Take Me Away

Summary: Just as Shandaar think he’s safe, his world crumbles under his feet.

Author’s Notes: I’ll probably be hated for this, but I have to do it. Character death in this chapter, and more to come in the following chapters. Please forgive me! As another warning... hurt/comfort (I'm a big fan of it actually.) And please review, I'll be eternally grateful ^^.

Take Me Away
Chapter 20 – Hostile


Turning, tossing, sitting up in his bed, walking before going back to the mattress… such had been Kieran Surkhang’s pass nights. For three whole days, his group had been searching for Shandaar. Too many traces and so far, he couldn’t be found. It was horrible. Never in his life had he been so stressed. He worried for the silver-haired man he loved so much that he couldn’t ate, slept or drank. He was on a constant adrenalin rush and it was starting to play on his health. Even though he felt stronger than ever, he knew he was weaker. But he refused to stop searching. He had to find him. The fact he was going to marry someone else had left his mind; he didn’t care anymore. He wanted to see Shandaar alive.

The raven-haired man took a deep breath and finally got off the bed, taking his clothes with him. He had to continue searching for the prince. He missed him. He missed his presence, his soft voice, his touch… everything. And he wanted the other man alive. As he dressed, he couldn’t stop thinking about the youth. His frown of frustration changed to a saddened face as he thought of what could have happened to his lover, and he had to sit in order not to punch a hole in the wall. It was so unfair. ‘Why haven’t I been kidnapped instead of him’ he mused, taking a deep breath, tears streaking down his cheeks.

Images of a dead Shandaar ran through his head. They were short and not bloody, but they were there. The man was so pale and his eyes didn’t contain his usual vitality. They were blank, void of all life. Not a movement had been perceptible for a long while, as he rested on his back, arms and leg spread on the cold ground that the area offered. His mouth was slightly agape; his perfectly aligned white teeth could be seen. The shoulder-length silver hair moved in the wind, as well as the clothes he wore… or the rags they had become. The heartbeat wasn’t heard anymore, and it would be missed. That same heartbeat had once been like a lullaby to Kieran. It was now a memory.

Just like those sky blue eyes turned to white. They were so unlike the prince. It freaked Kieran out, made him sob even more. How could such a nice young man, full of life, have been reduced to that state? Life was that unfair? Yes. It was unfair.

“Kieran?”

He could hear the voice, yet that didn’t mean he was listening to it. It was soft, but a different soft than Shandaar’s. It was clearly female. Shandaar’s was male, yet posed. So where was he?

“Kieran, come on…”

Come on… what? Come where? Go where? Find Shandaar. He had to.

“Kieran!”

The adventurer lifted his tear-streaked face to meet the other’s. It was Raya. Apparently, she hadn’t slept very well either, and he could see that she had cried. Now, she was probably playing strong so Kieran wouldn’t have to worry. But he didn’t blame her, quite the opposite. He was thankful that someone hoped to find the heir. It gave him hope. After all, things could have been much, much worse. He could be alone there, yet he wasn’t. He had Dagmar and Raya.

And Shandaar, even though no one had any idea where he was, had someone too. He had Kieran.

“I need to find him…” he spoke, sighing sadly. “He’s probably scared to death, knowing that none of us are close to him. He HAS to be somewhere!” With this, the black-haired swordsman got up, grabbing the rest of his clothes and hastily putting them on. “I’m going to find him. I’ll take him back to Kadessa.”

The woman sighed as well. “You don’t even know where he is. All those prints got us somewhere different each time and it’s been lasting three days...” She wished with all her heart that Shandaar was still alive but deep inside, she wanted to give up. “A normal person can’t survive long in such conditions….”

Kieran opened the door, glancing back at the pink-haired female. How could she give up like this?! As long as they wouldn’t have found Shandaar, there was still a chance that he was alive somewhere out there. “I don’t care. I don’t give a fuck. If you guys don’t want to go with me, fine. I’ll go on my own. I’ll do anything… anything!” he shouted, then sighed again.

Another voice was heard. A strong, booming voice. A giant’s voice. “Then we’re going with you. We can’t let you on your own and die alone for Shandaar. He wouldn’t like that you risked your life for him, and you know that.”

“Then it’s settled. We’re going.”

-

This time, Shandaar couldn’t sleep. He lied in his bed, unable to sleep. The events of the day constantly replayed in his mind. It had been abnormally disturbing, with the rapes, the cuts and the concussion… he didn’t know which one was worse. Everything was cloudy.

He took a peek at his chest, trying to see within the darkness. It was useless doing so, and he resorted to running his right hand on it, checking the state of his wounds. At least they were healing, unlike the ones caused by the rape… that would take a much longer time to heal. How could he ever look at Kieran after all of that? He knew he was thinking too much, yet couldn’t help it at all. To him, it was obvious that he’d be left alone. Maybe no one would come to rescue him. ‘Maybe they’re better off without me…’ he thought, sighing sadly. He didn’t want to think about it.

If, at least, they could come and change the sheets, as well as giving him food and water, he’d be somewhat thankful. And no. No one ever came since the cutting episode. He was starting to feel the effects of dehydration, since he hadn’t had a drink in about 2 days… maybe a bit more. It was his third day with the faction. They only came to rape him and make his life a living hell. Even the criminals in their dungeon weren’t treated that bad. They were alone, but they had food and water everyday. Just enough to live, but that was part of their punishment.

With a sigh, he was going to turn around, but noticed the pool of vomit by his side… when did it land there? Oh yeah… the concussion. So it had been rather bad. Another nausea wave hit him as he thought about it again, but he decided to focus on something else than the horrible feeling he just had. The problem was to find something worthy enough of attention. This place had nothing and he knew it was on purpose. If distractions were provided, it wouldn’t be torture anymore.

It seemed like more hours passed before there was some noise that came in from the door. This got Shandaar nervous, and he quickly grabbed the blanket that had been left in the room, covering himself with it. Kordell was in again, but this time, he was carrying something… or so he thought. His vision was a bit blurry from the lack of food.

“I’m only bringing this to you ‘cause I can’t afford to let you die, Princey” the redhead stated, walking in the bed’s direction with a metal plate in his hand; there was food on it.

Finally! Food and water! To hell if he was naked, the prince got up on his knees and reached for the plate. Never in his life had he been –that- hungry and thirsty, at the point of looking like a total pig as he ate with his hands, stuffing himself. Even if they had put poison in it, which he doubted, he didn’t care. All he wanted was a full stomach again, and water. In fact, he choked a few times on the food as he swallowed too fast for his throat’s liking. The glass of water went down very quickly as well.

“And there you go. Now that you’re full…” The faction leader got the plate back, gazing at the younger man for a moment. Despite the filth that crawled on his body, he was still somewhat good-looking. A bath and he’d be totally alright, but it’d be better if he could stay filthy for a while, and see if he would beg for a bath. He was even surprised he hadn’t said a thing about it, with him being a prince. Wasn’t royalty clean most of the time? “… Let’s get back at playing together.”

Kordell grinned deviously, dropping the dildo on the bed in order to grab Shandaar’s legs and forcing them to spread. The other man was strong however, and it took him some time to reach his goal, but he eventually did. Then, with one hand, he took the dildo in his hand before inserting it roughly in the prince’s ass, not bothering enough to prepare him. A scream echoed in the room as he started to fight back, yet he knew it was too late. The toy was in and every time he moved to try and get away, it caused even more pain. He was even sure he was bleeding. It stretched his muscle too much to his likingHe made efforts not to cry, but it was so hard…

“You’re going to hurt yourself even more if you don’t stop that. Take it like the man you are” the redhead ordered, pushing the glass toy in again. He had the impression he was feared, and he loved it. He knew he’d have to change his power-hungry ways when he’d be King, else he wouldn’t get the approbation of his people… but he’d fight those wars. Until then he could do whatever he wanted, including fucking the current prince with a dildo.

And so he continued to push it in and out of his prisoner, the wide grin hadn’t faded from his face. It was too good. Once again, he was overpowering Shandaar. He felt like his master, being able to manipulate him in everything he wanted. Maybe they’d be able to make him really break down, and keep him with them for a while. A sex slave would indeed be good and keep them busy while they didn’t have any other preoccupations.

All of a sudden, shouts and screams were heard in the background. Kordell lifted his head, his emerald green eyes darting across the room for any sign of someone being in there as well. As he was about go get back at pushing the toy again, the door flung open. “What the fuck is that!?” he screamed, turning around to be met with a fist that hit him right in the jaw.

“Leave him alone!”

Startled, the redhead tried to punch back and missed his target. From what he could see, the man was his in twenties, had jaw-length brown hair that partly covered his face; he could only see one eye, and this eye didn’t look very happy. Even “murderous” was an understatement. But he wasn’t afraid. Oh no. Kordell frowned and tried hitting him again. The other man swung his fist as the hit was dodged, sending him over the bed. The faction leader made his escape, leaving the prince with the dildo still in his ass.

His view now free, Shandaar could see what had made Kordell leave the room. It was a man. And he knew him! “Ethan!…. Ethan!” Never in his life had he been so happy to see someone Ethan was there to save him. Relieved, the youth’s limbs went limp, as if a terrible weight had been taken off his shoulders. All the stress and fear he had felt made him break down. “Are they gone?” he asked through sobs, exhausted. “Are they?”

The brown-haired man walked to the bed and sat beside his prince, looking worried. This was worse than when he had found him after the wedding news, much worse. Considering his vulnerable position, it might have been even rougher for the young man. “Yes, they are gone, my prince. Do not worry anymore. You are safe.” Ethan moved to remove the toy, yet something stopped him. Instead he began to check on the other’s body for any wounds – nothing apparent, except a few cuts on his torso that had were already healing. They probably wouldn’t leave any mark. His head was fine despite the hair was greasy and dirty… blood traces here and here, but no more bleeding. No damage in the pelvic area… and none on the legs either.

He couldn’t take it anymore. Shandaar still looked downright sexy. The bodyguard could feel his pants tightening at the sight of the man’s naked body. He had never forgotten about him. He had always hoped that he could be with him, never given up on this. He deserved better! And if it hadn’t been of Kieran and the rest, the prince wouldn’t be in such a state. Was it his chance?

Ethan finally moved to face the silver-haired youth, tilting his head, his eyes lowered at the sex toy still inside him. His hand slowly went toward it, touching it slightly after. Clear glass. Must have been quite painful. “It’s all going to be alright…” he said, trying to reassure his protégé. “Everything’s going to be fine. Let me just take that out.” He faced little resistance as he took the toy in his right hand and started to take it out… yet, instead of completely pulling it out, pushed it back in. Slowly.

The prince’s face grew serious after cringing. What was Ethan doing? “What…. Ethan, what’s going on…?” He could see the other man get on his knees, moving so that he was over him, as he pushed it in and out again. There was no way he was going to stop.” Ethan, stop this.”

The warning didn’t make him stop. On the opposite. A grin formed on his face; he picked up a pace. “Do not worry. Not much longer. You know how much I want you, right?”

Shandaar nodded and cringed again because of the pain. “But… I don’t… stop this!” he ordered, growing very tired of this rape fest. He wanted out, he wanted to see Kieran again and hug him tight, tell him how much he loved him… not serve as some kind of toy for someone else. “Stop! It’s an order from your prince!”

“Too late.” It was all his bodyguard had said. But he knew it was never too late.

The young man’s eyes darted, trying to find something he could use as a weapon. But everything was out of reach… except Ethan’s sword. A blow wouldn’t kill him, no? But as he thought about that, the left hand landed on his torso, moving to feel the muscle chest below him. It soon moved on his shaft, teasing it with his fingers. He could see a change in Shandaar… those eyes. Those blue eyes weren’t blue anymore. They were yellow. Something was wrong.

Enough.

What happened next, in Shandaar’s eyes, had been slowed down. He knew it would be painful for him, but he forced himself to reach for the shining bastard sword the older man carried with him, pulled it out of its sheath in one swift movement, and shoved it in the man’s stomach.

Blood started flowing out of Ethan’s body. A bright red blood. It contrasted with the beige blanket and the white sheets. He could see the man letting go of the dildo in order to clutch to the wound, as if trying to limit the blood flow.

And it happened again. And again. In his rage, Shandaar kept pushing and pulling the blade through the other body, just like he did a second ago with the dildo. Nothing else mattered to him. He wanted Ethan Darby dead; he would kill him. Ethan, who was once a trustworthy man, was now a rapist amongst others. The silver-haired youth felt so betrayed… but he had asked for it!

The man’s skin slowly turned to white, as the blood continued to flow out of his multiple wounds. He had never seen someone so… beautiful. Anger didn’t turn this man into an ugly beast. “At least… I’ll die happy…. You are so beautiful, my prince… may you live to be even more beautiful…”

All the movement stopped. Ethan’s arms went limp as he jerked backwards on the bed, convulsing in order to fall on the floor with a thud. Blood continued to flow out of the body, into a puddle around the older man.

As for Shandaar, the initial shock was now beginning. He had done what he never had expected, what no one ever expected.

He had killed a man. A man he used to know and treat as a brother. A man turned into a beast.

Shaking badly, hyperventilating, he moved further on the bed until his back hit the cold wall. What in heavens had he done?! “I…. Ethan…” He brought a hand to his mouth, covering it as he was about to throw up and stifle a scream of horror at the same time. “It’s not… possible… no…” He knew it was. He could see that his bodyguard lied on the floor, lifeless, surrounded by his own blood. There was even in his mouth, and drop by drop, it fell on the wooden tiles.

He continued to stare at the body, waiting for it to move again. “No…”

A silent scream escaped his mouth, before echoing in the whole house.

-

Another day had passed. Restless, Kieran Surkhang walked through the forest, cursing himself for having left his lover alone in the woods when they were escaping danger. He felt incredibly stupid and bad. What were the chances the silver-haired man ever would forgive him? Close to none, surely. Shandaar wasn’t that stupid as to make this mistake again. But he had to find him. He had to. It didn’t matter what the others were thinking. He would find him and bring him back home no matter what, even if he lost his life in the process.

In four days, they had searched around the whole area, or so they thought. They had left many paths, gone in circles in some, but they had never found any trace of the silver-haired prince. Because of the snowfalls, they eventually lost traces over the days; the team was now exasperated and annoyed. Until…

“Hey look! A house!” Dagmar said, pointing to a cabin similar to the one they had been in, only bigger. Recent footsteps, both human and horse steps could be seen in the snow. The human ones lead inside. The team moved over to the wooden building, looking in the few windows that decorated it. It seemed inhabited – one more reason to check inside. It was the giant blonde that carefully opened the door.

Inside, it wasn’t much warmer than outside; it must not have been carefully insulated. Raya looked around, hoping to find a torch or a candle in order to create some light. It was too bad none of them knew fire magic; else it would have been rather easy. Instead, she let her eye adjust to darkness; as a thief and spy, she had already developed the ability, and thus had little problem in navigating through the dark.

There were many rooms on the first floor. She quietly walked toward the doors, listening at each one for any sign of activity. The three ones on the right wall didn’t appear to contain anyone. However, for the one at the end of the corridor, she heard whimpers and sobs. Quickly, she went back to the main hallway to share her discovery with the others. “Guys! There’s someone in there!” she said, jumping up and down, proud of what she had found. “I think it’s Shandaar!”

Not wasting any more time, and not caring if someone else was in the house, Kieran dashed through the hallway and stopped at the end, fumbling to find the doorknob. Once it was found, he pushed the door open and had to squint to see. The stench of vomit and other body liquids made it rather hard to breath. Not only the area must not have been well insulated, it must not have properly been ventilated as well.

There was nothing he could see.

Yet he could hear something. “Anyone here?” he called out loud, his deep, loud voice echoing on the walls.

“Kieran!!” The adventurer’s head darted to the upper left corner. He could have recognized that voice through many… it was Shandaar’s. Raya had been right.

“Oh my god you’re alive!” He ran to the so-said corner and was met with a naked, cold and wet body. At the same moment, Raya came in the room, wielding a torch. Now he could see who was there. It was really the prince, but he was almost unrecognizable. His hair was dirty, as well as the rest of his body. Traces of wounds were still apparent on his torso, and blood could be seen on his arms and hands. He looked extremely tired and famished. “Shannie… what happened?” he asked, his voice breaking up in mid-question.

“It was horrible…” the silver-haired man stated, interrupted by a sob. His voice was weak from all the screaming he had done earlier, and soon he felt his legs abandon him. The only thing that prevented his fall was Kieran’s arms supporting him as they crouched. “Then… Ethan…” The older man stiffened at the name – he had been the one who wanted to rape Shandaar months ago – and held his lover closer, listening to the words.

The prince’s voice was shaky and he spoke. It wasn’t like the soft voice that usually belonged to him. “He wanted to rape me too… so I took his sword and killed him… I had no choice!” he stated before breaking down again. Indeed this proved to be a very traumatic experience, and Kieran could picture it. He closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. The ones who were here had probably raped Shandaar over and over again, deprived him of food, drinks and showers. The fact Ethan was not there to save him, but to hurt him even more aggravated his case. Then, he had killed someone he used to trust, someone he treated as a brother.

The other man looked at the bed. A young man, older than him, rested on the blood-stained mattress, the sword still impaled in his stomach. What a sight it was. “Don’t worry anymore. You’re safe now. I’m with you” the raven-haired male said, hugging the youth tight, slowly turning his head back to his boyfriend. “You’re safe.”

A moment passed before Kieran decided to make a move. He stood, helping the prince to his feet and wrapping his arms in a different manner so he could support the younger man as they walked to the door. In a serious voice, he asked for one his teammates to come over; Raya got there first. “Give me a blanket… and tell Dagmar to warm some water. Shandaar really needs a bath before we move out. Also, take whatever non-perished food’s available and cook it.” The girl stood silent the whole time; understanding that the situation was very delicate, she agreed with a nod, and then left for the kitchen.

Slowly, the couple made its way out of the bedroom. Shandaar was weak from lack of sleep and food, but mostly trauma. Kieran, on the other hand, walked at the same pace as his childhood friend, ready to use his strength if the youth fell again. He didn’t want him to get hurt anymore. “From now on, I’m going to stay all the time with you. I’ve been an asshole for not doing so earlier. If it hadn’t been for that…”

“They’d have killed you” the younger man interrupted, lowering his eyes to the floor. “And they’d have taken me. It’s better that I have been alone, else we’d both be dead by now…”

Such thoughts had never crossed Kieran’s head. He had never thought that his lover would be dead, quite the opposite; all along, he knew he was alive. He felt it deep inside. And now that he had found him, he’d make sure not to leave him again. He felt guilty enough to have done it twice; there wouldn’t be a third time. “You don’t have to worry anymore. You’re alive and well. It’s all that matters.”

The black-haired man led the other to the bathroom as they heard Dagmar talking to Raya, telling her to get towels and soap. It was amazing how a few days could change someone. Shandaar, who usually walked with his head up high and a big smile – worthy of a prince – now hung his head down, walking slowly, as if unsure of his own steps. Once again, he had become numb; his normal way of dealing with things. He shut himself from the world, with the exception of Kieran, and thought it all over. Most of the time, it just worsened matters.

“Let me help that blanket off” Kieran offered, smiling sweetly. So far, he had little problem in touching the prince, which was a miracle in itself. It meant he was still being trusted. No resistance came from the silver-haired man, who simply nodded in answer to the question. The blanket fell on the floor. The light provided by the torch set on the wall gave the couple a golden, warm glow, and both slowly started to relax after the intense adrenalin rush they had undergone.

Shandaar was helped in the tub, not seeming to mind the adventurer’s hands on his arm and back. He found it strangely comforting. At least, he wasn’t alone anymore, and surely wouldn’t be alone for a long while. He had Kieran right by his side, so why wallow in self-pity? Kieran would protect him. Kieran would do everything for him. Even as far as dying for him.

The raven-haired man wanted to know about what those people did to his beloved. They had raped and cut him for sure, but what else? Being alone with a dead body in such a cold room was torture as well, even more when the death was heavy on the hostage’s conscience. But was that all? What if they did even more than that, like more physical torture? Oh how he was going to kill those people if he ever got his hands on them!

Yet for now, he didn’t want to show any sign of anger. He wanted Shandaar to feel better, and it wouldn’t work very well if he showed his true feelings. If he was reassuring himself, the prince would follow.

-

The group was ready after quick meal. A meal that could have been better, but they had to do with what they had. There was little change with Shandaar’s attitude. He still walked with his head down and wasn’t talkative, but he didn’t cling to Kieran Instead, he was walking alone a few feet in front of the others so they could keep an eye on him. At least he didn’t need help to walk… that could be seen as a good thing.

The caravan wasn’t far, but it wasn’t in the state they had left it in. While they were rescuing the prince, the remaining soldiers that had came with Ethan were searching inside it – not that there was much to search – and were currently surrounding it. When one of the soldiers rushed toward Shandaar, he was met with an ice cold glare that clearly said “don’t touch me else I am going to kill you, and I am –not- kidding”. The man backed off and eyed the rest of the team with unmasked suspicion.

“These are my friends, don’t touch them,” the silver-haired swordsman stated as he climbed on the caravan, choosing a spot in the back. “They’ll take me back to Kadessa, and if they aren’t going, I’m not going either.” This was enough for the small army to back off from the caravan and let Shandaar’s friends inside. After all, it was an order from their prince, and never would they think about disobeying him, or even contradicting him. Most settled at the back, where the youth was, while Dagmar went up front to get the horses moving.

“Poor things” the giant stated as he shook his head in the large animals’ direction. “They must be freezing to death.”

Feeling somewhat left out, Raya chose to leave the couple alone and joined her friend at the front, sighing slightly. “Well they’re gonna warm up in a short time. I wouldn’t worry too much.. I’d worry more for Shannie. He seems so… lost. Worse than at Gurrensha. Hopefully he’ll be okay soon… it’s not normal. I don’t like him this way. I want the old, smiling Shannie back.” She looked back at the young men one more time before focusing on the path ahead of them. Two royal caravans followed them, making sure they were going in the right direction to Kadessa.

At the back, Kieran held Shandaar close to him, as if attackers could come up at any time to take his lover away and hurt him. He would never get over it if he died, and made a personal commitment in staying close to the younger male for the rest of his life. An idea was growing in his head, an idea he had never thought about before… “I’m going to be your bodyguard. I’ve had enough of seeing you in such dangers.”

The statement drew the prince’s attention and he raised his head in curiosity, his sky blue eyes shining. “But… but you won’t be able to travel anymore, and I know you love it… I can’t let you do it.” He would feel guilty if Kieran had to drop what he loved the most in this world, his favourite hobby. He wasn’t meant to be stuck in a castle babysitting a man way past that age. “I know how you love to travel. Won’t be miserable?”

“Not when I have you around. I love you, Shandaar. And I’m ready to give up everything to be at your side. And as your bodyguard, I’ll spend more time with you than anybody else, even your wife-to-be.”

That was a very good argument, and to the prince, it made sense. His father and mother were barely together, and it would be the same with his wife… wife that he didn’t even know. He had never met her. Plus, he loved Kieran so much, and didn’t want to have to stop seeing him because he would be married. It would be cheating, but what was cheating if the spouses didn’t even like each other? “I still feel bad about this all… I don’t deserve you. I ran away from my country and fear never being able to be intimate with you again…” He hung his head down once more, looking at his lap. He felt incredibly bad for putting Kieran through such things.

“Don’t feel bad” the adventurer continued, hugging the slightly smaller frame as tight as he could without hurting him. “Your reactions are normal. Take your time to recover. Lack of sex won’t change that; I’ll stay by your side. I’m serious. I love you, and it’s not lack of sex that’s going to stop me, else I’d have gotten a new boyfriend a long time ago.” He knew he shouldn’t have said that, it would probably make the guy think he had lovers while he was away, which has never been the case in the 3 years, almost 4 they had spent together. Never had he even thought about cheating on his beloved. “We’ll see as time goes by, Shandaar. For now, just rest assured that you won’t be alone anymore. I’m staying by your side.”

With a small smile, the silver-haired man leaned on his boyfriend, wrapping the arms around his own waist. That was all he had needed to hear in order to start feeling better.

~ TBC ~