It couldn't have been a better idea. To kidnap a prince of Hoshido, and to use him against his own family in the heat of battle. Leo could already hear him from the downstairs dungeon, screaming and yelling obscenities that would easily make even the most hardened warrior gasp.
He must have been expecting Xander to come along and brutalize him, but the elder prince of Nohr was out doing other things, rather than taking his time in conversing with the loudmouthed captive.
Leo's study was lined with books, most of which were handed down to him through elders, and he had also searched for some books on his own time. Some were filled with charms and such to summon small beings from other realms, and others told folklore of fell dragons, demons, goddesses of order and descruction, and sacred stones that could bring forth the destruction or recreation of worlds...
Even his desk was filled with items he had been working on in his free time- glass jars filled with specimens, items to synthesize potions with, and other indistinguishable things that would make no sense to some.
Sitting in the lamplight, he read through passages in an old transcript about ancient magic. The book itself was about dark arts, summoning, possession and necromancy among other things. "This may be easier than I thought..." He murmured, tilting his head as he scrawled down what he needed to know about the spell he was to cast, and what needed to happen as he spoke.
The spell itself promised full devotion...to what extent? He figured that he had enough time to figure out what that meant, and if he could manipulate it himself.
Spells and magic had always been his personal favorite when it came to arts, and he enjoyed what came of it when he practiced. But, even so, he found himself becoming lonely, even with the comfort of his family and friends, Niles and Owain included.
It begged the question in the back of his mind as he walked the halls, heading for the dungeon with folded parchment in his hands. How far does devotion go, and how strong could it possibly be? He knew that the Hoshidan prince himself hated the 'Nohrian Scum' more than anyone- He even threatened to disown Corrin, which brought bitterness into his soul. He wouldn't be too offended if Prince Takumi got a little hurt in the process of his experimenting thanks to that.
The spell itself was simple; He would say all the incantations, then do as he pleased with his subject's mind. Once that was in place, he could see and go through everything in his mind and re-arrange it however he pleased. Throw in a couple of trigger words, and he'd have a walking murder machine that could easily go back to Hoshido and destroy the clan from the inside out.
Wandering down the familiar stone laden halls, the door to the dungeon was guarded by a couple sentries, whom let him pass. The sound of the angry Hoshidan could be heard, and it brought a bit of a smile to his lips. "You sound like you're having a good time down here." Leo hummed, looking the other over. The silver haired prince looked to be a bit brutalized by the guards that kidnapped him, with bruises to his temple and blood staining his shoulder.
"What do you want, you disgusting piece of Nohrian shit?" Takumi spat at his feet, not wanting him any closer than he already was. For all he cared, Leo could drop dead right in front of him and he wouldn't be worried. His smug-looking mug and his 'edgy' armor overcompensated for what he didn't have.
"I thought I'd come see you. After all, it's not often we get guests around here, and you're livening the place up. I haven't heard this palace so full of noise since Corrin was born." He teased a bit further, watching as Takumi paced the length of his cell, never breaking eye contact with the other. "I would think a prince of Hoshido like yourself would be a bit less rude to a fellow prince."
"Go fuck yourself." He growled, grabbing onto the bars of the cell, pressing his face closer to the cell. "Whatever you want, you'll never get it from me." He faltered a bit when he saw the expression Leo gave—that sickening smirk on his lips that he gave. In a snap of his fingers, Takumi's arms were pulled through the bars, his head hitting the metal with a dull clang. Quickly, Leo bound his hands while he was still able to, eyes full of wicked delight.
"You're going to help me with a little experiment of mine." Leo hummed, looking down upon the fair prince as he pulled out the folded parchment. Takumi knew he was in too deep when this happened, pulling at the binding, struggling to pull back. "Don't worry, this might not hurt, or it might hurt a lot, I'm not sure yet." Looking over the parchment, he read aloud, the words echoing in the room. At first, there was no reaction from the Hoshidan, then slowly, he started to tremble, and as Leo watched, he seemed to pale and crumbled, leaving him kneeling before the Nohrian noble. Crouching down after him, reaching through the bars to tilt his head upward. "Tell me what you have to offer."
"...My family is planning an attack soon...We were going to ambush you at one of the passes, but I fear my kidnapping will hinder that." Takumi's voice had turned gravelly as he spoke, almost as if he wasn't the one speaking.
"Tell me more. I need to know more."
"I fear Corrin may be one of your spies. I fear for the safety of my family..." This was pretty boring thus so far.
"Tell me something I don't know. Something I don't know about you or your family." Leo demanded, hoping to get something even better out of him. There had to be some odd secret or some sort of gossip he had in him.
"The first time I saw you on the battlefield," He started, breathing in shakily. "I wished you weren't fighting for Nohr. You...you have a face that was crafted by gods."
Leo's eyes widened as this truth was spoken, letting go of his chin. Looking over the parchment again, he frowned. 'Full Devotion – Uncover Deep Secrets, Deep and Hidden Affections – Finding Spell'. This was a mistake, oh, this was a mistake. "You...you can't be serious..." Maybe he could have a little fun with this... not only that, after he'd come out of it later, he'd remember what happened... that would tear him to shreds. Reaching into the cell again, he pressed a couple fingers against the prince's forehead, muttering a few words. "We'll see how you feel about me tomorrow. Hopefully your mood changes." Undoing the binding on his wrists, he let his prisoner fall backwards into the hay in the cell, turning heel and walking out. "Make sure our guest has food and water for the morning." He instructed. "Inform me when he wakes up."
The morning air was surprisingly fresh the next morning. It was one of those smells that he appreciated when it came around. The wind chimes in his room tinkled quietly as he lay in bed, running his fingers through his hair. He'd need to bathe later...and check up on the brat in the dungeon...Blinking a couple times, he thought more about it, looking at the spell he had tried on the desk. Did...it really work? It seemed like it did, but the only way to tell would be to check. After he looked over the notes on the spell, he noted that the affected would act upon their deeper truths. Maybe something would change...
Getting out of bed, he pulled on his robe, running his hands through his hair again. Since Jakob left, he hadn't usually been greeted when he woke up, leaving his morning a bit empty. The castle itself was oddly quiet. No screaming, no yelling... It was like nothing had ever happened. Wandering down to the dungeon again, everything was quiet. Takumi was right where he left him. Pulling the keys off the wall, he assumed the worst. He probably killed him by accident. But, he opened the cell anyways, the metal door creaking. Crouching down to the other's level, it was evident that he was breathing, chest rising and falling slowly.
Cautiously, he reached out to touch the other's face, when he suddenly jumped to life, gasping loudly as he scuttled away. Both of them looked at each other with wide eyes, and Takumi looked a bit more afraid than Leo did. "...Well, good morning." His voice was quiet, watching the other react.
"...Why don't I hate you?" The silver haired prince asked, squinting his eyes at the other. There wasn't any hatred, no seething anger that crept into his blood. He wasn't angry. "What did you do?"
"How do you feel?" Leo asked, tilting his head. "You feel alright?"
There was a heavy pause in the air, where Takumi stared at him. "Why are you being nice to me?"
"You think I'd be bloothirsty enough to come and torture you?" Leo asked, forcing out a bit of a smile. He might as well play the part of someone who was a bit kinder than he led on to be. "I came down to get you for breakfast."
At this, Takumi made the most awful face, crinkling his nose at the offer. "You're kidding, right? I've been captured and you're offering me breakfast in your castle. This...What the hell is this?" He frowned more.
"You know, if you keep doing that, you're going to get frown lines. Now come on. If anything, Nohrian cuisine isn't so bad." He teased lightly, offering a hand so that he could help the other up. Instead, Takumi got himself up, brushed off his clothes and gave the other a bit of a glare.
"You're up to something. I'm not sure what, but you are." He hissed, pointing a finger at the other.
"Well, you've got me. I was hoping I could get your clothes washed up after breakfast." Leo shrugged a bit more, waving him along. "Come on, I swear there's nothing that you need to worry about."
While it was hard to get his trust, he slowly followed out of the cell and up the stairs. Even so, he looked at the guards warily and looked at every handmaiden and servant as if they were the enemy.
"You don't have look at everyone like that... They're not going to get after you unless you actually try to attack them. You're really high strung." He laughed at himself, remembering that Takumi was an archer. Then again, it was the little bits of humor that usually got him in the first place. Takumi, however, did not think it was as comical and shot him a bit of a look.
"Ha. You're a real comedian." The dining hall was ornate, to start with. He was sure that Takumi was on edge because of where he was and who he was dealing with, but Leo was pretty sure that nobody could actually take him seriously while he was in pajamas and a housecoat. Then again, he could have been wrong.
"You're actually lucky. My siblings are out on their own devices, and father's visiting..." He paused, furrowing his brows. "I'm not sure where he even goes." Leo said quietly.
"Nice to know that you keep track of your father. It's not like he's dangerous or anything." It was tobe expected that the Hoshidan would be bitter, after all, their mother was dead because of actions that his father had carried out with Corrin being the bait for it all.
Watching the maids bring out two plates of food, Leo picked up one of the porcelain cups poured himself a cup of tea, offering some to the other. "Come on, you've got to eat something. I'm not starving you either." This morning, it was smoked salmon, a piece of toasted bread with butter and jam on the side, and fried eggs. "I don't know how you like your eggs, but I like mine over-hard."
"What kind of creature are you?" Takumi was giving another one of those looks, his eyes squinted and scrutinizing the other. "You put your over easy eggs into porridge and chop up the egg whites. What kind of monster likes hard eggs..." He murmured, eyeing the teapot. It must have been some sort of blended tea...the smell of Earl Grey wafted through the air...
Precariously, he poured himself a cup of tea, and picked up a sugar cube with the little tongs provided, and stirred the hot brew. Leo only smiled behind his cup, wiggling his eyebrows. Gaining his trust wouldn't be so hard...especially when he was hungry.