Hi Friends!
Thank you for all of your reviews! They brighten my day and I love to hear what you think about the story. You guys rock! Thanks to everyone that has followed and favorited the story too! It's good to know that there are still new readers getting into my tale.
As always, editing is my weakness. So please overlook any stupid mistakes.
Enjoy!
Derek begrudgingly donned his formal gear for the engagement ceremony that was taking place in the Great Hall. His father had made sure that his finest garments were chosen from his wardrobe and the crown jewels were set to adorn his body. As he sat on the bench in front of the king's vanity a steward placed an intricate golden collar around his neck followed by a crown that was only rivaled by his father's. Emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and amethysts may have dazzled his person, but in reality they weighed down his soul. The finery that surrounded him only symbolized the barrier that kept him and Spencer apart. They were the cause of all of his pain and suffering.
The prince looked at himself in the mirror and felt nothing but sorrow and disdain upon seeing the flawless reflection that stared back at him. For all the power and influence his title held it hadn't been enough to save his love from the ruling of his father. Derek longed to throw his fist through the looking glass and smash his image to a thousand pieces, for that is how he should really look, broken and cracked.
A heavy hand landed on his shoulder bringing him out of his thoughts. Derek turned his head and spied the sparkling rings that decorated his father's fingers. Each one held a sparkling gem that reflected light off of their multiple facets, evocative of the many faces of the king. "Are you ready, son?"
The prince turned away from the steely hand and studied his father's reflection in the mirror. The king's face had turned haggard over the years with worry lines that only come from running a kingdom. His eyes were calculating and shrewd with no warmth in them whatsoever. The man's hair matched the rest of his worn-down appearance in the way that it was retreating from the rest of his head, almost as if it was scared of adorning his face. Overall, King William exuded an air of ruthlessness and insensitivity that was indicative of a man that would walk over anyone to get what he wanted.
Derek knew then and there that in order to keep the promise he made to Spencer he was going to have to stand up to his father once and for all.
"No, I'm not. I don't agree with this arrangement. I don't like Lady Greenaway. And I refuse to prance around like your little puppet when I know that I could be happy with someone else," Derek said sternly to the face in the mirror.
The king's face twisted in fury at the sudden defiance of his son. He tightened his grip on the young man's shoulder and spat out, "Good thing for me that what you think doesn't matter. You are the crowned prince of Quantico but I am the king. So, you will do as you are told!"
Derek shot up off of the bench and wrenched his shoulder out of his father's grasp, "I will not! I have come of age and I can make my own decisions!"
"You may be officially of age but like every other adult in this kingdom you are still under my rule. Now you will go to that ceremony, smile, and act like you are the happiest man in the country"
"Like hell I will," Derek roared, stalking towards the door.
"Oh, you will. I didn't want to do this, but if you want that lover of yours to die a swift and painless death than you will cease this nonsense at once and do your duty," William said shrewdly, his eyes sparkling with malice.
The prince stumbled to a halt right before the daunting doors, "What did you say?"
"I said that if you want that piece of filth that I just sent to the dungeons to die an easy death than you will do as I say," the king reiterated as he flicked a piece of lint off of his ermine trimmed cloak.
"You…you…what does the slave have to do with this?" Derek tried to inquire in a tone that indicated he had no attachment to Spencer.
"Drop the act, Derek. I know about you and your whipping boy," the king admitted.
"I…we…how?" the prince knew there was no use in refuting the man's claim.
"Lady Greenaway spotted you in the hallway last night kissing him and carrying him off to your chambers," William explained in disgust. "Her father brought her to me this morning to describe what she spied. I can't begin to express how embarrassed and repulsed I am at your behavior. You are a prince not a queer!"
"Really father? You are so backwards that you can't support your own child and his chosen one? I love him and I will marry him," Derek argued.
"It's going to be hard to marry a corpse," sneered the king.
The prince paled at the reminder that his love was to face an execution this coming Friday, "I am going to you prove his innocence before that can happen."
"Not bloody likely."
And like a new day, understanding dawned on the young man, "You…you set him up?" It was more of an accusation than a question.
"Of course I did! I can't have him gallivanting around here tempting you until your wedding. He is a pox on this house and I have finally discovered the cure," William said snidely.
"No," the prince whispered as he realized just how hard it was going to be to save his lover from his father's diabolical plan.
The king, seeing his opportunity to hammer home his point, went on to say, "And as I said earlier, if you want his death to be as quick and merciful, you will go out there tonight and act like this is the best night of your life. You are going to make the people believe that you couldn't be happier and that you are excited to have Lady Greenaway as your future bride."
"I…I can't believe you. You had Lord Gideon killed! And then you're using the life of another human being against me to get what you want. How can you be so cold and heartless?" Derek asked incredulously.
"It's not heartlessness, it is necessity. You will learn that one day when you take the throne. As king you will do whatever is required to keep your kingdom in working order. Anyways, Gideon was nearing the end of his usefulness and the world will no sooner mourn the loss of a slave than they would a flea. So what are you going to do, Derek? Cause your former lover unimaginable pain to prove your point or save him the bitter agony of getting disemboweled right before the horses rend him into pieces? Oh, and if you even think of reneging after the vermin is killed than I will make sure your mother is the next to suffer," the king declared brutally.
Realizing that for now he had to admit defeat, Derek hung his head and sullenly answered, "I will attend the banquet and pretend to be pleased with my chosen bride. But I will only do it if you promise me I can have access to the dungeons to go and visit Spencer."
"Ha…if that's what you want…I will allow you to go down there tonight after the ceremony to say goodbye. But that's it…after you bid your farewell you will no longer be permitted access to that bothersome boil's tomb," William conceded, pushing his son out the door and toward his future.
Derek followed through with his concession to act the part of a happy prince. He graciously entered the Great Hall and accepted the accolades of the courtiers. Then he begrudgingly stood at the front of the hall and received his future bride as she entered the room in majestic style. All the while he forced a small smile on his face to keep his father at bay.
The one shining lite that made this whole farce bearable was the fact that his mother was in attendance for the big announcement. Her presence alone helped calm him down and gave him reassurance. When their eyes met upon his entrance he could see sympathy and compassion radiating in her azure orbs. The king, seeing the connection developing between his wife and son, quickly interrupted them by clearing his throat. Derek broke their bond by turning to face the audience, but not before he saw cunning glint twinkling in his mother's eyes. That mischievous glimmer told Derek that he needed to exchange words with her about his father's heinous manipulation as soon as possible.
When he directed his focus back onto the she-cat that was to be his bride, he noticed the extremes that she went to catch the eye of the people. Her hair was plaited into multiple strands that were decorated with teardrop pearls and then woven about her head in intricate patterns. She was outfitted in a blood red dress that was festooned with the same pearls and trimmed in white ermine. Her bodice was laced up tightly which made her chest so plump that her breasts threatened to spill out before the court. She walked confidently to the front of the hall with her grandiose gown swishing against the stone hewn floor. When she reached the dais, she curtseyed low and addressed the royal family with a passionate, "Your Majesties."
Derek stepped forth and took her hand, beckoning her to rise up and face the room.
King William pounded his scepter on the floor and called all eyes to him, "It gives me great pleasure to announce to you, my people, the official engagement of my son, Prince Derek Reid to the Lady Elle Greenaway. They will be wed at Christmastime this year! May they live long and produce many offspring!"
The crowd cheered and echoed the king's words. Derek grabbed her hand and forced it into the air along with his. The couple then walked down to the center of the floor and began to dance to a jaunty tune.
"You look absolutely stunning tonight in your red gown, my lady," Derek commented as he twirled the willowy girl.
"Thank you, My Liege. May I add that you look every bit a future king tonight," she countered quickly.
"Oh, why thank you. But I must admit I found the color of your dress very telling," he continued.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it's a very deep red, one that reminds me of the fires of hell. A place I'm sure you will be visiting when you pass beyond this life," Derek explained tersely, pulling her close to him with a hand wrapped around her waist.
"My Lord? What have I done to offend thee?"
"Don't play me for a fool, Lady Greenaway. Your actions over the last twenty-four hours have drastically changed my life and I am in no mood to beat around the bush with you," he said coolly.
"Oh, I see. Well, My Prince, I tell you that I am a Greenaway through and through and in our family when you are given a directive you follow it. Being an ever obedient daughter I was only doing my duty and obeying my father's orders," she said trying to push the blame for her deed off on her father.
"But you do have a mind, right? Or rather a conscience? Tell me, my lady…are you and your family in the habit of killing off innocent people to achieve your goals?"
Elle, taken aback by his question, asked, "What do you mean?"
"I mean that you seemed to have no problem throwing Spen…Lord Gideon's slave under the horse's hooves. Did you know that he is to be executed on Friday? My father has decided that the boy should be drawn and quartered. I'm sure we can arrange for you to have a front row seat," Derek said shortly.
The girl seemed to pale slightly at the thought of witnessing such a gruesome death up close, "I assure you, My Lord, that the death of that slave was not my intention."
"What did you think the king was going to do? Pat the boy on the head and send him to the stalls? I'm telling you right now, Lady Greenaway, that if our marriage actually happens it will not be a happy one for you. I see a place in a nunnery being held in your honor," Derek threatened, spinning her faster than needed.
"Are you really going to fault me for following the orders of my betters? Your father gives you commands constantly, are you telling me that you don't listen to him?" she questioned incredulously.
"That is none of your busniness!" he growled brusquely.
"No? Well, if you are going to claim that I am worse than the slime leftover behind a snail than I suggest you analyze your own actions first!" she countered.
Derek sputtered at her fiery words, "Our circumstances are quite different."
"Not really. We are both pawns in the games of our elders. The only difference is that if I disobey my family I will lose everything; my title, my money, my home, and my security."
"And it doesn't matter if I obey, I'm going to lose the love of my life anyways," Derek whispered despondently to himself.
Elle, having heard the murmured words, "You really do love him?"
He nodded almost imperceptibly.
"Well, than I am truly sorry for his fate. Please understand that it was not my intention for the boy to die," she informed him in a gentle voice filled with sympathy.
"Only if you understand that I don't love you, I can never love you, and I am going to do all that I can to stop our marriage," Derek responded as the song came to an end.
"Understood," she uttered, bowing to him after the music ceased.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere better to be," Derek said flatly as he walked out on his own ceremony and down to the dungeons.
The prince's feet flitted over the stone floor as he hurried toward the stairs that would take him to the dungeon. After having that conversation with Lady Greenaway he realized that he couldn't just sit by and let his father manipulate him into complacency. He couldn't sit idly by and let his lover die.
"My prince, where are you going?" a voice called from behind him.
Derek stopped and turned, wondering who had the audacity to question him. His eyes fell upon the sturdy stature of Sir Foyet, "It is none of your business where I am going, Sir."
"Au contraire, my prince. Your father has assigned me to follow you wherever you go. I am now your personal guard," Foyet said with a grin.
"I do not need a guard. You are dismissed until I discuss this with my father," Derek said with a wave of his hand.
"Oh, my apologize Prince Derek. I cannot leave your side until your father says. Until then we will be the best of friends," the man replied, clearly enjoying their verbal sparring.
Knowing that his father's dog would not heel, he decided to give in and continue on his way, "I am going to the dungeon and you will not stop me!"
"I wouldn't think of it, Sire. The king said that you were allowed to visit the urchin one last time. Consider this your one."
Not bothering to acknowledge the man's deliberate baiting, Derek pushed through a group of courtiers loitering in the hall and down to the dank stairwell that led to his lover.
Derek could feel the knight breathing down his neck as he demanded the dungeon guard lead him to his best friend. When the oblivious man stuttered out that he didn't even know that there was a new prisoner, Foyet stepped in and offered to show the prince to the boy's cell, "I know where he is, Your Majesty. Follow me."
Anger flared through the prince when he realized that his one visit was going to be supervised by the sleazy knight. He was hoping that he would be given some semblance of privacy, but knowing the king he really wasn't that surprised at the invasion.
The prince was roused from this thoughts as the two walked deeper and deeper into the dank prison. They passed by the regular cells, each housing some captive who broke the king's law. Derek was surprised when he found himself following Foyet down a pitch black staircase into what seemed like a never-ending abyss. The air cooled down with each step they walked down and a pungent smell of mold mixed with human misery infiltrated his nostrils.
The two emerged into the torture chamber and Derek shuddered. His lover was somewhere down here? Fearing the worst, he couldn't help but feel a bit of relief when he saw all the devises unused and clean.
Turning his questioning eyes to the knight he asked, "So where is he?"
Foyet stretched his hand out and pointed a finger to a darkened alcove, "In the middle cell."
Derek felt an immediate sense of concern for his lover knowing that he was encased in the dark prison. Intent upon shining some light into his lover's life, the prince reached for the door handle and twisted, "It's locked."
"Oh yah…I forgot that I locked it after I was done with him," Foryet bragged, walking forth with the master key.
"Done with him?" Derek asked, anxious as to the meaning of the man's words.
A huge sneer enveloped Foyet's visage as he recounted, "I stretched him out for you, Your Highness. He was nice and tight, but I loosened 'em up. You're welcome."
A vicious punch struck the man straight in his evil grin and knocked him to the floor. Derek was regretting the fact that he did not have his sword with him or else he would have run the man straight through with it, "I will kill you!"
Smiling a bloody grin up at the prince, Foyet managed to say, "No you won't. I am more experienced and I have many people invested in my life, including your father."
"I don't care who is watching your back. I will avenge Spencer's honor," Derek spouted out as he landed a kick to the knight's ribs.
Foyet grunted before rolling his eyes at the love sworn vow and getting up, "You have five minutes, Your Highness. I suggest you get in there and start saying your goodbyes."
"What? There is no time limit on this visit," Derek refuted.
"Ah ah ah…your father's orders. You have five minutes and if you take any longer I am ordered to remove the scum's tongue with my blade," the knight said, brandishing his steel.
Knowing that arguing would not be in his best interest right now, especially since he was unarmed, the prince grabbed the mater key from the man's grasp and plunged it into the lock, "I'm not going to forget this, Sir. Watch your back because one day you are going to regret this."
"I assure you I'm not scared of you or your threats," Foyet said as he sauntered over to the fire, leaving the boys in a semi-private environment.
Derek followed the knight with his eyes and turned back to the door when he was satisfied the other man wouldn't bother him again. Once he unlocked the wooden barrier, he opened it to reveal his lover strung up by his wrists and surrounded by filth. Salt and liquid started to blend in the corners of his eyes when he took in the state of his beloved. His best friend was stretched to the fullest with his toes barely touching the ground. The boy's breeches were pooled around his ankles and various fluids left rivulets of soil down his pale legs. His lover's face was tilted downward and hidden behind the brown curls that were now soiled with sweat and secretions. On top of his physical state, the prince's heart went out to the boy for being exposed to the stench of the cell. For the smell that emanated within the room put to shame the odor of death that came from the torture chamber.
Unable to take the sight of his beaten lover anymore, Derek stepped forth and planted a crushing kiss onto the boy's dry and cracked lips. In that moment he poured out all of his love and admiration for the slave that had endured so much in his life. He sent all of adoration and affection out of his soul and into his lips. He wanted…no, he needed his lover to know how much he loved him.
The prince broke off the passionate lock and took a step back.
A small broken voice broke the silence that had enveloped the space, "Derek?"
"It's me, my love! I'm here," Derek said, hoping to give the boy some reassurance.
Spencer lifted his head and a small smile came to his now moistened lips, "I knew you would come. I knew you believed me." His relief was evident in his tiny voice.
"Of course I believed you! I know that you aren't capable of taking another person's life, especially Lord Gideon's," the prince gushed, cupping one of Spencer's sallow cheeks in his hand.
The boy nestled his face into the gentle touch as he wiggled his hands in the steel cuffs, "Please, can you release my hands? They hurt so bad…"
Derek frowned at the request and dropped his hand away from his best friend's pale face, "I can't. I'm not here to rescue you."
The look of confusion and defeat that twisted Spencer's features upon those words broke Derek's heart in two.
I hoped you liked the chapter. I really felt that we needed to understand what was happening from Derek's point of view. Next up, our boy's talk and perhaps our favorite slave will escape.
So I never do this but I am desperate to find three stories that I stupidly didn't favorite to my lists. So if you know any of these stories please PM me because I am dying to read them!
1. There is a scene in this story where Reid was kidnapped and held in a guys basement. The team comes to the rescue and Hotch and Prentiss (?) go down to the basement. It's dark and when Hotch flips the light switch it electrocutes Spencer, who was hooked up to the wires. I don't remember much else about the story.
2. It's a Spencer/Derek story where the boy's are pining for each other all throughout. I vividly remember one chapter that takes place after the Lila Archer case back in the bull pen. Spencer asks Derek, "If the feeling that he has is ever going to go away." and he isn't talking about his feelings for Lila but for Derek.
3. This is a Spencer/Hotch story. The part I remember is Reid strung up in an attic getting assaulted when Hotch comes to the rescue. I think they are at Reid's old house in Vegas maybe.
I know my descriptions are vague, but if you do recognize any of them let me know! Thanks!