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I. Blindsight
Dusk upon the hills was always cool and quiet, gentle breezes blowing through the small village's cottages. One home was lively with movement from within. Around a pit of fire, a group of people sat and talked with one another, different conversations going on simultaneously yet somehow not clashing with one another.
On a bale of hay sat a man with dark curls, messing with the garments he wore. Next to him was a woman who had almost the same features, yet worn differently than he wore them. Her eyes looked over the other, who looked overly dressed next to her. Her expression was stoic, yet full of concern; however, she said nothing. She simply listened to him go on about his anxieties over the night ahead of him.
On his other side was a man dressed in a similar style to him, shyly speaking to a woman in a simple cream dress. She wore a bright smile, which he found himself mirroring. On the other side of the fire sat a man reading a crumpled paper, much more interested in it than the others around him.
The man with curls let his eyes trail over and out the window. He ceases his rambling when he notices an approaching silhouette. He stands up, to which his sister raises an eyebrow. “Charlie?”
He only hums out a response, before adding, “He’s here. Bye.”
“Be careful.” She smiles a bit, chuckling. “I never thought I’d send my little brother off to face royalty.” At this, the rest of the group takes notice and they start bidding farewell and good luck to Charlie. Who, with a sharp breath smiles at them and holds back his fears. He exchanges a look with the man next to him, who says he’ll be out in a moment.
Charlie gets out of the cottage quickly before his guest can interrupt his friends’ evening. Seems like his timing was right because a man stood in front of him.
"I swear to god, Charles, you really need to consider my offer." The man, Ben, grumbled softly, "They're holding you back."
The other tensed up and sighed. "They're my family. I can't just leave them." He turned his gaze towards the small, humble cottage. The group, minus Ben, had built it together one summer. It was beautiful to Charlie and it always comforted him to just look at it. They've been through everything together. Charlie couldn't leave.
Ben only scoffed. "You keep saying that, but I can tell you don't belong here." He leaned close to Charlie, before adding, "You know you belong with me, darling." He murmured, hushed so only Charlie would hear. Ben smirked when the air caught in Charlie's throat, and he pulled him into a kiss.
Reluctantly, Charlie kissed him back, the familiar overly sweet taste of Ben's lips making him want to gag. In his opinion, rich people always indulged far too much for themselves. The aristocrat’s hands traced down the fabric of the suit jacket he wore, gripping his waist and hips. His thumbs rubbed over the pelvic bone that sat close to his skin due to a lack of muscle and fat. They parted from the kiss for a moment, feeling their hot breaths against each other’s faces.
“Ben-” Charlie tried to whisper before he was suddenly shoved away by the man. He faltered on his feet, literally having the wind knocked out of him, but quickly found stability. Looking ahead, he saw that Tao had emerged from the cottage, dressed in a distinguished outfit not unlike his own. In his hands, he held a beautifully decorated mask that he was going to wear in the castle. Tao and Ben were glaring daggers at one another.
“We should get going. It begins at sunset, right?” Tao suddenly spoke with uncharacteristic calmness. Ben tensely nodded, quickly explaining he had a carriage to take them. Without hesitation, the group began down the hill and away from the cottage. Tori watched from the doorway, waving goodbye.
At the bottom, there was a cobblestone path on which a beautiful carriage stood. A man sat in front of it, his face shrouded by a dark cloak. He held the reins connected to two white mustangs, who ate some of the grass next to the paved path. Charlie walked to the door and opened it, holding it for the others as they clamored on.
Charlie got on after Tao and sat next to him, while Ben sat down next to a beautiful woman who was already inside the carriage. He knocked on the small window behind him and the man with the reins whipped the horses, making them start off down the path. Charlie sighed and grabbed his bag, pulling out the mask Ben got for him. It was carved from cedar wood, crafted to specifically fit his face. Antlers protrude from the top of the mask, and silver chains and colorful flora hung from them. The mask was painted with patterns, symbols, and small runes of protection. Charlie sighed quietly, feeling guilt gnawing at his gut. He didn't deserve something this beautiful.
He lurched forward when the carriage hit a loose stone, although Tao grabbed the back of his suit to keep him from ramming face-first into Ben. The group laughed quietly, though it wasn't anything genuine. Charlie glanced at Ben for a moment.
Nothing was genuine when he was around.
Charlie put the mask in his lap and gazed out the carriage’s window at passing trees. The group sat in an uncomfortable silence before Ben cleared his throat.
"So. You're both clear on a plan?" He asked, glancing at everyone.
Charlie smiled and nodded. "Of course. We're not amateurs." He shifted in the velvet seat slightly. "Tao will find an escape route and be a distraction if needed.
"And of course, we have to be extra cautious because I'm not disguised here." Charlie quickly added. "So, I'm planning to kill him in a large crowd." He shifted slightly towards the back of his seat when his piercing eyes met Charlie's. "We, um, also had another plan where I would kill him secretly. And then put the blame on someone else."
Ben smirked slightly. Charlie's gut churned. The woman next to Ben was silent.
"You know…" Tao started, gazing at Charlie who quickly turned his head to look at the man. "This is probably your victim with the highest profile yet."
"What do you mean?" Charlie cocked his head a bit, confused. "I've killed princes before."
"No, I mean… There's this rumor." Tao murmured and Charlie leaned closer, his eyebrows raised in interest. "People think that Prince Nelson is some sort of demigod. His title isn't there for no reason, you know."
Charlie's eyes widened slightly. The Prince of the Sun… that's what people called Prince Nelson. Charlie assumed it was because the guy was just kind or generous or any other synonym for kind. "A demigod of the sun?” He asks and, when Tao shakes his head ‘yes’, he continues. “I doubt it. He probably started the rumor to keep himself safe.”
The other’s eyebrows knit together in concern, but he does not say anything else. The air around them remains pregnant with silence for the rest of the ride.
When the chariot arrived at the castle, Charlie gazed out of the window and at the scenery around him. The palace was tucked away on the mountainside, overlooking the kingdom below in its valley. Leaves of scarlet, orange, and gold glided in the breeze, littering the ground with splashes of vivid colors. The carriage crossed a bridge that went over a large ravine in the mountain. A violent river flowed through it and down the mountainside, creating a waterfall.
“Charlie,” Tao called to him, snapping the man from his thoughts. The other three already had their masks on and covering their faces. “Your mask.”
“Ah, right.” He whispered, in a hushed voice. Gently, he slipped on the wooden mask, hiding his face too. Glancing over, he noticed Ben smirk slightly to himself. Charlie cringed, quickly looking back out at the scenery.
It was beautiful (so much more beautiful than Ben). Charlie couldn't suppress his lips from slightly parting in awe. He always found nature glorious in its own right, but this was entirely different. The castle was covered in foliage in a way that didn’t seem too artificial yet entirely domesticated. The way in which vines crawled up and down the ivory pillars seemed so perfect. The horizon was a vivid orange as the sun had begun to settle behind it; its rays casting a warm glow onto the castle.
When the carriage came to a halt, the door was opened by two distinguishably dressed men. They bowed to the group as they piled out of the carriage. “Duke Hope.” They addressed Ben in a reverent manner, not meeting his eyes. “The Prince sends his sincerest condolences.”
Ben is silent for a moment. Then he scoffs. “Of course.”
Then, the guards look at the two behind the duke. “Who are they?” One question, asked while staring daggers directly into Charlie’s soul.
“Charles Spring and Tao Xu. They’re with me.” Ben crosses his arms, glancing at Charlie for a quick moment. “These two are from that mountainside village.”
The second guard quirked an eyebrow, examining Charlie, who just wanted to curl up and die. “You don’t see skin tan like that every day.” As the man says that, Charlie can feel Ben’s pride swelling. It always does when someone compliments Charlie. Not because he’s proud of being with Charlie, but because he’s proud of practically owning him. He treated the man as a conquest, as a prize.
And while it used to be endearing to feel so adored, Charlie had lately come to realize that, despite his place as a prize, he was disposable to Ben. Just a pawn in the duke’s sick game of chess against the king. All he wanted was the throne, which is why his next target was Prince Nelson.
Charlie flinched slightly when the guard’s thumb grazed his jawline. He let out a dark chuckle before escorting the group to the front entrance. Charlie tried to ignore the man’s piercing gaze as he walked through the large doors, side by side with Tao. Joining the deep pit of anxiety forming in his gut, his heart jumped at the décor of the ballroom.
Gold shined all around the room, on the table, walls, attendees… Charlie immediately felt out of place, because he was neither wealthy nor beautiful. Above him hung a large, crystal chandelier that hung far above the floor and over everyone. Charlie kind of wished it would just fall down on him. You have a job to do. He quickly scolded himself, you can daydream about your death later.
With a silent sigh, Charlie began to scan the room. The floor wasn’t filled yet so Charlie was able to effectively survey the ballroom. His eyes wandered around the different pieces of furniture in the room, noting miscellaneous items that could become a weapon if he needed them. Of course, it’s not like he wasn’t armed at the moment: he had a dagger in a sheath on his forearm. But, it’s always good to be prepared.
He quietly wanders off from Ben, who’s now chatting up the beautiful woman he brought. Despite how much he despises Ben, his mouth still fills with the bitterness of jealousy. He almost wants to hook up with some random aristocrat and ignore the hit, but he knew Ben could ruin his life at the drop of a hat.
So, he reframed.
Time droned on as more guests began piling in, precious stones making them flamboyantly shine. Charlie and Tao made a game of picking out random guests and guessing what their backstory would be. Tao was currently chatting up a somehow elaborate tale about the most mundanely dressed person they’d seen. The archer had always been imaginative and longed to write stories for those far and wide, but he had always been confined to their small village.
Charlie always found them interesting. Well, most of the time. He felt like this was one of those times he would must rather Tao just shut the fuck up. Charlie bounced his leg, feeling the anxiety from his gut creeping through all of his limbs. Prince Nelson hadn’t arrived yet. Of course, Charlie expected that the prince wasn’t going to be early. Hell, he could even be fashionably late to his own event. Royalty always took their sweet time. However, the problem was that the prince’s family had arrived. The king, queen, Nelson’s brother with his wife, and even Princess Jones (who Nelson was to be courted to) had their arrivals announced and were intermingling among the guests.
But Prince Nelson was not there.
He decided that he should do more exploring, maybe even find the prince and make his job a whole lot easier. Charlie made an excuse that he was going to get a drink and quickly disappeared into the crowd. He said “excuse me” to everyone he passed by, his shoulders brushing against others. They didn’t even notice him. Through the crowd, Charlie caught a glimpse of a warm glow and his eyes naturally trailed over to it.
The grow radiated from a man whose arm was held by a brunette. He stood confidently and perfectly. He wore warm toned fabrics, accented with a modest amount of gold. His mask covered his upper face, but kept his soft smile visible. His auburn hair laid perfectly, not too messy nor too restricted. Charlie felt his heart get caught in his throat. They didn’t even announce his arrival… maybe it was because his elder brother was the center of attention tonight? Charlie wondered, finding himself looking over the man a few times.
Holy shit. Prince Nelson was gorgeous .
Before Charlie could tear his eyes away from him, the prince’s deep eyes met his. Charlie felt his heart speed up. Why was he so nervous? The prince’s eyes then widened and he tore away from the woman holding him, walking towards Charlie. Guests parted as he walked, making a path for the prince.
Charlie was frozen. His breath caught in his throat. Did the prince know about my work?
He expected scorn or even anger to cover the prince’s face, but all that Charlie could deceive was awe. His eyes, despite being a deep brown, sparkled as he gazed at the slightly short man. Charlie felt his cheeks warm.
Prince Nelson cleared his throat, before speaking in a hoarse voice. “Hello.”
“Prince Nelson.” Charlie went to bow, but felt a hand on his chin, keeping him from lowering his head.
“Call me Nicholas.” He breathed, and Charlie felt his head thumping rapidly against his chest. “What shall I call you?”
“My name is Charles Spring.”
Nicholas’ smile softens, and he bows to Charlie. “Well then, my dear Springtime,” and he holds out his hand to Charlie. “May I have this dance?” He’s wearing a white, silk glove that somewhat shines a soft yellow.
Charlie’s brain short-circuits and he can only silently nod in response. He takes the prince’s hand, running his fingers over the softness of the glove. Their fingers intertwine and Nicholas pulls Charlie close to his chest, wrapping his other hand around Charlie’s waist. Charlie finds his footing and snakes his free hand onto the other’s shoulder, lightly gripping it.
Nicholas leans his head next to Charlie's, laughing quietly near his ear and whispers, "They're playing my favorite. What a coincidence."
At that, Charlie realizes that the orchestra has begun playing a piece from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. It was a waltz, a dance that Charlie found himself intimately familiar with due to his mother teaching him. He relaxed as the introduction of the piece began to subside and the true part of the melody began.
Gracefully in sync, the pair stepped and slid, the core parts of the waltz. The first movements were characterized by faint hesitancy and shyness, as the two were strangers to both person and dance. However, they quickly discovered and locked into the other's style. The two started to experiment with more confident moves; turns and twirls were elegantly added to their waltz, other dancers gradually taking notice of their poised dance. Guests began to clear a portion of the floor for the pair, gazing on as the two quickly took advantage of the space.
When Nicholas dipped Charlie on a beat, Charlie's hand unconsciously slid from his shoulder to the back of his neck. The next beat, Nicholas pulls Charlie back up right into a spin, his hand grazing his hip. The next, their hands slid from the other's body and they stepped apart, their fingers still intertwined. Then, they returned to one another and glided across the floor as the song continued.
Charlie met Nicholas' eyes from behind his mask and sighed to himself. The anxiety in his bones long since died, leaving an elated feeling in its wake. When Nicholas pulls Charlie close enough, he whispers in the prince's ear.
"Waltzes are my favorite, too."
The prince wraps his arm around him once again and hums gently in response. Charlie grips Nicholas' upper arm when he hears the song drawing to a close.
Nicholas smiles and pulls Charlie close, their bodies almost touching.. “Meet me in the observatory soon.” He murmurs. Charlie hums out a question and Nicholas answers with a simple shrug. When the piece dies, their fingers come apart as they step away. They stare at each other for a long moment, before they bow their heads to one another.
Charlie gazes around, noticing that people were staring at him. His eyes widened in fear and he scampered back into the crowd. He brushes past the guests that were now clapping. In his anxiety, he bumps against a man who roughly grabs his shoulder.
“Charles.” Ben hisses at him, holding him in place. “What the fuck was that?”
Charlie feels himself tremble and try to pull away, but the duke only grips his shoulder tighter. “I- I didn't mean for that to happen!"
"What do you mean you didn't mean for it to happen, I was watching you! I saw your face!" Ben's eyes were fierce. "You enjoyed every second of that- you-"
Charlie noticed that Ben was getting even closer. In an instant, he shoved Ben away, taking him by surprise, and ran.
He maneuvered through the guests, who seemed to also move for him. Thank god. He sighed to himself in relief as he ran into a darkened corridor. In contrast to the large ballroom, the hallway was dimly lit by many candles lining the walls. A scarlet red rug insulated his footsteps, making him practically silent as he ran down the corridor.
Charlie thinks back to what the prince told him. Meet me in the observatory. It made him want to blow his brains out because neither the prince nor himself bothered to establish a proper time or where the hell the observatory even was. He hoped that immediately was a good time for Nicholas.
He rounded a corner and slowed when he ran into a tall, winding staircase. Charlie glanced around him when he put a hand on the railing, considering his options. He wasn’t sure if this staircase led to more hallways or a dead end. It might throw Ben off, but it might also lead Ben right to him. The duke knew his practices well, which particularly involved throwing off his opponent.
Before he could rationally decide, a figure appeared down the hall. It was Ben. Charlie’s breath caught in his throat and he darted down the corridor, ignoring the other’s calls to return. He was not going to give up now, he had to go down fighting. He decided he wasn’t going to give in this time.
An endless maze of hallways and corridors, paired with the echoed threats from Ben, made Charlie’s mind spin. His stomach churned and his vision was getting blurry, which caused him to awkwardly slam against a wall. His legs buckled at the knees as he collapsed on the floor, exhausted. He took heavy and frantic breaths as he lay against the stone wall.
He didn’t need to look up to know that Ben was approaching him. He listened to the heavy footsteps and the sharp inhales. “Charles, what the hell is wrong with you!?” The man snapped at him, standing right over Charlie. “You’re ruining this night for me! Stop being so dramatic!”
Charlie felt himself trembling and curling up on himself. Ben wasn’t a stranger to violence, and Charlie often watched the man beat the life out of those he deemed criminals. Charlie was sure that the only reason he hadn’t been physically hurt was that he was easily controlled with verbal threats. How pathetic.
“Oh my god, you’re so pathetic, really!” Ben repeated his own thoughts, reading Charlie like a book. “You’re acting like a child!” Charlie felt Ben grab his forearm and aggressively yank him up, making Charlie open his eyes once exposed. Ben’s expression was uncovered, his mask discarded somewhere on the floor. He was glaring daggers at Charlie.
Charlie cleared his throat slightly with a small cough, “Ben, let go! You’re hurting me!” He tried to pull and push Ben away and off of him, but the duke only moved his hand to Charlie’s throat and pulled him up.
Charlie gasped as Ben pinned him against the wall at eye level, whilst constricting his throat. Ben’s eyes furrowed as he watched the other only struggle a bit to escape, before just grabbing Ben’s wrist weakly. “You wound me. How dare you ignore my simple requests to indulge yourself! I should kill you now!” Ben yelled at the other man, who had now shut his eyes.
His heart raced and pounded against his ribcage as voices became more distant and inaudible. Charlie couldn’t register the sound or pain when Ben dropped him on the floor. His consciousness quickly faded on the velvet carpet.