Tooru doesn't know for how long he has been running.

The horse he was given is very good though, because it keeps running at full speed even though they have been out of the castle gates for hours now, and it doesn't slow down through the dense forest, not allowing itself to be distracted by the trees or the yelling of the army at his heels.

There are many soldiers behind him; way too many for just one man.

He must not get caught though, because he knows perfectly well what will happen if he does.

But it is hard to try to escape like this; he doesn't know the territory of this kingdom and he wasn't given any map - and even if he was, he would not have the time to even look at it, let along learn how to orientate himself. The snow covering everything around him doesn't make it any easier and the dread growing in his guts only makes him feel like he might just drop unconscious off his horse.

It takes every ounce of his body not to.

If Suguru manages to lay his hands on him again and bring him back into captivity, Tooru will not be killed. No, the King would never even think of ending his life. There will be a punishment however, and it will most certainly hurt. Everything he has done to him in the last five years is more than enough of a reason to believe so.

Even before he managed to slip out of the castle, when Suguru was fucking him mercilessly on his giant bed, with drugs and other substances administered to him by the maesters circulating in his veins, Tooru could only focus on the pain.

There are fresh cuts and bruises all over his body to prove it, along with dried and sticky remains of cum in and out of him, on his thighs and back, which he didn't have the time to clean up, that are now sticking to his clothes, tainting them and helping out the cold to pierce through the fabric and through his muscles right into his bones.

"Tooru-chan!"

The galloping of horses and the barking of the hunting dogs is getting louder. And yet, despite the noise and adrenaline and fear, Satori's voice echoes and reaches the fugitive's ears, so perfectly recognizable it makes Tooru stop to breathe for a moment.

Satori must have asked to be in the front line of the group.

Tooru doesn't need to be told to know that.

But he can't get distracted by thinking about it: he needs to keep being focused, to guide his horse through the foreign place without getting stuck. "Come on," he whispers and gently kicks the animal on its sides while gripping tighter on the leather reins.

Then, he is called again. "Tooru-chan!"

It comes out of nowhere and the pain it brings makes Tooru's senses black out for a moment. The arrow stabs his shoulder, and sinks in until the iron tip finally hits bone. Tooru whimpers, his voice stuck in the back of his throat as his upper body spasms.

But he can't give up, so he grits his teeth to ease his frustration and keeps going.

The darkness of the forest starts to fade slowly, broken by pale light beams coming from above, until the trees start to be less and less and Tooru realizes the forest is about to end. He exhales heavily when he finally exits it, but immediately his eyes widen when he spots his next obstacle, a steep and rocky downhill, with bushes and trees all over the place, all covered in thick white, making it hard for Tooru to spot the path to ride down.

It appears endless to him.

But ever since he was a child, Tooru was trained to become a good, a great rider. He takes in a deep breath and urges the horse to go forward, and he can feel the animal tense underneath him, and he wants to hesitate too, consider a possible second option, but there is no time for that.

So he rocks his hips on the animal's back and it follows his will, galloping forward. The snow is much thicker when there are less trees, but those help Tooru out to figure his way down and see what's going on around him.

They are already a few dozens of meters down, when Tooru hears another horse neigh and stomp angrily at the edge where he was standing only minutes ago.

He doesn't look around at Satori and keeps going on, but at a certain point, right before he is about to disappear behind a more dense group of trees, his white horse lets out a scream, agitating and losing its balance. Tooru manages to glance back and sees another arrow, this time stabbing the tendon of the animal's leg and making them slip.

Tooru collapses on the ground, but the ice is slippery and he keeps going down, his horse behind him, on its side, and they both meet rocks and frozen branches, which hurt so badly they both let out inhuman sounds, but Tooru forces himself to quiet down at some point, too afraid that they might be too close and spotted.

"Go the usual way," Satori's voice resounds in the distance as Tooru falls.

"Tooru-kun, now listen to me carefully."

Tooru keeps his head low, hazel eyes lost in the long, dark-red silk trailing behind the woman walking in front of him. He doesn't look, but he listens.

She stops all of a sudden, turning around, and immediately Tooru feels gentle hands with long fingers cupping his face. Her thumb caresses gently the fresh, dark bruise blooming on his cheek, dangerously close to his eye. It is new and it stings, but Alisa knows not to press her fingertip against it too much.

"I will prepare you a horse and help you get out of here."

Tooru blinks, suddenly realizing she is talking to him and what she just told him. Maybe his own ears are tricking him, or maybe he has just lost it."But the King... If he finds-"

"He won't," she interrupts, determination dominating her mismatched eyes. "At least not soon enough to catch you easily."

At those words, Tooru finally dares to meet her gaze with his and presses his lips in a thin line, almost a frown, because he doesn't understand.

Her expression changes then, and she looks away when she sees that dark hazel, her determination now concealed by a hint of sadness or shame; Tooru isn't sure.

"I still have to bring you to him, now. You will have to endure what he has in store for you, and after that he shall leave for today's meeting with the small council."

Tooru licks his bloodied lip carefully.

"I..."

Alisa clicks with her tongue, almost angrily, but Tooru doesn't think it is directed at him. It doesn't seem so at least.

And he is right.

"I am afraid I can't give you any guards though. You would be too noticeable that way, and I have no soldiers coming from Nekoma with me now. They will all arrive in a fortnight. And I don't trust Suguru's men, not even the ones in charge to protect me. Everything about you depends on how much you want your freedom back," she explains slowly, carefully, making sure Tooru understands every single word and hopes her Russian accent isn't too strong. She still isn't used to the common tongue, after all.

Tooru feels her hands slide from his chin, to his neck and then to his shoulders, and he can't help but feel fear overcome him.

How can he leave now? Where is he supposed to go in a land he has only ever seen once in his entire life, five years ago?

Alisa tightens her grip on him, as if his thoughts were spoken out loud, and she offers him a reassuring smile. "You may have been locked in a cage for five years, but you are still a prince, Tooru-kun. A prince and an excellent rider."

His kingdom, Aobajōsai might have been crushed, or, most likely, might be ruled by another, but nothing can change Tooru's blood. Nothing.

"Promise me you will do your everything in your power to get away from here," she demands.

There is a long moment of silence between them, their bodies frozen.

Eventually, Tooru nods and lets out a heavy breath he forgot about and the next, short but gentle caress on his cheek makes his lips curve up as he leans into it for the briefest of moments. It makes it seem easier.

"Let's go now, okay?"

Toodu nods. "Yes."

He ends up falling against a rock, but the impact is deadened by the thick layer of snow and Tooru doesn't hit his head. His wounded horse collapses far away from him, away from his legs and back, leaving his bones intact and he silently thanks the Gods. Unfortunately, the white melts underneath him, soaking his clothes and making the brown cloak he was given useless when protecting him by the cold.

He tries to recollect his mind and senses, tries to control them so he can stand up to go to check out his animal, to pull out the arrow and close the cut with some snow so they can ride on, but before he is able to even kneel, the beast neighs loudly, almost screaming again, before it gets up on its long legs and gallops away at a frantic pace.

"No!" Tooru yells, but the beast doesn't listen and leaves him alone in mere seconds.

When his body begins to shake, it is stronger than him and his will; his concentration starts to break as desperation begins to take over and the dread grows larger. He doesn't know what to do. Should he do anything? Maybe he should stay here, wait until the cold freezes the blood in his veins, until he falls asleep and never wakes up again. It would be a good way to go; way better than going back to being a prisoner of those men.

"Promise me you will do everything in your power to get away from here."

It takes some time, but Tooru manages to swallow the lump in his throat, and it hurts so much when he stands up. There is something wrong in his abdomen, uncomfortable, almost painful... He pays no attention to it. He proceeds to follow the path down to the valley, quickly, hiding himself behind trees and bushes and trying to make as less noise as possible, while also listening for any kind of it that might announce danger.

He decides not to try to remove or even touch the arrow stuck in his shoulder as he walks, even though he can barely stand it, but he has nothing to stop the bleeding and sew the torn flesh and skin with.

Dodging various obstacles proves to be quite hard, because he can't see properly as the strong, freezing wind makes his eyes burn, but he miraculously manages not to stumble onto anything. He reaches the valley rather quickly, in less than half an hour, or maybe it has been more... He isn't sure.

There are less trees here as well, but he supposes they can do just fine. It takes him about a hundred steps to step onto flat ground.

And his stomach drops.

Emptiness.

Everything he finds in front of him is an endless, snow-covered, empty field. There is no place to hide, no shortcuts or other paths or even people that could help him, take him away. There is just plain nothingness.

Soon, the barking of dogs can be heard again in the distance, and a dry sob escapes from Tooru's lips. Then comes the galloping and, ultimately, those loud voices.

Tooru wants to go back to where he came from, hide under a rock maybe, and just wait. He doesn't know what for, because that way the only option would be death, but he... He can't stop.

He launches himself forward, begging his legs to be strong enough to carry him far as fast as they can and to make it easier , he shoves off his cloak, remaining only in the light, white clothes he's always been forced to wear ever since he got to Suguru's castle, so thin his skin can be seen through it, especially now that it is getting wet.

He hopes their color will make him less recognizable from the distance.

But, lately, he has never been so lucky.

"There you are, Tooru-chan!"

Satori rides out of the forest at his side and Tooru immediately changes direction. After him, appear the others, one by one, on their strong horses, with dogs running around and chasing after Tooru as soon as they spot him. The men urge their animals to go faster, Satori leading them all with wide, green, wild eyes, focused on nothing else but his prey.

Tooru wants to scream, to ask, to beg for help, but his voice is cut short by the lack of breath.

With every passing second, they are getting closer and everything in Tooru's body hurts so badly. His right leg begins to throb in pain and it feels like it might give out any second.

And it does.

Something cracks and Tooru finds himself falling into the snow, face first.

The sudden cold makes his muscles spasm uncontrollably, the tiredness accentuating the sting, and Tooru simply is not capable of reacting immediately. He tries to stand up, but his body just doesn't listen.

The horses are close now, three-hundred meters at most; Tooru feels hot tears spill on his frozen cheeks, the oh so dry and torn skin.

Hazel eyes spot his fingers, purple and swollen and he can't feel them at all.

He is about to get caught; he knows it. Any second now. Satori will lay his hands on him and, once they are back to the castle, Suguru will make all the people that went after him rape him and beat him up, until he is nothing more than a mess of quivering flesh and bones.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he finds himself wondering if Alisa will take care of him after that, or if Satori will take his place like he did before she was betrothed to Suguru.

It happens all of a sudden - Tooru believes his imagination is playing tricks on him: a large shadow is cast over them all, and a loud roar echoes through space, covering fully the noise coming from the army, which stays silent even after it is gone.

Tooru covers his head, whimpering and shaking, getting ready to be captured all over again.

But nothing happens.

A loud noise is heard as something heavy lands on the ground and then another roar echoes, even louder than the first. And then-

Tooru stops breathing, eyes wide even though his head is pressed against white.

Heat.

A burning heat spreads all over him, but it... It doesn't touch him. There are screams now, no more yelling and calling out to him.

Tooru finally dares to raise his head, and the first thing he sees is pitch black and when his eyes are finally able to focus on the figure, he spots scales and claws and horns and as he gradually takes in the figure, defining his limits with his mind, he finally begins to realize to what extent the greatness of the beast in front of him manifests.

The snow underneath him melts and soon, his knees meet grass.

"Father, have you ever seen a dragon?" a young Tooru asks as he follows the King through the enormous library of their castle.

His father stops in his tracks and turns around to look at him, an elegant eyebrow raised, hazel eyes piercing. He doesn't reply for a while, just plainly observing Tooru's curious expression, studying it.

Until he licks his lips. "Why are you asking me this?"

Tooru tilts his head to the side, holding tighter the book he took with himself from the shelves to read before he goes to sleep tonight. "Curiosity, I believe. There is no other reason."

is father hums quietly, before looking away, somewhere between all the books set on the enormous table at the center of the room, although Tooru doesn't know where precisely and why.

"Yes, I have," he finally answers, after another minute of silence. "I have seen plenty." Tooru blinks, immediately offering him his full attention. They resume their stroll and Tooru eagerly follows, waiting for more words to exit his King's mouth.

"What I have seen, however, was nothing like what it was supposed to be. My grandfather used to tell me about almighty beasts with heads of the size of a carriage, bodies and wings so large they were able to swallow entire villages with their shadows, like the ones you will find drawn in that book of yours," he tells Tooru and the prince swallows the saliva flooding his mouth, wondering how his father could possibly know what he is going to read. He didn't show him the cover at all; besides, it looks just like all the other books in this room.

His father takes in a deep breath before continuing.

"No, they were nothing like those, and were instead held captive with chains, which prevented them to fully grow, completely untamed and wild."

Tooru carefully thinks about those words. "But I thought dragons couldn't be tamed anyway."

His father shakes his head. "Wrong. They might not be turned into pets, but they can be trained and ridden. Unfortunately, these days, nobody has the guts to risk and try."

Tooru doesn't fail to notice the frown plastered all over his father's face, eyes still not looking at him.

He dares to ask it anyway. "Why didn't you risk and try then?"

This time, the King's daze is broken, and he ends up genuinely laughing, which is an incredibly rare occasion. "I had, and still have, a kingdom to rule, Tooru. A dragon requires dedication and devotion; it ca not be put in second place to anyone or anything."

The answer causes more questions to pop in Tooru's head, but he doesn't voice them. To be honest, this answer was not what he was expecting, so he decides to end the conversation here in order to ponder over it some more later.

His father, however, speaks again.

"There are no more healthy dragons. I'm sorry, Tooru, but you will never have the honor to see one in its full glory. There are no more brave men either; only cowards."

Tooru barely holds back a heavy sigh, though disappointment irradiates through hie every pore.

He honestly hopes his father is wrong.

Tooru's eyes are burning, completely dry as all his tears evaporate into nothing. His body is shaking even though everything around him is melting with each second going by.

The dragon stands still, only about twenty meters away from Tooru and growls lowly. Tooru turns to look back from his lying position, and sees men and horses on fire, dogs whining with the ones who managed to stand back, while Satori is angrily trying to calm them down, while also struggling to control his own animal.

Then, the large, dark creature shifts on the grass and Tooru looks back at it, his mouth open and only letting out sobs to the extent where his throat begins to hurt badly.

Hazel eyes widen when the large head moves away to reveal a man in black armor, sitting behind its neck. Underneath him there is a giant saddle to which he also holds onto. Tooru hears him speak, in a foreign language apparently, because he can't understand a word, but the form reminds him of ancient languages his father used to speak sometimes.

He doesn't know what to do.

The dragon stares at him with bright red eyes and there is smoke coming out of his nostrils and it is hot enough to melt even the snow underneath the army's feet behind him.

Silence reigns, nothing moves.

Then, there is an umpteenth foreign word, a command perhaps, because the dragon lowers its head. It isn't the size of a carriage, no, but it is not really that far away from it. Tooru watches it move and if he weren't terrified, he would find it gorgeous.

"Come here."

Tooru blinks and looks at the source of the voice. The armored man is now standing on the saddle and the beast seems to grow impossibly still to allow him to do so. It takes a while for Tooru to realize that those words were directed at him.

"Don't you dare!" Satori's voice echoes in response, all over the field. Tooru gasps, his muscles involuntarily tensing, but he doesn't even spare him a glance. And so doesn't the unknown man. His bright eyes - Tooru swears he can see gold from where he is - keep staring at him.

And Tooru, despite his tiredness and pain shooting through every part of his body, finally finds the strength to stand up, very slowly and carefully. He is unstable on his legs, but he holds up.

"Come here," the man repeats in a deep voice and Tooru's body moves on its own before he can even give it a command. The sharp pain in his his shoulder is much strong enough and when he decides to take a peek at his abdomen, he notices a spreading stain of red on his white clothes.

But he keeps moving.

The dragon suddenly growls and Tooru freezes.

"Tooru! I swear I'm going to kill you if you don't come back here immediately!" Satori yells, and Tooru immediately understands that the beast's hostile gesture wasn't meant for him.

Satori gallops forward and that is when the brown-haired man feels panic build up again. He is almost touching this almighty creature and yet, Satori is still having none of it and is coming at him.

"Climb," Tooru hears from above him, but he feels weak and his senses have gotten dull ever since the pain of his wounds was increased by the warmth. He wants to go there, so he takes a step forward, but his right leg gives out like before and he collapses. His face meets the damp grass and melted snow and he can't believe his body is betraying him like this after the universe has finally given him a glint of hope.

The burning heat is back as the dragon attacks again, and Tooru can feel it more than ever. He doesn't hear screams this times.

He doesn't look back either.

He also fails to hear the noise of the metal of a black armor as it lands on the ground, nor the growling of the beast.

However, what he does feel is a strong hold on his shoulders, gently raising him up. The arrow is pulled out of him quickly, and the only thing he has the strength for is a soundless whimper and more tears, because the pain is consuming him and he can't even see anything, despite his eyes being open.

The man behind him doesn't seem fazed by his reaction, and instead takes him up, in a quite unusual position, with only an arm wrapped around Tooru's waist, allowing him to be bent over it as he raises him up from the grass. Tooru feels his consciousness slipping away from him, slowly. His eyelids have never been so heavy.

He blinks, telling himself to hold on because he wants to see what is about to happen to him. When his eyes are open again, they see scales, shiny and yet so dark, pitch black. In the back of his mind, he realizes the man is climbing onto the dragon with him.

"Who are you?" Tooru whispers, the pressure against his stomach not really allowing him to be louder. He barely recognizes his own voice, so low and raspy and shattered.

"It does not matter now."

Tooru closes his mouth and is about to close his eyes again, but then he feels himself being moved and maneuvered onto the saddle. He is forced to spread his legs and he barely holds back a whine, because the tear in his muscles is beyond agonizing. His muscles and tendons must be on fire by now.

"Please... Your name... I..."

Large hands guide Tooru's pale ones onto the saddle, onto which he grips with whatever little force he can muster. Some color is back on them and he can feel his fingers again.

He looks forward, and sees Satori pacing around on his horse, the other soldiers frozen, not wanting to listen. But then, who in their right mind would go against a dragon?

"Ushijima Wakatoshi."

A large cloak is thrown over Tooru's shoulders as the name is spoken. Tooru whimpers and tenses when the man, Wakatoshi, sits behind him, their bodies pressed against each other on the saddle built for one. But he feels no danger now, so the tension dissolves as soon as the surprise does.

Tooru hears him say another incomprehensible word, and immediately the enormous beast is raising up, spreading its dark wings and charging forward, and despite his dizzy state, Tooru can feel its body move under the saddle.

And then it jumps, right over the army and it is so quick and swift that Tooru is about to collapse, but a large arm is soon wrapped around his waist and the hand presses against the open wound in his abdomen, and the pressure is a relief.

They are not landing after that jump, and instead raise higher and higher. It brings emptiness in Tooru's stomach and it is disarming, but Wakatoshi holds him against himself and despite the uncomfortable feeling of the sculpted metal against him that makes him shift a little bit further from the man as he leans forward, he is sure he will not fall.

They reach and incredible height in a minute or so, and Tooru's eyes widen, awakening from his sleepy state, as he is finally able to see everything: the castle, so far away from them he can barely believe he managed to run that far on his own, the endless forest and the cliff.

He turns his head and sees the few soldiers left becoming small ants he can barely distinguish, until they completely disappear under thick, gray clouds.

Snow is falling, but Tooru feels warm. The cloak helps a lot, and the heat irradiating from the scales of the dragon is something he had never thought he would experience in his life. It is a different kind of feeling, and he can't quite describe it.

When he was a child, Tooru would often think about the sky, the stars, the sun, the moon... He used to wonder what it would feel like to be there and see the world from afar.

At the age of twenty-one, beaten, battered and heavily wounded, Oikawa Tooru sees the world from above for the first time. And it is so beautiful he can barely breathe. Everything hurts and his mind is giving up on him, but he looks and admires, almost without blinking.

An endless expanse of white on the horizon is everything he sees before his world turns black.