A/N Hi everyone! I haven't published in forever, but recently became interested and arty again, so here we go! As always, I don't own Teen Wolf, the characters, the actors or anything else of that sort.
Stiles awoke to the jostling of a horse. He slowly blinked the world into focus, dimly aware of a pounding pain in his temple. The world bobbed into focus, trees dotting either side of the path.
Stiles tried to stretch, only to realize that his limbs were bound tightly, holding him to the horse. He struggled momentarily only to attract the attention of the other man who was riding along.
"Looks like he's awake!" the man shouted, to what Stiles assumed were other men. It must have been a raiding party, Stiles realized.
Every so often there would be reports of raiders coming in to the quaint villages that populated the eastern seaboard and ransacking anything and everything they could get their hands on. Stiles' parents had always warned him to never approach the main village if anything looked off, but he was never the most observant.
He must have wandered into a village being raided when he was trying to trade milk for butter. Now he might never see his family again. Stiles whimpered at the thought and a trail of tears slowly began making their way down his dirt stained face.
The man stopped the horse and dismounted, bumping Stiles even more in the process. "If you promise not to fight I can untie you." the man said.
Stiles nodded quickly. If he had the use of his limbs back, he could try and make a run for it, no matter how ill advised the plan.
The man took out a knife and began cutting through the rope. "Don't try to run." he said, rather menacingly. "I will be supremely pissed if I have to chase you down. And see that guy over there?" he asked, nodding towards a tall man with no hair and large muscles prominently on display.
Stiles flicked his eyes over to the large guy and back to the man untying him.
"You try to run from me, and you'll get to ride with Ennis for the rest of the way. And trust me, he isn't near as nice as I can be."
The man named Ennis laughed upon hearing this.
"You've got that right, Aiden." Ennis said as he began trotting closer on the horse. "Though I have been quite lonely, maybe he can warm my bed."
Stiles shuddered and felt only mildly comforted that Aiden frowned in displeasure as he finally freed Stiles from the ropes and set him upright on the horse.
Aiden quickly mounted and urged the horse onwards, not giving Stiles a chance to become oriented with this new view on his surroundings.
As the rode in relative silence, Stiles observed that the trail they were on was covered in pine needles as if it wasn't well traveled. After several miles had passed, with no sign of any civilization, Stiles began to rethink his plan for running.
He had never been particularly fast. Or particularly good at navigating the forest as his dad was fond of reminding him. The odds were not in his favor for successfully running and so Stiles sat sternly behind Aiden, refusing to give in to the hopeless temptation of ducking off the horse and running full speed the opposite way to where they were currently headed.
They rode for what seemed like hours, with only brief stops for the bathroom. Eventually, they came across a clearing, in which the men decided to set up a temporary camp for the night. It seems even they were not keen on traversing the thick forest in the pitch blackness that would soon envelop them.
Ennis and Aiden set up a lean-to type of shelter, made of thick leaves thatching together to form a makeshift roof.
"I'll go hunting for dinner." Ennis said. "Do you have any preferences, princess?" he snarked, looking down to where Stiles was sitting on the dry forest floor.
Stiles remained silent, willing himself to not respond to the taunts. His usual sarcasm would no doubt make his situation worse.
Ennis snickered to himself before departing rapidly into the forest. Stiles watched him until he became a small speck amongst the trees before disappearing completely.
Meanwhile, Aiden had begun to unpack some things for the short stay and was in the process of making a temporary lean-to type shelter.
Stiles sat silently on the hard, cold ground, watching him work. Aiden looked up an d over at him, almost as if he could feel Stiles' gaze.
"Have you considered helping out here?" he asked.
Stiles snorted before replying, "Why should I? It's not as if I actually want to be here. I shouldn't be forced to help with something I didn't ask for."
Aiden's lip curled in amusement. "Maybe Ennis was right. Maybe we should call you princess. With a sense of entitlement like that you're going to be in for a rough go of it. I recommend you lose the attitude, get your skinny ass up and go find some wood for the fire." Aiden watched him for a moment. "That wasn't a suggestion. Find wood and be sure to come back. I'm going to be pissed if I have to go hunt you down. I might, in fact, be so pissed that I just send Ennis to find you instead."
Stiles gulped at the thinly veiled threat and slowly pulled himself into a fully upright position. He knew better than to try to run off into an unfamiliar forest, particularly when his captors seem to know it intimately.
He sluggishly began to skirt the edges of the clearing, picking up twigs and small pieces of bark. While he also knew better than to directly defy his kidnappers, he wasn't willing to fully cooperate and obey their every wish and demand.
Stiles didn't wander too far into the thick trees, making sure that Aiden could likely see him at any given point. Once he had gathered what he deemed to be a sufficient amount of wood, he fully returned to the clearing and stood silently for a moment.
When Aiden didn't immediately acknowledge him, Stiles cleared his throat and asked "Where do you want this?"
"You can put it next to the fire pit. Do you know how to start a fire?" he asked. Stiles shook his head to signal that he did not. "Of course. It's probably for the best."
Stiles laid the wood next to the charred hole in the ground and resumed his spot on the ground, sitting with his knees pulled close to his chest and his head resting on top of his knees.
The sun had almost completely vanished by the time Ennis came loping back into camp with two rabbits held by their ears, blood dripping down their soft fur. Aiden had a quiet conversation with Ennis before taking one of the rabbits.
Stiles closed his eyes and pressed his face into his knees. He'd never had a strong enough stomach for blood, particularly that of animals. He remained in that position, letting the breeze ruffle his hair and shirt softly.
Eventually, Aiden came over with a plate of roasted and slightly charred rabbit. "Eat. It's all you'll get before we reach the village sometime tomorrow."
Stiles halfheartedly nibbled on the rabbit, finding it to be tough from overcooking. He choked down as much as he could before ditching the rest on the ground. Aiden and Ennis appeared to enjoy it much more than Stiles did and quickly finished the remainder of the rabbit meat before extinguishing the fire with wooden buckets filled with water from the small stream behind the clearing.
"You'll sleep with us." Aiden explained as Ennis began to make himself comfortable in the makeshift shelter.
Stiles gulped. "I'd prefer not to."
"Fine." Aiden gritted his teeth. "You can sleep out here, but I'm going to tie you up because, frankly, I don't believe you won't try to run off while we're asleep. Stand up and put your arms behind you."
Stiles did as he was told while Aiden went to fetch some rope. He quickly returned and roughly bound Stiles's wrists together, forcing his shoulder blades together. Aiden paused for a moment, and Stiles could feel his gaze upon him.
"Pick where you're going to spend the night and get settled. I'm tying your feet together too."
Stiles looked around, considering all of the space equally before settling on a spot beneath a tall pine tree, directly across from the makeshift shelter. "What if I need the bathroom?" he asked quietly.
Aiden laughed a little, "Then I guess you should hold it until morning. Or you'll be meeting the village with wet trousers."
Stiles ducked his head, he could feel his cheeks reddening at the thought of wetting his pants like a child. He lied down obediently with his ankles close together. Aiden wasted no time tying his ankles together, the coarse rope biting into his soft flesh.
"Have a good night, princess!" Ennis called from across the clearing. Aiden chuckled as he made his way to the shelter.
Stiles laid silently beneath the great pine. As the wind rustled the needles, Stiles began to softly weep at the thought of his family. His dad was a small farmer and his mother made dresses for the local girls and to sell at the general store. They weren't rich but they lead a comfortable life. It was only last week that his mother had announced that she was expecting a baby that would arrive in the winter. Stiles had been so excited to become a big brother after being an only child for a long 16 years. And to just think, he would never get to experience the joy of holding his baby brother or sister.
His tears were flowing freely by the time he forced himself to think of other things. Stiles counted the brightly lit stars in the night sky until he felt his eyes drifting closed.
He slept fitfully through the night; waking in bouts of panic and sleeping through nightmares of the situation he found himself in. When Stiles woke for the final time the sun was just beginning to rise above the tree line, the sky lit in beautiful hues of pink and orange with a faint purple outline.
Stiles hadn't been awake for any significant amount of time before Aiden and Ennis began to stir.
Aiden approached Stiles in his prone position on the forest floor. "Are you ready to get up?" he asked.
Stiles nodded in confirmation before Aiden untied his ankles and wrists. Stiles noticed that his wrists bore faint purple bruises and his shoulders ached. Stiles rubbed his shoulders while he stood up.
Aiden allowed him to seclude himself behind a berry bush to do his morning business. He returned quickly, not wanted to ire the two men who seemed to be very much not morning people.
Aiden directed him to help pack up the supplies and pour more water on the fire pit. Stiles did as he was told and took the opportunity to was his face and armpits while gathering more water for the pit.
Before he knew it, Stiles was saddled on the brown horse from yesterday behind Aiden. Ennis quickly joined them on the other horse before they took off at a steady pace.
The constant motion combined with the rabbit meat from the prior night left Stiles feeling nauseous. He gritted his teeth against the impending sick and tried to take deep breaths. Motion sickness had never been a plight that he suffered, but he supposed that the combination of strange meat, a poor night's rest, and the steady motion was enough to affect him poorly. Stiles tried his best to wait it out but before long his mouth began to water, signaling that vomiting would soon follow.
"I'm going—to be sick." Stiles choked out, pausing in the middle to take a deep breath.
"What?!" Aiden demanded slowing the horse before they came to a complete halt. "Ennis, hold up! He says he's going to be sick." Aiden shouted ahead to Ennis, who had continued riding. At the news, Ennis stopped his horse and turned to look at Stiles, who barely managed to get off the horse before being spectacularly sick at the base of a tree.
Aiden made a gagging noise before handing Stiles a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. "Are you better now?"
"I think so." Stiles's voice was hoarse but his stomach was much calmer. Aiden helped him back onto the horse before resuming their prior pace.
"If you feel sick again, let me know." Aiden said as they caught back up with Ennis. "I really don't want you throwing up on me."
Stiles mumbled a response before letting his eyes slide closed, not out of sleep but out of exhaustion.
They rode for most the day and just as the sun was beginning to wane from the bright sky, signs that they were approaching a village began to appear. The trail became more pronounced, organized planting patterns became apparent and several dogs ran about.
The first signs of people came in the form of a wood cabin with children on the front porch. Two small boys dressed only in breeches appeared to be roughhousing with each other. Stiles watched them keenly as they passed by.
"Where's your father?" Aiden queried as they came directly adjacent to the house.
"He's meeting with Alpha!" The little boy exclaimed.
"Be good boys and run ahead. Let them know that we're back." Aiden told them, and the boys disappeared through some trees, proving that they clearly knew the area well.
Stiles could hear their chatter echoing through the forest. "They're back! They're back!" the little boys chanted, over and over again."
The small party traveled further into the village. Wooden cabins lined the path, eventually splitting into a large circle, in the center of which stood a long wooden building with ornate dream catchers ordaining all the doors and windows that Stiles could see.
Aiden halted the horse and they both dismounted. Stiles looked over and confirmed that Ennis had done the same. The door swung open with great pomp and out strolled a man who looked to be of some import. He was wearing light tan breeches and a fur cape across his shoulders.
Aiden and Ennis immediately lowered their eyes and Stiles did the same, lest he insult someone important and get himself killed.
"I'm glad you returned safely. With many goods, I presume?" the man asked.
"Yes, Alpha. We have brought many things that will be of great use." Ennis answered, in a tone much nicer than Stiles had ever heard.
The man nodded before turning his attention to Stiles. "And who might this be?"
"This is Stiles. He was the son of a farmer, I thought he would be of some use in the village. He's young and strong and despite having an attitude, he follows direction fairly well." Aiden vouched.
"I see. Well, Stiles, welcome to our humble village. I'm the Alpha of these people, and you should refer to me as such." the man's gaze dwelled on Stiles, who, in return, blushed until he was sure his face would catch fire, unused to such attention. "Come with me, and I'll show you where to sleep; I'm sure you must be exhausted."
"Yes…" Stiles paused, "Alpha."
The Alpha smiled and pulled Stiles between two cabins and led him to a smaller cabin towards the back of the village. "You do take direction well. This is where you will live for now. You will share the space with my nephew so don't get any ideas about running off. He makes Ennis look like a fluffy bunny." Stiles gulped at the news. This certainly was not going to be a pleasant situation for him to be in. "I must leave for now. But Stiles? You can call me Peter."
And with that the Alpha Peter swept out of the cabin, leaving Stiles stunned into silence.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave me a comment, PM, or any other form of friendly communication. No promises, but I should update once a week on Saturday/Sunday depending on your location. :)