Ralph heard the whispers, as did every other person in the room. Women fidgeted and men shook their heads, shooting frightened or stern looks at the new young man who was currently being carried in front of the fair prince, by two strong guards. The blonde boy stood straighter on his throne, and tried to perceive better what was going on, as the crowd of people in the Throne Room parted to let the guards and the prisoner pass.
"What's this?" Ralph asked curiously as he looked down on the two guards, who were flanking a thin, sinewy boy, with wild red hair on his head, probably a little older than Ralph.
"He was caught stealing again, your Majesty." One of the guards grudgingly replied as he gave the redheaded boy a push. "He's been doing this for months. Robbing people and frightening them with his devil looks."
Ralph noticed the red boy clenching his jaw in anger and throwing the guard who had pushed him a vicious, burning look. He cleared his throat to attract the boy's attention and did it again when he noticed the boy was still settled on killing the guard with his stare. Ralph lost his patience.
"You." He called. The red boy looked in his direction and Ralph stopped, taken aback by the intense fury in his icy blue eyes, now being directed at him. Ralph tried to recover for a moment, before he continued. "What's your name?"
The red boy remained silent, obviously intent on not responding him. Then the guard gave him a push again and the red boy curved his mouth in an ugly snarl.
"The prince asked you a question, thief." The guard spoke harshly.
Ralph saw the boy clenching his fist and he prayed for no more violence. He'd had enough with all the wrongdoers being beaten in front of him by his guards for disobeying.
"Merridew." The red boy still looked at Ralph, the frightening fury still in his gaze, but now a spiteful grin marring his dirty face, the sudden peculiar change in his expression surprising the fair boy.
The name sounded familiar to Ralph. He wanted to ask, but the guard answered him quicker than expected.
"He's of the old, noble Merridew family. They lost their fortune, the witch of his mother was executed by the Great Inquisition and his father is a lunatic." He stopped, throwing a disgusted look at the boy. "And it seems his kid is even more lunatic than the old man." He spat."Devil spawn."
Ralph felt a little sick at the information. He had heard of witches being burned, especially those with red hair. Those were of the most evil sort, or so he had heard. He was never sure what to believe, he was a little doubtful regarding this sort of things, but his father always told him to keep away from townspeople and Ralph had spent most of his life inside the castle or on its surroundings and he had never seen many people with red hair, like this boy. He wasn't beautiful, he was dirty, his long face was too freckled, he didn't even hold a small part of Ralph's looks, with his fair, smooth skin and hair. And those icy eyes were too intense, they frightened Ralph, who had never been too bothered by almost anything, until now.
In spite of all these, his image was fascinating to the fair prince. He didn't recall ever seeing such a person before.
"What should we do with him, your Majesty?" The guard asked.
"Yeah, your Majesty." Merridew imitated with contempt, barring his teeth in an even more ferocious grin. "Why don't you kill me, your Majesty? I bet you can do anything, everyone listens to you, with those pretty looks o' yours."
Gasps echoed in the great room and Ralph remained petrified at the words, as one of the guards drew out his sword, while the other pushed the red boy so hard, he fell on the floor. There was a struggle, as someone yelled how dare you address the prince like that, there was a scream in pain and Ralph's heart stopped in fear, thinking the boy had been badly hurt. He stood up and saw it was the boy who had actually bitten the guard's hand like a wildling, so hard it drew blood, and the guard had to drop his sword in agony. The other guard raised in turn his own sword to put him down and Ralph screamed, almost desperately.
"Stop it! Don't kill him! Stop right now!"
The guard intent on killing him halted his sword and grabbed the boy by the arm instead. The red boy struggled violently and it seemed he was quite strong, as he was making it difficult for the man to hold him. The other guard, with the bleeding hand, approached to help, although he had a seemingly murderous look on his face. Ralph panicked even more at this.
"Sir!" The fair boy interrupted. The guard put a stop in his tracks and turned to him "Don't do anything to him. Just take him to the dungeons."
The guard remained astounded.
"But, my prince, he insulted you and severely bit my hand. He must be executed, or at least punished in some sort of way."
Ralph got annoyed at the suggestions.
"I don't care. Just do what I say."
People gave him strange looks and Ralph felt a little too conscious of them, but he shook them off. He descended the stairs of the throne, before he passed Merridew, hung by the arms of the guards, his mouth covered in blood, even though Ralph didn't know if it was from his own wounds or the wound he had caused the guard. Ralph tried to see his face once more without being too obvious, as he passed, but the red boy was kneeling, while still trying to catch his breath after all the commotion, and the fair boy renounced at the idea. People were still watching him and Ralph himself wasn't sure why he wanted to see Merridew's face and why he was saving him in the first place. It was odd.
Just as he heard his guards dragging the red boy after them, another thought formed in the fair boy's mind, a thought that he was sure it was going to lead him into serious trouble for the first time in his life.
He waited for the night to come, before he took one of his cloaks and a torch and descended the stairs, right into the dungeons of the castle, to the prisoners' cells. As he reached the entrance of the passage that led to the right half of the dungeons, he demanded the guard standing at the entrance of the tunnel to give him the keys to the last one.
"I have to ask Merridew more questions, to see if I will order his execution or not." Ralph explained, mentally berating himself for finding such an excuse, even though he knew that was the only one that worked really well, when trying to convince his father's men. The guard looked at him for a moment, before he reluctantly offered him the key and moved aside to let the fair boy pass.
Ralph was a little tentative about walking alone in that tunnel, even though he had been there before. It always gave him a sentiment of uncertainty. As he passed dark, humid walls and sinister cells, he stopped in front of the last one and inhaled deeply, before he gathered more courage and opened the massive wooden door. And the fair prince almost turned back to the sight that greeted him. Or rather, the lack of.
There was darkness of a pitch black inside and the torch in the fair boy's hand only enlightened a small part of the cell, including soiled, wet, cold stone walls, even more soiled floor and a corner with the dark form of a young man whom Ralph perceived to be Merridew. The prince hesitated, before he mentally gathered more courage, consoling himself with the fact that the thief was in chains and the guard was still in the tunnel. There wasn't anything that could happen to him, even though the small doubt was still in the fair boy's heart.
He still asked himself why he was doing this again, but no sense was made in Ralph's mind. He did it because he wanted to. Because he found Merridew too fascinating for his own good. Because he was curious about many things. As Ralph approached more, but still remained at a considerable distance, the light fell on the other boy's dirty face and the fair boy almost dropped the torch in his hand at the sight of the red boy's eerie eyes staring at him from the darkness. Ralph got somewhat annoyed at how easily impressed and frightened he was by someone not much older than him.
Merridew seemed to notice Ralph's uneasiness and internal battle, because the fierce grin made its way on his face for the second time that day.
"Why, if it isn't the holier-than-thou pretty prince." He grinned, but didn't make another move, to Ralph's relief, who tried to ignore all the mockery. "What, came here to gloat, see me miserable and filthy in this hellhole?"
"You should be glad I saved your life, because you would have been dead by now." Ralph furrowed his brow. He had never been so defied by anyone, in his entire life. And it was so strange, because the more that boy insulted him, the more he wanted to know about him.
The redhead widened his eyes and pretended a mock gasp.
"Oh, thank you so much, your Majesty." He jerked and there was clinging of chains and the red boy was suddenly at his feet, pretending to kiss them. Ralph jumped back terrified, before he fled to the other end of the cell, his heart wildly beating in apprehension.
"Stay away from me!" The fair boy breathed as the red boy gave a rough laugh, before a fit of coughs overtook him for a few seconds. Ralph calmed down a little and softened at seeing the deplorable state the young man was in. After the coughs stopped, Ralph burst out.
"So, is it true?" He asked. "Was your mother actually killed for being considered a witch?"
Merridew scrutinized him provocatively.
"Well, look at me. How do you think she looked like?"
Ralph paused as he watched the boy in front of him, an image of bizarre, desolation and chaos. He looked at the shocking red hair and those light blue eyes, the fury still present, but more diminished than before, as new emotions were now placed there, and the fair boy recognized pain and remorse.
Ralph made a few steps forward, uncertain.
"And…are you?" He muttered, before he swallowed. "Are you actually, you know…" He averted his eyes. "Devil spawn?"
He settled his gaze on the boy and he noticed the corners of his mouth curling upwards and Ralph felt like a fool for a moment, when he thought Merridew was going to start laughing at him again. He wanted to take back his question, when the rough voice of the other boy made itself heard.
"Yes, I am."
Ralph froze, his eyes glued to the redhead in front of him. He was torn in two, one part of him severely doubting the madman's words, while the other believed in them, which heightened his foolish curiosity, even though he was mostly sure the red boy was making fun of him. Then an idea came to him. He was going to turn the tables.
"Are you really? You know, my mother has actually read to me Arthur and Merlin's stories and Merlin was devil spawn too. But he had powers, he was a wizard. Are you a wizard too, Merridew?"
The fair boy crossed his arms smugly, analyzing the red boy's features and how they changed from slightly amused, to dark and harshly serious, when the thief realized the prince was now making fun of him and asking him tricky questions. But the turned tables didn't last long, because the redhead suddenly turned his mouth in the same twisted smile, startling the fair boy again.
"And what if I say I am? What will you do? Order my execution faster?"
Ralph stared at him with large eyes.
"No." He retorted.
That was it. That was the excuse. The perfect excuse Ralph needed to free him. They both knew that discussion was a charade.
'Merridew was special and Ralph needed him as his counsel and servant. Because he was special. He was a wizard. He would protect the prince and the kingdom's people'. That was what Ralph going to tell everyone, so he could get away with freeing a criminal for nothing. People were mindless fanatics. They would have believed that. They believed in wizards and monsters and ghosts. They would have believed Merridew was a wizard. And they would have feared Ralph too for having someone like that by his side.
Not to mention that he could have gone outside the castle and see the world, if Merridew was with him to guard him. His father wasn't going to be that protective anymore. He wasn't going to prohibit Ralph's exit, he was finally going to let him outside the castle. It was perfect.
The fair boy made a few steps forward as he pulled out the shackles' keys from between the folds of his robes and showed them to the dirty boy.
"I'm going to set you free now." Ralph said tentatively.
Merridew looked at him eerily.
"Why?"
"Because you will work for me. You will be my servant."
The red boy gawked at him blankly for a few moments, before he started laughing like a lunatic that had just escaped from the madhouse.
"And what's so amusing?" Ralph frowned, irritated and somewhat alerted. The red boy's amusement stopped abruptly. He remained with a roguish smile on his face.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. I will be your servant, all right."
Ralph stared at him annoyed and distrustful, the feeling of being tricked consuming him once more. He was more than sure he was going to be deceived by the red boy, but he decided he didn't care that much at that point. He was going to risk it for his own purposes. He had to risk it. There were so many benefits he could have gotten from Merridew, that he had to try to free him.
Ralph knew he had small chances of actually getting what he wanted, given the red boy's mental sanity and the fact that he was constantly mocking and taking Ralph for a naïve person and he was sure the red boy was going to do something to him, sooner or later. He just hoped he wasn't going to get killed.
"You have to promise you won't kill me, if I free you. That you won't do anything to me." Ralph spoke, circumspect.
"I promise I won't." The redhead raised his shackled hands in defeat, amusingly serious. They looked at each other for a few more moments, before Ralph approached and bent next to him, unshackling his wrists in a hurry, while feeling Merridew breathing down his neck, giving him shivers. The heavy metal landed on the floor with a heavy thud, before Ralph quickly backed away from him, putting a considerable distance between them.
"Alright." Ralph spoke, somewhat insecure. He looked at Merridew, prepared for any reaction, particularly violent ones, but the other boy was just rubbing his bruised wrists as he stood up and expectantly returned the stare.
"Well, what are you waiting for, prissy pants? You have freed me, let's get out of here already." Merridew spoke and Ralph frowned at the insult, as he turned and opened the door.
"Stop calling me names." The blonde boy muttered annoyed. He felt the redhead too close behind him already, as they were walking in the tunnel, and he made a few more hurried steps, so he could get away from him. Merridew didn't answer, although Ralph felt him closing the distance between them again, almost sticking to Ralph.
The fair boy sensed panic and sweat dripping down his temples as he saw the guard at a distance in front of them, enlightened by the torches. The man was already in alert when he spotted Ralph with the red boy following him. When the two boys were close enough to the guard, the latter raised his weapon alarmed.
"My prince!" He exclaimed. "Stand behind me quickly, the madman has escaped!"
Ralph heard Merridew snort behind him, but he quickly took matters into his hands.
"I have freed him, sir." The prince spoke, trying to appear calm and sure of himself. "I have decided to make him my right hand."
The guard knitted his brow in confusion.
"But how? He is an outlaw and a proscribed thief."
Ralph carried on.
"No matter. Merridew is not like the others. He's special and he's also a sorcerer." At this the guard gasped and backed away in fear and Merridew almost burst out laughing. Ralph quickly elbowed him in the gut, before they appeared suspicious, and the redhead grunted as the air was knocked out of him.
"Would you stop looking so amused." Ralph hissed quietly as he turned his head and looked him straight in the eye. "He's going to tell." The red boy growled something, apparently resentful of Ralph's earlier punch, but other than that, he tried to arrange his features in a blank expression.
"Sorry, prissy pants." He half mouthed, purposely using the insult again. Ralph scowled, before he turned to the bewildered and uneasy guard, who was gaping at them in agitation.
"No need to worry, sir." The fair boy smoothly continued. "Merridew will protect me and my kingdom. And now, if you are so kind as to move aside and let us pass, I will be really grateful to you."
The guard still looked at them dumbly for a few more moments, before he slightly bowed, stepped aside and almost backed into the wall when the red boy passed near him.
Ralph would have laughed too at the entire display and would have been surprised as to why a grown up man, forged and roughened up in battle, was so afraid by a fifteen years old boy, but Merridew was already almost as tall as the guard, despite being less muscular, not to mention his red looks that inspired fear in those superstitious people. Plus the fact that Ralph was going to tell them he was a wizard. Everyone would have feared him for then on. And Ralph could have done anything when the red boy was with him. It was going to be marvelous.
The two boys walked in silence for a while and Ralph heard the sounds of their heavy breathing and steps echoing in the tunnels and hitting the stone walls. They reached stairs at one point, then the massive door that led to the upper part of the castle. As Ralph pulled out another set of keys to open the door, he felt a firm hand on his back, almost pushing him into the wall on the side of the door and the fair boy yelped and dropped the keys. His mouth was covered by a rugged hand, before he even had the time to comprehend what was going on.
"Now I'm going to take these keys and bid you farewell, fancy boy." The redhead viciously spoke into his face, keen blue eyes boring into Ralph's wide green ones. The prince yelled into the thief's palm, but the red boy was intent on acting according to his own will. He analyzed the fair boy, eyes scrunched up, as if he was planning something.
"I will tie you up and I need both hands to do it. But if I take my hand off of your mouth so that I can tie you, you will surely scream for help and that is not in my benefit." Merridew grumbled, apparently dissatisfied with this conclusion.
Ralph stared a little longer, wide eyed, before he struggled more and yelled muffled words into his palm. Merridew growled annoyed, before he violently backed Ralph into the wall, one hand hurtfully holding the fair boy's arms behind his back, while the other still on his mouth. Ralph's body thrummed with fear and anxiety as he was unsure what the savage in front of him was formulating in his mind but he didn't have time to think of the possibilities.
The red boy took his hand away and Ralph opened his mouth, prepared to yell, before something else slammed itself onto his mouth and the fair boy's eyes almost popped out when he saw the other boy's mouth covering his own. The prince froze, shock inducing his system when it dawned on him that Merridew was kissing him. He was kissing him. Like men did with women. And that did not go well for the fair boy's mental health.
He fought and opposed, but it seemed he was powerless as Merridew kept him like in a cage, the other boy's arms surrounding him in a tight grip. Ralph still panted for air from all the thrashing and the effort, and the slightly open mouth provided the perfect opportunity for the aggressor. Merridew pried his lips further and invaded the crevice, a warm, wet tongue tangling with his own and Ralph whimpered quietly into his mouth, the act doing something to his mind and body. It was wrong, wrong on so many levels and yet he struggled less and less, until he remained limp in the red boy's arms, head thrown back, and mouth becoming more and more compliant, until he found himself responding to the harsh movement, in his own clumsy way. He had never kissed anyone before, but kissing the red boy felt better than anything he had ever experienced in his life, despite that he was still partially tormented by the immoral act in which they were engaging.
It was like he couldn't stop himself, his body burned in every place the red boy touched him, his lips were on fire beneath the bruising kisses. He felt the redhead's hands on his lower back, groping underneath his robes, and the fair boy moaned at feeling Merridew fondle him through his trousers, calloused hands rubbing at his crotch, then trailing his sides, until they reached his behind, grabbing at his rear with a force that left him panting and voicing embarrassingly loud moans. The redhead growled into his mouth at hearing the sounds the fair boy was making, before he forcefully slammed his hips into the other boy's, pushing into him, while his mouth trailed the side of his face, leaving a wet trail, until it reached the fair boy's neck. His teeth firmly grated against the smooth skin, determined on making his mark.
"A-ah-Merridew-"
"It's Jack, alright," The redhead grumbled into his neck, before he retreated his head, face a few inches above the other boy's. The fair boy's brow glistened with sweat as did his lips, swollen and red, from the red boy's wet, rough mouth. They looked at each other in silence for a few moments, heavily panting and flushed.
"Jack." The fair boy repeated quietly, almost in a daze. A low, broken sound was pulled out from his throat, when the redhead took his lips again, but far less intense than before, their kisses slow, open-mouthed and gentle, both boys murmuring into each other. The fair boy heaved his hips, trying to force them into the red boy's, but they only met air, as the other suddenly pulled away and ended the kiss with a loud smack.
Merridew wickedly smiled down at him, and Ralph's daze turned into cold consciousness when he noticed he couldn't move his arms, as they were immobilized behind his back. And that's when he realized that Merridew had tied his hands during their small session with a ripped piece from his robes. He had been tricked.
"Didn't think that would work, but it apparently did." Merridew grinned, showing his sharp teeth. He bent and took the keys from Ralph's feet, before he gave the fair boy a small, sarcastic salute. Ralph boiled inside as he turned even redder, from anger and from the method the thief had used to trick him.
"You won't get away with this, Merridew!" He snapped furiously. "My guards will find you and you will be thrown back into my dungeons!"
Merridew frowned, but didn't retort to that. He turned around and quickly put the keys inside the lock, urgently opening the door, probably decided on fleeing the place before Ralph even had time to scream, even though the fair boy didn't do anything in that sense. He gazed at the redhead, his anger diminishing, as his heart was still beating loudly inside his chest, from everything that had just happened.
"Jack." He called softly. The redhead froze, especially at hearing his first name again, and in such a manner. He turned his head, bolting, eerie eyes scrutinizing Ralph with a power that the fair boy didn't think it was possible. They looked at each other, before the fair boy spoke first.
"You can have a good life here." He paused, as the red boy narrowed his eyes, clearly displeased with Ralph's attempt to delay him. The fair boy was getting more and more longing, as he already imagined that the other boy would be with him all the time, if he stayed. He imagined their previous act repeating and even more than that; blood rushed into his cheeks, his heart thumping louder in his ears. "Y-you will not starve and you will get one of the best chambers and really good clothes. You won't have to steal anymore to survive."
The redhead gaped with vile eyes at him, before he ferociously approached him and Ralph jumped at how quickly he got into his face. "Do you actually think I will accept being your servant?" He spat. "Do you actually think I will ever accept being anyone's servant?" He stared in madness. "Never."
"But why?" Ralph retorted, desperate. "You will have a good life, a way better life than what you have now!"
Merridew gave an insane, wild laugh, and the fair boy's left warmth vanished completely at seeing him acting like the worst maniac. His amusement brusquely turned into icy fury, as he leaned forward and hissed.
"You don't know anything about my life, alright? So shut the bloody hell up."
Ralph looked at him startled and shaken up, no words remained, as something painful gnawed at his gut. The redhead's expression softened a little, before his hand reached up to touch the smooth side of the fair boy's face, and Ralph slightly recoiled at the gesture.
"I would take you with me, but you would give me too much trouble. " He spoke with a frightening stillness. "Way too much, even for me."
Ralph felt like he was holding his breath, the strange pulsing through his body returning at the proximity and sudden softness of the other boy. He knew it was another trick, just like the last one, but he couldn't stop the fluttering in his stomach and the heat that spread under his skin.
The hand fell and the red boy gave him one last intense look, before he turned and opened the door, and Ralph was jolted from his reverie.
"Jack!" He called panicked and fearful. "Don't be foolish! You will be caught sooner or later!"
But the red boy just smiled.
"Maybe. Until then…see you later, prissy pants."
With that, he was gone, leaving the fair boy in an emotional tangle and turmoil, the deafening silence loud in his ears, while he still breathed harshly from the confrontation. It was as if the fiercest storm had passed through his life and left it in a mess. Merridew had been the most unusual and mystifying being that he had ever encountered, but also the most thrilling one.
He had been like a shadow, like a demon that captivated him, before he cunningly deceived him. Deceived him into wanting to see him again, into wanting to be with him and belong with him, in spite of the fact that it was sinful and atrocious and unwanted in their world.
And as he gazed at the pale, yellow glow of the torch flame that fell on the cold walls, the fair prince realized that he really had been spellbound by a sorcerer.