The Prince and the Storyteller. Chapter 7.
Standing at the base of the stairwell was the last person Alec would have expected.
"Isabelle?" He called out, staring at his sister in horror. Isabelle's hair was braided down her back, her white nightgown hanging from her shoulders before flowing down to her ankles. She looked like she was ready for bed, her bare feet stained with the dirt and grim of the dungeon floor. Isabelle wouldn't meet her brother's gaze. Instead she stared at her father resolutely.
"I went out too, father. I should have a part in this punishment, shouldn't I?" She asked, walking towards Robert calmly, her shoulders rigid. Robert's shock melted away into satisfaction, and he turned away from Magnus, facing Isabelle.
"I see you have more sense than your brother. Come here, Isabelle. You know the whip?" He asked, holding the bullwhip out to her. Isabelle stepped forward, taking it in her hands and nodding.
"I do." She replied.
"Then go at it." Robert said, not without a touch of pride. "Give him ten lashes. Alec will count them all." He added, casting a look at his son. Alec didn't spare him a glance, his gaze fixed on Isabelle.
"Izzy, what are you doing?" he asked weakly. Isabelle didn't answer, she turned to Magnus without another word. Alec watched as Isabelle raised the whip over her shoulder. Isabelle, who was wearing the same nightgown she had been earlier that day when she had suggested the trip that had brought Magnus here in the first place. The princess stared resolutely at Magnus as she swung the whip around her head once, the second rotation hitting the storyteller square in the back. Magnus' entire body jerked forward with the motion, the chains securing his wrists rattling loudly. Magnus didn't make a sound, his body twitching as Isabelle brought the whip across his back another time. Alec stood, every muscle rigid as the guards held his arms tightly. Shock over his sister's actions had frozen his body, horror silencing his voice. Magnus cried out on the third lash. It was a cracked, painful cough that seemed to ripple across his skin as he arched away from the whip. Alec threw himself forward in response, his boots sliding against the grime of the dungeon floor.
"Isabelle! Stop!" He shouted, kicking Alaric roughly in the shin. He threw himself forward when the man let go, his eyes on his sister and lover. Luke kept his grip on Alec's other arm, resulting in a rough tumble to the floor as Alec fell towards Magnus. Alec grunted as his chest hit the floor, rolling to his back and swinging his fist at the captain. But Luke had been in far more fights than the prince, and he caught Alec's arms easily, dragging him back to his feet. "Let me go! Magnus, I never wanted this to happen!" Alec shouted as Luke dragged him back towards the wall. Magnus looked at Alec wearily, not saying a word. His entire body was trembling, shaky gasps escaping his throat as if he had trouble getting them out. Sweat coated the storyteller's face, and his cheeks were flushed. His dark eyes had tears in them. Alec felt his own heart crack. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered.
"Hold him properly!" Robert growled at Luke, stepping towards Alec and grabbing his chin roughly. Robert tore Alec's gaze away from Magnus, until his son was looking up at him. "Five more lashes." Robert hissed angrily, glaring down at him son.
"I hate you!" Alec screamed, jerking his head out of Robert's grasp, his legs swinging out and nearly striking the king. The guards dragged him back to the wall, the prince struggling the entire time. Robert stared back at him coldly.
"If the hate of my son is necessary for the future of this country, then it's a price I will gladly pay." Robert answered, turning back to Isabelle. She had stopped to watch Alec struggle free, her eyes wide. "Continue." Alec looked to his sister frantically, pleadingly. The handle of the whip dangling from Isabelle's fingers loosely.
"Izzy, stop! Please!" He begged. A tremor ran through Isabelle's shoulders, and she turned her attention to the ground. "Izzy, please don't hurt him anymore!"
"Isabelle! I said continue." Robert's tone clearly said that he wouldn't ask again. Isabelle turned away from Alec, ignoring his shouts as she raised the whip again. Magnus yelled at the next hit, and the next, until his voice cracked and the storyteller let out a coughing wheeze. The whip echoed slowly, cracking like melting ice over the river at the end of winter, Magnus' back jerking roughly, like it was shattering into pieces. Alec kept yelling, mindlessly things that could have been begging or cursing, his voice rising to a scream when Magnus' body went limp. Magnus didn't move again, not once when Isabelle lashed him five more times. The moment she finished the princess dropped the whip and backed away, as if it had burned her through the entire ordeal. "You didn't count." Robert said, looking to Alec. His expression was one of mild disappointment. Alec was silent, his breathing ragged as he looked at Magnus' body hanging off the rack. "However, I think the point has been made. You'll be meeting Princess Camille in the library tomorrow afternoon, do not be late." He said, turning to ascend the stairwell. "You may let him go." Alec's knees hit the floor the second Luke and Alaric released him, and he scrambled over to Magnus, his movements frantic.
"Magnus? Magnus, are you-" Alec touched Magnus' cheek with his hand, looking to his back. Ugly, red welts covered the man, some already darkening to a purplish hue. Magnus' eyes were closed, his face wet with tears. Alec bit his lip, feeling his chest grow tight with pain. It was like Robert had plunged his fist inside of him, squeezing his heart in his grasp until it threatened to burst apart.
"Your Majesty," It was Luke. Alec sent him a vicious glare, even though he knew that there was no way that Luke could have denied Robert's orders. Luke paused, before continuing. "Let me undo the bindings." He said, pulling a set of keys from his belt. Luke removed the shackles from Magnus' wrists. Alec caught the storyteller slack form when he fell forward, leaning Magnus against his chest. Alec cradled his limp body gently, the storyteller's cheek resting against his neck.
"I'm so sorry," He whispered, not knowing what to do. His mind was a chaotic haze of sharp, piercing corners, each painful tip reminding him of one thing: it was all his fault. If he had been a little more firm with Isabelle, then none of this would have happened. "I never wanted you to get hurt. I didn't know my father would...Magnus I'm so sorry...!" Isabelle took a step towards the pair, her eyes wide.
"Alec, I-" The prince glared at her, wrapping his arms around Magnus protectively, making sure to avoid the lashes on his back.
"Do NOT come near him! Just go away, you vile bitch!" Alec shouted, tears burning in his eyes.
"Alec, don't-please don't!" Isabelle fell to her knees beside the pair, gripping Alec's hands tightly. She grabbed Alec's sleeve when he yanked his arm away. "Don't you see!? If father had lashed Magnus he would be dead by now! The combat tutor taught me how to wield a whip. Look! I didn't even break his skin!" Alec struggled to see through the red haze in his mind, tried to focus on Isabelle's logic, as twisted as it seemed to him.
"Izzy…" He began, shaking his head at her. He held Magnus closer, closing his eyes. Isabelle bit her lip, tears dancing in her eyes at the look on her brother's face.
"I'm sorry! It was my idea to go out to the village, all because I wanted to see Simon. If Simon had been where Magnus was, then I..." She trailed off, looking down at Magnus. There were tears in her eyes. "I don't know what I would have done." Alec opened his eyes, gazing down at Magnus, at his closed eyes, and forced himself to push all of his emotions away.
"I would have done the same for you." Alec answered, realizing it was the truth. He would have taken the whip from Robert, lashing Simon as gently as he could manage. Because even though Alec didn't even know him, it was clear that Isabelle did, and he was important to her.
"Alec..." Isabelle's voice was soft and tiny. He hadn't heard her speak like that since they were little, when she'd sneak her way into his bed during thunderstorms. He swallowed the dark words in his throat, remembering that this was his little sister, and she'd only been trying to help. She had helped. Alec thought of Robert's rage, of the king whipping Magnus' back. The storyteller wouldn't have survived.
"It's okay. We'll talk about it later." Alec said, looking back to Magnus. He pushed away the urge to cry. He hadn't cried in years. Not since he'd been young and fallen from his horse. Robert had ignored him until Alec's tears had dried up, telling his son to get back in his saddle. Tears didn't help a future king. "We need to get Magnus to the infirmary." Alec said, turning his attention to Luke and Alaric. He would have carried Magnus there himself if he could, but there was no way he could drag him up all the stairs leading to the main floor of the castle. "Take him to the infirmary." He ordered. Luke merely nodded, but Alaric hesitated.
"Sire, we-" Luke turned to him, but Alec spoke first. The rage at his father's actions transitioning into cold fury. It found a crack in Alec's usually calm, passive demeanor, bursting past his concern for Magnus and the anxiety he'd carried on his shoulders for years, coiling to strike at Alaric.
"Do you think that because you held me back at my father's demand, you can go against my orders? I could have your hands cut off for touching me alone." Luke and Isabelle stared at Alec with shocked expressions. Alaric stumbled over his words, clearly stunned at the normally quiet prince's anger.
"But, his Majesty-"
"You just watched as my father forced his children to punish an innocent man for their own crimes. Do you honestly think he'd raise a finger to help you? Escort him to the infirmary. Now." He watched as Luke and Alaric stepped forward hastily. They slung Magnus' arms around their shoulders, all but carrying him to the stairwell as the storyteller's boots dragged across the floor. "Make sure he gets the best care available." He added in a softer voice as they disappeared up the stairs.
"You do that well when you're mad." Isabelle said. Alec looked back at her. His sister looked as though she was both concerned and impressed.
"What?" He asked in confusion.
"Your voice just then. You sounded just like father." Alec winced, feeling fatigue rush him with her words.
"Please don't say that ever again." Isabelle looked at him, worry mixing with the guilt in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Alec looked at her, too upset to show his disbelief. After all that had happened, all that was going on, she thought he was okay?
"No. I don't ever want to be him. I don't want to rule the way he does. I don't want to...to torture people like he does. If this is what people expect from a king, then I can't do it!" He said, balling his fists until his could feel his knuckles crack. Isabelle moved towards him, wrapping her arms around Alec's shoulders.
"I'm sorry." She said, squeezing Alec tightly. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened today, Alec. It's all my fault." Alec relaxed, shaking his head.
"It's fine. You don't have to apologize to me." He looked at Izzy, his expression was distraught, but his eyes were steady. "But when Magnus wakes up you should apologize to him." Isabelle nodded in agreement.
"...Alright." She answered, looking around them warily. Alec glanced over to the fallen whip and shuddered.
"Come on, let's go upstairs."
It had been two days since the lashing, and Magnus was reported to have stirred in and out of consciousness in his infirmary bed, but never when Alec was around. The prince was always so busy, either studying, or dealing with his father and Camille. All he wanted to do was to spend the day by Magnus' side, holding his hand until the storyteller finally awoke and he could directly apologize. But Alec knew that it wouldn't be allowed. His father had made no end of threats to punish Magnus again, so instead the prince was in the library, doing a poor job of courting Princess Camille.
"Prince Alec, tell me, what's bothering you?" Camille asked, resting a hand over Alec's comfortingly. Alec hardly noticed the implications of the touch, gazing absently into space. "Prince Alec?" Camille repeated, a little louder.
"Hmm?" Alec turned to smiled distractedly at the girl. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Camille removed her hand from Alec's, settling back against the chaise she was resting with a small sigh of disappointment. Alec sensed the rapidly deteriorating mood and sat up straighter. "Princess d' Clarine a Cour?" Camille smiled tightly.
"Please, Prince Alec, call me Camille, it's only fair." She said, leaning forward slightly. Alec realized belatedly that the dress she wore was as shockingly revealing as it was bright red, and he had Isabelle for a sister.
"I wouldn't think of it, it's hardly formal at all." He answered, sitting back on the chaise, avoiding looking that the princess entirely. He stared instead at his black dress shirt and matching pants.
Isabelle had sent over two of her ladies to pick out his outfits ever since Magnus had been in the hospital. After seeing how distraught Alec was over Magnus, Aline had suggested white, as was the Lux Lignum color of mourning, but Helen had firmly disagreed. She'd offered Alec an outfit full of black, from the collar at his shoulders to his boots, it was the color of battle to their people. Fitting, seeing as Alec was in for a rough few weeks. The prince thought back to Robert, dressed in black, standing next to Magnus' kneeling form and clenched his fists. It had practically been a declaration of war; I will not let my son carry on like this.
"If talks between our countries go well, there will be little time for formalities, won't there?" Alec's attention was drawn back to Camille, before he looked away in embarrassment, focusing on the cold tea sitting untouched on the table in front of them.
"I suppose you have a point. Though it seems my thoughts are on other things these days." He answered, digging the nail of his thumb into his thigh. He heard Camille shift closer.
"On your up and coming rule? Or…something else?" Alec chewed on his lip, wondering what he could say, and how much would flow to his father's ears.
"Princess, may I ask you of something?" He asked, looking to Camille, his eyes fixed firmly on her face.
"Why, of course." Camille answered, her green eyes widening a fraction.
"Do you honestly wish to marry me?" Camille looked shocked at the question. She leaned back, staring at Alec as if she were truly looking at him, and not just another prince that had courted her over the years.
"I, well…o-of course!" Alec smiled sadly at the girl's overly cheerful tone
"Are you sure? To have your life forever chained to someone you barely know? I confess I do not know much about you, my lady." Alec admitted gently. Camille stumbled for a moment, looking as thought she was having trouble figuring out what to say.
"Well, that's what married life is for! To get to know each other!" She finally said, smiling at Alec. Alec closed his eyes, looking away.
"But wouldn't you like to know who you're marrying beforehand? I feel like you're being cheated, I'm no great Prince. My combat skills are mediocre at best, my diplomacy is laughable-"
"Prince Alec." Camille placed a hand on Alec's, squeezing his hand tightly. "The fact that you're so considerate to my feelings tells me that you're a compassionate person. You care for me, much like I know you'll care for your citizens in the future. And that will make you a great king, I know it." Alec laughed gently, looking away.
"Thank you, but I fear I've already messed up." He said. Camille tilted her head to the side, looking at him in confusion.
"Whatever do you mean?" She asked.
"Someone, one of my future citizens, has been wrongly punished for my crimes, and I don't know how to make it right." He told her. Camille's hand was warm against his own, and Alec squeezed it reflexively, much like would have if he had talked with Isabelle. Isabelle, who was watching over Magnus as Alec and Camille chatted.
"Who?" The princess asked, a small tremor in her voice. Alec realized that if he continued, and Robert heard of it, that things could go horribly wrong for Magnus. He hesitated, but there was a twinkle in Camille's eyes that caught his attention. He stared into the princess' gaze, feeling his thoughts grow muddled. "Who is it, Prince Alec?" Camille asked, her tone a tad more firm.
"Magnus." The words slipped from Alec's lips on their own, and he shook his head, realizing what he'd just said. "I mean, I don't..." He trailed off, looking down at their joined hands. Camille's free hand found his, and Alec looked back up when she spoke again.
"The man that's always following you around? Isn't he your personal attendant?" Alec smiled at her, feeling a spike of guilt. Camille didn't know what was going on beyond her line of sight. She didn't know about Robert's rage, or the red marks on his neck that Aline had covered with a balm this morning.
"No, he's not, he's a friend." He said, feeling a touch of sad affection for the blonde-haired girl. She would either go home without a husband, or if she and Alec married, she would be stuck with a man who did not love her. Not like he loved another man. "A close friend." Camille drew in on herself, as if considering Alec's words.
"I see. Is this punishment the reason he's not here today?" She asked, and Alec nodded, remembering the horrors of that night.
"Yes, it was horrible. I don't know what to do. I feel like my father might order for something worse to be done to him if I don't do everything perfectly."
"Why?" Camille asked, sounding shocked.
"Because he thinks that I'm not good enough to be king." Alec answered, looking away. "And I admit it, I'm not. I don't know how to rule this country in the future." Camille's thumb brushing against the back of his hand soothingly.
"I don't believe that, Prince Alexander. He's probably just trying to help you along."
"By hurting my friend?" Alec asked incredulously. Camille paused, choosing her words carefully.
"I don't know about that. But I'm sure that the king wouldn't hurt him any more if he saw that you were steadily making your way towards becoming a future king." Alec paused, knowing that what the princess said was correct.
"My father believes that Magnus is distracting me from spending time with you." He said.
"But you're here now, aren't you? And I see nothing wrong about you keeping his company in the future." Camille smiled brightly. "I'll speak to the king about it."
"Really?" Alec asked, a tinge of excitement in his voice. He couldn't believe that the princess was willing to talk to his father over such a matter. He hadn't expected to find a friend in her.
"Of course. He tells stories, doesn't he?" Camille asked curiously. Alec smiled, his cheeks tingling with heat.
"I'm completely enchanted by them." He admitted. Camille giggled at his words.
"I would think that our children and grandchildren would love to hear his tales as well. Can you imagine? I'm sure he'd enjoy it, getting to tell tales to the royal family. He'd look down at them and he'd see the both of us in their eyes." Alec's stomach rolled unexpectedly at the thought, and he quickly pulled his hand away from Camille's. He looked to the girl he would have gladly called friend, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"You speak as if we're already wedded." He said, a bit hoarsely. Camille looked at him, her green eyes shining.
"Is it not true soon enough? I heard that you did not admire your other suitors. Do you not admire me either?" Alec quickly dropped his gaze, unable to meet the princess' eyes.
"I-they sent portraits, but I couldn't become attached to canvas and paint-"
"And so I came to you, Prince Alec. So you could get to know me as a human being, and not as a painting. If we were to wed, we could continue to know more about each other. We'd find out things we didn't like, sure, but for the good of the kingdom, we would ignore those and focus on the good." Camille said. Alec tried to picture him on Robert's throne, Camille at his side. It all felt so...wrong.
"Princess, I-"
"Please, call me Camille." And then she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Alec's. It was chaste, but in that moment Alec's entire being quaked in horror. He jerked away, falling away from Camille and jumping to his feet. His lips burned, in a fiery way that felt like he had kissed the brimstone walls of hell. He pressed a hand over his mouth, staring at the princess with wide eyes. What had she done? What had he done? Panic beat at him, filling his chest painfully, until he realized he wasn't breathing. He drew in a sharp gasp, a word breathing through his burning lips, cooling them like river water.
"Magnus." Alec whispered, watching as Camille's eyes went wide. He whirled around and ran out of the room, outrunning the thoughts that tried to drag him to the ground with every step.
A/N: Ahhh, that was a delightfully emotional chapter. I'm surprised none of my reviewers thought of Isabelle. It was a whip after all.
Reviews are adored~
