A fair boy made his way through an agitated crowd, keen eyes scanning it vigilantly, his dark blue cape flowing behind him as people threw him vicious looks. He pushed through them and turned, desperate and restless, searching for fire hair within the dark mass, the sun almost completely set at that point.
The boy wasn't entirely without hope, but the safe sentiment was gradually decreasing as the night slowly descended upon the kingdom. Hungry eyes pried on him, but he ignored them, continuously advancing through them. He knew he was close to an ill-famed area of the kingdom, and that his father would throw fits, if he was to discover he had long left the insides of the castle to look for a dangerous person among the chaos of the common folk.
He felt grubby, rough hands grabbing at him and saw unpleasant mouths with black gaps grinning at him from all sides, and he barely managed to disentangle himself. He asked a few, closer-to-normal looking people if they had seen Jack Merridew, before giving them his description, but it was to no avail, as none of them confirmed his searches, not even for a reward, and Ralph's desperation gained depth, the hollowness eating at his mind.
The strangest thing was the fact that their eyes briefly seemed to light up in recognition when they heard about Jack, but it was as if none of them wanted to talk about it. Ralph wondered what reason was behind this general reluctance regarding the red boy. He supposed it was Jack's and especially the Merridew family's overall reputation of dealing with witchcraft, but he was still curious as to why none of them even wanted to look at him anymore after hearing him mention Jack's name. It couldn't have been that bad, could it?
A startling fear was slowly rooting in him as he eventually accepted he wasn't going to find that bastard, and even more, he couldn't apparently find his way back to the castle either, given that he had ventured way too far from it. All he could do now was ask for indications for his return, but he hesitated about asking anyone around, since most of them looked at him as if they either wanted to murder, rob, or violate him.
The boy shuddered and continued his way, until he reached a small, paved street crowded with drunken people who swayed, laughed, and threw up in one corner or another, due to the tavern that dominated and enlightened the area. Contrary to his expectations, he actually found a dirty, but seemingly trustworthy girl, standing alone under an alcove, calmly watching the people that passed by. She also seemed to be quite brave, since she didn't appear to mind those gruesome people, mostly men, that she was surrounded with.
"Hello, I am looking for someone and I am wondering if you have seen him?" Ralph eagerly inquired, and the dark girl looked up, malevolently grinning and showing what was apparently the twentieth pair of teeth with gaps that Ralph had seen in that night. It wasn't her aspect that bothered him, but her attitude, and it was as if she was worse than all those people gathered there. No wonder she wasn't afraid. She was just another source of terror.
"What can I do for ya, handsome boy?" She grinned even wider and passed a slimy tongue over dirty lips, before she approached him and stared at him with such thirst, that Ralph almost backed away from her. He didn't. He wanted to get information out of her, so he had to make her like him for that. Even though the prospect that Jack had dealt with such a person was making him ill, he had to remember who Jack was in the first place. Because he was of the same kind.
"Have you seen a boy, around my age, red hair, and these really blue eyes? He was kind of um-" Ralph raised his arm a little more than half of head above him to explain Jack's height in motions, "Kind of this height, quite lean, and oh, he's also freckled and-"
Ralph jumped when the girl backed away in an instant, her pretty face scrunched up in disgust, fury burning in her eyes after hearing the fair boy's words.
"Jack Merridew?!" She hissed, her expression twisted now in loathing. "I never want to hear of Jack Merridew, ever again, did you hear me? Never!" She turned, her black hair whipping her face, and urgently made her way through the men that whistled and called after her.
Ralph wanted to yell after her, make her wait for a moment, so that she could give him at least a clue, a place where he could encounter Jack; that she didn't have to deal with Jack in any possible way, but she disappeared in less than a few seconds, and the fair boy remained astounded. What in God's name had Jack done to these people? He frowned and shook his head in defeat.
"Oi! I can't believe my ears and eyes, look at who needs Merridew, mates!"
The fair boy quickly swirled to be greeted by three young boys, two of them carelessly leaning against the side wall of the bar, while another stood at the front, his right hand playing with a coin, throwing it in the air, then catching it again. Ralph scrunched his eyes to see them better, but only the one at the front was visible, his dark brown hair and dark skin enlightened by the torches from inside the tavern.
"Wait, don't tell me," The brown haired boy spoke, "Jack either robbed ya or shagged ya, and now he is in debt to you. I bet you want a rematch or somethin'." He laughed out loudly, followed by the other two boys, who now came closer. Ralph didn't recognize any of them and yet they spoke as if they were all familiar. One of them had lighter brown hair, while the other was a sandy blonde, almost as tall as the one at the front, but Ralph couldn't match their identities to any people he had met before.
"No, he didn't rob me or shag me, whatever that means," Ralph twisted his brow in annoyance, which earned him another round of laughs from the three boys. "I just really have to find Jack. Do you know him?"
"Know him?" The boy at the front grinned, "He's the chief, blondie. And what matters do you have to settle with the chief, aye?"
"I don't think that's any of your concern, but I can assure you will be rewarded if you help me find him." Ralph retorted rigidly, pulling a few golden coins out of the side pocket of his robes, a sight that seemed to impress the poor boys. The shorter one widened his eyes, before he measured Ralph up and down, something new dawning in his gaze.
"That's the prince, Maurice!" He addressed to the tall, dark-skinned boy at the front. The one called Maurice wiped the smile off of his face in an instant and studied Ralph in a similar manner, his eyes narrowing when he took notice of the quality clothes that Ralph was wearing, of his uncommon appearance. The third tall, sandy-haired boy moved to the side, as if he was about to flee.
"Oh no, I'm outta here, I'm not going to end up in one of their cells!" He commented fiercely, but the Maurice boy grabbed at his wrist to stop him.
"Just stay where you are, Bill!" He snapped, before turning to Ralph again, his stance now taking a dark, menacing allure.
"Why should we tell you where Merridew is, huh? So you can throw him in your dungeons to rot in there? No fucking way." He growled, and the fair prince grimaced at the foul words.
"I won't throw him in my dungeons, quite the opposite actually," Ralph stoically commented, "But I won't give you any details on what I need Jack Merridew for." The fair boy finished, trying to appear unmoved by the attitude of the three outlaws, as he regarded them in a cold manner. The truth was that he was quite on guard regarding their behaviors, given that all three of them had proven they were more than untamed. Particularly the tall Maurice boy, who was still looking at him in a mix of suspicion and aversion.
"So it's up to you if you want the gold or not," Ralph finished, showing them the quite impressing coins, "But first, you have to tell me where Jack is."
There was an unbearable tension as Ralph forced himself not to back away from them, while they peered at him like wild animals, prepared to attack at any moment. He hoped they were aware that they would be caught and executed, if they even attempted to rob him, because the fair boy had no intention of dying or getting gang raped in that night.
"No." The Maurice boy suddenly spoke darkly, taking the fair prince by surprise. He gaped wide-eyed at him, palm with golden coins still stretched in front of him insecurely.
"What do you mean by 'no'?" Ralph inquired, frowning. "I am the prince, you cannot refuse-"
"I said no." Maurice repeated through gritted teeth, stepping closer, and the other boys followed him, all three forming a threatening wall that determined the fair boy to step back in growing fear.
"I won't betray the chief and neither my mates." At this, the brown-haired, short boy nodded to support their temporary leader's words, while the tall, blonde one remained impassive, but fierce all the same. "What can your dogs do to us?" Maurice continued, sneering at the mention of Ralph's guards. "Lock us in for not chirping at the prince's command? Maybe it's worth it. But betraying a Merridew..." He trailed off, fear flashing in his face and Ralph watched his reactions in bewilderment. "Nothing is worth that."
The stare battle only lasted for a little longer, before the Maurice boy motioned to the other two to follow him.
"Robert. Bill. Come on. Chief will take care of this one." He glanced darkly one last time, and it didn't take them long to make themselves unseen. Ralph contemplated the idea of following them on the street they had disappeared on, but he knew that's what they waited for. He couldn't risk going after them, especially after that perilous encounter. And what was with that boy's words about Jack? 'Nothing is worth betraying a Merridew?' He couldn't have spoken seriously, he had probably just tried to scare Ralph off. He had met Jack, and he was just a lad, like all of them; a criminal, but just a lad. The worst he had heard of Jack was theft and robbery, he hadn't even been accused of anything else, when he had been captured by his guards. The fear of superstitions was eating away at everyone's mind, apparently.
The fair boy shook his head, carried his way through those drunkards, and pondered the thought of going inside the tavern to ask questions, but he renounced when he noticed the havoc from inside. He would probably be swallowed alive if he dared to go in, so he took another route, on a seemingly quieter street. No people roamed around that area, which looked even more suspicious, and Ralph almost wanted to bang his head into a side wall when two dark figures started following him.
"That's just wonderful. Perhaps I should just yell after Jack and that's it, maybe he'll just magically appear in front of me, since everyone has such an interesting opinion of him. Fools." He grumbled under his breath as he stepped into another street. Never, in his entire life, had he thought he was going to end up like this, on the bridge of being murdered on some dirty, sinister street of that filthy town, like he was a nobody, and because of an irritating bastard whose pride was too big to know what was good for him. He still couldn't understand why Jack had refused his offer, given that he would have had a much better life at the castle, instead of haunting those streets like a proscribed lunatic.
He was so infuriated that he couldn't even be scared of the two following shadows anymore. He had learned how to fight to a certain extent at the castle, because his father had assigned him a master sword-fighter a few years ago. He thought he could take them. Or perhaps Jack himself had sent some loyal friends after him, because he had heard of the prince looking for him. Perhaps he searched for a small vengeance.
He found stone, wet steps at one point and went half-running, half-falling down them, skipping two or three at the time. The two shadows raced after him, and the fair boy's heart started pumping loudly in panic as the cold reality gradually leaked through him. He wouldn't have taken them all by himself. Maybe one of them, but not both. He didn't have the skills to do that yet, and the realization crushed him like a rock, as fear reached new levels inside of him, deafening him and clouding his vision.
He could almost hear their foul laughs and whistles, calling after him in the most degrading manner.
"Hey there, precious boy! We won't hurt you! Come on, let's play!"
They burst into malevolent, obnoxious laughs, and Ralph did his best to run faster than he had ever done in his life, despite that he felt his legs giving up on him at any second. When he almost thought he had lost them, he skidded around a corner and gracelessly collided into a thick wall, ending up on the pavement in a helpless heap. He looked up alarmed to see where he was.
It had to be a dead end of course.
The boy turned, sickness clenching within his stomach when the two dark figures approached him slowly, as if delighted by the torment they were putting him through.
"I'll have you know you won't get away with it, if you kill me!" Ralph snapped, taking his stance. He wasn't going to get down without a fight. He was never going to beg for mercy or degrade himself in any way in front of such scum.
"'You won't get away with it!'" The taller shadow mimicked in a quite impressing mockery of his voice, before they both laughed loudly again.
"Hear that?" The other one spoke with sharp derisiveness. "The little boy thinks he can defeat us." His tone was cold, almost steel-like in his lack of emotion. Ralph almost boiled inside, especially since now he realized he was even taller than the one who had last spoken. He scrunched up his eyes in the dark and tried to perceive their faces, but he couldn't decipher their traits, only the lines of their figures, and it appeared to him that the two criminals weren't as old as he had thought.
"What-" Ralph started when the taller one approached, pulling out a knife from the side of his breeches. The fair boy's breath stuck in his throat and he backed into the wall, almost melting into it.
"You will wish for us to have killed you by the time we're through with you." The tall shadow snarled, raising his knife. He dashed towards the fair prince, and the movement was so quick, that Ralph couldn't believe his own reaction as he instinctively brought his fist out with a yell and hit the bastard full in the jaw. The criminal didn't fall to the ground, but stumbled backwards considerably, hand grabbing at his own face, as the other one stood to the side unmovable, probably in shock at the fact that one of their victims had retaliated for the first time.
Ralph panted as he gathered more courage and raised both of his fists, prepared to attack again, even though he sensed that was the end. The older one was probably beyond enraged that Ralph had hit him, and in front of his partner nonetheless. He was going to get murdered on the spot, without being given second thought, and his hunches were right, because the blade of the knife shone, as the murderer stepped into the moonlight, growling like an animal. The fair boy breathed heavily, sweating and almost trembling, not even remarking that the criminal had now stopped and stared at him wide-eyed, knife still in the air.
"Prissy-pants?"
Ralph took a sharp inhale when he heard the voice speak to him in that familiar tone. He focused his attention on the face in front of him, only to be met by pale blue eyes staring at him in a stunned silence.
They gaped open-mouthed at each other for moments, and Ralph's terror and cold suddenly morphed into pure anger. The fair boy unstuck from the stone wall and got into his face.
"I could call for my guards and lock you up right now, you bloody idiot! Even more, have you hanged by the neck for attacking me and trying to kill me!"
Jack's eyes bore into him like two cold slashes, his features twisted into the same fury.
"You don't say, princess? It's not like you were the one who were punched in the face, really!" He snapped back, angrily pointing at the side of his jaw, where blood trickled down the pale skin of his face and neck.
"That's because you attacked me first!" Ralph sharply answered back, as Jack straightened up and looked at him through narrow eyes.
"Of course I attacked you, that's my job around here. And where are your oh-so-mighty guards, eh?" He sarcastically inquired. Ralph fumed, fury burning in his cheeks, before he exhaled and leaned back as well.
"They can easily find me, if I call them." He lied, even though he was aware that Jack could see through it. "It doesn't matter anyway. You should come with me to the castle. My father has inquired about you, and everyone now knows about your release and thinks you are my right-hand. So you'll basically be found and executed if you don't come."
The red boy stood there, eyes wide in shock, before he furrowed his brow and barred his teeth, but not in amusement. He was angered beyond comprehension, and the fair boy's pulse gained speed when Jack got into his face again.
"Why the fuck does everyone know about it?!" Jack raged.
The tension was about to explode as the two boys stared each other down, when a third monotonous voice broke through them.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?"
Ralph leaped, taken by surprise, since he forgot that Jack had initially attacked him with someone else.
Jack groaned and deflated in the matter of seconds. He turned towards his partner, who had now stepped into the silvery light, and Ralph was surprised to see a young, short boy, with jet, black hair, dark eyes, and an eerie allure. He seemed dangerous and frightening, but not like Jack. While Jack was chaotic and fire-like, this boy was still and silent as the night.
"Oh for fuck's sake." Jack grumbled. "This is exactly what I need right now." He sighed and ironically pointed at Ralph. "This is prissy-pants, Roger." He then turned towards the fair boy with a smug look on his face, and the prince scowled at the mocking attitude. "Prissy-pants, I think you have already heard that this is Roger." He grinned wider. "He is my brother in shedding blood."
Ralph narrowed his eyes in displeasure.
"I am not prissy-pants. I am the prince." He addressed to the dark boy, who widened his eyes and looked from Ralph to Jack, and back. "So, did the Maurice lad and his friends announce you I was looking for you?" The fair boy continued, expectantly crossing his arms. The other two boys exchanged baffled looks, and Ralph realized they didn't know anything about his earlier encounter with the three outlaws. He carried on, trying to enlighten them. "They confronted me and told me you were their chief. That Maurice boy said he would not give me any information on where you are, and they were all quite alarmed that I was going to arrest you."
"And are you not?" The dark lad inquired, features harsh, his pallid face appearing ghostly and threatening in the white light. Ralph stiffened and shook his head, fed up with the same assumptions.
"No. And I assured your mates that I wasn't going to, but they still fled, all dramatic-like." He retorted in annoyance. Jack grumbled and face-palmed, while Roger rolled his eyes.
"I told you Maurice is a bloody idiot." Roger stated flatly and humorlessly, and the corners of the fair boy's mouth slightly curled upwards at their reactions. The dark bloke remained quite stony in his stance though, still not trusting the fair boy's words. He turned to Jack. "I still think we should go before we get in trouble, chief." He spoke with cautiousness, expectantly looking up at Jack. The red boy didn't react, but continued gazing tensely at Ralph.
"I cannot, Roger. I have to solve some minor issues with the princess." He admitted, the earlier anger resurfacing in his tone. "Tell my tribe I'm afraid I will not return too soon this time." He announced.
The dark boy gaped at him in surprise.
"Are you serious, chief? I mean-"
"Aye, mate." Jack threw him a short look. "It'll be alright. This pretty one actually believes he helps me by offering me a particular important position at the castle."
Ralph could see the bewilderment intensifying in the dark bloke's stare as he lingered unsure, taking in all the information. He then nodded reluctantly, and with a last suspicious glance towards Ralph, faded in the darkness.
The two remaining boys waited until the echoes of the last steps vanished completely in the stone-like silence of the night, and only their breaths could be heard. Ralph inhaled deeply, suddenly apprehensive now that he was alone with the red boy once again. He fidgeted as he felt Jack still seething with fury, due to the trouble he considered Ralph had put him in. In the fair boy's opinion though, it wasn't trouble.
Jack might not have realized it, but this was the most favorable thing that could have happened to him, given that he was now part of a fallen family and seen as one of the worst criminals around. Ralph was offering him the opportunity to redeem himself and clean his reputation in the kingdom. It was the most fitting favor, despite that Jack didn't see it yet.
"Tribe?" Ralph inquired, attempting to make small conversation as the red boy walked towards the open end of the alley. He could see him shrugging carelessly in the fade light of the moon.
"The blokes under my command." He answered shortly. Ralph raised an eyebrow as he realized why Jack didn't want to serve anyone. Because he was used to give orders, not to receive them. He was the son of a lord and he had probably been in a position similar to Ralph's for all his life, until a few years ago, when his mother had been executed. And even after, he still maintained his position as leader in lesser social circles.
Ralph said nothing more on the manner though. He had already infuriated the red boy enough for that night, and he didn't want him to give up on walking with Ralph back to the castle. It was irritating, the fact that he was continuously controlled by Jack, and not the other way around, as it was supposed to be, since Jack was about to serve him as right hand.
"I have a few conditions, if you actually want me to bend to your word." Jack interrupted the silent walk and slowed down for Ralph to fall into step with him. The fair boy frowned as they walked side by side in the stillness that surrounded them.
"One. I am allowed to meet my mates. And I'm allowed to offer them food and other privileges." Ralph shuffled annoyed, but did not retort. Not yet. He was not going to fall into an agreement, and especially not with a thief and madman like the red boy. Merridew was supposed to guard him; he was not supposed to talk back.
Jack continued.
"I will not go into battles for you, if there ever will be ones. I will certainly not die for someone like you."
Ralph pursed his lips, fury pooling in his veins, as he felt particularly scandalized. How was Jack supposed to fulfill his role, if he would not hold on to the duties that would be assigned to him? It was ludicrous.
"This is not a treaty, Jack, you cannot impose me conditions, because I am your ruler and-"
"Third." Jack interrupted, ignoring his protests, as if Ralph hadn't even spoken. "You will let me do this. Whenever I want to."
Ralph frowned confused, unaware of what Jack was referring to. His befuddlement quickly ended, when the red boy clutched at his arm in one sudden move and abruptly dragged him towards his chest, knocking the air out of the fair boy. Jack scrutinized him for a moment, eyes filled with cold fire, glinting in the moonlight, and without even waiting for the prince's reaction, he leaned in and covered Ralph's mouth with his own.
A sound of both surprise and excitement escaped Ralph, and his face burned, blood pumping in exhilaration. Jack's lips didn't taste like anything in particular, but they were still marvelous on his skin, and the fair boy opened further, greedily accepting the other boy into his mouth. How many times had he dreamed of it in the short time that he had known Jack, but hadn't dared to hope about it too much?
Heat rushed through him as his heart pounded fiercely in his chest. He raised his arm and grabbed the red boy by the back of his neck, pulling him tightly against him. The hot slide of Jack's tongue against the roof of his mouth left him in a stupor, and his breath hitched as Jack sneaked his hands under his robes for the second time.
All blood migrated southward, when the heel of Jack's palm pushed at the front of his breeches, the other hand tight in the prince's fair tresses. Ralph pushed his head back and arched into the touch, moans escaping him as the red boy furiously worked him through the fabric, and Jack covered his mouth with his own to muffle the sounds.
His pulse was deafening in his ears, in the ardency of the twisted moment, and he released another loud sound, disturbing the heavy silence around. Suddenly, a dog barked inside a small yard, a considerable distance away, and voices broke through the quiet. The streets were mostly empty at that late hour, and the smallest sounds perturbed the more peaceful areas in the kingdom.
The red boy was the first to disentangle from the embrace, leaving the fair boy in a daze, sweat matting his hair to his forehead and breathing harsh.
"Try not to moan that loudly next time." Jack chuckled, caressing the side of the younger boy's visage and bringing his lips to his once again in a short, chaste kiss. His mouth hovered a little longer above the prince's, before he offered Ralph one last cunning smile and turned, leaving the fair boy baffled in his state.
Ralph blinked, trying to regain his previous composure. He watched the red boy's back as the small shock of what had just happened, and where nonetheless, reared itself in his mind. People could have seen them at any moment and realized what they were doing there, in the middle of the shadowed street.
It had been perilous, and he knew Jack didn't care too much about it. But he did. He wanted that thing to continue between himself and Jack, whatever it was, despite being twisted and immoral, according to most people's beliefs. He wanted it too much for his own good, but he had to stay in control, be permanently attentive, and not lose himself into the red boy's touch like he had done until then. They could have been discovered and only God himself knew what would have happened to them, if that had occurred.
The fair boy bit his lip and eagerly smiled, then quickly followed the deceiving red boy into the darkness of the night, his body still pulsing, after Jack had indirectly confirmed that they would be together in the way Ralph had hoped for. The red boy was difficult and challenging indeed, but he was also the most exciting, and the prince was earnestly awaiting the time they would spend together, as he tried to chase away the dark thoughts that told him of the horrors that could have ensued from all of it.