The lack of body should have been the first hint that something was wrong but as Cor stared in abject horror at the looped tape playing on the screens of the Niflheim base commander's desk; the only thing he can think of is how much he has failed his king. The video restarts once more, Cor having no idea how many times he had watched it now or how long he had been standing motionless with his sword dangling precariously from his limp hand. None of it mattered in the face of the revelation he had received. "Is the sight so hypnotic for you that you cannot bear to look away Immortal Marshall?" The voice jerked Cor out of his shocked state, making the solider turn around to find its source. The voice chuckled darkly, "No need to took so lost but then again, I couldn't really expect anything else from a dog of Lucis, one so use to licked the king's ass in return for the slightest praise."
Cor roared, "IZUNIA! WHERE IS HE?" The soldier was finally able to spot the blinking light of a radio and he walked angrily over to it, hand gripping his katana's handle as he demanded answers from the man undoubtedly responsible for the current situation. Ardyn's voice rang out once more, his voice teasing, "Is that any way for a dog to beg for a treat? Surely Regis trained you better than that?" Cor gritted his teeth together, barely hanging on to his temper and forcing himself to respond in the way Ardyn wanted, "Please, I beg of you Chancellor, where is my king?" The anger turned the words into lead in his stomach, he had to swallow convulsively to make the bitter taste of bile disappear from his mouth. He half expected what Izunia said, "No. The whole point of playing fetch with a dog is to see them run after their toy, isnt it? You have what you need in the base. Now fetch Dog." The red light turned off leaving Cor alone with the continuous video playing behind him.
Cor's scream as he half collapsed on the floor was filled with pain,anger and anguish; bringing all the Crownguards who heard it running, weapon in hand to help their leader face whatever had caused him to scream in such a terrifying manner. Each of them found themselves stunned to see their Marshall collapse in front of a silent radio while a looped video showing Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII collared like a dog being dragged by his hair into a kennel cage by none other then the Chancellor of Niflheim himself, played behind the man. Monica wrenched her eyes away from the horrible sight to check up on her friend and commander. "Marshall?" Cor shifted his eyes slightly to look at Monica, the Marshall's eyes were slowly filling with burning determination and hatred. After a few seconds of stunned silence filled only with the low muttering of his Crownguards, Cor pushed himself up with a bit of help from his second-in-command before he started giving his orders, "Search through everything in the base! No matter how small or insignificant it seems! We must find where his Majesty is being held!" The Crownguards responded to his orders with a roar of determination, all of them scattering throughout the base and rushing to find anything that would lead them to their king's location. Cor had to force himself not to glance back at the video as he left the room to Monica, making a simple promise to himself. He would find his King and save him no matter what the cost.
A week later, the Marshall watched with sharp eyes as an airship slowly descended into the Niflheim refueling base, one that the Crownguards had managed to captured a day ago in preparation for this very event. He shared a look over to Monica and then with a nod, both soldier ran from their hiding place as the doors opened from within the ship. Cor headed straight for the MT's operating the doors, not allowing it to start closing them back as he separated the mechanical head from the rest of its body. Monica shouted to him, "Go! Find his Majesty, we'll take care of the rest!" Cor nodded and ran deeper into the airship without a single glance backwards, intent only on a single thing: find his /Cor never hesitated as he struck down everything in his path, quickly making his way to the security center where he would be able to see where everything and everyone were within the airship. It was protected by a few MT's and manned by 5 human officers. None of them stood a chance in front of Cor's wrath, struck down by a single blow each even as the Marshall started looking through the many view screens that covered the room. He stepped over the bodies to start scrolling through the different cameras, seeing his soldiers spreading through the airship without any trouble, the resistance from the Niflheim MTs and human officers no match for the fury and determination that fueled the Crownguards. "Monica, take a group and head towards the command center of the ship! We need to take control of it as soon as possible! Lorino, take your men and head to the engine room, make sure the MTs don't try to destroy the airship! I think I found his Majesty. Have someone come up to the security room to take over for me!"
Cor was staring at the only room with no camera's within its walls, a plaque beside the security reader marked the room as the Captain's private quarters. Cor growled low in his throat, seeing the bloody hand print visible even through the grainy camera feed, a hand print Cor was intimately familiar with from years of service in both official and unofficial capacity. Noting the way from a nearby map of the airship, Cor left the room and ran down the grey metallic halls of the airship, hearing the slowly fading sounds of fighting echoing on the metal walls.
Cor only had to strike down a few MTs as he made his way to the Captain's quarters; most of the small human crew having already been dealt with by his soldiers and the MTs being slowly destroyed as they were found. The Marshall tried the door, not surprised when he found it to be locked. Not wanting to waste anytime trying to find the Captain or a way to overwrite the security lock, Cor simply destroyed the security reader beside the door, reaching into the many wires until he found the one Cid had told him would disengage the magnetic locks on Niflheim airships. He grinned in gratitude as the door hissed open, making a mental reminder to send Cid a bottle of his favorite wine later before hurrying in and looking around. The Captain's quarters was more of a suite, the entrance of which Cor stood in, and Cor didnt bother with being discreet or stealthy as he started shouting, "Your Majesty? Can you hear me!" while moving to the closest door.
The Marshall opened the door, finding a strangely luxurious bathroom within, his body tensing as he noticed the dry blood in a corner of the cold metal floor. He quickly turned away and headed to the next door, voice raising again to call for Regis, "Regis! Please answer me!" Cor bite his lips as he heard no reply or sound, opening door after door but finding only empty rooms with the occasional blood marking some of its surfaces. As he started back towards the door he had entered by, Cor finally heard something other then his own voice. It was very faint, barely more then a scratch against a metallic surface but after the minutes of silence and worry, the sound was more then enough for Cor to rush toward its origins.
The sight beyond the small door leading to something barely larger then a utility closet caused Cor to drop his sword in shock and anguish as he practically threw himself inside to reach his king, "Regis!". The king of Lucis was chained to the metal wall, forced on his knees with his wrists tied to his ankles which were spread painfully wide with a spreader bar. Regis' back was curved backwards to prevent the collar from choking him, his mouth pried wide open by a too large red gag. Teary eyes caught unto Cor's frantic ones as the man reached out to touch his king and the love of his life in relief only for Regis to flinch at the touch. Cor sprang back, eyes worried as he whispered to Regis, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Love!" Cor now seeing the deep purple bruises that marked every inch of his lover's naked body, whimpering at the sight,tears falling unnoticed from the soldier's eyes as he tried to find how to free his love from his cruel position without causing more harm.
"I'm sorry, freeing you is going to hurt. I'll try to make it fast." Cor whispered as he pressed a tender kiss on Regis' forehead before getting up to be able to reach the lever that would most likely release the chains holding his king in that cruel position. He placed his body in front of Regis', a hand ready to catch the too thin man as he pushed the lever up and heard the grind of mechanical parts start to move. Regis screamed from behind the gag as the chains holding his collar released suddenly, the release of pressure forcing his weight on his spread legs and weakened knees, making Cor drop to his aid immediately. Regis whimpered as he rested his forehead on Cor's shoulder while the Marshall worked to take off his gag while whispering to him, "I have you, I have you now." Regis could taste blood as the gag came off, the raw edges of his mouth bleeding when the metal chains holding the gag was taken away, reopening the cuts it had caused. Regis whispered, his voice barely heard after astral knew how long without more then the minimal amount of water given to him, "Cor..."
Cor pressed soft kisses to his king's shoulders and face, where ever he could reach and not cause the injured man more pain, "Its ok, Reg. Don't worry about a thing for now. Conserve your strength, I have you." The Marshall reached for the cuffs on the king's wrists and ankles, growling when he found they had been welded in place, leaving burn marks on his lover's skin from the heat involved in the cruel act. Cor had no way of freeing the man from his position just yet but at least the ties from the spreader bar to his ankles were simple clips and easily undone. Cor checked the collar, finding it had also been welded shut and that the chain couldn't be taken off the collar. He tightened his grip unconsciously on Regis at the sight; swearing vengeance on those responsible for this torture before yanking on the chain until it reached a point a meter back where the chain became some kind of leash. A quick slash with his katana cut through it and Cor wasted no time to pick his king up carefully and taking him away from the small space.
Regis turned his face into Cor's shoulders, biting his lips to prevent the whimpers of pain from strained muscles and injuries from being heard, relief mixing with worry for his son and the creeping exhaustion of many sleepless nights. Cor loathed being forced to use the Captain's bathroom but Regis was in no state to be seen dirty, bloodied, bruised and naked as the king was at the moment. As he shouldered the door open careful not to move his lover more then necessary, he gave his Crownguards a quick update, "I have the king, he needs medical attention and I need someone to bring a bolt cutter to the Captain's quarters immediately. Monica, take over command until I'm done tending to his Majesty. If you have the Captain detained somewhere, he's mine!" The last order was growled, hatred plain in his voice. Regis stiffened and couldn't help the small whimper that escaped, making Cor look down at him in worry, hatred for the men responsible increasing as he saw the silent tears flowing from his lover's eyes.
Monica replied quickly, "Understood Marshall, the airship is ours and the engine room should have bolt cutters. One of the men will bring it right away." There was a moment of silence before Monica continued, "There is one thing you should be made aware Marshall, we found Clarus Amiticia alive and also in need of medical attention in one of the crew quarters. He is being tended to as we speak." Cor almost staggered at the news, span style="font-style: oblique;"Clarus was also alive?/span Cor looked down at Regis, all too still in his arms, before he answered, "Thank you Monica. See to Clarus' injuries and let him know I have his Majesty with me. Let him come to us if he wants to." Regis jerked at the mention of Clarus' name, turning his head painfully to look at Cor with teary eyes and croaked, "Clarus?" Cor gave him a painful smile, leaning to press a gentle kiss on his king's forehead before whispering, "Alive and being seen to by Monica. Just concentrate on yourself for now."
Cor knelt down, still holding unto the king carefully, inside the walk-in shower stall. Carefully putting Regis down on the wall in as comfortable a position as he could with his wrists still tied to his ankles, Cor then took down the removable shower head and turned to water on, waiting until it reached the perfect temperature before allowing it to touch his king's bruised saw Regis relax visibly as the water drizzled unto his skin, washing away the blood and dirt. Cor looked around until he found a wash cloth, wetting it and then using a soap pump to put some of the lavender scented soap on it. With as much care as Cor could manage, the soldier gently scrubbed his lover clean, being extremely careful of his injuries and burns. Cor ignored the way the water turned red and brown at first, clinging to his now wet uniform as his every thought turned only to taking care of his lover. A knock on the door made Cor shift protectively in front of Regis, body tense and ready to fight if he had too, only relaxing when he saw a hand slip and let a bolt cutter as well as a bag lay on the ground before the voice on one of his Crownguard told him, "Here is what you requested sir. I also have some clothes for his Majesty in the bag. We will be standing guard here so feel free to call us should you require anything."
Cor checked with Regis, half unconscious by now, making sure he would not fall and injure himself, before the Marshal stood up and grabbed the bolt cutters and a towel from the counter, returning quickly to Regis' side. Cor reached out to gently push aside grey hairs and whispered, "Regis? I need you to wake up a bit more." Regis moaned softly, his eyes having troubling to find Cor. "That it love, just look at me. I need to move you around a bit to free you. Is that ok with you?" Cor asked gently, waiting until Regis understood and nodded before the soldier gently placed Regis on his back, wincing at the whimpers the movement drew from his love. He carefully placed the bolt cutters between Regis' shackle and his burnt skin, biting his lips at the sight of blood dripping down from where the shackle tore the fragile skin open. Thankfully, the bolt cutter had no trouble cutting through the shackle and Cor quickly freed his king from their hold, throwing the hated things away before bringing his attention to the collar. It took a bit longer for Cor to cut through that one, worried about the proximity of the sharp tool to his lover's bare throat but at last Regis was free from them and Cor was able to clean the burns and raw skin left by their presence.
Regis was drifting on the edge of consciousness, feeling the warmth of his lover's hand on him and smelling his scent that promised safety and comfort. The pain of muscles finally allowed to move again brought him back to alertness, panic over the feeling overwhelming his mind for a brief moment until Cor drew the man into his embrace while whispering meaningless comforts into his ear. The pain and adrenaline slowly turning into something quite different as Cor rubbed a towel over his sensitive body. The next moan that slipped out of Regis' mouth was not one of pain or fear but rather that of arousal and pleasure that sent shivers down Cor's back. Regis moving a hand slowly and painfully to grip his lover's hair and bring the man in for a passionate kiss, disregarding the pain of his injured mouth in favor of concentrating on the feeling of his lover against him. Cor allowed himself to be dragged closer against Regis' bare skin, mouth devouring his own with an edge of desperation. "Regis... Are you certain?" Cor asked when they separated to breathe.
Regis nodded, "I need you, need to feel safe and myself again. Please." Cor shivered at the plea, feeling the naked and overwhelming need in his king's voice. There was no way he could decline the man that held his very soul in his grasp. With a moan of his own, Cor pushed himself away, ignoring the look of shock in his lover's face in order to move to the large bath and start filling it with water. "In that case, let me do all the work for you, my love." Cor declared, returning once he was satisfied with the temperature of the bath water to pick Regis up in bring him into the bath. Regis moaned in pleasure as the warm water helped his muscles relax, a chuckle from beside him making him open his eyes to glare at Cor only for another moan to slip out at the sight his lover was presenting him with.
Cor was slowly slipping off his uniform, his hands traveling across his own skin seductively as he did so, giving his King a teasing show filled with promises of pleasures to come. Cor had noticed the bottle of oils lining the side of the tub, it wasnt lube but Cor didnt mind a bit of pain with his pleasure and this was all for Regis anyways. Once he was naked, Cor stepped into the bath, shutting off the water as he did so. Regis watched with lidded eyes as Cor straddle him, his lover being careful not to put any weight on his body as Cor leaned in to press gentle kisses all over his body, his hands touching everywhere as Cor made a path downwards towards his arousal. Regis leaned up as much as he could on exhausted muscles into every touch and kiss, murmuring praises as his lover put all his skill into giving the king mind blowing pleasure after weeks filled only with pain.
Cor teased Regis for several minutes before he finally took his lover in hand, stroking tenderly even as he started to prepare himself with his other hand. Regis bucked into the warm grip, his own hands rising from the water to grip Cor's hips as tightly as he could. "Cor! Stop teasing me already!" Regis growled, as he tugged Cor down, earning a chuckle from his teasing lover. " As you wish, my King." Cor answered, leaning to kiss Regis while guiding his hardened length into him. The pleasure overwhelmed Regis, the tightness almost forgotten since their last encounter, and he didnt last very long, surrounded by the safety and warmth that was Cor's presence. Regis closed his eyes as a deep moan of pleasure resounded from his mouth, his mind falling into darkness as the last bit of his energy fled from his body.
Regis was not aware of the panicked shout of Cor, reaching to pick him up as he passed out, nor of the worried looks of the guard who came in to check up on them. He was sleeping peacefully as Cor dried him and dressed him carefully; as a Crownguard doctor followed Clarus in to tend to the king's wounds. Regis was only aware of the warm hands of his lover, always present as his body was finally allowed to rest without fear or worry; confident in the knowledge that Cor would never allow anything to happen to him while he was around.