His teeth were clenched as he stalked down the hall, disgusted with everyone and exhausted from everything. In a lighter situation, he would have found it comical that his escorts needed to jog to catch up. However, he barely registered their presence as he traversed the castle halls.
Insignificant. Useless. Futile. Worthless.
That's all his life was — all he was — had been, or would ever be. Unlucky thirteen, he was destined for failure from conception. Since birth, he'd brought only misery and pain to everyone, especially himself.
Meaningless, foolish, pointless nonsense.
His dreams of something better had been nothing but delirious delusions. No matter how hard he tried, how high he climbed, he would always tumble to the bottom — by slip or by kick, or both.
Why do you persist in fighting? Just accept your place and be done with it.
Captain Sorensen met the trio at the top of the staircase. "I'll take him from here," he informed the two guards. "Resume your usual posts."
They saluted and left. Captain Sorensen beckoned his prisoner through the open doorway and led him down the winding stairs. The epaulettes' fringes swished against Hans' coat as he followed his guide.
Ex-prince, ex-Westergaard, and now ex-captain. I wonder what other 'ex's I can add to my repertoire.
"I've been briefed on how my men treated you this past year. Rest assured, that stops today."
You might curb their outward actions, but you can't force them to change their attitudes. They would always see him as an animal to control, not a person to be protected. No one would jump in to save him from a threat, not like Leone did.
"I've spoken to the kitchen staff about your food as well. You won't be getting anything fancy, but it'll be something far more edible than a worm-infested apple. Oh, and at least two meals a day."
He wagered he'd never be hungry again... though, if it was Mirella's cooking, he'd eat regardless.
"Prince Damian expressed concern about your clothing. You needn't be afraid to wear anything you own, at any time. I'll find some maids to launder your things weekly."
He wondered if they would be as thorough as Natalia.
"I'm required to check on you at least once a week, but it'll be daily for the foreseeable future. Even if I'm not on duty."
The captain's work ethic rivaled Vincenzo's.
"Report any troubles or failings to me. I won't let you fall through the cracks this time. You have my word."
Hans instinctively scoffed. He could see Captain Sorensen arch a brow without the man so much as glancing over his shoulder.
"I'll do my due diligence regardless of whether or not you trust me. Contrary to appearances, most of the staff possesses no malice toward you. They simply need someone with authority to show them it's not a crime to treat you with some basic human decency."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"You will, I promise."
"I won't hold my breath."
They completed their descent. Captain Sorensen held the door open, and Hans entered the dungeon, his view fixed on the stones under his boots.
A few steps in, he halted abruptly and his head simultaneously snapped up. The Roveros stood by his open cell, still in their royal vestments.
"I'll let you know when we have to leave," Captain Sorensen informed them as he shut himself out.
Hans' eyes darted around quizzically.
Vincenzo smiled warmly. "He wanted us to finish our interrupted farewell."
"We weren't about to go without a proper goodbye anyway," Mirella expounded.
"Yeah, you only got the short version before!" Leone added.
I suppose a normal person would be happy. Hans, however, could not tell what he was feeling, if anything at all. Of course, a normal person would never be in this situation in the first place.
His perplexed stare landed on Natalia, who managed a weak half-smile. Mirella motioned for her to speak up, but she merely bit her lip while repeatedly kneading her hands.
The matriarch huffed at her daughter. Her husband laid a hand on her shoulder, wordlessly signaling her to release her frustration. Mirella squeezed his fingers as she tried to catch Hans' distant gaze.
"I don't care what Lauris said, this isn't over!" she declared. "I know I'm repeating myself, but stay strong. You won't be here forever." Failing to get Hans to look at her, Mirella heaved a slight sigh and enveloped him in her arms instead. "We'll never stop searching for a way to bring you home."
His whole body tensed, yelling at him to make the suffocation stop.
Vincenzo wrapped his arms around the two. "We love you, Hans. Always remember that."
Mirella kissed Hans' hair. "You're our child, as much as Leone and Natalia."
His brows gave an involuntary twitch.
"I warned you, didn't I?" Vincenzo chuckled.
'Spend enough time here, and she'll adopt you.'
He wanted to break away, but couldn't. After what seemed like hours, the couple finally released him. They stepped aside just in time to avoid their firstborn launching himself forward.
"I love you too, Hans!"
Leone bear-hugged his less-enthusiastic friend, lifting him from the floor in his exuberance. The pressure points on his chest prickled as he rigidly endured the embrace, and his hands were clammy in spite of his gloves. Desperate to distract himself, he noted his hat had been lost somewhere in the kerfuffle but saw no trace of it anywhere.
"You're my brother," Leone affirmed, finally putting Hans down. "I know that relation hasn't been kind to you, but I hope you see me as a good one." He reached underneath his cravat and fiddled with something for a moment before extracting it: a partially-tarnished silver chain with a cross dangling from the middle.
Hans' breath caught in his throat.
"We're not the only ones who love you." Leone grinned with a certainty only gained by experience. "He saved me in prison, and He'll save you, too."
Hans kept still as Leone fastened the accessory around his neck. He tried to ignore the significance, but to no avail. It was David's Bible that Leone had gifted him, and it was David's necklace Leone was now entrusting to him. The mementos that had given an imprisoned seventeen-year-old hope now belonged to an imprisoned twenty-four-year-old. However, 'hope' was quite possibly the last thing the latter felt right now.
Leone hugged his 'brother' once more (mercifully leaving him grounded this time). "I know this much: we'll see each other again, one way or another." He caught Hans' face between his palms and gave his cheeks a light smack.
"Until then, behave yourself, okay?"
The Sicilian prince fell in line with his parents, wildly gesturing for his sister to come forward. She hesitated, her hands intertwined — as if praying — around a corner of Hans' hat. Leone put an arm across her shoulders and whispered something inaudible to everyone but her. Mirella gently rubbed her arm, and Vincenzo gave her a comforting pat on the head.
A perfect little family who's perfectly fine without me. They may have wanted him, but they didn't need him. They'd resume their normal lives together while he returned to his solitude. His ending wasn't Leone's but David's — condemned to die in prison with nothing but a few worn tokens of the life that could have been.
Hans remained quiet as Natalia approached him at last. She offered his rescued accessory, but he stared through her as though she was invisible. She set the rejected item on the table while her free hand smoothed her dress. She cast her apprehensive gaze on the nearby group, then rebounded to Hans. Looking him in the eyes, she opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"Let's move to the end of the hall," Vincenzo urged.
The trio increased their distance from the pair. Natalia smiled gratefully and turned back to Hans as she began to verbalize her thoughts.
"You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I know it's hard to say goodbye."
He instinctively glanced at her, then immediately shifted his attention elsewhere. He sensed a limb nearing his face and couldn't help peeking at her approaching hand. Her fingertips grazed his jaw as her palm cupped his cheek.
"I forgive you, Hans. And... I love you."
Her tone impressed a weight unique to her meaning, one different from the rest of her family. Vincenzo and Mirella saw him as a son, Leone as a brother, but Natalia...
I achieved my original goal after all.
A pang of guilt pierced his abdomen. Everything was his fault, yet she didn't scold, belittle, or blame him — despite having every right to do so. Instead, she assured him of the love she'd always shown, one that had grown into a devotion he couldn't even fathom. Once, he would have wondered what sort of person was capable of such a thing, but now he knew.
Stop it.
It was the same person who'd forgiven her brother for nearly killing her and running away without even attempting to save her.
Stop.
A woman raised by parents who gave up their wealth and power to rescue their despicable son.
No.
A member of the family who'd put themselves between a similarly disgraced prince and devastating judgment.
No!
And now they were leaving forever, and he would never, ever see them again.
No! I will not spend the rest of my life wallowing in regret!
"You insipid, insufferable imbecile!" he spat. "I hold no anguish over our separation nor do I reciprocate your feelings. I used your charity to my advantage, and that's all there is to it. You have nothing left to offer, so it's time to end this charade. I presumed my indifference would hasten your departure, but since you have proven oblivious, I'll have to settle for the direct method: leave."
Her lower lip quivered as she clutched her hand to her bosom, yet she didn't recoil from his glare like she had that morning.
He scowled menacingly to highlight the disdain clearly conveyed by his countenance.
Undeterred, she searched his face, her irises scrutinizing something invisible.
He strained to maintain his sneer.
She inhaled deeply. "Your speech becomes more eloquent when you have something to hide."
This revelation caught him off-guard. His brain raced to recall every interaction, but tripped over itself in haste. Memories mixed together, jumbled like a book with the pages out of order.
A pair of hands grasped his own, and his mind went blank.
Natalia's pleading eyes bored into his. "No more masks. I see through them, and I know your heart." She laced her fingers with his. "Please, let me in."
My heart?
She leaned towards him.
'The only frozen heart around here is yours.'
He turned his head.
Anna was wrong.
He felt Natalia's lips plant on his scarred cheek. She paused before straightening again. Hans perceived the disappointment in her trembling grip.
Enough is enough.
His neck pivoted to its initial angle while he removed his right hand from its captivity.
"Oh, Natalia..."
He tilted up her downcast chin so her gaze met his.
"How can you know something that doesn't exist?"
His smooth whisper contrasted his insidious smirk. Natalia gasped as a flush painted her face.
He let his raised hand fall to his side.
Your power over me ends here.
Any second now, she would rip herself away and flee in tears. Her whole body was shaking — it impressed him that she still clung to his left hand. Her water-filled eyes stayed fixed on him, though he was surely nothing more than a blur.
Five... Ten...
She held her place.
She's too shocked to move.
He began to withdraw.
"Hans!"
She snatched his right hand with her left and yanked both arms with unanticipated force.
He stumbled into place, and his breath hitched at the sight of her. Her eyes were clear, at the cost of slim streams streaking down her skin. Yet her breathing was steady, her posture confident. She clasped his hands as though she was strong enough to hold him in place. It wasn't necessary; he couldn't escape her gaze even if he tried.
"Don't give up hope."
Her pointed words matched her unwavering focus, and he put a descriptor to her expression.
Determination.
A loud creak jolted him back to reality.
"I'm sorry, but it's time to go."
The spell was broken. Hans dropped Natalia's hands and gracefully transitioned the motion into a formal bow. He strode into his cell without looking at her, and he could tell by the ensuing silence that she remained motionless. Two pairs of footsteps approached from opposite directions, and the hinges on his cell door squeaked in protest.
"Come along, my dear," Vincenzo murmured.
Keys jingled as the lock clicked into place.
"You need to get to your ship as soon as possible," Captain Sorensen advised. "King Lauris' orders are not something to trifle with. We've taken enough of a chance with this delay."
The princess finally heeded the warning. The trio retreated to the exit, joining the remnant of their party. The door thumped shut behind them.
The ex-prince expelled a controlled exhalation.
Ex-brother and ex-son, though I suppose I've had those for a while. Ah, then I'd have 'ex-fiancé' as well.
He flopped onto his bed.
Ex-Lars, ex-lackey-in-Pierre's-stupid-scheme...
He ripped off Leone's necklace and flung it onto Natalia's books.
Add 'ex- best friend' and, just like that, I've tripled my collection.
Author's Notes:
1) I apologize to any of you who thought Hans was finally going to make the right decision here.
2) There will be some darker material in the next seven chapters, so I will put content warnings at the beginning of each one. If you have any concerns about this, please comment here or message me and I will provide more specific information.