Leo just stared at his father.
"Come, Heine must he wondering where you've run off to." His father extended his hand to him and Leo took it. His hand was that of a small child. Leo hopped off the swing and his height barely reached his father's waist. "We were all so worried, Leo." Leo felt his father's hand covering his own and tears came to Leo's eyes, squeezing the other's hand hard.
"Why didn't you want to save me?"
Viktor leaned down to his height. "You are my son, Leonhard. I would give my own life for you. You know this." His father pulled him into his arms and Leo knew that it was true.
Leo blinked and he was back in the bath, in a tiny shanty home, with that man getting dressed, looking very satisfied with himself, his back to Leo, not even giving him a second glance. Leo stood up and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, throwing himself back.
The man gave a strangled cry before they both fell into the water. Leo scrambled back, pushing himself into a sitting position with his legs.
Kurt's head was under the water, imprisoned by Leo's hold. Leo whimpered, struggling to keep him under, the other's arms gripping onto the edge of the tub and winning a battle to break through the water.
Leo watched him take a large breath and Leo twisted himself around, sitting on top of him, pushing his shoulders down as the thrashing got more frantic. Leo could barely see through his tears as he kept the other down.
The struggles slowed down and Leo sobbed, keeping him there even longer, terrified that he wasn't truly dead.
Leo struggled to let go, his hands shaking. He stood up and looked at the old woman, who was still unaware of what was happening. Leo climbed out of the bath, staring at the man, his legs dangling over the edge of the bath, lying face down, his head under the water.
Leo shuddered and looked around. He grabbed the man's purse and looked at his robe. He felt disgusted just looking at it. He couldn't wear that. He looked around the woman's house, looking in some drawers. He found a plain gown and grabbed it, leaving one of the man's coins behind.
He kept staring at the old woman as he made his way out, but she made no sign to show she knew he was there, until he opened the door. Somehow she sensed it and looked up.
"Goodnight dearie." She crooned and Leo flinched, closing the door behind him, running into the night, his feet still bare as he squeezed through the narrow streets, praying that he wouldn't run into the other two.
Thankfully the houses began to feel less crowded and he realised he was heading to the centre of town.
He had to find a guard, someone that could get him back to the palace.
He ran into a square and paused, looking around. He saw a couple of guards standing in front of a fancy looking building, which Leo could only guess was the town centre.
"Guards! Help, please!" Leo begged, running up to them.
They turned to him and frowned. "A bit late for street urchins." One said.
"Bugger off kid, we're busy." The second said.
Leo paused and looked behind him before realising they were talking to him. "Please, my name is Leonhard Von Granzreich, I've been abducted. I need to get back to the palace!" He said.
The two looked at each other and laughed. "And I'm the king, kid."
"I-I'm telling the truth! Please… the men might come looking for me!" Leo said reaching to grab onto the closest guard's clothes. The guard backhanded him so hard that Leo stumbled to the floor, tasting blood. He looked up shocked.
"Impersonating a royal is a crime. I don't know how you heard about the prince but you best keep your mouth shut."
"Don't need more of you street rats claiming the same." He said.
"I am-!" Leo paused and looked down. "In that case… I need you to tell me the quickest way to the palace." He said, looking up at them.
"You want to try that little trick on the palace guards? Hah, it's your funeral brat. Grab that road, it heads straight to the capital. You'll reach it in a week on foot."
Leo didn't waste his time any longer and began heading in the direction they told him.
"Pathetic." One guard said.
The door opened and an elder man with a thick moustache stepped out, leading Heine out.
"Believe us, tutor, that our men are staying alert. Any sign of the young prince and you'll be the first to know."
"You almost missed him sir, some street urchin just came by claiming to be the prince." The guard laughed.
"Don't worry sir, we sent him on his way." The other said.
Heine stared at them. "What did this street urchin look like?" He asked.
"This high, dirty blond hair, blue eyes, like half the rif-raf around here."
Heine clenched his jaw. "What way did he go?" He demanded. The guards simply stared at him confused. "You sent away a person claiming to be the prince who fits the description of 80% of the house of Granzreich. When I find him, the king will hear of this." He said.
"W-we sent him that way. He said he was heading to the palace." One guard said.
"So you sent him in the opposite direction?" The mayor said horrified. "Sir, I had no idea." He told Heine.
"Get me a horse." Heine demanded instead which the men ran to do. Heine looked in the direction where they'd sent the boy fitting Leonhard's description and prayed that he'd finally found him.
oOoOoOo
Viktor made his way to Licht's room and hesitated outside it before knocking. He sighed as he remembered the words that Licht threw his way. He reminded himself that his son was merely worried to death for Leonhard.
He opened the door and saw the guard sitting on a chair, his eyes closed as he slept, pose lopsided and a half drunk cup of tea smashed beside him on the floor.
Viktor's heart nearly stopped.
"Licht! Licht!" He shouted, running into the room. The window was open and Licht wasn't in his room.
Viktor looked around, desperate to find any signs of his son, when a letter on the window ledge caught his eye. He opened it and saw Licht's handwriting.
Father, I'm sorry.
I can't wait around knowing that Leo is being hurt. I will find him and bring him home.
Licht Von Granzreich
"Licht… you… stubborn…" Viktor turned to the door, ready to grab his own horse when Eins blocked his path, holding one more letter. "Eins?"
"Kai and Bruno found out. They went after him." He said.
"Those kids… they're going to be the death of me." Viktor whispered, reading the note that his second and third son had gone after Licht to keep him safe.
"I'm ready to go, father." Eins said. Viktor looked at him.
"Eins… you're the crown prince." He said.
"My understanding is that the tutor's purpose is to make them all eligible for that title. I am no more crown prince than Licht." He said.
Viktor wasn't sure whether Eins was angry about that or not. His eldest son always looked angry or stoic, there was no in-between. This was the longest conversation they'd had that didn't relate to work since Eins had started at the military academy.
In all honesty, he was the most trained of the five. He had little to fear if Eins went looking for his brothers. But no matter what the facts were…
He placed his hands on his eldest's shoulders. "I don't want to lose you, Eins… Please… please be careful." He said.
Eins frowned at him and turned his back to the king, walking away with purpose.
oOoOoOo
Licht sat with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at his older brothers as they rode on the unmarked carriage. Maximilian was driving, after being forced to help them escape the palace in an attempt to 'rescue' Licht. Instead, they were all on their way north to find Heine and Leonhard.
"And it was completely irresponsible to leave like that! If Kai hadn't seen you who knows what could have happened to you!" Bruno yelled.
"I couldn't stay there any longer." Licht repeated for the millionth time.
"Professor Heine is out looking for Leo right now." Bruno said.
"I trust him! But it's still only one of him and we could help!" Licht insisted.
"No fighting." Kai said softly. "We're both already heading towards the professor."
Bruno looked down. "I'm sorry Kai but…"
"No more." Kai insisted. "From now on, we focus on getting to the professor and heading back home." He said.
Licht turned to look out the window and Bruno looked away, all of them sighing as they watched the countryside pass them by.
oOoOoOo
Leo realised he wasn't walking in a straight line fairly quickly. He felt terrible. He looked at his throbbing hand, the bandage left forgotten with Kurt and the old woman. He could see that it was infected, he could feel the fever on his skin, making the cool night air feel worse on his aching body.
He wondered if he would die before he even got close to the palace. Would anyone realise it was him? Or would they assume he was just some poor kid left to rot on the side of the road?
Without his royal attire, without his portraits and ceremonial sword he was nothing. Nothing to distinguish him from the rest of people that serve him in the palace, nothing to distinguish him from the people living in those shanty houses built so close together that barely let the sun shine through.
Even his blood ran as red as everyone else's. He'd always known, but it was a sobering fact to live it. To be dismissed like he was nothing when he sought help from the guards.
The sound of horses made him look up. A carriage was heading his way. He thought the driver looked familiar.
The sound of another horse from behind. He turned around to look. Was that… Heine?
Leo took a deep breath, his heart jumping in his chest, tears forming in his eyes as he opened his mouth to shout for him.
"You little shit." A hateful voice hissed, grabbing Leo from behind, covering his mouth and dragging him into the shadows of the alleyway.
Leo cried against the hand, struggling with everything he had left. He could see his salvation. Heine was here! He was just there! But Heine hadn't seen him.
Klaus slammed him to the ground, his mouth still covered, muffling his cries of pain.
"You thought you could get away you stupid little whore? I saw what you did to Kurt. I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born." He hissed at him, taking out his knife.
Leo cried against the hand that held him quiet. The other was using his body weight to keep him down, and even though Klaus never hurt him the way that Kurt did, it still send a current of panic through Leo's body.
"Now it's my turn to leave my mark on you."
oOoOoOo
Heine frowned as he didn't see the boy described by the guards. Instead he found Maximilian driving a carriage and Heine sighed, both coming to a halt in the middle of the road.
"You three are directly disobeying your king's order." Heine said, the princes stepping out of the carriage.
"Licht wouldn't stay put." Bruno said.
"We had to make sure he was safe." Kai said. Heine nodded at that, sighing as he saw Licht's distressed face.
"You still haven't found him?" Licht asked.
oOoOoOo
Leo cried as Klaus brought down his knife on his chest dragging it down the side of his ribs, eliciting a shrill scream that Klaus kept muffled with his hand. Leo kicked his legs desperately, but the other had a solid hold on him.
He laughed at him, a malicious kind of laugh that showed how much he was enjoying making Leo suffer.
Leo reached desperately with his hands, for anything that could help. He could see the man readying the knife again.
Leo felt the head of a bottle and wrapped his fingers around it, swinging it round as hard as he could. It smashed on the man's head, enough to throw him off. Leo scrambled to his feet and ran out. The carriage had stopped. Heine was talking to his brothers.
"HEINE!" He screamed.