Leonhard froze and stopped pulling at the knots as he saw one of the men get up and come to the cart. It was Kurt, the one that currently, scared Leo the most. Kurt smirked at him as he pulled back the sheet covering the cart. He pulled out a handful of grapes and Leo flinched as his stomach rumbled loudly.
The man knelt before him and placed a couple of grapes in his mouth, eating them with open mouth and loud noises that made Leo look away in disgust.
"White lily of Grandzreich." He purred and Leo flinched, meeting the man's malicious stare. "Open your mouth."
"Leave me alone." Leo whispered. The man simply pulled a grape from the vine and brought it close to his lips.
"Open your mouth for me, my little flower." He purred, bringing the fruit closer to Leo's lips. Leo flinched as the other trailed the grape over the shape of his lips. He opened his mouth, if only to stop the other doing that. Leo took the grape and shuddered as he ate it quickly, the moisture from the fruit and the sweetness of the juice, reducing the ache in his empty stomach. "Do you want another one?" The man purred, leaning closer and Leo flinched, pulling back. "Just tell me." He said, something burning in his eyes that made Leo tear up. He could hear his brothers now, calling him a cry-baby.
"Y-yes." He whispered.
The man brought another grape to his lips and he ate it, his eyes locked onto the other, petrified that the other would try something. Another grape followed and he didn't try anything. Once the last one was gone, the man smirked and passed his thumb over Leo's lips.
"You look so scared, little flower." He purred.
"Your friend said not to hurt me."
"Oh… I don't plan to hurt you. So many sweet things I can show you." He purred, grabbing Leonhard's hair painfully to pull him closer. "I bet your mouth tastes sweet too." He whispered, leaning closer. Leo struggled, using his hands to try and push the other back.
"Kurt! Klaus said to keep your grubby hands off of him." The third man said and Kurt scoffed, letting go of Leo, who fell back with relief.
"Klaus can fuck off." Kurt said but still walked back to the fire.
"Fuck you, you sick prick." Klaus scoffed.
"Shut it. We're moving at dawn so we best get some sleep." The third one said.
Leo got on his knees, watching them curl up by the fire after tossing the palace uniforms away and getting into commoner clothes. He waited for their breaths to even out before pulling at the knots with his teeth again.
Between fighting tears and trembling from the cold, it felt like hours before he managed to loosen the ties. He slid his hands out, his wrists raw from the ropes and felt a surge of freedom course through him.
He leapt to his feet, making his way round to the horse at the front of the cart. He was shaking and struggled to undo the cart's ties.
"Oi! Where is he?" One of them yelled.
Leo flinched away from the horse and turned, running into the forest.
"Grab him!" They yelled.
"Please. Please." Leo prayed as he ran through the dark forest, grunting as his feet carelessly stomped on broken branches, rocks, barely skipping over overgrown roots. His eyes adjusted to the dark but it barely helped. The trees were too thick above allowed hardly any light to reach the forest floor. "Ugh!" he cried out as he tripped over something and the ground he was expecting to meet wasn't there. The fall was steep and he rolled down the forest slope, getting scratched by the brambles on the way until the ground finally evened out.
Leo was scared to move, scared to discover that he may have broken something. His heart was racing wildly in his chest and he panted, trying to catch his breath.
"Find him!" He heard the men yell from above and stomp past. Leo flinched, staying as still as he could as he heard them running past where he fell. He sighed with relief. He turned onto his stomach and slowly tried to stand up. Once he realised he hadn't broken anything he turned in the opposite direction that the men had run to.
"Run… run Leo…" Leo whispered to himself. His lungs burned with the cold of night. A black figure slammed into him and Leo hit the nearest tree hard. "AH!" His scream got choked up at the back of his throat as his exerted lungs quickly made him prioritise panting for breath over crying out any more.
He looked up, wondering if a deer had hit him head on.
"Heheheh… I'm so glad to have been the one to find you, little flower." Kurt purred, reaching down to grab him. Leonhard felt a beast take over inside him as he struggled against the other, pushing against him, scratching at his face, kicking and thrashing.
"Let me go! Help!" He half screamed half wheezed as the brute slammed his back against the trunk and blinded him with the harsh backhanded slap to his face.
"Hush now, your royal highness." The man purred, grabbing his shoulders and forcing his mouth over his own. Leo kept his mouth tightly closed, whimpering and struggling once more. Another slap left him gasping and granted the other access to his mouth. Leo closed his eyes, tears trailing down the sides of his face as his struggles slowed down with each blow.
"Mmh… so sweet." The man purred against his ear, trailing his mouth down his mouth. His hands trailed lower and Leo reached down, grabbing onto the other's wrists, trying to stop him. His captor instead dug his teeth deep onto his shoulder.
"AGH! Stop! Please!" he cried, grabbing onto the other's hair to pull him back. It hurt so much.
"Then stay still!" The man said one final time, throwing him onto the forest floor and climbing on top of him.
Leo remembered gripping onto the dirt ground hard, he remembered crying, begging and pain and an undying shame that made him wish he was dead. He remembered a warm breath against his neck, horrible words hissed against his ear and fingers that bruised him in too many places to count.
When it was over, he was carelessly pulled to his feet and grabbed by the back of his neck, forced to limp back to the camp.
"You found him." Klaus said, out of breath, as if he'd been running up until now.
"Yes… he was a very good boy after we had a little chat." The man purred, leering at Leo who did all he could to avoid eye contact with anyone.
"Please… my father will pay…" Leo whispered. The only reply from Klaus was a fist to his stomach that made him double over and wheeze, throwing up what little he had eaten. Klaus tried to go at him again but the third man stopped him.
"Leave him. Clearly Kurt already had his way with him." The third man came closer, pulling Klaus back and grabbing Leo's chin, forcing him to look up. "You try to run away again, and Kurt can have free reign." He said. Leo felt more tears form in his eyes. "Understood?" Leo nodded in defeat.
"Please… can I have a rest?" Leo whispered.
"No." Klaus hissed. "You can walk for your little attempt at escaping." He came and tied the ropes tighter around Leo's already red wrists. It didn't take long for them to pack up and get on the carriage.
"I'll have you again, white lily of Granzreich." Kurt hissed against his ear with a smirk, and getting on the cart with the other two.
Leo stumbled after them as the horse pulled the cart slowly through the forest. As the adrenaline faded and the tears dried up, the pain set in as he limped forward. It hurt so much. He didn't dare look down where the trickling sensation trailing down his legs had stopped. His feet felt sore and he wouldn't be surprised if he'd cut himself when he ran through the forest ground. He had scratches all over from where he fell and his knees were scraped from where…
Leo doubled over and threw up again, whimpering in between. He didn't even have time to catch his breath as the cart pulled him forward once more, down a forest he didn't recognise, to a fate he dreaded to discover.
oOoOoOo
"Wait, father, how could this have happened?" Bruno asked. He and Kai had arrived at the palace minutes away from each other and were instantly taken before their father.
"No one knows where he is?" Kai asked, looking tense as he sat with his hands on his knees.
"No. Leo disappeared at some point overnight. There's very clear indication that he was abducted."
"The palace grounds weren't guarded? How could they have smuggled a whole person out of the palace?!" Bruno yelled.
Heine chose then to step in. "They were dressed as guards. Three guards were seen leaving deep in the night pulling away a cart of fruit. It is the usual time for such deliveries. It's the way the palace carries out deliveries. Vendors drop the carts at the entrance, the guards take things inside and then return the cart and baskets." Heine said.
"Alert everyone, make a public announcement! No one could possibly miss Leo if the whole kingdom is looking for him." Bruno pushed.
"We can't. If we go public, they may hurt Leo." Viktor said.
"Bruni is right! It'll give us a better chance!" Licht exclaimed, having sat quietly until now, just listening to their father re-tell what happened, trying to confirm whether the nightmare was real.
"If they panic they could kill Leonhard in an attempt to not get caught! Believe me that I am just as desperate as all of you to find him, but we can't be rash. Not with Leo's life on the line." Viktor said. "I've already informed the major cities to spread the word, all guards to be alert should they see Leo, but we cannot fully go public."
"Father, what if they've already hurt him?" Kai asked. Silence fell at that question and Viktor clenched his jaw, his eyes glistening.
"We'll find Leonhard." Viktor said. "In the meantime, I need to make sure you and Adele are all safe."
The brothers didn't seem to care about their wellbeing right now. All they could think about was Kai's question, which had been in everyone's mind already.
That night no one was able to eat. Even Adele was hesitant to do so, sensing that something had happened with her brothers. They were keeping her in the dark for now, to not scare her, but the tension at the dining room table was palpable.
Everyone kept glancing at Leo's empty chair. The queen mother's eyes were red though she tried to put a strong front for Adele, smiling at her when the child would look up at her in confusion.
"Father… may I be excused?" Bruno asked softly, not having touched any of his food.
"May I also be excused?" Licht added.
Kai simply looked at his father imploringly and Viktor put down the spoon of soup that had never touched his lips.
"I think we best all try and get some rest. Goodnight, my children." He said softly. The princes all bowed and left. Adele was the only one to run up to her father and whimper, tears in her eyes, picking up on the mood much better than Viktor expected.
"Papa!" She cried and Viktor picked her up, pulling her close and rubbing her back.
"Shh… shh… it's alright Adele. Don't cry." He said softly. His mother sniffled to the side, drying her tears as the child hugged her father.
"I'm scared, papa." She whimpered.
"Why don't you sleep with grandmother tonight then?" Viktor asked. Adele didn't answer, burying her face against her father's regal uniform until she cried herself to sleep in his arms. Viktor kissed the top of her head and tried to hold back tears as he wished Leo would just reappear and he could hug him just like this, keep him safe from the world.
"I'll take her my dearest." She said gently and Viktor nodded, passing her over. His mother leaned down and kissed the top of Viktor's head, before leaving.
Viktor thought he was alone, until Heine pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.
"What will I do if anything happens to him, Heine?" Viktor whispered.
"Don't think like that, Viktor." Heine said. Because it would be too horrible to think such things.
Viktor dropped to his knees beside him, not the fierce king that destroyed many in war, but the broken father of a boy whose whereabouts were unknown.
"Heine… we need to find him. We need to."
"Viktor. We'll find him." Heine whispered, leaning down, pressing his forehead to the top of the king's head, as the king of Granzreich sobbed quietly. "Leo is strong." He said. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, taking comfort from each other.
oOoOoOo
Leo stumbled after the cart, exhaustion coursing through him. It took him a while to realise that the trees were becoming less dense and the cart began to move on a beaten path.
Leo looked up ahead to see a small town on the edge of a valley.
He recognised the flags of Granzreich flying above the central building. Hope fluttered in his heart as his concentration focused on the road, trying to see if he could spot anyone that could help him.
Unfortunately, that man, Kurt, caught him looking around and nudged the other two. "Looks like our little prince is looking for someone to help." He said.
"I-I wasn't!" Leo exclaimed as the cart came to a halt. Klaus stepped down and took out his knife. "Please, I swear, I wasn't." Leo begged, stepping as far back as the ropes would allow.
"Come here." Klaus hissed grabbing him by his neck and slamming him against the edge of the cart. Leo grunted at the bruising pain that spread through his back. "Are you looking around for help?" He asked.
"N-no, I swear, no." He stammered, his heart racing wildly.
"You know what I promised to do if you tried that." He said, reaching up the sharp blade to his face. Leo tensed, staying as still as he could.
"I won't. I won't try anything." Leo whispered.
"You may get help… or you may not… and then you'll be at my mercy… or maybe you prefer Kurt's company?" He asked.
"N-no please. I won't try to escape." Leo whispered.
"I certainly hope so." Klaus hissed and pulled back the blanket covering the baskets. "Get in between them." He ordered. Leo climbed onto the cart as best he could with all the aches and pains returning to him. The effort was worth it. The moment he nestled between the baskets and the blanket was pulled over the whole cart, Leo felt his body quickly take him into his dreams, where the pain didn't follow.
He dreamt of being rescued. He dreamt of his father killing the three men. He dreamt of Heine protecting him from them. He dreamt of his brothers holding him close and protecting him from the rest of the world.
When he awoke, he was on the hard floor, lying on a dirty old rug, his hands still bound, his mouth still gagged, staring at a door that allowed only a sliver of light to tell him that the sun was still out. Not a single one of the walls had a window, but he could hear people outside, passing by somewhere nearby.
Leo trembled and closed his eyes tight. He was too scared to cry out. He was too scared.