Hi! Happy Monday! New chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! :D
WARNING: discussion and mention of past child abuse (nothing graphic) – minor panic attack & torture (graphic violence). Hurt Barry. Whump.
Thank you all for reading!
CHAPTER 10: Golden Princess
Cisco was frustrated. The sun was starting to rise in the realm and he just walked all the Winter Palace looking for Lisa. She wasn't in her room and her guards swore they never saw the Winter Princess enter or leave her private chamber. He sighed. Yesterday she promised to have breakfast with him and now she decided to disappear. "Maybe she is with Barry?" – he thought walking through the long hallway. "Or with the King…?" but if she was with Leonard that would be problematic because the Winter King intimidated him a lot, that man was definitely cold… especially after he prohibited him to flirt with Lisa. His fate was clearly doomed…The King was going to ice him because he just wanted to see Lisa again; he couldn't stop thinking of the beautiful Princess…her captivating light blue eyes, her laugh and her smile. He smiled with the memory. He was completely smitten by her.
The young inventor arrived to Barry's room and knocked on the door twice but no one answered. "Maybe Barry is still sleeping." – he thought opening the old door. Cisco entered quietly to his friend's private chamber and walked silently to the bed and he frowned… "Where the hell is he?" – he murmured concerned. He glanced around and finally saw a letter on the Prince's nightstand. He looked over his shoulder to confirm that he was alone and took the letter. He shouldn't read Barry's private letters but the curiosity was too much. It had the royal snowflake seal broken meaning that King Leonard wrote it. He opened it and read the contents and laughed at "Scarlet"… "Wow they are already using nicknames." – he thought giggling imagining the coldhearted King saying "Scarlet" to Barry who will probably blush crimson. He was going to definitely torment his friend with this new information. Cisco kept reading and found the answer he was looking for… "So King Leonard, Princess Lisa and Barry were in a private reunion in the palace's garden at the gloriette. Cool." He finally relaxed…for a moment he honestly thought that Lisa was hiding from him.
Cisco started walking to the door to leave Barry's room still watching the letter in his hands, he was completely distracted thinking that his best friend was going to marry the Winter King, he needed to tell Caitlin, she was going to go crazy with the news…and they needed to start thinking about the new weapon. He gasped anxiously. The wedding will give him the option to stay in the winter realm longer and maybe he would be able to make Lisa to fall in love with him. He smiled foolishly daydreaming when he collided hard against a man that tried to enter the Prince's room with full strength. Cisco bumped and fell awkwardly on the floor. He felt like hitting in to a wall of ice. He lifted his glance to argue with the man he hit and gasped shocked.
"Your Highness. I'm so sorry… I didn't saw you." – said the prince's best friend quickly standing up and bowing politely wishing that the earth could swallow him whole.
"Clearly" – added Len grinning and Cisco forced a laugh.
"Is Prince Bartholomew in his room? I must speak with him."
Cisco slowly shook his head. "No Your Majesty… I thought he was with you as matter of fact."
Len rolled his eyes annoyed. "I wouldn't be asking you if I were with him Ramon…"
Cisco sighed and remained silent clearly confused with the King's presence.
"Do you have something to say?" – asked the King frowning.
"Yes…I was looking for Lisa, for totally not love related things…I mean for breakfast… and I couldn't find her anywhere, and so I thought that maybe she was with Barry thus I came here and found your letter on Barry's nightstand and I read it, I know I shouldn't have…but you are here and I am confused."
"My letter?" – asked Leonard puzzled. "What are you talking about Ramon?"
Cisco quickly handed the letter to the King and Len took it wearily and inspected it swiftly and suddenly he felt his anger rise and boil and he involuntarily froze the letter with his powers. The King crushed the evidence in a hundred shards. Cisco stared silently the King's reaction. He was starting to have a bad feeling.
"I never wrote that…" – explained the King getting mad. "And that wasn't my handwriting…"
"But that was your seal right?"
Len nodded. "It was…" –he growled. "Someone must have used the seal without my consent. Someone with access to my studio…."
"So are you saying that there is a traitor in the palace…" – said Cisco suddenly fearing the fate of his best friend and Lisa. His heartbeat was starting to beat really quickly. "So it was a trap? It says that they were going to meet at the garden's gloriette."
Len nodded. "We need to go there immediately and-"
The loud sound of the castle's carillons started ringing interrupting the King and announcing that they were under attack. Cisco rushed to the nearest window and noticed the blazing fire consuming the garden's palace. He felt petrified with the sight. Barry and Lisa were down there.
"Cisco!" – roared Leonard running down the hall. "Follow me!" Cisco obeyed the King quickly feeling how the temperature on the castle started to drop at an alarming rate; caused unconsciously by the Winter King who was enraged with the situation.
The Winter King and Cisco arrived to the garden and they saw General Mark Mardon running followed by ten soldiers that were advancing quickly towards them.
"Your Highness! We have a problem!" – yelled the General aggravated.
"No shit" – said Leonard fuming. "Have you seen Prince Bartholomew and Lisa?"
Mardon shook his head confused. "No, I thought they were inside the castle."
Len glared. "They aren't…"
Cisco didn't stop to discuss so he continued running towards the gloriette and the fire. He remembered his vibe… if Lisa and Barry were engulfed in the fire they could be seriously hurt. Leonard was going to run after Barry's friend when Mardon stopped him.
"Your Highness…"- said Mardon with a frown. "I went to the dungeons… we sounded the bell because Thawne escaped with someone's help… I believe that there is a traitor inside the castle. We found Lord Thawne's rune collar on the floor. "
Leonard felt his heart stop. Thawne was a really dangerous man and was obsessed with the kid…the prince was in real danger. He needed to find him and his sister. "Was Thawne the one behind this attack?"
"Close the bloody gates no one leaves the fucking castle!" – groaned the King. "We will deal with Thawne later, we need to find Barry and Lisa first!"
The King started running to the gloriette and Mardon ordered five of his soldiers to close the gates and the other five to follow him quickly to the gloriette. The moment Leonard arrived to his beloved gloriette he saw Cisco in front of a wall of flames. Everything was hot and blazing.
"Look!" – Cisco said pointing to the silver sword lying between the flames. "That's Barry's sword! I need… We need to take it…"
General Mardon nodded and quickly with his powers channeled the wind to open a path for Cisco to walk towards the sword while he created with his other hand a storm big enough to drop a powerful amount of rain to stop the wildfire that was consuming everything in his path. Cisco ran trough the wind tunnel and gripped the sword with his right hand and he was turning to run out of the danger when he started vibing. He was vibing engulfed by fire…like what he saw on his second vibe. Fire and smoke. "Shit!…worst place to vibe." The King started yelling to Cisco to snap from his trance and get out but the kid wasn't moving so Leonard started freezing the flames with his powers to protect Barry's friend. General Mardon's storm started to pour and it was swiftly extinguishing the fire that tried to spread towards the castle and the woods nearby.
Cisco started vibing. He saw in a hazy blur a group of soldiers, they had Barry and Lisa. Both of them were unconscious and Barry seemed to be badly hurt… suddenly he saw a black carriage… they were travelling fast through the woods. The image changed and now he was again behind a huge waterfall in a cold humid dungeon, it was dark and cold…. He turned and he saw a man grab a small crystal bottle and he had a ring with two snakes and a sword. He blinked. The images blurred again and now he was in his reality…standing in the middle of white frozen flames under a strong unnatural cold rain freezing him to the bones.
"Cisco what the hell?" – asked General Mardon worried. "Are you crazy? That was dangerous!"
"They have them!"- Cisco murmured slowly turning to Leonard who watched him in shock. "They were unconscious and Barry is badly hurt."
"W-who? How? How do you know?" – The King asked confused moving quickly towards Cisco and grabbing him by the shoulders almost freezing the young invertor's arms. Cisco hissed in pain and Leonard noticed he was harming the kid so he let go.
"I… I have powers… I sometimes can see the future… glimpses of the future" – Cisco explained as quickly as he could and Leonard was looking at him intently.
"So who the hell have them Cisco?"
"I don't now! ... I don't know… I saw a group of men, and there was a man with a silver ring with two snakes and a sword."
The Winter King quickly shared an angry look with Mardon and Cisco felt the King's energy cold everything around them.
"Who are they?" - asked Cisco confused watching how the grass slowly turned in to ice. "I didn't recognize their royal crest…they are not from Central"
"The Santini family. They were a powerful noble family here in the north." – explained the King furious. "The man you probably saw was Frank Santini and he is out for revenge against me and Lisa."
"Why?"
"Because I executed his brother…Lord Vincent Santini and destroyed everything they had. I sent him in to exile."
Cisco shivered with the King's answer full of rage.
"Cisco did you by any chance saw something else?" – asked Mardon. "Maybe the identity of the traitor?"
"No I just saw a dungeon, I think they are going to take Lisa and Barry there… it's like a big cave under a huge waterfall. They took a path trough the woods."
"They are going up to the mountains." – added Mardon turning his glance to Leonard. "The largest waterfall in our realm is the Silver Fall but that place is a ruined stronghold full of mercenaries, thieves and assassins, we can't just go there...we don't know how many they are… we could be outnumbered."
There was a moment of dead silence until the King spoke.
"I don't care how many there are Mardon… we are going to go there and save them. I will take my whole army to the mountains and destroy everything in my path if necessary. If Barry or Lisa die I swear I'm going to slay them all and show them hell. Call the War Council… and ask General Singh, King Oliver and Sir Harrison Wells to join us… we are going to war."
Lisa opened her eyes and felt a massive headache. She groaned trying to move but realized that she had her hands tied tightly behind her back. She was lying on a cold stone ground and there was a loud sound…a waterfall. She felt disoriented. She remembered the trap, the fight, Frank Santini and… Barry getting badly hurt "Shit… Barry".
The Princess tried to move her legs and heard the sound of a metal chain against the floor. She grimaced. Lisa forced herself to turn her head slightly and glanced the room looking for the Prince. At the opposite side of the room was Barry still unconscious, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall of the cave, hands tied above his head and his head was resting uncomfortably over his chest. The young prince was only wearing his black pants and black leather boots. The soldiers probably took his linen shirt and overcoat to treat his wounds because his torso and shoulder were bandaged with white linen stained with blood. They clearly wanted them alive…at least for now. Thankfully they removed their gags and Lisa didn't waste time to try to wake the prince.
"Barry" – Lisa whispered but the prince didn't even stir. She sighed. They needed to get out of here before their captors decided to kill them; especially knowing that all what Santini wanted was revenge on her brother. "Barry!" - she murmured again struggling to a seating position, which was incredible difficult with her limbs tied and hands behind her back… but she managed. She muttered the Prince's name again and she finally saw how he started to move slightly, he was clearly in pain with his straining position.
Barry didn't wake up immediately. Reality started to came in waves. Everything was darkness and shadows with his blurred vision. He shivered. He was really cold. The side of his head was throbbing painfully and when he made to move his hands to touch it he realized that they were tightly restrained above his head. He was having a hard time breathing in his position and his wounds were burning. He tried to test his shackles and he winced in pain. He remembered the fight, the unknown man and Lisa. "Lisa" He began to panic until he heard her voice calling him. He raised his glance and saw her sitting in front of him, on the other side of the cave. Thankfully she seemed unharmed and they were no longer gagged.
"Lisa…" – he rasped. "Are you okay?"
"I am fine…" – she answered worried looking at the prince. "How do you feel?"
Barry registered that their captors had already treated and bandaged his two arrow wounds and he was no longer bleeding. The arrow's potion probably wasn't poison because he didn't feel sick.
"I'm fine…it's not as bad as it looks…" – he added wearily feeling a little tired but trying to reassure her. "The wounds hardly hurt anymore…"
Barry was indeed a terrible liar but she didn't say anything appreciating his efforts to comfort her.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop them."- The prince added miserably. "I couldn't protect you."
"Don't say that Barry…it was a trap and we were outnumbered and I'm unharmed and alive thanks to you…now we have to look a way to escape from this cave."
"I agree… but where the hell are we?"- He asked inspecting their surroundings. He was still confused. There wasn't much to see. The cave was really dark and wet. They were definitely under a waterfall. He could see a huge hole with the strong white wall of water falling constantly and sounding like a thunderstorm, but in front of what could have been their ideal escape route was a strong gate of metal rods blocking the path to their freedom…that's if they were crazy enough and decided to jump from the waterfall.
"I don't know for sure…I'm guessing we are up in the mountains…this waterfall is too strong, we must be really up." – she said worried. "Barry… I'm so sorry you got dragged in to this."
Barry shook his head slowly. "It's not your fault."
"It is…" – she whispered.
The Prince turned his attention back to her.
"No it isn't Lisa... don't blame yourself…we will get out of here" – he said his voice trembling. He started trying to use his powers but they weren't working. He tried to vibrate his hands…maybe if he could phase from his shackles they could have a chance of escaping. But he couldn't invoke his speed force at all; he was just tugging harshly his wrists against the restraints. Lisa saw with horror how Barry's wrists started bleeding from the friction and lines of blood started flowing freely down his arms.
"Barry stop! You are only hurting yourself."
There was a brief pause and Barry looked up and sighed. Lisa was right his efforts were useless. They needed to think a plan without his powers.
"I needed to try..." – Barry explained taking a deep breath. "But this stupid rune collar has my powers completely blocked. I can't get us out of here…"
"I know… we just need to think…" – she said looking at her surroundings but there was nothing useful for them to use to escape.
"I agree…" – he added frustrated. "It would be an awesome moment to announce that you have an useful power to get us out of here."
Lisa sighed feeling guilty, "If he only knew."- She thought silently. Maybe it was time to break her brother's rules and share her past with Barry. At least he deserved to know the truth.
"Sorry." – Barry added quickly and clearly mortified. "That was extremely rude…I shouldn't have said that…"
"No you are right…" – Lisa added looking quite grim all of a sudden.
"W-What do you mean?"
"I…I do have powers Barry. I promised my brother I wasn't going to tell anyone… but this is the reason why we are here in this situation to begin with…all of this is my fault and I think you deserve to know the truth."
"What are you talking about?" – asked Barry confused.
"The man who captured us… his name is Lord Frank Santini, he is the younger brother of Victor Santini who was the right hand of my father, King Lewis Snart. All of them were the same… abusive, ambitious and vile. I hated them all, including my father."
Barry frowned and nodded listening attentively. He remembered hearing that there were rumors at the court that King Leonard killed his father. Even Cisco mentioned, before coming to the Winter Realm, that the coldhearted King of the north was thought to also kill his own husband. Now at least he knew for a fact that the second rumor was a complete lie.
"My father obviously knew that Leonard and I had powers since we were born…and one day he decided to tell Victor Santini that Len could channel the cold and ice and that I could transmute things in to gold. So when the older Santini learned about my power he asked my father for my hand in marriage, and my father gladly accepted. I was fifteen years old. Obviously Lenny was completely against it…. He knew that Victor just wanted to use me… I mean… I can change things in to gold…Victor thought that I could create him a fortune and give him the power he wanted and eventually the crown."
"So…you can transform any matter into gold? That's amazing Lisa!" –said Barry stunned, that was a really extremely rare gift. All the alchemists of the realms would kill for that power.
She nodded reluctantly. "It's an impressive power but now you can guess why my brother doesn't want anybody knowing what I can do… So that's one of the reasons why I don't normally use it. The less people know of my ability the better."
Barry nodded slightly before he squeezed his eyes shut again as even this slight movement caused another sharp pain to flash through his head. "Well…" – he added smiling. "It kind of explains why your brother is so protective of you."
She smiled warmly thinking of Len. "You have no idea Barry…"
Barry opened his hazel eyes and stared at Lisa as she continued her story.
"But truthfully my power is not a gift, it is a curse. After my father accepted my arranged marriage with Victor, the preparations started…Victor asked my father permission to have some time alone with me before the wedding, and in that time he would always made me turn stuff into gold, he loved my power… he started beating me until I gave him the amount of gold he wanted… he was like my father abusive, violent and I was really scared…my father told me to obey Victor or else he was going to punish Len for my actions and I knew my father was a man of his word… he already had hurt Leonard so much… my protective and stupid brother who constantly tried to defend me from King Lewis cruelties…we were so young and damaged… and I thought it was my time to endure the pain and protect my brother in return…"
Barry felt his heart clench painfully. He thought that his childhood was bad, but this was ten thousand times worse. They feared their own father… a person you are supposed to trust...and he hurt them so much. He wanted to hug Lisa… he wanted to comfort Len…. He now understood a little more of the Winter King... He needed to get out of here and confess to Len that he loved him… and he needed to take Lisa out of this cave. He couldn't make Len live through another loss; he needed to protect the princess no matter what.
"Obviously my brother realized what was happening… he is really smart and he knew me well and he knew how my power worked. He saw the bruises around my wrists, in my face and he started noticing that I was weak and tired all the time. I was getting seriously ill. They made me abuse my powers so much that my body couldn't take the strain. My powers require an enormous amount of energy to work. Gold is a very pure and difficult element to create so every time I transform something in to gold my body gets weak and I start losing energy and vitality… for months I damaged my body so much that now if I use my power it could kill me…."
Barry understood. All magic had a price to pay; some powers were more… expensive than others. In his case or Thawne's to use their speed force they needed great amounts of food to keep their body healthy and strong and he knew that running too fast could eventually kill them…and they could disintegrate like Trajectory… the same was with Caitlin she needed to constantly absorb heat from different sources or else she would suck the heat of a living being without meaning too… thankfully Ronnie helped her in that area… and Len probably have a similar system of keeping at bay his powers…Cisco knew that he couldn't control his visions at will and that sometimes put him in harm's way… Lisa on the other hand had a power with the ultimate cost. Using her magic cost her life.
"My father and Victor forced me to use it against my will everyday until my healers told Leonard that if I were to use it again I was going to certainly die. Len was really scared so he made me promise I wouldn't use it and he confronted my father about my powers and the marriage, he wanted to call it off and that earned him a harsh beating… I almost lost him that night… my father lost his control, he was so enraged that when I found Len lifeless on his chamber I thought I lost him because of my fault… and I can't live without him Barry…. He is all I have." –she explained with her light blue eyes full of tears. "My brother that night decided that there was only one way to be free…. there was only one way to save me from my fate."
"He killed them…" – murmured Barry in awe. "…And he kept in secret your powers..."
"He did. He pierced my father's heart with ice and he froze Victor Santini in front of Frank and he broke the ice statue in a thousand shards. He told the younger Santini to leave the realm and never come back… that he would have no mercy if he came back. Frank left the castle but he swore later on that he would take revenge. That night Len became King of the Winter Realm and we were finally free from my father and the Santini family… Len was just twenty-nine years old and I was fifteen…. Two years later Lenny married Prince Mick Rory of the Fire Lands…and you know the rest of the story."
Barry nodded angry…Len and Lisa didn't deserve that past…they didn't deserve an abusive father and she definitely didn't deserve to be here in the hands of Frank Santini. If that man tried to touch her he was going to kill him.
"So Frank Santini was the man who was sending letters to Len?" – added Barry thoughtful. "Two snakes and a sword."
"Yes" – she nodded. "But how do you know that?"
"I saw Len receive one letter yesterday. General Mardon gave it to him."
She nodded. "Frank has been sending those letters for years…threats…he wanted to destroy everything Leonard loves …that apparently included Mick and me, the Kingdom and the villages… and now you, Barry."
"I think they are wrong about me... I saw Hartley yesterday kiss Leonard…your brother didn't reject the kiss…"
Lisa eyes widened but she smiled. "Barry are you jealous?"
"W-What?...No. I mean I just think Len cares more about Sir Hartley and it's fine I mean I just arrived to the north and he seems to have a story with Sir Rathaway, I just don't want to interfere if they have feelings for each other. I want Len to be happy."
Lisa smiled warmly. "Thanks Barry…but you need to talk to my brother, believe me Len doesn't love Hartley, yes they have a short story, but Len should tell you this himself… I believe what Santini said about Len choosing you as his fiancé is true and I think that Lenny is falling hard for you. Give him a chance."
Barry nodded doubtfully.
"We need to get out of here now." – she said trying to struggle against her restraints. "Len and our friends are also in danger, remember there is a traitor in the castle…we need to alert them."
Barry nodded and frowned but suddenly tensed… he made a shushing noise and Lisa stopped struggling. Someone was coming. Barry stared at the door that probably connected their dungeon to the inside of the fortress and watched it open slowly dreading what was coming their way. Lisa gave him an uneasy look that channeled fear and tension. Barry saw Frank Santini walk towards them followed by four men; all of them were dressed in black.
"I'm glad both of you are awake." – said Santini smiling with black eyes hard as stones. His voice was soft and mad and mocking. "Welcome to my stronghold. I hope you are enjoying your accommodations."
Lisa's eyes narrowed but she remained silent.
"Now I have plans for both of you. Lisa dear… you must surely know what I want from you."
"Go to hell!" – she hissed hatefully. "My brother should have killed you when he got the chance."
"Too bad he didn't…" – Lord Santini added with a smirk. "Now I get to enjoy killing you and his fiancé. Imagine my surprise when I heard that the old King was going to marry again. He was giving me a second chance to kill his beloved again."
Lord Santini turned towards the Prince and Lisa watched with sickening dread as Santini's foot savagely grounded hard in to Barry's injury on his abdomen. The prince suddenly coughed a little of blood and let out a pained gasp and a yell of protest escaped from Lisa.
"Leave him alone! He is hurt you sick bastard!" – she yelled trying to get of her damn chains.
"Don't tell me what to do Lisa." – the man said approaching The Princess with his hand raised. Barry feared what was coming.
"Stop Santini!"- He snapped. "Don't you dare to touch her!"
Frank turned slowly dropping his hand. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me!" – Barry said defiant trying to clean the blood on his lips with his right arm. Somehow the prince managed to look intimidating even if he was tied and hurt and Lisa smiled warmly. She really liked Barry. He remained him of Len's fierce nature.
Frank gave a small chuckle. "My Prince did you forgot that I'm the one giving orders here? I'm the one with the power to kill you both right now and you are the one defenseless and tied up to a cave."
"If I were free of this restraints you would be already dead."
Santini stopped right in front of Barry and the prince shuddered. The man punched Barry square in the face. Barry opened his hazel eyes and spat the blood collecting in his mouth and glared up at Santini.
"Is that the best you can do Santini? Do you feel powerful beating someone who can't fight you back? Does that make you feel like a man? Do you feel better?"
"No…" – said Frank giving a signal to his soldiers. "But I will in a minute."
Two of the soldiers approached Barry and released him from the wall. His arms were aching and he felt the men grab him roughly. Barry grimaced in pain. The soldiers punched Barry in his stomach again and the Prince doubled over and he couldn't stop a cough escaping from his lips. The soldiers made him stood up and they raised his arms again and hanged the prince from a hook on the top's cave. He was now hanging. His feet were dandling in the air, the tips of his boots just barely dragging across the wet cave floor. He glanced up; his hands were cuffed above him secured to a hook. He struggled briefly, trying to lift himself and the soldiers started laughing. His feet were too far from the floor to lift himself free and his hands cuffed too high and tightly for him to leverage his body up and get free.
"You look good like that, struggling and hanging… I wonder what will Thawne would do to you if he were to find you like this so… exposed."
Barry swallowed and flinched with the mention of his parent's murderer. He felt the injury on his shoulder start to bleed again; probably his movements damaged the wound again.
"Thankfully we don't have to worry about that monster anymore." – added Lisa flatly. "Thawne is rotting in the palace's dungeon as you will soon."
Frank laughed loudly startling the Prince and The Princess.
"I wouldn't count on that Princess…"
Barry felt his body tense. "What does that mean?"
"Lord Eobard Thawne is probably free right now… he had a little help."
Barry shuddered… the idea of having that monster roaming free in the realm and near him scared him to the bones. This was turning in to a nightmare.
"So Prince Allen… we will make a deal." – explained Santini grinning and turning his attention back to Barry. "You told me to leave Lisa alone… and I will… I won't hurt her, but if she doesn't follow my instructions whatever punishments I had for her, I'll give them to you."
"Deal" – murmured Barry glancing at Lisa. He just wanted her to be safe. "Do whatever you want with me but don't touch her."
Frank let out a chuckle. "Perfect… Let's start making some gold. Lisa honey care to make these stones in to gold…" –
A soldier presented the princess a medium chest full of small and medium rocks.
"Frank that could harm her and you know it! That's not our deal! Lisa don't do it…please!" – yelled Barry. "You promised Len you weren't going to use your powers! Don't risk your health….he can't lose you."
Frank laughed…"I said I wouldn't harm her, it's not my problem that her power is what is going to kill her…"
"Lisa don't" – stated Barry boldly.
Lisa nodded defiantly and struggled with fervor from her chains. Her arms were burning from the position behind her back. "Go to hell Frank!"
"Very well" – said Lord Santini excited giving his soldier the order to bring the toys. One of the soldiers disappeared for a moment and he returned with a leather black whip. Lisa's eyes widened with fear and gasped. "Let's start the game. Let's see how much pain the Prince can take. Lisa are you sure you don't want to make some gold? Last chance to change your mind…later I won't stop even if you beg me."
She turned to see the prince, she was hesitating but he smiled trying to make her feel confident in her decision.
"I can handle it…don't worry." – Barry murmured.
The princess turned to their captures and cursed them. "Fuck you all!" – she spat and Barry smiled proudly.
"So be it…" – he murmured softly. Santini grabbed the whip and smiled watching Barry's naked torso. The prince's back was perfect, not a single scar, probably because of his speed and healing capabilities, Santini wondered if now that the collar was blocking the speedster powers will the whip left beautiful scars? He grinned anxious and ready to discover the answer.
Frank without any advice cracked the whip at Barry's back with strength and rage. Barry huffed out a breath of air. The prince arched his body in pain but he refused to yell so he just clenched his jaw shut. Santini grinned amused. "Oh this is going to be so much fun…you are strong… I love when the prisoners are tricky to break."
"You are sick!" – Lisa yelled from the opposite side of the cave watching how Barry was tortured and how blood begin to drip leisurely from the painful mark of the whip down to the prince's lower back.
Frank struck again and gleefully started laughing with insane malice. Barry let out a harsh breath and screwed his eyes shut. He wasn't going to give Santini the satisfaction of hearing his screams…"at least not yet". He needed to stay strong. Lisa watched in horror how the prince took a beating for her. The ritual repeated again and again. Blood blossomed painting crimson the white skin of the prince. His back arched with every strike of the whip. He hated feeling so helpless. Lisa could see that Barry was starting to tremble from the pain. She wanted them to stop. Another hit came down and the prince winced through his teeth. Lisa cringed. She couldn't watch this anymore.
"I'll do it Santini! Stop! Stop hurting him! I will give you the gold you want…just untie my hands and I will give you all the gold of the world"
"Lisa…" – Barry said with a choked voice. He was breathing painfully.
"Too late for the deal Princess, I won't stop now until the kid's body shall be bloody…no until I hear his beautiful voice."
Lisa gasped; the man was a sadistic pig. She saw angry when a heavy stinging blow landed again on Barry's back again. The prince just wanted to surrender to oblivion and let go of the pain but he was just vividly aware of each strike. His metal chains were sounding loudly with the wrecking of his body. He tried with his hands to support his own body weight, but he easily slipped with the pain of each sting of the whip. His wrists were now raw and his eyes were watering. He was used to feel pain but his powers normally give him some quick relief…but now… without his powers this was too much for him. He heard the whip whistling towards him and flinched in anticipation, he felt as if all the skin in his back had increased their sensitivity tenfold, each stroke of the leather, the way in bit angrily in to his skin and tore and bruised his flesh was complete agony. He was sweating cold and on the twelve strike of the whip Barry involuntarily let his first sound free, a strangled whimper and the soldiers grinned with anticipation knowing that the kid was finally breaking. The beating got heavier, Santini was using all of his strength and Barry just couldn't avoid screaming anymore.
"That's it...beautiful Prince Allen. Scream for me!"
Barry lost the count of the strokes. He was screaming…and getting weaker. His voice was horse and he was starting to fall in and out of consciousness, shaking violently and bleeding profusely. The princess hated the sound of the whip against skin… it remained of Lewis…She was in shock… she was fifteen again… taken to her memories and her past, when Lewis abused Leonard and she just hided and saw motionless how his brother took a beating for her…and now Barry. She was trembling and she couldn't breath. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't believe that she was in this shitty situation again.
"Please stop" – she murmured reflexively. "Don't hurt him father… Please don't hurt Lenny."
Frank chuckled watching the Princess starting to break and the crown prince's handsome features contorted in pain. The kid was starting to blackout and that wasn't going to be fun. Santini order his men to bring some water. The soldiers took some barrels of cold water and throw it suddenly over Barry's weak body. The prince gasped back in to agony and the clarity of total awareness. His back was screaming in protest as the cold water made his way over the scarred skin. Barry was shuddering. His writs were bleeding with all his jerking in that excruciatingly painful position hanging from the ceiling of the cave. He felt the drops of blood from his wrists start falling over his face. Warm drops of blood were trailing his face. The Prince heard Frank's steps coming closer again and perceived the man's soft and mad giggle as he whispered in to Barry's ear.
"Still not broken are you?"
Barry was unable to respond, he didn't trust his voice to speak…. so he just glared at the man with rage. Hazel green eyes full of hate. But when he heard Lisa murmur he turned his gaze towards her worried…she was in shock.
"I will stop here. I can't kill you yet." – said the man annoyed lifting Barry's chin to meet his gaze. "I promised Thawne I will let him have his fun with you before I kill you in front of Leonard…so he is probably on his way here… besides I need Lisa to wake up from her childhood memories… she need to start using her power for good."
"Don't! It will kill her!" – Barry yelled and Santini ignored him.
One of the soldiers threw a barrel of cold water towards Lisa and she snapped back to reality. Her dress was now soaked and cold and she heard Barry screaming her name.
"So Lisa… are you ready?"
Lisa glanced at Barry who was trembling badly probably from the cold and the pain and she reluctantly nodded. She can't have Len and Barry always protecting her. Always suffering because of her.
"I will do it…but I need you to release my hands…"
Santini laughed… "Nice try Princess… release her and tie her hands at her front."
The soldiers followed their orders and Santini just watched from the distance next to Barry. "Princess if you try anything I will hurt him…"
Lisa glared angry and remained calm as the soldiers did what they were told. When they finished bounding her hands they backed and gave her space.
"Show me your beautiful power." – said the man grinning and walking towards the Princess. Santini crouched in front of her and grabbed her chin to raise her lovely face and Lisa smiled wickedly startling the man.
"You want gold… I will give you gold you bastard!"
Lisa grabbed Santini's left hand and started channeling her power with rage. A bright yellow light started forming under her hand and the Lord of the north started yelling seeing how his arm painfully started to slowly become of gold. He couldn't move nor push her. She smiled seeing the man gasping agonizingly.
"I love when dark things shine."
Her grip grew stronger and she wasn't stopping. She was going to kill him at that rate. She started gasping. She felt how her energy started to drain, but it was worth it. The man's fingers to the elbow were already gold. The soldiers rushed towards the Princess and one kicked her with savage strength backwards and the other pulled off his Lord out of the Princess range. Lisa released her grip on the man and with the kick of the soldier she landed on the cold wet floor on her side. She remained lying there. She had no more energy to move or fight. Her vision was starting to cloud and everything hurt.
"Lisa!" – Barry yelled concerned.
"Don't you ever touch me again!" – she murmured threatening to Santini. "Next time it won't be your arm!"
Barry smiled impressed with the Princess fierce actions and smiled. The man was still holding his golden hand in shock.
"You whore!" – Santini yelled enraged. "You are going to pay for this!"
Frank stood up breathless and with his right hand trembling he took a small crystal bottle out of a small satchel.
"Hold the prince." – he ordered to his soldiers.
Barry trashed hard, he need to free his hands quickly. "Come on…" The tallest soldier released the prince from the hook of the cave's top and let him fall with a strong thud. Barry cried in agony. He felt tears rolling. He tried to move but a soldier put a boot over his raw back. The prince groaned. He couldn't breath.
"Turn him around and open his mouth."
"No!" – yelled Lisa feeling her heart drop. She couldn't move and she was starting to lose consciousness. "Stop Santini! I was the one who hurt you! Fight me asshole!"
"We had a deal Lisa…" – he stated smugly.
The soldier turned Barry to his side unceremoniously, the prince tried to fight but the soldier subdued him easily. Barry arched his back trying to avoid the contact of his back with the cold ground but another soldier pushed him hard to the ground with his boot over the prince's chest. Barry yelled and closed his eyes. He couldn't breath.
"Open his mouth!" – Santini commanded. Barry clenched his jaw tightly. One of the soldiers forced Barry to stay still and the other one grabbed the kid's face with a ruthless strength that would probably bruise the prince face. After some seconds of fighting Santini sighed with the incompetence of his men and he approached the prince and kicked him with his boot in one of the arrow wounds, Barry yelled and Santini order a soldier to seize the kid's face and keep his mouth open… Santini slowly poured the clear contents of the small crystal bottle in the prince's mouth and the soldier forced him to swallow. Barry felt his throat burn as silent tears fell.
"Barry" – she murmured softly feeling guilty.
The prince felt how everything started to burn. He was having a massive headache. Everything was blurry and fading out of focus…he tried to speak to tell Lisa that he was fine… that everything was okay… he needed to breath… but everything slowly went black and he went completely limp.
"You Monster! What did you gave him?" – asked Lisa worried with tears in her face watching how a soldier lifted the Prince from the ground. "What did you do to him?"
"Just preparing a gift to the Winter King…"- he added watching the lifeless prince on his soldier's arms. "Bind the prince to the cave wall, hands above his head…Thawne will probably be mad at me but this is going to be worth it…"
"W-What did you do?" – asked Lisa resting painfully on the cold stone floor trying to sound intimidating. Her heart was beating really fast. She was scared, she knew the man was completely mad and he would not hesitate to kill them but she couldn't do anything and she was so tired.
"You will see…it is going to be quite beautiful... – Santini said smiling caressing his golden arm. Pain and hate still reflected in his face. "I will leave you both to rest… I recommend you Princess for the Prince's sake…that when I come back those stones of that chest are already turned in to gold…"
"SANTINI!" – screamed Lisa at the man's retreating figure followed by his four soldiers. She heard the door of the dungeon close and Lisa turned her gaze towards Barry who rested unconscious and barely breathing against the cave wall and she started crying silently... "What did Santini gave Barry? It would be her fault if Barry died, she shouldn't have attacked the man without a plan. "Len please…come quickly…please." – she thought closing her eyes giving in to sweet darkness.
Okay first time writing torture! I wasn't sure on what to do so I went with the classic medieval whip and wow that was really hard to write… poor Barry! :( I felt terrible…I need Len to rescue him now! And what do you think of Lisa's past? A little bit dark? And Thawne is free again! :O Let me know what you think! Next chapter we are going to war!
Feel free to comment and leave a review or feedback! As always thanks to everyone who has commented, read and bookmarked this story. You're the best! :D
Ps. I confess I was a little nervous posting this... no idea if you were going to enjoy this. :S
Ps. I had less time to proofread than usual so I'm sorry for typos and spelling mistakes.