Forbidden Chains
By: rainjewel
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Chid awoke to feel of a hand caressing his cheek. He felt his hands tied behind his back, and he was sitting in a chair, his head bowed. Chid didn't open his eyes. Whoever was touching his face, he certainly didn't want to let on that he was awake. What if it's Akaro? he pondered.
Chid snapped his eyes open, but didn't move his head. He flicked his eyes about the room, taking in the surroundings. He realized that they were in the room of the ancient Lord Dornkirk. Chid could see the decrepit apparatus that had held the old scientist from the corner of his eyes. They took me to Zaibach? Those guards were Freidian. Why the hell am I in Zaibach? he thought.
Slowly, Chid raised his head to look at the fact of his captor. Looming in the darkness was the face of Mahad, the Duke of Freid. He was sitting on a wooden chair, his one good hand caressing Chid's cheek.
Chid ran his eyes over the Duke's body, seeing only cold, contoured metal. After the fall of Freid, the only way to save Mahad was to replace his torso and legs with bionic appendages. Now the only thing that was human about the Duke was his neck, head, and left arm. Even the blood that flowed his through his veins was artificial. It was that blood that had changed Mahad's personality.
"Those guards, who attacked us, were from Freid. What's going on? Have you been captured too?" asked Chid. He didn't think Mahad had been captured, and hoped that the Duke would just lie to him and agree. Chid felt the Duke's hand stiffen against his face.
"You would choose him over me?" Mahad says softly. His voice was a deep monotone.
"What in the hell are you talking about?" said Chid, equally as soft.
"You would choose a lowly Knight and a worthless cat girl over your country? Your family?" Mahad repeats. His eyes burned into Chid's, and he saw them spark at his biting comment. Chid fought for control.
"Allen and Serena are my family," Chid said matter-of-factly. Mahad withdrew his hand, then hit him hard in the mouth. Chid let his head roll with the blow, not only as to reduce the pain, but to save his teeth. Chid felt his teeth clack together and his tongue erupted in pain. He had bitten his tongue. Hard. Chid also felt his lip split.
Chid finally brought his head back around to look at Mahad, his head swimming with pain. He felt blood filling his mouth. He turned to the side and spit it out. It was useless, for his mouth just filled up again. Chid spat for a second and third time, and finally the flow stopped.
"Allen isn't worthy to be a father. I've raised you, not him. And Serena destroyed Freid. That's your country if you remember," said Mahad. His eyes were on fire.
"That was Dilandau," said Chid impassively. He expected another hit and braced his body. He felt blood drip down from his mouth when he spoke. Mahad's eyes shone bright for a second more, then cooled.
"Same difference," the Duke said. He relaxed in the chair. Chid merely sat still, not knowing what to say, letting the blood course down his chin and neck from his split lip.
Mahad reached out, this time with his bionic left arm, and tenderly wiped the blood away from Chid's chin. Chid pretended not to notice, for he could tell that Mahad was waiting for him to respond to the horror of his bionic arm.
Chid slowly flicked his tongue out of his mouth, licking away the last of his crimson blood. I am not afraid of you, he said to himself.
"Why am I tied up?" Chid asked eventually. He shook some golden hair out of his eyes. His lip had momentarily stopped bleeding.
"You are being charged, by me, as a traitor to Freid," said Mahad. His eyes bore into Chid, showing only smug iciness. Chid couldn't believe his ears.
"Have you gone crazy?" he asked sincerely, "I am the Prince of Freid."
Mahad's eyes rolled wildly at the comment. His left arm shot up and smacked Chid over the head with a sharp slap. The Prince felt cold medal strike his head, and felt his body tilting towards the ground. He braced himself, and the chair hit the ground. Chid let his rigid body relax when he realized his body was out of harms way. His vision swam, black shadows falling sporadically over his vision. Chid heard Mahad say something, but it sounded the Duke was a million miles away.
Chid felt the Duke grab him and right his chair. His head erupted in pain at the sudden movement. He heard himself moan in pain, and then felt hot blood pour from his mouth. Not again, he thought. Chid let his head roll back to ease the pain, but he choked on the blood. He turned to his side and spit it out, seeing it drip onto the floor. The Prince turned back to Mahad, regarding him with glazed eyes.
"Be careful Chid," said the Duke, "I have your aunt, the Fanelian prince, and your sex kitten. Only your words keep them alive."
Chid tried to reply, but only managed to cough up more black-red blood. His head pounded with every convulsion.
"You abandoned your country Chid. You can't deny that," Mahad said. The Duke dragged his chair close to Chid, then turned it around. With a swish of his golden robes he sat down, resting his face upon his folded arms.
Chid looked at his face, and could sense an oncoming interrogation. Just play along with him. You have to save Akaro, Shail, and Serena, thought Chid. Chid spat more blood, then turned to Mahad and began to speak.
"You're right. I can't disagree with you. But before you pass judgement on me other innocent persons, let me tell you my reasons," Chid said slowly. He stressed the word "innocent" very slightly, hoping to subconsciously to persuade the Duke. His throat felt thick with blood, but he could talk now without spitting up the vital liquid.
"Alright Chid. Tell me your tale," Mahad replied. He settled more into his sitting position
"I had been feeling anger towards Allen for quite sometime, for he hasn't been a very good father, and the announcement of my arranged marriage put me over the top," Chid began coolly.
"So you had to go tell him in the middle of the night?" asked Mahad sarcastically. His eyes were full of pompous disbelief.
"I left on an impetuous, childish impulse. Rotations of controlled frustrations erupted. For some odd reason, Akaro, the cat girl, followed..." said Chid. He stopped and spit out some clotting blood. His tale was coming along well.
"She just came without any encouragement?" said Mahad. "I find that hard to believe."
"I don't know her reasoning. After all, she's a demi-human. If you want to know, ask her," said Chid evenly.
"All in good time," said Mahad impassively. Chid looked at him in confusion, but decided to continue his lie. He saw that the Duke was actually buying into it. The Prince smothered a laugh.
"I admit that I became infatuated with her, but that ended when that damn dragon attacked me. My priorities have finally fallen into place. I want to come back and serve my country. As a man, not the stupid boy I was when I left," Chid said. His mind was running out of ideas. He was relieved to see that the crazed state Mahad was in was also a more gullible one.
Mahad silently regarded the blue-eyed Prince for a moment, his eyes searching for a sense of fallacy. Chid locked his features into an indifferent expression.
"Would you...would you leave this, Akaro for Freid?" the Duke finally asked him. His voice was, for once, sincere. Chid took a deep breath and felt blood trickle down his throat.
"In a heartbeat," he said. Akaro forgive me, he thought to himself. The blood tickled his throat, making him want to cough.
"One last question. Was she any good?" Mahad asked. His eyes shone brightly in the dark room. Chid was dumbfounded.
"What do you mean?" he asked, true confusion ringing in his words. Mahad laughed a little.
"You know what I mean. In bed..." said the Duke. He chuckled slightly. You disgusting male chauvinist psychopath, Chid thought to himself, though he responded right on cue.
"The best," Chid said as lightly as he possibly could. He felt practically sacrilegious in saying the words. Mahad laughed deeply, his icy, booming voice filling the ancient throne room.
"Then you are a man," he said. The Duke stood up. He leaned over Chid and untied his hands and feet. Chid stood up then, leaning against the chair for support. His head pounded from the Duke's pummeling blows. The Duke smacked him on the back good-naturedly, causing Chid to cough repeatedly. Luckily, he noticed, only a small amount of blood came with the body-rattling hacks.
Mahad stood silently, not helping him. However, a bright smile lit his face, and Chid took that for a good sign. Finally, Chid stood up and wiped his mouth with a gloved hand. He rubbed his wrists, which were raw from the tightness of the ropes that had bound him only a few seconds ago.
"Now, just one last test of loyalty," Mahad said.
"What would that be?" Chid replied. He gingerly touched his split lip.
"We're going to go visit your friends, and then you have to make a choice," said the Duke. He looked at Chid. The blue-eyed boy froze.
"What choice is that?" asked Chid, though he was pretty sure he knew. He dropped his hand.
"You're going to choose between them and your country," Mahad said simply. Chid's mind went blank.
"What are you going to do?" Chid finally asked softly. His voice was hardly a whisper.
"Kill them," Mahad said, as if the idea was common knowledge.