Warnings for mild abuse and violence, and self-harm triggers !
Sorry there seemed to be a problem when I first posted this chapter. Hope it's fixed !
This chapter was exciting to write ! I apologize also for the previous chapter, it wasn't clear at the end that the voice belonged to Hans. I fixed that !
I'd like to reply to unawarewolf and their relevant comment about how Varian was treated as a guest by everyone in the castle. It may have looked like a bit too ideal, but you know what they say, still waters run deep...
Thank you for all your reviews and reactions!
CHAPTER 59
"Hans !", roared Phil as he dashed towards the pair. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, let alone understand how it happened. The older man had the boy pinned on the ground with the full weight of his body, and was holding down his right arm mercilessly twisted behind his back. Stuck beneath him, Varian was struggling to just keep breathing and his face was contorted with pain and lack of air. "Get away from him !"
Followed by Alden and the guards they were chatting with, Phil stopped dead in his tracks as Hans held out his hand, the small, glistening piece of purple glass between his gloved fingers.
"He had THIS on him. Stay back, all of you !", he ordered, his gaze hard as steel. "Look what he did to me," he added, gesturing at his bleeding nose. "Who knows what he intended to do with this sharp chip ?"
"N-no…", Phil stammered in confusion. "No, w-wait, there has to be an explanation."
"Think so ? Don't be so naïve, Phil." Hans replied sharply as he got on his feet, ruthlessly hauling up Varian with him, both hands held firmly behind his back, not bothering how the boy screeched in pain as the older man lifted him up, stretching his arms up and backwards so roughly they were nearly driven out of their sockets.
"He obviously could have slit anyone's throat as soon as we let our guard down. Tell me, boy, who did you plan to kill ? Was it Phil, so you could escape ? The Queen ? It would have been easy, she hardly ever leaves your side and she seems to think you're so harmless. Or the King, perhaps ? You have quite a grudge against him, don't you, brat ?". To emphasize his point, he shook Varian's by his restrained wrists, making it hard for the teen to keep his balance on his already wobbly legs.
Varian squeezed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his mind barely having time to register what was happening. He was sitting quietly just moment ago, cleaning boots, and now he was being manhandled again and practically accused of murder. No, no this wasn't fair !
Seething with rage, Varian slowly managed to open his squinted eyelids, and he immediately regretted he had.
His gaze met Phil's. And what he saw on his face hurt him much deeper than his crushed back, his abused arms, or even any of Hans' taunts.
Shock. Confusion.
Disappointment.
No.
Not again.
His heart sank. Unable to bear the look he had dreaded to see for most of his short life, Varian closed his eyes again and turned his head away from the guard.
Behind him, Hans scoffed.
"Get real, Phil. He's been fooling you, all this time. There's no trusting him," he sneered, shifting his grip on Varian so his slender wrists were restrained by one large hand, while the other grabbed the shackles on his belt.
"Wait, hold it, Hans," Phil managed, gathering his thoughts with difficulty because of that unexpected evidence. "We should at least let him speak."
Hans froze and gazed at Phil wryly, pure contempt in his eyes.
"If you wish. Be my guest."
Phil bent his knees and rested his hands on them, so he was at eye level with Varian who was still refusing to open his eyes.
"Varian ? Varian, look at me."
The boy's tense features were still for a moment, them he reluctantly opened his eyes and looked up warily at Phil, his lips sealed shut. There was a coldness in his eyes that took Phil aback for a few seconds.
The young guard swallowed hard, trying to ignore the reproachful glare.
"Varian, tell him. Tell us you didn't want to cut anyone's skin with that."
Varian's heart skipped a beat and he gasped. No, he never intended to hurt them. He never wanted to injure or kill him, the Queen nor the King. That thought never crossed his mind.
The boy could have shouted, he could have screamed his innocence at the top of his lungs, because that was the truth. He should have. But he didn't.
His mouth stayed open, not a sound coming out of it and his eyes stared at nothing. His mind was suddenly lost within his darkest thoughts, leaving him speechless. A big lump formed in his throat and his only contact with reality was that he suddenly felt sick. He couldn't see the gazes of the guards on him, he couldn't feel the iron grip on his wrists. He wasn't even aware of being in the guards' headquarters anymore.
He was back in his room, when he was by himself, just with Ruddiger for company. It was like he was out of his body and was watching himself, kneeling down by the wall opposite his bed, where he had hurled a purple carafe in a fit of rage. He could distinctively see his gloved hand pick up a chip of broken glass and press it against his skin, ready to slice his flesh open and draw blood. He fully relived the excruciating emotional pain he was feeling at that very moment, and how it was too much to bear, making any other kind of pain welcome, his only way to escape from his living hell.
Varian's breathing hitched, and he lowered his eyes in defeat. How could he say he never intended to cut anyone's skin with that chip ? That wasn't true. The only person he ever wanted to hurt was himself, but he couldn't face it, nor admit it out loud.
Phil was speechless at Varian's silence. There were some murmurings among the guards behind him. Some were already agreeing that the boy's attitude plainly proved he was guilty. But the next sound Phil was really aware of was the metal click that resonated in the room as Hans clasped the shackles around Varian's wrists.
"That's what I thought", the red-haired man stated coldly before roughly dragging Varian away by his upper arm.
Utterly dumbfounded, Phil watched them leave, Varian apparently not even trying to protest or resist. For the past few days, he had developed a brotherly trust towards Varian. He even had a soft spot for him. How couldn't he see that coming ? Why would Varian do such a thing, after all the support and love he received on his end and also the Queen's, Remyus', Ethel's or Elora's ? He just felt numb and didn't know what to believe anymore.
And something else was gnawing at him. That look Varian cast him. For a split second, there was defiance, and especially hatred back in those steely blue eyes.
He was startled as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"We tried, buddy,", said Alden with compassion. "I wanted to believe that he could be helped, and saved, too. But I guess that was beyond our reach."
Phil didn't turn around but his eyes darted quickly from one side to the other. Head down, he bit his lower lip, thinking hard.
"No…", he whispered to himself. "No, this doesn't feel right. It doesn't add up."
"What ?" asked Alden.
"There must be…" Phil started, his voice now slightly louder. "There has to be an explanation. Something happened."
He whipped around to face his fellow guards and friends.
"I mean, why would Varian attack Hans like this ? He knew he was no match, physically. Why would he take such a risk when he has the Queen's trust ? Hans must have done something to him !"
Confused, Alden fell silent and looked at Phil like he had gone crazy.
"Phil…"
Phil glanced over Alden's shoulder to meet the eyes of the guard who had spoken.
"I… I'm sorry, Phil, but you saw it like the rest of us… He had that sharp piece of glass on him and he didn't defend himself when you asked him."
"You guys can't seriously think a boy like him…", Phil ventured uneasily.
"He kidnapped the Queen, remember ?" cut in another guard. "And he threatened her very life."
"He sent a machine to attack us in the castle."
"And a monster."
"He badly injured the Captain."
"He built an army of those machines in Old Corona, we barely made it with our lives."
"He would have killed the princess if she hadn't stopped him."
Phil's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. For days, he had assumed that the people in the castle were fine with Varian's presence as much as he was. The truth was, most of them were only tolerating him because of the Queen, but inside, they hated him for what he did and certainly didn't trust him.
How could they count on their support now ?
Stepping back so Alden's hand was no longer on his shoulder, Phil sucked in a sharp breath, a frown drawn on his face.
"So much for friendship, hey ?", he snarled. "So are you just going to let the kid in the hands of that madman ? I hope you guys are proud of yourselves," he spat before turning his heels and running after Hans.
His hand still hovering in mid-air, Alden stood there, shocked by the younger's man burst of anger that was so unlike him. There was a light, a heat in his eyes that he had never seen before. He took a couple of seconds to think. Was he going to take Hans' word over Varian's like the rest of them ? Was he going to ignore his friend's gut reaction ?
His free hand clutched his other arm in the sling and he started to run.
"Phil !" he called out before the younger guard could turn round the corner at the end of the hallway. "Phil, wait !"
"You're not talking me out of this, Alden," Phil replied, barely slowing down his pace. "I'm not letting Hans lay his hands on the boy anymore. You know he has pushed him over the edge before ! He…"
"All right, Phil. If you are so sure that Varian is innocent, then I'll follow your lead. Let's go find the bottom line of this."
This time, Phil stopped and turned around.
"Wait, what ?"
"I'm with you," Alden spelled out for him as he caught up. "I don't know why, but I can feel that's the right thing to do. But you'd better be right about this."
Phil's mouth stretched into a smile, but before he could reply, the two guards were interrupted by Varian's piercing screams in the distance.
