A/N: I'm getting excited about this. Really, I am. I mean, it's taken off so well. Anyway, the exam. A comedy of errors. Completely.
First: Wrong paper. Delay: 5 minutes.
Second: No clean texts. Apparently we were meant to have them. But we had all written in both our examined texts. So, we found the only two clean copies of the texts and had them photocopied TEN TIMES! Delay: 1 hour and 10 minutes. Status of the mind: PANICKING! People doing the exam: Only 9. The 10th one walked out.

So, my nerves were shot by the end of it. Hopefully...the mark is a lot better than I think but seriously, I'm not resitting it. Thomas Hardy and 'Making History' are the banes of my life. I don't want to sit through them again.

Anyways, here's the anon. review reply. To Clara: Thank you very much. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, because I know I'll enjoy writing it. Please enjoy this update.

OK. This A/N is over. Please enjoy and review. I love reviews. They are my cookies with milk. My chocolate spread on sliced bread. My lollipop dipped in sherbet. You get the gist of it right?


Pain. There are many types of it. There is the physical, the emotional and the mental. Some hurt more than others. Sometimes they are all equal. And sometimes a person can feel all these at once. Take Prince Cloud and his father, the King, for example.

Prince Cloud was in a lot of physical agony from the severe whipping he had received the previous night, his body stinging, red streaks that had bled eventually crisscrossing his once unmarked skin and the wound from Leon's sword had only recently closed up all due thanks to the camp medics that Leon –deciding to show some grace and mercy in his admiration for Cloud's refusal to talk and determination, even though all hope was lost– had ordered to take care of his 'honoured guest'. More like honoured wretched captive, the prince had thought. The remains of his tunic now lay across the floor of Leon's tent in tatters while he was chained and tied up, guarded tightly by the few Leon had decided to leave behind on his way to the city walls. Emotionally, he feared the worst of his friend and brother. Leon had proved that he was not above killing them just to see Cloud suffer. He refused to let Cloud go be with them, saying that he would rather that Cloud remained separate so that there would be no plotting. Leon wouldn't even say if whether Roxas was alive or not. And not knowing made it all the more terrible for Cloud. Mentally, Cloud was blaming himself for everything. For the deaths of his men, for the capture of his younger brother whom he had sworn by his mother's deathbed that he would protect to the very end, for being unable to do nothing to save Riku or Roxas, and, most of all, he blamed himself for Hollow Bastion's looming doom. He might've been sent out as a last resort to give the city time to strengthen their defences as Sephiroth commanded but…Leon had crushed his forces like bugs. He hadn't given the city enough time to fully strengthen their walls and gates and organize themselves for a siege. He didn't struggle as he was being tended to, although he did try to escape once or twice but all plans of escape had been foiled. Even the medics could be brutal Cloud had found out. The woman had made it very clear that she was not above castration and the man had once or twice threatened to use medicines that would not be kind to the young prince. And so, he resigned himself, plotting ways of assassinating Leon and of escape while he played the part of the defeated and broken prisoner.

The King too was in physical agony but not by a whip or by some other torture device. His torture was his health. He was old and frail, no longer the proud warrior he once was. He had shrunk with old age, it had become harder for him to move around his castle without causing himself pain, he was unable to lift his great sword anymore and now his voice could hardly be heard. He had given most of his powers to his advisors and to Sephiroth, maybe too much power, so now the king was nothing more than a figurehead who had little control over what should be done and what should not. Even his own sons would no longer listen to him. This had led onto his emotional pain: he was unable to stop his two eldest sons, his children from his first love and wife, from going to war. They had laughed and said that they would make the 'young whelp of the barren wasteland' scarper back to his misty moors. And yet they were gone. Dead and without a funeral. He had sent messengers to the young king who led the enemy troops to send his royal sons' bodies back but he had sent back the messengers' without an arm, an ear and a nose. The message was clear: 'not unless you want the bodies to come back in bits.' He pleaded for a name. The messengers said that he had called himself Leon of the House of Leonhart, while his men simply called him 'the Lion Heart' or 'King'. It was when he had heard that name 'Leonhart' that the king almost collapsed from shock. Worse still, his third son, his first child from his second marriage, had been sent to be slaughtered while his youngest, the second child of the second marriage, the one that ultimately led to his second wife's death, had sneaked out of the city and followed his brother with that same adoration and affection that he had for his elder brother. The old king's heart broke when news came back of Cloud's defeat and that the bodies of both sons had yet to be found, if they were indeed dead. And now, the mental pain he had lived with for so long had come back tenfold. He could only blame himself for his kingdom's position. He had caused it when he had the previous king of Radiant Garden and his beloved wife, a woman that was betrothed to be the old king's second wife first until she had run away, murdered. The two royals had two sons; both of them small children at the time. Radiant Garden would have squabbles for how could there be a child monarch, a boy king, to rule a wild and poor kingdom such as Radiant Garden.

Leon…his real name was Squall. He was the boy king that the old king had thought would never last, that would cause civil war among squabbling warriors and lords. The boy king had grown up and had proved the old fool wrong. And now, the king was suffering the consequences, for revenge can go beyond the grave. How much more did this young king want him to suffer for his sins? The ghosts of them and the death of his sons was more than enough.


Leon was in high spirits that morning, organizing his army to pack up and prepare themselves for a siege. He had to say, the people of the few villages they had come across on their way here were very co-operative once they waved their swords about and did a small jig to terrify them. Actually, the young king had found some of the foremost peasants quite agreeable, and the churchmen. He remembered fondly coming across a large village and they didn't even have to scare the people inside. Oh no, they warmly invited them. The priest was very helpful in giving information about the current situation about Hollow Bastion, even though it pained him to think he was trying to avenge his parents by killing a frail old man. No matter, these peasants were suffering from regular taxing and a famine because the city had demanded supplies from the outside villages. He would do them a favour of getting rid of such corrupt leaders in return for the good crops that grew here. After all, you could never be too sure with crops. Might as well have the breadbasket of the land under your belt as well as a few other places in case there was a famine in the other kingdoms. And to be honest, the few villages that did greet them warmly knew that they were better off getting invaded then being taxed and practically starved to death since food was now in such short supply.

"My liege," Zexion rode up to the king on his dun mare Illusion. "Preparations are set."

"The prisoners?"

"Ready to be redelivered."

"And our guests?"

"Safely locked away in separate cages and they will be unable to see each other. Your captive will be placed right at the back while Axel's will be at front with you and Axel. The silver-haired one will be in the middle."

"Good," Leon said, patting his black horse's neck as it stood still and dutiful. "Good."

"Oh, and a messenger pigeon came from your castle," Zexion added as an afterthought, fishing out a small piece of scroll from his pouch. He handed it to Leon who unrolled it and read the small scrawl. He let one of his small rare smiles grace his face.

"Good to know he's still well."

"How is the prince?" Zexion asked. "He was very poorly when we left him."

"In good health thankfully," Leon stated, stuffing the scroll into his own pouch. "He went out riding with Axel's sister yesterday though he is watched over daily."

"That is good to hear," Zexion nodded. Leon too nodded but looked on in the direction of Hollow Bastion. Yes, this invasion was not just for Radiant Garden and not just for his lust for revenge. No, this was for his younger brother, a boy who could not stand up for his parents because of ill health and age…and because Leon would never put his current heir's life in danger. Unlike this murderous king who did nothing to stop his younger sons from going. The messenger had reminded him of that.

"Let's go," Leon ordered. He kicked his horse on. "Griever! Yah!"

He went first, followed by his loyal men, onto Hollow Bastion.


It had been the watchmen at the main gate that had seen the hoard of enemy warriors and soldiers come towards the city walls. The message was relayed to the king and his advisors high in the city keep who were all still sorting themselves out for a long siege. The king had visibly paled and struggled out his seat, although his advisors tried to make him sit down again.

"He'll know about my sons!" the king had hoarsely yelled. "The whelp must know what happened to my sons!"

Sephiroth had already gone to face the whelp that dared to invade. The king demanded in a harsh tone to be taken to the gates. He wished to look upon the face of his enemy, and the face of his trauma. The advisors, unable to refuse such a request since it was from their king, made preparations for a carriage to take the old king to the walls swiftly.

His journey to the gate couldn't have seemed any longer with persistent peasants begging for food and money. Couldn't they see this was an issue?! But finally, at long last, the carriage reached the main gateway and he was helped up the stone stairs to the walls, eyes wild and frantic with anxiety.

Looking down upon the enemy, he finally saw the face of the grown up boy king. He was taller, muscular, and now carried a scar on his handsome face. He was only in a fine tunic and cotton trousers, a breastplate strapped over it and the skin of a lion wrapped around his shoulders as a cloak. Truly, the young king of Radiant Garden was a fearsome sight, those blue grey stormy eyes glaring with hatred and a rage that the old king had never seen before. Orders were yelled to seal all the gates and put guards and archers on the walls. The young king below didn't even seem to twitch at the heavy guard being called for. Sephiroth spoke.

"State your purposes here!"

"I will only speak to your king!" the young leader called back, voice strong over the winds. The old king stood forward, looking at him. The young king looked at him, face perfectly still, as if he were taking in the sight of the frail old monarch. He finally spoke. "I have a proposition for you! You might like it!" The old king watched as the young leader signalled for something to be brought forward. A warrior with bright red hair on a sorrel horse rode up, and with him, hidden under his woollen green cape was his youngest son, Roxas. His youngest was alive! "For your son's safety, I will trade his life for the lands beyond my border! If you do not agree, then I cannot guarantee his safety!"

The old king was about to speak, willing to do as the leader requested but Sephiroth stood in the way, his face contorted with a snarl. "Keep the whelp! He is of no use!" The king's eyes widened.

"Sephiroth!" he hoarsely shouted. Sephiroth did not listen.

"He is a traitor to our kingdom for defying the words of our king! And he has more than likely told you of all of our weaknesses! Traitors are not welcome here! Those who are defeated and yet not take the necessary actions are also not welcome here!"

The old king could do nothing. Sephiroth had once more taken control of the situation. Indeed, the old fool had given too much power to Sephiroth who had just passed a death sentence on his youngest. The young leader looked at the king, as if asking him if he was truly fine with this development. The king could do nothing but look away. The young leader turned back to Sephiroth. "Fine! Do not take my kind offer! But know this: when I have taken over this kingdom, the people will hate you for your obstinacy!" He then nodded to a foot soldier who bowed and scuttled away quickly into the mass of men. The old king noticed that, as well as carts and packhorses, there were also a few catapults that looked ready to be released at the back of the enemy army. The young king looked up, a cruel cold smirk on his face. "Before I go, here is a parting gift to wish you good luck in our battle!"

The captains and warriors higher up the ranks started shouting, mixed orders of "Release the prisoners!" and "Fire!" thronging in the air. The catapults were released, flinging what looked like boulders straight over the walls.

"Raise your shields and protect the king!" Sephiroth ordered, forcing the frail king under a watchman's shield before ducking. The shower of boulders continued but when one landed at their feet, the king looked on in horror. Staring right at him with glassy eyes, blood spurting out of its mouth and blood staining its once blond beard with a shocked look was the head of his eldest son. A peasant woman screamed the name of his second eldest that had landed in one of her pots that she was selling. Sephiroth looked shocked himself, seeing that they had been pelted with the heads of their own men!

"You said you wanted your sons back!" the other king yelled over, smirk still in place. "So now you can't say that Leon, son of Laguna of Radiant Garden, is not unable to respect the wishes of the family of the dead!"

All the old king could do was weep, reaching for the severed head and cradling it in his arms. His eldest sons were dead, and it was his entire fault. Sephiroth looked over, his usually calm and handsome face now contorted with rage. "You will pay for this travesty!"

"Clean your necks and wait for me!" Leon shouted back. "There is a far greater travesty that must be repaid in blood!"


Cloud had been blindfolded while all this was going on, unable to hear what was going on. He figured that he was somewhere at the back of the army, away from danger. He wondered if Roxas had been used as a bargaining tool. He prayed that Riku was safe. What he did hear was the release of the catapults and the surprised screams coming from inside the city walls. He didn't know what happened after that. The noise of wild cheers and banging shields made it hard to decipher what had been going on. He didn't know how long he had been in whatever held him hostage but he couldn't be any happier when he was finally dragged out unceremoniously. The next thing he knew, he was being released from his ties and then left somewhere, but not knowing where he was at all. It was quiet, with the exception to the backdrop noise of the odd drunk soldier and the cackle of fire. For a moment, he feared that he was finally being gotten rid of.

"Your father is a frail old man," a familiar voice stated dryly, as if it were disappointed. Cloud looked around blindly, trying to find the source.

"He is still able to make battle plans though."

"Correction: his general is able to make plans of action." Cloud sat there kneeling, hearing Leon go past him and take a seat by the rustling of his cloak. "To be honest, I would not be surprised if your general is the cause of this kingdom's corruption."

"Lies!" Cloud yelled. "Our kingdom is not corrupted!"

"You still hold faith to that, don't you?" Leon sighed. He stood up once more, Cloud had gathered, and was making his way over. Whether the king was still standing or was kneeling in front of him was not very clear to Cloud.

"Why? Why did you invade us?" Cloud asked, his voice taut. "Hollow Bastion has done nothing to you."

"Your father probably never told you," Leon said. The warrior king breathed deeply, sounding a little like he was explaining to a young child. "Hollow Bastion is the breadbasket of the land. It grows plenty of wheat and other grains and it has a wealth of precious stones. Radiant Garden has none of that. We have the pastures to keep livestock, the wool from the sheep, milk, meat and the hides from the cows so we can make leather but other than that, every crop ends in failure. The ground is too wet for anything to grow. The crops drown. So, while the rich can pay for grains as a luxury, the common people can not. We are as many kingdom's call us a barren wasteland."

"Yes…I heard that," Cloud grumbled. "I am not completely ignorant."

"That's only half the reason I am here," Leon uttered. "The other half, I can assure you that you will not know." Cloud didn't want to hear it. If it was about liberating the peasants from a so-called corrupt society, then he didn't want to hear the nonsense. "But I'll save it for another time. I'm angry enough that the man that I can't forgive is a doddering old fool."

"Don't call him that!"

"Still as impudent as ever."

"And you're still as inhuman as ever."

"Inhuman you say?" Leon had changed positions. He was now at his side and kneeling. Cloud knew this because he felt Leon's breaths on his ear. He kept down a shiver as his skin crawled at the intruding gusts of hot air. "I could have killed your brother today if it weren't for the fact that your father is unable to even stand up for his 'traitor' son."

"Wh-what?" Cloud replayed that in his mind. 'Traitor son'? What?

"That's right. Your brother is now a traitor to his own homeland even though he has not woken up from that slumber since last night. What chance do you have, one who has been tortured for answers, of ever returning home? You have marks from my whip all over your body." A hand brushed past the whiplashes on his skin, making his body jolt with pain. He tensed, trying not to show Leon that he was still in pain. "Although, they may think you're dead like your elder brothers. I sent their heads back to your father with the catapult."

Cloud's eyes widened underneath the blindfold. He could only imagine what his father looked like when he saw his eldest sons' heads. Horrified. Just like he was. "What about…the bodies?" His voice was quiet, almost barely above a whisper.

"In pieces," Leon stated nonchalantly. Cloud was stunned into silence, so many emotions boiling inside him. Anger; hatred; fear; despair. The prince wanted to do something, anything, to get rid of this man! His fists shook in their bonds. "You must hate me even more than ever now." Leon's voice was low, smooth and breathy, sending shivers down Cloud's spine. "Should I tell you how your brothers watched their surviving men get beheaded without even batting an eyelid yet begged for their lives when an axe brushed their necks?"

"No!" Cloud cried, jerking his head away but Leon grabbed him by the chin and pulled his ear back to his mouth so he could continue to whisper the bloody deeds as if he was trying to woo a lover.

"They cried and begged and pleaded for their miserable existence while they did nothing but sit quietly while the men that loyally followed them bravely to their deaths were killed before them. Honestly, I never thought I'd see the day when a bearded man would cry so much, much less two. And then, just as the axe swung, I told them my reasons for invading and they looked so shock, I highly doubt they felt the axe when it cleaved through their necks."

"Stop it! Stop it!"

"They were cowards Cloud. They did not even plea for their men's lives yet they plead for their own." Cloud could almost hear the smirk coming through this whole recount of his brothers' deaths. "I do not like cowards. They are useless lumps of flesh that only deserve death."

"They were my brothers!" Cloud shouted, feeling hot angry tears in his covered eyes. "They were my family! And you slaughtered them!" His body was shaking with rage. He did not know what Leon was doing now but there was a long silence after his outburst. Cloud finally found his tongue. "If you think we are all cowards, then why won't you rid of us?! Whatever vendetta you have against my father, why take it on us who are innocent of whatever crime he's committed against you?! Why?!"

"You truly do hate me…" All of a sudden, he felt his bonds being cut, releasing his arms and his eyes uncovered. Leon now stood up near to his bed of animal skins and silken pillows, blue-grey eyes looking down upon him, his dagger in hand. "Come then." He threw the dagger at Cloud's feet. Cloud looked at him, confused. Was he…letting him go? "Come at me with that dagger. See if you can kill me." Cloud took the dagger, sapphire eyes not leaving the hard look in Leon's eyes. "A chance like this will never come again. Take it." Cloud's stare had sharpened, looking at him with a deep set hatred that he vowed he would never shake off. He stood up, his legs feeling like heavy sacks of soil but he ran at Leon, dagger aiming straight for the enemy king's heart. Leon stood still, unmoving but ever watchful of the blond prince's move. Just as it looked like Cloud might have succeeded, Leon grabbed him by his wrist and threw him onto the bed, grabbing the other wrist that made to punch him and raising both arms above the young prince's head, squeezing tightly. Cloud made an audible wince, letting the dagger fall to the floor with a thump. He struggled underneath Leon, hissing angrily.

"Let me go!" Cloud yelled. "Let me go!"

"You let your chance slip away Cloud," Leon smirked, now just holding both of Cloud's wrists in one hand. "It's quite a shame really. Your chance to kill of your father's enemy and yet you were too weak to do it."

"Don't be insolent Leonhart!" Cloud shouted.

"You don't be insolent. I am a king after all…" The smirk on Leon's face widened. "…while you are believed to be dead by your own people. You're less than a peasant."

"No! Let go!" Cloud struggled wildly against his human restraint. Leon was leaning over him, his own legs keeping Cloud's down.

"Tell me Cloud, just how do you plan to survive? Your kingdom is on its last legs, they think you are dead with your other brothers, and all you have is a little knowledge of how the world works, some useless pride and this…" He put a hand on Cloud's body, skimming across the surface of the whiplashes, the still angry red contrasting with his pale pearl muscled flesh, watching Cloud flinch at the touch. "This slightly damaged but beautiful body."

"Get off of me!"

Leon just gave him a cruel smirk. "You said so yourself that you would do anything to keep your dear younger brother safe. It's time you kept to your vows."

"What do you want from me?!" Cloud demanded. "What more do you want to do to me?!"

"I've just told you what you have. Why don't you use it?" Leon's hand travelled down, resting where Cloud's manhood was. The prince's eyes widened at the foreign object touching his most intimate place, struggling even more wildly underneath him.

"Have you no shame?!" Cloud screeched.

"Why should I be ashamed?" Leon asked, his hand fingering the edge of the prince's trousers. Cloud tensed, screwing his eyes shut, his face flushing in red.

"My liege. I have some-" Cloud turned his head, seeing that Zexion had come. He had a passive look on his face, not at all shocked at seeing his king fondling a captive. It made Cloud wonder just how often Leon did this to his captives.

"Do you mind?" Leon narrowed his gaze, moving his hand away from Cloud's body and giving the advisor a haughty glare.

"My apologies," Zexion bowed politely. "It's just that the captive Riku has finally become willing to talk."

"He has, has he?" Leon released the captive prince, walking over to the flap of the tent. "How badly damaged is he?"

"Nothing that won't heal eventually. Well…except if you want him branded."

Cloud sat up with a jolt. "You dare make a mockery of him and I'll-"

"You are in no position to make idle threats Cloud," Leon said, looking over his shoulder, one blue grey eye challenging him to talk back to him. Cloud pursed his lips, his sapphire eyes glaring at him angrily but keeping his tongue. No. He would wait for his chance. He'd wait for a weakness to reveal itself…and then kill him. Yes, that's what he would do.

"Guards, make sure our guest does not do anything reckless. Foolishness runs in his family line."

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

Both king and advisor left, leaving Cloud to face the muscular guards who watched him with eagle-like eyes. Cloud gave them hard looks before flouncing onto the animal-skins, back turned to them, sulking.

At least he now knew that Riku was alive. But would he really talk? Would he betray Hollow Bastion?