Antonio struggled, trying to overcome the strong hands that kept pushing him along. The cloth crudely stuffed in his mouth hindered his breathing, and the bag over his head didn't help at all. HIs sense of direction was now virtually gone and he could only stumble on the soft sand, shivering against the cold night wind.
He could hear his kidnappers halt and soon enough, he did too. He felt a metal bracelet click around his ankle as his head cover was ripped off.
"Hello, Prince Antoine," a voice hissed from behind. The street rat turned to locate the source, only to have his head forced down to the ground; the only thing in his line of sight was a pair of black, curled-toed slippers. "Excuse the rude actions I had to take to get you here, but it is time for you to leave," the man said with a voice Antonio was sure he heard before. "Get rid of him," the voice snarled to a guard and he was hauled up immediately.
Antonio was pushed to the edge of a sheer cliff, a deep expanse of water at the bottom, and hands continued to grip his shoulders almost painfully. As the hands let go and he started to fall forward, he chanced a glance behind him, his eyes falling on a tall, dark man, an evil leer on his face, and a small cat with a strange curl on its head sitting calmly on his shoulder, before he was over the precipice of the cliff and dove head first, into the water.
Water choked his throat as he tried to reach the surface for air, but the metal bracelet they placed on his ankle was attached to a chain and a small, metal ball that dragged him down to the depths, gently landing in the soft sand at the bottom.
He tried to move, but the binding around his wrists held fast. The metal ball keeping him anchored to the sea floor slid like molasses through the muddy sand. His lungs burned from the lack of air and his head started to swim. Everything started to blend together and become hazy, and his eyes began to close. The last thing he remembered before drifting off was how calm the water looked around him.
Alfred, still as a fly, had seen the kidnapping and followed them to the deserted cliff. As soon as Sadik and the palace guards left, Alfred zoomed down into the sea, briefly sparing a thought to change into his regular form, and immediately located his master's prone body.
"Antonio!" he exclaimed, watching the unconscious man drift slowly in place. "Holy cow! Wake up dude!" he yelled, sound projecting easily despite the fact they were underwater. He slapped the boy a couple times, pulling his hair, doing anything he could think of to get Antonio to open his eyes. "Come on, help me out. I can't do anything until you make a wish. Please, all you have to say is 'I wish for the awesome Alfred to free me from this watery prison,' Alfred said, panicking. Antonio's head only bobbed and Alfred glancing about. "Or that will do too." he scooped the boy up, shooting for the surface. Once out of the water, Alfred floated him up to the cliff top, setting him down on the grass, far away from the edge, and proceeded to pound on his back. "Wake up!"
Antonio came to with a sputter of sea water, gagging until he could feel tears in his eyes. He gasped for air, clutching his chest as he opened his eyes slowly, as if it was a chore. "Y-you saved m-me." he managed to gasp out and Alfred just gave a small smile.
"It's cause I'm amazing," he quietly placing his hand, in a comforting gesture, on Antonio's shoulder. They both just smiled as Antonio laid back down, still attempting to regain his breath.
"Thanks," was all Antonio could manage.
For once Romano didn't feel like sulking moodily on his bed. He felt like he was on cloud 9. He even started to hum which Feli decided was a good thing by the way he was purring and rubbing up against his owner's leg. "Oh Feli. It was wonderful. We saw pyramids! And I guess Antoine wasn't so bad either," Romano said, red dusting his cheeks slightly. Feli gave a low purr and laid down, head on his paws. He was about to go and check if he could see the tan idiot from his balcony when his father walked in, his gait somewhat disturbing and unnatural.
"Romano, I have good news for you," his father said suddenly in an monotonous voice. His son stopped, turning around suddenly and cocked his head, "What is it? Just because Antoine isn't gone yet, doesn't mean I say yes to the proposal-"
"You will marry Sadik," Rome abruptly interrupted him, his face changing from surprise to disgust.
"Sadik? You're joking right? I would rather marry Prince Arthur, the arrogant foreigner who was here yesterday!" he exclaimed walking up to his father who hadn't moved since he started talking, "Like hell I am gonna marry that shit creep you call a royal advisor. Why are you acting so weird," Romano whispered the last part grabbing his father's forearm.
What Romano didn't notice was that Sadik was behind Rome when he walked in, and was currently holding his strange staff up and smirking at the scene before him. "Prince Arthur is gone so I am all that you have left of suitors, your highness," Sadik hissed and Romano looked past his father at him.
"I want Prince Antoine." Romano stated, his cheeks heating up again though Sadik had no idea why.
"Prince Antoine left already. Just like all the others," he laughed walking closer to the prince. "Don't worry, wherever he went, I am sure he made quite a splash," All Romano could respond with was wide eyes and an open mouth.
"Think again Sadik," came a voice from the window. Heracles stopped licking his paw to look in surprise at the supposed dead man, and Sadik followed suit. Romano turned around smiling, but quickly dropped it to look away in embarrassment. "I didn't leave, you tried to have me killed!"
"That is obviously a lie your highness," Sadik laughed out turning to Rome.
The sultan gave a small nod agreeing and Romano looked in horror at his father. "What is wrong with you?" he said in dismay as he grabbed the taller man's shoulders, trying to shake his father out of his weird attitude.
That was when Antonio really looked at Sadik, the way he eyed both the royals with confidence, the way he seemed to stand too close to Rome, and the way he seemed to cradle his peculiar staff. "I know what's wrong with your father," Antonio said with understanding in his eyes. He lunged for the staff, ripping it out of the evil man's grip, and smashed it into pieces on the marble floor. Almost immediately, Rome started to shake his head, swaying as if he was dizzy. "He has been controlling him using this," he finished, holding up the now broken staff toward Romano.
"What?" Rome seemed to hear Antonio for the first time, looking up at his advisor with confusion. "You have?" he boomed straightening up and looking Sadik in the eye. "You traitor! Guards, seize him!"
Sadik seemed to steam with rage, eyeing the fake prince with disgust. Antonio's hat had fallen in the action of smashing the magical staff, and Sadik seemed to see the other man in a new light. The shaggy hair looked familiar, much like the boy he left in the cavern, the boy who had stolen the lamp from him. His eyes grew wide for a moment before narrowing, and he started to walk towards Antonio, but was grabbed by two guards.
With a smirk and a snap of his fingers, the spot where Sadik was standing went up in smoke and he disappeared. The three men and the guards glanced around as the sultan yelled for the guards to find him. In the havoc, Romano had grabbed onto Antonio and the other man held him close. "I can't believe this! Sadik, my most trusted employee, betraying me like this. Oh, when I get my hands on him I'll-" he stopped short, eyeing his son and the visiting prince. "Romano. Can it be? Have you decided who you want to marry?" he smiled looking from Antonio to his son.
Romano went red, doing a double take and dropping his hold of Antonio, stepping back. "It's not like I have a choice right?" he blurted out, looking away but Antonio still gave a smile.
"I'm so happy!" Rome bellowed out, giving his intended son-in-law a hug. "You will make a fine sultan someday!" he said and Antonio stopped smiling. 'Sultan, who said anything about sultan'.
Sadik felt ecstatic, despite the fact that he was now a criminal and hiding out in his lab with his pet cat Heracles.
"What now?" said cat asked, shooting an annoyed look at his master.
The ex-royal advisor just laughed with glee and looked at the small cat perched on the dirty table. "I am going to become sultan. That rotten prince Antoine is nothing more than that urchin Antonio we picked up in the prison who had stolen the lamp from me." he said. " You are going to steal back the lamp from him. Listen closely…" Heracles leaned in as Sadik continued.
I'm on time! WHOO
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~Maple (PS Thanks LoveWithaGirl for betaing :D )