Heine found Leonhard sleeping on the bed, all three remaining looking exhausted. Licht was curled up beside Leo, but not close enough to touch. He was fast asleep by the time Heine entered, along with Leo.

Kai and Bruno were sitting beside the bed, Bruno's head in his hands and Kai just staring at Leo.

"The doctor told me everything." Heine said softly. Kai simply reached out to him and Heine reached out, offering his hand to Kai, as the second prince rubbed the palm of his hands like he always did, to soothe himself.

"Professor… how do we help Leo?" Bruno asked, not looking up.

"This will be very hard for all of us. Specially Leo." Heine said and swallowed the lump in his throat. Leo was far too innocent. He still remembered when the prince asked him where babies came from. "We must be patient with him. And support him with all that's to come." He said softly.

"But professor…" Kai started and looked down as Leo whimpered in pain in his sleep.

"Leo may act very differently, or he may try and act as if nothing has happened. Whatever the case, we must be there for him. Because sooner or later… this experience will come to haunt him." He said.

Kai nodded and Bruno simply trembled, as if he was keeping tears in. Heine placed his hand on Bruno's shoulder and it was all it took for Bruno to shatter, sobbing miserably.

"Why Leo? If we had all been here this never would have happened." Bruno cried.

"Don't say that, your highness. There is no use thinking of what could be. I could have gone to look for prince Leonhard sooner… but I didn't. I could be just as much to blame." Heine said.

"No… father said it happened at night." Kai said softly and Heine sighed.

"You should all try to get some rest." Heine said. "I'll stay and watch over them." He said.

"No… I don't want to leave him." Bruno said.

"You need rest, your highness." Heine said.

"I'm sorry, professor. But I'm staying." Bruno said finally and Heine sighed.

"Very well, your highness." He said gently. "In that case I shall stay with you." Heine pulled up another chair and sat between them. Kai reached for his hand again and kept rubbing it while Bruno also reached down and simply held his hand.

They stayed like that, in silence, for hours, watching Leo's chest rise and fall.

oOoOoOo

Leo cried in the darkness, the feeling of that man's breath against his neck as he gained his pleasure from hurting him. He could feel his bruising fingers and could hear his vicious words.

"I'll look after you. You'll be mine."

"No…" Leo wept.

"No use, little flower. The king didn't pay the ransom… now you're mine to keep."

"NO!" Leo cried out, opening his eyes wide, the ceiling of his room glowing with the orange light of the sunset. He was back home. He was safe.

"Leo?" Leo turned to see Kai, who had spoken. Bruno, Licht and professor Heine were all there and Leo turned his back to them, shaking softly as he sobbed.

"Leo… we're here for you." Bruno said softly.

"I'm sorry…" Leo whimpered.

"Don't be sorry, Leo. None of this is your fault." Bruno said, reaching over and carefully reached down to pet Leo's head.

"I thought I was back." Leo cried softly.

"Never." Licht said softly, coming to kneel beside the bed, where he could see Leo's tired expression. He reached forward and took Leo's hand in his own. "You'll never go back."

"No… never." Leo whispered, wrapping his fingers tight around Licht's. Licht nodded, smiling faintly at him. Leo smiled faintly but the tears kept coming.

"We've had dinner ordered to the rooms, your highness." Heine said. "I hope you continue to improve. I'll go inform the king that you're awake." Heine said.

"Professor…" Leo whispered and Heine paused before reaching the door. "Thank you."

Heine swallowed the lump in his throat as he opened the door. "Rest, your royal highness." He said softly and left. Only once he was out did he let the tears roll. "Rest Leonhard." He whispered to himself more than anything, drying his tears before reaching Viktor's office.

oOoOoOo

Viktor looked up as Heine entered. Viktor was immediately on his feet.

"Is he awake?" Viktor asked. Heine nodded and Viktor immediately headed for the door.

"Viktor…"

"Don't tell me to stay away, Heine." Viktor hissed.

"I would never, your majesty. Take this with you." Heine said and Viktor accepted the ransom letter that Heine handed to him.

"He won't want to remember that." Viktor said trying to hand it back.

"It will take much more than hiding his ransom letter to make him forget what happened." Heine said. "Take it. Talk to him. Tell him everything that's happened."

Viktor shook his head, looking down at the letter. "How can I tell him that the government wouldn't have us announce the truth? How can I tell him that I listened? That I kept everyone here instead of going to look for him? Why did I do it? I should have used everything in my power to find him sooner." Viktor whispered.

"Viktor. You know why it had to be done. You told Licht. You've explained before. Explain it to Leo. He needs to hear it from you." Heine said.

"He'd be more willing to hear it from you." Viktor said.

"You are his father, Viktor. I am just his tutor." Heine said.

"You are the one that found him! You are his saviour!" Viktor exclaimed.

"I shot a lunatic that was running after him. Leo found us. Leo saved himself. He's been hearing their taunts for all these days! You need to talk to your son, Viktor! He needs to hear your words." Heine repeated.

Viktor stared at Heine and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "You're right. I know you're right." He said softly and looked at Heine, reaching out to cup his face.

Heine flinched slightly, but Viktor only smiled softly. "Vik-"

"Thank you for bringing him home, Heine." Viktor whispered, leaning down faster than Heine expected. Heine felt Viktor's lips graze his lips. By the time Heine reacted, the king was gone. Heine looked down, reaching his fingers to his lips, but his fingers hesitated before touching them. His tongue came out instead. He moistened his now dry lips, from standing there like an idiot, trying to process what had just happened.

oOoOoOo

Viktor entered the room, seeing his children talking to Leo about other things that happened while they had each been away. Leo had a faint smile as he heard Bruno talking, but even though he'd been asleep for a while, he still looked exhausted.

"Father." Kai said softly.

Leo turned to look at him and Viktor's heart clenched in pain, seeing that vacant expression in his son's face.

"My sons, please allow Leo and I to talk." He said.

Even Licht obeyed without complaint, no sneer, no glare.

"Be… gentle with him… father." Kai was the one to say gently before stepping outside and Viktor took a deep breath, coming to sit beside Leo's bed.

"Leonhard… my son. Are you in pain?" Viktor asked softly.

Leo shook his head.

"Don't lie to me, Leo." He said.

"I'm better, father. Professor Heine said I've had painkillers." Leo said. Viktor nodded, sighing softly.

"I'm glad to hear it." Viktor watched his son and Leo closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, are you tired?" He asked.

"I'm… I've had the best sleep in a long time, father." Leo whispered. "But nightmares woke me up." He said.

Viktor reached forward and placed his hand on Leo's forehead, feeling a light fever. "We'll have to keep an eye on your injuries, you still have a temperature." He said.

Leo looked up at him. "Father… there's still one man more." He said softly.

"Do you know who?" Viktor asked. Leo shook his head.

"He was the only one who's name I never heard." Leo said softly. "The one that was captured… he's called Klaus… the other…" Leo paled and looked away, starting to shake.

Viktor held Leo's good hand tight. "Leo… come back to me." Viktor said softly. "We can talk about them another time. I want you to hear what happened here." Viktor said. Leo kept shaking as he took deep breaths. Viktor simply held his hand until Leo's breathing evened out and he turned back to look at him.

"What… happened here?" Leo finally asked, worry in his voice. Viktor realised it sounded like something bad had happened and Viktor started to explain.

"The morning you were gone, professor Heine raised the alarm. There was no ransom letter. Nothing to indicate you'd been taken, except for a piece of your nightgown that had torn by your window." Viktor said.

Leo looked down, remembering that night. "They… came in… I opened my eyes and all three were there, they put a cloth over my mouth. They… held me down until I passed out." Leo whispered. "They took me to a town… I thought it was part of the kingdom… but I wasn't sure. They… put me in a small dark room… and I spent days there."

Viktor nodded. "The government decided, to protect us, we would not reveal that you had been taken to anyone other than guards and officers who were instructed to keep an eye out for you. I also ordered your brothers to stay in the palace. The worry was that they would be taken too. We didn't know what was happening after all." Viktor said.

Leo turned to look at him. "Didn't know? He told me the truth! He told me how you wouldn't pay my ransom despite the letters they sent! That's why they cut me and wrote that letter in blood! You could have ended it! You could have paid for me and that man wouldn't have had so many chances to defile me!" Leo yelled at him, glaring him with as much hate as the boy could muster, but that quickly crumbled into anguish. "Why did you leave me there? Papa! How? Why?" Leo cried and Viktor sobbed, pulling Leo into his arms, crying against his shoulder as the boy wept against his chest again.

"Leo, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry my boy. I would have given anything to have you back!"

"No you wouldn't!" Leo wept. "He said he would keep me! He would keep me and use me again and again once the other two got tired of waiting and tried to kill me! He said they'd have to cut my hand off. They hit me and hurt me and… why father? Why did they do that?" He wept.

Viktor sobbed, breaking as he heard each confession from his son. "Leo, I swear there were no letters! They lied. They only sent one… they didn't ask for money." Viktor said.

"You're lying!" Leo cried, but didn't push him back, only held onto the king even harder. "Papa…" He wept miserably and Viktor would not let him go either.

"Leo… Leo… you've been so strong… I'm so proud of you my boy." He whispered. "I love you so much, Leo. I would gladly die for you, you know this." Viktor said softly. "I will make them pay, I'll find the other two and make them pay." He promised.

It took a while of holding each other and crying against each other before Leo managed to sit back, having calmed down somewhat. Viktor handed him the letter and Leo began to read.

His hands trembled. Whether it was at seeing his own blood used as ink, or at reading the content of the letter, Viktor couldn't tell.

"That… man… he lied to me." Leo whispered. "He tried to turn me against you…" Leo whispered.

"We'll find them and make them pay." Viktor promised.

"Him." Leo didn't look up, looking as if he was re-reading the letter.

"What?" Viktor said.

"There's only one man left." Leo said.

"But…"

Leo smiled and began to laugh behind his hand, the smile looking wrong, his eyes filling with a crazed look and even more tears. "I killed him. Haha… I pulled him under the water… Hehe…" Leo looked up at him and Viktor's heart broke that little bit more. "He was so sure I wasn't a threat… he had his back to me and I pulled him into the bath and I kept him there until he stopped moving. He kept thrashing and I… Haha! I was so scared! But finally… finally I could run! Hehehe! Hahah!" Leo kept laughing and Viktor shook his head, pulling his son back into his arms.

"Shh… shh… it's ok, Leo. You're safe now. You're safe." Viktor kept saying while Leo kept shifting from laughter to crying to shaking. It was the adrenaline running through him. That's all it was.

"Papa… I killed him…"

"You had to… you had no choice." Viktor whispered.

"Papa… I… I was so scared he'd start moving again. I was so sure he would have killed me." Leo whispered.

"It's because you escaped that you're safe, here now. You had no choice, Leo." Viktor whispered and pulled back looking at his son's face, wiping away his tears gently. "I have killed so many men in my life. War requires that. It doesn't get any easier… seeing them so still, I know. But you did it to save your life." Viktor said and Leo listened to him closely, nodding.

"Thank you… thank you, papa." Leo whispered, leaning in and holding onto him tight once more.

Viktor simply rubbed his son's back, trying to soothe him as best he could. It must have worked because soon he felt Leo relax in his arms and he looked down to see him asleep. He sighed and lay him back down, getting him as comfortable as he could, before looking at the letter once more.

He still had to talk to Leo about what they'd asked of him. If Leo had heard anything about these people and why they wanted to bring upon another war, it could help them track down those involved. Viktor doubted there were only three thugs involved. This looked like the work of someone of much higher standing. Maybe even someone close to the palace. He wasn't going to risk any of his children getting hurt like this ever again if he could help it. He had to find those responsible and make them pay.

"Sleep easy, my child." Viktor said gently, caressing Leo's cheek, cleaning the final traces of tears staining his face. He gathered what strength he had to rise to his feet and head for the door. He paused before it and turned to the opened windows.

He clenched his jaw tight and despite knowing that the guard was raised, Viktor came over and closed the windows, locking them in place before leaving Leo alone to rest.