Part 6
Author: Dilandau-Sama
Author's Note: I changed the assassin scene.
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As Van heard the door close, he let out a shaky sigh, curling up as small as he could manage on the bed. "W..why." he whispered to no one in particular, wrapping his arms around himself, trying to make his body forget the feeling of that awful touch. His voice was slightly hoarse, and he hoped to the gods above that no one had heard him yell, after all, rape was a crime punishable by death. In his mind, he vowed never to step closer then 10 feet to Jo again. "She seemed so nice. I suppose everyone is different from what they seem once you get close to them." He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself tighter, wondering if it was still early enough to take a shower. He dragged himself out of bed, and padded over to what looked like the bathroom. The floor was done in white marble, and there was a large pool, much like the one he had been bathed in when he first arrived at the Palazzo. The pool was like a bowl cut into the floor, shallow at first, but deepening in the middle. Van sighed, stripping off his cloths and folding them up neatly before entering the delightfully warm bath. He walked straight into the middle, submerging himself to rid his body of any traces of the old woman. He lay floating on his back, his eyes closing as he breathed in the strong odor of incense, calming and relaxing his soul. When he finally decided he was clean, he rose from the bath, grabbing a towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist, and moving into his room. On the bed, he found a pair of black silk shorts and a large black button up shirt, and he immediately put them on. He climbed into the bed, getting used to the feeling of silk against his skin. He closed his eyes, imagining that Hitomi was there with him. He could see her clearly in his mind's eye, and he almost reached out to touch that which wasn't there. He fell asleep, dreaming of his rescue by Hitomi and Allen, he would be happy just to see the blonde knight again even if it meant he couldn't keep Hitomi.
He awoke rested and relaxed, almost forgetting the events of yesterday. He stretched and yawned, sitting up in bed, feeling the most comfortable he had in years. A small noise like the sound of a cough alerted him that he was not alone.
"Good morning Master Van.."
"Rao? What the." Van scrambled to pull down his shirt that had risen to mid chest during the night, blushing slightly.
"Don't be mad Master Van, I've just come to wake you. I am your personal page you know.."
"So I should be expecting this everyday?"
" Well, no. Only on days when you'll be expecting.lets call them special guests." Van's face drew a blank, and Rao let out an exasperated sigh. "You know. They keep the Palazzo running?"
"You mean.. Oh gods no."
"Yes Master Van, It's extremely unusual to have a special guest the day after you arrive, someone must have known you were coming." Van sat there with his hand covering his mouth, he felt himself beginning to tremble. "Dilandau.." he whispered, feeling a pit growing at the bottom of his stomach.
"Oh, so you know Master Dilandau? I'm sorry, but he's not your guest for today." Van looked up at the boy, blinking in confusion.
"Master Dilandau? You mean he comes here on a daily basis? That sick..that sick fag.. I'll kill him I'll-"
"You really shouldn't speak badly of Master Dilandau.I mean, he's gentle and kind and." The boy immediately quieted down, looking away from the boy on the bed. "I really shouldn't have said that."
"You..he..did.Oh gods." The boy page looked down at his feet, blushing slightly.
"At any rate, you'll have to get out of bed so I can make it. Go take a bath, I'll be there in a moment." Van nodded numbly, and climbed out of the bed, grabbing a stack of fresh cloths on his way in. He looked down at the feel of the fabric.
"Oh gods, leather." He shook his head, stripping down again and walked into the bath tub to wait for the young page. He must have fallen asleep for the next thing he remembered was being shaken awake to the sight of Rao in the pool, holding a bottle of a sweet smelling purple substance.
"You know, it's dangerous to fall asleep during a bath" he chided, massaging some of the gel into his hair.
"Close your eyes and hold your breath." He murmured, dunking the boy under the water to rinse the violet colored suds out. When Van emerged again, the boy massaged a crème of the same color and smell as the gel, again into the boys hair, planting feather light kisses around the base of the boys neck.
"Dunk again for me." He whispered, and Van obeyed, coming up sputtering for air. Rao took a nearby sponge and started rubbing the other boys back as he sighed in contentment, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply.
"Don't fall asleep again Van. You're so forgetful" At this, he smiled, rinsing off the boys back. The boy page walked out of the pool and gathered a towel for the other and one for himself. He began to rub the other down, murmuring words of advice to the boy king.
"Always obey your master, his word is as good as law. Don't show fear, it only makes things worse. Pretend you're a doll, your master will probably become bored of you sooner, and won't use you as often."
"You speak as if my master is going to be a man.." Van commented, lifting his arms so the page could clean his sides.
"Well, that's because he is. Oh don't worry, you'll have plenty of female mistresses as well. Just, your first is going to be male." Van nodded, he felt detached from his body, like his soul was watching from a higher place. He let the boy dress him, and lead him back into the room where the page applied light touches of makeup here and there, not enough to be noticeable, but enough to make him look pretty. He lifted one hand to touch the collar around his neck, giving it an experimental tug to test it's strength. He was rewarded with a faint buzz, a warning not try and pull the thing off. He barely noticed the page leave as he gazed at himself in a small mirror on the wall, reaching out to touch the cool glass, hardly recognizing the figure he saw reflected back at him. He shut his eyes tight, his hands balling into fists as he struggled not to shatter the mirror in front of him.
"Damn you Dilandau..you bastard.I'll kill you."
Some time later..
Van was curled up on a cushion on the floor, flipping idly through a book he had found in a cabinet somewhere. From what he could tell, it was some crappy love story, nothing that sparked his interest in the slightest. He sighed, thinking about Hitomi, closing the book and throwing it behind the bed. He figured it was late since it had been many hours since he had last finished his meal, and he was already becoming quite hungry. He shuddered at the thought of a master, no, he wouldn't take this. HE was the master, he was the king. A frenzy took over his mind, he couldn't deal with this. He moved himself behind the door, so that when it opened, he would have a clean shot at the man. He'd kill him, he'd hurt him. That would teach the Palazzo that this was no ordinary ass-licking whore. He lay in the shadows, waiting for his doomed master to arrive, letting out a chuckle that sounded strangely like one that would have came out of Dilandau's mouth. He didn't know how long he sat there, but soon he heard the key being inserted into the key hole, and a series of grunts and curses being mumbled from the outside. He got ready to pounce the unexpecting man, his eyes glazing over as the door was slowly pushed open. Van let out a loud yell, leaping out of his hiding spot to tackle the slightly stooped over man, who gave a yelp of surprise, followed by more strings of curses as he tried to knock off the boy who was now clawing at his chest.
"I'll never submit. You'll never break me." The man swung one massive arm, knocking Van to the floor with one blow, before standing up, kicking the him in the stomach before backing away slowly.
"What d'hell's this? They didn't tell me 'bout no fight'n slaves 'round 'ere." Van let out a snarl, getting ready to attack again, before the man held out a small object with a red button in the middle. "Don make meh haveta use this on ya, they say it hurts like 'ell" The boy grimaced, the smell of alcohol was strong on the man, and he could do nothing but crouch on the ground in front of him, his head hung in defeat. The man rummaged through his worn out jacket, finally fishing out a crumpled letter and tossed it at the boy.
"'Ere, th' guy that gave meh this 'ere key told meh to give tha' to ya." Van starred blankly at the letter, opening it slowly before pulling out the letter inside. His face grew pale as he saw the signature on the bottom, it was signed Dilandau-Sama. It read as follows:
Hello Van, I hope you're having fun at "The Palazzo." To ensure you have the best time possible, I've sent you this drunk I found in a bar near here. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make Great friends. I'll be paying you a visit personally, so expect me to come soon. How does it feel to be humiliated? To lose everything most precious to you? This is your penance for that scar, you've ruined such perfection.So I'll do the same to you. I must be going now, don't worry about Folken, he doesn't miss you at all. Have fun. -Dilandau Sama Van blanched, the paper shaking in his trembling hands. "Hooooooo, Look'it this 'ere room. It's th' most be-yu-ti-ful thang I've eva' seen since I dunno what." The man stood looking at the boy out of the corner of his eye. "Boy, It seems we ain't been properly introduced yet. People down at th' ol' bar down th'street call meh Steve, short fo' Steven don'cha know. Why don't you come right over 'ere and tell ol' Steve yo' name."
"Van. It's Van."
"Well Van, tha's one peculiar name you've got there boy. Now why don't we get down to buisness, come sit in pappy's lap." Van didn't move from his spot on the floor, he didn't look up, but seemed frozen in place like some bizarre statue set randomly in the middle of the room.
"No," came the monosyllable response, Van's bangs hanging low in his eyes, making reading his emotions almost impossible.
"Whadaya mean 'No?' Don't make me get physical now boy, I'll go right o'er there and take what's mine from yo' tight lil ass" With that, the enraged drunk held up the shock control, waving it menacingly in the air. "Now don't think I' be jokin , Get o'er here before ya make me go an' use this thing." Van, trembling with rage, stood up, making his slow march towards the drunk, completely powerless to the events that would follow.
"Thaz a good boy, come sit that cute lil ass down right o'er here. Ol' Steven will take goooood care of ya." Van gingerly sat down on the man's lap, wincing at the odor of sweat and alcohol, praying to the moons that this would be over with soon. The man made an awful grimace, sliding one hand up and down the boy's thigh as Van tried his hardest not to slap it away, or better yet, snap the man's neck. He closed his eyes tightly as he let himself be pushed back onto the bed, completely surrendering his body to the groping force above him.
The next day.
Van woke up to an empty bed, it seemed like the man had left hours before. He shut his eyes tightly, forcing the tears that he could feel begging to form back, wrapping his arms tightly around him again. After laying in the comforting darkness for as long as he would, he forced himself out of bed, shards of pain lacing through his lower back. Grimacing, he looked back onto the soiled bed, now understanding the reasoning behind black sheets. He more or less limped over to bath, wincing as the water turned a brownish red due to the dried blood splattered over his thighs. He looked into the water, wondering how long it would take him to drown if he should want to. He really could do it. He had tried to commit suicide before.slitting his throat with that sword when he had first been captured. He sighed, slipping out of the pool, clothing himself just as Rao entered the room.
"Oh Van, I didn't expect you to be awake so soon. Breakfast is to be served in an hour." He gave Van a sidelong look, a small smile gracing his boyish features. "So, how'd it go? Wasn't too bad, right?"
"I hated it. If I ever have to go through anything like that, I'll drown myself in that pool."
"Don't do that Master Van, I'm sure your next experience will be much more.satisfying." With that, the boy page made his way, changing the bed sheets, folding the laundry, and performing other duties that a page was supposed to perform.
Meanwhile, in the Floating Fortress.
Folken stood in his chamber, his back facing a figure covered by shadow that was kneeling on the floor, a katana strapped to his back. "So, I trust you'll be able to keep an eye on my younger brother, he does mean quite a lot to me."
The figure stayed silent, nodding slightly as his response.
"I'm sorry I had to disturb you Shadow, I understand how busy you are, with the kind of life you lead."
"It's no trouble at all. I still must repay you for that time, please accept this act as part of my gratitude." The man's voice fit his name, soft and silky, every syllable sliding off his tongue with such grace.
It was now Folken's time to nod, turning to face his dark visitor. He couldn't see his face, for it was obscured by the darkness of the room, but he knew that it was scarred on both cheeks, for he had been there when he had received them. "That is all, you shall be properly rewarded for your services with your consent or not. It would only be fair to give you fair pay, just as I give the rest of my men."
"Then so be it. I must be off now, to tie up any loose ends before taking on this mission."
With that, the figure leaped from the open window without waiting for a response, as Folken starred after him into the darkness.
Back at the Palazzo.
Van sat outside in the grand gardens of the Palazzo, the sounds of laughter and a nearby waterfall resounded through the air. He took a deep breath of the fragrant air, trying to move as little as possible for he was still sore from his experience. A light tap on his shoulder broke him from his thoughts as the twins Megan and Chris wandered over to sit besides him in the neatly trimmed grass.
"Didn't catch ya at breakfast yesterday, or lunch or dinner for that matter, where you sick?" Van gave a small smile to the twins who were poking him and feeling his forehead, all in good nature of course.
"Yes, I wasn't feeling to well, so I spent the day in bed."
"Well, you're feeling better now, right?"
"I'm still a little sore but." Chris gave a small wink to his sister, smirking devilishly at the boy king.
"Sore you say, don't try and hide it, we all get it sooner or later. No need to feel embarrassed." Van blushed slightly leaning back to look at the cloudless sky. How peaceful it seemed here, but his mind could not rest at ease.
"We all have that urge to escape at first," Megan said, placing one hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "But it's really not that bad here. The food is good, the rooms are fantastic, and we only have to pay with our bodies. You really get used to it after awhile. Me and Chris had it much worse before we came here."
"What were you before you came here?"
"We were street kids, we lived in Palas. We were brought here when we were both eight."
"Fought tooth and nail, but we're here now, it's not that bad." Chris gave Van a pat on the back and a small smile with two little fangs sticking out of the corners of his mouth. Just then, the shadows of three figures appeared over the still sitting Van, Chris, and Megan. Van turned to see, oh gods, a boy with hair longer than Allen's. At least it wasn't blonde, instead, it was jet black, he wondered if he dyed it. On both sides of this Allen look-a-like, were another boy and a girl.
"So, the whore twins have found a new toy to play with." The boy with the long hair smirked, his arms folded across his chest in a superior way.
"Fuck off Li," Chris snarled, looking more cute then dangerous. "No one wants you here."
"Like I care what you whelps think. I was just passing by, when I decided to pay you three a visit. Ah." He turned his sadistic gaze to Van, giving him an appreciative stare. "It seems we haven't been properly introduced yet. They call me Li around here, and may I ask your name?"
"..Van..." It seemed this wasn't the type of person he wanted to be seen with, but at the same time, not be enemies with. At least while he was still in the Palazzo.
"Well Van, I'd love to stay and chat, but Joy, Carnage and I have much business to attend to. I'll see you later Chris, Megan." With that, he turned arubtly, his long hair swirling out behind him as he walked away, his two friends following after him loyally.
"We better be going to Van, we'll see you around. Oh, and pay no attention to Li, he's the Palazzo pushover. Bye." The twins stood up, waving cheerfully to the boy king who was starring up at the sky again. Like his freedom, it seemed so close, yet so far away. Things went in this manner for the next few weeks, the same daily routine everyday. Van received no trouble except for the occasional run in with Li and his gang. Everything was as close to normal as could be until that one day when Rao appeared in Van's room one early morning.
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As Van heard the door close, he let out a shaky sigh, curling up as small as he could manage on the bed. "W..why." he whispered to no one in particular, wrapping his arms around himself, trying to make his body forget the feeling of that awful touch. His voice was slightly hoarse, and he hoped to the gods above that no one had heard him yell, after all, rape was a crime punishable by death. In his mind, he vowed never to step closer then 10 feet to Jo again. "She seemed so nice. I suppose everyone is different from what they seem once you get close to them." He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself tighter, wondering if it was still early enough to take a shower. He dragged himself out of bed, and padded over to what looked like the bathroom. The floor was done in white marble, and there was a large pool, much like the one he had been bathed in when he first arrived at the Palazzo. The pool was like a bowl cut into the floor, shallow at first, but deepening in the middle. Van sighed, stripping off his cloths and folding them up neatly before entering the delightfully warm bath. He walked straight into the middle, submerging himself to rid his body of any traces of the old woman. He lay floating on his back, his eyes closing as he breathed in the strong odor of incense, calming and relaxing his soul. When he finally decided he was clean, he rose from the bath, grabbing a towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist, and moving into his room. On the bed, he found a pair of black silk shorts and a large black button up shirt, and he immediately put them on. He climbed into the bed, getting used to the feeling of silk against his skin. He closed his eyes, imagining that Hitomi was there with him. He could see her clearly in his mind's eye, and he almost reached out to touch that which wasn't there. He fell asleep, dreaming of his rescue by Hitomi and Allen, he would be happy just to see the blonde knight again even if it meant he couldn't keep Hitomi.
He awoke rested and relaxed, almost forgetting the events of yesterday. He stretched and yawned, sitting up in bed, feeling the most comfortable he had in years. A small noise like the sound of a cough alerted him that he was not alone.
"Good morning Master Van.."
"Rao? What the." Van scrambled to pull down his shirt that had risen to mid chest during the night, blushing slightly.
"Don't be mad Master Van, I've just come to wake you. I am your personal page you know.."
"So I should be expecting this everyday?"
" Well, no. Only on days when you'll be expecting.lets call them special guests." Van's face drew a blank, and Rao let out an exasperated sigh. "You know. They keep the Palazzo running?"
"You mean.. Oh gods no."
"Yes Master Van, It's extremely unusual to have a special guest the day after you arrive, someone must have known you were coming." Van sat there with his hand covering his mouth, he felt himself beginning to tremble. "Dilandau.." he whispered, feeling a pit growing at the bottom of his stomach.
"Oh, so you know Master Dilandau? I'm sorry, but he's not your guest for today." Van looked up at the boy, blinking in confusion.
"Master Dilandau? You mean he comes here on a daily basis? That sick..that sick fag.. I'll kill him I'll-"
"You really shouldn't speak badly of Master Dilandau.I mean, he's gentle and kind and." The boy immediately quieted down, looking away from the boy on the bed. "I really shouldn't have said that."
"You..he..did.Oh gods." The boy page looked down at his feet, blushing slightly.
"At any rate, you'll have to get out of bed so I can make it. Go take a bath, I'll be there in a moment." Van nodded numbly, and climbed out of the bed, grabbing a stack of fresh cloths on his way in. He looked down at the feel of the fabric.
"Oh gods, leather." He shook his head, stripping down again and walked into the bath tub to wait for the young page. He must have fallen asleep for the next thing he remembered was being shaken awake to the sight of Rao in the pool, holding a bottle of a sweet smelling purple substance.
"You know, it's dangerous to fall asleep during a bath" he chided, massaging some of the gel into his hair.
"Close your eyes and hold your breath." He murmured, dunking the boy under the water to rinse the violet colored suds out. When Van emerged again, the boy massaged a crème of the same color and smell as the gel, again into the boys hair, planting feather light kisses around the base of the boys neck.
"Dunk again for me." He whispered, and Van obeyed, coming up sputtering for air. Rao took a nearby sponge and started rubbing the other boys back as he sighed in contentment, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply.
"Don't fall asleep again Van. You're so forgetful" At this, he smiled, rinsing off the boys back. The boy page walked out of the pool and gathered a towel for the other and one for himself. He began to rub the other down, murmuring words of advice to the boy king.
"Always obey your master, his word is as good as law. Don't show fear, it only makes things worse. Pretend you're a doll, your master will probably become bored of you sooner, and won't use you as often."
"You speak as if my master is going to be a man.." Van commented, lifting his arms so the page could clean his sides.
"Well, that's because he is. Oh don't worry, you'll have plenty of female mistresses as well. Just, your first is going to be male." Van nodded, he felt detached from his body, like his soul was watching from a higher place. He let the boy dress him, and lead him back into the room where the page applied light touches of makeup here and there, not enough to be noticeable, but enough to make him look pretty. He lifted one hand to touch the collar around his neck, giving it an experimental tug to test it's strength. He was rewarded with a faint buzz, a warning not try and pull the thing off. He barely noticed the page leave as he gazed at himself in a small mirror on the wall, reaching out to touch the cool glass, hardly recognizing the figure he saw reflected back at him. He shut his eyes tight, his hands balling into fists as he struggled not to shatter the mirror in front of him.
"Damn you Dilandau..you bastard.I'll kill you."
Some time later..
Van was curled up on a cushion on the floor, flipping idly through a book he had found in a cabinet somewhere. From what he could tell, it was some crappy love story, nothing that sparked his interest in the slightest. He sighed, thinking about Hitomi, closing the book and throwing it behind the bed. He figured it was late since it had been many hours since he had last finished his meal, and he was already becoming quite hungry. He shuddered at the thought of a master, no, he wouldn't take this. HE was the master, he was the king. A frenzy took over his mind, he couldn't deal with this. He moved himself behind the door, so that when it opened, he would have a clean shot at the man. He'd kill him, he'd hurt him. That would teach the Palazzo that this was no ordinary ass-licking whore. He lay in the shadows, waiting for his doomed master to arrive, letting out a chuckle that sounded strangely like one that would have came out of Dilandau's mouth. He didn't know how long he sat there, but soon he heard the key being inserted into the key hole, and a series of grunts and curses being mumbled from the outside. He got ready to pounce the unexpecting man, his eyes glazing over as the door was slowly pushed open. Van let out a loud yell, leaping out of his hiding spot to tackle the slightly stooped over man, who gave a yelp of surprise, followed by more strings of curses as he tried to knock off the boy who was now clawing at his chest.
"I'll never submit. You'll never break me." The man swung one massive arm, knocking Van to the floor with one blow, before standing up, kicking the him in the stomach before backing away slowly.
"What d'hell's this? They didn't tell me 'bout no fight'n slaves 'round 'ere." Van let out a snarl, getting ready to attack again, before the man held out a small object with a red button in the middle. "Don make meh haveta use this on ya, they say it hurts like 'ell" The boy grimaced, the smell of alcohol was strong on the man, and he could do nothing but crouch on the ground in front of him, his head hung in defeat. The man rummaged through his worn out jacket, finally fishing out a crumpled letter and tossed it at the boy.
"'Ere, th' guy that gave meh this 'ere key told meh to give tha' to ya." Van starred blankly at the letter, opening it slowly before pulling out the letter inside. His face grew pale as he saw the signature on the bottom, it was signed Dilandau-Sama. It read as follows:
Hello Van, I hope you're having fun at "The Palazzo." To ensure you have the best time possible, I've sent you this drunk I found in a bar near here. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make Great friends. I'll be paying you a visit personally, so expect me to come soon. How does it feel to be humiliated? To lose everything most precious to you? This is your penance for that scar, you've ruined such perfection.So I'll do the same to you. I must be going now, don't worry about Folken, he doesn't miss you at all. Have fun. -Dilandau Sama Van blanched, the paper shaking in his trembling hands. "Hooooooo, Look'it this 'ere room. It's th' most be-yu-ti-ful thang I've eva' seen since I dunno what." The man stood looking at the boy out of the corner of his eye. "Boy, It seems we ain't been properly introduced yet. People down at th' ol' bar down th'street call meh Steve, short fo' Steven don'cha know. Why don't you come right over 'ere and tell ol' Steve yo' name."
"Van. It's Van."
"Well Van, tha's one peculiar name you've got there boy. Now why don't we get down to buisness, come sit in pappy's lap." Van didn't move from his spot on the floor, he didn't look up, but seemed frozen in place like some bizarre statue set randomly in the middle of the room.
"No," came the monosyllable response, Van's bangs hanging low in his eyes, making reading his emotions almost impossible.
"Whadaya mean 'No?' Don't make me get physical now boy, I'll go right o'er there and take what's mine from yo' tight lil ass" With that, the enraged drunk held up the shock control, waving it menacingly in the air. "Now don't think I' be jokin , Get o'er here before ya make me go an' use this thing." Van, trembling with rage, stood up, making his slow march towards the drunk, completely powerless to the events that would follow.
"Thaz a good boy, come sit that cute lil ass down right o'er here. Ol' Steven will take goooood care of ya." Van gingerly sat down on the man's lap, wincing at the odor of sweat and alcohol, praying to the moons that this would be over with soon. The man made an awful grimace, sliding one hand up and down the boy's thigh as Van tried his hardest not to slap it away, or better yet, snap the man's neck. He closed his eyes tightly as he let himself be pushed back onto the bed, completely surrendering his body to the groping force above him.
The next day.
Van woke up to an empty bed, it seemed like the man had left hours before. He shut his eyes tightly, forcing the tears that he could feel begging to form back, wrapping his arms tightly around him again. After laying in the comforting darkness for as long as he would, he forced himself out of bed, shards of pain lacing through his lower back. Grimacing, he looked back onto the soiled bed, now understanding the reasoning behind black sheets. He more or less limped over to bath, wincing as the water turned a brownish red due to the dried blood splattered over his thighs. He looked into the water, wondering how long it would take him to drown if he should want to. He really could do it. He had tried to commit suicide before.slitting his throat with that sword when he had first been captured. He sighed, slipping out of the pool, clothing himself just as Rao entered the room.
"Oh Van, I didn't expect you to be awake so soon. Breakfast is to be served in an hour." He gave Van a sidelong look, a small smile gracing his boyish features. "So, how'd it go? Wasn't too bad, right?"
"I hated it. If I ever have to go through anything like that, I'll drown myself in that pool."
"Don't do that Master Van, I'm sure your next experience will be much more.satisfying." With that, the boy page made his way, changing the bed sheets, folding the laundry, and performing other duties that a page was supposed to perform.
Meanwhile, in the Floating Fortress.
Folken stood in his chamber, his back facing a figure covered by shadow that was kneeling on the floor, a katana strapped to his back. "So, I trust you'll be able to keep an eye on my younger brother, he does mean quite a lot to me."
The figure stayed silent, nodding slightly as his response.
"I'm sorry I had to disturb you Shadow, I understand how busy you are, with the kind of life you lead."
"It's no trouble at all. I still must repay you for that time, please accept this act as part of my gratitude." The man's voice fit his name, soft and silky, every syllable sliding off his tongue with such grace.
It was now Folken's time to nod, turning to face his dark visitor. He couldn't see his face, for it was obscured by the darkness of the room, but he knew that it was scarred on both cheeks, for he had been there when he had received them. "That is all, you shall be properly rewarded for your services with your consent or not. It would only be fair to give you fair pay, just as I give the rest of my men."
"Then so be it. I must be off now, to tie up any loose ends before taking on this mission."
With that, the figure leaped from the open window without waiting for a response, as Folken starred after him into the darkness.
Back at the Palazzo.
Van sat outside in the grand gardens of the Palazzo, the sounds of laughter and a nearby waterfall resounded through the air. He took a deep breath of the fragrant air, trying to move as little as possible for he was still sore from his experience. A light tap on his shoulder broke him from his thoughts as the twins Megan and Chris wandered over to sit besides him in the neatly trimmed grass.
"Didn't catch ya at breakfast yesterday, or lunch or dinner for that matter, where you sick?" Van gave a small smile to the twins who were poking him and feeling his forehead, all in good nature of course.
"Yes, I wasn't feeling to well, so I spent the day in bed."
"Well, you're feeling better now, right?"
"I'm still a little sore but." Chris gave a small wink to his sister, smirking devilishly at the boy king.
"Sore you say, don't try and hide it, we all get it sooner or later. No need to feel embarrassed." Van blushed slightly leaning back to look at the cloudless sky. How peaceful it seemed here, but his mind could not rest at ease.
"We all have that urge to escape at first," Megan said, placing one hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "But it's really not that bad here. The food is good, the rooms are fantastic, and we only have to pay with our bodies. You really get used to it after awhile. Me and Chris had it much worse before we came here."
"What were you before you came here?"
"We were street kids, we lived in Palas. We were brought here when we were both eight."
"Fought tooth and nail, but we're here now, it's not that bad." Chris gave Van a pat on the back and a small smile with two little fangs sticking out of the corners of his mouth. Just then, the shadows of three figures appeared over the still sitting Van, Chris, and Megan. Van turned to see, oh gods, a boy with hair longer than Allen's. At least it wasn't blonde, instead, it was jet black, he wondered if he dyed it. On both sides of this Allen look-a-like, were another boy and a girl.
"So, the whore twins have found a new toy to play with." The boy with the long hair smirked, his arms folded across his chest in a superior way.
"Fuck off Li," Chris snarled, looking more cute then dangerous. "No one wants you here."
"Like I care what you whelps think. I was just passing by, when I decided to pay you three a visit. Ah." He turned his sadistic gaze to Van, giving him an appreciative stare. "It seems we haven't been properly introduced yet. They call me Li around here, and may I ask your name?"
"..Van..." It seemed this wasn't the type of person he wanted to be seen with, but at the same time, not be enemies with. At least while he was still in the Palazzo.
"Well Van, I'd love to stay and chat, but Joy, Carnage and I have much business to attend to. I'll see you later Chris, Megan." With that, he turned arubtly, his long hair swirling out behind him as he walked away, his two friends following after him loyally.
"We better be going to Van, we'll see you around. Oh, and pay no attention to Li, he's the Palazzo pushover. Bye." The twins stood up, waving cheerfully to the boy king who was starring up at the sky again. Like his freedom, it seemed so close, yet so far away. Things went in this manner for the next few weeks, the same daily routine everyday. Van received no trouble except for the occasional run in with Li and his gang. Everything was as close to normal as could be until that one day when Rao appeared in Van's room one early morning.