In a dark chamber heavy with the sounds of panting and the scent of sweat, a man lay upon the floor, his chest heaving, tears glistening in his eyes as he surveyed the grim drama unfolding before him.
"Ahhh… ahhhh!" The lady screamed in agony as the man above her continued his merciless assault.
The man on the floor remained helpless, covered in blood. These so-called princes were but impostors, the cousins of the true princes who had gone missing. They had crowned themselves princes and princesses, yet they paled in comparison to the genuine heirs. It was a pity none knew where the true princes had vanished to, for the realm of Althreaze sorely missed them. They alone possessed the power to put these wretched usurpers in their rightful place.
"Ohh fuckkk, yes! Oh yes!" Prince Damian cried out as he ravaged the woman who could endure no more. It gave him great satisfaction to defile her before the eyes of her pathetic lover.
"Please, Your Highness, I beg of you—she can take no more," Collins pleaded weakly.
She appeared utterly spent, and so Damian at last relented. Smiling devilishly, he rose and turned his gaze upon Collins.
"Oh, do not look at me so," Damian said as he strode toward him, still naked. "You knew this was coming."
"You think you may do as you please simply because the true princes are away?" Collins replied, and Damian scowled at the mention of them.
"You think yourself safe? Listen well—your precious princes are nowhere to be found. For all we know, they are dead," Damian snarled.
"Even for you, that sounds remarkably foolish," Collins said, his eyes shifting sorrowfully to Darla, his beloved.
The cousin-princes were cruel indeed. He wished the true princes would return. Not that they were any gentler, but they were mighty beyond measure and would surely put this bastard in his place.
"I know," Damian said absently. Then, swift as a bolt of lightning, he seized Collins and hurled him against the wall. The chamber trembled with the force of the impact. Damian pinned him there by the throat.
"Do you truly believe I will not slay you where you stand?" Damian roared. The mere mention of the princes had ignited his fury. He hated them with every fibre of his being; the memory of their faces alone was enough to rouse his wrath. None dared test their strength or power, for they were formidable beyond reckoning.
"Then do it," Collins gasped, smiling through his pain, "but you cannot… Admit it—you fear them too. You may boast all you wish, yet you are not fool enough to truly challenge them."
"Then I shall kill her," Damian hissed. "I shall slay your precious Darla before your very eyes."
"You have already raped her, broken her. What more can you do but kill her?" Collins replied, struggling to hold himself together. Damn the consequences—if he could slay Damian, he would do so in an instant.
"Oh, there is far more than you could ever imagine," Damian said. At that moment the door swung open. None but his brothers would dare enter so boldly.
"Damian, you should not toy with girls just before your wedding this night. It is not proper," Zach said with a smile, while Damian merely rolled his eyes.
"Who is this little witch I am to wed?" Damian asked, releasing Collins, who slumped to the floor coughing. He moved to retrieve his clothes, paying the woman no further heed.
"She is the first legitimate daughter of King Ethan," Zach replied.
"First legitimate?" Damian lifted a brow as he drew on his trousers.
"He has an illegitimate daughter who is older than Princess Kathryn—your wife to be," Zach explained.
"Wife to be," Damian repeated, a smirk curling his lips. Who would have thought the future bride of Prince Damian would be a mere ordinary human?
"Just do not ruin this. Behave yourself," Zach warned.
"I am merely imagining how she fares," Damian said. "I am certain she has heard that she is to wed 'the rumoured prince.'" No lady in her right mind would willingly marry him; she had likely already refused or attempted to flee.
"The King must know nothing of the little drama that occurred here. Is that clear?" Zach said to Collins, who gazed sadly at Darla. The man merely nodded in silence.
"That's a good little dog," Zach said, patting Collins on the head.
With that, Damian and Zach departed, leaving Collins behind.
Collins turned once more to Darla and reached for her, terrified she might already be dead.
"Darla, are you alright?" he whispered.
Darla opened her eyes slowly and offered a faint smile.
"I am fine… I told you I am strong," she said weakly.
"You are not fine. Hell, you should never have become entangled in my troubles, Darla," Collins replied.
"Any luck?" Darla asked. Collins knew precisely what she meant.
He had been searching for the true princes for some time, yet it proved nearly impossible. If they did not wish to be found, they would not be. Moreover, he conducted his efforts in secret; should those cursed cousins discover it, he would face grave peril.
"No luck. I am sorry," Collins said. Darla sighed.
"Just where in the hell could they be, Collins? Those bastards are growing utterly out of hand," she complained.
"I know. I am working on it," he answered.
"What is the King even doing about it?" Darla asked.
"I have no idea, but this much I know—those bastards have never let me down before," Collins said, and Darla nodded.
"We need them, though," she murmured. Collins nodded in agreement.
"Let me get you to a doctor," he said, lifting her gently and carrying her from the chamber.
Damian held little enthusiasm for marrying a weakling, yet his father had devised a plan, and he must see it through.
After speaking with Zach, he made his way down the hall toward his chambers. Suddenly his keen hearing caught the low rumble of a shifting wall. Out of idle curiosity, he followed the sound.
He beheld the King's two most trusted men, and his curiosity sharpened. What scheme was the mysterious monarch pursuing now?
"You think anyone saw that?" Michael asked.
"I do not think so," Joseph replied.
"What shall we do? He is growing ever more restless. I do not believe we can restrain him much longer—the barrier will not hold," Michael said.
"Silence! What if someone heard you?" Joseph hissed. They performed some unseen act, the wall sealed once more, and they departed, taking their secret with them.
Damian approached the wall. The mention of "him" had stirred his suspicion. Who were they concealing? He touched the wall, and because royal blood flowed in his veins, it yielded before him. Only those of royal lineage could pass such barriers—unless the magic proved stronger than they. Fortunately, he was strong indeed.
Beyond lay an invisible, sparkling blue barrier. His eyes glowed, and it parted before him. He stepped inside, and the wall closed silently at his back. Damian feared little in this world, save the true princes at times.
As he drew nearer, he felt a power of overwhelming strength. Unease stirred within him; not even the combined might of the princes felt this formidable. What manner of monster was this?
A second blue barrier came into view. There, seated upon a couch with eyes closed, was a man. Slowly he opened his eyes, and a smile curved his lips. He looked forward and beheld a very terrified Damian.