t question it. It
was too relaxing to question. He liked it.
Then, he felt something grow and stiffen against his thigh.
Victor couldn’t help but smile. He’d heard the way Gilberto was talking about
him, and he’d seen the way he’d been looking at him, and now this confirmed it.
Apparently, the boy had had a little crush on him. Gilberto didn’t even seem to
notice.
It wasn’t the first time Victor had found out that someone had been attracted
to him, but it was the first time it had been another boy. He counted that as a
success, even if the boy was far too young. Just knowing that someone felt that
way about him made him feel better about himself.
The rest of the night was calm, with Gilberto getting up only once for the
chamber pot before returning to cuddling, and Victor woke up the next morning
after a good night’s sleep.
***
Victor had made his preparations, checked his supplies, made sure his cloak was
fully covering his armor, and mounted Lina, preparing to leave.
But, before he did, Gilberto came out and held up something wrapped up to him.
“What’s this?” Victor asked as he picked it up.
“It’s a lock of my hair,” Gilberto told him, “I noticed you liked it.”
Sure enough, it was a lock of Gilberto’s hair. It was dark and curly and had a
smaller, yet similar effect to the one that had happened the previous night.
Victor smiled, “You’re hair is beautiful.”
“You’re eyes are beautiful.”
Victor chuckled and tucked the lock away. Then, he turned back to Gilberto with
a serious face.
“I will return for you, Gilberto. You will get everything I’ve promised you. I
swear upon all that is.”
Whinny, ‘Uh-uh! Not on this two-seater, you ain’t!’ Victor ignored that.
“I know you will,” Gilberto assured him, “I don’t know what your doing, but I
know it’s important. I saw your armor...”
Victor shut his eyes. He had been worried about that. Spending the night in the
same, small room, he was bound to see something that he wasn’t supposed to.
“I’m not a gold-knight,” Victor explained, “But, I am working for the Queen.”
No point in hiding it anymore.
“You’re going to rescue him, aren’t you?” Gilberto asked, “The Prince.”
Victor nodded, “I am. Please, don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t, I promise. I know how to keep a secret. But, if you’re going to do
something so dangerous, then you should get going.”
“Yeah.”
“I hope you succeed. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Lina began to ride, “Until we meet again, Gilberto.”
“Until then, Victor.”
Chapter End Notes
     Say hello to our new tags: Suspicion, Emotion, and Forced
     Prostitution.
     See you next week!
***** Church *****
Chapter Notes
     This chapter is mostly dialogue, but then again so is most of this
     shit :P Here, we meet one of my personal favorite side characters,
     and get to learn more about Victor’s eyes and the relationship
     between God and magic.
     Enjoy!
Victor rode all night this time—no easy task in the Bosque Oscuro—so he was
more tired than he had been in a long time. What he really should have done was
stop at the last village and stay the night there, but he wanted to get to this
one as soon as possible. There was someone he just couldn’t wait to see again.
Besides, the last village was a new one, and still under construction, and for
some reason, there was some insane rule about constructing the church in a new
village last. His mother had raised him to be devoutly religious, and with
where he was going after this, there was no way he was going to miss church on
God’s day. Besides, he needed a certain someone that should have known about
his traits to explain why he was never told!
He arrived just as the last of the villagers was entering the church. He tucked
his sword in with the supplies, dismounted, and tied Lina to a post, “I’ll find
a stable for you later.”
Whinny, ‘Hey! I’m used to waitin’, but He ain’t! Now, get goin’!’
Victor rushed in just before the bells stopped ringing. It was a good-sized
church, big enough to house the whole village and more. The sun shined in
through the stained glass windows, and everybody stood, waiting for the service
to begin.
Normally, Victor would sit in the back of the church in his village, just
because he preferred to be out of the spotlight, but this time, he went up and
took a spot right in the front. He needed to be seen.
Victor heard a door open. A young-looking wizardess in blue robes, with bronze
skin and dark hair tied back, emerged from a back room with her hands clasped.
She stopped in front of the altar and faced the crowd. She looked over the
people gathered there, and stopped when she noticed Victor. He smiled at her.
The wizardess smiled back, then returned her attention to the rest of the room.
That wizardess was Victor’s cousin, Anya.
She lowered her hands, and with that, everyone was seated. She began the
service.
“God be with you.”
“And with your spirit,” the crowd recited.
“We are gathered here, in this holy place, in the sight of God and magic, to
praise His name, and to be thankful of his continued assurances in the safety
and prosperity of the people of our Kingdom and all. Under the leadership of
Geronimo, our Wizard, Bernardo, our Witch, Andrea, our Sorceress, and Reyna,
our Queen, may we live fair and prosperous lives in God’s grace and continue to
do so forever and ever.”
“Amen.”
“Good morning, children of God. Let us begin this service by acknowledging
current events. As you are all now aware, Malvado Del Fuego, protector of the
north, has declared open rebellion against the Crown, and Esteban, our Crown
Prince, has been abducted.”
There was some murmuring at that.
“I’ve been hearing confusion and uncertainty lately. Our village lies directly
south of the Tierra Del Fuego, and Del Fuego knights and warriors have been
traveling throughout our lands. Many ask, should we pledge allegiance to House
Del Fuego, or should we remain loyal to the Crown? In these times of
uncertainty, the only thing we can do is to pray for an end to the violence,
and the safe return of Esteban to his mother. We pray to God.”
“God, hear our prayer.”
“Another matter I’ve been hearing of for the longest time is the role of the
witches and sorcerers in God’s plan. I’ve heard things like, sorcerers only
care for themselves, or witches are just plain evil. As we all know, our
village is pledged to the wizards and the Order of Light Magic. But, it is
important to note that, though we may not always see eye to eye, wizards,
witches, and sorcerers are all followers of God, simply choosing to worship Him
through the use of different magics. God created the magics to help Him run the
world, and we must praise them all equally. Praise to God and magic.”
“Praise to God and magic.”
“Finally, I would like to stray from the matter of the plan of God, and address
the matter of the plan of the Queen. Reyna, our Queen, has promised equity and
equality for all, and it has been long rumored of a Royal legalization of the
marriage between man and man, and woman and woman.”
More murmuring.
“It is important to note that the views of traditionalists, who oppose this
plan, only do so out of that. Tradition. God created us to be who we are, and
to love who we love. Love is love. Nowhere in the holy text does it state that
one cannot love another of the same sex, and while it defines marriage as the
unification in holy matrimony of a man and a woman, it also states that we,
God’s children, should be free to make our own rules, as long as they do not
contradict the word of God. The equity plan of Reyna, our Queen, has, as of
yet, no contradiction to the word of God. And, with that, we conclude our
acknowledgments. Thanks be to God.”
“Thanks be to God.”
“Now, let us stand and praise His name, and pray for peace, equity, and all.”
“Amen.”
Victor just barely managed to stay awake for the rest of the service, and when
it was over, and everyone was leaving, he went up to speak with his cousin. She
was just finishing a conversation with a minor noblewoman.
“...will be in our prayers. Good day to you, Lady Noguera.”
The noble bowed her head and left. Anya kept her gaze front as Victor
approached her.
“I’ve been expecting you.”
Victor wasn’t surprised, “A vision?”
“Indeed.”
“Then, you know why I’ve come.”
“You’ve come to breeze through my church on your way to incite violence in the
Tierra Del Fuego, as you rescue the Prince from a fiery fate.”
Victor snickered, “Something like that.”
She turned to him and smiled, “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.”
They hugged, then separated.
“You’re wearing armor under that cloak,” she noticed.
As soon as he made sure they were alone, he opened his cloak to display it.
“Royal Guard armor. And a magic sword, which I left outside, of course. All as
‘prophecized.’”
Then, she made that face. That mocking-like face that made it known that she
was better than you, and that all of the problems in the world were your fault.
“It’s ‘prophesied.’ Obviously, you need to put down that sword and pick up a
book on proper grammar.”
“Heroes don’t need grammar. Just help from God and magic. And, speaking of
magic, let’s talk about my eyes.”
She looked down and shook her head, “Here we go...”
“So, you did know!”
“I’m a magic user. Of course I knew.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“It wasn’t for me to say.”
“You’re our family’s resident magic user. I feel betrayed that I had to learn
about it from your man in the black hat.”
She made another face, “Well, you did, because it was for our Wizard to find
out, and for our Wizard to tell you.” She emphasized, ‘our Wizard,’ to show
Victor the proper way to address him. As if he hadn’t heard it every God’s day
anyway. He didn’t care though. When it came to religion, God was the only one
that needed respect.
“Can you at least explain this to me?” Victor practically pleaded, “How this
whole thing works?”
“Yes, that I can,” she began, “As you know, magic lives inside all of us. It is
as essential to life as the blood in our veins, perhaps more. It gives us our
strength, our growth, our will to live. Without it, we would be not but
vegetables of flesh. Sometimes, people are born with the ability to harness it,
like me.”
Victor nodded.
“But, other times, on rare occasion, someone is born with magic that is still
harnessed, but only in one specific, excessively attractive part of their body,
like you with your eyes. Others like you might have it in other parts their
body. Magic fingers... Magic legs...”
Victor really shouldn’t have been thinking like this in a church, but he
couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone out there with a magic dick...
“So, you’re saying that my eyes are pretty, because their magical?” Victor
asked, “And, I inherited that magic from Evangelina, which gave me my eyes?”
“No,” Anya explained, “You see magic is not what gives them beauty, it’s beauty
that gives them magic. Evangelina’s eyes were just naturally beautiful, so the
magic was drawn to her eyes. You inherited her eyes, meaning that they are just
as beautiful, which is why magic is harnessed in your eyes as well.”
Victor supposed that made sense, “Do I actually get anything out of having
magic eyes?”
“Actually, yes,” she stated, “Someone with magic body parts can possess the
ability to harness magic on occasion. And, in theory, since you have magic
eyes, you should possess the ability to have visions. They may come at any
time, whenever you least expect it.”
That was interesting. However it happened, Victor could probably call upon his
inner magic to help him in his quest. He didn’t recall ever having any visions
before, though.
“Huh,” he pondered, “Still think you should have told me.”
She shook her head again, “It wasn’t for me to tell. It was for our Wizard to
tell you, not me. It wouldn’t have been the noble thing to do.”
“Oh! Yes! There’s something else you should know!”
“What?”
“Evangelina was ennobled!”
She didn’t waver at all, “Yes, I know.”
“WHAT!!!??”
“Keep your voice down, we’re in a church.”
“How did you know!?”
“A vision, of course. Had it at the precise time it was happening. First vision
I ever had, actually.”
Victor kept forgetting how old she really was. She looked like a young adult,
but she was really in her thirties. He always had a hard time believing that
she was actually alive and active during the war. She was probably around the
same age that Victor was now.
“And, you never thought to tell anyone!?”
“She didn’t want it told. If you know about it, then you must know she wanted
it kept secret.”
“But, we’re nobles! We’re of noble blood!”
She pointed at him, “See, that’s why she didn’t tell anyone! She knew something
like that would happen. She didn’t want her family to start viewing themselves
as better than those that they grew up around. She didn’t want anyone to think
of her, or her family, differently. She was already seen as a heroine among her
neighbors, even before the war. She liked the life she lived, and her place in
her society. She didn’t want it to change, simply because of a title she’d been
given.”
“Still...”
“Still, nothing! You’re being completely selfish, Victor! How would you like it
if I went up to a group of traditionalists and informed them of your romantic
preferences?”
Victor tensed, “...You know about that too?”
“Of course. Again, magic user.”
Victor blushed, “And... you think He is okay with it? You know... God?”
“Of course!” Anya assured him, “As I said in the service, ‘Be who you are. Love
who you love.’ Love is love. God created us all, and He doesn’t make mistakes.
He created you. You love other boys. Therefore, God created you to love other
boys. So, yes. I believe that He is more than okay with it.”
That brought tears to Victor’s eyes. She was right. God doesn’t make mistakes.
So, if Victor liked boys, then that was clearly intentional. He wasn’t
abnormal.
He was who he was meant to be.
Anya brushed his cheek, “You are who you are, Victor. You are meant to spend
your days loving another boy. And, I can promise you that another boy will
spend his days loving you as much as you love him. Those days will come. Much
sooner than you think.”
“What?” Victor looked up with a confused expression, “What do you mean?”
Anya clasped her hands and returned to seriousness.
“That’s not for me to say.”
Victor nearly exploded, but settled for rolling his eyes, “Of course it’s
not...”
“It’s not!” Anya confirmed, “Now come, we’re done arguing. I know you rode all
night, so right now, the only thing you need to care about is rest. You can
stay at my place. I’ll find a stable for Lina, and I’ll see you off in the
morning.”
Victor knew a single wizardess didn’t have a place big enough for two people,
“Where are you going to stay?”
“Right here,” she gestured around them, “It won’t be the first time I’ve slept
in the church.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Now come, before you collapse.”
***
As soon as Victor entered Anya’s tiny shack, he plopped himself on the bed and
fell asleep instantly. He didn’t care if it was the middle of the day, he was
too tired to deal with society’s expectations of him—he was already in natural
defiance of them by liking boys anyway, but since he wasn’t in defiance of
God’s expectations, he didn’t care what others thought. Especially now. He just
wanted to sleep.
He was surprised when he woke up and it was already the next day. He learned
later that Anya had put a relaxation spell on him to help recover his strength,
and let him sleep through to the next day. He was grateful for that. Actually,
he’d apparently been so relaxed that he’d had a dream.
A wet dream.
Victor had been in a sea of boys. Naked boys. Making out with each other. Their
faces pressed lovingly against each other... Their lips kissing passionately
with each other... Their bodies grinding roughly against each other...
Their dicks poking hungrily at each other...
Thankfully, he’d somehow managed to keep from making much of a mess of his
cousin’s sheets, but she seemed to know what had happened anyway. She must have
had dreams like that too, right?
She was a church wizardess, so she was sworn to chastity. Technically, since
Victor was so devoutly religious, he should have been chaste too, but he had
absolutely no intention of doing that, mostly because it would mean he wouldn’t
be allowed to cum anymore, which would cause a certain pain in his testicles
known as blue balls. Besides, chastity was more of an advisement than a rule.
This was the one religious advisement that he refused to follow.
Chastity sounded like a nightmare. How Anya survived it, Victor didn’t know.
As Victor mounted Lina and prepared to embark, Anya came up to him to see him
off. She pulled what turned out to be an amethyst ring on an obsidian band off
her finger and held it up to him, “Here.”
He picked it up, and when he did, it glowed in his hand, “A magic ring?”
She nodded, “I forgot to mention. People with magic body parts can temporarily
harness magic with the help of a magical item. You already have a magic sword,
but this is just in case. If you ever need help in battle, just focus on the
item.”
Victor had no idea what that meant, but he would figure it out later. There
were no more stops between here and the Tierra, so he had to get going as soon
as possible. He slipped it on and admired it as it glowed again.
“Thank you, Anya. I’ll try to put it to good use. You’ll likely see me again. I
may have to come back here after I rescue the Prince.”
“I’ll keep my room prepared.”
Victor nodded. Lina began to ride off, “I’ll see you then. Farewell, Anya.”
“Farewell, Victor. May God and magic watch over you.”
***** Killer *****
Chapter Notes
     Welcome to the last chapter of filler! This is the filler-est filler
     you’ll ever find! But again, it’s necessary!
     Next time, the plot continues!
     Enjoy!
Victor was masturbating.
Despite having had that wet dream the night prior, Victor still ended up hard
again not long after he’d set off. Which, to be honest, wasn’t such a rare
occurrence. Victor was always horny. According to Bartolo, he was the horniest
boy in the village. Victor couldn’t help it.
He was an adolescent boy! Boys reached their peak in horniness during
adolescence. And, according to rumor, men that liked men were supposed to be
naturally hornier than men that liked women.
Victor was an adolescent boy that liked other boys, so if all of this was true,
then he must have been the horniest boy in the Kingdom! Of that, he had no
doubt!
Another matter that he worried about, though, was his size. Boys and men were
always bragging, going on and on about how big they were. But, Victor. Victor
wasn’t bragging. Victor had never actually seen any other dick than his own. He
was only hoping and praying that he wasn’t small.
And, somehow, that only made him harder.
So, a short while after he’d ridden from the village, he’d stopped again to
take care of his hopefully-not-so-little friend. His imagination had Lina
saying something along the lines of, ‘If you bust a nut on this saddle, I
cutcho’ balls off! Have fun beatin’ it with no balls, boy-fucker!’ So, he ended
up dismounting and darting behind a large tree, just because he was nothing but
a paranoid boy-fucker.
Heh. Lina’s bad influence was starting to rub off on him.
Victor gasped as he came. He rode through it, savoring every fiery thrill that
swirled around inside of him. He waited for the throbbing in his dick and the
hot sensation to die down. When it finally did, he sighed, put himself away,
and redid his leggings. He walked back to where Lina was waiting patiently
while he readjusted his belt.
Whinny, ‘Everythin’ ‘cum’ out okay over there, boy-fucker?’
“Shut the fuck up.” He could have sworn Lina was laughing. Nah! Animals can’t
laugh! They can’t even talk! No matter how insanely wild Victor’s imagination
was!
He mounted her and they, again, began to depart.
***
It was even less than an hour before Victor saw it.
“Woah,” he reined Lina to stop on top of the little hill they were on. He
looked ahead, and just looking at it nearly made him gag.
A short distance away, the land ceased in it’s greenery and became black.
Victor could see it all from here. The scorched trees. The burned grass. The
boiling, black rivers. The ash. The lava. The fire.
“The Tierra Del Fuego.”
Whinny, ‘That is one nasty bitch! I’m bitch-ass glad we don’t live there! I
wouldn’t live there for all the hay in the Kingdom!’
“Agreed,” Victor stated. How could anyone live in a place like that? You’d have
to be a really fucking evil, sadistic maniac to live there.
Which made sense, since their mission was to rescue the young and innocent
Crown Prince of Ravarra from the most fucking evil, sadistic maniac in the
Kingdom.
“Well, no turning back now!” Victor was ready for whatever was to come, “Ya!”
Whinny, ‘COME AT US, DEL FUEGO BITCHES!!! WE GOIN’ DOWN ON YO ASSES AT THE
BITCH-ASS SOURCE!!! WEST SIDE, MOTHAFUCKA!!!’
***
The second he crossed into the Tierra, his whole body went into panic. His
nostrils flared, his eyes watered, and his lungs closed up. He began to cough
and cry as if he were on the verge of death.
Luckily, he wasn’t the only one. Lina whinnied weakly, ‘BLECK—BLECK!!! WHO
DAFUCK LIVES HERE!!!?? GOD HELLA FORSAKEN THIS BITCH-ASS BITCH!!! BLECK!!!’
Victor patted her mane when he calmed down. “It’ll be okay,” he sniffled,
“Let’s just get in and out of here as quickly as possible.”
How did people actually live here!? Their bodies must have developed some
serious immune systems.
Another weak whinny, ‘Quickly!? Bitch, we still gotta get all the way to the
fuckin’ dungeon, and we both damn-well know that bitch go’ be big as fuck! You
prolly go’ be in there all night fo’ you find the Prince, and I’m’a have to
stay out here in the Tierra Del Ashy Ash! BLECK!!!’
Victor’s heart sunk. Lina’s imaginary voice was right. It was still a few hours
until they reached the dungeon, and, like she’d said, it was probably huge. It
was the home of a protector, for God’s sake. Victor would be lucky if he got
out of there by the next morning.
“I guess you’re right,” he reluctantly admitted to imaginary Lina’s voice, “I
suppose we can only hope—“
Lina stopped in her tracks, and stood on her hind legs whinnying crazily, ‘HELL
NO!!! HELL-TO-DA-NO-NO-NO!!!’
Victor nearly fell off, “Woah! Woah, easy! What’s wrong!?”
Whinny, ‘WITCH!!!’
Abandoning all logic of animals not being able to talk, Victor’s eyes darted
from side to side, “I don’t see any—“
Whinny, ‘SHUSH!!! I don’t think he can hear us!’
Victor forgot all about his animals-can’t-talk logic as if it never existed,
“Are you sure? Is he an enemy?”
Whinny, ‘He usin’ a shadow spell to hide and he pointin’ his wand right atcho’
bitch-ass head! You tell me!’
Victor looked forward to where Lina was looking. Up ahead a ways, Victor
thought he could see an unusual shadow in one of the burned trees.
Whinny, ‘Vicky, get the bow!’
Victor nodded and reached back for it.
Wait! What was he doing!? This was insane! Finding hidden paths and avoiding
fires was one thing, but there was no way Lina could tell him that she could
see a witch hiding in a tree!
The tree rustled.
Victor abandoned that thought again and rapidly pulled out Bartolo’s bow and an
arrow. He aimed for the tree. It started to rustle some more.
Whinny, ‘You got this, boy-fucker! Shoot when I say!’
Despite how ridiculous it was, Victor put his trust in her again. He waited.
The tree rustled again.
Whinny, ‘NOW!!!’
Victor loosed the arrow. It flew all the way to the tree, and hit the shadow.
“FLCK—“ it said.
The shadow turned into a man in black robes with an arrow in his throat. His
yellow eyes rolled back and he fell backward out of the tree.
Again, Victor found himself dumbfounded.
“SHIT!!!” A voice cursed.
Before he could react, shadows all around him started turning into people in
dark armor.
Whinny, ‘AMBUSH!!! WEST SIDE, MOTHA—Oh, shit, there’s a lot of them, ne’er
mind!’
There were about ten of them surrounding him. They drew their swords, and the
man that must have been their commander stepped forward.
“You’ll pay for that, kid!” He said in a nasally voice, “Was my brother, you
shot!”
Victor was startled. He was surrounded and vastly outnumbered. And, he didn’t
know the first thing about how to fight these people! Or any kind of people! He
was a commoner! The only thing he’d ever fought was his training dummy!
But, he wasn’t going down without a fight!
He dismounted and began to undo his cloak.
“If I hadn’t shot him, he would’ve shot me. Can you blame me for self-defense?
Believe me, his death was a merciful one. The rest of you...”
Victor let the robe fall, exposing his shining, golden armor. He drew his sword
and let it glow.
“...Won’t be so lucky!”
“Shit! Gold-knight!” A knight yelled. Victor didn’t bother to correct him.
“It doesn’t matter,” the commander stated, “He’s still outnumbered. May as well
give up now, boy, before we mount your corpse on Lord Del Fuego’s wall!”
Victor’s heart was racing, but he wouldn’t give in. He raised the sword high.
“I’d like to see you try!”
The commander sneered. Then, he nodded.
Victor heard someone charging behind him, and turned just in time to block a
female knight’s blade. She struck again and again, and Victor just barely
managed to block.
This wasn’t like his training dummy at all! His dummy never fought back!
Then, she raised her blade high. Victor saw an opening, and took it without a
second thought.
CRUNCH
His blade went straight through her like butter.
“ARCK—“ Her eyes widened. Victor’s did too.
Whinny, ‘YOOO!!!’
She began to fall back. Victor pulled his blade out, and her blood splattered
all over his face as she fell to the ground.
He stared at the corpse.
He’d just killed someone! With a sword! It wasn’t at all like killing an
animal! It wasn’t even like shooting that witch out of the tree! He’d sliced
right through this woman like it was nothing! And, now he was painted with her
blood!
He was a killer!
“GET HIM!!!”
Whinny, ‘BITCH, FUCK THIS, I’M OUT!!!’ Lina rode away.
Victor returned to reality just in time to see the rest of the knights charging
toward him. He snapped out of his shock and raised his blade.
When one of them got closest, Victor sliced forward.
SLASH
The knight’s head rolled away while his body slowly collapsed. Victor would
have passed out if he wasn’t still being charged at. More of them began to
surround him. He switched to defense and began to block their swings, but he
was completely outnumbered. One nearly drove his blade through Victor’s heart,
had the armor not been there. He was mostly just trying to protect his exposed
head. Who decided that Royal Guards didn’t need helmets!?
Then, his sword began to glow.
‘People with magic body parts can temporarily harness magic with the help of a
magical item.’ Anya had said.
Then, he remembered...
‘If you ever need help in battle, just focus on the item.’
The sword began to glow more...
Victor had no idea what he was doing, but he did as he was told. He focused on
his sword. Then, he began to feel something...
SWISH
Suddenly, all of the knights flew backward. Everything around Victor began to
glow. He suddenly felt stronger. Confident. Like he could take on the whole
damned world! Nothing could stop him now! He was going to succeed!
And, he was going to kill anyone that stood in his way!
The knights began to stir.
“NO, YOU DON’T,” Victor’s voice echoed. He rushed forward with inhuman speed
and slashed the closest knight in half. Then, the next one. And, the next one.
He left a trail of mangled corpses, until it was only the commander left alive.
The commander sat there quivering, “P-please! I was just serving my liege lord!
I’m a family man! Have mercy!”
Mercy? Mercy!?
“MERCY IS FOR THE WEAK,” Victor echoed. He drove his blade forward and straight
through his neck.
Then, everything stopped glowing. His confidence lowered. His strength lessened
back.
He felt normal again.
He blinked, “Oh, God.”
He’d just slaughtered a group of helpless knights, and cut down their begging
commander without a second thought. Mercilessly. What had he said? ‘Mercy is
for the weak’? Where did that come from!? He felt his stomach crawl...
“BLECK—“ Victor threw up all over the commander’s corpse.
He was a killer. He was going to have to live with this for the rest of his
life. What would people think of him? How would he go on? How could he live
with this?
No! He would go on! Because, his mission wasn’t over yet! The Prince still
needed rescuing! And, Victor knew that would involve more killing. He couldn’t
do anything about that. It was what would have to be done.
“Fuck it,” he stated. He stood up, wiped the blood from his face, and looked
around at the mess he’d made. He picked up his cloak and put it back on. He
spotted Lina hiding behind a charred bush.
He sheathed his sword and fastened his cloak, “It’s alright. We’re safe now.”
Whinny, ‘You know what, I would like to apologize for all those times I called
you a boy-fucker. That’s a slur. That wasn’t nice of me. I apologize. Please
don’t cut me in half like tomorrow’s supper.’
He smiled at her, “Don’t worry about it. I’m back to normal. Now come. We still
have a Prince to save.”
Reluctantly, Lina trotted out from behind the tree and back to him. Victor
mounted her and reined her forward again. He looked back only once at the
corpses he was responsible for.
He was a killer.
There was no turning back now.
***** Dungeon *****
Chapter Notes
     Finally, back to the plot! In this chapter, we reach our destination,
     discover something new about Victor, and meet two characters you may
     or may not have forgotten about. ;P
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
By the time Victor had finally processed everything that had happened, his
destination was in view.
It stood right there, dug into and over the wall of charred rock that separated
the Kingdom of Ravarra from the wild and untamed, charred wasteland of the
Páramo Salvaje. It was a large, dark structure, with countless stories getting
smaller as it went up, and numerous towers extending even farther upward into
the gray sky. A truly sinister home for a truly sinister family.
The Castle Del Fuego, more commonly known as the Del Fuego dungeon, for during
the war, and even sometimes after, it was where the Kingdom’s greatest threats
were sent to be locked away, to be tortured for information, to be executed in
the worst ways, or simply to rot away for the rest of their pitiful lives. The
Del Fuego dungeon was Ravarra’s greatest prison. And now, thanks to the
rebellion, it was Prince Esteban’s prison.
Not anymore.
Victor found a large area of rock far enough away from the dungeon to stop and
remain out of sight. He dismounted Lina and began grabbing whatever he needed.
“Just wait here,” Victor told her as he removed his cloak. He didn’t need it
where he was going, “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”
Whinny, ‘Don’t worry ‘bout me, I’m’a be fine! Don’t getcho’ self killed in
there, Vicky!’
“I won’t,” he promised her. He still didn’t quite understand Lina’s
communication. Or why it seemed to be exactly what his imagination made it out
to be. Maybe she was some kind of magic horse? Victor didn’t know. But, right
now, he had other things to worry about.
He had a Prince to save.
He grabbed whatever seemed useful, like Bartolo’s bow and Cordero’s dagger, but
before he could finish, he felt his sword move a little in his scabbard. He
looked down at it. It glowed a little, and the pommel pointed to a small bag
tied to the saddle. Victor decided to trust it, and opened the bag.
And, was bombarded with the putrid smell of death. Victor knew exactly what it
was.
He reached in and carefully pulled out the dead mouse that Leo had given him
before he left, which had somehow not decayed as of yet, but still had that
horrible death-smell.
Whinny, ‘NASTY!!! You takin’ that witchu’? Cuz, thank God if you are! I won’t
have to carry that shit around anymore!’
Victor contemplated for a moment. His magic sword had pointed to it. That must
have meant something. Hey, what the fuck. Maybe he could use the smell to
distract some guards. He dropped it back in the bag and tied it up, then tied
the bag to his belt.
“Well, I guess this is it. If I don’t come back, keep it a secret.” Victor
didn’t know how big of a deal he actually was, but he had no intention of being
the cause of grief and mourning for anyone. When he died, he was going to do it
when and where no one would ever have to know. “Be safe, Lina.”
Whinny, ‘Not so fast, Sir Naive the Reckless!’
“What?”
Whinny, ‘You can’t just walk up in there like there ain’t nothin’ to it! The
second them guards see that shinin’ golden armor, they shoot you ‘till you stop
flinchin’! You need a way to sneak in without bein’ seen. I got an idea!’
“Okay...” with all that had happened, Victor decided to humor imaginary Lina’s
voice, “What is it?”
Whinny, ‘Magic, stupid! What else!? But, not the sword! That thang freaky! You
need somethin’ else!’
Victor couldn’t believe it. Yet again, imaginary Lina’s voice had had an
amazing idea. She was right! He needed magic! But, if not from his sword...
He felt something on his finger.
He looked down to see Anya’s amethyst ring, glowing with magic.
‘You already have a magic sword, but this is just in case.’ Anya had said.
Of course!
Having made up his mind, Victor held up the ring and focused on it...
SWISH
And with that, Victor found himself enshrouded in shadow.
Lina whinnied and jumped back, ‘YO!!! OKAY! THAT’LL WORK!’
Victor felt the power coursing through him again, but this time, he knew how it
would end, so he tried to maintain as much normality as possible.
“I SHALL RETURN,” his voice sounded like a yelling whisper, “WHEN I HAVE
RESCUED THE PRINCE.”
Whinny, ‘Yeah! Got it! Get goin’ now, ya freakin’ me out! Good luck!’
Victor nodded, then turned and rushed onward to the dungeon on foot with
inhuman speed.
***
With the speed he was going at, Victor was at the dungeon within a minute. He
slowed until he was right in front of the large doors at the entrance. He
looked upward.
It was even bigger up close, towering over him like it would be safer, and
wiser, to just turn back now.
If that’s what it was saying, Victor refused. He was going to rescue the
Prince. And, nothing was going to stop him. This was what he had to do.
CREAK
Victor nearly jumped back when the doors slowly creaked open. He tiptoed over
to the side and stood there, not making a sound.
A skinny knight on a horse trotted out, followed by another on foot.
“Do you really have to go?” The female knight on foot asked.
“Ay, darling, afraid so,” the male knight on the horse stated, “A patrol didn’t
check in this morning. Gotta check up and make sure everything’s running
smoothly. Last thing we need...”
While the knights talked, Victor suddenly felt like he was being watched. He
turned and nearly jumped. The dark horse that the knight was riding was looking
right at him!
Whinny, ‘I see you, mothafucka...’
Victor’s heart skipped a beat.
“Ya!” Suddenly, the knight reined his horse, and they began to set off.
“Please, be careful! And, good luck!” The female knight called. She turned to
close the doors. Victor snapped out of it just in time to sneak inside before
she could do so.
He entered a large, dark hallway that seemed to lead in a million different
directions. This was insane! How was he supposed find the Prince in this huge
place!? This would take ages!
Suddenly, he felt normal again.
He looked down to see himself in full view. No more shadow. Fully exposed.
He turned to see the female knight staring wide-eyed at him as she was trying
to lock the door.
Without a second thought, Victor grabbed Cordero’s dagger and jammed it into
her throat. She gagged and fell over. Victor looked around, relieved to find
them alone, then down at the mess he’d made. He felt his stomach crawl again,
but was able to contain it this time. He didn’t think it was from the killing,
though. Perhaps that was a side effect of the magic.
There was nothing he could do about it now. He dragged her corpse into the
corner, then darted down the closest hallway in search of the Prince.
***
This place was even bigger than he’d thought!
It had taken him what felt like hours to go through the first floor, then the
same for the second, and now he was on three! Still nothing! He’d even lost
count of how many guards he’d killed on the way! He’d killed so many that he’d
gotten used to it! He was probably going to die of old age before the Prince
was found! How was he going to—
He stopped in his train of thought when he heard a rumbling sound coming from
somewhere up ahead. He saw a large pair of double doors at the end of the
hallway, much bigger than the rest. It seemed to be glowing orange on the other
side.
He felt the pommel of his sword pointing to it, confirming that to be his
destination.
He breathed in and walked forward. This was it. Now or never. He stopped in
front of the rumbling, glowing doors, “Okay. Okay. Don’t worry, your grace,” he
practiced. That was also the proper way to address a Prince, right? “I’m here
to save you.” And, with that, he pushed the doors open.
And, was bombarded with heat, fire, and lots of roaring.
When his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked into the room. There was no
Prince here, but what he saw was utterly terrifying.
Up ahead, there was a dragon—small, probably an infant, but still about the
height of two or three people—breathing fire in the direction of a bald, light-
skinned boy in dark red robes who looked no older than twelve.
“Hey! Hey, now! Calm down, Incendio!” The boy called up to the dragon, “There’s
no need for this! We’re friends, remember? You know I didn’t mean to—“
ROAR, ‘SHUT UP!!! You killed my mother!’
That was odd. Why would Victor’s imagination—
“I didn’t mean to!” The boy called up, “I was trying to help! All that ash was
irritating the river, so I tried to calm it down! You know I don’t know my own
strength! None of that was my fault! Your mother just got in the way at the
wrong time!”
Wait, what?
ROAR, ‘SHUT UP!!! YOU KILLED HER!!!’
“It was an accident! Please, Incendio! We’re equals here—“
ROAR, ‘NO, WE’RE NOT!!! I have a big, dragon dick! You have a tiny, human dick!
I’M BETTER THAN YOU!!!’
“What does that have to do with—?” The boy suddenly turned to Victor. When he
spotted him, his eyes widened. Then, he started grinning and laughing like an
idiot.
“Finally! You, magic eyes! I could use some help here!”
Victor just stood there staring.
The boy looked confused, “Err, hello?”
“You were talking...” Victor finally managed, “...to the dragon.”
The boy brightened up and laughed again, “Oh. Yes. Not a well-known fact, but
magic users can actually talk to animals. I’m a wizard’s apprentice... or I
was. Incendio, here, was talking about—“
“—About how you killed his mother?” Victor cut in, “And, about his ‘big, dragon
dick’?”
The boy looked confused again, “How did you—?”
ROAR, ‘SHUT UP!!! I don’t know where this other tiny-dicked human came from,
BUT IT MEANS MORE FOR ME!!!’
Victor couldn’t believe what was happening. He could talk to animals!? How!? He
wasn’t a magic user!
But, wait! It all made sense now! How he could talk to Leo! To Lina! How he
knew what Lina was saying all this time! How he knew to trust her! He didn’t
know how it was possible, but it was!
Victor could talk to animals!
At that realization, he knew what he had to do. He rushed forward and in
between the dragon and the wizard’s apprentice.
“Hey! Hello!” He called up, “Incendio, right? Look, Incendio, I don’t know all
the details about what happened to your mother, but if it was an accident,
don’t you think revenge can be, you know, set aside? Just this once?”
ROAR, ‘SET ASIDE!!!?? HE KILLED MY MOTHER, YOU DICK!!!’
“Yeah, I got that,” Victor continued, “But, seriously! It was an accident! You
shouldn’t look for revenge over an accident!”
ROAR, ‘I NEED REVENGE AGAINST THIS DICK!!! HE KILLED MY MOTHER!!! PLUS, I’M SO
HUNGRY I COULD EAT MY OWN DICK!!!’
Hungry. Victor could use that, “Okay, then. Don’t you think you should go find
something to eat that’s already prepared? I’m sure Lord Malvado—“
ROAR, ‘I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT LORD MALVADO!!! FUCK THAT DICK!!! HE STARVED
ME SO THAT THE ONLY THING I COULD EAT WAS THAT DICK!!!’ He nodded to the
apprentice.
Lord Malvado had starved him! Perfect! “He starved you. Doesn’t that make you
mad?”
ROAR, ‘YES, IT MAKES ME MAD!!! I HOPE THAT DICK GETS STARVED WORSE THAN ME!!! I
HOPE THEY CUT THAT DICK’S DICK OFF!!!’
“I can make that happen...” Probably not the, ‘cutting his dick off,’ part, but
whatever.
Incendio looked calm for the first time. ROAR, ‘I’m listening, dick.’
Victor took a deep breath, “Okay. You see, I was actually sent here, by none
other than Queen Reyna herself. I’m here to rescue her son.”
ROAR, ‘Aww, Prince Dick. That poor dick. Even I know he doesn’t deserve what
that dick, Malvado, has planned for him.’
That worried Victor. Hopefully, he could stop whatever that was before it
happened.
“Right,” he continued, “That’s my priority. But, I was also advised to bring
his kidnapper to justice. I’m sure you have some idea of how one might be
punished for this kind of betrayal. The Queen probably has something truly
awful planned out for him for what he’s done.”
ROAR, ‘OOH! I HOPE SO! HE’S A DICK!’
It was working! Time for the finishing touch.
“So, Incendio, how about this? You forget about getting revenge on someone who
hurt you by accident, and help me to get revenge on someone who hurt you on
purpose. We all benefit from this. As for your hunger...”
Victor pulled the bag from his belt and opened it. When the smell came out,
Incendio perked up. Victor reached in and slowly pulled out the mouse.
Incendio literally started jumping for joy, shaking the whole room.
ROAR, ‘OOH!!! MOUSE DICK!!! MY FAVORITE!!!’
Victor smiled, then tossed it up to him. Thank God for Leo.
Incendio shot fire at the mouse, then snatched it up in his mouth and began to
chew like it was his first meal in decades.
Heh. He could cook his food with his breath. Convenient.
To the side, the wizard’s apprentice slowly stood up, “Whoa... that was...
amazing,” he turned to Incendio, “So... are we good now?”
Incendio swallowed his food. ROAR, ‘I WON’T FORGET WHAT YOU DID, YOU DICK!!!
But, I’ll let it slide. For now!... Dick!’
The boy sighed with relief. He turned back to Victor, “Thank you! I don’t even
know what to say! I literally owe you my life!”
Victor nodded, “You can repay it by helping me out. Do you know where—“
“Oh, yes, the Prince!” The boy stated, “I was locked up with him while Incendio
was being starved. Actually, thanks to what little magic I can focus on without
my wand, I was the only thing keeping Malvado from enacting whatever he was
planning to do to him. Perhaps, it’s not too late! I can take you to him! He’s
in one of the main towers.”
Victor sighed. He never would have thought to look in those! And, there were so
many of them! It would have probably been weeks before he’d found him!
“Thanks,” Victor stated, “If he’s in trouble, let’s save him while we still
can.”
ROAR, ‘I’M COMING TOO!!! I’ve got a bone to pick with that Del Fuego dick!’
Victor could live with that. Having a dragon on his side, infant or not, might
come in handy, “Alright then, let’s go.”
Victor followed the apprentice back to the door and down another hallway.
“Thanks again,” the boy stated, “I can never repay you enough for that.”
“No problem,” Victor stated, “I’m Victor, by the way.”
“Benedicto. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
“Where are you from?”
“The Río De La Luz.”
“Hey! I’m from the Bosque De La Luz!”
Victor smiled. Already, they had something to bond over.
Chapter End Notes
     I know. I know. When I said ‘returning to the plot,’ some of you
     probably thought that meant ‘rescue the damn Prince already.’ I’m
     sure he’ll show up at some point around Chapter 20...
     Jkjkjk. He’ll finally make an appearance next week, I promise.
     Also, if you find Incendio and his obsession with male genitalia
     annoying, then I must apologize in advance, because, like Leo with
     his ‘buddy’ talk, and Lina with her ‘hood-speech, this is just how he
     talks. Fortunately, these are pretty much all just background
     characters, so they won’t be talking nearly as much the human
     characters. I hope that’s some consolation.
     See you next week!
***** Prince *****
Chapter Notes
     Fina-fucking-ly you-know-damn-well-who makes his first ever
     appearance in this fucking story! It took me long enough, huh?
     So anyway, in this chapter, we meet another major character, and we
     also learn something about new Benedicto...
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“I knew you were coming,” Benedicto stated as they climbed the spiral stairs up
the tower. The same stairs they’d been climbing for, ‘a long-ass time,’ as Lina
would say. It was a tall tower!
“Let me guess,” Victor stated, “A vision?”
“That’s right!” Benedicto confirmed, “Had it the second they took away my wand.
Idiots! Never separate a wizard from his wand!”
“Where is your wand?”
Benedicto contemplated, “Probably in the creaky old clutches of my creaky old
master, Wizard Maligno, Malvado’s brother. Old bastard. He claims to be all-
knowing, and yet he can never remember where I’m from! Maybe he has it locked
away somewhere. I hope I can get it back. A wizard without a wand is not
exactly ideal.”
Victor didn’t know Malvado had a brother. And, a wizard no less. They were
likely going to have to deal with Malvado, but hopefully they wouldn’t have to
deal with him.
“You have a magic sword,” Benedicto noted.
“Yeah,” Victor confirmed, “A going away present from your Grand Wizard. As,
‘prophecized.’ —I mean prophesied.” Damnit, he hated it when Anya and Lady
Brenda were right!
Benedicto laughed, “I thought I recognized his handiwork. Very
distinguishable,” then, he looked a bit nervous, “Hey, I know we just met and
all, but considering the situation... we’re friends, right?”
Victor smiled, “I don’t see why not.”
Benedicto smiled back, “Good. And, friends tell each other stuff, right?”
“I guess...”
“Then, there’s something you should probably know about me before you hear it
from someone more... traditional,” he looked a bit worried, “Err... I may or
may not have been born... in the wrong body...”
“What?” Victor stopped walking, “What does that mean?”
Born in the wrong body? Was he possessed by a spirit or something?
“Well, what I mean is, see,” he stammered, “If you looked under this robe, you
might not see what you would expect to see... in a boy’s body.”
In a boy’s body? What did that mean? It sounded like he was referring to dicks.
Victor’s favorite subject. But, if Victor wouldn’t see that, then—
Wait...
“OHH...”
“Yeah,” Benedicto nodded slowly, “I think you got it.”
“Born in the wrong body...”
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I am a boy, and my name is Benedicto! But... when I
was born, I was born into the body... of a girl... named Benita.”
“I understand,” Victor stated, “I get it. Is that why you shaved your head?”
For magic users, shaving one’s head was entirely optional, and it was usually
only boys that did it.
“Yeah, I guess,” Benedicto laughed, “Suppose I just wanted to look as male as
possible.”
“Understandable. But, you’re still in that body?”
“I am.”
“Isn’t there some sort of spell ritual thing to, you know, put you in the right
one?”
From what Victor had heard, the spell was hard, but if successful, the person
would have everything that a person born in the right body would have. They
lost their ability to reproduce, but somehow they still gained the ability to
have sex the way they were meant to. So, if Victor were born in a girl’s body,
and he had that spell, he’d be the exact same horny person that he was now,
minus the ability to have children. To put it the fun way, when he was playing
with his fancy new penis, he would still cum, there just wouldn’t be any of
those little tadpole-looking things that swim into the girl’s eggs.
Which was perfectly fine, since Victor had no plans on having children with a
girl anyway. Or sex, for that matter.
“Yeah, there is,” Benedicto confirmed, “A sex change ritual. But, it’s very
complicated, and I can’t do it alone. Creaky old Maligno promised to help me
when I’d proven myself and been promoted to wizard, but that was probably a
lie. And, it doesn’t even matter anymore anyway.”
Victor placed a hand on his wrong-body shoulder, “It’s okay. If you help rescue
the Prince, I’m sure the Grand Wizard will gladly agree to help. I promise.”
Benedicto smiled appreciatively, “I hope so. Thank you for understanding.”
“Of course.”
Incendio flew up beside them.
ROAR, ‘Dick body, no-dick body, whatever! You have a dick! These dicks just
can’t see your dick yet, because they’re dicks! When you do that dick spell,
everyone will be able to see your dick, and you can swing your dick in the
dick-faces of those dick-faced dicks!’
Benedicto looked on the verge of tears, “Thanks, Incendio. That means a lot
coming from you.”
ROAR, ‘No problem, dick. My dick will always be bigger than your dick, though,
dick. Now, enough talking, you dicks! If you dicks keep talking, you’re gonna
get our dicks caught by those Del Fuego dicks! And then, we won’t be able to
save Prince Dick, and those dicks will grab us by the dicks and throw our dicks
back in the dick-hole!’
Victor assumed that by, ‘dick-hole,’ he had meant dungeon, but he couldn’t help
but snicker a little.
“No need to worry, Incendio,” Benedicto told him, “When I get a dick, I’ll be
sure not to let anyone grab it without permission. Besides, we’re already
here.”
Finally! Victor looked up to see a large set of double doors in front of them.
This was it! He was finally going to rescue the Prince! He rushed forward and
pushed the doors.
They didn’t budge.
“It’s locked!” He realized.
ROAR, ‘THOSE DICKS!!!’
Benedicto seemed to be considering something, “I’ve got it! Gimme your sword!”
“What?” Victor was confused.
“It’s magic!” Benedicto explained, “I think, if I focus on the obsidian in it,
I can use it to cast spells!”
Interesting. “Would that work?”
“It should. If not, we’ll all probably implode. Only one way to find out!”
At this point, that didn’t sound like that much of a threat to Victor. He drew
the sword and handed it to him.
It seemed to resist Benedicto at first, shaking and rattling a bit, but then it
seemed to calm down. Benedicto lifted it with both hands and aimed it at the
door. It began to glow...
SHPEW
There was a flash of light. When Victor could see again, the doors were open
and Benedicto had fallen on his ass.
“Whoa,” he seemed stunned, “Quite the recoil. I think I like my wand better.”
He stood up, then nearly fell over again, but was saved by a nudge in the ass
by Incendio.
ROAR, ‘Snap out of it, you dick! Let’s go! Time to rescue Prince Dick!’
Victor couldn’t agree more. He rushed forward and into the room.
The room was fairly large, with another set of double doors on the other side,
banners of the House’s sigil on the walls, and empty chains on the wall to his
right, where Benedicto must have been held.
On his left, there were chains too, but these were occupied.
Victor’s eyes widened. He felt his face heat up, his heart pound, and something
flutter in his stomach.
There was a boy.
Chained to the wall, there was a boy. A boy his age. With bronze skin, wavy,
dark hair, and brown eyes, a slanted-oval shape, like Victor’s. He was in
nothing but his undergarments, with what must have been his clothes in shreds
beside him. He was staring straight at Victor, with a look of shock, surprise,
and possibly something else.
“Y-your grace!”
Victor rushed over and knelt beside him, “A-Are you alright!?”
The Prince kept staring.
“Err... I... Y-you’re—“
“Did he hurt you!? Did he—“
“N-no! He—you... He just left. Y-your banging on the door... You came just in
time. He almost... You saved me.”
Victor looked down and sighed in relief.
And, found himself looking at the Prince’s exposed body.
He felt his face heat up even more. The Prince seemed to have the same
reaction.
“Move over,” Benedicto pushed passed him and aimed the sword at the chains,
“Best cover your eyes, everyone.”
Victor did so this time.
SHPEW
He opened his eyes to see the Prince completely unchained, and, of course,
Benedicto on his ass. He handed the sword back to Victor, “Here. If I use this
anymore, I’ll break my tailbone.”
Incendio nudged him back up.
ROAR, ‘At least you won’t break your dick!’
That was a good point. It would be a shame to break it before he even had one.
The Prince rubbed his wrists, “Thank you, Benedicto,” then, he turned to
Victor, “And, you. I cannot thank you enough for this. I am forever grateful to
you, High Sir...?”
“Oh! Victor!” Victor sputtered, “Just Victor. I’m—I’m not a Royal Guard. I’m
not even a knight. You see, there was this vision. Or... two? Well, the Grand
Wizard, he... umm, and... Umm. Well, basically her grace—your mother—sh-she
sent me to rescue you. So... here I am!”
“Oh,” the Prince looked confused, but he smiled. He had a nice smile... “Well
then, thank you, Victor...”
The Prince looked him up and down.
“Valorous Victor.”
Victor’s stomach fluttered even more. Valorous Victor. Hmm. That had a certain
ring to it. It suited him. He liked it.
The Prince lost his smile and looked behind Victor a little with a worried
expression. Victor turned instantly and raised his sword, expecting to see a
large patrol of fully-armored knights with their weapons raised at their heads.
All he saw was Benedicto and Incendio.
It took him a second to realize that he was looking at the dragon.
“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Victor assured him, “He’s good. He’s tamed. I
tamed him.”
“I can confirm that,” Benedicto stated.
The Prince still looked worried, “Are you sure?”
ROAR, ‘Don’t worry, your dick-ness! I’m here to help these dicks rescue your
dick from those Del Fuego dicks!’
Victor doubted the Prince could understand him.
“Speaking of which, we should probably get going,” Victor rose and held a hand
out to the Prince, “Come, your grace. Let’s get you out of here.”
The Prince took his hand.
Victor felt sparks fly and fires ignite inside him.
The Prince looked like he was in the same state, “Oh. Your hands... They’re—“
“Soft?”
“Yeah...”
“Yeah... Y-Yours too.”
When they weren’t making fun of his face, Bartolo and Cordero often made fun of
Victor for having soft hands. They’d said he had the softest hands in the
Kingdom. If only they could feel the Prince’s...
He helped the Prince to stand, and was surprised to find that they were pretty
much the exact same height. Victor couldn’t help but smile at him. The Prince
smiled back, then began to hug himself.
Damnit! He knew he forgot something!
“I—l have some clothes for you, your grace,” Victor informed him, though saying
that made him blush, “I... I meant to bring them, but... I seem to have left
them outside...”
The Prince laughed. He had a nice laugh...
“It’s fine,” the Prince stated, “It shouldn’t matter come morning. This is the
Tierra Del Fuego, after all.”
Victor laughed too. The Prince continued to smile at him.
Wait. Come morning? Was it nighttime? Now that he mentioned it, it did seem
colder. He’d entered the dungeon around midday. Had he really been in here that
long?
“Okay then!” Benedicto’s voice startled Victor. He’d honestly forgotten he was
there, “Ahem. We’re still in the heart of House Del Fuego, in case anyone’s
forgotten. Let’s get out of here while we can, shall we?”
“R-right, right,” the Prince agreed. He smiled at Victor again, “Take me home,
Valorous Victor.”
Victor’s stomach continued to flutter. He was about to respond.
“None of you are going anywhere.”
They all turned to the door.
Standing there, with a long, dark sword in hand, was an elderly, light-skinned
man in a fancy, dark red tunic and black leggings, with white hair and a short
beard, and piercing blue eyes, with the most sinister smile Victor had ever
seen. He knew exactly who it was.
“Malvado Del Fuego.”
He nodded, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ‘Valorous Victor.’”
ROAR, ‘YOU!!! YOU DICK!!!’
The Prince stood in a way that made him seem even taller than Victor.
“Get out of the way, Malvado!”
Woah... That was amazing... The Prince was so intimidating... And, so brave...
And, so protective... And, so amazing... And—
Wait a minute!
Being intimidating and protective was Victor’s job!
“I’m afraid I cannot allow any of you to leave,” the evil Lord stated,
“Benedicto is a criminal. Incendio, a traitor. Esteban, a prisoner. And, you,”
he pointed at Victor with his sword and shook his head, “You, oh where to
start. You killed Dame Alma at the gates, for one. Even our prisoners here were
fond of her. Her husband won’t be pleased...”
Victor had done what he’d had to do. He had to believe that. This evil old man
was just trying to get inside his head! This Dame Alma had worked for him! No
one who willingly worked for this horrible man was innocent! There were no
innocent Del Fuego’s!
Victor raised his own sword, “Lord Malvado of House Del Fuego, on behalf of her
grace, Reyna the Gracious of House Reyes, Queen Regnant of Ravarra, I hereby
place you under arrest for the abduction of Esteban of House Reyes, Crown
Prince of Ravarra.”
Lord Malvado chuckled, “I imagine it must have taken you hours to perfect that
speech. Admirable. But, I’m afraid that it’s all for naught. I won’t be going
anywhere with you. And, nor will Esteban. He and I have unfinished business...”
“I won’t allow you to hurt him. Now or ever.”
“Try me, gold-knight,” he taunted, “He belongs to me now. And, I’ve no
intention of having my favorite toy stolen. Oh, Esteban,” he chuckled
sinisterly, “I’ve got so much planned for you. I’m getting excited just
thinking about it!”
“Too fucking bad!” The Prince stood tall, “You’re reign of tyranny, injustice,
and just outright evilness is at an end! I’d fight you myself, but since I’m
damn-near naked, I’ll just settle for, ‘You’ll never take me alive!’ But, you
will be! Valorous Victor,” the Prince turned to him, “I want to see this man
rot away in the dungeons of the Founder’s Palace. Take him alive. You’re Prince
commands it.”
WOAH!!!
What was that!? That feeling! It hit Victor like a bolt of lightning! All he
knew was he really liked it!
And, he was willing to do whatever his Prince commanded!
He swung his sword around intimidatingly, “By your command, your grace.”
Lord Malvado chuckled again, “You think you can take me alive? Why, darling
Esteban...”
He raised his sword.
“...Where’s the fun in that?”
He charged.
“‘UNTAMABLE!!!’”
Chapter End Notes
     Sorry about that cliffhanger, and sorry if this chapter seemed
     shorter than the others. The next one is longer, I promise.
     And, I can see that because of my writing, it looks like the Prince
     can use Jedi mind tricks to make people do what he wants. That is NOT
     the case! There is a totally non-magic-related reason as to why
     Victor reacted like that...
     See you next week!
***** Valorous *****
Chapter Notes
     Got a long-ass chapter for you all today! In this chapter, we get the
     confrontation we’ve been waiting for, meet a new antagonist, and find
     out how this whole mess REALLY started, and just why the Del Fuego
     family is so bent on their plan...
     Enjoy!
See the end of the chapter for more notes
CLANG
Victor just barely managed to knock the speedy blade out of the way.
CLANG CLANG
God, he was fast! Especially for his age! Victor would have died if he’d had to
deal with him in is prime!
CLANG CLANG CLANG
“Heh. Not bad, gold-knight,” Lord Malvado stated, “The Royal Guard was lucky to
have you.”
“I’m not a Royal Guard,” Victor stated, “And, you can’t say, ‘was!’ I’m not
dead!”
Lord Malvado chuckled evilly, “Not yet.”
CLANG CLANG
If Victor could just get a second to focus, his magic could—
CLANG
But, he couldn’t! Not one second! Malvado was just too fast!
“Maybe, after I’ve killed you,” the evil Lord taunted, “I’ll place your head
above my fireplace for all of the nobles to observe as they swear fealty to
their new liege.”
“You have a fucking fireplace!?”
The old man just chuckled.
This charred fucking castle in the Tierra Del fucking Fuego had a fucking
fireplace!? Why the fuck!? Was it not fucking hot enough already!?
“Don’t listen to him Victor!” Benedicto called.
Victor turned to his companions, who stayed a decent enough distance to the
side, away from the action.
Not just his companions. His friends.
He looked to his wand-less wrong-bodied wizard’s apprentice. He looked to his
half—no, three-quarters naked Prince.
He looked to his fire-breathing dragon that was obsessed with male genitalia...
Wait...
Ooh!
...Victor had an idea.
When, Malvado raised his sword to strike again, Victor forced out an
embarrassing yelp and ran away in the opposite direction.
He heard the old man chuckling behind him, “Pathetic!” Then, he heard his
footsteps advance as he made to run after him.
Perfect!
Victor continued to run across the room until he was just meters from Incendio.
Victor smiled and winked as he continued to run toward him.
The infant dragon’s eyes widened, then, getting the message, he returned it.
Victor heard the footsteps catching up to him, as expected. When he was just
inches away from Incendio, the dragon breathed in.
Victor jumped to the side in an instant.
ROAR, ‘BURN, DICK, BURN!!!’
Victor turned just in time to see Malvado rolling away from Incendio’s
advancing fire-breath. When Incendio stopped, Malvado was on the other side of
the room, batting at a small flame that had caught on his sleeve.
“Correction,” the evil Lord admitted, “Clever.” A second later, he began to
advance again.
But, that second was all Victor needed.
He focused...
SWISH
Victor glowed as his senses and confidence heightened. Malvado halted just in
front of him.
CLANG
One bat from his sword, and Victor sent the evil Lord flying backward. He
landed with a grunt and dropped his weapon.
Victor raised his blade, “NOW WHOSE PATHETIC, OLD MAN!?”
“Incredible...”
Victor looked to his side to see Benedicto and Incendio staring in shock. The
Prince was staring too, with shock and that something else that Victor couldn’t
identify.
If his confidence weren’t heightened, Victor would have been red all over.
He turned back to see Malvado standing, supporting himself on his sword.
“An admittedly astonishing revelation,” he grunted. Then, he pointed his sword
at Victor, “Though, not a productive one. As you can see, I am still standing,
and still ready to slice your head off. You will need more than magic sword
tricks to defeat the protector of the north.”
Victor swung his blade, “I AM COUNTING ON IT!”
Malvado advanced again. When he was close enough, Victor raised to strike.
But, when he swung, the old man rolled right under it. Victor swung again. And
again.
How was it possible for someone so old to be so agile!?
Then, the last time he swung, Malvado rolled and kicked his leg out.
Victor tripped to the ground.
When he’d processed that in his near-immortal state, he turned on his back, and
found himself face to face with the tip of the dark sword, the evil Lord
smiling sinisterly above him.
He chuckled, “And, thus ends the tale of Valorous Vic—GAHH!!!”
Suddenly, the old man doubled over as an arrow protruded from his side. Victor
turned to identify the shooter.
And, he saw the Prince with Bartolo’s bow pointed in front of him.
The Prince had shot him! The fucking Prince! Victor was supposed to be saving
him, but now it was the complete other way around! When had Victor even dropped
the bow!?
And, why did the Prince look so natural with that bow? So... perfect...
Wait.
The way he held the bow.
Was the Prince left-handed?
Victor was left-handed!
Ooh, they had so much in common! They were so alike! Like they were meant for
each—
Uhh...
...What were they doing, again?
The old man pulled the arrow from his side. Without another thought, Victor
darted upward and pointed his blade in the old man’s face.
“YIELD!” Victor commanded.
The old man glared for a moment. Victor half expected him to do something
stupid, like try to trip him again, or try to stab him wherever he looked
exposed.
Victor’s genitals were fully protected, right? God, he hoped so. Maybe the
Royal Guards needed actual codpieces instead of triangular plates over them.
The male ones, at least.
Then, the evil Lord threw his sword to the side.
He sighed, “Very well.”
Victor sighed too. Finally! It was over! And, without further bloodshed! This
man may have been evil, but at least he wasn’t without honor.
Victor felt his senses return to normal as the magic died down. His stomach
crawled. He had half a mind to vomit all over Malvado’s nice clothes, but opted
not to in the end. That would have just been disgusting, and he’d have had to
deal with it all the way back to the Ciudad Del Fundador. Victor lifted him to
his feet and began bonding his hands behind his back.
“Lord Malvado of House Del Fuego,” Victor repeated, “on behalf of her grace,
Reyna the Gracious of House Reyes, Queen Regnant of Ravarra, I hereby place you
under arrest for the abduction of Esteban of House Reyes, Crown Prince of
Ravarra.”
“I submit myself to Victor, who, himself, acts on behalf of the Crown of House
Reyes,” the old man answered, “And, I plead guilty to the charges of the
abduction of the Crown Prince Esteban Reyes, and to the commitment of sedition
and high treason against the Kingdom of Ravarra.”
Well, that was easy.
Victor marched him over to his companions. The Prince was still holding the
bow.
Victor smiled at him, “Looks like you don’t need me anymore, your grace.
Clearly, you can handle yourself.”
He returned the smile, “I can with a bow. Though, I wouldn’t mind a little help
avoiding anymore possible trouble in this fiery landscape.”
Victor chuckled. Then, he looked at the bow.
“You’re left-handed.”
“Yeah,” the Prince confirmed, “Same as you.”
Victor smiled. The Prince smiled back. He had a nice smile...
“Oh, how touching,” Lord Malvado taunted, “The little boy-fucker knows how to
aim with something other than his—ARGH!!!”
The Prince kicked him in the shin, “Shut it, fuck-nut! Victor—truly Valorous
Victor—please tell me you have something that we can use to gag his
condescending, shit-spitting mouth.”
“Umm,” Victor smiled shyly, “Does my Prince command it?”
The Prince looked surprised. Then, he smiled shyly too.
“Umm, yes,” he laughed. He had a nice laugh... “You’re Prince commands it.”
Victor was starting to like the Prince even more. And, he couldn’t explain it,
but he got an odd, but really good feeling in his stomach whenever he called
him, ‘Valorous Victor.’ And, when he said, ‘You’re Prince commands it.’ He
didn’t know why. He just liked it. He pulled out a roll of cloth to gag
Malvado.
“Oh!” Victor remembered, “Before I forget...”
Victor punched Malvado in the face. The old man grunted. Victor whispered in
his ear.
“House Duran says hi.”
He began to unroll the cloth...
CREAK
Everyone turned.
The doors on the opposite side of the room swung open. What looked like a
hundred knights flooded in with their weapons drawn.
“Well, shit,” the Prince cursed. Incendio arched his back as smoke starting
exhaling from his nostrils. Lord Malvado was smiling.
The knights quickly surrounded them, blocking all possible exits.
They were trapped. With no possible escape.
“You’re doomed,” the old man taunted.
Then, a section of knights moved to the side to let someone through. Another,
similar-looking old man in dark red robes entered their little circle.
“Good morning,” he greeted them.
Benedicto’s worried glare confirmed Victor’s suspicions.
“Good morning,” Victor repeated, since it was apparently morning already, “You
must be Wizard Maligno.”
“Yes, young one, that I am.”
Victor figured. He and Malvado had very similar features, though Maligno’s face
showed that he was obviously the younger sibling, despite being bald and having
a long, white beard.
“Don’t let him get into your head,” Benedicto warned Victor, “He’s just like
his brother. These two old fucks are as thick as thieves!”
Maligno chuckled the same way Malvado did, “Good to see you too, Apprentice.
Alive and well, I see. And, Incendio as well! Standing right by your side! Now,
Incendio, you know what you’re mother would say. ‘Incendio, you’re being a
dick.’”
Of course his mother would say that.
ROAR, ‘SHUT UP!!! DON’T TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER, YOU DICK!!! I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU
THINK HAPPENED!!! THESE DICKS ARE MY NEW FRIENDS!!!’
That made Victor smile.
Maligno shook his head, “Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have poor taste, young dragon. Now
you,” Maligno turned to Victor, “Young warrior. Young Reyes rescuer. Young hero
of Ravarra. Kindly return my brother to me, will you?”
“Your brother’s not going anywhere,” the Prince pulled an arrow from Victor’s
quiver, nocked it, and aimed at Maligno, “And, neither are you!”
All of the knights raised their weapons higher.
Maligno chuckled, “Dear Esteban. Such threats are unbefitting of someone of
your status. I know for a fact that my brother hasn’t managed to take your
innocence yet. Do put down the bow and let the rest of us handle these matters,
will you?”
“No! I’m done playing the delicate castle-body!” The Prince kept the bow aimed,
“I’m done sitting back and letting others defend me! I’m done being innocent!
I’m done disgracing my House! ‘You’ll never take me alive!’”
Lord Malvado chuckled, “A little late for that.”
ROAR, ‘SHUT UP, DICK!!!’
“I don’t speak dragon.”
ROAR, ‘SHUT UP BEFORE I BITE YOUR DICK OFF!!!’
Victor didn’t even know what to think. His job was to rescue the Prince and
defend him from further harm. He’d rescued him, but now the boy was standing up
for himself.
And, that worried Victor. Standing up for himself was dangerous. Victor didn’t
want the Prince to get killed. Not just because it was his duty to prevent
that, but because he really did like the Prince. Probably more than he should
have...
Maligno put on a face of fake sadness, “Why, dear Esteban! I don’t want to hurt
you!... Well, actually, I do, but I don’t want to kill you! You’re far too
important to us to have you killed!”
The Prince scoffed, “How am I important to you!?”
“You’re very important!” Maligno assured him, “You’ve been a key part of our
plan for ages! From now, from the raid, even from before all the way back to
when we flooded that troublesome river!”
Benedicto stared. “Wait...” he stepped forward, “‘We,’ flooded the river? I
flooded the river! By mistake! That’s why you had me sentenced me death!”
Victor had heard about that. A wizard had caused a flood that had done serious
damage to House Del Fuego’s resources, including Lord Malvado’s dragon.
It had never occurred to Victor that that could have been Benedicto, but since
he’d known that he’d unintentionally killed Incendio’s mother, he probably
should have connected the dots.
When Lord Malvado went to ask the Queen for help, he’d returned... angry.
Disappointed. No one knew what had happened between them, or anything of what
had transpired during their meeting.
But, it was the most-likely cause for all recent events.
Maligno shook his head, “Apprentice. Darling Apprentice. Do you really think
that all that damage was caused by you alone?”
“Yes...?”
“No. It was not.”
The room was dead silent.
ROAR, ‘NO WAY... NO FUCKING WAY!!!’
Benedicto’s eyes widened. He stepped back slowly, “You... you did it!? You
caused the flood!?”
“Oh, no, no,” Maligno shook his head, “That was all you, Apprentice. You’re a
very, very powerful magic user. It was, indeed, you who caused the flood...
with a little help from an unfocus spell.”
Benedicto shook his head in disbelief, “No... no...”
ROAR, ‘YOU!!! IT WAS YOU!!! YOU KILLED MY MOTHER!!!’
“Yes, that I did.”
ROAR, ‘I’LL ROAST YOUR DICK ALIVE!!!’
“Why...?” Benedicto asked, still in clear disbelief, “Why?”
“It was all part of the plan,” Maligno smiled that sinister Del Fuego smile,
“Would you like to do the honors, brother?”
“Gladly,” Malvado nodded. He stood up straight and turned to Victor and his
companions.
“Our plan,” Malvado began, “Our marvelous, marvelous plan. We’ve had it all
figured out for years. Ever since the birth of my beloved daughter, Sombra. We
just had to wait for the right moment. And, when a certain, extremely powerful
young wizard’s apprentice entered under the tutelage of my brilliant brother,
we knew the time was nigh. With a little help from my brother, this apprentice
caused a flood that utterly destroyed the resources of the Tierra Del Fuego, as
well as caused the unfortunate death of my beloved dragon.”
Incendio snorted fire.
“The plan was flawless! I would go to the Queen, blame her for our troubles,
and take advantage of her generosity by forcing her into uniting our bloodlines
by marrying Sombra to Esteban.”
Marrying Sombra to Esteban!? Victor hadn’t known that. But...
...Did that mean the Prince liked girls? For some reason, the thought of that
made Victor’s stomach hurt...
The Prince rolled his eyes, “Just one problem with that, oh masters of
manipulation. If you haven’t noticed, Sombra’s a girl. And, as the whole
Kingdom apparently knows, I like boys.”
Victor’s stomach instantly stopped hurting, and he felt sparks course through
his body.
The Prince liked boys!
The rumors were confirmed!
“It didn’t matter,” Malvado stated, “It still doesn’t. Whether you liked it or
not, you would have been forced to marry her. It was all part of the plan.”
“‘It was all part of the plan. It was all part of the plan,’” the Prince
mocked, “You keep fucking saying that, but you’ve yet to reveal anything! What
plan!?”
“To put the blood of House Del Fuego on the throne.”
There was an eerie silence at that. Malvado turned to one of the House banners,
the dragon surrounded by fire looking as intimidating as ever.
“Thousands of years ago, the Del Fuego’s were Kings up here in the north.
Rulers of the Kingdom of Rafuego. And, out of all four Kingdoms, with Selvaro
in the east, Delmara in the west, and Navera in the south, we were the
fiercest!”
He turned back to the Prince.
“Then, your ancestor, King Marcel the Founder, once a mere vassal of Delmara,
rose up and conquered the four Kingdoms during the Unificación, creating
Ravarra, with the four Kings becoming mere ‘protectors.’ He even discarded
their positions with vassals, and gave all of the regional Houses independence
from their former rulers. Without major noblemen to rule over, we were left
with almost nothing! I refused to let that continue! We all know that we stand
no chance of taking the throne for ourselves, so if House Del Fuego cannot rule
Ravarra, then our only descendants can!”
What the hell was this old man talking about!?
He turned back to the rest of them, “Sombra is my only child. And, Esteban is
the Queen’s. The only heirs to our Houses. If they married, House Reyes would
continue to survive, and House Del Fuego, while dead in name, would survive in
blood—the blood of the Crown! The Del Fuego bloodline would become the Reyes
bloodline! We would be monarchs again! Not in name, but in blood! Everyone
would benefit!”
He turned back to the Prince, “But, it didn’t go as planned. The Queen agreed
to pay for the damages, but we failed to account for the fact that she might
care more for the desires of her son than for the survival of her bloodline.
Foolish woman. So, as a last resort, we took you by force. And, when it was
proven that there was no hope of rescue, we were going to ransom you back, on
the condition that your mother agreed to the marriage alliance.”
Finally, he turned to Victor, “And then, this commoner shows up, clad in fancy
armor with a magic sword, and tries to ruin everything we’ve accomplished!
You’re not getting away with this, boy! You’re not going to ruin this for us!”
Victor had considered it before, but now it was the only conclusion he could
come to. This man...
...Was completely fucking mad in the head.
He was rebelling against the Crown so he could marry his daughter to the Crown
Prince, and cause the extinction of his whole House.
Even if Victor wasn’t loyal-to-the-death to Queen Reyna the Gracious, he simply
could not let anyone who shared blood with someone as delusional and fucking
insane as him set so much as an eye near the throne!
He raised his sword high, “I’ll damn-well die trying!”
The Prince kept his aim, “Me too!”
Him too!? Victor couldn’t let the Prince die! “You’re grace—“
“I would rather die than marry that girl, Victor! Or any girl, for that
matter!”
“But, your grace, I—“
“—I won’t! Don’t try to stop me! And, yes, your Prince commands it!”
Ooh.
Victor couldn’t say no to that. As much as he wanted to.
Clearly, he wasn’t going to get through to him. And, he didn’t have the
authority to stop him. The Prince was stubborn. Just like Victor. At least he
wouldn’t be forced into marrying a girl. Victor would have rather died too.
ROAR, ‘YOU DICKS WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY MOTHER!!!’
“And, you’ll pay for making me take all those innocent lives!” Benedicto swore.
This was it. Victor was ready for this. At least if he was going to die, he was
going to do it surrounded by his new friends.
“Oh, but Apprentice,” Maligno smiled at Benedicto, “You don’t have to die with
them. You can be pardoned.”
“What are you talking about?” Benedicto demanded.
Maligno indicated to the others, “Well, obviously Victor must die for his
crimes. Esteban is being stubborn. And, Incendio is bent on revenge. But, you.
You’re not like them. You have no stake in this. And, you’re a strong magic
user! We could use someone like you on our side!”
“You framed me for murder!”
“And now, we’re willing to drop those charges! Let’s make a deal. We pardon you
for your unintentional actions, and you return to us as my loyal apprentice!
And, don’t think I’ve forgotten about my promise with the ritual. I am all-
knowing after all.”
“I...”
“Side with us, get pardoned, continue to learn magic from an all-knowing
wizard, and we’ll perform the ritual as soon as possible! How does that sound?”
“I... I...”
Maligno reached into his robes. He pulled out a small, obsidian wand.
Benedicto jumped, “My wand!”
“You want it back?” Maligno waved it around, “Come and earn it!”
Benedicto actually looked torn, “I...”
“You know as well as I do, Apprentice. A wizard is nothing without his wand.”
Victor was barely processing this. For the ritual, maybe, but anyone could help
him with that! Surely, Benedicto wasn’t going to betray them over a magic
stick! That was just preposterous!
But then, Victor’s assumptions changed when Benedicto began to slowly walk
forward.
“Benedicto—“
“Silence!” Maligno commanded, “He is making his choice.”
The boy continued forward. Victor was in a state of disbelief. He had saved
this boy’s life! Now, he was being betrayed over a little-fucking-black-stick!
Was this going to happen every other time he saved someone!? Was Lord Duran
going to show up with his armies to support House Del Fuego!? Was Gilberto
going to show up and warn everyone about his mission!? Was Incendio going to
eat him!?
Was the Prince going to end up shooting him and saying, ‘Haha! Jokes on you! I
don’t care if you saved my life! I’m not a disgusting boy-fucker like you
are!?’
Benedicto finally reached Maligno. He eyed the wand in the old man’s hands with
a hunger that Victor had never seen before. Slowly, Benedicto extended his hand
and picked it up, reclaiming what was rightfully his.
The item glowed on impact, seeming grateful to be back in the hands of it’s
true owner.
“Thank you...” Benedicto stated, “...Master.”
Maligno grinned sinisterly, “You made the right choice, Apprentice. I assure
you, we will make good use of your talents. Starting now. Help me in dealing
with this troublesome bunch.”
He pulled out his own wand and pointed it at Victor’s group. Victor raised his
sword. The Prince aimed the bow. Incendio snorted flames. Malvado just stood
there, smiling that same, evil smile.
“Just one more thing, Master,” Benedicto added suddenly.
“Anything, my loyal apprentice,” Maligno promised, not leaving his gaze off of
his opponents.
“Where am I from? And, what’s my real name?
The room was silent. Maligno seemed tense. He turned to Benedicto, “What?”
Benedicto had a serious expression on his face, “Why, I’ve told you many times
before, Master. I’m sure you remember. You are, after all, all-knowing. Where
am I from? And, what. Is my. Real. Name?”
‘He claims to be all-knowing, and yet he can never remember where I’m from!’
Benedicto had said.
‘I am a boy, and my name is Benedicto! But... when I was born, I was born into
the body... of a girl... named Benita.’ He had said.
Victor’s eyes widened. He then realized what was going on.
The old wizard just stared for a second. Then, he smiled.
“Ahh—Why—“ he sputtered, “The, uh... the... Th—the Bosque Oscuro! Yes! That’s
it! You’re from the Bosque Oscuro, of course! And... and, you’re real name...
is... Benita!”
A strange sense of anger spread across the room, as if all the happiness in the
world had been drained out. Benedicto’s eyes began to glow.
“De La Luz...” the boy simply stated, “I’m from the Bosque De La Luz... And, my
real name...”
He extended his wand, and pointed it to the floor where Maligno was standing...
“...is Benedicto.”
CRUNCH
Victor fell to the ground as the whole tower began to shake. When he looked up,
his group, Malvado, the knights, and even Benedicto were all in the same state
on the floor, and there was a huge, gaping whole where Maligno had once stood.
Victor could hear him screaming as he fell.
“APPRENTICE!!!”
CRACKLE CRUNCH
The tower began to shake even worse. The walls began to crumble. The knights
were in complete disarray, some of them trying to run for it in any direction
possible, while others began to tumble into the chasm. Victor nearly fell in
himself.
SWOOP
A flash of red swiped him, and he landed on a mountain of scales along with
Benedicto, the Prince, and Malvado. It was a tight fit. It took Victor a moment
to realize it was Incendio’s back.
ROAR, ‘HOLD ON TO YOUR DICKS!!!’
Incendio bounded forward. Victor and his companions grabbed for whatever they
could to keep from rolling off. Incendio was headed straight for the wall.
What was he doing!? Was this dragon completely insane!?
CRUNCH
They burst through the wall and into the morning sky. Incendio spread his wings
and began to flap.
Victor was flying! On the back of an actual dragon! He felt like a real hero!
He felt like he was the most amazing person in the world!
Or, at least he did, until he realized that they weren’t flying at all. Rather,
they were plummeting downward fast. Really, really fast.
ROAR, ‘SHIT-DICKS!!!’
Incendio veered them toward the scorched tree line just in time.
CRACK
They crashed into the trees, and everyone rolled off and tumbled onto the
ground in all different directions. Victor felt a little scratch on his face,
but on the bright side, he’d managed to survive the fall without breaking
anything. That was lucky. He looked up to see Incendio doing the most
ridiculous dance he’d ever seen.
ROAR, ‘OWW!!! OWW!!! MY DICK!!! I GOT A SPLINTER ON MY DICK!!!’
Victor purposefully fell back down. Maybe he would get luckier and he’d pass
out so he wouldn’t have to deal with this shit.
Someone pulled him up. It was the Prince. He seemed relatively undamaged as
well, minus a small scrape on his side, and he’d somehow managed to hold onto
Bartolo’s bow the whole way without breaking it. Bartolo would be pleased, at
least.
“Are you okay?” The Prince asked, dusting Victor’s hair off.
Victor felt himself blush at the contact, “I should be asking you that!”
“I’m fine,” he assured him, lightly rubbing the scratch on Victor’s cheek, “I
told you, I can take care of myself. Or, at least it was implied. And, I’ll be
taking that, thank you.” He pulled off Victor’s quiver.
“Hey! Wait a minute!”
“If I’m going to be taking care of myself, I’d best have a weapon to do so
with, don’t you think?” He asked as he swung it on.
“I can...” Victor paused.
“Can what?”
“...Never mind.”
The Prince patted his cheek, “That’s what I thought.”
Victor had forgotten that the Prince didn’t want to be a, ‘delicate castle-
body,’ anymore. Victor was still going to defend him, but if this was what the
Prince wanted, Victor didn’t have the authority to say no.
But, no matter what, he was never going to let the Prince die!
They looked back at the others. Incendio had stopped dancing, and Benedicto was
tying a gag around Malvado’s mouth.
“Thank God, he was annoying,” the Prince sighed.
Victor laughed, “At least you didn’t lose your sense of humor in the fall.”
“Who’s joking?”
They walked over to their companions. When they reached them, Benedicto shoved
Malvado forward, “One evil old man, as requested.”
“Good,” Victor stated, “Let’s get out of here before reinforcements show up.
Everyone climb aboard.”
Victor grabbed a scale. Then, a big red wing batted him off. Victor fell on his
ass.
ROAR, ‘NO!!! Are you serious, dick!? Did you not see what just happened!? I
can’t carry all of you! You dicks are too damn heavy!’
Victor stood up, “Okay... if there are too many of us...”
“Can’t we just leave him?” Benedicto batted at Malvado, “Maybe drown him in a
certain river somewhere?”
“No,” Victor stated, “I’m bringing him in alive to answer for his crimes. He
needs to face justice.”
ROAR, ‘Besides, that would still be too many! I can probably only carry two of
you dicks!’
Benedicto glared at him, “Are you calling me fat!?”
ROAR, ‘I’m saying that you dicks have some fat dicks, and your dicks are
heavier than a ton of dicks! And, not every dick is about your dick, you dick!’
“WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND DICKS!!!??” Victor finally blurted out.
The Prince stared at him with wide eyes, “...What?”
Victor’s heart started to beat rapidly as his face heated up, “Err... I... He—“
Whinny, ‘NEVER FEAR! THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST SIDE IS HERE!’
Victor’s heart nearly did a somersault when he heard that ridiculous speech
coming his way. Victor turned to see his beautiful, brown companion riding up
to him.
“Lina!”
ROAR, ‘GIRL-HORSE-DICK!!!’
Lina stopped and veered, ‘OH FUCK TO DA NO, A DRAGON!!!?? YOU GOT ME FUCKED
UP!!! I DID NOT LEAVE THE WEST SIDE FOR THIS!!!’
Victor jumped in between them, “Woah, woah, woah, woah! Everyone calm down!
We’re all friends here! Lina, this is Incendio, who is not a threat! Incendio,
this is Lina, who is not a snack! Like I said! Friends!” Victor turned to Lina,
“Oh, and I know you can talk now.”
Whinny, ‘Took yo ass long enough.’
“You know, you could’ve told me...”
Whinny, ‘Where’s da fun in that, ho?’
Victor just shook his head.
“Okay, well this evens the odds,” Benedicto waved at Lina, “Hi. Benedicto.”
Whinny, ‘Sup, baldy!’
“How many people can you carry?”
Whinny, ‘Shee-it, I don’t know, like... two?’
“Perfect!” Benedicto turned back to Victor, “Two can go with Lina. Two with
Incendio. Now, since this is your big quest, I’ll let you decide. Who will go
with who?”
That was a tough decision. First off, who was Victor going to go with? Maybe he
should take Malvado, so that he could ensure that he faced justice. No! He
promised the Queen he’d return with her son! He was sure Benedicto could handle
the old man. He’d blown up a whole tower, for God’s sake! Now, who to ride? The
obvious choice was Incendio. With him, they would be at the Ciudad by
nightfall!
But, was that safe? No, probably not. If people found out that he and the
Prince were in the sky, they wouldn’t hesitate to shoot them down. And, if
Benedicto and Malvado rode with Lina, they would take a few more days to get
there, and there was a higher chance of them getting caught, then Benedicto
would die, and Malvado would be free to continue his ridiculous plan!
What if Victor and the Prince rode with Lina?
Yes! Victor was already fully prepared to smuggle the Prince back home! And, if
people found out that Lord Del Fuego was on Incendio, they would be hesitant to
shoot them down for fear of harming him! Yes! It was perfect!
“I’ve got it!” Victor declared, “You will take Malvado and Incendio and fly
back to the Ciudad. Me and the Prince will ride back with Lina. There’s no time
to explain. Trust me, it’s the best chance of survival for all of us!”
Benedicto seemed confused, but he nodded, “Okay,” he turned and pointed his
wand at Malvado, “Come along, fancy man.”
They mounted onto Incendio’s back. When they were secured, Benedicto turned to
Victor, “Good luck.”
“You too, my friend. Don’t forget what I said. You’ll get the body that you’re
meant for. I promise.”
Benedicto smiled and nodded. Victor backed up as Incendio spread his wings. He
lifted off and began to soar into the air.
ROAR, ‘BYE, DICKS!!!’
Whinny, ‘BYE, HOES!!!’ Lina turned to Victor and the Prince. Whinny, ‘Alright,
squad! Sir Vick the Dick, Queen Gracious Junior, and the finest mare this side
of the Llanura De Rosas! Let’s get it!’
Victor just shook his head. Barely two minutes, and she was already starting to
talk like Incendio. This was going to be a long ride...
Victor mounted Lina and helped the Prince up. The Prince wrapped his arms
around Victor’s chest. One of these days, Victor’s face was going to explode!
“Here we go,” the Prince stated, “Let’s get going, Valorous Victor!”
“Right!” Victor blurted out, “East or west?”
Since they were facing south, east was to the left, and west was to the right.
Directions were hard!
“Well,” the Prince thought, “if we go east, we’ll be heading into the Bosque
Quemado. I didn’t see any House Mata soldiers during the raid, and we’d have a
less likely chance of getting caught if we went that way. West, we’d be going
toward the Valle De Obsidiana. Lord Duran led the raid that kidnapped me, plus
we’d have a much higher chance of getting—“
“West!” Victor declared, “We’re going west!”
The Prince looked confused, “...Umm. Did you not—“
“Just trust me,” Victor assured him, “Trust me, your grace. I promise, I know
what I’m doing. Ya!”
Whinny, ‘HELL TO DA YEAH! WESTWARD BOUND!’
***
At the pace they were riding, they were out of sight of the Del Fuego dungeon
in no time. Last they’d seen, the main tower had completely collapsed, and the
damage was still going. Benedicto really was a powerful magic user! It almost
made Victor regret not being able to take him with them. He would have been a
great help.
Up ahead, they could see the shiny, black rock that gave the Valle it’s name,
indicating whose territory they were in now.
It was beautiful. And, it was as if it were calling to Victor, telling him
that, with his magic eyes, he belonged there. Obsidian really was magic!
“This really doesn’t seem like a good idea!” The Prince told him, “We’re
heading right past the home of our enemies! We’re literally asking to get
caught! I don’t know about you, but I never want to set foot in that dungeon
again!”
“Look, your grace, I can’t explain it all right now!” Victor told him, “But, I
can assure you that House Duran is not our enemy.”
“HALT!!!”
Suddenly, an entire patrol of knights burst from the bushes, weapons drawn.
Lina stopped and backed up, ‘WELL, SHIT! This is the thanks we get!? Last time
I pull bleeding kidnappers out of the woods!’
“You were saying...” the Prince sounded annoyed.
That just hurt! For some reason, having the Prince annoyed at him just hurt!
Like, really bad! Victor really didn’t know why.
Then, a short, gray-robed boy their age stood in front of them with a wand
pointed in their direction. A pile of gray fur with yellow-green eyes stood on
his shoulder.
Mewl, ‘Surrender, buddies!’
“You two picked the wrong Valle,” the boy threatened them, “You’ll be coming
with us.”
“It was all him!” The Prince pointed at Victor, “All his idea! Swear!”
Now, Victor just felt betrayed. The Prince was selling him out! All of this
just hurt so much! He looked over the boy in front of them.
He had light skin, blue eyes, charcoal-colored hair, and a face that looked
like it never smiled.
Oh joy. The cheery sort.
Then, Victor noticed something glowing around his neck...
He smiled.
“Lord Duran’s son.”
The boy looked confused.
“Yes... I am... Ignacio.”
“Ignacio,” Victor repeated, “Nice to meet you. I’m Victor.”
Ignacio’s eyes widened. Just as predicted, he recognized the name.
Mewl, ‘This buddy saved Papi!’
Ignacio just stared for a moment. Then, he lowered his wand.
“Let them go.”
“...Sir?” A knight asked.
“You heard me!” Ignacio spat. He fingered the obsidian pendant of the fist on
his necklace.
The knights looked at each other in confusion, but they followed orders and
cleared a way for them to go.
“Thank you,” Victor stated, “Give my regards to your father.”
Mewl, ‘Don’t make us regret this, buddy!’
“That’s my line, Santos,” Ignacio stated, “But, yeah. Like the cat said, don’t
make me regret this!”
Lina rode off as fast as she could.
Whinny, ‘Smooth, Vicky. Real smooth.”
The Prince stared at him, “Do I want to know?”
Victor smiled back at him.
“Another time, your grace.”
They rode in silence for a minute.
“Thank you.”
Victor turned back, “For saving your life, or for choosing the right path?”
The Prince rolled his eyes with a smile, “Both, dumbass. Seriously. I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing,” Victor assured him, “The magics chose me for this. I’m
simply doing what I’m supposed to.”
“Still.”
“What? Do you want to marry me instead?”
Even though it was a joke, the question made Victor blush insanely.
The Prince laughed. That nice laugh... “I like you! I think we’re going to be
good friends, Valorous Victor! I really like you! I really do...”
Whinny, ‘That wasn’t no no!’
Victor continued to blush, but he smiled back.
“I would like that, your grace.”
Chapter End Notes
     I know. I know. I said Benedicto and Incendio would become major
     characters, now I’ve sent them off in a completely different
     direction. Just cuz they don’t accompany the protagonist doesn’t mean
     they aren’t major characters. In case you’ve forgotten the prologue
     and that one scene in Chapter 3, this story is not solely viewed
     through Victor’s eyes. They’ll be back soon...
     I enjoyed writing the world-building in this one, and if you’re a fan
     of world-building, I can promise that there’s more to come.
     And, just so you know, if I put into detail what a minor character
     looks like (and give them first names as opposed to, oh I don’t know,
     some guy we’ve seen before’s son. Oh and especially if I give them
     eye color), it usually means they won’t stay minor forever. Just a
     little clue as to what to look out for. ;P
     See you next week!
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!