Chapter 9: After
Castle Vrbada, 4am
Sleep? What was sleep when your son runs out of your arms and into the cold summer night?
Queen Jindřiška walked the halls of Castle Vrbada looking everywhere for her darling son Tomáš who ripped himself from her grip, chasing after a French temptress who seemingly put him under a spell.
For hours she walked, not allowing herself to fall weak, to let sleep take her. The more time she spent focusing on herself, the more Tomáš could be in danger.
The ballroom was empty, all signs of the masquerade party cleaned up and gone. She looked at the dance floor below the golden staircase, where she pictured Tomáš dancing with that French whore.
"She will not take my son from me! Where is Tomáš?! Where is my son?!"
If only she knew what Prince Tomáš had been doing in the basement beneath the castle halls...
With no signs of Tomáš anywhere, Queen Jindřiška held her hand to her dizzying head, dragging herself back to her bedroom.
Tomáš was gone..
On her way back to her bedroom, she saw Bi Han, or was it Kuai Liang? She couldn't tell the difference between the two.
Taking a chance, she approached him, nearly wobbling over to him.
"Bi Han?" she asked.
The elder Lin Kuei turned at the sound of someone calling out to him, and he gasped, seeing the queen nearly falling into his arms.
"Queen Jindřiška?!" he asked,"My lady, what is wrong?"
Her eyes were bloodshot, hair wrung out, makeup caked and falling down her cheeks, she looked so tired..
"I..cannot find my son. I have been looking for him for hours." she said.
"Looking for Tomáš? He is in his room, my lady." Bi Han said.
"What?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"He is in his room asleep." Bi Han repeated.
"But he...he ran off with that French woman..he-"
"No, no." Bi Han said. His voice was soft, yet careful. He had to make sure he got his story right, as he was covering for Tomáš. "While it's true that he chased after the woman, I intercepted them. She managed to elude us, but I stopped Tomáš from keeping chase and told him to go back to his room."
Queen Jindřiška sighed, holding her hand to her heart.
"I have been walking these halls for what felt like hours, and Tomáš has been in his room asleep all this time?"
Bi Han nodded. "Yes, my lady."
"Thank the gods...I was so worried.." she said, dramatically holding her hand to her heart.
She then straightened herself out and stepped away from Bi Han. "If I may, please try to get some sleep, my queen. You will see Tomáš in the morning." the elder Lin Kuei said.
"I do not need advice from you, Lin Kuei.." she said, regaining her haughtiness, walking away.
"Whatever." Bi Han said to himself, turning to walk back to his room.
He was returning from Tomáš bedroom, ready to yell at him over his encounter with Hesperia again, but he was frozen in his shoes at the look of despair in his friend's eyes.
Earlier
"Tomáš?" he asked.
The young prince was curled on his side, bedsheets pulled all the way up to his chin, looking to hide.
"Bi Han..."
Then he snapped, "What the hell do you want?"
"Don't use that tone with me, Tomáš, I'm here-"
"Are you in any position to threaten me like this, Bi Han?"
The elder Lin Kuei chucked incredulously.
"It sounds more like you're ready to rip my head right off." He sighed. "You ok?"
"I told you before. No, I'm not. You suddenly expect me to smile and laugh and play when I can't even open my eyes without crying." Tomáš replied.
"I'm hurting. It's like..I feel heavy..that..I can't find a light...I never felt like this before, I can't describe.."
Bi Han looked at him sadly. He took a seat beside Tomáš in his bed then pulled him into his lap, allowing Tomáš to cry on his shoulder.
"Don't try to stop me from this, please, Bi Han..i..need this."
"It's ok, just let it all out, Tomáš.."
Bi Han held Tomáš in his arms, holding him tight as he felt the tears rolling onto his shoulder. He rocked him through it, stroking his back, his hair, his neck.
It was familiar, the last time Tomáš had cried like this was when he was a child, after rescuing him from the Black Dragon, but this...this was different.
"You know she couldn't stay. Your mother would have killed her."
"I know..." Tomáš whispered through his tears, "but.."
Bi Han pulled Tomáš back and wiped his tears away gently. "Tomáš, all of this is new for you. You've always been emotional, but you're growing, confused, you had a wonderful experience, met a wonderful woman.."
"And then it all crashed down. Bi Han..tell me why it hurts so much.."
"Because..well, do you feel something for her?"
"I..I don't know. I must, if I'm feeling this broken up about it.."
"But, I also realize that I don't know her at all. How can I know or feel something so deep when i only knew her for half a night?" he added.
"Sometimes it's not the amount of time, but what you do in that time..during that time, something. I don't really know what I'm saying."
His words caused a little smile to form on the prince's lips.
"I mean..I went to bed with her. I..lost my virginity..I asked her to sleep with me because I wanted intimacy on my terms, not what the Black Dragon, not what those horrible clients wanted."
He turned around, laying back on Bi Han's shoulder, the elder Lin Kuei wrapping his arms around his waist.
"She was so different, special, not like any woman I had ever met. She was pretty, beautiful, she was cold, icy..but vulnerable, too. The way she held me, kissed me, touched me-"
He sighed.
"Will I ever see her again?"
Bi Han held him tighter, leaning the side of his face on his.
"I don't know. She's probably half-way back to Switzerland now."
Tomáš looked away sadly.
"I don't want to not see her again. Tell me, Bi Han, is this what.."
"What love feels like?" he said to himself. Impossible, you can't fall in love with a one-night stand, she had called it that herself.
"But I'm not so foolish to say that's all you meant to me.."
"Hmm?" Bi Han asked.
"Nothing." Tomáš said.
The two were silent before Tomáš sighed, curling into himself again.
"I...I'm hurting. I don't know what to do.."
The tears formed again, and Tomáš threw the bedsheets over himself.
"Please, I would like to be alone right now."
Bi Han rose from the bed, bending down to leave a kiss on Tomáš' cheek.
"Don't leave me, Tomáš. Don't drown too deep in your misery. Call for me whenever you need me."
"Thank you." Tomáš said quietly, staring at the darkness on his wall.
"Hesperia..tell me, are you hurting as much as I am?"
Bi Han was almost swallowed up by Tomáš' pain. He fled from the prince's bedroom, walking back to his, before sliding down the door, sitting on the floor, holding his head in his hands.
"Damn it!" he shouted in frustration.
The shout caused Kuai Liang to jump out of bed, grabbing his kusarigama in fright.
"Bi Han?" he asked.
The elder Lin Kuei looked at his younger brother sadly.
"...oh Kuai..I'm sorry."
The younger Lin Kuei rose from the bed and went to sit next to his brother.
"Sorry.." Bi Han repeated, taking his brother's hand.
"What's wrong?" Kuai Liang asked.
"It's Tomáš. I wanted to scold him about Hesperia, but I couldn't. He's a mess, Kuai." Bi Han said.
"A mess? What's going on?"
"He's lost his goddamn mind. He's upset, depressed, and he's giving me this dramatic sob story about it."
Kuai Liang looked away in annoyance.
"He's just going to let this little hussy have this much power over him?"
"Kuai, don't call her that-"
"No, you know I'm right. Maybe Jindřiška was right calling her a whore. She opens her legs for Tomáš without knowing him, and this dumbass acts upset over this? She broke his heart, Bi Han. Might as well ripped it right out of his chest."
"Kuai Liang. Watch your mouth. Whatever happened between Tomáš and Hesperia is their business. It doesn't make either one of them easy. She couldn't stay, Kuai. Jindřiška would have killed her. Tomáš, nor I would have never forgiven ourselves for this."
The younger Lin Kuei sighed.
"I don't want to see my best friend hurt. I..hate what she did."
"I can't change your mind, my brother, but please understand. Tomáš is young, brash, emotional, stupid. I guess he felt this woman was different, something he liked. I can't tell him not to be sad, but..what can I do to help?"
"Kuai...the way he cried, i..couldn't do anything but watch him. It was like when he was a child. Remember how he cried all the time, he would ask to come in here and sleep with us, or when his parents would yell at him.."
Bi Han sighed, smoothing his hair back, holding his head to the door.
"Come to bed, my brother." Kuai Liang said, pulling Bi Han up from the floor.
Together the two sat on the bed, Kuai Liang against the bedpost, Bi Han's head in his lap, his younger brother stroking his long black locks.
"I did not want to speak so close to the door."
"Smart." Bi Han said with a smile.
"For once, I don't know what to do. Tomáš was so sad."
Kuai Liang looked down at him sadly.
"What good am I, Kuai? I can save him from physical threats, but how can I save him from his own heart?"
"Bi Han, don't ever doubt yourself. You've done so much for me, for Tomáš. This is something he'll have to deal with himself. It was his choice to be intimate with..what's her name again?"
"Hesperia."
"Oh. Anyway, his choice to be intimate with her, and he has to deal with the consequences."
"But that doesn't mean we can be heartless about it..."
He held Bi Han tighter.
"We'll save him if he falls too deep. That's our duty. More than that, Tomáš means so much to us..."
"I will rescue him if the tides try to take him." Kuai Liang said, "and you, too, Bi Han."
The two were silent, Kuai Liang running his fingers through his brother's hair, Bi Han leaning into his touch.
"He is a fool. I will have a word with him. Tell him to get his head out of his ass before his mother finds out something is wrong. To our luck, we have yet to be caught doing what we all do downstairs, but Jindřiška is observant, especially when it comes to Tomáš. I worry that she may notice."
He then looked to the side. Bi Han was quiet, but he was staring at the ceiling, in deep thought.
"Bi Han, I should tell you something."
The seriousness in his voice made Bi Han rise from his brother's lap, looking at him with worry.
"Kuai..is everything ok?"
"Yes, but I want to show you something."
He watched as Kuai Liang reached towards their bedside table and grabbed what looked like a small squared item, showing it to Bi Han.
"As I was cleaning, I found this on the floor. It looks like a laminate, with countries and dates."
Bi Han took it from his younger brother, reading off the cities and countries,
"Amsterdam, NL"
"Rotterdam, NL"
"Bruges, BE"
"Brussels, BE"
"Stockholm, SE"
"Vienna, AT"
Then he froze, looking at the last date.
"Prague, Czech Republic.."
The dates coincided with where they were now, then Bi Han flipped the laminate, reading the front. "Tuxedo Mask Summer Euro Trip.."
"Who is Tuxedo Mask?" he asked.
"I have no idea." Kuai Liang replied, "but it looks like Hesperia was going after them. If she followed this, then she knew where they would be."
"Hey wait!" the younger added. "Do you remember that show we went to? There was a masked singer there. Female. She threw a rose and hit you."
"Yes, I remember. A similar rose was found at the crime scene.."
"I...saw a rose petal on the floor in that bedroom, too."
Bi Han froze.
"What...did you say?"
"I found a rose petal on the floor in the bedroom.."
"Oh my god..." Bi Han said.
Kampa District, 9am.
Hesperia lay curled up on the bathroom floor, clutching her lower body in pain.
She had been staring at the toilet in fear, before her knees gave out, putting her on the floor.
There was blood in her urine, and she held her hand to her mouth to stop her from screaming.
How? Why?
She could admit to herself that despite all the foreplay and the lube, her encounter with Tomáš was still painful, that they were both rough with each other, but..
She had to face her fears somehow...
"Kabal!"
Almost immediately, Kabal ran into the bathroom, looking on in worry as she lay on the floor, clutching herself in pain.
"Hesperia?"
He knelt down to her side, taking her into his arms. "What's wrong, baby?"
"I..everything hurts.." she whispered into his shoulder.
"Did you sleep in a weird position? Fall out of bed? What happened?"
"Why's there blood in the toilet?"
Both Hesperia and Kabal looked up at Kurtis who walked in, also looking on in worry.
"I don't know, but I'm scared. It's not my monthly, something isn't right.."
"Alright, sweetheart, let's get you back to your bed and we'll figure it out." Kabal said, carrying her out of the bedroom.
She lay back as Kurtis fluffed her pillow, groaning as she stretched her legs out.
"It's like...my..girly parts are on fire...my hips and thighs hurt too."
The two men looked at each other in concern.
"Hesperia, dear, I noticed something was off when you returned overnight."
Hesperia's eyes grew wide.
"Your dress wasn't on right, your hair was messed up, did you..?"
She sighed. So Kabal did notice. Not like she could get anything past two American cops..
"What..happened at that party? Did anyone..hurt you?" he asked.
"No. Whatever happened between us was consensual."
She slammed her hand over her mouth.
"Ah fuck."
"Hesperia Sverre..what happened at that party?"
Both men surrounded her, and she grew uncomfortable with their stares. She sighed.
"Ok. I met a boy at the party. His name was Tomáš..."
"You met a boy?! Who is he?! Where is he from?! What's his name?!" Kurtis shouted, looking for his gun.
"She just said his name was Thomas, Kurt."
He followed the raging cop outside to the main room as Hesperia slammed her hand over her head.
"Me and my big mouth..."
"Kabal, you don't get it, this guy must have taken advantage of Hesperia, he hurt her! Who is this guy so I can break his fucking legs and put a bullet in his head?!"
"Now Kurt, relax, she said it was consensual-"
"It doesn't matter! He hurt her, Kabal, she's pissing blood and she can't walk!"
"Have you ever considered he might just have had a big dic-"
The two men stopped when they heard a boom come from Hesperia's bedroom, and ran in to find her on the floor again.
"This fucking country. First I break my arm, my shows get cancelled, now I ripped my cooch...what luck."
"...yeah, he had a big dick." she added, looking at Kabal.
"..that'll do it."
"And he fucked you without lube? Raw?"
"Kabal!"
"What? Hesperia's not a child, we're a sex positive family here." Kabal said, holding her in his arms.
"Nah we used lube. God, maybe not enough..." she groaned.
Kabal hummed.
"Sex sucks. I don't know why people bother." she added with a laugh.
"Because it feels great." Kabal said, smiling at Kurtis.
"Eww, stop being gross." she said with a smile. "Quit it, or I'll ask all about you and that boy." Kabal said with a wink. "Nuh uh. I won't tell you anything."
"We should get you to a doctor, or is there a Czech equivalent of Urgent Care?"
Kurtis went to his laptop, finding a place called Thomayerova nemocnice. "Alright, let's try this place."
He looked at Hesperia and asked, "Can you get dressed?" "Yeah yeah, I'll be fine." she waved him off, Kabal and Kurtis leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
"How can you be so nonchalant about this, Kabal?"
"Are you kidding? I'm furious! But I know if I start yelling, it'll scare her. Besides, she's old enough for conversations like this...I want to find this kid and break him, too."
With some pain, Hesperia managed to put on a pair of jeans and a tank top, dragging herself out to the main room, where Kabal took her into his arms, carrying her out.
An hour later, the trio found themselves at Black Angel's Bar, Hesperia looking in awe at all the gothic decor, while the two ordered drinks. When they returned to the table, Hesperia raised her glass and yelled, "To not having syphilis! Na zdraví!"
"Jesus Christ, Hesperia, did you have to yell it out loud?" Kabal asked, facepalming, laughing as he raised his glass as well. Kurtis did the same, facepalming as his husband did.
"Oh come on, you know my sense of humor. I absolutely would toast to not having syphilis, or even gonorrhea."
"You don't really think this Thomas guy would really give you those, do you?" Kurtis asked.
Hesperia shrugged. "I mean, he did give me the wham bam thank you ma'am."
Kabal burst out laughing.
"The what?!"
"Don't encourage her!" Kurtis yelled.
"Oh come on, she's funny, Kurt. Let her have fun, it's been a few stressful hours."
"It's a crude way of saying bye, see ya, after sex."
"Hesperia, I'm gonna be honest with you here." Kurtis said, looking at her. "Go on." she said. "This Thomas guy sounds like a real asshole."
"Kurtis!"
"Let me finish. So first off, he takes you to bed, or however you two got there, he forgoes a condom, gives you lip about using lube, gets rough with you, doesn't bother to help you get dressed, leaves you to get home on your own, leaves you waking up in the morning all bloodied and..what was your diagnosis?"
"Ruptures and some vaginal tearing." Hesperia said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, this guy's an asshole, sorry to say, Hesperia. I'd advise not seeing him again. Believe me, I already want to shoot his head off, break his legs, whatever."
Hesperia looked away sadly.
"He was very sweet, Kurtis. He tried to protect me on the dance floor when all those Czech sluts wanted to murder me. He..opened himself up to me, he was so kind.."
"Whatever you say. From what you told me, I still think he's an asshole. And if he makes one step near you, I'll break him to bits."
"And I'll break his face."
Both of them looked at Kabal, who slammed his mug to the table. "I'm itching to break this fucker's neck for what he did to you. Sex isn't supposed to be painful, does this guy even know how to fuck?"
"You're supposed to take care of the lady in your bed. Not just look for your own satisfaction. You know, kiss her, caress her, fuck her gently.."
Hesperia sighed.
Tomáš wasn't anything like how Kurtis said, even if he pretty much described what their night was like, in a more rough way than how it really happened.
She thought about his perfect lips, kissing her all over her body, his slender fingers working her open, how he held her during their dance, during their intimacy, caressed her, made Hesperia feel like the most beautiful princess in all of Prague.
If only she was able to see him, as the lights were out in that bedroom. The moonlight helped, as did her eyes getting adjusted to the dark, she could make out his body and facial shapes, and..she sighed..how handsome he was.
"I'm sorry Kurtis, I..still shared a lovely experience with Tomáš. Even though this is the eventual outcome, the good still outweighs the bad. He protected me, took care of me in bed, he was never inappropriate, always asked for consent.."
"Took care of you? Hesperia, you were pissing blood this morning, you have tearing-"
"The blame cannot solely go on him, he was giving as much as he was getting, we were both rough with each other. I guess we're both dumb horny kids."
"He always checked on me, made sure I was comfortable, fluffed the pillow, threw the blanket over me when I was cold, asked if I wanted to stop, not once did I feel uncomfortable or scared with him."
She looked away, then left to use the bathroom. Really, she just didn't want the two of them to see how upset she was.
Of course she loved Kabal and Kurtis, but they were jumping to conclusions here. And now they were using their angry dad thing to potentially harm Tomáš.
Standing in the stall furthest down the hall, she locked the door and held herself against the door, as tears fell from her eyes.
Castle Vrbada, 9:30am
Still despondent, Tomáš dragged himself out of his bed and into his bathroom, where he attempted to get into his bathtub.
Instead of his usual graceful moves, he plunged himself into the cold waters face first, where he had once again wished the water would take him.
He allowed himself to become weightless, floating on the top of the water, wishing he could sink to the bottom and never pop back up.
To leave these burdens behind.
To forget and let himself become limitless.
It was calm, quiet, his thoughts empty except for the cold.
"If only I could stay within these waters..but i cannot. Instead, all I wish I could do was sink and disappear. This burden, these feelings, they weigh so heavy.."
He closed his eyes, he was not a religious man, but he wished that God would still be merciful on his broken heart and allow him this request.
Back in the throne room, Queen Jindřiška looked forward, her view was empty, she was looking for Tomáš, who was late for their meeting.
"Where is he, Václav, I requested Tomáš speak with us here..he is late.."
"That lazy bastard.." Václav growled, "incompetent..how can he be our heir when he's like this? Haven't we taught him well enough?"
"Go get him for me, I don't care if you have to drag him by his hair. I am so angry at him, I could just slam him against the wall and break his legs so he never leaves me again. So no French whores could try to take him away from me."
"If I ever catch that kitten, I'll skin her alive."
King Václav's advisors watched on in fear as the monarch stomped through the halls towards Prince Tomáš' bedroom. The door was locked when he made it there, he banged on the door, shouting his name angrily.
"Prince Tomáš!"
No response.
"Prince Tomáš, we are not doing this again! You cannot hide from me and your mother, open this door, now!"
Still, there was no response.
Furious, King Václav broke Tomáš' door down, eyes narrowing when he saw that the prince was not in his bed.
"Prince Tomáš? My son, where are you?"
He looked around the room, seeing his night clothes and briefs on the bed. On his nightstand, his lamp was fallen over, on his vanity stand, he saw broken glass chipped on the mirror, what has happened in here?
He walked into the adjacent bathroom, gasping and running in when he saw Tomáš floating face-first in the bathtub.
"Tomáš!" he yelled, running up to him. Quickly, he pulled him out of the bathtub, slapping him across the face to try to get him to wake up.
"Prince Tomáš, cease this foolishness, wake up!" he yelled, pressing down on his stomach, in an attempt to get water out of him.
After a few moments, Tomáš turned his face and began coughing and spitting up water.
"Oh gods...my son..Tomáš..you had me so worried..." the king said, embracing him.
"Hum...? Tati? What happened?" the prince asked, looking around the room.
Wet, naked, confused in his father's arms, Tomáš gasped and looked into his eyes.
"Did you slip and fall into the bath? I saw a soap bar on the floor here..you were laying face-first in the bath and i..got so worried." King Václav said, hugging his son tight.
"I..I must have.." Tomáš said, bleary-eyed and groaning.
"Tati.." he added, coughing up more water. "Easy, my son.." he said, sitting him up, slapping his back to ease his coughing.
As he tapped his back, however, he noticed dry blood and scratches on his skin.
"Prince Tomáš, my son, what's all this on your back?"
His eyes trailed down the rest of his body where there were more scratches on his shoulders and chest.
"And your chest and shoulders.."
Tomáš froze.
"Hesperia, goddamn it, you reckless kitten!" he said to himself, remembering her slashing his chest while she rode him, his back while he had her folded beneath him...
He had to come up with an excuse, fast!
"Help me, Bi Han.."
His father's eyes were angry, accusing. "I knew it! It was that French woman! Tomáš, explain this, now!"
"Tati, no!" Tomáš replied. "I..I couldn't sleep, I woke up overnight to go play with the horses, Bi Han and I went outside to the stables, I must have startled one of them because she knocked me down and dragged me on the wood."
King Václav laughed incredulously.
"Prince Tomáš, you cannot expect me to believe this."
"But..is true, Bi Han will even tell you."
"I suppose if I asked him now, he'll say yes? Of course he will, Bi Han would lie for you too, wouldn't he? I suppose Jindřiška and I will just have to ask both of you."
"It's true." Bi Han said, walking into the bathroom. King Václav held Tomáš protectively from the incoming Lin Kuei, and said, "You are always taking my son and putting him in dangerous situations, Lin Kuei. Whorehouses, stables, what is next? You are a terrible influence on him!"
"I am growing, Tati, it's time I should explore more things." Tomáš countered, causing the king to glare at him.
He rose up from his father's hold, grabbing a towel from Bi Han before turning back to him, "You cannot coddle me forever."
"Prince Tomáš, don't you walk away from me, I am not finished speaking with you and Bi Han!"
They waited in the bedroom for King Václav to join them, Tomáš changing back into his night clothes, sitting on the bed.
Bi Han was standing beside him, looking down at him. "Actually I came in here to call Prince Tomáš for breakfast, what did I miss?"
King Václav looked at the two, then pointed at both, "You two better not be plotting anything."
"Nope. No pranks, Tati." Tomáš said.
"So. I'm giving you two minutes to talk, see if you can collaborate his story, Lin Kuei."
Tomáš and Bi Han looked at each other, until King Václav snapped, "None of that, look at me, my son."
"Gods, he's angry.." Bi Han said.
"It's true, father. I slept for a little bit, but could not get back to sleep. I thought maybe playing in the stables might help me."
"And you were there, too, Bi Han?"
"You know I am almost always one step behind the prince."
"And you witnessed my son being dragged by a horse and did nothing to stop it?"
"It happened so fast, I managed to pull him away, but some of the damage was already done."
The room was silent until the king yelled, "Bullshit! You two think I'm really this stupid?! That I'd believe this shit?"
Tomáš looked away.
"Get yourself ready, your mother is waiting for you in the throne room. Bi Han, I don't want to hear one word out of your mouth. Get out, back to your room."
"As you wish." Bi Han said, bowing before leaving.
He kept his eyes on Tomáš who looked terrified. "Be strong, Tommy."
Once Bi Han was gone, King Václav backhanded Tomáš, forcing him to his bed, choking him.
"Not only are you a terrible liar, but you are really testing my patience as King. You are to be my heir, but it's becoming apparent that you are not suitable for the throne. You're a hot-headed, incompetent, defiant fool, and I will not have this under my roof!"
Beneath him, Tomáš squirmed, trying to release himself from his father's grip. He kicked out, his eyes pleading with his father to let him go.
King Václav released Tomáš, who had attempted to rip his father's hands off him, tears falling from his eyes.
"Tati..I'm sorry." Tomáš said weakly, coughing as he fought to get his breath back.
"Now you're going to cry? You're pathetic. We'll be waiting for your next excuse in the throne room."
He stomped out of the room, but not before saying to himself, "Remind me to fix this door, then again, I can use this to keep an eye on you all the time."
Tomáš was frozen on his bedsheets, looking away from his father in fright.
King Václav had never attacked him like this.
He was too scared to even get up from his bed, trembling, curling into his blanket.
"Prince Tomáš, let's go!" his father roared, causing Tomáš to jump of his skin.
"I..can't.." he said, shaking his head. "You can't, or you won't? Don't defy me, Tomáš!"
Angrily, he stomped back into the room, grabbing Tomáš by his hair, forcing him onto his shoulder.
"Relax, my child. Your mother only wants to speak with you. Choose your words carefully or your next punishment won't be so gentle."
Tomáš was scared silent, lying limp in his father's arms, defeated. He couldn't understand why his father was so angry, and why his actions so cruel.
Sure his father would smack him sometimes if he got smart, but he never hit him this hard, or ever choked him.
When the two made their way to the throne room, King Václav was surprised to see another man standing beside Queen Jindřiška.
The man had dark hair, curled at the top, reddish brown eyes, wearing a black shirt and pants, and an armored face plate with silver gauntlets.
"What is he doing here?" King Václav asked.
"Nice to see you, too, Vinny. And hey is that Little Tommy with you back there?"
Tomás perked up at the sound of his uncle Vojta Havik's voice, and he jumped off his father's shoulder.
"Uncle Vojta!" Tomáš exclaimed, running over to him. He laughed as Havik walked over to him and embraced him. "And look at you, little Tomáš is all grown up! How old are you now?" he asked, ruffling his hair.
Tomáš giggled as Havik messed his hair up, then attempted to lift him. "I'm eighteen now." he said. "Eighteen? Such a big strong, handsome man, I bet you break all the ladies' hearts now, don't you?"
"Oh I don't know..I haven't really paid attention." Tomáš replied. Havik gave him a light knuckle brush against his cheek and said, "Ah no worries, you're still young-"
"That's what we're here to talk about, Vojta. I caught Tomáš dancing with a woman at the masquerade the other night. I just want to make sure there's no funny business going on.." Queen Jindřiška said with a smile, crossing her arms.
"Go on, start talking, Prince Tomáš." King Václav challenged.
"Dancing with a woman? What, you got a girlfriend now, Tommy?" Havik asked.
"Well..no, no I don't. She was just a girl who I met at the party, we shared a dance, then she left." Tomáš replied.
"She looked like a prostitute, a whore slithering like a snake all over my son." Queen Jindřiška said.
"Mother.." Tomáš said, blushing.
"Worst of all, she was French." the queen added. Havik whistled. "French? Wow, I hear those woman can be very sexy."
Queen Jindřiška sighed. " Vojta, not right now, can you please leave Václav and I to speak with our son? I will join you in the parlor later."
"Sure thing, sis. I'll see you soon." Havik said, waving at them, leaving the throne room.
"Little brothers.." Queen Jindřiška said, facepalming, walking down the steps, towards her son.
Quietly, she approached Tomáš, slapping him across his face with such force, his head snapped to his side.
"How dare you?" she said coldly.
"How dare you run off with that French whore, and make me search the castle for hours, looking for you!"
"Mami, I was in my bedroom the whole time asleep, Bi Han can tell you-"
"Bi Han is as much a liar as you are! Tell me the truth about you and that woman, so I can find her and kill her!" Queen Jindřiška yelled, "What is her name and where in France is she from, I will drag her here by her hair and flay her alive for everyone in this castle to see!"
"Mami, for what offense has she done for this?" Tomáš asked.
The queen smiled. "Oh Tomáš, for being a foreigner and attempting to take you from me."
"Tell me what happened when you ran from my arms, why did you feel the need to chase after her and the guards?"
Tomáš took a deep breath.
King Václav watched in the background, crossing his arms. He couldn't wait to hear Tomáš latest lie.
"Because I feared the political implications of a foreigner being killed on our property." Tomáš replied.
"That's the best you could do?!" King Václav yelled with a laugh, "at least you could make up a better lie! You don't know anything about politics, Tomáš!"
But Tomáš was unfazed by his father's taunts.
"Castle Vrbada is a political stage, Mami, and so I feared that if a foreigner was killed on our property, it could be dangerous for foreign relations."
Queen Jindřiška smiled.
"Of course. Wouldn't want to have the French come after us. What are they going to do, throw croissants at us?"
Both she and King Václav burst out laughing.
"Or send an army of mimes at us? With their invisible shields and berets!"
"So please, Tomáš, don't worry about the French, Bi Han can take them all with one arm crossed behind his back."
Then the queen looked at him seriously. "I will, however, commend you for having a small political mind of this, my son. It was not wrong to think this way. But this is something we can handle on our own. Besides, I also wanted to ask, Master Jákob had mentioned you two got into an altercation at the party last night. That is how we discovered you dancing with that woman."
"Son of a bitch..." Tomáš muttered.
"No, there was no altercation, I just did not like how Master Jákob put his hands on the woman and harmed her." he said out loud, looking at his mother. "And because it was the French woman, did that make a difference? He says it was then you took her hand and led her to the dance floor." she said.
"Any woman, I would have said the same thing, I did not like seeing any woman harmed on my watch. As far as dancing, yes, it was a simple, harmless dance, she fled once you sent the guards out, Bi Han intercepted us, and told me to return to my room as he would handle everything." he replied.
"A simple harmless dance? Oh no, my son, it looked like she was trying to have sex with you on the dance floor." the queen said, looking deeply into her son's eyes. "She was trying to seduce you, the whore that she is."
"I am not so foolish to fall for a French woman's charms, mother." Tomáš quickly replied.
"But may I ask, what do you think she was hoping to gain from our throne, mother? It was a simple dance, and she went on her way, in like a tornado, out like a small gust of wind." he added. "Oh sweetheart, it's you she must have wanted. Who would not want to be with such a handsome prince like you?" the queen said with a smile.
Tomáš blushed. "Mother, you are too kind. I fear sometimes I do not have the same sentiments when I look into the mirror."
There was an awkward silence, before Tomáš shyly asked, "I-is this all, or?"
"Yes, you are free to go." Queen Jindřiška said, waving her hand. "Thank you." Tomáš said, turning to walk away, and back to his room.
"Václav, follow him." Queen Jindřiška said, watching her son leave the room. "I don't trust leaving him alone one second."
King Václav nodded, and began following Tomáš back to his room. At the same time, Havik walked back to the throne room, taking the queen's hand into his.
"How's Tomáš really doing?" he asked. "I noticed he looked a little upset when he came in."
"I don't know.." she sighed, holding her hand to her heart. "Sometimes I feel like I don't know Tomáš anymore. It feels like he's changed ever since he turned eighteen.."
"All part of growing up, you know how much of a hell raiser I was when I was his age, right? Tommy is a good kid, he's just going through what all teenagers are going through." Havik said.
"Is there more than he's saying, about this French woman?" Queen Jindřiška asked. "What has you so concerned about the woman? Who is she?" Havik asked.
"I will not have some foreign trash take my son, Vojta!"
"Relax. The woman is probably long gone by now. The guards here, those Lin Kuei guys, I'm sure they're enough to scare her into not coming back."
"I fear that Tomáš may have been charmed by her. I am trying to build him into the perfect heir; handsome, smart, loyal to our country and family, with a beautiful Czech woman at his side."
"I will not have this French whore rip that from me."
"Tell you what, Jini, if I ever catch her sneaking around here, or if I see her in town, I'll kill her myself. No need to get your hands dirty."
"You..would do that for me?"
"I've done it before, Jini, you're my big sister, I'd do anything for you."
"Thank you, Vojta. Make her death a slow and painful one. While you're at it, find those vigilantes I told you about."
Havik saluted, then walked away.
"Meet you in your parlor soon, we have much to discuss."
Just when Tomáš thought he was safe within the confines of his bedroom, his father came to the door.
"Tati.." he whispered, curling into himself like a terrified puppy.
"Tomáš, my son." King Václav said, entering the room.
"S-stay back." Tomáš whimpered, pulling the sheets towards himself.
King Václav looked at him sadly. "May we speak, my son?"
Tomáš shook his head. "I..have nothing to say to you."
He flinched then, awaiting another slap from his father. But nothing came.
"I want to apologise for my actions earlier. I...acted far too out of line. You frustrate me, but my actions were inappropriate."
"You said I was weak, pathetic, not good enough to be your heir..then you hit me, choked me.."
His voice was quiet, full of terror. Tomáš was even too afraid to look at his father, so he kept his eyes on the floor.
"I was frustrated, Tomáš."
Tomáš did not reply, only kept his head down like a kicked puppy.
"Lately, it is as if you are changing. As you transition into adulthood, I know it must be difficult, you are easily becoming swayed by the things around you, and further from Jindřiška and I. We have a set of expectations for you, but..outside forces are attracting you away from us."
"These outside forces include the Lin Kuei."
Tomáš looked up from the floor.
"I built the contract with their grandmaster after Bi Han rescued you in Switzerland. Their European base was there in Geneva. The grandmaster suggested sending his most elite members here to the castle, Bi Han and his brother, and Sektor and Cyrax. It was also because Bi Han wanted to see you again."
"..I was rescued in Geneva? That's where Hesperia said she was living..Black Dragon's base was in Geneva..what more does she know then? Have our paths crossed earlier?"
"I did not hire Bi Han to become your friend, I hired him for his speed, his efficiency, his dedication to his work. He is an elite assassin for a reason, and his affinity for ice power works to his advantage. His brother is slightly below him, but also a force to be reckoned with."
"But somewhere, Bi Han may have become attached to you. I notice that wherever you are, he seems to be right behind you. That was not my intention to make you two get this close. But I suppose it was inevitable, you do not have siblings, and he must have wanted another brother. It must have been difficult seeing Bi Han paired up with his brother, Sektor paired up with Cyrax, leaving you alone."
"What I mean to say, is that you cannot allow Bi Han to sway you from your duties as heir. Jindřiška and I only want the best for you."
"Does this mean beating me when it feels like I'm straying out of line?"
"Understand that I do not want to use violence to keep you straight, my son. Surely, when you have children of your own, you'll understand."
He reached out for Tomáš' hand, but Tomáš flinched and took it away. "Don't. Don't touch me." he said.
"My son, your father just wants to hold your hand."
"No, those hands that hurt me..please, father, i..don't want.."
King Václav sighed.
"I do not wish for you to be afraid of me. I love you, Tomáš, you are my heir, my beloved son."
"You're said it yourself, I'm pathetic. Incompetent."
"Again, I was frustrated."
"Please, just leave me alone, father. I..do not wish to see you or speak with you."
The king sighed again, and stepped back from Tomáš, towards the door. "Very well. Again, I apologise. It will not happen again."
"Be well, my son."
He left the room, and Tomáš finally gave into the tears he was holding in.
Abuse by his own father..Tomáš couldn't understand why King Václav would hurt him the way he did.
He remembered the man with the Black Dragon, Kano, his name was, he would hit him, spit on him, kick him around if he refused to perform for his clients.
He remembered all the backhands, the punches, the kicks to his ribcage..
He curled into himself, trembling beneath his sheets, hoping for sleep.
But sleep did not come easily for Tomáš.
He spent most of his day holed up in his room, as Bi Han and Kuai Liang installed a new door. He chuckled at the two as they bickered over how to properly put in the door frame, then make it fit exactly.
"It's not in proper alignment, don't start drilling yet!" Kuai Liang said.
"What do you mean? It looks good!" Bi Han said.
"It's three quarters off center, brother."
"Just drill right here, no one will tell the difference."
"I will drill your mouth shut, big brother."
King Václav left Tomáš alone, instead chose to spend the day with his advisors discussing politics and other plans for the kingdom.
Queen Jindřiška spent her day in the parlor, reading and having a small lunch with Havik.
When night fell, Tomáš found himself leaving the castle, going towards Lake Jaromír, a body of water named after the original patriarch of the Vrbada family, their first king. It was behind the castle, quiet, desolate. A perfect place for a confused prince to get lost in his thoughts.
As customary, he was met by Bi Han, who was looking for him.
He was surprised by what he saw in Tomáš' hand, " Becherovka?" he asked. Tomáš was silent as he took a swing straight from the bottle.
"You fool.." he added, sitting on a large rock beside the prince.
It was a starry night, the moon illuminating the two. Bi Han could see that Tomáš was drunk, his hair a mess, eyes bleary and red.
"Shut up." Tomáš said coldly. "I'm tired of everyone pulling me in every direction."
He took another deep swag of the liquor before smashing the bottle to pieces beneath his feet.
He then grabbed a shard of glass, pointing it at himself, alarming Bi Han.
"The only direction I'm going is down, then! See how much they want to keep me straight when they can't control me anymore!"
"Tomáš!" Bi Han yelled.
He attempted to grab the glass shard from him, but got his palm sliced instead. Pulling his hand back in pain, he froze the wound, stopping it from bleeding any more, turning back to the now bewildered prince, who had the glass shard pressed against his neck.
"Tomáš, stop! You don't want to do this, you're drunk, and..-" he saw the bag of cocaine on the rock, nearly empty, and he saw powder on his nostrils and upper lip. "...and coked up. Did you think I wouldn't find you here?"
"Anyone else would have been knocked out by now taking that much coke. How much does he do when not with us? Is this a regular thing? Is this something I should talk about with Tomáš?"
"For once, i finally get to do things on my own. I am not my father's puppet; I am not my mother's perfect little son that she can parade around for every whore in Prague to soak their panties over!"
"And you're my friend, Tomáš."
"What friend? Dad says you weren't hired to be my friend."
"And what of Hesperia? What do I tell her if you slit your throat?"
"Tell her to meet me in hell. Perfect place for a heartbreaking bitch!"
"Tomáš.."
"Bi Han.."
That small reverie was enough to cause Bi Han to dash over to the prince and knock the shard out of his hand. He noticed Tomáš' hand was bleeding from the glass, and he gently froze the blood, ripping a piece of his own clothing, wrapping it around Tomáš' hand.
Bi Han was never one for tears, but now, he couldn't make them stop if he tried.
"Tomáš, you fucking asshole.."
He pulled Tomáš into his arms, holding him at his shoulder. "You absolute fucking asshole. What did I say about leaving me?"
"I told you to stop being selfish and holding your burdens alone. I don't know anything about royalty, but I know how to take care of you, so why, why would you try to commit suicide in front of me like this?!"
When Tomáš didn't reply, Bi Han shouted, "Tomáš, answer me! What the fuck am I supposed to do when I can't even save you from your own demons.."
"Don't try to save me, Bi Han. Some people aren't worth it."
"Fuck you!" Bi Han shouted. "If you think you're so worthless, then why am I wasting my time here?"
"You can leave whenever you want. No one is forcing you to stay."
"No one but me. I am your loyal bodyguard, Tomáš, your protector. But what good am I if I can't even fix what's in here..Tomáš, what's really going on here?"
The prince was silent, before Bi Han grasped his shoulders. "Talk to me, Tomáš."
"I..I feel like I can't stand up. I'm collapsing under the weight of having Castle Vrbada on my back. It's so hard, and I'm tired of being stretched in so many places that I just can't stand on my own anymore. I'm so tired of fighting.." Tomáš replied, his voice soft and defeated.
"You won't collapse so easily. I will hold you up, or at least try to."
He noticed Tomáš' intoxication wouldn't allow him to look at him, yet Bi Han drew his face to his.
"I feel like I'm sinking under the pressure, too, of trying to keep you up. I need to be strong for you, and I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. I'm scared. That if I ever start sinking too much, that I'll lose you."
"I'm just a client to you. Just someone to protect because you're under my father's contract."
"That's not true...well, yes we are contracted under the Vrbada family, but my job is more than that. It's you I'm loyal to, you I love."
"Love.." Tomáš scoffed, "go to love your brother instead."
"My heart is big enough for you both, please don't break it."
"Like you ever experienced heartbreak..."
"You didn't know me before I rescued you. But now, your words are hurting me. Think about what you say to people."
"Bi Han.."
Tomáš began wobbling. Whether it was from his blood loss, or from his intoxication, Bi Han didn't know, but he had to stop this before they both plunged off the small cliff and into the lake below.
"Ok, ok, Tomáš, calm down, we're going to..you're going to knock me-"
"Tomáš!" he yelled, grabbing the young prince as they fell off the cliff, and into the depths below.