CHAPTER 19: FALLEN CROWN
Hi again! I'm back with a new chapter!
Sorry for the long wait! Enjoy!
Cisco turned to Len and Lisa and saw their worried faces.
"I will do it. I will vibe Barry." Cisco whispered quickly and Len nodded watching the prince walk towards them. "But I will need help, he will notice that I'm trying to vibe him and he won't let me if he is really hiding something."
"We will help you…"Lisa murmured quickly. "We can also ask Caitlin to help us. We will distract him and you do your magic."
"Deal…" Cisco nodded hearing Barry's steps getting closer.
Lisa murmured softly "He is coming…" and Cisco turned in time to receive the young speedster.
"Heeeey Baaaarry!" Cisco exclaimed awkwardly. "How's your day?"
Barry furrowed his brows and quickly glanced at Len who shrugged uncomfortable.
"All good…I guess." Barry added baffled. "Ignoring the fact that Zoom still out there terrorizing the Winter Realm."
Lisa nodded while the King contained his desire to hit Cisco square in the face.
"Scarlet…" Len murmured trying to steal Barry's attention from Cisco's awkward behavior. "How was your reunion with Sir Martin Stein?"
Barry sighed downhearted. "Not good… I heard that Stein did a research on speedsters so I thought that maybe he had information about Hunter Zolomon that we could use against him, maybe something about his past… but unfortunately he didn't, his research is more about the speedforce and the nature of our powers."
Len nodded studying his fiancé. Barry was surprisingly getting good at lying.
"Well your idea is quite good… " Len said honestly. "Maybe we could try another source…"
"Another source?" Barry asked curious. "Who?"
"I don't know…but don't worry Scarlet, we'll figure it out." Len said.
"Maybe General Singh." Cisco added quickly. "He must have some information about Hunter's background… I remember that Hunter murdered a lot of people back in Central Kingdom maybe he knows something. He was supposedly sent to the gallows."
Barry nodded walking towards the edge of the balcony. He could see the northern town in the distance. "It could work. I will ask him."
Lisa shook her head. "I seriously doubt that a monster like Zoom has any kind of weakness we could use in our favor."
"Well if you ask me…" Cisco added slowly a little unsure of his words looking at Barry. "I think Hunter's weakness is Barry."
"W-What?" Lisa and Barry asked in unison and Len thought on it for a moment.
"I mean…think about it…." Cisco explained looking at his friend. "He is clearly obsessed with Barry. Since our battle in the South he has been following you non-stop…he wants you and your speed badly."
Len agreed. "Cisco is right."
Barry stared stunned at Cisco and Len. "My speed could be his obsession but I'm definitely not his weakness Len."
"His obsession with you is his weakness." The King repeated letting the information sink in. Cisco was right. That was what they needed to defeat Zoom. They needed to use Barry as bait.
The prince furrowed his brow. "I was thinking more like something about his past….to use it against him…" Barry added mortified. "Not me…"
"Don't worry Barry… we will never use you as bait…we aren't that cold-blooded." Cisco said bluntly and he tried to touch Barry's shoulder to reassure, well maybe vibe, his best friend and the Prince averted his gaze and flinched away. Len stared at Barry's reaction and the Prince smiled awkwardly.
"Right… thanks Cisco" Barry said shyly and moving away from his best friend. "I think we should go inside… they are waiting for us…for you know…breakfast."
"Barry is right…we should move." Lisa added grabbing the prince's arm and taking him away from Len and Cisco who were tense. The King sighed and turned to the young inventor.
"Cisco…you do realize that we are going to do exactly the opposite of what you just said to him?"
"Do what?" Cisco asked worried.
"We are going to use Barry as bait to lure Zoom in to a trap."
Cisco glared. "We can't do that! He is the Crown Prince of Central Kingdom!"
"Yes we can and we are going to do it! You are a genius." Len added walking towards the Great Hall leaving a very worried Cisco. "Oh Shit…that was a bad idea."
Barry's heart was beating quickly. He hoped that Lisa didn't notice it when they walked together by the arm. He almost let Cisco touch him and that was bad. He needed to be more careful. He knew he was acting strange and he needed to calm down quickly or his secret was going to be revealed and that was going to be their end. Barry seated next to Len and in front of Lisa and Cisco seated next to Lisa happily. Barry smiled when the food arrived quickly…now they would be busy with the food and he could relax. They were all eating peacefully listening to Stein, Oliver and Wells discussing the possible position of Zoom's army when Cisco had a wild idea and drank the whole content of his silver goblet in a gulp and turned directly to talk to his best friend.
"Barry… would you mind passing me the ale?" He said thinking that maybe he could touch Barry's fingers without the speedster noticing. "He just needed a good honest accident".
Len silently watched amused at Cisco's lame plan unfolding in front of him.
The prince who was taking a bite of his bread nodded at his friend. "Sure…"
Barry was going to grab the ale to pass it to his best friend when suddenly, out of nowhere and to Cisco's dismay, a servant appeared behind the young inventor and quickly filled Cisco's cup and Lisa laughed at Cisco's bewildered face. Barry smiled at Cisco and he continued eating his piece of bread peacefully.
"Um… Thanks…" Cisco murmured annoyed at the servant and Caitlin narrowed her eyes.
The King smiled in to his goblet of ale. "Oh…this is going to be fun…."
After breakfast and Cisco's failed attempts to vibe the young prince, Barry decided to disappear in to his royal quarters. He claimed to be tired and that he needed to sleep for a while. Len sighed but seized the opportunity to inform everyone of his master plan to vibe the prince. The idea was simple. They needed to distract Barry, make Cisco touch him quickly and take Barry away from Cisco so that he doesn't notice that his best friend was vibing his secrets. Caitlin, Wells, Jesse, Oliver and Felicity agreed and they were in the plan. At the beginning Len decided to not tell Joe, Iris or Eddie, he believed that they could compromise their mission when truthfully he was afraid of confessing that he wanted to break's Barry's trust and vibe him. He thought that Joe probably wouldn't approve his methods, but after talking to Wells and Caitlin he decided to include Barry's family in the strategy and now they were all ready to put the plan in motion.
It was late in the morning when Len went to his royal quarters followed by Cisco, Wells, Oliver, General Mardon and Jesse. He knocked the wooden door once and opened it. He found Barry on the four-poster bed reading a manuscript with Winter on his lap.
"Scarlet…" the King murmured entering the room and Winter waved his tail happily.
"Len…" Barry said lifting his gaze from the paper and saw his friends weirdly thrilled.
"Hey! … What are you all doing here?"
Honestly it was the second time Barry saw Oliver so amused and grinning…it was unnerving. The first time was when he tried to train with Oliver and he shoot him twice on his back.
"We are going to train Cisco." Wells replied seriously.
"W-What?" Barry scoffed amazed. "You are kidding?"
"No." Oliver added.
Cisco glared annoyed at the prince's astonishment and Barry grinned from the bed.
Wells smiled. "Our favorite inventor here recently confessed to the Winter King that he has yet to master his ability to use his vibrational blasts…" he explained entertained patting Cisco on the back. "We all agreed that Cisco needs to practice."
"Yes… I want to practice." Cisco added sounding awfully doubtful.
Barry gasped and turned to his friend a little surprised. "You really want to train? You never wanted to train with me in Central…and now you want to train with Oliver?"
Cisco shrugged his shoulders slightly unsure of his fate. "I guess I couldn't let the opportunity of training with the best knights of Central Kingdom and the Winter Realm slip away…especially knowing that Zoom's army is already in the north."
Barry nodded slowly. " I guess you are right…"
"It's time we do something about Cisco lame battle performance…" Len added smirking and Cisco rolled his eyes annoyed. "Want to join us Scarlet?"
"Oh I'm definitely in…" the Prince confessed getting out of the bed and putting his black boots on. "I wouldn't miss this for anything in the realm…"
"Barry can we take Winter with us?" Jesse asked hugging the white small wolf.
Barry smiled and nodded. "Sure… he needs to take a walk."
The group exited the room and Cisco and Barry walked side by side through the long hallway.
"So… training with Oliver… are you sure you are ready for that? Barry asked teasingly.
"I think I'm more worried about the Winter King." Cisco replied worried. "I think he is going to seize the opportunity to ice me because I am courting his baby sister."
Barry laughed. "You are so dead."
"Shut up."
The group arrived to the training grounds and Jesse went with Winter to the far side to seat with Felicity, Iris, Lisa and Caitlin who wanted to see the workout. Len swiftly grabbed Cisco by the arm and whispered to the young inventor. "We are going to try to distract Barry with the battle and you need to try to touch him...vibe him quickly."
"This won't work…" Cisco added nervous and Len patted his back.
"It's going to be fine…"
"This is an awful idea… It won't work like this…I can't vibe him quickly."
"We need to try…"
Cisco nodded and walked unsure towards Barry.
"So… how are we going to do this?" General Mardon inquired looking at the Winter King.
"Barry and Cisco will team against all of us." Len explained and Oliver and Mardon nodded.
"W-What?! Three against two?" Cisco complained looking at his opponents. "That's not fair!"
"No Cisquito….two against four…" added Hartley joining the group in the training grounds with an evil smirk. Cisco gasped and Hartley walked towards Barry.
"I owe you an apology Your Highness…" Rathaway added with embarrassment. "And my gratitude for saving me from the gallows thus giving me my life back and freedom... I pledge my alliance to you Prince Bartholomew."
"It's okay Hartley, I forgive you…we all make mistakes. And I owe you a thanks as well, I understand it was your idea to enter the Silver Fall Stronghold through the waterfall for the rescue plan…so thanks…I'm also alive thanks to you." Barry said offering a sweet smile. "And please drop the formality, we are amongst friends, you can call me Barry..."
Hartley nodded amazed at Barry. The prince was truly something else. He could understand why Len fell in love with the handsome speedster. Hartley bowed courtly. "Thanks Barry. It was the least I could do…after I placed you in that dangerous situation."
"It's okay…" the prince said and Hartley nodded.
"Enough talking…" Oliver groaned bored getting ready for battle. "Cisco won't get better like this…and we don't have much time..."
Barry smiled and Hartley nodded.
"Rathaway come to this side." General Mardon commanded and the Pied Piper moved next to the Winter King.
Wells moved to the center of the training grounds. "Cisco's powers seem to activate when he feels in danger so you four need to attack without holding back. Barry you just need to cover Cisco's back if things get messy."
"Messy?" Cisco repeated nervous looking at Oliver and Hartley who were grinning eager.
"Ready?" Mardon asked and Barry nodded and Cisco gulped while Wells left the training grounds.
"Try to hit us with your vibrational blasts." Len added moving to a side channeling his ice ready to attack. His hands had frost covering his fingers.
"NOW!" General Mardon yelled and Cisco panicked. The young inventor saw snowballs and icicles flying towards him and Barry. Cisco tried to use his powers to stop the attack but he couldn't. His vibrational blasts didn't appear so he just closed his eyes and felt something move in front of him at high speed.
"Cisco don't close your eyes!" Barry said shaking his head. "Are you crazy?"
"I just froze…" Cisco added agitated and a little embarrassed watching Barry throw the icicles and snowballs to the ground.
"You can't freeze in a battlefield…" Barry said riled. "Unless Len hits you but that hasn't happened…yet."
"Come on Cisco!" General Mardon said trying to test the young inventor. "You can do better than that!"
"Let's try again…" Barry added. "This time Cisco…please don't close your eyes!"
Cisco nodded and Oliver released two arrows. Barry moved out of the way and Cisco jumped to the other side avoiding the projectiles. General Mardon channeled black clouds and a lightning that hit between Barry and Cisco making a hole on the ground. Hartley seized the opportunity and used his sound waves to hit Cisco who fell to the ground hard.
"Cisco!" Lisa yelled from the side and Barry glanced to his side to inspect Cisco and he felt Len's ice freeze his boots to the ground.
"Don't get distracted Scarlet!" Len murmured smirking with his deep voice.
Barry groaned and quickly vibrated breaking the ice that was trapping him to the ground. The Prince ran in circles and hit Oliver's bow with his lightning disarming the archer. Mardon created some balls of snow and tried to hit Cisco who was slowly standing up.
"Cisco you need to actually do something!" Barry yelled protecting his friend.
"I'm trying!" Cisco screamed avoiding a lightning from Mardon and trying to move near Barry to touch the speedster but his friend moved away in a flash so he grabbed the air... Len sighed.
"You are not trying hard enough…" Barry said moving almost in front of the inventor. "Summon your power! Concentrate!"
"I am concentrating! Watch and learn Barry!" Cisco screamed defiant against the loud blasts that Pied Piper's wave were causing.
"You are all talk Cisco…" Rathaway added laughing and sending some blasts.
Cisco avoided them and started rubbing his hands.
"I'm waiting…." Barry said expectantly turning his back to his friend to stop Len's icicles.
Cisco concentrated hard to channel his powers and he felt the vibrations running through his body and he released the attack recklessly trying to hit Mardon and Hartley.
"I did it!" Cisco screamed happy but to his shock the vibrational blasts hit Barry on the side. The impact sent the prince flying towards Mardon and Hartley, who caught the speedster midair and they flew in to the grass. They all fell with a loud puff. Oliver grinned at the clumsy scene of his tangled friends on the ground, all the ladies gasped from the sides of the training ground and Len narrowed his eyes at Cisco who tensed.
"For real?" Barry groaned from the ground on top of the General and Pied Piper. "Seriously Cisco…we are on the same team! You should protect my back not hit me!"
"SHIT! Barry I'm sorry!" Cisco yelled from the opposite side of the training ground. "I told you that I couldn't control it!"
"Unbelievable" Hartley snorted. "You are even worse than I could ever imagine."
The King cleared his throat and his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Hartley suddenly realized that when they landed his hand was touching Barry's ass and he turned crimson feeling ashamed and pale with dread of Len's rage. "Fuck! Sorry Barry!" he yelled lifting both of his hands to the air.
The prince sighed and Len quickly offered Barry his hand to help him up.
"Are you okay Scarlet?"
Barry nodded smiling. "Yes, thanks Len."
"Hartley if you touch Barry's ass again I swear I will froze and shatter your hands!"
Hartley nodded at the King's threat. "Sorry…got it...not touching...just watch."
"No watching either!" Len yelled losing his cool and pushing Barry away from Hartley.
"Move Piper! We haven't got all day…" Mardon groaned.
Cisco walked towards the Winter King to murmur softly while Barry walked to the other side of the grounds to talk to Oliver. "I don't think this plan is going to work. I can't get near Barry in the middle of a battle. I can't vibe him like this and I can't control my blasts yet!"
Len nodded. "I agree this was a bad idea…"
"Terrible idea…and I think he's on to me now…"
"Well, you have to keep trying." Len muttered. "We need to vibe him"
"Come on Cisco!" Barry called excited. "We won't stop until you can hit your enemies!"
Cisco groaned and Len exhaled. They both joined the training grounds again dejected with their useless plan.
After Cisco's long training that finally get some positive results with the vibrational blasts as well as some bruises on Hartley and Mardon, Barry decided take a walk through the palace. He wanted to clear his thoughts while walking. There were parts of the palace that he hadn't explored yet…he sighed feeling nervous. The time was passing fast and he was getting closer to the blue hour. He was going to end his fight with Zoom once and for all…but he was afraid of losing… of not seeing Len again.
"Barry…"
The prince turned to see his fiancé, Lisa, Len, Cisco and Caitlin walk towards him.
"Len!" he said beaming.
"We were thinking of taking a walk in the gardens…do you wish to accompany us?"
"Sure…why not?" Barry replied happy moving next to the King.
"How do you feel Scarlet?" Len asked worried walking side by side with the prince.
Barry lifted his gaze to meet Len's. "I feel fine…why?"
Len stopped and turned towards Barry. "Because I am worried… with Zoom here in the north and everything that has happened with your family..."
Barry smiled. "They are safe and that's what matters Len…"
Lisa felt her heart clench and turned to see Cisco and Cailtin who were worried sick for their best friend.
"You are right… they are safe. I promise we will end this soon."
Barry agreed. Maybe sooner than he expected.
"Lenny!" Lisa added excited. "Can we show them the hall of mirrors? I promised Cisco I would show it to him a couple of days ago."
Len agreed thinking that Barry hasn't been there as well. "Sure…that's a good idea Sis."
The group walked towards the Hall of Mirrors. When they entered the gallery, Cisco, Caitlin and Barry gasped with the magnificent decoration of the massive room. The view was breathtaking. Len explained that the hall had seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflected the seventeen arcaded windows that overlooked the beautiful gardens. Each arch contained twenty-one mirrors. The arches themselves were fixed between marble pilasters whose capitals depicted the royal Winter Kingdom snowflake symbol.
"This is beautiful!" Caitlin exclaimed truly impressed. "Maybe we could use this hall for the wedding."
Barry nodded walking through the long hall watching his reflection.
"Len this place is amazing."
Len nodded pleased. He was particularly fond of this part of the palace. He loved the walls, the light, and the cold surfaces of the mirrors reflecting the beautiful gardens.
"Come on we can go directly to the garden's fountains this way." Lisa said opening a door at the far end of the hall. Her voice echoed loudly in the gallery. Cisco and Caitlin followed still impressed with the beauty of the place. Barry and Len were walking together when Barry halted feeling that something was following them. He felt cold shivers run through his spine and he turned swiftly but the hall was empty.
"Are you okay?" Len asked concerned noticing that Barry was suddenly watching silently their surroundings.
"Yes…I thought I felt something." Barry confessed ashamed. "It was probably nothing…"
"Come on…" Len said. "They left us behind…"
Barry nodded and when he glanced a last time to his clear reflection he saw shadow move in the mirror. He blinked and it disappeared. He turned to see his surroundings and there was nothing out of the ordinary. He was probably tired. He grabbed Len's hand and they walked side by side out the impressive Hall of Mirrors.
When they arrived to the gardens Cisco tried a couple of times to touch Barry but the Prince avoided him easily. It honestly looked like they were playing. Cisco sighed tired and turned to Len asking for help. The King furrowed his brows. This was getting foolishly difficult. Lisa on the other hand grinned and nodded mischievously to Len and Cisco. Both stared at her confused…but apparently she had a plan. Barry was watching the beautiful fountain and Len walked to his side.
"Do you like it Scarlet?"
"Yeah… it's beautiful…" Barry said amazed contemplating the peaceful scenery while walking. He moved towards a huge fountain that caught his attention. The fountain had seven statues representing their mythological gods. There was a mural of this at Central Kingdom Palace in the throne room…but the statues were even more impressive here. Barry looked closer and he saw in the center the god who ruled them all. At his left the beautiful warrior goddess and at his right the god of darkness and night. There was also the god of light represented with his bow and arrows and next to him the god of the water and seas. On the other side next to the goddess, was the god of speed and lightning…the god that gave Barry his speed and lastly the god of creators. Bellow them the words…truth, liberty and justice. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Please Gods…let me vanquish Zoom…give me courage to defeat him to protect Len and my family and keep peace." He opened his eyes and glanced the piece of art astonished. The water in the fountain was cerulean and probably cold. Len was by his side smiling. Cisco slowly approached the royal couple. It was now or never. The prince was distracted with Len and maybe if he touched both at the same time Barry wouldn't suspect anything.
"Barry…" Caitlin said distracted looking at another piece of art. "Look this amazing statue!"
It all happened in seconds. Lisa saw Barry moving away from Cisco, so she tackled Cisco's back hard to push him to touch the prince but it was too late. Barry moved out of the way towards Caitlin. Lisa gasped and saw Cisco stumble and collide against Len hard. The Winter King faltered and they both fell on to the fountain. Lisa raised her hands to her mouth in shock and the loud splash made Barry and Caitlin turn startled.
"Len?" Barry asked confused at the sight of Cisco and his fiancé tangled inside the fountain wet from head to toes. They looked ridiculous.
"What the hell!" Len growled angry. "LISA!"
"OH MY GOD!" Lisa said laughing enjoying the scene. "Lenny! Cisco! I'm so sorry."
Barry laughed at the sight. "Len? Are you okay?" He said offering his hand that Cisco tried to grab first to vibe him and Barry moved it away quickly. Barry suddenly felt guilty with Cisco's hurt reaction. They stared silently at each other until Barry broke their gaze and turned to Len to help him. "Len grab my hand." The King smiled wickedly and grabbed Barry's hand and pulled him to the fountain playfully. Barry gasped and landed over the strong King. Caitlin gasped and Cisco and Lisa laughed.
"Holy shit!" Barry cursed. "This water is cold!"
Caitlin quickly moved to help Cisco out of the fountain and Lisa to help Barry.
"What I wouldn't give for a hot spring right now." Len said grinning and Cisco narrowed his eyes annoyed at the Winter King.
After a long, warm, boring bath Len entered his room shirtless. He was feeling troubled. Every attempt to vibe Barry was a failure…they were running out of time and they had tried their best. He sighed walking to his bed. The royal chamber was faintly illuminated with the blue hues of twilight. Len immediately saw Barry suspiciously getting ready to leave their room.
"Going somewhere Scarlet?" the King said leaning on the wooden poster of their bed, arms crossed. Barry turned and lifted his gaze to see Len's bare chest and his face turned a bright shade of red.
"I…yes… I'm going to take a walk. Probably to the library, I want to read for a while…relax a little bit…"
Len grinned at Barry's flushed cheeks. "Do you like what you see?"
"Len…stop teasing." Barry said smiling. "You know that I like what I see…"
Len laughed at Barry's cute confession. "Then want me to join you Scarlet? We could walk together…or maybe stay here…"
Barry laughed shaking his head and murmured softly. "I think I need some time alone…these past few days have been a little bit hectic …I need to clear my mind."
The King agreed almost defeated and exhaled moving towards Barry.
"I think I can help you clear your mind…"
He leaned forward and kissed the Prince softly. His cold lips pressed against Barry's soft lips and Len slowly pressed his tongue inside the prince's mouth. Barry parted his lips slightly to let Len's tongue slide easier and moaning to show Len he was really enjoying the kiss. The prince curled a hand around the back of the King's head, fingers skimming across the short hair, as he moved his lips against Len's lips. The kiss started slow and gentle and it quickly intensified until they were both breathless. When Len pulled slightly back, Barry chased his lips, his mind in a haze. Len's eyes were so deep and blue…soft and reflecting unsaid emotion.
"Len…" Barry said breathless in to the kiss. "I really need to go…"
"You don't need to go…" Len said softly into the space between them with an exasperated look. He wanted to make Barry stay with him.
"I…" Barry tried to say something but Len started to kiss Barry's neck sending shivers down the speedster's body. "Len…I…ah…need."
"What do you need?" Len whispered teasingly against Barry's exposed skin. The King started sucking and leaving mark into the Prince's neck. Marks that he sadly knew would heal quickly.
"Len…ah…stop."
The King moved away and stopped grinning.
"You are a tease!" Barry complained with his face heated.
Len smirked. "That's what you get for escaping from me Scarlet."
Barry groaned. Len knew how to push his buttons.
"See you at dinner then?" Len asked trying to hide how concerned and turned on he was.
Barry nodded gently. "Yes… I'll be there. I promise."
Len raised an eyebrow at him. "You are terrible with promises Scarlet…"
The prince smiled and started to walk towards the door feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. Something was wrong. He was having a strange feeling. Like nothing was going to be the same way again.
"Scarlet are you taking Winter with you?" Len pointed out watching the wolf following Barry. The prince halted and saw Winter trailing him. Barry smiled and patted the wolf.
"No…Len can you take care of him until dinner?"
"Sure…" the King said grabbing the struggling wolf who wanted to follow Barry.
The prince smiled and murmured a little "thanks" flashing from the room, without looking back, before he could even regret his decision of leaving Len's side.
The King watched Barry disappear with a yellow lightning streak and he exhaled. He let Winter on the ground and walked towards the bed to grab his shirt. When he finished putting his tunic on Winter started howling and Len smiled. "What do you want fluffy devil?"
Winter started some playful attacks and retreats. Len smiled and tried to grab the wolf but the pup retreated quickly and bumped into Barry's wooden chest.
"Careful Winter…" Len said watching the wolf wagging his tail. The King lifted his gaze and saw that Barry's chest wasn't locked and suddenly he got an idea. Maybe it was a terrible idea. His eyes widened. He was so stupid. He felt his heart beating fast. The King slowly reached the old chest. They didn't manage to vibe Barry through the day, but maybe Cisco could vibe something of Barry. Len turned to see the door to confirm that he was alone and slowly opened the private trunk. He reached inside and retrieved a soft material carefully. It was a red torn tunic stained with dried blood. Len felt his heart halt afraid of what the cloth meant. The slashes on the cloth were made with sharp claws. Len stared the fabric and clutched it hard. There was a deathly silence in the room. Len closed his eyes. He remembered Barry using this tunic the day his family was kidnapped, the prince went to inspect the carriage and he got wet from the rain, he came back took a bath and changed in to red…to this red tunic…but then he took another bath and for the feast he wore a black tunic with golden brocades. "Barry… what have you done?" Len closed the chest hard and exited his room hastily and Winter followed. He needed Cisco now.
Barry arrived to the Old Temple. The breeze was cool. He could see the blue hues of the sky and the stars starting to appear on the dark horizon. Zoom appeared behind Barry with his blue lightning and gust of wind.
"You are on time…" Zoom mocked with his distorted voice. "You must be eager to give more of your lovely speed or maybe you just missed me bad?"
Barry turned to see his foe. "No. This ends now Hunter…I came here to kill you." He needed to cut Zoom's strings on him.
Hunter laughed and removed his black helmet and threw it to the ground. "This again Barry? Think you can win against me? You are painfully slow Your Highness…" He said flashing and grabbing Barry's right arm roughly to prove his statement. "I could easily break you in seconds…and then torture your family…is that what you want?"
The Prince grabbed Zoom's throat and flashed him against a tree.
"I'm sick of your threats Hunter! You are not going to touch my family ever again!"
Hunter choked on the impact and the prince squeezed his neck harder.
"I won't let you touch them!" Barry said summoning his lightning to strike the evil speedster but Zoom grabbed Barry's face with his left hand and clawed the Prince's side. Barry screamed and released his hold on Hunter.
"You know…royal blood spills the best." Zoom said smirking excited and then licked sinfully his armor claw. Barry grabbed the side of his face and felt the warm blood trickling down.
"You are so disobedient my prince…I think I need to teach you a lesson. Maybe I should go and kill the Winter King now...rip his beating heart and bring you his cold dead heart to you."
Barry stared at the monster. "I won't let you touch him."
The prince flashed and sent Zoom his lightning but Zoom caught it in midair and sent it back towards the prince. Barry avoided the lightning and Zoom laughed. Hunter flashed and grabbed Barry's neck and threw the speedster against a column of the Old Temple. Barry winced in pain feeling all of his air escape.
"Did I just let you breathless, Your Highness?"
Zoom walked towards the prince and kicked him hard on the side. Barry groaned painfully and rolled to rest on his back.
"Just so we're clear your Highness…" Zoom said resting his black boot over Barry's chest. "You can't defeat me without your full speed…you are too weak now…so after I finish stealing your power, I'm going to fuck you so hard you are going to hate how much you will love it and beg for more until you lose consciousness. I'm going to thoroughly enjoy having you at my complete and utter disposal."
Zoom lifted the prince and pushed him against the column. Barry felt his chest hurt.
"I love the fire in your eyes…the hate, the strength…I'm going to enjoy breaking you." Hunter said grinning and he slowly ran one claw down Barry's chest tearing his tunic open, watching the prince squirm. "Maybe I could fuck you first and then steal your speed…it's the same for me…whether you enjoy it or not is up to you…"
The prince shivered and gasped feeling Zoom tracing his cold hand over his chest.
"I always win, Barry."
Len was almost running through the long deserted halls when he met Wells.
"Your Highness…"
"Harry where is Cisco? Have you seen him?" Len asked quickly followed by Winter. "I need to talk to him."
"Yes he is at the Great Hall with Lisa and company..." Wells replied suddenly alarmed. "Is everything okay? Are you okay?"
"No…I think I have an idea of what's wrong with Barry. " Len said holding harder the prince's tunic in his hand. "But I need to be sure…follow me…we need a plan."
Wells complied silently and they walked fast to the Great Hall. Wells could feel the Winter King's anger, fear, confusion and tension. Something was awfully wrong. The King entered the Great Hall and everyone turned to see him. The music stopped and some nobles from the royal court bowed courtly and others just stared at the King silently. Len started walking through the massive chamber towards Cisco and Lisa who were sitting near the fireplace talking to Joe, Iris and Eddie.
"Cisco I need a word with you right now." Len said quickly.
"Lenny what's wrong?" Lisa asked fearful turning to see her brother drained from all color.
Cisco stood up quickly and nodded. "Sure Your Majesty…what's wrong?"
Wells, Caitlin, Ronnie, Oliver and Felicity briefly joined the group.
Len showed the young inventor Barry's torn tunic stained with blood.
"That tunic…" Iris murmured softly and Lisa inhaled.
Cisco recognized quickly…it was Barry's tunic.
"I want you to vibe it…" Len added dryly. "I remembered that you could vibe things…you did vibe Barry's sword before…I think this could also work…"
Cisco nodded and saw the cloth full of blood and gulped. He wasn't sure he was ready to see his best friend's fate. He hesitated.
"Cisco do it now!" Len commanded. "I think we are already too late!"
Cisco inhaled and grabbed the tunic quickly and he saw reality distort. He was no longer at the Great Hall. Everything was hazy and slightly dark. He was in a forest and he saw Barry crouching over a wrecked carriage. Suddenly Barry was flying and hitting a tree and blue lightning. The image changed swiftly and Cisco was on the Azure Lakes and Zoom lifted Barry from the neck and squeezed hard strangling him. Cisco's heart was beating madly. Suddenly Barry was kneeling in front of Zoom and the evil speedster grinned. Everything was blurry. He could hear Zoom's voice. "So what are you going to choose Scarlet… your family? or your speed?" A new image appeared and he was in the King's room. Barry was afraid and Zoom was screaming. "SAY IT! OR I WILL KILL THEM ALL!" Cisco turned and saw Barry lift his hazel eyes and look deeply into Hunter's unforgiving eyes. "I'm yours…" The scene disappeared and now he was under an unforgiving rain and Zoom used his demonic claws of his armor to rip Barry's red tunic. Zoom pushed his claws further on Barry's chest and the prince screamed in agony arching his back away from the cold stone. Cisco blinked and Barry was lying on the ground and Zoom grabbed his hair. "Tell me Barry how does it feel to be a fallen hero?" Hunter released the grip on Barry's hair and the prince fell unconscious to the floor."Never forget… I am the fastest man alive!" Cisco could feel his heart clenching painfully. Barry sacrificed himself for his family…for all of them. The image blurred again but he could hear voices… "You are the Crown Prince of Central Kingdom…you will be my consort and I will be King...I kill, I torture, I destroy…I conquer…I seek a reign of chaos and you are the key." "If you tell anyone about our deal they will be all dead including your beloved King…" "Just imagine Leonard's face when I marry you...when I fuck you… maybe I will let him watch." Cisco turned disgusted and saw old columns. He could hear bloodcurdling screams. He suddenly recognized that he was again at the Old Temple. He walked towards the sounds and his heart halted when he saw Barry chained to a huge stone and Zoom touching Barry's already bruised chest. The prince looked in so much pain. He tried to call Barry but he could only see the monster torture his best friend. Suddenly Zoom stopped and the magic enveloping the two speedsters disappeared. Barry's head fell forward and on to the side and he could hear laughs. Barry's chest was a mess. Cisco could feel his tears falling freely… Zoom was killing Barry and he couldn't do anything. The image dissolved and he saw a light. He could hear voices calling him. Lisa. Caitlin. He opened his eyes and he was on the floor of the Great Hall and he could see his friend's worried faces leaning over him.
"Cisco you collapsed." Lisa tried to explain worried. "Are you okay? You are crying."
"What did you saw?" Len asked anxious.
"Zoom has Barry."
Iris, Caitlin and Lisa gasped silently.
"What do you mean Zoom has Barry?" Joe asked confused. "Are you sure?"
"I am…my vibes are never wrong Joe. I just see glimpses of time."
"How does Zoom has the prince?" Oliver asked fuming. "I don't understand."
"Barry is sacrificing his speed for us. For all of us." Cisco explained quickly fighting the headache that was killing him. It was his longest vibe so far. "I don't know the specifics but I think Zoom let Iris, Jesse, Joe and Eddie free because Barry made a deal with him... Zoom is using some kind of black magic to take Barry's speed and Hunter threatened Barry to kill us all if he told us anything about a deal…"
Len took a deep breath and pushed his anger to the side temporarily.
"That's why he has been acting weird." Lisa added and Iris nodded.
"Bar is trying to fight this war alone." Joe said angrily and Len felt guilty.
"I saw Hunter in your room Your Majesty…" Cisco explained turning to the King. "Zoom breached the palace easily to show Barry that he could kill any of us if he wanted."
"But what does Zoom want?" Eddie asked frustrated.
"Zolomon wants Barry's speed and to marry the Prince to become King of Central. He said Barry was the key…but I'm not sure if he was referring to the key of becoming a King or something else."
"Zoom wants to marry Barry?" Lisa asked terrified with the idea. "What the fuck?"
"That's insane…" Felicity said in shock.
"Hunter has always been obsessed with Barry…" Caitlin explained. "This is a sick game to him and we need to stop him."
"What are we going to do?" Iris asked fearful for her brother.
"Cisco where is Barry? Did you vibe their location?" Eddie asked.
Len could hear the voices of his friends far away. His surroundings were fading. He was so furious and shocked. He couldn't speak. He was rigid with rage. He clenched his fists painfully and cold magic started escaping him. He was going to slaughter Zoom for touching Barry…for touching his fiancé. He was going to kill him so slowly Zoom was going to beg him to end his misery. His face grew dark as a gathering of black storm clouds. He wouldn't let Barry die like Mick.
"Lenny?" Lisa murmured softly suddenly afraid of her brother losing control. The ice was starting to cover the floor of the Great Hall. The nobles started to gasp and move away from the chamber afraid of the wild ice spiking on the floor. The room dropped his temperature dangerously.
"Lenny stop." She continued but Len was consumed by anger. She knew it was impossible to reach him now… her words were bouncing off as good as hard rain on the ground.
Cisco saw the ice expand through the hall. "Lisa you need to stop him." He said worried.
"Lenny! Stop!"
The King turned to his sister. "I'm going to kill that bastard!"
"I know…" Lisa said reaching to embrace her brother. "We are going to find Barry and save him. I promise."
General Mardon, General Singh and Sir Martin Stein entered the Great Hall alarmed with the screams of the people running away from the place and then with the frozen floor of the hall.
"What on earth?" Stein murmured.
The King turned to see them.
"Your Majesty…" Mardon added a little bit eager trying to ignore the frozen scenery. "We have Hannibal."
Len snapped from his anger and turned to Mardon. "You have him?"
Mardon nodded. "He was trying to escape the palace transformed as Lady Snow but I saw Lady Snow earlier with Sir Ronnie Raymond. So I knew that he was the impostor. We stopped him and ordered him to use her cold powers, when he tried to escape we shoot him an arrow to the knee and we had the rune choker ready so we stopped him easily."
"Good…" Len said pleased with his General. "Did he said something?"
"Yes… he said that Zoom was going to meet today with Barry at the Old Temple. Cisco is right…Zoom is stealing Barry's speedforce."
"Stein!" the King said.
"Your Highness..."
"Is Barry still in the library?"
Stein lifted his eyebrows a little confused. "W-What? No your Majesty, the Prince hasn't visited the library since… early this morning."
Len turned to Cisco.
"He is in the Old Temple." Cisco added confirming Len's fear.
"Prepare the horses we are going to the temple now." Len instructed firm. "Wells get the dampening serum you were working with Caitlin and Cisco. This is the plan. We will use the element of surprise. Zoom doesn't know we already know where he is or what is his plan. So we are going to ambush him at the Old temple. We will wait to get near Zoom and Barry. I will use my cold wave to freeze them, it won't affect Barry because he already have Cisco's necklace to protect him."
Everybody nodded silently.
"Oliver when Zoom is inside the cold wave, shoot your arrows covered with that potion. Shoot him with all your arrows! I don't want him to escape…and then I will kill him slowly for touching Barry. I will annihilate that bastard from existence. Understood?"
Everyone agreed scared.
"Your Highness…" added Cisco shyly. "Zoom wasn't alone. I couldn't see how many warriors were there with Zoom but I could hear their laughs…at least ten."
Len nodded feeling hot rage, they were laughing of Barry's pain. He was going to make them pay. "I'm guessing that those ten are Zoom's loyal followers. High ranked soldiers."
General Singh nodded. "Probably Geomancer, Rupture, Smasher, Sand Demon, Black Siren, Lady Light and Shark Knight."
"I imagined that Zoom wasn't going to be alone." Len stated. "That's why we are all going. Mardon order your brother to stay behind and protect the palace. Lady Snow and Firestorm are coming as well as you Cisco. So get ready. Lisa go and tell Hartley to get ready."
Lisa nodded and they all agreed with the plan.
"General Mardon…get the army ready. We are moving now."
The King started walking out of the Great Hall, away from the crowd, and to his room. He needed his sword. Cisco quickly followed him and soon they were alone and far away from the madness.
"Your Highness…" Cisco murmured. "I need to tell you something more about my vibe."
Len stopped in the middle of the deserted hallway.
"What is it?"
"You are not going to like it…" Cisco warned. "I think Barry is dying. Whatever Zoom is doing to him to steal his speed…is destroying him. When I saw him in my vibe he was weak…"
Len could feel his anger rising again. "I was supposed to protect him…not the other way around…I can't lose him Cisco…I can't go through losing him again."
Cisco watched Len. His tone was light but his gaze was piercing.
"I would give everything I have to protect Barry…I would give my Kingdom for his heart." Len added. "I was so frozen and lifeless without him. He is my light in this darkness."
Cisco nodded thoughtfully and his heart clenched. Leonard was truly in love with his best friend. "We will save him Len…but you need to know that Barry is sick, so we need to discover what Zoom is doing to him and see if we can reverse it. I think we should take Stein with us as well…I think he could be helpful."
The King looked surprised with the idea but agreed. "Fine. Tell Stein to get ready."
"I will." Cisco was going to leave when The King called him again.
"Cisco wait… wait…I need you to promise me something." The King said softly and Cisco eyed him suspiciously.
"Sure…anything…Your Majesty"
Cisco waited silently.
"Protect Lisa during the battle. I am probably going to be more focused on saving Barry…and I can't worry about both…I would love to make Lisa stay here but I know she is stubborn and she will go with us even if I forbid it."
Cisco agreed. "I will. I will protect her with my life. I promise."
Len nodded grateful. "Thanks Cisco…you are a good friend and good man. I believe you are going to make Lisa happy…"
Cisco was shocked and dazed with sudden happiness. "Was the Winter King saying he approved him as Lisa's suitor?" Cisco smiled eager. "T-Thank you, Your Highness…I will…"
Len smiled and grabbed Cisco's shoulder. "But if you hurt her I'm going to-"
Cisco never finished to hear Len's words. He was fading again in to a vibe. There was a lot of smoke. Everything was blurry. He was in a battlefield. He could hear screams. He couldn't make where he was…there was so much smoke…he could barely see the bodies on the ground and Barry was running slowly… without his speed, through the blood and the corpses, followed by Ronnie and Caitlin. He looked defeated and sick. He suddenly saw Barry drop on the ground and grab a body. He could see next to the body, on the ground a fallen crown. Cisco trembled. The prince's screams were terrifying. It was a horrific scene. Cisco could feel his blood run cold and a shiver run trough his spine. Suddenly Zoom was next to Barry. The battle stopped. Lisa was yelling and Cisco saw himself grabbing the Princess…The image started to dissolve slowly and he could hear the Winter King calling his name. Everything was fading and he was back to reality.
"Cisco...hey are you okay?" Len asked worried. "Did you vibe me?"
The young inventor nodded grabbing his head. He couldn't speak. He gulped.
"What did you saw?" The King asked nervous…his voice echoed in the lonely hallway. "What did you saw Cisco?"
Cisco lifted his dampened eyes to look at Len's blue deep eyes; he hesitated for a moment but finally said the words.
"You are going to die."
Hi again! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I would love to know what you think! So feel free to give me some feedback or review! Did you spot any "easter-eggs" or hints?
Thank you again for all the support and for the comments! I really love this fandom! 3 You guys are great and I will try to update as soon as I can! :D
The end for this fic is almost near! Only 3 chapters left! So thank you if you are still reading after this long emotional rollercoaster ride... I really appreciate it! :D